//------------------------------// // Humans in Equestria I // Story: Integration // by Darth Link 22 //------------------------------// ATTENTION PALACE STAFF As you know, starting next week, we will be having the interdimensional guests in our midst. I would like to remind you all of the following facts: 1. They are here for an important diplomatic mission. As a result, they are to be afforded the same luxuries and treatments as the average foreign visitor. 2. The fact that these ponies are from another world is a high-level secret. You have all signed the magically binding contracts to stay quiet to any non-authorized creature until such a time as the Crown decides to release the information. Any attempt to circumvent the contract will be met with serious legal repercussions. 3. The guests are not to leave palace grounds until authorized to by the Crown. If you see any attempt to leave, stop them gently but firmly and alert the guards. 4. Princess Celestia will arrive the day before our visitors are scheduled to arrive. I expect full quality treatment for her. 5. As a consequence of this, no leave will be granted over the next three months except in matters of great emergency. As a consolation, you will all receive a nice bonus for the summer. Princess Twilight Sparkle Princess of Friendship, Fourth Crown of Equestria It had been a long and carefully timed process. Moving so many people into another world without arousing suspicions would take careful planning. Fortunately, two Twilights was more than enough. With the help of Principal Celestia and a few other staff, there had been an excuse for the families to be there the day after school let out. Volunteering to help with summer school preparations was a bit flimsy, but at the moment they didn’t think anyone would look close. Well, the Changelings might, but they’d likely already be watching them close. That's why they needed to be careful. The necessary parents all arrived in the morning. It was early Saturday, and few cars were on the streets. That was good. Fewer witnesses. Sunset went through the portal first, followed by Twilight’s family. Once they were through, Cranky, mumbling about having to work, drove their car back to their apartment, parking it in the garage parking space they had paid for, then was given a lift back to school by Vice Principal Luna. This was repeated with the Apple family, then Rarity’s family, and so on. Each time, Cranky would take their cars back to their homes, parking it out of sight. With luck, every neighbor would assume they were on vacation. A normal vacation, that is. On the other side of the mirror, there had been several different reactions to becoming a four-legged creature. Applejack had taken it in stride, even when her flank flashed and a cutie mark had appeared on her flank. It had been nearly identical to her counterpart’s, Princess Twilight noted, with the sole exception of it being mirrored. Each apple had its leaf on the opposite side. Jonathan Apple and Jonagold had a more emotional response, but a few deep breaths managed to calm them down. This changed when their flanks flashed new cutie marks appeared. A large green apple with a star for Jonathan, and a bowl of applesauce for Jonagold. Princess Twilight took pictures to compare them with what the pony Applejack remembered of her parents’ cutie marks. That ended up being the norm. With every group that passed through, with the youth taking the change in stride and the adults having more emotional responses. Princess Twilight was always on hand to keep them calm. However, she was also conducting research on the cutie marks that appeared on their flanks.  Rainbow Dash had a multi-colored running shoe appear as her cutie mark. Fluttershy had what looked like a pink rabbit. Rarity had the three diamonds that her pony counterpart had, though they seemed to be a darker shade of blue. And Pinkie’s cutie mark was a cupcake with multi-colored frosting, a single candle burning in its center, and confetti sprinkled around it. Not a single cutie mark that was the same as their counterparts. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still had empty flanks. Princess Twilight made a note of this.  With the parents, she could only get pictures of the mark to compare later. Even Maud Pie was an enigma to her, as she had covered the mark for the entirety of her visit. She had to remember to ask Pinkie to send word to her sister. For the first thirty minutes, Princess Twilight just watched as everyone adjusted to their new bodies. There seemed to be some that came through the portal in more control of their bodies for the first time, like when Starlight had followed her through. However many were like her, only slowly coming into their new bodies. They had been warned of the disorientation, and were mostly not panicking. It was during this time that Sunset Shimmer and Little Twi approached her. