Chapter 12: Welcome to Canterlot Pt. 1
Welcome to Canterlot Pt. 1
The train station was quiet the morning after Hearts and Hooves Day; everypony was either working, or had taken the day off to rest after the celebrations. It was conspicuously empty save for a single group chattering amongst themselves on the platform, sticking out like a sore thumb.
Only two days prior, Luna had arrived to Jorge’s home and informed him that his presence was needed in Canterlot. While he had wanted to spend most of yesterday reading about the city and about local politics to prepare himself for the trip, fate had… other plans.
In any case, after some hasty preparations the human now found himself on the platform of Ponyville’s modest train station, waiting to board the obscenely bright locomotive. Luna had to return to attend to some last minute preparations, so it fell on Twilight and her five friends to accompany him to the capital. Jorge was confused as to why they needed to come. He recalled them being called ‘The Elements of Harmony,’ so it was clear they held some importance, but he had never asked. Still, considering he had managed to make up with the six mares, he was rather relieved to have some company on the trip to the mysterious city, particularly Applejack and Fluttershy.
Well, he had managed to make up with most of the six mares. Rainbow Dash still remained thoroughly ticked and suspicious, and made no effort to conceal the fact. That was fine by Jorge; she could brood to herself as much as she wanted so long as she didn’t piss him off as far as he was concerned.
The six mares were chatting excitedly among themselves, each one mentioning what they were most excited about doing in Canterlot, with Rainbow Dash occasionally shooting Jorge a dirty look. The Spartan was content to leave the girls to their conversation, and stand quietly off to the side…
“Pleeeeeaaaase.”
…at least he would have if not for one minor snafu.
“For the last time, I’m not taking my whole armor off just so you can lick my hands, Lyra!”
“Pleeeeaaaaaase!”
Jorge brought his hand to his forehead and sighed. I’m getting the strangest sense of déjà vu.
Yes, much to Jorge’s annoyance, Lyra was to accompany them on their trip. It turns out Luna had heard from someone in town that the mint-green unicorn was the premier human expert in the country (this partly due to the fact that she was the only human expert in the country), and decided to bring her along. Now Jorge was left contemplating a seven hour train ride being stuck with the hyperactive hand-fetishist.
“Lyra, leave Jorge alone,” admonished Bon-Bon, who had accompanied her marefriend to the station. “Now, let’s go over it one more time.”
Lyra sighed theatrically. “But Boooon-Booooon, we went over this a million times! Besides, Jorge is about to let me lick his hands!”
“I said no such thing…”
“You see!?”
Bon-Bon stared flatly at her lover. “I don’t care, let’s start. *Ahem,* do you have your ticket?”
“Yes,” she huffed with a roll of her eyes.
“Luggage?”
“Yes.”
“Are you taking your sunscreen?”
“Check.”
“Map?”
“Check.”
“Coin purse?”
“Check.”
“First aid kit?”
“Checkaroonie.”
“Wilderness survival kit?”
“Yes.”
“My superspecial-I-love-you-have-a-safe-trip bon-bons?”
“Yes I-”
“DON’T LEAVE ME!!!”
“GAH!!!”
Bon-Bon tackled Lyra and submitted the now-suffocating unicorn to a bone-crushing hug.
“Bon…Bon…can’t…breath!”
“Why do you have to go!?” wailed the candy maker as she matted her marefriend’s fur with her tears. “I-I thought you l-l-loved me!”
“Jorge…h-h-help!”
“What if something happens to you!? WHAT IF I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!?!”
“You’re…doing…a good job…making sure…that…happens,” wheezed Lyra, her form slowly going limp and her face turning turquoise.
Confident that the two mares would solve their little scene with only minor injuries, Jorge quickly made his way to a less crowded part of the platform.
Meet the world, huh? Jorge’s eyes wandered to the locomotive, and scowled. What is she playing at?
“Hey, are you okay?”
Jorge turned around to see Twilight staring at him in concern. “Just peachy,” grumbled the Spartan. “What’s it to you?”
“I’m just asking, Jorge,” she assured. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
Jorge snorted and said nothing.
“What’s up with those two?”
Jorge glanced to where Twilight was pointing. Lyra was still being hugged to death by Bon-Bon, and yet to make any progress in breathing if her purple face was any indication.
“Bon-Bon…I’m not…doing that….here!” she wheezed.
“PLEASE!!! It may be the last chance we ever get! I promise we’ll be quick. Nopony’ll even notice!”
Jorge shrugged. Twilight rolled her eyes and headed to board the train. “Well we’re leaving in a couple of minutes, so please tell them to hurry up,” she said before retreating into the locomotive.”
The Spartan shook his head to himself. He felt a light tapping against his leg, and looked to see Lyra looking up at him expectantly. Despite bruises all over her body, she was still brimming with cheer.
“So, all aboard?” she chirped.
“What was all that about?” asked Jorge, nodding to where Bon-Bon was being restrained by a pair of burly stallions, desperately trying to reach out to the mint-green unicorn.
“Oh, that? S’no big deal. Bon-Bon was just a little bummed out about me leaving so she asphyxiated me before trying to ravage me on the platform. You know, the usual.”
“The usual? Is that…normal?”
“Yeah, we pretty much go through this whenever I have to travel. You should have seen her last Hearth’s Warming Eve when I tried to visit my family in Manehatten for the holidays. We were actually arrested for public indecency!” Lyra chuckled jovially as if recalling a fond memory. “Well anyways, we should probably get going; Beebop and Horse Power are never able to hold her off for too long.”
Lyra meandered up into the carriage that Twilight and her friends had entered. Jorge quickly followed, trying to tune out the pleading cries of Bon-Bon. However, when he hefted his boot onto the step ladder leading up to the carriage, the foothold was torn off with a chillingly shrill screech. Jorge stared at the mangled piece of metal wrapped around his boot, then at the conductor. The poor stallion felt a fly buzz into his mouth as his jaw hung limp from his ghost-white face. Jorge just ignored the terrified pony and wiggled his foot until the twisted steel ladder clattered onto the floor. Then he stepped onto the carriage itself, causing the whole thing to lurch menacingly under his weight. If the conductor hadn’t been on the verge of wetting himself yet, he certainly was then.
Fortunately, as the carriage was about to fall onto the Spartan, it found its balance and fell back onto the rails with a teeth-chattering shake. As the ponies tried getting their heart-rates under control, Jorge casually squeezed his way through the far-too-small door like nothing had happened.
The inside was certainly a sight to see.
Luna had explained that Jorge was too heavy to take via flying carriage, so they were going to have to travel by train. In order to avoid a fuss (and partly because Jorge was too big to fit into a regular carriage) the Princesses provided the group with their private, Royal Train Carriage.
And ‘Royal’ was an apt word to describe it.
Whereas Jorge’s house was elegant in its simplicity, this carriage was better described as gaudy in its extravagance.
The interior of the carriage appeared to Jorge to be a miniaturized version of the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles. A chandelier two sizes too big to comfortably fit in the confines of the room swung precariously from the ceiling, reflecting beams of light from the many crystal candlesticks that drowned the room in a sea of yellow. The windows were adorned with various precious gems, which, rather than complement the carriage's golden décor, clashed with the whole interior. Finally, the carriage was lavished with all manner of silk cushions and pillows.
In truth, the whole scene looked like a painting from another age. A once picturesque and breathtaking image sullied by the passage of time, the carriage gave the appearance of a fossil. Perhaps at one point it would have been considered beautiful, but today the most it could aspire to would be to cause most interior designers to gouge their eyes out.
Yet, despite being an affront to modern sensibilities, it did not stop Lyra from being captivated by its luster.
“Oooooooooooooooh,” crooned the unicorn, her eyes sparkling almost as much as the carriage itself. “Shiny.”
Jorge did not share the unicorn’s sentiment. As soon as his eyes were assaulted by the visual regurgitation that was the Royal Train Carriage, the human couldn’t help but cringe. I can see why Luna mentioned they stopped using this thing, he thought with a hint of despair. The prospect of spending the hours in a train with Lyra was bad enough, having to do so in what could accurately be described as the tackiest room on the planet was the very epitome of non-Slipspace-Drive-related-torture.
Jorge groaned and sat cross legged in a corner of the room away from the excited mares who were chatting on the cushions. The train lurched forward with a screech.
The human stared out the window, watching as the countryside on the other side of the stained glass whipped past at a surprising speed. It wasn’t long before the cottages and hamlets that surrounded Ponyville gave way to rolling prairies and expansive seas of green nothingness. The chatter from the girls subsided until they were all lost in their own thoughts.
Applejack and Rarity were chatting with one another, both awkwardly trying to avoid eye-contact. Fluttershy was napping; her wings twitching in what could be described as the single most adorable thing ever witnessed by a human. Both Lyra and Twilight were passing notes about humans, each debating on their own theories that they forgot could be answered by simply asking the only human in Equestria, who happened to be sitting no more than seven meters away from them.
Jorge silently gazed at the mares in front of him for a little while, before standing up and stepping out of the carriage without a word. The roar of grinding steel stabbed his ears. He ignored it though, and leaned on the railing which lined the platform, letting the powerful winds wash over his face. A bright flash of color out of the corner of his eyes drew his gaze upward.
The multi-colored blur whipped across the sky, doing somersaults and loops over the train before heading for the platform. The wash of colors slowed down to reveal a cyan pegasus landing onto the train.
Rainbow Dash stretched her wings until they elicited a loud *pop*. With a content sigh, she let her feathery appendages hang limply before tucking them back into her body. That’s when she noticed Jorge staring at her with interest.
“Oh, it’s you,” she grumbled, narrowing her eyes.
“You’d be surprised how often I’ve been greeted like that lately.”
Rainbow Dash snorted derisively. “What are you doing here?”
“Just here to get some fresh air.”
Dash’s glare lingered on the human, before she mumbled something and continued her stretching. The two stayed silent, the pony cracking her limbs and the human gazing towards the horizon.
“You say something?” she snapped suddenly.
Jorge remained still, the line along his lips creasing like cracks spreading through stone.
“Whatever.” She flapped her wings until she was face to face with the human. “I heard what happened at the library,” she said matter-of-factly.
Jorge said nothing.
“Let me just say this now, so it’s all clear, kay? If you ever hurt any of my friends, I’ll pound you ‘till you’re nothing but paste. Got it?”
Jorge still stayed silent for a few minutes, before a condescending grin parted his face. “How’s the eye?” he asked, no shortage of mirth in his voice.
Rainbow blushed and unconsciously rubbed her right eye. The grinding of her teeth could probably have been heard from a mile away. “It was a lucky shot!”
“I very much doubt that. Now let me be clear with you. I understand that you are upset with me; in all honesty I would be too. But that is done. Your Princesses and friends have already accepted that, and I suggest you do the same. I have no quarrel with you.”
Rainbow Dash landed onto the platform and walked back into the carriage, muttering something along the lines of, ‘when earth-ponies fly,’ as she went. The stubborn mare slammed the door shut, and Jorge shook his head and followed after her.
