//------------------------------//
// Chapter The Fifth 
// Story: The Equestrian Refugees 
// by InspectorSharpWit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter The Fifth, or "In Which I Get One Hell of an Assignment


It’s quiet as we walk up the stairs. Both of us are determined to not look at the other. I try a few times to work up the courage to talk to Fluttershy, but the words just die in my throat. I think I see her try a few times too, but she always shuts her mouth at the last second. I guess she feels bad about this whole thing too. 
Meanwhile, my mind is completely overwhelmed with questions. “Why here?” I think, “Why now? Why is Prince Blueblood somehow the villain here? Why not Discord, or Chrysalis, or—” 
“Um, Sebastian?” comes a timid voice. I turn to find Fluttershy trying very hard to look me in the eye. “We’re here…” 
I look at the door we're at, 7G. I smile a little. Here I thought they’d have a whole floor to themselves or something. “Is this really it?” I ask Fluttershy. 
She looks confused. “W-what do you mean?” 
“I mean, they ARE your leaders. Shouldn’t they have something grander?” 
For a fraction of a second a shy smile flashes across her face. “Oh, you’ll see,” she whispers. With that, she slowly opens the door, revealing a mind-blowing secret. 
The room is enormous. I mean MASSIVELY enormous. As in, football field enormous! Every inch of the space is occupied by something: maps, tapestries, photographs, baubles, you name it. In the center of the room stand two massive thrones: one of pure gold, the other of solid obsidian. Behind them is an ornate case holding six familiar objects. 
The Elements… 
Suddenly, six figures walk in, each wearing dark cloaks. Two sit themselves on the thrones, while the others stand next to them. “Loyal servant,” starts the one on the obsidian throne, her voice sounding familiar, “you have done your work. You may retire for the night.” 
Fluttershy nods and turns to leave, but before she goes out the door, she wraps me in a tight hug. “Be careful,” she whispers to me, and with a squeak of embarrassment she runs out of the room. 
As soon as she leaves, I kneel before the two figures on the thrones. “Y-your majesties, Princesses Celestia and Luna, let me be the first to welcome you to Earth,” I stutter. 
There’s a silence in the room before the figure on the obsidian throne speaks. “How do you know our names?” she asks coldly. 
“You’re famous here,” I explain nervously. “Many people know of your exploits and your goals. Many people respect them, and aspire to achieve them. I am such a person.” 
“He’s telling the truth, you’re Majesties,” agrees a southern voice solemnly. “Ah cain’t catch ‘im lying.” 
“Please, I want to help!” I swear. “You are obviously in trouble! You need a guide to this world, and who better than a lifelong resident?” 
“We have a guide, thank you,” replies the obsidian figure curtly. 
“Yeah, and this world is called Jersey Shore, for your information!” sneers a raspy voice. “Maybe you would have known that if you’d done your homework!” 
It takes a while for my mind to process this. “Wait… you think this world is called Jersey Shore?” I ask uncertainly. 
“Think? I KNOW, punk!” snarls the figure, arms folded. 
“…And you got this information from… where?” 
“Wouldn’t YOU like to know?!” 
I just start to laugh, partly from the sheer craziness of the situation, partly from hysteria. But mostly hysteria. “You actually THINK that this world is that crappy MTV show from eleven years ago?!” I cackle. 
The hooded figure doesn’t seem too sure of itself any more. “Uh… maybe?” 
The figure on the golden throne speaks up. “Is this information inaccurate?” 
I nod, stifling a chuckle. “Not only is it inaccurate, but it’s frequently ridiculed!” I declare. “I mean, only the worst of us act like that!” 
She turns to look at her companions. “Everypony, I think that it’s safe to assume we have an ally. It’s safe to take off your hoods.” 
The one on the obsidian throne tries to protest. “But- but Sister—” 
“Luna, I think this young human has proven himself, don’t you?” the other one replies sternly. With that, she takes off her hood to reveal flowing pastel hair and a beautiful face. She looks over to me and smiles. “Hello. I am Princess Celestia, but you seem to have already realized that.” 
One by one, the hooded figures reveal themselves to be Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Princess Luna (somewhat grudgingly, might I add), a man with deep blue hair and a serious face, and a girl with cropped, mint-green hair and an embarrassed expression. 
“This is my sister and co-ruler, Princess Luna,” Princess Celestia explains, “and these are my fellow Equestrians: Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Shining Armor, and Lyra Heartstrings. As you’ve already guessed, we aren’t from this world, nor were we originally human. We come from the land of Equestria, once our homeland. Many have been lost for the sake of our freedom. We hope to live here peacefully, but we realize this is impossible without help. Help that you may provide. Would you be our guide to this world?” 
Now, on any other day, I would have said an immediate yes, along with several whoops and hollers of celebration that would not have been appropriate to such a situation. However, after getting duct taped to a chair, slapped like a prison bitch, and harshly interrogated and threatened, all by the people I was supposed to help, I thought a little about this. “I just need some answers, your Majesties,” I reply respectfully. 