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” Sunset said. “These are a lot of ponies to keep track of.” “Relax, I have Princess Celestia and my castle staff helping me out. This should run pretty smoothly. I have a banquet laid out for everypony. I was careful to pick things that humans eat naturally and have them mixed in with hay and alfalfa. We have rooms assigned, and I made sure the guards won’t let them exit the castle without a disguise and an escort. We have everything planned...” Twilight trailed off when she noticed that Sunset was no longer focused on her. She was instead focused on Little Twi, who was looking at everyone observing their new cutie marks. It took a few seconds for Twilight to realize what the problem was; her eyes drifted to her counterpart’s flank. It was still as bare as ever. “Now, now, Twilight,” Sunset said quickly. It took a moment for Twilight to realize she meant Little Twi. “Remember, we don’t know why your cutie mark hasn’t appeared. It could be a side effect of your previous contact with magic, it could be a fluke with the mirror.” “It’s not bothering me,” Little Twi said. Twilight was thinking it was a good thing Applejack hadn’t heard that, because such an obvious lie might have given her a heart attack in response. Sunset placed a hoof on her back. Little Twi seemed to relax at the touch. Princess Twilight wondered what to say, but figured this was a duty for Dr. Heart. Right now, she had other duties to attend to. She went to the front of the room. Everyone seemed to have gotten their bearings and were now looking at her, waiting for instructions. “I want to welcome you to Equestria. I know you must have a lot of questions, and they’ll be answered. But for now, if you’ll please accompany me to the dining room.” The group obeyed without question, but it was still a slow process. While walking on four legs was easier than two, it was still a new way to walk, and many new ponies were learning it.   The dinner had been a repeat of the dinner with Little Twi’s family on a larger scale. They were enraptured by Princess Celestia’s beauty, they all tried the hay and found it pleasurable. There was some talk about how things would work. The parents were the ones that were engaging in most of this discussion. The members of the Rainbooms all ended up seated at the end of the table, talking amongst themselves. “Well, I must say this is less complicated than I expected,” Rarity said. She had brought a purse filled with fashion accessories, despite Sunset warning her they wouldn’t work well on a pony body. Using her magic, she had picked a compact mirror out of her bag and was admiring herself in it. “I must say, it is odd finding this body beautiful.” “Trust me, it’s weird for everyone. You get used to it.” Sunset had paused between bites of a daisy sandwich. She had missed enjoying this kind of food when she had been human. Of course, she imagined that she’d miss some of the human food in a matter of weeks. “Gotta say, I’m gettin’ kind of weirded out by how quick I’m adjusting,” Applejack said. She was looking at her hoof, finding it surreal to have such a different appendage.  Pinkie decided to chip in. “Well, having all of us have to get adjusted to being a pony would just be endless fluff. We need to get on with the interesting stuff.” “What?” asked Sunset. “What?” Pinkie repeated. There was a moment of silence. “When do you think we’re going to be able to leave the castle?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I want to try these babies out,” she spread a wing out as far as she could and motioned to it. “It might be a day or two before that happens,” Sunset said. “Remember, for now we’re still keeping the human world on the down low. The citizens of Equestria might be more willing to believe in alternate dimensions, but it’s not information that we should just be throwing around.” “Why not?” Applejack asked. Sunset looked over at the group of adults, still listening to Princess Celestia give her assurance that all of her students receive the best of everything. She lowered her voice. No need for the parents to hear it. “Equestria has enemies. No need to bring them into the know until the humans are ready to defend themselves.” “What kind of enemies?