At that moment, they heard a call from the bottom of the staircase. It was Damien, announcing dinner. The group separated to the different bathrooms, washed their hands, and filed down the stairs and into the large dining room. As they sat down at the table, Twilight noticed the silverware was nearly identical to the ones they used in Equestria. She picked up her fork, silently amazed at how natural it felt in her hand. The spell Princess Celestia had really helped them get used to their new bodies.
Damien began to bring in the meal. He set down a large bowl from which he served platefuls of spaghetti. Next, he expertly spooned fragrant red sauce onto the pasta and sprinkled it all with cheese. Mouths watered all around when the man finally put down a bowl full of fresh salad. Damien finished off the plates with a slice of garlic bread.
“Wow,” Rainbow Dash was practically drooling. “All this looks great!”
“You’ve outdone yourself, Damien,” Ivy complimented the butler, who bowed and smiled.
“I simply had to do my absolute best for such important company.”
“Your best is delicious!” Mercury cheered, eating a forkful of spaghetti.
“I am pleased to hear that, my dear.” Damien nodded and walked back to the kitchen, and everyone began to dig into their meals.
“He certainly is formal,” Rarity noted. “And such a gentleman!” She took a bite of her salad.
“Damien is very dedicated,” Ivy said. “He’s worked here for quite a while. His father worked here when my Great Aunt was around.”
“What kind of business did your aunt run, Ivy?” Twilight asked.
“She was the owner of Winston Foods, a big catering company in our world. It had even spread overseas with her management, and partnered with many other companies, including an important toy company in England.” Ivy’s eyes seemed to gain a far-off look. “Auntie Evelyn had a big soft spot for kids. She even created a type of soup that could be held easily for children to enjoy.”
“She sounds very innovative,” Twilight said.
“She was.”
“Ms. Ivy, is it true that humans eat meat?” Scootaloo asked innocently, still slurping on the spaghetti.
“Just Ivy is fine, Scootaloo,” the young woman said. “And yes, humans do eat meat, but not all the time.”
“Do we have to eat meat while we’re here?” Spike asked, concerned. Twilight sent him a look, but Ivy just smiled.
“Not if you don’t want to. It’s perfectly fine.”
“Do humans go to school?” Apple Bloom asked Mercury. The young girl nodded.
“We sure do! I’m in fifth grade at my school. My teacher is so nice!”
“Our teacher is nice, too,” Sweetie Belle said. “Miss Cheerilee is one of the best teachers ever! I kinda miss her, though…” her smile drooped a bit.
“Well, I’m sure she’s thinking about you,” Mercury said. “She sounds really nice. What subjects do you learn at your school?”
As the girls’ conversation went on, the older women compared their worlds and their adventures.
“…And that’s how Equestria was made!” Pinkie Pie said. Everyone blinked in mild wonder at how she had at times gotten completely off track, but had also told the story in complete and accurate detail. They eventually shook their heads and changed to another subject.
“Princess Celestia briefed us a little bit on your world and its history,” Twilight started. “We know that it is divided into seven continents, and those continents are divided into countries. We know that this country is called the United States of America, right?”
“Correct,” Ivy said. “This country is divided into fifty states, hence the name. I won’t name them all, but the one I live in is called Maryland, and the city is called Brandywine.”
“That’s an interesting name…” Rarity said, taking a sip of her water. Ivy giggled.
“I’ve always thought so.”
Applejack looked out the window nearest her. She could see the sun dipping down into the horizon of treetops.
“Ah know that this is a whole different world and all…” she said. “But ah just don’t see how your sun and moon move across the sky all by themselves.”
“It has something to do with gravity and the Earth’s rotation,” Ivy stated. “But I won’t go all lecture mode on you today. Say, did Princess Celestia say anything about going out in the world? I mean, like, any certain activities?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure,” Twilight said. “I suppose something might be in the bags she gave us. We can check those after dinner.”
“I hope we can go somewhere fun, like a park! Ooh, or maybe a beach! Or a party! Do you think we can have a party?” Pinkie Pie grinned.
“I don’t know. There are tons of amusement parks and beaches to go to, but it would take some planning.”
“Planning is part of the fun!”
“Whew! That was great,” Spike leaned back, patting his belly. Everyone had finished their meal in happiness. Damien had come back, and was clearing away the dishes.
“I hope you have all saved room for dessert,” he said with a small smile. The kids, as well as Annabell and Pinkie Pie, perked up. Their eyes widened when the butler disappeared and came back with a decadent marble cake and bowls of chocolate ice cream.
