Author's Note: Just so you all know, there is a bit of a formatting issue that you need to be aware of from this point forward in the book.
"If the dialogue is in Italics." Then the character is speaking in Equish.
"If the dialogue is in standard font." Then the character is speaking English.
'Words in single quotes' are thoughts, most likely from Shadow's perspective.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, now on with the book!!
The mood was a strange mixture of wonder and nervousness as the group walked up to the edge of Ponyville, the guards holding tight to their weapons, although they had yet to charge the magnets inside them to arm the projectile platforms. Dr. Kelly and Ambassador Lang were looking around with wide eyes and happy smiles as they took in the scenery, leaving Will to stuff his hands into his pockets and pretend not to care.
At first Shadow was slightly nervous how the inhabitants of the pony town would react to the small group, but as they got into the more active sections of the village, he was slightly surprised when there was not an immediate panic among the populous. Half of the ponies that saw them paused in their steps for a second or two, but as soon as their eyes landed on Shadow, they seemed to relax and carry on without a care. The other half stood and stared but didn’t seem to have any fear attached to the fixation. Gradually, the attention of the ponies began to add up as more and more slowly began to approach, as if wary of a predator in their midst.
Then, in true Ponyville style, a pink blur raced past Shadow on his left side and slid to a stop in front of the humans, causing the guards to raise their weapons before they realized what it was that stood before them. Pinkie Pie was smiling from ear to ear and bouncing in place in raw excitement, yammering on at a mile a minute as she inspected the humans from head to toe. Thankfully, she seemed to know not to mess with the armored humans that were a bit put off by her exuberance, although that didn’t stop her from bouncing around Dr Kelly and the others as she continued her excited monologue.
Finally, she came to a stop before Shadow, practically vibrating with joy as she pulled a package of cupcakes from her mane, offering it to him for a second before seeming to remember he didn’t eat. Thus, rethinking her idea on the spot, she walked past him again and offered it to Dr. Kelly, the scientist’s eyes widening as she carefully took the package from the hyperactive mare.
“I really hope you can come to my ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville-Equestria-Equis-Interplanetary-Palooza this afternoon.” Pinkie rattled off without pausing to breathe, “I’m so happy to meet you and I hope you enjoy your visit to our world. Make sure to eat the cupcakes before they go stale, we wouldn’t want to ruin your first taste of pony food.”
With that, Pinkie raced off again, the rest of the ponies rolling their eyes and carrying on with their business, leaving the humans standing in the town square with confusion painted over every face.
Dr. Kelly looked at the box in her hands, then in the direction that Pinkie had disappeared off too, “Do I even want to ask?”
Shadow chuckled, a loop of bemusement running through his mind as he responded, “That would be Pinkie Pie, Ponyville’s premier party pony and one of the strangest beings you will ever meet on this world.”
“So, what exactly was she saying?” Lang asked as he reached in and pulled out a cupcake, inspecting it like it would bite him if not observed at all times, “All I could tell was that she was speaking at a rather rapid pace. Do all ponies talk at that speed?”
Shadow shook his head, “Pinkie is a special case. The locals have a saying that I think applies a little bit too well to that mare, and it has saved me from several hypercore overloads in the past. ‘It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.’
Will scoffed as he too reached in a grabbed a cupcake, “Well whoever she was, I think she could use a few less sweets if she acts that hyper all the time. I don’t know about you, but I would rather be able to understand the other person when I’m having a conversation. I know the pony language mostly inside and out, and I couldn’t keep up with half of what that mare was rambling on about.”
“Well at least we know that the locals are friendly,” Dr. Kelly added as she pulled out her own pastry, “might as well take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy it while we can.”
All three humans bit into their desserts at the same time, pausing after a few chews as their eyes widened in synch and they froze in place. Shadow could practically feel the delight coming from them as they destroyed the rest of the pastries in a matter of seconds, licking their fingers as Dr. Kelly visibly restrained herself from grabbing another. Even as the two men reached for more, she closed the lid and turned her head away, grumbling to herself about something as she slid her backpack off of her shoulders and stowed the box in one of the spare compartments.
“Until we can be sure that the local food won’t harm us,” she managed to speak in a straight tone as she put the pack back over her shoulders, “I would suggest that we limit our consumption to what is necessary before eating too much of anything. We don’t know fully how the food here will affect our bodies until we get some samples to test. Shadow might have proven that the items on the menu won’t outright kill us, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful until our bodies can adjust.”
Will made a sound that did a very good job mimicking a dog’s whine, “But that was the best damn cupcake I’ve ever eaten. How do we know you aren’t just going to eat all of them yourself while the rest of us aren’t looking?”
Lang interjected himself between the younger humans before an argument could begin, “While I understand your desire to eat more of the delicious gift we have been given, we should follow Dr. Scott’s advice and limit how much we expose ourselves too until our bodies have adapted to the local cuisine. I can remember quite a few times when I went to other planets in human space and had to be careful about what I ate for the first few weeks. I made the mistake once of eating a bowl of Gandinoran chili on the first day of the diplomatic summit a few years ago. I spent the next three days in the hospital paying for it because my body wasn’t able to handle the foreign spices. Remember that from this point on, and you hopefully won’t make the same mistake I did.”
Will backed down after mulling over the shorter man’s words for a moment, tipping his hat to Dr. Kelly before turning to look at the passing ponies, “Quite a colorful lot, aren’t they? I guess you really were telling the truth when you showed us those pictures back at headquarters.”
Dr. Kelly nodded as she glanced around, smiling and waving to a passing mare and her filly, who returned the gesture, albeit with some hesitation on the mother’s part, “They certainly are. I know it might have been hard to believe before you saw them with your own eyes, but these beings are just as intelligent as you and I. We just need to step carefully until we can establish a more concrete diplomatic relationship between our two species.”