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’ll let you know once we’re out of earshot,” Sunset said. “Right now, just get used to your new bodies.” Applejack nodded, looking down at her plate. Several pieces of hay were sitting on her plate. She had tried picking up a piece with her hoof, but that had failed miserably. Sighing, she lowered her head and took a bite. “Not bad,” she said. “Don’t feel bad. You’ll get the hang of not having fingers,” Sunset said. “Yeah. I saw this really old movie once with this guy who had no arms or legs, but he still managed to roll and light a cigarette with just his mouth,” Rainbow Dash said. “There’s got to be ways to do everything.” “I just don’t think it’s fair that Earth Ponies have such a hard time gettin’ around.” “Relax, it might not seem like it, but Earth Ponies have a powerful magic, it just takes a while to tap into. It’ll make up for the fact that you can’t... use...” As Sunset drifted off, the others followed her gaze to see what she was finding so surprising. They were all gaping as well. A piece of hay was floating through the air before popping into Pinkie’s mouth. She chewed a bit before she noticed that everyone was staring at her. “What?” “Pinkie... how are you doing that?” Sunset finally managed. “I’m just using my telekinesis, the same as you,” she said, picking up another piece of hay. “Pinkie... you’re an Earth Pony. You don’t have any way to channel telekinetic magic. That requires a horn, remember?” Pinkie paused. Slowly, she brought her hoof up to her forehead and felt. As soon as she did this, the magic around the hay vanished, and it fell back onto the plate. “Well, poo,” Pinkie said. The others could only gape at what they had just seen. “Um, where’s Spike?” A side effect of Fluttershy speaking so rarely is that she tended to catch attention when she did speak. Her friends turned to her. “What?” Sunset asked. “Where’s Spike? The one from this world, I mean. I wanted to see what kind of things a dragon ate.” “He told me he was going to avoid the dinner at first,” Sunset said. “Something about having a lot of work to do.” In truth, Spike didn’t have work to do. He simply didn’t want to attend the dinner. He didn’t think he could handle all the attention. Several humans just getting used to pony bodies staring at him? He thought it was best to avoid it. He sat on his beanbag reading comics. He had started the evening reading his textbooks, but he had burnt himself out. He truly couldn’t understand how Twilight did it. Even with all the drive he had, he couldn’t keep up with the pony that raised him. After finishing up another issue, he put it in his bag and board and placed it in the longbox. He went back to the beanbag and picked up the next issue. Sadly, he couldn’t make it through this one. Not because of any problem with the book, but because of the headline in the papers that morning. He had read it at breakfast, Twilight said keeping up with current events was important for an education. He still remembered the headline, its big letters imprinted into his brain. SUPPORT FOR NEIGHSAY’S PONIES FIRST POLICY STILL STRONG, POLLS SAY He knew it shouldn’t bother him. It seemed that every political poll was saying something different. But he hated that this needed to be debated at all. He almost missed not being educated. He wasn’t aware of how bad things were until then. He tried to return to his comic book. He knew he was in no state to attend the party, but his thoughts were drifting to joining. He was getting bored. “Spike?” Spike looked up. Starlight was at his door, looking in with hopeful eyes Spike sighed, but he was smiling. “What’s up, Starlight?” But he knew. He saw the board game that the little filly was carrying in her magic. “Will you play with me?” she said. “Okay, but only one game, okay?” he said. Starlight nodded. As Starlight started to set up the board, Spike felt better. It seemed that there were others that could lift him up. Seeing an exact copy of yourself was a surreal experience, even if you were expecting it. Rainbow Dash was realizing that as her pony self circled her, eyeing her up and down. “You look a lot like me... except the wings,” the pony Dash said. “What’s wrong with my wings?” she asked. “Nothing. They look strong, but not well maintained. Well, I guess you’ve never used them before today. That’s something I’m going to fix, Little Dash.” “...Little Dash?” “Well, your Twilight is already Little Twi, and we can’t all have the same name. And since this is my world, you get the nickname. Little Dash.” Little Dash fumed. “I guess,” she said. “But I don’t have to like it.” “Looks like you’re going to be just fine,” she said. “You’re still in school at least. That means you’re going to have an easier time than I did.” Little Dash looked at her pony counterpart. “You dropped out of school.” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. “Not in the way you might think. Twilight told me that general schooling lasts until eighteen for a human. Is that true?” “Yeah... and pony school only lasts until ten, then your cutie mark will tell you what to do next?” “That’s right. I went to flight school, but I dropped out. I had a real bad problem with authority that made me leave. I followed Fluttershy here. I’m glad you’re not like me.” