03 - Upon the World's Stage
Week 2, Monday-Tuesday
Celestia smiled charmingly at the human, her magenta eyes swiftly analyzing and dissecting as much as she could. She could already tell that he seemed to either possess no magic, or was incredibly talented at hiding it. His lack of questions about the source of the dome suggested that he either hadn’t made the connection… no, his eyes were too sharp for that. So if he suspected involvement on her part, why not ask about it? Turning her senses to the one known as William Holt, she could feel the same sense of duty and honor, but now underlying it was anger and resentment. He undoubtedly blamed her for the dome’s appearance, but what was making him feel such rage? Finally pulling her senses away, she finished speaking the last word of her sentence and tilted her head as the human spoke almost the same line with a similar smile. She wondered idly if he’d been trying to analyze her to figure out as much as he could. Her thoughts whirled back into their usual laser focus as he continued to speak.
“As beautiful as the sunrise here is, might I suggest going inside where the wind is less biting?” Tyler had noted that the purple unicorn was starting to shiver slightly with the cold. After a moment of thought, Celestia spoke with the four pegasus guards, and the one she’d called Cloudhammer furrowed his eyebrows before nodding in resignation, speaking firmly to the other three. They didn’t seem too happy either, but took up positions around the chariot and then just froze, almost like statues rather than living things. Celestia turned back and smiled at him with that same expression of serene self-assurance.
“Of course, lead the way. I do hope it is not a problem if General Cloudhammer and Captain Flare accompany us as well.”
Tyler shook his head. “No, of course not. Admiral, might we be able to make use of your pilot’s ready room?”
Bill blinked a little before nodding slowly. “Sure Tyler, I’ll send a runner ahead to clear the way. Simmons, make yourself useful!” The crewman started for a bit before saluting and heading off toward the island, disappearing through the door.
Tyler turned back to Celestia and gestured toward the door. “Then let us be on our way.” Bill took the front along with Tyler and the Secret Service agents, with Cloudhammer, Celestia, Twilight and Flare following. Making their way down the hallways, they eventually came to a large room with lots of seats and what even looked like a chalkboard up at the front. Twilight, forgetting herself for a moment, trotted eagerly forward and sniffed at the board and the chalk. Her horn lit as she picked up a piece and examined it intently. It felt just like a piece of chalk from any classroom back in Ponyville’s schoolhouse.
“Princess! This is chalk! It’s the same as the chalk we use back home!” She exclaimed happily, turning around to see everypony else in the room staring at her with a mix of amusement, curiosity, and stern disapproval in the case of Cloudhammer. Blushing, she set the chalk back down and trotted over to sit on the floor next to Celestia.
Nodding slowly, President Foster turned and walked over to stare at the dry erase board with the list of pilots and duty assignments. “Alright, now that we have some privacy, there are some unpleasant questions that need to be answered. First, were you behind the creation of that dome?”
Celestia tilted her head, for a rare moment the alicorn finding herself slightly unsure of how to answer. On one hoof the disk was more than likely formed by the merging of the anti-magic fields, which they’d had no part in creating. On the other hoof, their use of the Elements of Harmony had caused that merging in the first place and thus they did bear at least part of the responsibility.
“We may have accidentally created the dome through an attempt to save Equestria from a phenomenon that was threatening to destroy the magic that fills our land. What makes you ask?”
Foster didn’t say anything at first, but his knuckles turned white as he clenched his hands tight. “There’s something you need to know, Princess. The approximate crew complement on a ship such as this is about five thousand, six hundred and eighty men. Do you know how many men are alive on this ship right now as a result of that dome appearing yesterday?” He turned before Celestia could answer; his face twisted with both anger and sadness. “Two thousand, two hundred and seventy two. That means that dome killed three thousand, four hundred and eight men on this ship alone. Over thirty four hundred men murdered by something they couldn’t even see, couldn’t protect themselves from as it swept through this ship. The other ships in this battlegroup have suffered similar losses, bringing the dead to four thousand, five hundred and ninety”
The color drained from Celestia’s face as her wings unfurled, falling limply to the floor. Cloudhammer and Flare instantly reacted, putting themselves between Celestia and Foster. The Secret Service agents put themselves in front of Foster, both reaching inside their coats. Twilight, not knowing what the human had just said to Celestia but that it had to have been bad, pressed up against her mentor, nuzzling her in an attempt to make her feel better.
“What’s wrong Celestia? Tell me.” Twilight demanded, a note of desperation in her voice.
“Four thousand, five hundred and ninety lost?” Celestia barely whispered, not even noticing that she’d spoken it in Equestrian. Twilight, putting two and two together, sat down heavily and clapped a hoof to her mouth in horror, trying not to be sick. Even Cloudhammer and Flare’s jaws dropped in shock, both Guardponies trying to come to grips with such a large number.