The others agreed in varying ways, although their collective attention was drawn to a single point as Shadow detected approaching hoofsteps from behind him.
He turned around just in time to be enveloped in a hug, a pair of purple legs wrapping around his shoulders before pulling back to reveal a beaming Twilight Sparkle, “Shadow! It’s so nice to see you again! We were starting to worry that you weren’t coming back.” Her attention was drawn to the humans as Dr. Kelly stepped forward, the mare’s eyes locking onto the offered hand before lifting to meet the smiling human’s gaze.
“Hello. My name is Kelly Scott.” Dr. Kelly said in slightly stilted Equish, “It is nice to meet you.”
Twilight’s eyes widened to near comical levels, her jaw dropping for a moment before she collected herself, “It’s nice to meet you Kelly, my name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia and head librarian at Golden Oaks Library.”
Dr. Kelly seemed delighted as Twilight placed her hoof in the human’s hand, shaking their respective limbs before turning her attention to Shadow, “What was the second part of what she said? I only understood her name and the greeting.”
Twilight glanced between Dr. Kelly and Shadow as he replied, her eyes flickering back and forth as her ears rotated to catch every word, “She was adding in some of her titles along with her name. She’s the personal student of Princess Celestia and the pony that runs the local library, Golden Oaks to be specific. She’s probably going to inform the Princesses that you have arrived once she satisfies her initial curiosity about you and the rest of the group.”
Kelly nodded, glancing at Twilight before turning back to Shadow, “Then could you tell her that we would be delighted to answer any questions that she has concerning humanity? I’m certain the personal student of one of the Princesses would be interested in learning about a new culture.”
‘You have no idea’ Shadow thought to himself before turning to Twilight, bracing himself slightly for what he perceived to come next, “Dr. Kelly said that she would be happy to tell you about humanity, provided you have an interest in learning about their culture and sciences.”
Twilight gasped before turning her eyes towards Dr. Kelly, her irises literally sparkling with glee as she pranced in place, “Please, please, please, tell me about your race! I’ve never been able to interview an alien before, nopony has! Oh, this is going to be the biggest moment in pony history, and I’m the one who gets to write the first notes on human kind! I just, I can’t…”
Shadow saw the signs just before the excited mare’s eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted, his last-second dive saving the mare from hitting her face in the dirt as her weight landed squarely over his shoulders. The others had moved to catch the falling mare even as Shadow stopped her fall, their eyes wide in shock as the mechanical hound shifted the passed-out mare onto his back.
“Is she alright?” Dr. Kelly asked, her eyes locked on Twilight as Shadow made sure the unconscious mare wouldn’t slip off of his plating.
“You just gave a bibliophile the biggest open invitation to previously undocumented information in her world’s history,” Shadow replied dryly, “are you all that surprised that she passed out from the emotional shock?”
While Dr. Kelly mulled his words over, Will came up and inspected Twilight on a closer level, his eyes taking in every detail of the smaller being as Shadow led the group through town towards the library, “Sure are cute little things when you actually take a look at them. It’s a wonder they haven’t been taken over by the other races on this world.”
“Supposedly it’s because of their ability to control the energy field of this planet to such a precise degree.” Dr. Kelly supplied as they approached the giant tree that Twilight called home, “None of the other races on Equis can manipulate the energy around them on even close to the same scale.”
Shadow wasn’t sure if that was truly the case, but he let the moment pass as the collective stopped on the doorstep of the library, his audio receptors picking up a high-pitch whistling coming from above and behind them. He turned to look over his shoulder as he spotted a rainbow contrail headed for them, his optics zooming in on the blue blur as it turned in their direction.
Shadow shifted his attention to the guards as they too picked up on the whistling coming from Rainbow’s wings, their helms locking onto her approaching figure as they automatically raised their weapons to engage. Shadow knew that if he didn’t stop them, the guards would most likely shoot Rainbow out of the sky, so he allowed Twilight to slip off of his back as he jumped in front of the guards and pushed their rifles off target with a sweep of his tail.
“Hold your fire!” He yelled as Rainbow slowed to a halt above the group, her expression a mixture of confusion and surprise as the guards turned to look at Shadow, “She’s a friendly civilian. Don’t shoot unless you want to be responsible for destroying the small amount of trust the natives have for us. We are strangers in their land, so unless told otherwise, you are not to engage the native life in harmful ways because it could easily turn the trust they are expressing into fear. Am I making myself clear?”
The guards glanced at one another while Dr. Kelly and the other members of the diplomatic team watched on in both shock and uncertainty. Yet, the tension in the air dissipated as Rainbow came in for a landing next to Shadow, her eyes flickering from him to the humans and back again as she tried to get a read of the situation.
“Am I missing something here?” She asked, “What are you guys doing with Twilight and why is she passed out on the ground?”
Shadow paused for a moment to make sure the guards weren’t going to do anything else before turning his attention to the prismatic mare, “Sorry about that, we’re just bringing Twilight back to the library after she got overloaded with excitement. Dr. Kelly over there told Twilight that she would be willing to let her take notes about humanity and Twilight understandably got overexcited about the possibilities therein.” He glanced back at Twilight’s prone form before walking up to the unconscious mare and picking her up once again, “Would you mind getting the other girls and have them meet us here? I’m pretty sure Twilight will want you all present when she wakes up so she can introduce you to my friends.”
Rainbow saluted him with a wing, “You got it. I’ll have the girls back here in no time flat. Just make sure you don’t make the egghead pass out again once she wakes up. I’d rather not have to get a raincloud to keep her awake if you keep overloading her brain.”
And in the blink of an eye, she was gone again, leaving her signature contrail in her wake as her form rapidly shrank into the distance over the northern side of Ponyville. Given that was the direction Sweet Apple Acres lay in, Shadow surmised that she was going to get Applejack first and then grab the others on the way back.