The human took the same place he had before, patiently waiting for the train to arrive to his destination. He found his helmet among the luggage, and quickly slipped it back on. Going through his audio files, he decided to play some music to pass the time. J.J. Johnson’s trombone flowed through his helmet, soothing his ears and relieving the tension in his muscles. By the time Ben Webster’s Solitude was played, Jorge had finally been able to relax.
Hoping to get some sleep, he concentrated on the gentle rocking of the train. Every once in a while the carriage would hit a small bump, jolting the Spartan upward. Fortunately, these were few and far between, and didn’t disturb his peace. Taking a deep breath, he quickly grew accustom to the rails clicking as steel glided over steel. In a couple minutes he had it synched up like clockwork.
*Click*
*Click*
*Click*
Bump
*Click*
*Click*
*Click*
Bump
*Click*
*Click*
*Click*
Bump
*Click*
*Click*
*Click*
*BOOM*
The carriage rocked violently, sending Jorge sprawling onto the ground.
What the hell!?
Jorge opened his eyes just as he heard someone shout ‘INCOMING’. There was a loud shriek, and the world felt like it came to an end. The human’s eardrums burst in pain as the sound of tearing metal and sizzling flesh crashed against his body. Screams could be heard over the chaos as he was thrown across the carriage like a ragdoll in an inferno. A final crash, dwarfing anything he had felt before, hit the carriage with a vengeance, and everything went black
Jorge groaned. His eyes blinked lazily, trying to get used to the sudden change of lighting. In the back of his mind he could hear an echo calling his name. Coming too, he realized that he was a far cry from being in any train carriage.
The walls and ceiling were entirely made of steel. Sparks fell from wires ripped out of the walls. Jorge’s looked down to the seats lining the walls, and his heart skipped a beat. His brain desperately tried to process what his widened eyes were seeing, but it was a futile endeavor.
Humans. Human corpses littered the floors.
That’s when it hit him.
He was inside of a crashed Pelican.
“Noble Five. Noble Five. JORGE!!!”
Jorge looked up to see a blue, armored figure standing over him, gripping an assault rifle in an unnaturally thin hand.
“K-Kat?”
“Jorge, get up!” ordered the female Spartan. “Were pinned out there, we the need big guns.” She gestured to the HMG lying at his feet.
“M-my gun? B-but… how… Kat what the hell is going on!”
“Jorge we don’t have time for this, they’ve already started glassing the damn planet. We need to leave, NOW!” She grabbed his arm and forced him up. Seeing Kat’s robotic arm briefly snapped Jorge out of his shock, and he shook his head clear. Still horribly confused, he picked up his ever-reliable HMG and climbed out of the wreckage of the pelican, careful to avoid stepping on any of the corpses.
When he got outside, he came face-to-face with a living hell.
The blackened sky was bleeding fire onto the surface. Hundreds of purple ships hung menacingly among the ash, raining death.
Ranging from Super-Carriers to Banshees, the fleet coated the sky in a veritable sea of purple. In the glow of the burning planet, the vessels were awash in sinister, crimson glow that sneered mockingly at Jorge.
The massive ships hanging above the planet pounded the charred wasteland below them with blinding plasma beams. Banshees screeched across the sky, swooping down on terrified marines on the ground or ruthlessly hunting down fleeing Pelicans. Only a handful of the troop carriers were able to escape the slaughter, the rest bloomed into terrible showers of fire and molten metal. The covenant ships flew uncontested, rolling down any feeble resistance in a wave of destruction. There was not a single human ship fighting back.
To call such a massacre a battle would be a horrendously cruel joke.
Jorge managed to tear his horrified gaze from the blood-red sky and towards the firefight raging before him. He saw that the rocky, arid terrain was littered with corpses. Hundreds of them, all splayed out along the road, each with the same expression of utter agony. The Spartan’s nose burned with the sickeningly thick stench of plasma and seared flesh.
A jade explosion snapped Jorge out of his daze. His ears stung, and his shield flared as shrapnel peppered him. Up ahead he could see a squad of marines taking cover behind a meager group of boulders. Sprinting as fast as he could to join them, Jorge has greeted with a familiar face.
“Glad you could join us, big guy!” greeted Emile as his shotgun rang, obliterating the Sangheili that had gotten too close for comfort.
Before Jorge could respond, Kat appeared at his side. “Noble Five, we need to lay some suppressing fire on those damn brutes!”
Jorge nodded before clicking the safety of his gun off and opening fire. The massive firearm vibrated nicely as the nearby brutes suddenly found themselves being peppered by a hail of lead. They roared in pain as the bullets pierced them indiscriminately.
Once he was satisfied that the aliens weren’t getting up, Jorge turned to the female Spartan next to him. “Kat, what the hell is going on! Where are Carter and the others? Where are Noble Six and Jun?”
“Jorge, what the hell are you talking about? They’re all M.I.A, remember!?”
Jorge’s insides froze. “WHAT!?!”
A nearby plasma bolt from a low flying banshee caused them to duck. A second Sangheili snarled and opened fire with a plasma rifle. The nearby marines screamed in pain as they all fell. Some were writhing in their own entrails, crying and begging for a medic. Most stayed still.
Jorge, who’s armor suffered the bulk of the elite’s attack, trained his gun on the alien and opened fire, splattering purple gore against a nearby boulder.
“What do you mean M.I.A!?” he yelled, turning his attention back to his fellow Spartan.
“Don’t you remember? Carter was killed in New Alexandria, Noble Six was forced to stay on the Super-Carrier to activate the Slipspace drive, and Jun’s been missing since Swordbase!”
“Noble Six… Slipspace drive? No… that’s… that’s not right.”
“Plasma!”
Kat and Emile dived away as a plasma grenade landed right in front of Jorge. The Spartan instinctively activated his armor, letting the familiar feeling of heat wash over him as the explosive detonated.
Wiping dust off her visor, Kat approached Jorge in a low crouch.
“Jorge, I don’t know what’s the matter with you, but we do NOT have time for th-”
A bolt of energy rung out of nowhere, piercing Kat’s helmet and washing the air in a mist of red. The female soldier’s body fell limply onto Jorge.
“Kat!” cried out Emile. He dove for cover. “Fucking sniper!”
Jorge looked down at his comrade’s body in shock. A loud, familiar humming noise rang out throughout the battle field, and suddenly all the shooting, all the explosions, all the wanton death and destruction, it all stopped. Jorge looked around in confusion. Kat’s body had disappeared and Emile was nowhere to be found. Everything had washed away. All that remained were the bodies of dead marines and the humming, which was growing louder and louder.
Jorge looked up to find himself standing right under a supercarrier. Its silver belly had opened, and was glowing blue. Before Jorge could react, a tower of plasma energy shot out from the covenant vessel. The world slowed for the Spartan as the plasma hit him and slowly melted the flesh from his body.
He had just enough time to let out one more garbled scream.
Jorge bolted upright with a loud yell. Cold sweat poured down his brow, and his heart thumped in his chest like the dull thuds of a sledgehammer hitting rubber. As his eyes darting around frantically, he could see that he was in the royal train carriage, with crystal chandelier present and all. Forcing himself get control of his breathing, he noticed that there was a white dot directly in front of him on his motion tracker. He looked down to find an alabaster unicorn leaning away from him warily.
“Oh! I’m terribly sorry, darling,” said Rarity. “Were you asleep? I couldn’t tell with your helmet.”
“It’s… it’s all right,” sighed the Spartan. Just a dream. Just a dream. “I wasn’t having a very pleasant dream anyways. Did…” He swallowed. “Did you need something?”
“We just wanted to know if you wanted to play with us.”
Jorge looked up to see the six mares all sitting around a small table, each holding (or in some cases, levitated) seven playing cards, with a small deck in the middle. Most of them were looking up at the human expectantly, save for Rainbow who continued glaring at him.
“No thank you,” grumbled Jorge.
“Ah, well, what a pity,” conceded the unicorn.
“Ah leave him alone, Rarity,” said Rainbow with a wave of her hoof. “Dumb lug’s probably afraid to get his flank kicked.”
“Rainbow!” gasped Twilight.
Jorge scowled at the cocksure pegasus. “Is that a challenge?”
“No, it’s a fact.”
Jorge glowered at the pegasus before sighing again and looking at his feet. It was just a dream… just a dream. The Spartan took one more deep breath to calm his still jangled nerves. I suppose I could use a distraction after that.
Jorge entwined the fingers of both his hands and stretched his arms out, letting them crack loudly. Standing up, he loosened his muscles before making his way over to the table. “Alright, I’ll play.”
Lyra quickly dealt him seven cards, and Jorge carefully folded them upward, being sure not to lift them from the table. This elicited a few puzzled looks from the ponies, but they didn’t say anything.
“Wait a minute, what are we playing exactly?” asked Jorge.
“Go fish,” answered Lyra.
“Are you serious?”
“Pfft, come on!” whined Dash. “We’ve been playing go fish for the past hour. Can’t we play something less lame?”
“How ‘bout Buffalo Poker?” suggested Applejack.
“Awww yeah, I’m awesome at that! Then again, what I am I not awesome at?”
“Modesty?” deadpanned Rarity.
“I’m sorry, I don’t exactly know what ‘Buffalo Poker’ is,” pointed out Jorge.
“Don’t worry, you’ll catch on quick,” encouraged Twilight. “Just be sure to take off your helmet before we play though.”
Jorge complied before passing his cards back to Lyra, who deftly shuffled the deck with her telekinesis and passed out three cards to each pony. It turned out that ‘Buffalo Poker’ was essentially identical to Texas Hold ‘em; only rather than having a hand (or hoof) of two cards, each player was dealt three cards. The game began, and Jorge saw that right off the bat he was dealt two aces and the queen of hearts.
It seemed like Lady Luck had finally decided to smile upon him.
The games flew by as quickly as Lyra could deal them, and soon Jorge was able to push his thoughts away from the nightmare. Much to his relief, it seemed that ponies had tells when bluffing the same as humans. In fact, judging from the way some of the players were twitching and ticking, ponies bluffed with less subtly than a train crash.
Applejack’s was the easiest to spot. The cowpony fidgeted with her hat every time she lied, and soon everyone had picked up on it. Yet it didn’t make all that much of a difference since she rarely bluffed anyways. Rarity’s and Twilight’s were no less glaring, but judging from everypony’s play styles Jorge had been the only one to pick up on them. Twilight bit her lip, and Rarity batted her eyelashes. Lyra, much to Jorge’s dismay, glanced at his hands whenever she bluffed. He made a mental note to have a long chat with the unicorn about boundaries concerning his appendages. Rainbow Dash’s was at first difficult to notice, but Jorge eventually deduced that it was the occasional ruffle of her wings. This, however, was only partly true, as it was only most of the times she lied that the aggressive speedster did this.
Pinkie and Fluttershy were the hardest to figure out. As far as Jorge could see, they had discernible tells. Fluttershy hid behind her bangs and shrunk away too much to get a proper look at her, and Pinkie Pie…
Pinkie Pie… well… she… she was just all over the place.
From giving hollering cheers whenever she got a good hand, to sighing or grumbling ‘shoot’ whenever she was dealt poor cards, the pony sometimes had no tact whatsoever. Other times she wouldn’t even say anything, halfway through the round a part of her body would start twitching violently, and suddenly it would be as if she had read everybody’s mind. Even Jorge had trouble keeping up with her at first, leading to her dominating the first few rounds.