Luna seems enraged by this. “YOU DARE QUESTION—” 
Celestia interrupts her sister with a reproachful look. “Luna, he’s earned the right to know,” she scolds. She smiles at me 	apologetically. “Ask away.” 
“Why run away from Equestria?” 
Celestia’s face grows serious. “We’ve been usurped from our thrones,” she explains, “by a powerful entity, one even more powerful than ourselves, or even one that we’ve ever faced. It has been summoned by the Prince Blueblood, once considered our royal nephew and part of our court. We are not sure he knew entirely what he released, or whether or not he’s even aware that he’s released it, but whatever the case, he’s harnessed its energy to control Equestria. In his power, he’s warped reality to his whim, putting us in the situation we are now. Few escaped his power, and fewer of those survived. Those that did joined our ranks, and we trekked to find another world, one outside of his power. This is such a world.” 
Luna, having calmed down, nods solemnly. “He’s enslaved our fellow beings: dragons, diamond dogs, minotaurs, griffons, buffalo, donkeys, mules, cattle, and zebras. Even the changelings, once powerful enemies, are now enslaved to do his will. We had to escape, and bring those that we could with us.” 
I stand there in disbelief. “Is this being Discord?” I ask urgently. 
Celestia shakes her head. “Amidst all the chaos, Discord did not emerge for some reason. He has been brought with us to this world, encased in stone, to prevent him from allying himself with Blueblood.” 
Luna shudders a little. “We can’t even imagine what horrors would befall Equestria if he were involved.” 
“For that reason,” concludes the elder of the sisters, “we have kept him with us, away from Equestria’s chaos, hopefully preventing his escape. But we ask you once again: will you help us?” 
"Whoa, whoa, back up... You brought the embodiment of chaos itself to our world?!" I ask incredulously "What about us?! Your majesties, with all due respect, how are we supposed to cope with that kind of disorder?!"
Celestia gives me an assuring smile. "Don't worry: Discord is still imprisoned in stone, as we said earlier, and measures have been taken to maintain his prison. He will not escape into your world."
Despite the good news, I still have to think about this. What am I getting myself into if I help them? Can I handle this kind of responsibility? I still have a job, a life to live… I turn to look at them, and for the first time, I notice how each of them seem to cling onto me in hope. What am I doing, thinking of myself ahead of these poor people?!?! 
“I’ll do it,” I resolve. 
Celestia gives me a grateful smile. “We thank you for your generosity. We cannot wait to see your presentation tomorrow.” 
My eyes nearly pop out at the news. “T-tomorrow?! I have work tomorrow!! I can’t finish a whole lesson in one night and still go to work!!” 
“There are ways of extending the night,” replies Luna coldly. “As for your work, we are capable of compensating you for your lost wages. From what we know, our mode of transportation has transferred our currency of bits to what we believe is called dollar bills. Does this motivate you to help us?” 
I gulp, “I… I guess so…” 
For the first time, Luna smiles. “Excellent. This seems to be the beginning of an effective alliance. To assist you, we provide Twilight Sparkle, our faithful servant—“ 
Twilight nods politely. “I think we’ve met…” 
“—and our human ‘EXPERT’, Lyra Heartstrings,” finishes the Princess, somewhat coldly. 
Lyra gives me an apologetic grin. “Sorry about the bad intro. I’m not normally such an ass.” 
“Hmm, yes…” Luna murmurs, apparently not at all convinced. “In any case, we wish the three of you success. Good night to all of you.” 
Celestia nods and smiles. “Good luck to you.” With that, the two royals walk away. 
Shining Armor turns to Twilight, whispering something to her and hugging her goodbye. Before he follows the Princesses, though, he gives me a look that I’ve gotten from too many big brothers in the past: the look that says, “If you so much as touch my little sister, I will shove my foot so high up your ass that you will brush your teeth with my toes for the rest of your pathetic life.” I’m sure we’ve all gotten that look from a former cartoon character, right? 
Anyway, Applejack follows suit, but instead of the rather threatening look I got from Shining, I got a different look: “Do your best. Please.” As she leaves, Lyra and Twilight approach me. “Alright, we’ve got a job to do, and we’ve got a night to do it,” states Twilight. “I think the first thing we should do is compare cultures. What do you say?” 
I stammer at the sheer quickness of the situation. “W-well, I think that’s a good idea, but how accurate is the information you’ve got at the moment? I mean, you couldn’t have possibly brought centuries of Equestrian history and culture with you, right?” 
Lyra sniggers at this. “Oh, we’ve got it around here somewhere,” she grins. “After all, we’ve got a place to put it all in, don’t we, Twi?” 
I suddenly realize what she’s talking about. “You don’t mean—“ 
The mint-haired girl nods. “C’mon, guys. I think it’s time we pay a visit to the dear old Whooves family.”