“So, what was all of that just now?” Ambassador Lang inquired as he watched Rainbow fly off into the distance, “That pony seemed to be in an awful hurry to be somewhere.”
“Shadow just asked her to bring the rest of ‘the girls’ and meet us back here.” Will supplied, “Apparently Twilight here will want to have them present when she wakes up and begins the Q&A session that the good doctor promised. Don’t know who exactly is going to show up, but I’m assuming they’re all ponies that Shadow met on his first trip here.”
Shadow nodded as he turned the doorknob with his teeth, opening the front entrance and stepping into the main floor of the library as the humans followed him in, ducking under the frame as they entered to avoid hitting their heads on the wood. Dr. Kelly gasped and smiled wide as her eyes fell onto the books that surrounded the group, leaving Ambassador Lang and Will to themselves as she began inspecting the spines of the nearest shelf. The two men sat down on the admittedly tiny chairs while the guards took up positions around the edge of the room in order to maintain an overwatch. Shadow had doubts that there would be need for violence concerning the ponies, but this was new territory and a measure of caution between the groups was probably to be expected until relations were less raw and had more legal footing to stand on.
“So, is there anything we should know about the ponies that will be joining us shortly?” Ambassador Lang asked as he tried to get comfortable on the too short chair, “I admit I am unused to going into these situations completely blind and would feel much more comfortable if I could get a little insight into our hosts’ personalities and customs.”
“I think we could all use a little heads up in that department,” Will added as he folded a leg under his body to stay stable on the chair besides the unlit fireplace, “I may be able to speak the language, but that could only make things worse if I say the wrong thing to someone.”
Shadow nodded his understanding, glancing over at Dr. Kelly to make sure she was paying attention as well as he slid Twilight onto the couch in the center of the room, “Well, to begin, the mares that will be joining us shortly are about as diverse as any group of people can get. I imagine Rainbow Dash, the mare you met just a moment ago, along with Applejack will be the most straightforward to deal with. They are competitive and can take their time building trust in others, but once you get on their side, they will stand with you no matter what. Pinkie Pie, the pink pony from before, will probably get up in your faces and completely ignore any form of personal space. Don’t try to think about what she does too hard or you might give yourself a headache. Most of the ponies that know her simply go with it and I suggest you do the same.”
He paused to make sure that the humans were absorbing his words before continuing, “The other two ponies that you will meet are Rarity and Fluttershy. Rarity is a clothing designer by trade and will most likely want to study your outfits and talk about the higher society aspects of human culture. Fluttershy is an animal caretaker and is shy almost to the point of social anxiety but will probably be the first to step forward if you start talking about the native life of other worlds. Other than that, you’ve already got an idea of what Twilight is like, although you’ll probably see a lot more notes and rapid applications of magic while you talk to her. Be prepared for lots of things floating through the air and items popping in and out of existence. No, she’s not breaking the laws of physics, she’s simply using the energy field of the planet to get things done in a timely and efficient manner. Any questions?”
The group shook their heads and for a few minutes they sat in silence. It was only as a knock sounded from the door that Twilight began to stir. The unicorn rubbed her head as she sat up, her eyes slightly out of focus as she took in her surroundings. For a moment she didn’t seem to know where she was, but as her eyes uncrossed and she took in the room clearly, she jerked her head towards Shadow as her head swiveled to lock onto each human in turn before returning to the mechanical hound.
“Shadow?” She asked as she sat up, her tail curling around her hooves as her nervous eyes shifted from one human to the next, “How did I get here? What are we doing back at the library?”
Before Shadow could reply, Will raised his hand, catching Twilight’s attention as he reclined in his seat, “Simply put, miss, Shadow over there carried you back here after you passed out from excitement. We ran into a mare named Rainbow outside and Shadow had her go to get the rest of your friends.” He paused as another trio of knocks sounded from the door, “Speaking of, that’s probably one of them now.”
Twilight’s gaping jaw closed with a click as her gaze leveled on the door, her horn lighting up as the knob glowed with the same magenta light. All of the humans jumped as the door opened on its own, their eyes shifting rapidly from the now open door to Twilight and back again, the entrance of Applejack and the others going almost unnoticed as they tried to rationalize their first experience with Equestrian magic.
Shadow, having seen magic dozens of times, greeted each of the mares as they entered, taking a moment to return the hug that Fluttershy and Applejack gave him while Pinkie and Rainbow passed by and began inspecting each of the humans in turn. Rarity was sizing up Dr. Kelly, who seemed to be doing the same to the alabaster unicorn, although Shadow’s attention was drawn back to the orange mare in front of him as she pulled back from the hug.
“Applebloom is awake now.” She said with a smile, “She woke up just the other day and immediately asked if she could see ya. Ah had to tell her that ya’ll had gone back to yer world and wouldn’t be back fer a while. She’s still in the hospital ‘cause the doctor wants to keep an eye on her fer a bit longer. Ah’m sure she’d love to have you come and visit so she can thank ya fer savin’ her life.”
Shadow nodded, wishing at that moment that he was capable of smiling himself as a wave of happiness ran through his processors, “I would be delighted to go and visit her. Just let me find some time once my companions aren’t so nervous about being here.”
The duo glanced at the gathered humans as Will translated the questions being asked of each of them, the answers getting various reactions from all four of the mares as they peppered the poor man with inquiry after inquiry. Shadow took a small measure of pity on him as he walked up to the group, stepping between the ponies and the cowboy to forestall any further questions.
“While I’m sure Will would love to keep acting as translator,” he spoke slightly slower than usual so that Will could translate for the rest of the humans present, “I think we should get down to business and contact the princesses before we go any further. This is a diplomatic mission after all, so getting in contact with them as soon as possible should be our top priority.”