Eventually though the Spartan managed to adapt to the pony’s erratic playing style, and before long he found himself winning game after game.
“Ugh! Four of a kind, are you kidding me!?” screeched Rainbow Dash in frustration. She angrily threw her pair of Jacks of the table and glared at the human. “That’s it! There’s no way you’re not cheating.”
“Maybe you’re just not a very good player,” said Jorge as he calmly shuffled the cards. Lyra had gotten tired of dealing, so he volunteered to take over. The human could have sworn he saw cracks trailing up the pegasus’ pearly whites as she shook with rage.
“FORGET THIS!” she yelled. “I’m done playing with this freak!”
“Rainbow Dash!” cried out Rarity, aghast.
Dash didn’t listen. She stormed out of the carriage as fast as her hooves could carry her while still keeping balance in the swaying cart.
“DASH, YOU GIT BACK HERE RIGHT NO—” But before Applejack could finish, the pegasus slammed the door of the carriage as hard as she could, and took flight. Everypony gaped at the door, save for Applejack, who simply scowled to herself. Fluttershy was shivering under the table, terrified by her friend’s sudden outburst; the way her body constantly hitting the furniture was causing the cards to rattle.
“What was that all about?” asked Lyra.
“Well… Dash has always been competitive,” pointed out Twilight weakly. “Maybe she was just angry she lost?”
“Come on, Twi. When have you ever seen Dash that upset?”
“Applejack has a point, darling. I’ve seen Dash lose plenty of times, and I’ve never seen her so miffed. There’s something else going on here.”
The group fell quiet as they contemplated their friend’s aggressive behavior. The only sound heard in the carriage was the rattling of the coffee table, which gradually dissipated as Fluttershy stopped trembling and climbed up from under it.
“I don’t feel like playing anymore,” growled Jorge as he threw his cards on the table and stood up. “Thanks, by the way.” The Spartan made his way over to the window and stared out. As soon as his eyes wandered upward, his arms fell limp to his sides. His jaw slackened slightly, causing his lips to part ever so slightly. The human gawked out the window before he finally found his voice.
“Excuse me, Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“This Canterlot we’re heading too, would it happen to a white city hanging from the side of a mountain?”
“Yes…why?”
Jorge didn’t answer right away. Instead, he kept his eyes intently glued on the massive white structure that was hanging precariously over them. His eyes traced the smooth marble of the city’s platform, scanning the masterfully crafted marble buildings which glowed in the warm daylight. The colorful banners that gently waved in the wind were like water paintings, gently spreading their hues across the blue sky. Spires rose from the platform, as if all the words in a fantasy novel came together and stretched up to the heavens in the most picturesque fashion possible. Ribbons of water flowed down from the top, its folds waving back in forth as they slowly descended into the lake below.
“Because I think we’re already here.”
The train came to a screeching halt at Peaking Dawn Station late in the afternoon. Wisps of steam gently rose from the tracks as ponies descended from the carriage, and either greeted their waiting relatives or hurried to whatever appointment in the city they had pending. Whatever their motive may have been, almost every single one of the passengers took a moment to steal a glance at the contingent of guards waiting at the station. The soldiers’ steely gazes never once faltered as the crowd dispersed.
Once the station had become relatively quiet, no easy feat considering it was the most used station outside of Manehatten or Trottingham, the Elements of Harmony descended onto the platform. As soon as Jorge stepped off the carriage, the whole thing rocked precariously as if alleviated of some great strain.
The group was quickly approached by one of the soldiers. It didn’t take them a second glance to recognize who it was.
“Twiliy!”
“Shining!”
Twilight and Shining Armor embraced each other eagerly, the former nuzzling the latter fondly.
“What are you doing here?” asked Twilight as she stepped back and smiled jovially.
“I’ve been tasked by the Princess to escort you guys to the castle personally.” Shining puffed his chest out and lifted his chin rather proudly. Twilight was amused to see that despite being commander of the entire Royal Guard and practically a prince, Shining still took pride in something as comparatively mundane as escorting her and her friends to the castle.
“Howdy there Shinin’,” greeted Applejack. “Sure is mighty fine tah see you again.”
“Same here Applejack!”
“Yes, it’s always a pleasure to reacquaint ourselves to such a fine gentlecolt,” said Rarity with a toss of her mane.
Much to her surprise, Shining lifted her left hoof and brought it to his lips to give an awkward, sloppy kiss. While the formal gesture was unfamiliar to the upstart Prince, Rarity still found it endearing enough to giggle like a schoolfilly and blushed slightly. This quickly elicited an eye-roll from the cowpony next to them, and a raspberry from Rainbow Dash.
Putting the unicorn’s hoof down, Shinning greeted the rest of the group, pausing at Lyra to properly introduce himself. As his eyes passed over Jorge however, the Royal Guard’s smile lowered to a flat expression.
Jorge offered Shining his hand, bending his knees slightly to allow himself to reach slightly. “I’m Jorge, pleasure.”
The pony looked down at the behemoth’s metal hand with a cold look in his eyes. While the commander of the Royal Guard was able to keep himself from betraying much emotion, Jorge noted that the pony’s lips twitched slightly as he looked up at the human.
“Likewise,” grumbled Shining, turning away and ignoring Spartan’s greeting.
Jorge’s eyebrows arched in surprise, but he said nothing.
“Come on everypony, the Princesses are waiting for all of you back at the castle,” announced Twilight’s brother, his previous cheer returning to his voice. “Guards, form up around the human and the Elements!” The stallion’s words breathed life into the immobile soldiers, who almost instantly snapped to attention and formed a tight perimeter around the mares and Jorge.
“By the left. Quick. March!”
The mares quickly scrambled forward as they found themselves being forced to move by the quick paced marching of the guards behind them. Rainbow Dash floated above the group as they quickly walked through the entrance of the station and through streets of Canterlot.
If there was one word Jorge would use to describe the city, it would be ‘spotless.’
Not just in terms of cleanliness, although as far as he could tell there was not a spot of filth on the alabaster city, but in terms of everything.
From the infrastructure, to the way the residents composed themselves, there was a certain order to the urban sprawl that was almost surreal. From what little he had heard about the city, Jorge discerned that it was ancient; yet rather than being a cluttered mess of intergenerational architecture and hasty urban planning, the whole thing appeared as if it had been planned meticulously a mere few decades ago.
However orderly the streets were though, it did not detract from the extravagance of it all.
Massive marble statues rose up from the ground as if born of the earth, exuding a kind of grandeur that could inspire awe in even the most jaded person. The colorful spires and towers, which already had looked fantastical from the train, now looked down-right impossible; as if their mere existence was an affront to the basic tenants of architecture and physics.
The ponies were no less flamboyant than the city they resided in. Whereas most of the residents of Ponyville choice to wander the streets naked, something Jorge had come to assume was the norm for the species, it seemed that those kinds of ponies composed a minority in Canterlot. Almost every single pony there was wearing some article of clothing. From simple tuxedos, to multi-layered gowns topped with hundreds of feathers, it all reeked of materialistic bourgeois to Jorge.
The passersby all stopped to gawk at Jorge, but surprisingly did nothing else. While one or two quickened their pace when they caught site of the human, most didn’t react more violently than quirking an eyebrow or whispering to a companion.
The group continued marching through the streets, chatting idly with one another, or, in the case of Rainbow Dash, trying to garner some sort of reaction from the stoic guards who were escorting them.
“So how are things back in Ponyville, Twiliy?” Shining grinned at his sister. “How was your Hearts and Hooves day?”
Caught off guard by the question, the lavender unicorn coughed awkwardly. “Oh, you know…it was okay,” she said airily, as if she was trying to think of a way to change the subject (which, incidentally, she was). Shining noted her sister’s behavior but decided not to tease her about it, at least not yet anyway. “I’ve been really busy. How are mom and dad?”
“Still looking for a grandfoal,” replied the stallion wearily.
Twilight giggled. “Yeah, that sounds like them.”
“But I mean every time I see them that’s all they talk about!” Shining sighed. “You know they’re gonna start pestering you about it soon, right?”
“Looks like there are perks to living in Ponyville,” said Twilight, jabbing her brother playfully in the ribs. “I’d like to see them before heading back.”
“I… I don’t think you’ll have the time, Twily.”
Twilight glanced over her shoulder before moving close to her brother. “What is going on here, Shining?” she whispered harshly. “Two days ago Princess Luna shows up at my library out of the blue, telling me we all need to head to Canterlot with Jorge immediately, with no explanation whatsoever. I’ve sent dozens of letters to Celestia, but she hasn’t answered!”
Shining looked over his shoulders, narrowing his eyes when they spotted Jorge. “She’s been busy, Twily. We all have. I don’t think Cadey’s slept in days, and Princess Celestia’s been coming and going so much I can’t even tell where she is half the time.”
“You mean…from the castle?”
Shining shook his head. “I mean from Equestria. Seriously, I don’t think she’s been on this many diplomatic missions since when Luna was banished. You know how stressful it is losing the pony you’re supposed to protect? It’s been total chaos since that thing showed up.”
“Thing?”
“You know… the human?”
Twilight looked at her brother with concern. “You mean Jorge?”
“Yeah,” scoffed Shining before glancing over his shoulder at the Spartan. He moved closer to his sister and raised his hoof as if to shield his words. “Are you sure we can trust it?”
Twilight recoiled from her brother. “It is a he, Shining,” she admonished. “And why in the world wouldn’t we be able to trust him?”
“Because, first off, it’s a human, and second, we don’t know anything about it. Who do you think debriefed the guards that went to your library the night it showed up? The chimp’s dangerous.”
“That was a misunderstanding! Granted, he did almost kind of commit regicide, but he apologized!”
Shining snorted derisively. “Whatever.”
Twilight continued staring at her brother critically. “Well?”
“Well what?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “You still haven’t told me what this is all about.”
Shining opened his mouth, ready to say something, but had second thoughts. “I think Princess Celestia would rather tell you herself.”
The two stayed quiet after that as the group quickly made their way through the dense city, the guards cutting a swath through the crowds like they were air. Before long bystanders wandered away, and soon the group found themselves standing before the massive castle Jorge had seen from the train.
The streets and buildings spread as if they were sprung from the palace. Like roots from a tree, the rest of the city looked like it had grown outward from the massive fortress. The castle itself looked just as whimsical up-close as it did from a distance, with fairytale towers that looked like they could house dozens of Rapunzel’s, stretching towards the sky. Without even pausing for a break, the guards ushered the unimpressed ponies and Jorge forward. The human was perplexed with the way someone could find such a sight so mundane, but disappointedly followed along through the entrance nonetheless.
The group passed through a sprawling courtyard that lead up to the castle proper; foliage, statues, and even a hedge maze dotted the sparsely populated field. To his right Jorge could see a group of ponies trotting around in circles and climbing through a makeshift obstacle course. Upon closer inspection, the human got a nagging sense of nostalgia in the back of his head.
That’s when he realized that they were doing drills.