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, looking into space as she thought. “You know someone named Gilda?” “No. Why?” “She was a friend of mine, a griffon. She wasn’t the best influence. She quit right along with me.” Little Dash’s eyes widened. “A griffon? Like the big bird things?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “You have them on Terra?” “Well, no. But they’re fantasy creatures there. I never thought they were real.” “Oh, they’re real,” Rainbow Dash said. “They don’t leave their homelands often. Still, our flight academy was run by the Wonderbolts, and they could get past the ‘no non-ponies rule’, so she was able to...” “Wait,” Little Dash said. “No non-ponies?” Rainbow Dash stopped, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “I guess Twilight didn’t tell you. Non-ponies aren’t allowed at most schools. The head of the EEA is incredibly prejudiced against non-ponies.” Little Dash was confused. Then again, the more she thought about it, she supposed it made sense. There had been prejudice on other humans depending on where they came from. She supposed if there was any way to tell that based on appearance, it would happen. She even recalled some groups saying a certain skin color was the sign of a true blessing, even though scientists couldn’t tell what made a human’s skin color.  She had read about how people who were striped instead of full-colored often faced persecution. She remembered seeing only one, a woman named Zecora who came to speak at her school. If things like that could invite hatred, she could only imagine what another species would cause. Suddenly, being in this new world was starting to worry her. “Little Dash?” Rainbow Dash asked. The human Rainbow Dash realized that she had drifted off. “Well... how do you think ponies are going to react to this? You know, humans?” Rainbow Dash suddenly realized what an awkward subject she had brought up. She glanced around the room. The two Raritys were trading fashion designs, the two Fluttershys were talking. The two Pinkies were nowhere to be seen, which was probably not a good sign.  Her eyes landed on the two Applejacks. They were looking the most uncomfortable of all. Rainbow Dash knew what they were talking about, the only thing they would be talking about: their parents. She knew that Little AJ’s parents were still in the meeting room, waiting with the other parents. She also knew that, unlike the others, they would not be allowed to meet the pony version of their daughter. It was too soon, too much of an emotional blow for Applejack to endure without the proper preparation. “Probably not well...” Rainbow Dash admitted. “Neighsay will make it worse. He’s spoiling for a fight and I don’t know why.” Little Dash felt a pit in her stomach. “Does the Princess have any ideas?” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Always. Don’t worry, I’m sure she has Neighsay on the ropes by now.” “I can’t believe these polls,” Twilight groaned, putting the paper aside. Flash, Sunset and Little Twi were with her, sitting around the princess’s private chambers. Sunset and Little Twi had been disturbed by the news. Sunset had remembered hearing about Neighsay, though because she had not been affected by his policies, she hadn’t had to face them. But hearing it was still powerful disturbed her. “I thought you said you were making progress on this?” Flash said. Indeed, Neighsay had come up more than a few times during their chats. After all, Flash considered it the duty of a good boyfriend to be the ear that his girlfriend could vent to. And after meeting Spike himself, he’d be lying if he said that he didn’t share some of that anger. “I am, but I can’t change a pony’s mind overnight.” She took a sip of the tea that she was drinking. Sunset had the feeling that she was wishing she had something stronger. “And trust me, there are all kinds of ways polls can be stacked to get the result that you want. This might just be more of Neighsay’s smoke and mirrors.” “Neighsay probably is the biggest obstacle we’re going to get from the ponies,” Sunset said at last. “I still don’t know how to tell the others about him. I’m kind of hoping that the others will do that for me.” “Knowing Rainbow Dash, she probably already has let it slip,” Twilight said. “Or maybe Rarity. I don’t know, they need to find out sooner or later. Maybe if it hasn’t already come up, I’ll tell them tomorrow.” “And the parents? How do you think they’re going to feel about this?” Flash asked. “I’ll tell you how they’ll feel,” Twilight said. “They’ll be angry over it. They’ll be scared. And they’re going to be frustrated because the only way to avoid it is to bring them back home where people want to hurt them.” Twilight’s voice had risen steadily over the course of her speech, not to the point where she was shouting, but it was easy to notice the anger seeping in her voice. Flash scooted closer to her, draping a wing around her. The action calmed her down. “Speaking from experience?” Sunset asked. “I’ve