It's the next day and they all go back to Canterlot, for some they had a blast at Ponyville, for some it was just another night at a club back home. But to most, they decided to stay and find a home in Equestria and never back to Earth, their Earth.
That's beginning to anger McMirth. Hearing such a decision from most of them, and from Tulip who has been insisting to let her stay with Azalea back in Ponyville before they all wanted to leave Ponyville.
"It's not your decision to force them to go back home!" shouted Claudia. They all argue in the middle of the hallway to the sleeping quarters, they have been arguing for half an hour and while that happens, Claudia's amulet was glowing red the entire time.
"I am not forcing them, but they should know this place isn't for us! We don't belong here! You may be, but not us," McMirth barked.
Claudia gasped hard enough that the hall echoes, "My God! You are so stubborn and annoying! I try so hard to convince you to give these ponies, Equestria, a chance," she remarks.
"You're saying I'M forcing these people, what about you?" McMirth jeered, pointing at her, "You have been asking all of us to enjoy these lands as if asking us to stay here forever,"
Claudia's jaw opens but then shuts them back, backing up tears.
"Both of you please stop these fights. And Mirth, you should understand that WE decided ourselves and Claudia just trying to make us comfortable here," Kammy interrupts, trying to push Claudia away from McMirth.
"Kammy, what about your children at home? Aren't you going to miss them? Don't you think OUR children are going to search for us because we have been missing for too long?" McMirth bellowed.
Kammy clasps her lips together and looked away for a moment before turns back to McMirth,
"NO, I don't think my children will be searching for me. Even if they do, I want them to live their lives without me, why do they bother to seek me.
They don't listen to me anymore, it's been two years since they ever visited me at home, not even a call, I'm just happy they have their lives, a better life,"
Kammy shed a tear, wiping it off with fingers then asserted herself and looked at McMirth in the eyes.
"I decide what I want to do, and living here is better than dying,"
She turns before storms off into the room, the others who have been listening to the fight also went into the rooms and shut the door. McMirth grits his teeth then turn back to Claudia, though he just scoffs angrily before also goes away into the room.
Claudia groans and wipes her tears away, turning around seeing two guards also just watching the fight from far then suddenly they both stood still as Claudia passes them. The amulet on her is still glowing but not as much, Claudia holds it and then stops, surprised that Twilight and Starswirl were standing in front of her.
"Oh, Starswirl, Twilight," she wept, "I'm sorry, did you hear the fight?"
Twilight and Starswirl nod.
"Let's grab some tea," Twilight suggested and walked away with Starswirl.
"I thought you were coming tomorrow, Starswirl," Claudia asked after a while.
"I took a shorter route back here. I wanted to help send the humans back as soon as I can. But it seems I don't have to conduct stronger portal spells since I heard that all the humans are deciding to stay except for one it seems?"
Claudia nods slowly.
They continued their conversation over tea, Claudia told them what happened in Ponyville, how everyone was enjoying themselves around other creatures. She told about Tulip’s wishes to live with Azalea back at Ponyville and have been sad ever since they are back here. McMirth was the only one who seemed not happy with everything, Claudia twiddling her cup and just let out a big sigh.
“There will always be that somepony that will not be happy on certain things, Claudia. That’s life,” Starswirl hinted, sipping his tea, “Some pony or people, can’t be forced. I learned this the hard way too. I myself a stubborn old man,” he chuckled a bit.
“What you need to do is just talk to him calmly, make him understand instead of arguing back. Learn what makes him like that, understand the situation,” Starswirl added.
Claudia looks down at her glowing amulet and drinks, “I will try,”
“Maybe just wait for a few more hours, I can feel the anger air in this castle still,” Twilight advised.
Her amulet glows dimly but gets brighter as she approaches McMirth’s room. Jenny and Niki were outside their room with some guards looking at their phones and then looked up to Claudia who was passing by them. Claudia stood in front of the door before knocking them, Mcmirth’s voice can be heard shouting Go Away from inside.
“McMirth,” Claudia croaked.
“I am here to,” she breathes, “to discuss something with you and I’m hoping you allow me to enter,”
There was no response.
“Mirth, please, I just want to say sorry for arguing with you,” she continues.
“I want to talk,”
Then a few minutes later, the door creaked open. McMirth looked at Claudia at the crack,
“I don’t want to talk to you,”
“Then why did you open the door?” Claudia jeered, gives him a little smile.
McMirth scoffs and just opens the door fully, inviting Claudia to come in. Claudia went inside, apologized to Mcmirth of her behavior, and intimidated him to do so.
“It’s just, Mirth. I don’t understand why you would be disinterested in the stay and the ponies around here? They all are nice to you, I too, being nice and helping everyone feel comfortable while you are here,” Claudia went on talking, “I know deep down, you like it but I just want to know, why?”
McMirth grumbles turn around and go to the window.
“Kammy told you her children haven’t visited them a long time, mine’s no different yes. Except I was the one never visited my children and never allowed them to come,” he spoke.