All it took was one glance at the semi-terrified faces of the ponies and of the barking superior in armor screaming orders at them to realize that these were fresh recruits of some sort of training. The sight brought a warm feeling to his chest. Even though they were ponies, it was still one of the most familiar sights the human had seen since his arrival, and he quickly felt a bout of homesickness wash over him. He would have loved to stay and watch, but unfortunately he was ushered past a pair of sentinels through the doors of the castle. The group marched through a huge hall until they came before one of the largest doors Jorge had ever seen.
“Wait here,” ordered Shining before walking through one of the servants’ doors that lined the corridor.
The ponies did as they were told, waiting patiently for Twilight’s older sibling to return. The already frayed mares began to feel jittery, shifting on their legs and whispering to one another. Jorge and the Royal Guards stayed stoic, but even from under his helmet the human was feeling a tad anxious.
“Where are all the petitioners?” asked Rarity, as if suddenly gripped by the insatiable desire to crack the awkward silence.
The rest of the girls looked around the room, just noticing that the long line of ponies waiting to have an audience with Celestia was now unusually absent. Before the mares could further inquire on this, Shining promptly returned.
“Alright, the Princesses see you now,” was all he said before a pink lightning-bolt erupted from his horn and struck the door. The main entrance glowed briefly, before groaning deeply. The massive door came to life as it slowly shifted; making painful grinding noise that rattled everyone’s bones. Hidden, rusted gears, which hadn’t moved in centuries, twisted and spun as they struggled to get the hundred ton slab of metal to swing inward. The crack slowly widened, and Jorge stepped through, and into what he simply described as the greatest ‘Great Hall’ he had ever been in.
The walls were adorned with dozens of stained glass windows, each depicting a crucial moment in Equestrian history. The light streaming through the glass, bounced against the marble floor until it resembled a kaleidoscope. Huge banners flowed from the ceiling, which itself was painted to look like the night sky. Dozens of constellation that Jorge didn’t recognize sparkled over them.
This was The Royal Throne Room.
While Twilight and her friends had been in this room many times before, it felt peculiarly more imposing that day; as if the air was tainted with a sense of gravitas not felt before. The Royal guards melted away, leaving Shining, the Elements, Lyra and Jorge on their own. The mint-green unicorn was particularly awestruck, her jaw refusing to rise even after they had starting moving towards the thrones that lay on the opposite side of the room.
Jorge could see that there were three of them, all resting atop a small platform reached by stairs: One in the center, composed of gold and with a headboard that resembled a peaking sun, flanked by two smaller seats. The one on the right was a dark blue, fitted with silver and sapphires. Its headboard was that of a crescent moon, seemingly made of platinum. There rested Princess Luna, who looked down at the group with stony eyes. The Moon Princess glanced over at Jorge, and her frown tugged up for a fraction of a second before dropping again. The third throne, like its occupant, was rose colored. It rested to the left of the center seat and was entirely made of pink marble. Its headrest was that of giant, ruby heart.
The alicorn who sat upon it was much smaller than either Luna or Celestia. While Jorge had trouble making out the ages of ponies, it was evident that she was much younger than her peers. Ever since he first stepped into the room, the pink alicorn pierced Jorge with her fiercely inquisitive gaze. Even as he stood right in front of her, she made no effort to conceal her burning curiosity. Her eyes felt as though they pierced right through his visor, and were able to stare deeply into his own.
Jorge found it deeply unsettling.
“Welcome, Elements!” announced Luna. “I am deeply grateful that you were all able to come on such short notice.”
“It’s our honor, Princess Luna,” said Twilight before bowing deeply. Everyone present followed suit, lowering their heads and closing their eyes respectfully; everyone, except Jorge, who remained conspicuously still.
“Bow,” ordered Shining when he noticed the human.
Jorge said nothing, and made no effort to do anything of the kind.
“I said, bow!” exclaimed the stallion. By now all eyes had turned to Jorge. The pink alicorn leaned forward with interest.
The Spartan glanced down towards the Prince briefly, before looking up at Luna. “I’m not the bowing type,” he answered, artificially nonchalant.
By now Shining was almost frothing at the mouth with rage. “These are the royal rulers of Equestria, and you will show respect when in their presen—!”
“It is fine, Prince Shining,” announced Luna, raising her hoof to stop the stallion. “Jorge is our guest, and thus has no need to follow such formalities.” Her voice however, was tinged with profound displeasure.
Most ponies stared uncertainly at each other, not sure what to make of thee display. Shining was still practically growling at Jorge but remained silent, while Rainbow glared at the human. Twilight and Applejack shook their heads in disapproval.
“Now, I am certain you are all exhausted after such a long trip. We have prepared a room for each of you, which Shining Armor will be more than happy to escort you to. I insist that you rest and wash up before dinner this evening.” Luna nodded to Shining, prompting him to start leading everyone out of the throne room.
“Hold on a second,” said Jorge. “That’s it? We came all this way, just so you could tell us to get ready for dinner?”
“I am sure you have many questions,” said Luna coolly. “I promise you that my sister and I shall explain everything tonight. Please Shining, show them out.”
“Yeah, no, not good enough. I did not just spend the last seven hours on a cramped train carriage to come all the way here and be told that I’ll soon be told what the hell is going on.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed in anger. She stood up from her throne and approached the human, wings flaring slightly and horn bending forward. “You may be a guest, but this is still my castle and I am still its ruler. You will do as you are told.” Each word was punctuated with a level of hostility that caught Jorge off guard. He hadn’t seen the Princess this aggressive since their little… kerfuffle when they first met. The way the blue alicorn was poised was almost as if she was gearing for a fight.
Better get that chip off your shoulder real soon, honey, thought that Spartan as his palm instinctively grazed his pistol, something which was not lost on the Princess. “Look,” began the soldier slowly, trying to diffuse the vexingly abrupt hostilities. “The last time you and I talked, all you told me was that I ‘needed to meet the world,’ whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean, and that I needed to come to your capital urgently. I had no idea why, and had almost no information on what was going on. Yet, despite being virtually blind, I still came as a gesture of good faith. Now expect some return on that gesture. All I want to know is why, and I’m not budging until you tell me.”
Rather than calm the Princess down like Jorge had intended, his little speech seemed to aggravate her further. She bared her teeth into a growl, and he could see sparks starting to from around her horn. Time froze as both the super soldier and the alicorn stood before each other. The air around them turned electric as the rest of the world faded from them. Jorge wrapped his thick fingers around the grip of his pistol; ever-so slowly, he began to pull it out of its holster-
“Excuse me?”
Both Jorge and Luna snapped their heads up. The pink alicorn had stood up from her throne, and was looking down at both of them with pursed lips.
“We understand your frustration, Mister Jorge,” she began in a soothing voice. “Had we been in your position, then we surely would not have been as cooperative as you have, and we thank you for your patience. Now we ask you, if you please, to be just a little more patient.”
She continued gazing at Jorge with her piercing eyes, waiting for his response. The Spartan stared back, his eyes going every single one of her features, and doing hundreds of calculations. After a few more tense seconds, his muscles relaxed as the pistol was slipped back in its holster, and he stood down. He saw Luna blink rapidly before quickly doing the same. She looked up at Jorge briefly and returned to her throne. Jorge was surprised to see shame and regret tinged her eyes.
“P-Prince Shining, you may show our guests their rooms,” ordered the blue alicorn in a shaky voice. “Rarity you may stay, I must talk to you for a moment.” The white unicorn looked at her friends uncertainly, and approached the throne once more.
Shining hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to say something, before nodding and leading the ponies and Jorge out of the throne room.
Jorge looked over his shoulder one last time, only to see the pink alicorn still staring straight at him, before the massive doors closed between them.
“Oooh, what’s that!?”
“That’s a rug. Gifted to Celestia from Saddle Arabia as a peace token after the battle of Gallopoli”
“Oooh, what’s that!?”
“That’s a pre-celestial vase, crafted thousands of years ago.”
“Oooh, what’s that!?”
“That’s a container full of Bubble Flowers from the Everfree For-”
“Oooh, what’s that!?”
“That’s a-”
“Oooh, what’s that!?”
Shining Armor, Jorge, and Lyra walked through an empty corridor in some unknown part of the castle. The other mares had been left at their rooms long ago, and the trio had been walking together for little over half an hour.
As nice as it looked, there was one downside to the massive castle; namely, that it took the group an eternity to find each room. Constant twists and turns left everypony disoriented, save for Twilight, who explained that she had gotten used to it as a filly. How anypony could get used to the labyrinth like structure of the palace’s interior was beyond her friends. Soon excitement waned and tempers flared, as exhaustion and frustration took it; prompting Rainbow Dash’s vulgar exclamation of, “why does somepony need so many bucking rooms!?” Needless to say, almost everypony was left at their room tired and more than a little annoyed.
Yet, much to everyone’s dismay, the long walk through the castle’s interior had no effect on Lyra’s incessant yammering.
“Oooh, what’s that!?” asked Lyra for the five-hundredth time. The petit green unicorn seemed to have no shortage of energy or curiosity, and unlike her companions (maybe with the exception of Pinkie Pie), who had quickly grown tired and sluggish, she bounced along as vigorously as she had two hours ago when they started their journey.
Shining’s teeth grinded against each other viciously, and his right eye twitched. Pinkie Pie was one thing, but this was an entirely new level of torment.
Jorge felt a twisted sense of satisfaction at watching the rude stallion being annoyed so brutally. This however, barely alleviated his growing frustration with the mare.
“Oooh, what’s that!?” asked Lyra again without even waiting for an answer. Both males groaned reflexively. Equestria had been an exercise in patience for the Spartan, and he’d like to think that it was one he had excelled at…for the most part at least. But everybody has a limit, and at that point Jorge was seriously considering pressing the muzzle of his gun against his temple and pulling the trigger. Instead, he stumbled upon a less messy, albeit a much, much less pleasant, solution.
“Oooh, what’s tha—!?”
“Lyra,” interrupted Jorge. Lyra closed her mouth and stood at attention for her favorite human. “Lyra, if you stay totally quiet until we find your room then I’ll let you…” Jorge sighed in defeat. I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this. “…I’ll let you… lick my hand.”
Lyra immediately froze the moment his words registered. Her pupils became pinpricks, and a deranged grin parted her face. Shining looked at the two like they had gone insane, but said nothing.
“Really?” whispered the mare, afraid that if she spoke too loud it might shatter the truth of what she just heard.
Jorge nodded morbidly, and Lyra began to quiver with excitement before jumping up and hugging his face.
“THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANK—!!!”
“Lyra!” yelled Jorge, prying her from off of him. “Totally. Quiet.”
Lyra nodded enthusiastically before putting on a serious face and giving a mock salute. Shining glanced between both the human and the unicorn for a few seconds, trying to process what just happened, before giving up, rolling his eyes, and continuing. Amazingly enough, Jorge’s incentive was enough to silence the unicorn, and she stopped inquiring about the castle’s décor even after they resumed their journey.
Finally, sighed Jorge mentally. Peace and quie—
“And here is your room, Miss Lyra,” said Shining armor, gesturing to a door not ten meters from where they had just stood.
Jorge stopped in his tracks and stared dumbly at the stallion handing Lyra the keys to her room.
“Thank you so much Mister Armor. You sure are a great tour guide.”