Twilight jerked as if she had been struck, her eyes widening as she seemed to realize that she hadn’t told Celestia yet about what was going on. She immediately summoned a scroll and quill, writing a quick message and then calling out at the top of her lungs, “SPIKE! MESSAGE FOR PRINCESS CELESTIA!”
The humans looked on in confusion as Will hastily translated, his own eyes turning with the rest of the group’s as the rapid thuds of approaching footsteps sounded from the stairs leading to the second floor. Spike came barreling down the stairs, his little chest puffing and huffing as he slid to a stop beside Twilight, barely taking a moment to notice the humans in the room before grabbing the letter and puffing out a wash of green flames over the scroll.
It was only after the letter had been sent that the rest of the world seemed to catch up with the actions of the past few moments. The humans stood in dumbstruck silence as the ponies did the same, a hush falling over the room as everyone waited for something to happen next. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, although in reality it was only a few seconds according to Shadow’s internal clock, Spike’s cheeks puffed up and he let out a mighty burp as a new scroll condensed from the flames.
Will whistled as Twilight grabbed the scroll with her magic, “Boy, talk about fast mail. I’m not sure exactly what just happened, but it looks like that little dragon has a built-in transport system in his fire.”
Dr. Kelly nodded in awe as Ambassador Lang rolled his eyes, although their expressions sobered as Twilight’s eyes widened.
“My faithful student, thank you for letting me know of the situation as quickly as you did. I understand that these humans are strange and may not be very understanding of how our world works, but I have the utmost confidence in you to teach them about pony kind and the lands we call home. I also encourage you to learn as much as you can from them and report back to my sister and I on what you have learned. We will be taking a chariot to come and visit you once Luna wakes up around suppertime. Please notify the humans that my sister and I will be present in Ponyville only to answer some preliminary questions. We will not have time to stay for very long and will consequently be unable to talk about proper diplomatic subjects until later. This will not be a formal meeting between representatives, but rather a simple get together so we can get to know each other a little before we begin proper negotiations. Best of luck, and please extend our warmest greetings to our guests on behalf of myself and the diarchy of Equestria. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.”
Twilight took a moment to breathe in an out, rolling up the scroll in her magical grip before setting it aside and turning towards the rest of the group. Her calm expression lasted for all of about three seconds before she was gone in a flash of light and a soft pop sound. The frantic sounds of someone going through papers and other such items upstairs echoed down the steps and reached the collective only a second later, the humans turning to glance up the steps in confusion while the ponies simply rolled their eyes.
“I do apologize for Twilight’s rather hasty exit,” Rarity said as she stepped up to Shadow’s left side, “The poor dear really does have a bit of idol worship when it comes to our princesses. I imagine she thinks they expect her to have the complete summation of human knowledge ready to present to them once they arrive later today.” She winced as a particularly loud crash echoed from above, “The poor thing will probably come racing down any minute and pepper you with questions in an attempt to gain all of said knowledge. I suggest you brace yourselves.”
Shadow and Will had just enough time to give the others a rough translation before Twilight appeared in another flash of teleportation, her eyes slightly crossed while her mane and tail were frazzled messes. Her magic held what had to be a dozen quills and scrolls, and before anyone could step in and try to slow her down, her manic gaze landed squarely on Dr. Kelly.
Said doctor’s eyes widened as Twilight began to stalk her like a lion hunting a gazelle, her steps taking her back until she bumped into the wall beside one of the book cases. The guards stepped between Dr. Kelly and Twilight, their weapons charged but not yet aiming at the unicorn, but in another flash of light she was past them and standing right in front of Dr. Kelly.
The guards spun around and leveled their weapons at Twilight, although she seemed unable to process that there were a pair of deadly weapons pointed at her right at that moment. All she seemed to be able to focus on was the fact that Dr. Kelly had the answers to her questions, and she was going to get them. Shadow and Applejack moved at the same time, the hound to intercept the guards once again while the apple mare got in between Twilight and Dr. Kelly. Shadow had a good idea that Applejack knew how to calm down their friend, so he focused on keeping the guards from perforating the poor mare while Applejack did her thing.
“Hey Twilight,” Applejack’s voice was calm and slow as she kept her body between Twilight and her human target, “Ah know this looks bad, but Ah need ya ta calm down and listen, alright? You know Princess Celestia won’t expect ya ta have every little bit of knowledge about humans by tonight. Nopony can expect you to do something as crazy as that.” She gently placed her hoof on Twilight’s chest, keeping the mare still as Applejack took a deep breath in, “Now Ah want ya ta take a deep breath, let it out slow, alright? Ah need ya ta calm down and think about what yer doin’.” She glanced over her shoulder at Dr. Kelly, giving the nervous human a sincere smile before turning back to Twilight, “Yer scaring the poor girl to death pressing for answers like this, so, one more time. Take a deep breath in,” Twilight did as instructed, although her inhale was a bit shaky, “let it out nice and slow.”
Applejack’s hat nearly got blown off as the unicorn before her let out all of her air in one big gust, Twilight’s eyes closing for a moment before opening once again. She seemed to come back to herself as her eyes leveled on Applejack before glancing up at the now slightly less terrified Dr. Kelly.
Applejack stepped aside and gestured towards Dr. Kelly, “Now is there something you would like ta say?”
“Sorry for that.” Twilight’s ears folded against her head as it dropped low before the human, “I get stressed out whenever Princess Celestia gives me an assignment. Sometimes I lose my common sense in the rush to get it done for her and I took that anxiety out on you.” She closed her eyes and bowed her head all the way to the floor, “Please don’t tell Princess Celestia about this. I’m really sorry for what I did, and I Pinkie Swear not to do it again.”