President Foster, guessing what she’d said from the look on her face, nodded again, his anger back under the leash. “Now that you know the cost of what saving your homeland has inflicted on us, I feel that we are owed some answers from you peo… ponies. What intentions do you harbor in coming here?”
Celestia shook her head slightly, clearing the last of the horror of that number from her mind. “None, beyond seeking to learn about this unfamiliar place we find ourselves neighbors to.”
“What can you offer us as proof of that? So far the majority of what we’ve seen only indicates a militaristic society.” His voice was once again back to mostly normal, only a hint of strain visible as he indicated Cloudhammer and Flare.
“I can only offer you my word as Princess of Equestria and Regent of the Sun that we had no idea that taking the actions we did would cause such harm to your subjects, President Tyler Foster. If it would not be an insult, may I see your dead? I would offer my respects and condolences to them and to your survivors.”
President Foster was put on the back foot by the question. To be fair he had expected her to ask it, but the naked sincerity in her voice was surprising. Looking at the other three ponies, he could see that all of them had the same look of sorrow and shame in their eyes. The gold armored pair muttered briefly to each other while the purple one, Twilight Sparkle was her name, looked up to her mentor in support. He wrestled with the answer for a few more seconds before sighing heavily and looking to Admiral Holt.
“Well Bill, this is your ship, your men. I’ll let you make the call.”
“Gee, thanks a lot Tyler.” Bill struggled with himself on the inside. On the one hand, he desperately wanted something to channel all the rage and sorrow he felt for the deaths of his men, and these ponies sure presented a good target. But on the other, if it was truly an accident, then what was he supposed to do? With a shake of his head he looked up.
“I’ll allow them to pay their respects. But in exchange, I say they gotta do something to start makin' it up for what they’ve done, unintentionally or not. That sound reasonable enough to you, Tyler?”
Nodding, Foster turned back to Celestia. “Well? What’s your answer, Princess?”
Celestia looked down at her protégé, then to Cloudhammer and Flare. Seeing their trust in her, she looked back up. “We will do what we can, within reason of course.”
Foster narrowed his eyes, not liking the last part, but decided to take what he could get for now and turned to Bill. “Alright then Bill, lead the way. Let’s pay our respects.”
Admiral Holt nodded, and led them out of the ready room, traveling down the hallways and narrow stairwells until they at last emerged onto the main deck. All the ponies were awed at the vast space, which was filled with fighter craft in varying stages of repair. As they looked around though, their faces fell as they saw the one entire side had its floor covered in white-wrapped forms, placed around and under the fighters to maximize room. The corpse retrieval detail slowly stopped its work as the mixed group made its way across the deck to stand in front of the rows of bodies.
Celestia took a step forward, unfurling her wings and closing her eyes. Opening her mouth, she started to sing, some wordless tune that seemed to cause the deck under everyone and everypony present to hum in time with it. Cloudhammer, Flare, and Twilight, all recognizing the song, closed their eyes and lowered their heads; each murmuring their own private entreaty for forgiveness from the dead and the living. As Celestia’s song continued, it almost seemed to come alive, the sounds wrapping back around to sing in harmony with her own voice. The assembled crewmen were spellbound despite themselves, some even finding tears falling down their cheeks as the Princess sang her mournful dirge.
With a final, wavering high note the song faded into silence as Celestia lowered her head, a pair of tears falling from her eyes to land on the deck. She lifted her head and turned to the assembled humans.
“Nothing can return the lives of those lost, but know that Equestria extends a hoof in friendship, to mend the wound that has marked the start of our two races’ co-existence. I hope that you will be willing to work with us to understand how our worlds came to meet and forge a brighter future together.” The men all looked at each other uncomfortably, and then moved aside as Major Jeffries pushed his way to the front. Looking at Celestia evenly, he turned to look at the rows of bodies behind her. Sighing and running a hand through his hair, he stared blankly at the deck for a few seconds before looking up.
“One of my best friends, Jacob Heinrich, is dead today because of that fucking dome. God knows that pisses me the hell off. I don’t know if I ever can truly forgive you… but I know that Jacob wouldn’t want me lingering on his death. So if you and yours are willing to try to make amends, I might as well give it a shot.” Nodding once to the Admiral and the President, he turned and rejoined the men. Looking at each other, more than a few could be seen shaking their heads or glowering angrily. However, the majority of the men present seemed to agree with Connor’s opinion.
President Foster nodded, and turned to face Celestia. “Aright, now there are a lot of things we need to discuss about…” he trailed off as an ensign came running up, a note held in her hand. Handing it to Admiral Holt, she saluted the President and stood there as Holt read the message.
“Well crap, guess it was gonna happen sooner or later.” He commented wryly as he handed the note to Foster.