Shining gave a forced smile and nodded. “It was my pleasure. Thank you for being such a… uh… curious guest.”
Lyra smiled at that and stepped into her room. “Bye Jorge! I’ll see you tonight at dinner. Oh, and don’t forget your promise~” she said in a sing-song voice as she closed her door. The aforementioned human said nothing. He just continued to gawk at the door that had just shut trying to wrap his mind around the last two minutes of his life. Then, ever so slowly, he brought his palm up to his face, and forcefully pushed his palm into his visor.
“Are you coming or not?” asked Shining Armor gruffly. The Spartan stayed quiet. Making sure to continue pressing his palm against his visor, he raised his free arm and lifted one his index finger in a ‘just one second’ gesture. Finally, after three straight minutes, Jorge lowered his hand, and completed the mother of all facepalms.
Shining snorted at the odd display and continued cantering down the hall, with a suddenly much more miserable Jorge in tow. After only a minute, they quickly arrived at a blue door that was much larger than the others.
“Here,” grumbled the stallion as the levitated a teal key to Jorge. He quickly spun around and walked away without another word.
Jorge looked down at the small key, which looked comically out of place in his enormous hand, before looking up to the retreating Prince. “Thanks for the help, Chuckles,” he called out.
Shining looked over his shoulder and glowered at the Spartan before rounding the corner.
The human unlocked the door to his new quarters and stepped in. The room was well furnished, providing a king-sized bed, a dresser, a desk, and even a small living room area complete with coffee table, couch, and a fireplace. The decor was nice enough, with dozens busts and portraits of what looked like Minotaurs; even a pair of horns hung over the head of the bed. It looked like an executive suit in a five star hotel, only with a much homier feel. What surprised Jorge the most about his new temporary home was the scale. Everything was larger than it was supposed to be, almost as if it was distorted. It looked like it was designed to house something much larger than the average pony, or human for that matter.
Despite its oddities though, Jorge was definitely not complaining. After managing to push the thoughts of Lyra licking his hand out of his head, he went to inspect the bathroom. As he stepped into the white tiled room, he saw the one thing he was hoping to see: the first shower in weeks that could actually accommodate him.
Without wasting any more time, Jorge began the tedious process of removing his MJOLNIR. Bit by bit the armor came off, until his pale body was completely exposed. He moved under the shower head, and turned the faucet as far as he could, sighed contently as the scalding water soothed his tired muscles.
God, I needed this.
As he stood under the torrent, his thoughts drifted back to his nightmare. A chill ran down his spine despite the hot water. Vague visions of gore and covenant shimmered in his vision, his breathing becoming labored as his memories haunted him.
The Spartan shook his head violently, pushing the images out of his head.
Reach is fine. We stopped the attack. We destroyed the supercarrier. Hell, I destroyed the supercarrier. Reach. Is. Fine
Calming down, he returned his thoughts to the water massaging his body, but all the pleasure was gone, and no matter how much he raised the temperature he still felt cold. He rubbed his eyes and sighed.
Great, the combat shrink would have a field day with me.
Once he finished washing, Jorge stepped out of the shower into a veritable steam room. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped out of the bathroom, letting a cold draft hit him. He was surprised to find Rarity standing in the middle of his room, completely oblivious to his presence. What was even more surprising still was that she was levitated a piece of his armor, inspecting it closely.
“What are you doing!?” barked Jorge.
The white unicorn jumped in surprise, dropping the component with a dull thud.
“I-I’m t-terribly sorry,” she stuttered. “W-when I knocked the d-door swung open and I-I…”
Jorge didn’t pay attention to what she was saying. He stepped forward and picked up the piece of armor that she had been handling. It was one of his Grenadier Knee Pads.
“What were you doing with this!?” he snarled, eyes ablaze with fury. Rarity shrunk back from the enraged human.
“I-I-I was just l-l-looking… I d-didn’t do… I-I didn’t m-mean t-to…”
Jorge examined the piece of armor energetically, twisting and turning it in an attempt to find even a tiny fragment out of place. When he was satisfied that everything was in order, he carefully, almost reverently, put it back on his bed. He then turned his fiery gaze to the nervous pony.
“Never. Touch. My. Armor,” he seethed. Rarity nodded furiously. The Spartan continued glowering at the unicorn for a few more tense seconds, before snorted and turning back to his bed. Piece by piece he reassembled and donned his armor, largely ignoring the still shaken mare who stood awkwardly to one side.
“Jorge…” squeaked Rarity meekly. “I… I’m sorry.”
Jorge paid her no heed. Rarity however, pressed on.
“I knocked and… and the door just swung open, and your armor was lying on the bed. I-I just wanted to take a look; I didn’t mean to break it or anything of the sort.”
Jorge sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. He looked back at the mare, who looked positively miserable. The Spartan groaned to himself and turned to face her, only half clad in his armor. “It’s… fine, Rarity.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, just… please don’t touch my armor. I cannot stress how important it is to me, and if you do it again then I don’t think I’ll be as forgiving.”
“Understood,” declared Rarity, looking noticeably better. “And again, I apologize. What I did was unbelievably rude and rather unbecoming of me. I promise to make it up to you somehow.”
“That’s not really nece—”
“—GASP!!!— Ideeaaaa! Oh I have the perfect thing for you in mind” she gushed, eyes sparkling.
Jorge rolled his eyes and got back to putting his armor back on. “What are you doing here anyways?”
“Hm? Oh, yes! Now I remember. I’m here to get your measurements. The Princess wants me to make something more formal for you tomorrow.”
“And you tell me that after I put on my armor?” deadpanned the soldier, gesturing to his now fully dressed body.
Rarity laughed sheepishly. “I suppose today isn’t my day, now is it?”
“Should I…?”
“Oh no, I wouldn’t want you to have to go through such a fuss again. I’ll just take your measurements now with it on.”
Jorge looked at the unicorn skeptically. “Are you sure that’ll be accurate?”
“Are you doubting my ability, darling?”
“Yes.”
Rarity huffed indignantly before levitating her measuring tape and wrapping it around one of the Spartan’s thighs. “I’ll ignore that. Believe me; I know what I’m doing. How thick is your armor exactly?”
“Thick.”
Rarity inspected the measurement she took from the human and suddenly looked less certain. “Oh my. Well I’m sure I’ll find some way to manage. Although it might turn out a little big…”
“Are you sure you’re even qualified to do this?” asked Jorge. “I doubt you’ve suited many other humans before.”
“I know! I’m practically relishing the idea of working on this. Finally a real challenge. It’s not simply about finding the right color schemes or complementary fabrics. No, now I actually have to find a way to modify it for a completely new body type. Ooh I’m so excited!”
The remark failed to inspire confidence in Jorge.
“All done,” announced Rarity after a couple more measurements. “See, that wasn’t so painful, was it?”
That’s a matter of opinion, mused Jorge.
“Don’t forget about dinner this evening by the way. The Princess said that somepony should come around your room around nine to take you to the dining hall,” explained Rarity, pointing to a nearby grandfather clock in the corner. She rolled out her measuring tape, and started heading out. “You’re going to look so marvelous in your new ensemble!”
“You do realize that I’m not going to wear it, right?” pointed out Jorge. In truth, the human had just let Rarity measure him in order to humor her.
Rarity gave out a hearty, delicate laugh. “Oh I think you will,” she teased before closing the door behind her.
Jorge wasn’t sure why, but there was something in her tone that filled him with a mild sense of dread.
Deciding to take advantage of the time he had before dinner, he splayed himself on the couch, and rested his eyes.
Jorge opened his eyes lazily. Blinking slowly, he groggily stood up and shook his head. The room was exactly as he had left it before he slept, save for the fire, which had petered out and died.
Putting on his helmet, he checked the nearby grandfather clock and noted that it was already ten past nine. He opened the door to his room and checked the hallway; it was completely deserted, the only sound coming from the ticking of the clock in his room. Deciding that it would be best to wait for whomever they sent to get him, he closed the door and sat back on the couch. But as time went by, it quickly became apparent that no one was coming. By quarter to ten the Spartan had had enough.
He walked out of his room, locking the door out of habit, and inspected the hallway one last time; it was just as empty as always.
“Perfect,” he grunted. Taking a right, he tried going back the way he came in a vain hope that he could find a way back to the dining room. Twists and turns abounded, and every single hallway looked identical to the last. At one point the Spartan was convinced he had gone in a massive circle, but the décor was so repetitive that he had no real way of knowing. After almost twenty minutes of mindlessly wandering through the castle corridors, he had to admit to himself that he was lost. Strangely enough, the more he walked the dirtier the halls appeared to be getting.
Eventually he passed through a dilapidated doorway, the door itself comprised of rotted timber hanging from rusted hinges, and entered into another cavernous hall. Unlike the others he had been to that day however, it was evident that this room hadn’t seen maintenance in hundreds of years.
The room resembled that of a castle in those old twentieth century movies; cobwebs hung from the ceiling, more abundant in number than the bricks they were strung from. Dust covered every inch of the cold stone floor, so much so that it made Twilight’s basement look as sterile as a hospital room. What little furniture populated the room was decrepit and falling apart. The worst though were the shadows:
Gaps of darkness in what little moonlight streamed through the filthy windows, creeping across the floor and walls like sharp claws ready to grasp whatever poor soul walked within their grasp. As his massive footsteps sent empty echoes bouncing along the hall, Jorge couldn’t help but feel a slight chill run down his spine, as if there was something supernatural about that place.
Alright, if I don’t find the bloody dining room in the next ten minutes, I’m going to start trying to break through these walls.
“Need…talk…”
Jorge froze. He thought he heard a voice coming from behind him. Checking his motion sensor, he saw that there was nothing there. He remained still for a few moments before shrugging it off and continuing.
“What…it”
There was no denying it; he had definitely heard a voice that time. He crouched down slightly and pulled out his pistol. Marching silently ahead, he tried to pinpoint the source of the noise; a difficult feat considering the echo made it sound like it was coming from all directions at once.
As he slowly exited the hall and entered another dusty, web-ridden corridor, the voices got louder.
“…I just wanted to talk about this human, your highness.”
Jorge saw a weak light flickering through the bottom crack of one of the doors. Careful not to make any sound, the Spartan moved into a deep shadow a few feet from the slab of wood with surprising nimbleness, and listened.
“What about him, my Prince?” asked a mysterious voice. It took Jorge a couple seconds, but he soon concluded that it was Celestia.
“I don’t trust it, your highness. I believe he is a security threat and I urge you to have him under more intense supervision, considering what happened at the library…”
“Your request has been noted. Do not worry; I personally vouch for the human. I do not believe he will do us any harm. Now, I suspect that Jorge is not what you really came here to talk to us about.”
There was a pause.
“No, it wasn’t,” admitted the first voice grudgingly.
“What is it you wish to discuss?”
“It’s about what’s been happening lately. I am simply wondering whether it was wise for you include a few of the names on the guest list,” replied the first voice, which Jorge eventually deduced was Shining Armor.
“And what names would those be, my beloved nephew?”
“You know what name I’m talking about.”
“Are you questioning our judgment, Shining?” asked a third voice. There was no mistaking it as anyone other than Luna’s.