Shadow noticed it just as the other mares turned to look, their eyes locked onto the pink baker in their midst, whose expression had just turned deadly serious. They watched Pinkie watching Twilight as the unicorn performed a series of motions and used the sacred rhyme. When all was said and done, Pinkie simply nodded, and her normal hyper demeanor returned like nothing had ever happened.
Dr. Kelly, for her part, was probably very confused about what had just happened, so she simply turned to look at Shadow as Twilight and Applejack walked back into the center of the room, “Do I even want to know?”
Shadow shook his head, “The important part is that she’s sorry for scaring you, and that she gets anxious when Princess Celestia gives her work that needs to be completed at an undetermined time. The little chant and dance that she did to make her promise, I haven’t seen that before, so I don’t know how serious it is. Although,” he glanced back at Pinkie Pie as the spastic mare chatted up the two guards like they could understand her, “given it made Pinkie stop smiling as Twilight was doing the motions, I have a feeling it was a very important thing to do. You shouldn’t have to worry about Twilight getting in your face again, at least for a while.”
Dr. Kelly nodded, “Well that’s a relief. Cute little ponies or not, that mare scared me when she started walking towards me like some kind of horror movie monster. To say nothing of her simply teleporting around without even thinking about it.” She glanced down at Shadow, once again, her eyes filled to the brim with curiosity, “Can all unicorns do that?”
Shadow shook his head, “From what I understand of the process, teleportation is a high-level skill that very few can accomplish, especially for everyday use like Twilight exhibits. I’d say there might be a couple hundred ponies that are powerful enough to perform the spell in all of Equestria, although that doesn’t take into account how many have actually completed the training in order to do so. All told, there might be a few dozen ponies that can use it to the same level that Twilight can, although you probably won’t have to deal with them jumping into your personal space like she did.”
Kelly nodded her thanks, stepping away from the wall as the ponies present returned to using Will as translator, “It looks like Will is being useful after all. I can only imagine how hard it would be if none of us could talk to the ponies except you.”
“Then I would act as your translator just as Will is doing,” he retorted, “I wouldn’t let you stumble through historic first contact just because of a language barrier.”
Dr. Kelly was interrupted as she opened her mouth to reply, a pink blur popping into being in front of them as Pinkie’s wide smile lit up the entire room, “Oh my gosh I just realized that I haven’t thrown you all your Welcome-To-Ponyville-Equestria-Equis-Please-Be-Our-Friends-Party! We need to get you some cupcakes and punch and then we can introduce you to the entire town! Isn’t that great?!”
Even Shadow’s processors had trouble keeping up with the mare’s speed, so he knew that Dr. Kelly wouldn’t have been able to keep up even if she could speak the language. He glanced up at the fumbling human and added, “She wants to throw you and the rest of the team a party to welcome you to their land. She’ll probably have it set up by this afternoon, so I would suggest just going with it and enjoying it once it starts. She also wishes to invite most of the town so you can get to know the locals better. A sign of good faith between cultures.”
The scientist nodded once, turning back to Pinkie and nodding her head while holding out her hand. Pinkie gasped, smiling from ear to ear as she reached out with both front hooves and shook the offered limb, nearly rattling the poor doctor’s hair out of its bun with the force of her grip.
“This is going to be the best party ever! *Gasp* I have to get the party all set up and get the invitations to everypony and then I need to bake the cake!” And just like that, she was gone, having disappeared out through the door before anyone could make a move.
Ponies and humans alike stared after the settling dust before Rainbow summed up the situation in one line, “Well, looks like we have a party to get ready for.”
Shadow and the girls chuckled while the humans simply shrugged between themselves. If the peppy pony wanted to throw the group a welcome party, then who were they to stand in the way?
Now that the initial shock of meeting everyone had passed, the humans and ponies fell into more casual conversation, using Will and Shadow as translators to keep the flow of information smooth. It was only when the clock on the wall struck the fourth hour that the ponies began to rise and stretch out their tired limbs.
“I’m pretty sure that Pinkie has the party all set up by now,” Twilight stated as she and the girls gathered next to the door, “We should head out and get over to the town hall before it gets too late.” She smirked as Shadow relayed her words to the others, “Besides, I imagine that there might be a few extras thrown in because of how important this party is for our new friends. Come on girls, let’s party.”
A chorus of affirmatives and giggles followed the purple mare’s statement, a few chuckles escaping from Will as he followed Shadow out the door. Dr. Kelly and Ambassador Lang followed while the guards brought up the rear, their armor hissing as the hydraulics compressed to allow them to hunch through the small opening.
“I’ll smash my head through one of these the moment I forget to duck.” Lieutenant Bellwood grumbled to herself as she and the captain stepped out onto the dirt road, “How are we going to manage getting into the buildings if every time we go through a door we have to bend in half?”
Captain Goodwill chuckled as Shadow’s ears swiveled to pick up on their conversation better, “Just imagine you’re in a village of hobbits and you need to avoid hitting your head on the ceiling. That should help you remember.”
Shadow snickered quietly as the female guard turned her helm upward to presumably glare at her superior. She didn’t grace the comment with a reply, but the implied curse was probably evident to both parties as they continued down the main street.
Ponyville looked rather deserted, save for the large group walking through the center of town, and it gave the humans a sense of impending dread as they realized that they were literally alone in the middle of a once-bustling village. Shadow could detect their increasing heart rates, and even heard Will mutter under his breath something about ‘zombie ponies’. While he didn’t understand the reference, Shadow did understand the nervous energy that seemed to hover over the group like a cloud, although the ponies seemed to be completely immune to it, given they knew what was going on and had probably experienced it many times.
Finally, after several minutes of walking, they arrived at the town hall, where all of the lights were out and there wasn’t a soul in sight. Shadow, knowing full well what was about to happen, turned towards the humans as the ponies indicated for them to enter ahead of the natives, “Be prepared for a loud shout and a blast of confetti from an oversized party popper. We are being surprised.”