“What is it?” Celestia walked over, peering at the note and its unreadable letters as Foster’s eyes hardened.
“Cat’s out of the bag now. They know about you all.” Celestia tilted her head curiously.
“Who knows?”
“Everyone.”
…
President Foster practically ran into the communications room, followed closely by everyone else. The already small room felt even smaller as Foster picked up the headset.
“… is Apache calling Echo Base for Papa Eagle.”
“This is Papa Eagle, talk to me.”
“Eagle, we’re going to need you back here soon, the wolves are at the door and won’t take no for an answer.”
“Roger that Apache, I’ll be coming back soon. Will need to thank our guests for their time.”
“Don’t take too long Eagle; we’ll keep the lights on.”
President Foster put down the headset and took a few deep breaths. Standing up, he gestured for everyone to clear out into the hallway. “Well, that was to be expected, but I was hoping to have a little more time before this broke. Curtis, make a note to schedule a press conference at the Oval Office as soon as possible. We’ll need to try and get a handle on this as soon as possible to avoid a panic.” Turning to Celestia, he looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. “How good are you at giving speeches?”
“I’ve had some practice over the last thousand years.” Celestia admitted with a small smile.
Foster froze for a second, mouth working as his brain wrapped itself around that fact. “You’re a thousand years old… you know what? That doesn’t even surprise me, but good, might as well take advantage of it while we can.”
“What do you mean?” Celestia asked, confusion clear on her face.
“Since the rest of the world now knows you exist, might as well have you introduce yourself. And I know just the place to do it.” Foster said with a smirk.
…
“Sound check, mics look good, video?” One technician called out
“Video’s good, feed is running, they’re set back at the station for this. How’s makeup?”
“Makeup is done, he’s ready to go.”
“Alright, let’s make it happen people. We are live in five, four, three, two…” The lead technician pointed to the President on ‘two’, and Foster's face settled into the solemn expression Curtis had advised as the red light clicked on.
“My fellow Americans. By now I’m sure you’ve seen the images that have been widely circulated online and through the televised news outlets. I want to first inform you that the US Government is well on top of the situation, and I am here today to explain what we know and what will be coming in the future. Two days ago on February 27th, at 4:21AM local time, the USS John C Stennis and her accompanying battlegroup, making her final voyage for decommissioning, was struck by an unknown type of radiation. I regret to inform you at this time that the lives of nearly four thousand, six hundred American lives have been lost. The Stennis battlegroup is currently undergoing repairs and will be operational again shortly.” Taking a drink from the cup of water on the podium, Foster took a moment to compose his thoughts for the big item on everyone’s mind tonight.
“However, there is another part of this story which I’m sure will be remembered throughout history. After the Stennis battlegroup was struck by this radiation, a dome of light appeared on the water’s surface a short distance away. Initially paying no attention to it due to tending to their ships, the true import of the dome went unnoticed. However, approximately three hours after the dome's appearance, something so extroadinary it would be at home in a fairy tale emerged. What came out of the dome was a pegasus. You heard me correctly; a pegasus. It was injured in a near miss with one of our F-15 Eagle fighter jets, which had been sent to find the Stennis and learn what happened. Our excellent naval medical officers were able to tend to him, and return him to the others that had come looking for him.” Taking another drink, Foster looked square at the camera.
“That is not all, however. After the young pegasus was returned, another one came from the dome, this one a winged unicorn. It was able to learn our language from Admiral William Holt, and introduced herself as Princess Celestia, ruler of a land known as Equestria. She spoke briefly with the Admiral and then returned with the others. Upon learning of this, I went out to the Stennis to get a firsthand look at the damage, and to have a chance to converse with Princess Celestia myself. During that conversation, she expressed her sincerest regrets for the loss of life, and paid her respects for the dead. She also assured me that her people are just as worried about the appearance of an entirely new species a proverbial stone’s throw away as we are, but are optimistic that together we can come to a mutual understanding for our shared future. To that end, I have formally requested that she present herself and speak before the United Nations assembly in 3 days time. In the meantime, I ask that you continue to remain calm, and know that your government is doing everything it can to keep you all safe. Good evening, and God bless America.” Waiting a few seconds after the red light turned off, Foster took the mic off and tossed it carelessly onto the table.
“Alright Curtis, how’d I do?”
“I’d say fairly well, initial responses are mixed, but given the nature of the bombshell you just dropped on them that’s to be expected. Congress is mulling over your request for them to support your formal recognition of Equestria as a sovereign nation, though I expect them to give it the go-ahead once they get over the whole shock of it. Tyler, are you sure this is the right course to take? We’re moving awfully fast on this and I’m worried that we haven’t…”
“Curtis, I know it’s your job, but you worry too much. If we hadn’t moved fast to make friends with them, who would have? Any one of the Asian countries? Russia? No, we had the opportunity and the motive, given that the Stennis group was right on top of the damn dome. I’m just hoping this thing at the UN doesn’t turn into a total disaster, do we have the updated list of who’s going to be there in person?”