There was a tense silence before Shining started speaking again in an angry tone. “With all due respect your highness, yes, I am. How in the world could you possibly think that letting her come here is a good idea?”
“We ratified the treaty months ago, Shining,” explained Celestia. “We have called upon her as a gesture of good faith, to show that everything that may have happened is in the past—”
“NO!” burst out the stallion furiously. “After what she did!? To me!? To Cadence !?! It is not in the damn past! That thing, it—!!!”
“We are quite aware of her crimes against our nation, or have you forgotten that I too suffered at her will?” interrupted Celestia, her voice conveying eternal patience. But while her volume may have been subdued, she carried a firmness that Jorge had seldom heard before. It was a tone that could cut steel. “We understand your reservations, and value your opinions, but if you are to come to us again we would appreciate it if you didn’t resort to such vulgarities.”
Nothing could be heard except for Shining Armor’s heavy breathing. Eventually, that too ebbed away. “I-I apologize, your highness,” he eventually professed. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Rise, dear nephew. As I have said, I truly understand where you are coming from, and I do appreciate your telling me. Now please, go to the dining room and tell the others we are going to be a little longer.”
“Yes Princess.”
The door opened to reveal a small study bathed in candlelight. While the light illuminated the hallway, it was too weak to reach Jorge’s still shrouded corner. Unlike the rest of that part of the castle, this room was completely spotless. Inside stood Celestia and Luna, both looking at the exiting Shining expressionlessly. Shining armor meanwhile looked deeply ashamed.
“Oh, and Shining?” The white stallion turned around to face Celestia, who gave him a faint smile. “Try to enjoy this evening.” The Prince nodded once, before walked back down into the darkness of the hall and leaving the door wide open.
“Well, that went… worse than I expected,” said Luna once she was sure the stallion was out of earshot. “I’ve never seen him that upset. The way he yelled at us…”
“I honestly expected it to go much worse,” admitted Celestia with a sigh. “This whole affair has been a mess. How have you been holding up, Lulu?”
The Spartan gleefully made a mental note of the pet name.
Luna looked down at her hooves in disgrace. “Not very well.”
“Cadence told me what happened today in the throne room.”
“Then you know how I’m doing.”
“I want to hear it from you,” Celestia said softly.
Luna took a shaky breath. “What is there to say? I almost attacked him. Knowing full well that he may have killed me, I still sought out a confrontation with Jorge. And it took my niece to show me how much of a fool I was being.”
“But why, Luna?” asked Celestia sympathetically.
Luna shut her eyes. “Organizing this meeting… the way the nations reacted when I invited them… we were frustrated, Celestia!” she cried out. “It hath been nigh over three years since we were cleansed of the Nightmare, and the world still treats us like some foul beast from the depths of Tartarus. Even our allies shunned us when we approached them until you beseeched them! Even… even our ponies, our subjects whom we love and nurture, even they treat us as a monster.”
Luna sniffed and looked back down at her hooves. “When Jorge was defiant we… I got so angry… so frustrated.”
Celestia nuzzled her sister, who gladly relished the contact. “I’m sorry, Celestia… about you having to travel so much just to organize this.”
“Please Lulu. You have no need to apologize for the ignorance of others.”
“Celestia do you… do you sometimes regret bringing me back from—?”
“No.” The white alicorn firmly grabbed her sister’s face and looked her straight in the eyes. “I will never regret bringing you back to me, Luna. You are not a monster.”
Luna smiled demurely at her sister. “Thank you, Tia,” she whispered with a nuzzle.
The two stayed like that, enjoying each other’s embrace. However, the touching scene was soon interrupted by a loud rumbling noise. Celestia backed away from Luna in surprise, who was blushing in embarrassment.
“Sounds like you’re famished,” laughed the white alicorn.
“So it seems. Shall we go to dinner?”
“You go ahead; I have some business to finish here.”
Luna gave her sister a skeptical look, but shrugged and disappeared down the hall. Celestia kept her gaze fixed on the blue alicorn until she was embraced by the corridor’s shadow. After a few minutes, she took a deep breath.
“You know, it’s rude to eavesdrop,” she said without turning her gaze.
Jorge’s heart skipped a beat. He felt a block of ice plummeted into the pit of his stomach.
“You can come out now, Jorge,” continued Celestia. “There isn’t much point in you hiding in the shadows anymore, now is there?”
Jorge reluctantly stepped out of the darkness’ sanctuary.
“I’m not used to being spied upon,” confided the Princess, with no trace of malice or anger in her voice.
“I’m not used to being caught. How long have you known?”
“Since Shining armor opened the door. Had I not been preoccupied I may have known sooner. My sister must truly have a lot on her mind; she normally would have spotted you half a kilometer away. Darkness is more her element after all. How much have you heard?”
“Only enough to raise more questions than answers.” Jorge lowered his head slightly. “I suppose I picked a bad time to eavesdrop.”
To the untrained eye, Celestia’s expression would have appeared to have remained the same. But Jorge noted her jaw-line tighten and the corners of her eyes crease.
“Indeed,” she began, her voice remaining neutral. “I would have preferred you not had listened in on such an intimate moment.”
Jorge nodded. “I apologize. I assure you I won’t bring it up.”
“That is much appreciated.” The pony tilted her head slightly. “What were you doing here? I doubt you had come all the way to spy and us.”
“I was heading to dinner and got lost.”
Celestia stared at the human intently for a fraction of a second, before bursting out in laughter. Her guffaws echoed throughout the corridors, momentarily brightening the dank castle.
“Is something funny?” asked Jorge in a playful tone.
“I’m sorry. It’s… —ahem—… it’s just that after we met, my sister and I got a somewhat apotheosized idea of you. Knowing you got lost is just a little juxtaposing.”
“It’s not my fault your castle is a bloody maze,” snorted the human. “How’s the horn by the way?”
“It’s fine, thank you.”
“Sorry about that.”
“My dear human, there is no need for you to apologize,” asserted Celestia with a dainty wave of her hoof. “On the contrary, it is I who should be apologizing to you.”
“What’s say we just let bygones be bygones?”
Celestia smiled warmly at the proposition. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a long time. Now, shall we go to dinner? The others must be frightfully worried about us by now.”
“Lead the way, Tia.”
“Say that name again,” began Celestia in a voice as sweet as honey. “And I’ll banish you to the moon.”
Jorge didn’t know why, but he just had to chuckle at that.
“S-so you really eat m-meat?”
“Yes I do.”
“O-oh… have you eaten any since you got here?”
“Ha, I wish. But don’t worry; I have no intentions of going out hunting for any of your pets any time soon.”
“Thank you…”
Much to Jorge’s amazement, the walk back to the dining room from the study had only taken a couple minutes. He wasn’t sure whether the Princess was using her magic to purposely screw with him (if magic could even do that), or if they had really been that close to it the whole time.
He was pretty certain it was the former.
In any case, they quickly found their way into the massive, brightly lit dining hall (Jorge was starting to have the sneaking suspicion that the castle was entirely composed of redundant corridors and halls).
The six ‘Elements,’ as Jorge noticed they were being called, were all seated; as were Lyra, Shining, and Luna. A plentiful sprawl of food rested in front of them, all served to them on golden platters. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who were having a hard time restraining themselves in the presence of so much food, were thankful for the latecomers’ arrival.
After apologizing for being late and shrugging off inquiries from the others, Jorge found his seat at the end of the table next to Fluttershy, while Celestia went to nuzzle Twilight and apologized to everyone for being absent before doing the same. Much to his chagrin, Celestia insisted that they first eat before discussing why they had been called to the city. Having learned just how on edge everyone had been, Jorge decided to bite his tongue and follow along with the Princess. He had been able to wait this long, why not wait a little longer?
“Is there anything else you’d like to learn about human dietary habits?” asked Jorge while forking in a bite of salad.
Fluttershy fidgeted nervously in her seat while Lyra and Luna both leaned forward intently, eager to learn more about his species.
“Um… what does it taste like?” mumbled the pegasus.
“What does what taste like?”
Fluttershy continued squirming furiously, as if the whole conversation was making her deeply uncomfortable. “Uh… m-meat…”
Jorge’s eyes widened in surprise, while Lyra couldn’t help but look a little disgusted.
“Why do you want to know?” asked the human with a hint of amusement in his voice.
The canary-yellow mare blushed in embarrassment. “Well… some of my little animal friends are carnivores… and I sometimes feed them fish… so… I was just a little... um…. curious…” As she spoke, Fluttershy gradually fell into a whisper and hid behind her mane. “You must think I’m a bad pony…”
“Of course I don’t think you’re a bad pony, Fluttershy,” assured Jorge. “You’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and it’s perfectly natural to be curious.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile bashfully at the compliment, her blush lessening to a soft hue.
“You got the hots for her or something, big guy?” teased Lyra, nudging him. Fluttershy’s blush returned in full force, and she returned to the sanctuary of her mane with a squeak.
Jorge though, was unfazed by the accusation. I’m getting the feeling ponies have some sort of cross-species fetish. “Well what’s not to like? She’s kind, gentle, good with animals, and has a very pretty mane.” The more he talked, the more Fluttershy blushed and shrunk in her chair. Meanwhile, just about everyone else at the table had stopped what they were doing to gawk at the human. Even Lyra, who had just been kidding around, was looking at him in shock.
“…unfortunately,” continued Jorge. “I’m already engaged to be married to Pinkie Pie. Isn’t that right, sweetie?”
“Yuppers!!!” chirped Pinkie ecstatically. She hopped onto the table and gave Jorge a big, wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek. The human had to grit his teeth to keep himself from cringing.
“Hardy har, Pinkie,” said Applejack with a roll of her eyes, while everyone else chuckled lightly at Pinkie’s supposed prank. “Real funny.”
“I’m not kidding, Applejack,” assured the Pink pony. “Jorge gave me this super-pretty wedding band when he proposed.” Pinkie raised his hoof to reveal a glittering, orange and pink bracelet on her hoof with her cutie-mark engraved on it.
Silence. Everypony’s eyes bugged out of their skulls. Even Jorge was staring at her in shock.
“WHAT!?!” shouted Rainbow Dash in horror, pretty much summing up what everyone was thinking. “WHA- I- HUH-JUST… when the buck did this happen!?”
“Hearts and Hooves Day,” stated Pinkie plainly.
I knew I should have prepared those forms! thought Luna.
The table looked at each other with various degrees of shock. Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor looked disgusted. Applejack, Twilight, Rarity and Luna gawked at Jorge with gaping jaws. Fluttershy just shrunk further at the commotion, while, curiously, Celestia looked like she was trying to suppress a smirk. Most troubling of all though was Lyra, who looked like she was staring and Pinkie with a mixture of surprise and jealousy.
“My… uh… darling. I’m so happy you could find such a… uh… unique fiancé,” said Rarity uncertainly. “Should I get started on your wedding dress?”
“That would be super-duper, Rarity! Thank.”
“What!?” shouted Dash again. “Pinkie you can’t be serious! How can you marry Jorge!?”
“Well why not?” asked Applejack. “Ah mean if their… uh… happy or whatever… I s’pose there ain’t nothing wrong with it?”
“You know why not!”