Will chuckled as he stepped up to the door, “Well then they will be disappointed when I don’t react. I’ve been surprised at parties so many times I’m immune to the shock.”
Will walked right into the building, thankfully not having to duck through the double doors, only to jump and yell as a familiar pink cannon was aimed right at him. Everything happened at once, and Shadow watched it all happen with a very confused loop of code running through his processors. Will was blown off his feet by the force of the confetti hitting his chest, the guards brought their rifles to bare only to get bowled over by the flying cowboy that had been launched at them like a catapult boulder, leaving the rest of the humans to gape in shock and horror as the ponies slowly turned to look at the cannon-wielding mare at the front door.
Pinkie, in all her glory, simply glanced down at the cannon she had just detonated into a man’s chest, and scratched her head with one hoof, “Maybe I used a bit too much sugar powder in that one.”
Five hooves met five faces as the other party guests stepped up to the doorway to see what had happened. Meanwhile, Will was getting untangled from the guards and was not happy in the slightest.
“When I get my hands on that little pink menace,” he growled to himself as he finally got to his feet, “I’m going to stuff her in her own cannon and blast her so far into the air that she’ll hit orbit.”
Shadow wasn’t sure if it was comedic timing, or just good luck on Pinkie’s part, but it was at that moment that a large golden chariot descended from the sky and came to a halt next to town hall. The ponies immediately bowed their heads to the two alicorns as they stepped onto the ground, leaving Shadow and the humans the only beings standing as Celestia and Luna approached the collective.
Will, having lost his steam the moment the ponies had begun to bow, turned to look at the approaching diarchs, only for his jaw to drop as he glanced upwards at Celestia’s smiling face. Given the humans were used to the ponies being shorter than them, seeing the alicorns at roughly the same height must have been a bit of a surprise. Shadow watched as the cowboy removed his hat and bowed at the waist, the others following suit while the guards dusted themselves off and returned to attention.
Celestia nodded to her sister before addressing them, “Please rise, my little ponies. We are not here to intrude on your party but would be delighted if we could attend in order to get to know our new human friends better.” She turned towards Pinkie for confirmation, who simply nodded her head with an even bigger smile. Having received the stamp of approval from the party planner, Celestia turned her attention to the humans before her, who had just begun to rise as they followed Will’s lead. “Welcome to Equestria, humans. My name is Princess Celestia, and this is my sister Princess Luna.” She indicated the smaller mare with a wing, “If I may be so bold, what are your names, and what are your roles within this group?”
Will was the first to answer, although given he was the only one who understood Celestia besides Shadow, it was understandable, “A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Henry Wilcox, but you can call me Will if you like. I’m the translator for this little crew while the hound is busy with other things, so that way we don’t have to rely totally on him in order to get our point across.”
Celestia nodded, “A pleasure to meet you, Will. I must say, your grasp of Equish is commendable, given it must have only been a few days before you had to depart to this world.”
Will smiled as a slight coloring came to his cheeks, “I try, ma’am. It’s all part of the job, plus a little natural skill when it comes to languages.” He turned his attention to Princess Luna, who came up to chest level on the man if one didn’t count her horn, “A pleasure to meet you as well, Princess. I hope we can get along moving forward as we get down into the mire that is diplomacy.”
Luna chuckled, glancing up at Celestia as she spoke, “He certainly has a silver tongue for one so young. We might need to watch out for the mares of court. They’ll mob him like a prime stud if we’re not careful.”
Will sputtered in shock while Celestia covered her mouth with a hoof, “Luna, we do not joke about visiting dignitaries while in public.” She admonished her sister with a soft wing slap to the back of her head, “Now apologize so we can join the festivities.”
Luna grumbled under her breath but smiled none the less as she turned back to Will, “I’m sorry for making fun of you. I will refrain from doing so again in the future.”
Shadow could see the mischievous glint in the princess’s eye but decided not to interject as Will introduced the rest of the team. If Luna wanted to have some fun pranking the humans, then there was quite literally nothing he could do to stop it. Given the knowing look in Celestia’s gaze as she glanced at her sister, the solar diarch knew what her sister was up to as well but wasn’t going to put a stop to it either.
After the shock and awe of the party’s beginning, the rest of the event was rather laid back. Shadow and Will translated for most of the town as the humans answered and asked various questions. Most were fairly standard, but a few were a bit out of the ordinary. The latest surprise had come from none other than Fluttershy, who had worked up the courage to talk to Dr. Kelly with Shadow and Applejack there to support her. Her question had brought the entire party to a screeching halt, and all eyes were on the trio as Dr. Kelly glanced around at the now staring crowd.
“Umm, could you repeat the question, please?” She asked as she glanced at Shadow for help, “I think I’m missing something.”
Shadow looked at the pegasus as she hid behind her mane, although the one visible teal eye was locked onto Dr. Kelly as she waited for the answer. Applejack was also watching Dr. Kelly, not Shadow, although for what reason Shadow couldn’t quite figure out, an inscrutable glint in her narrowed green eyes.
Shadow turned back to Kelly and replied, “She asked you if humans eat meat. She’s seen enough animals that are omnivores to know that you aren’t vegetarians.”
Dr. Kelly nodded, her eyes moving over the ponies that had paused in whatever they had been doing in order to listen in, “Yes, we do eat meat, but I want to stress that humans are the only sentient life on all of the worlds we call home. We would never consume intelligent life unless we were quite literally starving, and even then, we would only do so as a last resort.”
Shadow figured it would be best if he translated her words verbatim, just so that way no one could accuse him of sugarcoating the truth. Several ponies gasped as he replied in Equish, and a mare in the back even fainted, but what happened next surprised everyone present.