“Yes sir, it’s as predicted, most of the normal ambassadors are being told to sit this one out. Everyone wants a chance to kiss ass, I suppose.” The two men laughed, and even the Secret Service agents allowed a slight smile to lift the corner of their mouths.
“Alright, then let’s cross our fingers and hope that the Princess can handle being in front of a possibly hostile crowd. I’m sure at least some of them will start quoting Bible scripture before it’s all said and done.”
…
“’Tia, are you really going to allow these humans to take you to stars know where and face down an entire mob of them?” Luna followed her sister as they left the throne room after another round of discussion about making sure that the news about what lay on the other side of the disk was spread carefully. Already the Council was being overwhelmed by the influx of letters from all over Equestria, and fortunately most of the letters were positive. A few negative ones came in, but careful placement of ponies who knew more made sure no misinformation was spread.
“I know its sudden Luna, but if we’re going to make a good impression on this species, it behooves us to act accordingly. Now, I’ve been told that the journey should only take three days, four at the most, so I’ve organized the daily business so you shouldn’t have too hard of a time handling things. Now, should I become preoccupied or otherwise unable to, can you handle the sun?”
“Yes, ‘Tia, I can do just fine!” Luna stamped her hoof in a decidedly un-Princess like manner, before laughing lightly with her sister. Letting out a little sigh as the laughter died down, she looked out the window where the now obviously larger disk could be seen. “I’m just worried about you.”
“I know Luna, I know. However, I won’t be alone. I’ll have Twilight, Cloudhammer and Flare accompanying me. We’ll be back before you know it, I promise!”
On the other side of the castle, six friends were gathered around their seventh friend, who was busy fretting over getting packed.
“Twi, Ah’ve told ya fer the thousandth time, ya’ll don’t need to pack all those books! You’ll only be gone for the couple days.” Applejack sighed as she pushed another pile of books away from Twilight.
“But I might need those books!” Twilight flailed frantically before Rarity interposed herself in front of the distraught unicorn.
“Darling, you must simply calm down! This disgraceful state is not helping anypony! Now come on, let’s repack your bags so you’ll have just what you’re sure you will need, and nothing more. After all, you don’t want to be a bother to any humans who may have to handle your luggage, do you?”
“N-no, I guess not.” Twilight admitted sheepishly.
“Besides! I bet you’ll make plenty of new friends while you’re gone! I’m so jealous!” Pinkie Pie as usual was bouncing in place like a self-propelled spring.
“Just keep an eye out Twilight. They may seem nice now, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to pull a fast one on you.” Rainbow Dash emphasized, though secretly she was jealous that Twilight got to go on a big adventure.
“Please be careful Twilight…” Fluttershy whispered, her face creased by worry.
Twilight turned to the seventh member of the group, who’d been silently sitting over by the window of their old room. Trotting over to him and sitting down beside him, she looked out the window for a few moments before sighing softly.
“It’s been a long time since we lived here, huh Spi…” Twilight was cut off by the dragon throwing his arms around her neck.
“Don’t go Twilight, I’m really worried.” Smiling tenderly Twilight nuzzled the baby dragon.
“I know Spike, but Princess Celestia needs me, and you know she wouldn’t let anypony hurt me, right? Now I need you to be brave for both of us while I’m gone. Who knows, maybe the humans have some tasty gemstones I could pick up for you.” Spike nodded, visibly brightening at the mention of gems. Turning to her friends, Twilight could feel the tears starting to well up. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she found herself swept up into an enormous group hug. Smiling despite the tears, she silently thanked Celestia yet again for sending her to Ponyville all those months ago.
“Alright ya’ll, let’s get some shuteye. Twi’s got a big couple a days ahead of her and she’ll need some sleep.” Nodding their agreement, everypony finished getting their sleeping mats out and were soon snoring peacefully under the light of the moon.
…
As the vehicle that reminded her of Pinkie's flying contraption landed for the second time, Twilight felt like she was going to be sick again. The saving grace was that she’d already emptied the contents of her stomach during the first flight, and so was reduced to dry heaves. Captain Flare was just as bad off, and even Cloudhammer seemed a little queasy. Princess Celestia was the only pony who seemed unaffected by the trip, and as the noise died down and the door opened, she gently set hoof onto the strange ground as if nothing were amiss. Stumbling after her, Twilight looked around blearily before gasping in shock at what was in front of her. It towered over her, easily as big as a dragon, four massive pods under its wings howling like a hurricane. A human ran up to them and shouted something to Celestia, who nodded and turned to Twilight.
“Are you still feeling ill, Twilight?” Shaking her head to clear it, the purple unicorn stood up straighter.