done my best for Spike, but he’d have better if it wasn’t for Neighsay.” “Um... Princess?” Little Twi had finally spoken up, and all eyes were on her now. She never liked being the center of attention, but she was still managing to get her words out. “Does Neighsay know about us yet?” Twilight scoffed. “Are you kidding? Rule number one of any diplomatic situation is telling Neighsay as little as possible. That rule was passed within six months of him taking over the EEA.” “Then... maybe we could use that to trick him?” Seeing the confused looks, she went on. “If he spent some time around us and thought we were ponies, maybe when he finds out...” Twilight held up a hoof to stop her. “I’ve thought about that, but it won’t work. For one thing, the Changelings are a thing... they’re these creatures that can shapeshift, transform into any form,” she added, noticing Flash and Little Twi’s looks of confusion. “They would just compare you to them, creatures who pretend to be nice. “For another, you’re making the mistake of thinking that bigotry like that is logical. If there was any logic in it, it would have faded by now. No, what I’ve learned is that bigots like that want an excuse. They need a reason to feel something negative.” “Why?” Little Twi asked. “I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “People tend to latch onto things like that and I don’t understand why. It’s one of the most incomprehensible things that I have ever come across, and since I know Pinkie Pie, that’s saying a lot.” There was a heavy moment of silence. Flash was the one who broke it. “Are you saying that there’s no hope in changing these people’s minds?” “If I thought that, I wouldn’t still be trying to change minds politically,” Twilight said. “And it’s not like logic is completely ineffective. Neighsay might be trying to play up the ponies on his side, but there are ways to inflate those numbers. Trust me, he’s getting more vocal because he’s scared. “I’ve seen far too many creatures turn themselves around. Discord, Gilda... a few others,” she said as she locked eyes with Sunset. There was an understanding in the room, even if nopony wanted to say it out loud. “I refuse to believe that there’s any creature out there that’s completely beyond help. The Creator wouldn’t have ascended me to this position if that wasn’t the case.” Little Twi looked upon her counterpart with a certain reverence. It was a little intimidating seeing a version of her that was so confident, so in control. Not for the first time she wondered if she could grow into this version of herself. The thought was making her mind go to places she wasn’t sure she wanted it to go. “So... these Changelings,” Little Twi said, hoping to change the subject to something lighter. “You had some run-ins with them?” If her intention was to lighten the mood, it failed, as Princess Twilight now looked greatly uncomfortable. “Well... yes. I suppose I should tell you about it...” Captain Flash was grateful that he had gotten good at keeping his worries concealed, because he was incredibly nervous at the moment. There were many more factors now, many more ponies of interest he needed to guard, and that included half of the ruling figures in Equestria. Princess Twilight’s flippant disregard for safety was already grating, but Princess Celestia was even worse. She didn’t even have a head guard assigned to her. That left him with double duty. It was like nopony but him cared that the Changelings were still around. He fumed, even as a guard from Celestia’s castle came up to him.  “Pardon me, Captain, but the guests are about to be moved into their bedrooms.” “Place more guards on the sleeping quarters, then,” he said. “Sugarcoat will be the one that oversees that.” The guard saluted and went on his way. He fumed a little while longer before he rose off his seat. As much as Princess Twilight’s flippant disregard for safety annoyed him, he still had a job to do. Walking out of his office, Captain Flash put on his work face. He passed by his subordinates, who saluted their captain. He appreciated that. He needed some assurances that things were running smoothly. He entered the private study where Princess Twilight was sitting with some of her closer guests. She had been telling them the story of the Royal Wedding. That was one that always infuriated him. It made him angry to think how easily the Royal Guard had been made fools of. The Princess seemed annoyed by the interruption, but hid it behind her usual regal demeanor. “Yes, Captain?” “Your Highness, it is timed to move your guests into their bedrooms.” The Princess blinked, then gazed at the clock. She seemed surprised. “Oh, you’re right.” She raised from her seat, her horn lighting up. Moments later her crown floated onto her head. “I better see them to their rooms.” Captain Flash nodded. He looked at the other Twilight... Little