Fluttershy had pulled back her mane and was smiling up at Dr. Kelly.
A quick glance at Applejack seemed to confirm her thoughts, given the farmer was also nodding her agreement. Fluttershy offered a quiet ‘thank you’ and then walked back into the gathered townsfolk, leaving Dr. Kelly and Shadow against the wall as the party got back into swing. Shadow’s attention stayed locked on the duo for a moment, wondering what exactly had just happened, when his gaze was drawn to the right as Celestia and Luna walked up, their own eyes shifting to the retreating mares before turning back to the human and mechanical hound. Celestia smiled as she and Luna sat down on Shadow’s left, leaving Dr. Kelly on his right as the royals looked out over the ponies at play.
“That was a very brave thing you just did, Dr. Scott.” Celestia said smoothly as she glanced over Luna’s head at the woman beside her, “Our little ponies can be skittish around new things, especially creatures that can eat meat. That was one reason why we had such difficult relations with the gryphons for the longest time.” Luna nodded her agreement as Celestia continued, Shadow translating for the slightly confused human as she watched Celestia with wide eyes. “You could have lied and said that your kind only eat plants, but I believe that your words would have quickly unraveled the instant more of your people came to visit our world. Honesty is one of the core tenants of our society, and showing that before the entirety of Ponyville, especially in front of Honesty’s bearer, has gained you something that is very important for relations.”
“And what would that be?” Dr. Kelly asked, her eyes shifting from one princess to the other as they both smiled in return.
“Trust.” Luna stated simply, “In trusting us with the truth about your people, you have given us a reason to trust you, thus we can move forward with less hesitation and possible resistance from the ponies of Equestria. You have taken a big step for your people, and it is for that reason that we would like to invite you and your team to the castle in Canterlot. We plan to hold a diplomatic summit there in a few days, in order to introduce you to the other nations of our world. It is there that we can begin talks of trade and other such things, but for now we simply wish for you to enjoy your time here. After all, it isn’t every day that a new species is discovered.”
Kelly giggled as she turned her attention back to the party, taking an offered glass of punch from Pinkie as the mare made her rounds with a platter and punch bowl balanced on her back. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for telling me all of that. It makes me feel like what I did was important somehow.”
Celestia waited patiently for Shadow to finish translating, her smile widening just a hair as she replied, “You are a credit to your species, and we look forward to speaking with your team again in Canterlot. Come, Luna, we must be going. There are preparations to make and we do not have time to waste.”
“Yes, let us be off.” Luna agreed as she and Celestia stood, “Although I think I shall grab another slice of cake before we go.”
“You’re going to get fat if you keep eating all those sweets, Luna.” Celestia countered as they began walking off, although they were still close enough that Shadow was just able to make out Luna’s reply before they disappeared through the doors.
“As if you have any room to talk. You eat enough cake for the both of us and half the castle besides when you get hungry.”
Shadow chuckled as he split off from Dr. Kelly, letting Will fall in as translator for a bit as he walked through the crowd towards Twilight and the girls. Applejack saw him coming and waved him over, her eyes lighting up a bit as she smiled his way. Fluttershy smiled behind her mane as well, although the blush that accompanied it made Shadow once again aware of the crush that the pegasus had on him. He still wasn’t sure what to do about her feelings towards him, but at the moment his thoughts were pushed aside as Applejack placed a hoof on his chest plating.
“We could head over to the hospital for a bit.” She said softly, as if afraid that others would overhear, “Visiting hours are going to be over soon and Ah’d rather you get ta see Applebloom today before ya’ll head up to Canterlot.”
Shadow nodded, once again wishing he could smile like the others around him, “I would be delighted. Let’s go and come back before anyone misses us. I’m sure the rest of my team will want to have me around as much as possible to keep things from getting out of hand.”
“Ah recon we can do that, sugarcube.” Applejack replied, glancing at the others before turning back to him, “Come on, let’s get going.”
They made their exit through one of the side doors, stepping out into the evening air as the sun began its descent towards the horizon. Luckily, the hospital wasn’t that far, given they were already in the center of town. Applejack led the way while Shadow fell in on her left, the two beings alone in the street save for a few of the early dropouts from the party. No one paid them any mind and they entered the lobby of the hospital a few minutes later. Nurse Redheart was at the desk, going through some paperwork as she looked up and spotted them coming in. Her lips curled into a soft grin as she got up and walked over to the double doors that led further into the building.
“Applebloom is in room one-oh-nine.” She said quietly as she pushed the door open for them, “We have other patients that are resting so please keep your voices down while you are here.”
“Will do, Redheart. Thank you.” Applejack whispered back as they entered the next hall, the door closing behind them with a soft squeak as their hooves/claws clicked against the hard floor.
They found the room after a few wrong turns, and Shadow felt a slight twinge of nervousness run through his processors for a split second. He wasn’t sure why he would be nervous, but he felt it none the less as Applejack pushed the door open. What he saw lying in the bed made some of the nervousness subside, but it was still there as he walked into the room and looked down at Applebloom as she rested on the bed.
While there were no visible markings on her body, there was still the slight pale coloration under her fur that marked how close she had been to dying. Even after all of the time Shadow had been away, she still showed the signs of her brush with the Grim Reaper. Her signature bow was resting on the bedside table and her mane was a fair bit longer, hanging past her shoulders and over her forelegs, leaving the rest of her body to be covered by the thin hospital blanket.
Applejack stepped up to his side, looking down at her sister with tears in her eyes. Yet there was a smile on her lips as she spoke in a whisper, her voice warm and full of pride as her eyes shifted to him, “Ah never got to fully thank ya fer saving her life. Had you not been there, Ah’m certain she’d have been Timberwolf chow and there wouldn’t have been a thing we could do to stop it. So, Ah’m tellin’ ya now so Ah never forget, thank you. From the bottom of mah heart and from all of the Apple family, thank you.”