The table quickly erupted into an argument about Jorge’s and Pinkie’s love life, with Rarity muttering wedding ideas to herself under her breath. In the commotion, nobody noticed Pinkie and Jorge grinning at each other. The human leaned up to Fluttershy and gave her a conspirator wink. When Fluttershy caught on to what was going on, she began giggling softly.
“Pinkie!” cried out Dash, slamming her hooves on the table for emphasis. “You’re not really gonna marry him are you!?”
Pinkie’s bottom lip trembled before she burst out in laughter. “Of course not, Dashie!” she guffawed, embracing her friend. “Me and Jorgie were just messing with you.”
The room breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“I mean, we haven’t even gotten to first base yet!”
“That, and we aren’t in a relationship,” pointed out Jorge.
“That too.”
“That wasn’t funny, Pinkie,” scolded Twilight. “And you,” she said pointing to Jorge. “I can understand Pinkie pulling something like this, but you?”
“Believe it or not Twilight, I’m not a hardass all the time,” said the Spartan. “I can be funny when I want to.”
“Yeah, yer just a big ‘ol bucket uh laughs, ain’t you?” deadpanned Applejack.
As everyone settled down, Jorge leaned over to Pinkie Pie. “That went pretty well, but where on Earth did you get that bracelet?” he whispered in her ear.
“What bracelet?”
Jorge started for a moment. “The… wedding band thing you just had on?”
Pinkie looked puzzled at Jorge before giggling and patting his head. “Oh Jorgie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The Spartan was about to say something before deciding against it. Needless to say, trying to figure the pink one out would result in an ungodly painful headache.
Once the table managed to calm down sufficiently from Pinkie and Jorge’s joke, they all dug into their dessert. Rainbow Dash still glared daggers at Jorge, and the human noted that Shining wasn’t taking too kindly to him either, if the stallions suspicious looks were any indication. Everypony else however, returned to their idle chit-chat, trying to ignore the sense of anticipation that hung in the air.
“That was funny, by the way,” squeaked Fluttershy once everything settled down.
“Thank you,” smiled Jorge. “And I’m sorry; I don’t think I can answer your question. Meat has something of a unique taste. You can’t really explain it.”
And I don’t think I could just tell you it tastes like chicken…
“Oh, that’s alright.”
“So I don’t understand Fluttershy, are you a veterinarian?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, there’s already a veterinarian in the village. I just take care of animals. It is my special talent.” Fluttershy pointed to the three pink butterflies on her flank, and Jorge nodded in understanding.
“I would imagine so given how many pets you have.”
“Oh, I don’t have that many. Most of the critters at my cottage actually live in the Everfree forest. They just come visit me during the day.”
“They’re wild animals?” asked Jorge in disbelief.
Fluttershy nodded meekly.
That’s no special talent, that’s a bloody superpower.
“If you want, you could come to my cottage and help me with the critters,” offered the pegasus. “They always like meeting someone new.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not really good with animals.”
“That’s alright!” assured the pegasus. “You could just come over and help… I mean… if you want to…”
Jorge chuckled. He couldn’t help but find her meekness endearing. “Thank you for the offer. Maybe I’ll take you up on it.” Fluttershy smiled, but before she could say anything a ringing drew everyone’s attention to the head of the table.
Celestia levitated a glass, delicately taping it with her teaspoon to settle everyone down. Once she was sure she had everyone’s undivided attention, she cleared her throat.
“Now that we’ve all enjoyed a hearty meal, and even had a little fun to go with it…” she shot a playful look to Pinkie Pie and Jorge. “… I do believe it is finally time to discuss why I’ve gathered you here.”
“Finally is right,” grumbled Jorge quietly enough that only Fluttershy heard.
“As you’ve probably guessed, this concerns Jorge, and let me stress that it is no small matter.”
Jorge suddenly found himself as the center of attention.
“Jorge, we have already told you that your species is not supposed to exist, at least not to us.” Celestia continued speaking in a passive voice, yet she spoke in a tone that commanded attention. “In our world you are a myth. A thing of fantasy not meant to dwell outside of storybooks.”
“Not very complimentary myths by the way,” groused the Spartan.
“For that I apologize,” offered the Princess humbly. “We had no way of knowing we’d ever meet one of your kind. But in any case, I’m sure you’ve already deduced that ours is not the only sentient species that resides on this planet.”
Jorge nodded cautiously.
“Each species or race is generally comprised of their own sovereign nation state, such as ours is Equestria. This is not always the case, as with the nomadic buffalo who roam the western plains. But this is the exception rather than the rule. Due to our close proximity with our neighbors, both physically as well as economically and diplomatically, you’d be hard pressed to find a part of our culture that hasn’t been in some way influenced by another species, and vice-versa.
“And one such cultural aspect that has been shared by many of our nations is the myth of your species.”
Dread gripped Jorge’s heart as he soon had sneaking suspicion of where this was heading.
“As such, I have convened a meeting with the leaders of almost every species in Equestria so that they may meet you, and come to a decision on how to approach your race.”
Silence whipped through the table, turning the room into a vacuum. Nobody said a thing as they either looked between each other with wide eyes, or to Jorge in order to discern what he may have been thinking.
“A meeting with the world’s leaders?” breathed Twilight. “But that hasn’t been done in over one thousand years since-”
“…The Talos Conference, in order to discuss my possession by The Nightmare. We are well aware of that, Twilight,” interrupted Luna. “Believe me; we understand the significance of this.”
“But… is that really necessary?” asked Rarity. “I mean, yes, it was rather shocking when Jorge first… well… dropped in, but does that really warrant such a meeting?”
“You don’t understand, this isn’t only about Jorge, this is about his entire species,” explained Luna. “We need to discuss the possibility of the arrival of other humans, or other supposedly mythical creatures for that matter. Not to mention the fact that his species is prominent in their legends as well. It would be better if they heard this from our government rather than from a traveling merchant. Especially the minotaurs, who are… particularly touchy when it comes to humans. Finally, and most importantly, there is the matter of curiosity. Every delegate from every corner of the globe is going to want to see you Jorge. You are, for lack of a better term, a wonder of our world.”
The room fell back into silence as everyone retreated into their own thoughts; particularly Jorge, who glowered at his hands quietly.
“Well Jorge? Uh… any doubts?” asked Luna awkwardly.
“You should have told me,” growled the Spartan as he raised his head and glowered at the Princesses.
“We were afraid that had you known you may have refused to come,” admitted the blue alicorn.
“Damn right I would have refused! I’m not going to be put on display like some sort of freak.”
“Jorge, please understand. This was inevitable, they would have found out about you eventually,” explained Celestia, unfazed by the human’s outburst.
“Then you do it on my terms, not by springing it on me at the last bloody second.”
“We are not obligating you to attend the meeting, in fact it isn’t even necessary of you,” clarified the Princess in the most soothing voice she could manage. “This is about your species, not about you. We simply assumed you would have liked to be present. After all, whether you like it or not, you are representing your entire race.”
Jorge remained staring at the table, his face twisted into a furious frown. Everypony was still as they waited for his answer. Luna glanced nervously at her sister, who refused to take her eyes off the Spartan.
“When’s the meeting?” he finally asked grudgingly.
Celestia had to restrain herself from sighing in relief. While it was true that his presence wasn’t necessary, it would make things easier. “Tomorrow afternoon. The leaders will be arriving along with their ambassadors later tonight and tomorrow morning.”
Jorge saw that when the word ‘ambassadors’ was mentioned, Rainbow Dash paled. But he neither cared nor dwelled on it.
“Short notice is one thing…” mumbled Jorge.
“It has not been easy to organize this. This was the best we could do. You will be briefed tomorrow morning. However, because of time constraints it’ll be quite short.”
Jorge hummed but said nothing.
“We suggest you get a good night’s rest,” suggest Luna. Jorge remained silent, and the Princess looked back at her sister helplessly.
“Duly noted,” he rumbled after a moment. The Spartan promptly stood up and headed towards the exit.
No one tried to stop him as he left the dining hall and began meandering through the hallways. Jorge didn’t care that he would most likely get lost in castle’s confusing corridors; he just wanted to be alone. After blindly walking for the better part of half an hour he eventually passed through one of the palace’s many doors and found himself standing on a balcony overlooking the city. Taking a deep breath, the Spartan leaned on the railing and let the fresh our cool his face.
Representative for my species, what a dream come true. He snorted derisively to himself before looking up at the cloudless sky. The inky night was punctuated by thousands of bright lights, all twinkling down on him, completely oblivious to anything that happened on his world. He had to concede that even on his home planet the night sky failed to look as breathtaking.
I wonder which one’s Reach. The Spartan continued staring up into the black void, making sure to examine as many stars as he could in the vain hope that he could distinguish his home. Eventually his mind caught up with reason and he hung his head with a weary sigh.
Probably the one burning the brightest anyways.
The Spartan thoughts returned to the shower took earlier, as visions of Reach burned to glass crept into his mind like vermin. Images from his dreams, the corpses clad in armor sprawled next to burning piles of bodies, were clear as day. He could practically the smell blood and ash as he was overcome with such an unrighteous heat that he was tempted to tear his armor off right then and there.
He felt totally helpless.
The very thought of his home, his friends and family, burning, while he was stranded on an alien planet filled by creatures that feared or hated him made him feel more alone that he ever had in his life.
The thoughts brought him back to his first days in training. He had been too young to remember anything specific, but he could remember feeling alone, scared, vulnerable. Like the world was crumbling beneath him until it gave out and he tumbled into darkness. He could remember wanting to cry, to roll up into a ball and weep until it went away. He remembered the others, just as scared as he was, all wondering what was going on and when it would all end.
But through that mutual fear they grew closer; learning how to work together to survive, to support each other in their moments of weakness.
Here he had none of that. Here his fellow Spartans, his family, were thousands of light-years away dying at the hands of an enemy that believed their very existence to be a blasphemy.
Here he was completely alone.
“Mind if I stand here?”
Jorge snapped his head around in alarm. He was surprised to find the pink alicorn from the throne room giving him a tentative smile. The soldier eyed her with suspicion before turning his back on her.
“It’s a free country,” he rumbled. At least I think it is. “I would suggest you not sneak up on me again.”
“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” The alicorn hung her forelegs over the railing and slumped forward, gazing out into the city. “Pretty isn’t it.”
“Yes, I was hoping to enjoy it alone.”
“Is that why you stormed out of the dining hall?”
Jorge glared at the pony, who went un unfazed, before returning his eyes to the view. “You’re an inquisitive bitch, aren’t you?” The pony didn’t even bat an eye.
“I like to be informed of the things that happen in my kingdom.”
“How many of you damn Princess are there?” asked Jorge, exhaustion evident in his voice.
“Just three. Your name is Jorge, correct?
“Jorge Zero Five Two. And you are?”
“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
Jorge gave the Princess an un-amused look.
“You can call me Cadence,” offered the pink pony.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The two kept quiet for a while after that, each staring out into the flickering lights of the city. Soon however, a question began niggling Jorge in the back of his mind.
“Why were you staring at me so much?”
Cadence looked at Jorge in confusion.
“In the throne room.”
The Princess nodded and hummed in understanding. “I was… curious.”
The alicorn gave no further explanation, so Jorge went back his musings.