Twi, he remembered what her nickname was. His gaze didn’t stay long, because the longer he looked at her, the more uncomfortable he became. While Princess Twilight didn’t have the same otherworldly beauty her mentor did, few would argue that she was incredibly beautiful. As inappropriate as it was, he couldn’t help but notice the disconnect between her looks and the attention she gave them. That first day he had come through the portal and become human, he had seen Little Twi. It had been a surreal experience, seeing a copy of the Princess he served, and despite the alien body she had he had found her attractive too. These feelings were hard to ignore after Little Pink had pushed her on top of him. He had allowed himself to wonder if a relationship between the two would be possible, but in the end he had decided that would be improper. She would be a figure of interest, and it would undoubtedly be his duty to guard her in the coming months, maybe even years. No, he simply had to put his duty first. And that duty didn’t involve dating. He stole a glance at his counterpart. Seeing another version of himself had been a surreal experience seeing another version of him. He couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. This Flash had, as of yet, no responsibilities stopping him from pursuing a relationship. “Captain?”  Flash saluted, hoping nopony noticed his lapse of focus. “Of course, Princess.” The small group started off down the hall, with Captain Flash leading the way. Little Twi settled into the large bed she had been offered, feeling a little awkward while doing so. She knew many of her friends weren't living in the same amount of luxury. Oh, they had been given rooms far more luxurious than anything they had been given before, but they weren't in the royal hall, right next to the princesses. She looked at Spike, her Spike, even when in a dragon's body, curled up at the end of the large bed, even with a full-sized bed right next to hers. She looked around the room, big enough to house her entire apartment back on Terra. She felt awkward. She had come from a wealthy family, but after her parents passed Shiny and Cadance had abandoned the fancy trappings for a simple life. Sure, they doted on her, but when her passions were science and knowledge, there wasn't much room for opulence. She sighed, laying back down. Hopefully she would fall asleep soon. The first weekend she had spent here had been difficult. The Castle of Friendship seemed large and empty, and she was sure that if Spike hadn't been at her side, she never would have fallen asleep. As she pressed herself into her pillow, she was grateful that Midnight Sparkle seemed to have disappeared. She didn't think she could handle the nightmares tonight. Not for the first time, she was wishing her friends had decided to have a slumber party tonight. She wanted them around. She wanted the company. She turned that fact over in her mind. Just a few months ago, solitude had been her short-term goal. Now it was her biggest fear. She wanted her friends around. But they were around, she reminded herself. Sunset was in the room next to her. She could even see the door on the wall that led directly to it, a shortcut if they ever decided to visit. And her other friends weren't much further, in a guest wing with slightly smaller rooms for foreign visitors. She had no reason to miss them, or to be afraid at that moment. She was safe from the Changelings, and hopefully safe from Midnight. So why was she so desperate for someone? She mulled the question over in her mind, knowing that sleep would not come as long as there was a question on her mind. The answer entered her brain as if out of nowhere. She was worried for the future, and she wanted the company of her friends. She lay there, contemplating. That answer was so obvious, it should have gone without saying. So why was that a revelation to her? Was she really that much in denial about how much she had changed? “Twilight?” The noise surprised Little Twi, and she turned her head. Spike was at her side, on all fours since his Equestrian counterpart wasn't around to correct his behavior. “What's wrong?” “Nothing,” she said. She reached for him to scratch him behind the ear, only to remember that she didn't even have a hand, let alone fingers. She settled on rubbing his head with her hoof. “Just thinking.” Spike didn't buy that for an instant. He snuggled close to her. She wrapped her forelegs around him. “Let's just get some sleep,” she said. Spike considered pressing the matter, but in the end he just snuggled into her. There would be time to dig into her psyche later. Right now, he would do what he did best. Twilight felt her mind calm, the burning questions settling. They would be back tomorrow, but she at least had a reprieve. As she felt herself slip into unconsciousness, she couldn't help but smile.