“Nope! Just fine now!” She punctuated her statement with a short laugh, though her eyes said otherwise.
“Well, this vehicle looks much more stable than our previous conveyance, so I am sure you’ll be just fine.” Together, the four ponies all walked to the set of stairs that were attached to the side. Twilight marveled at the revelation that the stairs had wheels, and promptly forgot about them as she entered the inside of the vehicle. Pressing her hooves repeatedly into the soft floor, she pranced down the aisle, sniffing curiously at the weird seats. Turning the corner, she nearly ran headlong into a human, this one wearing something like a dress, though cut differently from the ones Twilight was used to. With a yelp Twilight managed to avoid knocking into her, and the human shied away as well.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!” Twilight managed to sputter out before realizing the human had no idea what she was saying. Smiling awkwardly, Twilight backed up and hurried to stand near Celestia, who was speaking with another human, this one dressed more like the ones she’d seen already. The human placed a bag on a nearby seat and spoke a few more sentences. Nodding politely to the human, who turned around and entered a room full of flashing lights, Celestia turned to the other ponies and smiled.
“Good news! I’ve spoken with the human who will be in charge of this vehicle, and he has informed me that we will reach our destination in approximately nine hours.” Twilight nodded before gasping.
“N-nine hours! What in Equestria are we to do during that time?” Celestia’s perpetual smile only widened as she nodded to Cloudhammer, who opened the bag with a tug of his teeth. Peeking inside, Twilight gasped again as she beheld the shining wonders within.
“I’d thought you could use something to pass the time, so I inquired about these from the humans on the second vessel. I was told a good one to start with would be on top.” Twilight almost didn’t hear her, her horn lighting as she reached out to take the first treasure from within. Suddenly the lights dimmed and angry shouting could be heard from up in the front.
“Twilight, I do advise you refrain from using your magic while we are onboard. Remember, it seems the tools these humans use do not react well to our magic, and neither do they.” Twilight flattened her ears and nodded, before taking the bag in her mouth and hurrying down a few rows, turning a corner and disappearing from view.
“Do you want one of us to keep an eye on her, Celestia?” Flare asked dryly, earning a sharp look from Cloudhammer.
“No, I believe she’ll be just fine on her own. Now, let’s get settled, I might even try napping a bit.”
Further down the aisle, Twilight was utterly absorbed by the contents of the bag, gingerly lifting out the first precious object. Her mouth did not like the strange taste of the material as she set it down. Her eyes traced over the brightly colored letters and the smiling face of the green frog on the cover. Nosing it open, she could see a single letter and an ant on the page, along with a red button. Gingerly pressing it with a hoof, she jumped as a strangely flat voice spoke from a set of holes in the corner.
“A is for Ant…” The corners of Twilight’s mouth lifted up into a smile.
…
With a gentle thump, the wheels set down and the massive airplane rolled to a stop, before slowly being pulled to a waiting bus with tinted black windows. The assembled news media pushed and jostled against each other, every one of them hoping to get the all-important first shot. The door opened as the stairs were pushed up against the side of the plane, and the cameras came up as one. The first form out of the door nearly made some of them pause, its gold armor shining in the amber light of the setting sun. The brown eyes swept the area before it began to gingerly make its way down the stairs, the horn on its forehead clearly visible. The next to exit the aircraft made some of the younger photographers take a short gasp, as they gawked at the mutlicolored mane billowing against the breeze. The magenta eyes visible through their viewfinders seemed to pick each of them out despite the distance, a knowing smile on its muzzle as it delicately walked down the stairs as naturally as if walking on flat ground. The cameras captured perfectly the details of the horn and wings, both elegant as if carved from marble and given life. Closely following the white form was a smaller purple unicorn, its violet eyes darting about nervously. Bringing up the rear was another gold armored one, its coat white as driven snow and with wings instead of a horn. The cameras that focused in on him brought into sharp view the cold blue eyes that were simultaneously inhuman and yet carried an all too familiar strain at the corners.
Following the group as they entered the bus which quickly sped off, the photographers all lowered their respective devices and looked at each other.
“Well fuck, guess it’s real now.” One of the younger ones commented off-hand, to the nods of the others.
…
Cloudhammer blinked his eyes blearily as he lifted his head from the strange couch. The materials used in it were incredible, as soft as anything he’d slept on in Canterlot. Looking toward the door, he could see Flare sitting right where he’d left him, and nodded as he pushed himself to his hooves.
“I’ll say this for these humans, they sure do know how to make some interesting things.” The russet pegasus shook himself to loosen the cricks that had formed, before climbing awkwardly off the bed and trotting toward what he assumed was the bathroom.
“Flare, how in the name of the Sun does this thing work?” Shaking his head, the unicorn trotted into the bathroom as well, seeing his friend staring peculiarly at the white chair-like object sitting next to the sink.