“I did what anyone would have done,” Shadow countered, keeping his own voice low so as not to disturb the sleeping filly, “I just happen to be better suited to protecting others than most ponies. You would have done the same in my place.”
“No, Ah wouldn’t have.” Her voice had taken a dark tone as her eyes locked onto the ground in front of her hooves, “When Ah saw that Timberwolf attacking Applebloom, Ah locked up. All Ah could see was our parents dying to protect us, and Ah couldn’t get mah legs to move. If you hadn’t been there, Ah’d probably have ended up dead too, eaten just like ‘Bloom because Ah was too scared to run away or fight back.” Her tears had begun to run down her face as her muzzle twisted into a self-loathing snarl, “Ah should have been there to protect her, Ah should have acted instead of sitting there like a bump on a log. Ah know Ah can’t change the past but Ah still think Ah could have done something, anything to keep her safe.”
Her anger faded as soon as it had appeared, cooled by her gratitude as she turned back to face him, “Ya’ll are a part of the Apple family now. Granny says so and Ah agree with her. You saved Applebloom’s life and we can never repay you fer that. If you need us for anything, anything, then all you have to do is ask. The Apples will come to yer aid whenever you need it. It’s the least we can do after what you did fer us.”
Shadow wasn’t sure how to feel about what the farmer had said. On the one hand, he was proud to have been able to gain so much trust from the ponies around him. It would help his mission all the more if the natives were comfortable around him and his creators. Yet on the other hand, he wasn’t sure he was capable of accepting the praise and gratitude that came with that trust. Sure, he had gotten a pair of medals for his actions, stored in one of the vaults at Canterlot Castle for safekeeping, but that still hadn’t prepared him for the emotional overload he had just been dealt.
“Thank you, Applejack. It means a lot to me that you would say something like that.” He glanced up at Applebloom and leaned in to nuzzle her on the side of her head, the little filly stirring slightly before opening her eyes. Her head slowly turned, and her eyes landed on Applejack, who smiled in return before jerking her head towards Shadow.
As the filly’s eyes locked with his, her gaze widened to almost comical levels and her mouth split into an ecstatic grin as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, “Shadow! Yer back from yer trip!”
Before he could react, Shadow was enveloped in a crushing hug that made the plates on his neck creak slightly, although it wasn’t more than a second before his own front paws were wrapped around the filly’s barrel in return. He could feel the soft shakes of her body as she quietly sobbed into his shoulder, her tears running down his left side as she wept in both joy and sorrow. Shadow could understand both emotions, after going through what she had, there was no reason to think that she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by all that had happened.
Shadow let Applebloom cry herself out before slowly pushing her back onto the bed, laying her down and pulling the sheet back up to her chin with his jaws. Applejack used a tissue from the box next to the bed to wipe her sister’s face, the filly’s smile returning as she turned her attention back to Shadow.
“Thank you fer saving mah life, Shadow. Ah was so scared and then that Timberwolf got me and then all I could hear was Applejack screaming mah name.” Her tears pooled again as she turned her head away and closed her eyes so she could wipe them on the pillow, “Ah don’t remember anything after that, but mah sister told me that ya ripped the Timberwolf to pieces and carried me back to the hospital in time for them ta save me. Ah don’t know how or when, but Ah will pay you back fer what ya did.”
“There isn’t any need for that, Applebloom.” Shadow replied, “Your sister has already told me that I have the entire Apple family to call on if I ever need them. You don’t need to do anything for me.”
“But Ah want to.” Applebloom retorted, “Ah don’t care if the Princesses themselves thanked ya fer what ya did. Ah still think Ah need ta do something ta say thanks.”
Applejack chuckled to herself before adding in her two cents, “They kind of did, sugarcube. Gave him a couple medals and had a big ceremony and everything. If ya feel like ya owe Shadow anything, then a thank you should be more than enough. Granny and the rest of the family are just happy that yer safe and sound.”
Shadow stepped to the side as the siblings embraced, new tears falling from both sisters’ eyes as he quietly stepped out. He worked his way back to the party, which had wound down to almost nothing in their absence, and fell in next to Dr. Kelly as she and Will talked with Ambassador Lang. When asked where he had been, he simply replied that he had been on personal business and left it at that. He wasn’t going to lord his achievements over his teammates, and he wasn’t going to tell them unless asked. Those moments in the capital were his and his alone. It was the moment he became a true being for himself, and he was going to cherish that moment for the rest of his life, however long that might be.
The party eventually ended, Pinkie Pie taking care of the mess while Shadow and the rest of the team returned to the library for the night. Applejack ended up staying with Applebloom in the hospital while the rest of the mares returned to their homes, leaving Twilight the last pony standing as she carried a passed-out Spike on her back. The humans piled up in the main room with a plethora of pillows to sleep with while Shadow powered down at the base of the doorway that led to the kitchen. Twilight and Spike retired to the second floor while the humans got comfortable in their temporary arrangements. The packs that the team had brought with them were stowed in the basement until they were needed, although the Captain Goodwill and Lieutenant Bellwood kept their armor on, as well as leaned their weapons against the wall beside them for ease of access.
Shadow’s processor displayed the usual power-down data as the soft snoring of the humans reached his audio receptors, and he registered a loop of code just before he shut down. He wasn’t able to identify it, but for the brief moment that it was there, he could have sworn that he had been feeling anticipation. Anticipation for what, he had no idea, but that was a problem for the next day. After all, they were due in the capital city the next morning, with a duo of alicorns waiting for them to arrive and a menagerie of ambassadors not far behind.
Tomorrow was gearing up to be a busy day, that was for sure.
…Power Core: 98%...
…Portal Recharge Time: 13:07:36:25…24…23…22…