Several heavenly scoops of sugary goodness later, dinner was officially over. Mercury was up in a nanosecond, and she suggested everyone go downstairs now.
“Maybe you should let them unpack first, Mercury,” Ivy said. The young girl shrugged.
“Okay, but as soon as everybody’s done, we can go downstairs and play the Wii!”
“What’s a Wii?” Scootaloo asked.
“It’s a game system, and you hold a remote to use it! I’ll show you how; it’s fun!”
The group agreed to this plan. They went to their respected rooms, guided by Annabell and Mercury. Ivy stayed behind and complimented Damien once again.
“It is my honor, Ivy,” he said. “I only live to serve.” He placed a hand over his heart and bowed slightly
“Oh come on, Damien,” the woman retorted. “You and I both know you’re just as excited to see them.”
“I admit they are very good company. One thing I can say, though…” He stepped toward the door. “The year to come will certainly be interesting. If you’ll excuse me, my dear.” With that, he turned and walked down the hall and out the door to the garden.
Ivy stared after him, put off by his cryptic words. Damien was a bit of a mystery himself, and he never ceased to make people wonder about his true intentions. Ivy had half a mind to follow him, but the sound of Mercury’s voice calling her from upstairs grabbed her attention first.
“Mom! Twilight needs you!” the young girl called. “It’s so awesome! C’mon!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Ivy walked briskly up the stairs. She was guided to Twilight Sparkle’s room, in which everyone else was waiting.
“It seems the Princess did want us to go out quite a bit,” the violet-eyed woman said. She held out several sheets of paper to Ivy, who read parts of them out loud.
“Samantha Dasher, age 10, fifth grade class schedule…huh!?” The paper had a picture of Scootaloo in human form.
“Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike are all going to my school!” Mercury cheered. “Isn’t this great?”
“Sarah Belle…Bloom Smith…Shaun Starr,” Ivy read each name with growing impression. “Wow, Princess Celestia thought of everything.”
“That’s not all,” Twilight said. “She planned out names for all of us, and made a list of some of the things we should do here.”
“Visit Washington D.C….New York…well, she certainly wants to get some city time in…Pennsylvania…Virginia…oh, hey, I know where this is!” Ivy spotted the name of a certain museum. “The Newseum is so awesome!”
Several minutes of talking revealed several things. In public, the Equestrians-turned-humans were to be named as such:
Twilight Sparkle would go by Tara Starr.
Applejack was now Jacqueline Smith.
Rainbow Dash would be Rio Dasher.
Pinkie Pie was Diana Pine.
Rarity would be called Renée Belle.
Fluttershy was now Fiona Martin.
Apple Bloom was Bloom Smith.
Sweetie Belle would be called Sarah Belle.
Spike would be Shaun Starr.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike would attend Mercury’s school and be in her class. Throughout the year they were on Earth, they were to learn as much as possible about human culture. This “learning” included visits to important monuments and historical sights. Ivy had to admit, this was exciting. Going to all these places would not only be a new experience; some trips would be a walk down memory lane.
“This is all gonna take some serious planning,” the brown-haired woman said. Then she grinned broadly. “But that can wait. It’s Saturday night, so let’s go have fun!”
“Ooh! Can we play the Wii now?” Mercury was hopping excitedly next to the door.
“Of course!”
The group was led downstairs by the ecstatic bluenette. After a bit of explaining and trial-and-error, everyone was taking turns at Just Dance 3, Wii Sports, Mario Kart, and Mario Party. Cheers erupted from the basement as dancing, singing, and friendly competitions ensued.
Damien walked stoically through the garden of the Winston manor. Shrouded by the night sky, he came to the center of the garden, where a small gazebo sat. In it sat another man. The light of the moon revealed his dirty blonde hair and skinny arms.
“Good evening, Sean,” said the butler to the gardener of the manor. Sean looked up and smiled softly.
“Everythin’ alrigh’ so far?” he asked in a thick accent. Damien nodded. He looked up at the pale moon, almost full.
“I believe our guests are warming up to this world quickly. Although I wonder…” he trailed off. Sean looked up at him.
“The princess sent us ‘ere to keep an eye on things. I doubt it’ll go bad so soon.”
“I know that, but I cannot help but wonder if he will indeed break free.”
“If he does, we got the Elements right ‘ere. You worry too much, Night.”
“…” Damien said nothing. He simply stared at the bright, pale moon.