“I’m sorry, by the way,” said Cadence suddenly, grabbing Jorge’s attention once more. “This whole thing must be such a burden on you; having to represent your people so suddenly.”
Jorge sighed. “I’m a soldier, not a diplomat or a politician,” he confided. “I don’t know anything about this sort of thing.” He returned his gaze to the sky. “I was a good soldier too. I knew how to follow orders. Now? I’m at a loss.”
He laughed quietly to himself. “Still, could be worse; could be Emile representing humanity. Now that’s something I’d like to see.”
“Who?”
Jorge shook his head. “Just a friend.”
“I’m sorry,” said Cadence sincerely. “If it’s any consolation, I know what it’s like to be alone.”
“How could you possibly know?” spat the human venomously in sudden anger. “How could you or your pampered Princesses know what it’s like to be away from your family, your people, knowing their dying without anything you could do about it?”
Cadence looked down with sad eyes. “That’s my reality every day.” She took a deep breath. “We’re immortal, did you know?” She looked at the human with piercing eyes. “That means that everyone I know will die. My husband, my friends, Twilight and the Elements, I’ll have to watch them wither away while I stay young. And when the next generation comes, and I make new friends and maybe fall in love again, it’ll happen again.”
She looked up to the moon. “That’s why I think no one knows loneliness more than my aunts. They had each other their entire lives, but when Celestia had to banish Luna to the moon, they were suddenly all alone, truly alone; away from their own family, the only pony that understood them. Watching as everyone else died around them, desperately trying to remember the faces of friends’ centuries old. And they’ve gone through this. So. Many. Times… I haven’t.” The Princess gave another shaky breath and returned her gaze to the human. “It scares me.”
Jorge’s hard gaze relaxed, and he looked at the Princess sadly. “I’m sorry.”
The two stayed like that for a while, both leaning over railing, mulling over what had been said. The moon continued to rise, bathing the balcony in its silvery light. Canterlot sparkled under its rays, like there was something supernatural about the city that caused it to glow in the night.
Jorge looked back at the pony beside him, a small smile starting to tug at his lips.
“So, can Celestia really banish people to the moon?”
Cadence spun is surprise, before noticing Jorge’s expression and smiling. “Yes she can, so I wouldn’t get on her bad side.”
“Too late for that.”
The Princess laughed, and Jorge had to admit that her voice sounded absolutely angelic.
“Listen, would you mind showing me how to get back to my room?”
“Why, can’t you get back yourself?” asked the alicorn in confusion.
“Yeah, the thing is I’m a tad lost at the moment.”
Cadence’s eyebrow rose quizzically before she burst out in laughter.
“Why does everyone find that so goddamn funny?”
Cadence managed to get her mirth under control, and started heading back to the door. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
“So I guess there’s no way I can request they postpone this conference or whatever?”
“After what it took to organize it? Auntie would probably do worse than just send you to the moon.”
“Ah well, I guess we’ve all got to make sacrifices.”
“Believe me, Jorge,” said the Princess, her voice suddenly toxic. “I know perfectly well what it’s like to make sacrifices for this meeting.”
A warm breeze rolled across the castle courtyard. The air had gotten pleasantly warm that night, and had anyone been wearing clothes outside they may have found it stiflingly hot.
Despite this, Celestia shivered.
The courtyard was packed with dozens of her best trained Royal Guards, each armed to the teeth, and so wound up that they jumped at the slightest noise. Both Celestia and Luna kept their eyes fixed on the night sky, not letting their concentration waver for even a fraction of a second. Finally, the tension became too much even for them.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” whispered Luna harshly to her sister.
“What I think is no longer relevant, Luna,” answered her sister stoically. “I have cast the die, now we must pray it rolls in our favor.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “I’d don’t recall you ever being so cryptic, dear sister?” she teased, trying to add levity to the situation.
Celestia didn’t laugh.
“Stalwart, are you sure everything is prepared?” asked the Princess of the Sun, without any trace of the anxiety that was threatening to strangle her.
A nearby stallion in crimson armor nodded. “I assure you your highness we have taken every precaution necessary. Nothing will go wrong.”
Before Celestia could say anything, a pegasus flew over the castle wall and landed in front of the monarchs. ‘They’re here,’ was all he said before taking his place in one of the nearby troops.
Both alicorns’ heads snapped up towards the moon. There, against the giant alabaster backdrop, was a small black dot which gradually became bigger and bigger. The dot grew until a carriage surrounded by a dozen flying creatures became visible. Little by little, the carriage’s features became clearer.
It was black, or rather, ebony. The design at first glance looked streamlined; slick and sharp, perfect for cutting the air. As it got closer, jagged spikes and holes littering the vehicle became evident. Strangely enough, it looked like it was surrounded by some sort of translucent exoskeleton, appropriate considering who it was carrying. It looked similar to the creatures drawing it and to the dozen flyers that escorted it; black, serrated, creatures with a chitinous appearance. In truth, the carriage appeared modeled after them. The only thing that afforded them some appearance of sentience was the black, steel armor and helmets that each one donned.
The entourage landed in the courtyard, and every single one of the Royal Guards tensed and fixed their weapons on the creatures now standing before the Princesses. The flyers quickly spread out and formed a perimeter around their carriage, each one menacingly baring their teeth and hissing as a warning to any foolhardy guard.
Both Luna and Celestia remained stoic as the door to the carriage swung open, and out stepped out a slender, hole-riddled foreleg. From out of the darkness of the carriage materialized a tall, lean creature with green, expressive eyes and sharp fangs hanging from her lips. The strange form’s head was held high as she stepped forward, and all told she strutted with a lethal arrogance that would scream ‘danger’ to any sensible being.
Still, the Princesses remained expressionless.
“Welcome,” greeted Celestia, her voice as commanding as it was neutral. “… to Canterlot. But I’m sure you’re quite familiar with it already, Chrysalis.”
The changeling remained unfazed by the Princess’ quip. “Oh, I most certainly am. Now Celestia…”
Her mouth twisted into a malicious grin.
“…about this human.”
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YES! A new chapter!
Wish I knew about this before starting my fic. It's based in my own original universe, but it might get mixed up with yours, both having very similar titles. Ah well.. Might give this a read later.
I creamed my pants....can you give men more chapters please. I need. White pants by Friday....
Bout time, matey.
Ya know the Princesses should consider themselves lucky. Of all of the SPARTANS they could have gotten they got one of two who actually sort of care for people/ponies that aren't directly related to the UNSC.
Let's face it ladies and gentleman if it had been Fred, John, Sam, Kelly or any of the others that aren't Kurt, Luna and Celestia would have been ended as soon as they started something.
Chrysalis... Interesting face you got there... Would be a shame if something bad happened to it...
2611970
Or Palmer and Osman. Ponyville would be a smoking crater
Lol,Emile representing humanity XD that'd be fucking hilarious to see!
Ha, Chrysi can't try a thing with Jorge! Forget about getting banished to the moon, he'll punt her there!
2612004 Palmer doesn't count 'cause she's not a SPARTAN-II and Osman washed out cause her body couldn't handle all of the things they did to her. However Osman head of ONI now so she could authorize a NOVA bomb against their planet.
Also I don't like Palmer.
Moar!!!! I demand it!!!
Very good. I can't wait for the next one.
2551618
Well, at least it's not this:
d.pictureupload.us/17898818045190ef5d07196.jpg
Great chapter. Can't wait to see where this goes.
i tend to like storys alon this line and i have just found it so time to start reading and see if it stands upto others in its class i will edit and add my reacrion to this post now lets see...ARE YOU WORHTY OF BEING EPIC!!!
I saw this updated. It is currently about half three in the morning. Sleep? Sleep can wait.
two months for a chapter, damn....
Supposed to be he.
Take the "l" away
My gosh that hell that was going to be raised over Jorge and Pinkie's joke.
Glad to see Pinkie decided to get that hoofband to show off and put everyone into a stupor. Now let's see if the other races can put up with this spartan as well as the princesses have. 
I actually didn't have to use Google translate for this!
GOD DAMNIT!!!
Write MOAR!!!
Also dis shit is good.
Fuck to the yeah
this is going to be good
I wonder what Jorge will do to Crysalis when he sees her
MMMMOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR
2612200
Not give a damn.
I cannot wait for more!
2612200
Say something about cheese.
I'm expecting at least one ambassador not leaving this meeting alive...
2612042 I don't think many people do. I hate her for going after Halsey so single mindedly, but that hate is tempered into a "Your my commanding officer, and I don't like you at all, but I'll follow your orders" hate like I'm sure a lot of soldiers have. My dad certainly had it for his CO.
Damn you CLIFFHANGER!!!!
2612058
i.chzbgr.com/completestore/2009/5/4/128859632358111746.jpg
Awww HELLZ YEAH
2612420 Was she born with those holes in her legs, or was her kind used for nonlethal target practice?
YEAH
FUCK SLEEP
READ STORIES
2612562
I am furevr in yer drbt mate...
I swrar to drunk im not god
Have Jorge make some comment about Chrysalis being made of cheese. Pleeeeeeease?
possible spoilers
Rainbow dash was scared of an ambassador, Gilda is the only canon friend that we have seen that is not a pony . Therefore Gilda may show up at the meeting.
Also chrysalis probably will try to influence Jorge, who will then put a bullet through her skull
Hmm... It seems like 41 people are ready to die.
Challenge considered.
GIVE ME MOOOOOOORE
2612481 Its not even that. Halsey was acting all suspicious and whatnot and that was her own fault. To me she's just unlikable. I mean everyone has that person that they dislike but when asked why they can't really come up with a good reason. For me that person is Palmer. She's a good soldier and everything maybe its just that I don't believe she's a proper SPARTAN. Maybe that's it. Maybe I just don't trust the IV's enough unlike the S-2 and S-3s. Or maybe is because I don't think Commander Shepard needs to be in Halo.
However Lasky is a badass and one of my new favorite people ever of all time.
Del Rio can rot in a jail cell for all I care.
bastard deserves it.
You should have Luna enter one of Jorge's nightmares. I would really like to see what her reaction to what goes on in his universe is.
2612058
Methinks you just opened your browser's console, and edited the html for the local session to take that screenshot.
God an update!!!
Chrysalis? No sweat Jorge can step on a Lego and survive.
2612744 The ONLY one I believe deserves that title (SPARTAN) in Halo 4 besides John, is Thorne. (Ignoring Crimson)
Palmer... damn, there are just so many moments that just point out how she's not truly Spartan material it's just... GAH!!!
I nod my head at Lasky. He's got that air about him that quietly whispers "leader" as it speaks "friend".
Del Rio... Agreed.
Super Kami Guru allows this
2612042What about the S-IIIs? Do they count?
Stalwart, you bucking moron. You just had to say those goddamned words didn't you? Now you've invited Murphy to the conference you idiot.
2613124 There are no more S-III's. They're all dead.
I'm guessing that Jorge is gonna taste like shit to Chrysalis. Kind of. Still has those sentiments of Reach and his team I guess.
2613245
Lucy and Tom from the Novels don't count?
Emile representing humanity... Good lord that would be perfect.
Second place on the list of bad fictional representants for humanity is Nick "Havoc" Parker.