“I too, want them to live their lives as they should,” he slips his hands in his pocket and takes out a photo, “My wife left me, a year ago. I lost someone I really loved, I began to feel empty inside. My children tried to cheer me down, even my grandkids tried. But,” he scoffs, “I’m a stubborn old man,”
“I kept walking to my wife’s grave, every day, talking to her. My children think it’s unhealthy, I need to let go. But how can you? Someone you loved left you before you had a chance… to say how much he adores her,” he continues, looking at the picture and sighed, “I had a fight with my kids a lot since then, they invited me to stay with one of them, so I can move on.
“I declined. I never allowed my kids to come by the house ever again. I was visiting my wife’s graves again, a day before that bloody blue portal suck me in,”
McMirth sat down on the bed and invited Claudia to sit down when he saw Claudia with teary eyes, and he noticed the others were actually watching them outside, Kammy was there too listening to his story. McMirth continues his story on how the whole months they stuck down here, he began to miss his kids more than ever and also wanting to visit his wife’s grave again. He told them how he thought he will die here without seeing his children again, he realized how unappreciative he has been towards his kids until he misses them and the grandchildren.
“Oh, Mirth. I never knew, why didn’t you even tell this to me before?” Kammy chimed in, sitting next to mirth, holding his hand and taking a look at the picture, “She’s really beautiful, and I know how it feels to feel lost without your loved ones,” she looked at McMirth longer and smiled.
“Mirth, if you want to go home, I actually not stopping you,” Claudia replied, “If that’s what you want,”
“I do, I just want to go home and see my kids again,” he uttered.
“And I won't stop any of you wanting to stay here,” he looks around at the others who were standing outside, grinning at McMirth, “I saw how happy you guys are here, I guess I shouldn’t force you all to go back to our world. The fact some of you are just orphans,” he smirked.
Tulip who was one of the snooping groups runs inside to McMirth and holds his hand, “Does that mean Tulip can stay with Azalea?” she gave McMirth a huge smile.
“No,” he said, and bit his lips as he looked at Tulip’s face turned sour, “No, I mean, I don’t know, A horse can’t… They don’t know how to take care of you, humans, I mean,”
“That wouldn’t be a problem, I can teach them, Kammy can too!” Claudia suggested,
Tulip turns back to McMirth and grins, Mirth led out a big sigh before nodding in agreement. Claudia instantly hugged McMirth and thanked him, Claudia’s amulet began to glow quite brightly and almost blinded everyone inside. But it was a quick flash, and her amulet stopped glowing.
“What was that?” shouted Terry.
“Sorry, that’s how my amulet does when a Peace is made?” Claudia smirked, then she turned to McMirth who suddenly had tears falling down to his cheek, “Mirth?”
“I just...saw my wife,” he begins to cry and hides his eyes with his hands.
Claudia gets up and looks at his amulet, she tells McMirth she doesn't know what happened but she and the others will leave him alone and will see him again later at dinner. Claudia went out and ran quickly away from the others before stopping dead, looking at her amulet, ‘What did you do, amulet?’ she whispered at her amulet, and all she got was silence. She assumes the amulet also just gives McMirth a vision of his wife something, she still needs to figure out what other thing this amulet has the ability to do. If that really is the amulet’s doing, she might have to speak to Starswirl while he is still here.
Claudia already had a discussion with Starswirl about her amulet and he will take a look at it, soon she was sitting next to Twilight again, discussing the next step for the humans as they are going to be permanent residents of Equestria. Claudia would have added all this to her lessons for the part-time teaching job she has in the School of Friendship. Twilight is going to help with anything she can, they both started to make a list of things together that they need to prepare for after all this.
“You think some of them would be interested in living in Canterlot?” Claudia asks Twilight.
“If they like snobby, rich, ponies, why not?” Twilight giggled, started to sketch some buildings, and drew sketchy human sticks next to a pony.
“You think the humans would like it if we just introduced them to some available houses around Canterlot and Ponyville?” Twilight added, thinking.
“I think that would be perfect, I’m sure I can also help them find someplace to work,”
“What about the orphans? And those teens?” Twilight asked.
“I can make them live with me, or with Kammy, if Kammy wants to, oh gosh I finally have a roommate, I want Kammy to stay with me if she wants to,” Claudia gushed.
Twilight and Claudia continued to talk and exchange ideas and lists about where else the humans can live, then Claudia began to think about the blue light or portal. She suggested this should be a priority due to how these humans came, they should be ready if the portal comes again and keep letting new humans appear in Equestria.
Twilight also thought about something like what if Discord was behind all of this but he hasn't been doing a lot of Chaos stuff like he used to ever since he has dated Fluttershy and helping her with the sanctuary.
"Maybe we can ask him tomorrow just for confirmation?" Claudia said, biting her pen while looking at the lists, "I am sure this is quite enough for our first plan of Equestria's new human residents to be done, for now," she added, rolling up her scrolls, stretching. Twilight suggested for Claudia to get rested before dinner, so Claudia gladly agreed and went her way to her room.