“I’m not sure; let me get a closer look at it.” Flare sniffed curiously at what had to be a lid, before carefully nosing it open. Peering inside, he could see a modest pool of water. “Well, if I had to hazard a guess, you do your business in here, but I don’t see a pull cord anywhere…” Trailing off, he spotted a small silver piece attached to the side. Pawing at it with a hoof, he finally pushed it down and reared back as the water suddenly swirled down into the bottom.
“That has to be one of the most moronic ways of making a toilet I’ve ever seen,” Cloudhammer muttered darkly, before he inclined his head to the door. Flare grinned cheekily as he trotted out, pulling the door closed behind him. Turning, he abruptly shed the smile as Celestia filled his field of view, the alicorn beaming at him
“Everything alright in there?”
“Yes your Highness, just helping General Cloudhammer figure out the human’s strange bathroom.” Both ponies turned as a thud could be heard, followed by a stream of curses that tinged Celestia’s cheeks pink.
“Well, so long as he doesn’t hurt himself in there. How did you sleep?”
“Very well, thank you for asking your Majesty. How about yourself?”
“I admit I did sleep for a time, but found that when I rose to raise the sun that it was already rising, and that I couldn’t seem to reach it.” Flare frowned, while he didn’t know the specifics of raising the sun, surely Celestia should be able to touch the sun here as well.
“What do you think it means?”
“Well, after the initial shock, I came to the conclusion that perhaps this universe’s sun and moon move on their own, with nopony helping at all. It’ll take some getting used to I suppose, but means I could actually sleep in if I so chose” Thinking hard about it, Flare came to the conclusion that it did make some sense, at least. Before either pony could continue the sound of the toilet flushing could be heard. Both of them made sure the grins were wiped off their muzzles as Cloudhammer opened the door, his face marred by a scowl as he trotted to his armor and began to put it on. Wisely choosing not to say anything, Flare turned and walked into the bedroom, only to shy away in shock at the scandalous position he found Twilight in. The purple unicorn let out a raucous snore, muzzle first in a book with several others scattered around her.
“I told her that she wasn’t under any pressure, but she insisted on continuing to read until the very last second.” Celestia moved past Flare into the room, nosing the sleeping Twilight until she jolted awake.
“Moratorium means a legally authorized waiting period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation of the payment of a debt!” She shouted in slightly broken English, the strange words’ meaning lost on Flare. Celestia only beamed at her student.
“And just how far did you get into the human dictionary before falling asleep?” Twilight looked up at her sheepishly.
“Well, I had already read through it while we were on the… airplane? Yes, airplane’s the word. So I decided to go back and reread some parts again."
“I see. Now come on, pack your bags. We’ll be leaving to address this United Nations soon and we need to look our best.” Almost as to emphasize Celestia’s point, there was a knock at the door, followed by a deep voice.
“Princess Celestia and guests? I’m here to inform you that your escort to the United Nations building is here. Are you ready to leave?”
“Just a moment please.” Celestia turned to see Twilight putting the last of her books into her saddlebags and squirming into them. The two shared a small smile before they made their way to the door. Cloudhammer nodded and opened the door with his mouth, revealing what could have passed for a twin to one of the guards that President Foster had. To his credit, the human only nodded and gestured down the hall with his arm, where a few more humans could be seen waiting by the door at the end of the hall. Celestia inclined her head and began to walk down the hallway.
“Shall we then, my dears?” With a few quick strides Cloudhammer passed her to take the lead, while Flare stuck close to Twilight. As the four ponies reached the door the humans pushed them open and led them through.
…
President Foster wished once again that he’d gotten a second glass of water put on the podium. His throat was as dry as a bone by the time he reached the end of his introduction speech.
“And therefore, ladies and gentlemen of the United Nations, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, Princess Celestia of Equestria!” Taking a few steps to the side of the podium, President Foster clapped loudly as Celestia took the few steps to stand before the assembled diplomatic might of the nations of the world. To her credit she met their stares without flinching, her calm eyes scanning over everyone present one by one. Finally she smiled softly and took a breath. Nearby, Cloudhammer, Flare and Twilight all watched, though only Twilight was watching the Princess. The two Guardponies were constantly scanning the assembled humans, tiny twitches of their eyes the only evidence they were living ponies.
“Esteemed leaders of this world, I am honored to be able to speak to you at this time. While it was not our intention to bring about the joining of our two worlds, it is the sincerest hope of all the citizens of Equestria that we can work together to build a brighter future for our two species. President Foster has been more than accepting of our offer of friendship, and it is my hope that you all can do the same.” Celestia paused to take a breath, but was interrupted by a human rising to his feet.
“I know I speak for myself and others when I say that my country will not do business with envoys of the Devil! I call upon all good Christians to reject the gilded lies of demons wrapped in pleasing forms.” The human sat back down among shouts of agreement and derision, while another stood.
“This hallowed body is not for your religious vitriol, President Henriques! I for one find the opportunity to engage with another sentient species in a peaceful fashion to be something too unique to allow to slide. So take your bigoted views elsewhere!” The previous human stood up and turned to face his detractor.
“Prime Minister Wright, you do not have the authority to challenge any nation on issues of the Faith! The Bible warns of devils coming with honeyed tongues promising peace, but that peace is a lie! It only serves to corrupt men’s souls and deliver you into eternal damnation!” At this outburst, others stood up, either to support or denounce President Henriques’ claims. Soon the room devolved into a shouting match between the various factions. President Foster and the UN Secretary General were calling for order, their voices going unheard in the din. Twilight was in a near panic, her eyes starting to roll as she retreated behind the safety of Flare and Cloudhammer. Even the two Guardponies were starting to become worried, their stances shifting from sitting to leaning forward.
“ENOUGH!” Everyone in the room winced and fell silent as Celestia’s magically amplified voice rang out, all eyes turning to the alicorn, whose horn was lit with a golden light as she hovered a foot off of the floor. With a start the assembled humans realized that despite her wings being spread, they weren’t flapping. Her coat seemed to shine with its own light, made all the brighter as the lights dimmed. A few people winced and put a hand to their heads, one elderly man even slumping into his seat as his legs gave out. Celestia’s eyes were a brilliant white as she furled her wings, gently floating to the floor in defiance of gravity. As her hooves touched the carpet the glow faded, her eyes returning to their usual magenta and her horn going dark. Everyone in the room was staring at her with either terror or fascination, mostly a combination of both. Blinking her eyes once, she looked coolly around the room.
“I apologize for raising my voice in front of this assembly, but this petty fighting ill serves anypony. I assure you, President Henriques, that Equestria is a secular state and has no aspirations to enforce a new religion onto any of you. We only seek to co-exist with your nations in harmony. I do hope you can set aside your differences with each other to do the same. I thank you for your time and hope to get to know you all better in the future.” With a gentle smile, she inclined her head respectfully, and the now silent hall was filled with a few meager claps, more given on reflex rather than intention. President Foster had to remind himself to close his mouth, his blue eyes dark as he tried to think of how he could mend the fences Celestia had inadvertently trampled. Finally realizing that the silence had dragged on for too long, he walked back to stand behind the podium.
“I first wish to apologize for all of that, this has been a stressful few days for everyone involved. I urge you to not let words spoken in the heat of the moment sour our future relations with the Equestrians. Now, I believe across the plaza there is a fine reception planned for all you to become better acquainted with Princess Celestia and her guests. We hope you shall have the time to attend.” With that, Foster turned and walked quickly to where Curtis waited by the door.
“Make sure that we get a list of who shows up and who didn’t. She did a lot of damage with that little outburst of hers, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that ruin this opportunity.”
“Of course sir.” Curtis’ tone was a little stiff, the Chief of Staff being just as nervous about Celestia as the visiting dignitaries and world leaders.
“Don’t let her get to you, Curtis; she’s just like any of the politicians we’ve dealt with. She’s just got a few more tricks in her arsenal than most.” Turning as Celestia trotted over, followed by those two gold shadows and Twilight, Foster broke again into his trademark smile. “That went about as well as expected.”
“I do not understand why your species seems to be so eager to fight with itself, President Foster. Surely you could accomplish so much more if you worked together?”
“Well, it’s a tricky issue to deal with. You have to look after you and yours first, especially when there’s simply not enough to go around.” Celestia tiled her head, those magenta orbs piercing his blue ones
“But that logic only serves to hide the fact that by working together, everypony would have what they needed. Instead, that seems more an argument to allow yourself the justification to hoard what you can and not share it fairly with all.” Foster scratched an itch on the back of his neck before sighing.
“Well, I suppose you do have a point. However, the problem with that is there’s no way to ensure or determine what everyone’s fair share is. Who would make those decisions?”
“How is that relevant? It’s not as if what each individual needs from day to day changes does it?” Foster furrowed his eyebrows before shaking his head.
“It’s a lot more complicated than that. Anyway, let’s not be late, the reception should be somewhat livelier than originally planned after the light show you put on.” Celestia eyed Foster for a moment, before breaking into a small smile.
“Very well, if you would lead the way then.” As President Foster turned and started to leave Celestia motioned slightly with a wingtip, Cloudhammer and Flare instantly joining her.
“Yes, your Majesty?” Celestia lowered her head slightly and whispered quietly to the two guards.
“Cloudhammer, I’d like you stay within earshot of President Foster at this reception, I know you don’t speak the language, but try to remember who he speaks with and how they sound. Flare, stay close to Twilight and keep an eye on her.” Turning to Twilight, Celestia smiled. “Well, Twilight? Shall we go? I do find myself looking forward to this reception.”
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Many thanks to Rust for his help in proofing this chapter. I apologize for any rough patches during Celestia's UN speech, I should not be allowed to mix alcohol and writing
I can see Celestia being disgusted by humanity's general disdain for ourselves.
And of course some uber-conservative Christian nutjob (I am not hating, its just there are quite a few of those people in the world) decries Celestia and the ponies as the creation of Satan and such.
I must say that it's very nice to actually see how things actually happened with a conversion bureau story even with some real politics involved. Very well done Bravo
I interesting addition to an already extremely interesting story.
The fact that we brought Celestia to the UN before we told her of how our world works first is a bump in the road.
Great story
The names in this are a little toublesome for me because Fallout Equestria: Heroes has a pegasus named Flare. It's not easy reconciling the two. Very good story though, and I think I speak for most people when I say MOAR!!1!
Trollestia.... why doesn't she magic human language into her entourage? She can raise the sun, float her ass through will, and absorb English in an instant with her power.
Yet she forces Twilight to use a Speak and Spell and learn Human on her own. Trollestia!
I'm really enjoying this!! Tracking!!
Huzzah! Awkward introductions on the horizon! Man the lolboats, this ship is going down!
290506 It's true that I had thought to have Celestia enchant everypony in her entourage to know English, but then I asked myself, "Would Twilight ever pass up a chance to both read new books AND learn a new language all at once?"
You could have described the initial ponies' reaction to the things on Earth better. Like the aeroplane for example, you didn't say a word about their experiences with it. Other than that I don't have any reservations, and I like it so far ;D
295063 Yea, I'm trying to keep the scope of this one to the overall picture, so then I can come back and do spinoffs to look at specific things, so some details have to be cut here and there heh
295278 But why do you need to cut out the precious details? Won't they make the story better?
This is a very engaging and very well written story. It's the a very realistic interpretation of what could happen. I cannot wait for the next chapter!!
*sigh* And of course, the lesser parts of my faith rear their ugly heads once again.
Celestia, please know that most religious people are actually quite friendly. It's just that the whack jobs get all the press.
So... When's the next update? Magic: pwning humans and their ilk since before the middle ages.
Anyway, thanks for the chapters. 
Seriously man, the blatant religious exaggeration was rather unrealistic. You may see such behavior from say...a miniscule amount of religious individuals, and you most certainly wouldn't see it in the heads of state, as religion and politics are not as they were in the medieval ages, they are generally removed from modern political ideology. The behavior of your supposed "leaders" and such a portrayal of religion is just a bit offensive and above all unrealistic. However, given the nature of this genre, it seems as though many Conversion Bureau authors paint humanity as a pile of irrational shitheads and all religion as radical extremism. No offense, but such behavior isn't portrayed by world leaders, as they are human beings, not cheap one-dimensional characters. Great story, just don't make it the common "humanity is evil" bullshit.
I read the first one, and liked it, then when I found out that the second part was to be a conversion bureau story, I thought... NOPE not gonna read.
I read the first chapter,
Then the next and NOW I decided, Yep, I'm reading this.
only reason I stopped at three? I am le Tired... And I need my sleep!
286260
Wait... there's another way to write
"The Bible warns of devils coming with honeyed tongues promising peace, but that peace is a lie!"
No, "The cake is a lie!", but don't tell Pinkie Pie.
( THE CAKE A LIE?!?
) 
Before finishing the chapter "Please don't have the infamous Twilight speech occur!!"
After Celestia's light show: Buahahaha, that was great. Loved that, simply loved that. May be pro-human, but those guys freaking deserved it!
Also, something tells me that Celestia and the Equestrians would like the context behind Communism, if not its historical implementation.
As for that bit about needs...well, it certainly is complicated. The real problem comes down to everyone having a different definition of what they need. I for example have discovered I don't need much in life...but others, well they don't have that point of view.
290506
But that would take the fun out of it for Twilight! She loves learning
291081
EXACTLY! Twilight would be upset, sure she'd bow to Celestia's greater wisdom, but she would be upset about it.
311952
And the political offices it seems!
325517
You do forget that some of the people who get elected to positions of power are radical crazy nutjobs right? Indiana almost elected one back in November. You'd also be surprised by how some people who may not seem very religious, when met with something that threatens the very premise/existance of their faith, will react very furiously.
Granted, I'll admit having the guy have as much foaming at the mouth crazyness as he did was a low blow, and should have been toned down, but I see what he was trying to make. Personally, I figure the one to more likely have done that would have been a leader from one of the highly religious Middle Eastern Countries.
dam i love it
