The honeymoon was one of the best two weeks of my life; Fillydelphia really is a magnificent city. It was that good, in fact, Twilight and I spent the trip back to Ponyville planning our next trip to the city, so that we could see everything we'd missed.
The carriage pulled up outside the library, at which the chauffeur opened the door for us. I got out first and Twilight went to follow me, but I stopped her by picking her up and holding her in my arms. I turned to the chauffeur, who had just finished unloading our luggage, and took a bit pouch from my pocket.
"Here you are, buddy," I said to him, as I tossed the pouch in his direction. "You can keep the change."
He caught the pouch with a hoof, his eyes lighting up upon feeling the weight of it. "Thank you very much, sir, madam." he replied. "Good day to you, and my congratulations to you both once again."
"Thanks, you too." I watched him leave, smiled, and went over to the library door. "Now to carry my new wife over the threshold." I said proudly, as Twilight unlocked the door with her magic. I pushed the door open with a foot, carried her inside, then set her down on the couch and kissed her forehead.
"Now our new life can truly begin." I said.
Twilight smiled back at me and lay down on the couch, still exhausted after the long trip back from Fillydelphia.
I went outside to recover our luggage from the pavement, when I saw John jogging along the road. He saw me and came over.
"Geo!" he called. "You're back already?"
"I am indeed, John." I nodded. "Twilight and I couldn't exactly stay in Fillydelphia forever, despite both of us wanting to."
John put a hand up to my face. "Please," he begged. "Spare me the sordid details." I grinned and John removed his hand from my vision. "Pinkie is holding a party at Sugarcube Corner later." He said. "You and Twilight should attend, as long as you don't bore us all rigid with honeymoon photos or whatever."
I nodded. "Yeah, why not?" I shrugged. "It'll give us a chance to catch up with everypony. How are they, anyway?"
John smiled. "They're doing great," he said. "Fluttershy has lots of new baby critters to take care of, Applejack and I are working on harvesting the latest apple crop, Pinkie has gone party mad, Rainbow Dash is still trying to perfect her manoeuvres for the Wonderbolts, Rarity is working on a huge order for somepony named 'Sapphire Shores,' and Ace is still building his new lab."
"I'm sure I'll hear all about it at the party," I replied. "When is it?"
"Tomorrow at eight." John started jogging again. "See you there, Geo; don't be late, or I'll drink your share of the booze!"
"I'd like to see you try, mate!" I called after him. Taking the last of the bags inside, I closed the door and flopped onto the couch.
Twilight climbed onto my chest and nuzzled my chin. "Home at last," she said. "Now, what was that about a party?"
"It's just another Pinkie Pie party," I replied. "It's on tomorrow night at eight. Do you want to go?"
Twilight nodded and yawned. "Of course," she replied. "But I think you and I should get some rest first; it's been a long day."
With those words, she fell asleep, her head resting on mine. I soon followed suit and the two of us lay there on the couch, our breathing in harmony, locked in each others comforting embrace.
***
"General Smith, our scouts have reported that there is a small town about five clicks to the north-west of our current position," the soldier said. "But we're not quite sure who – or what – lives there."
"What do you mean by 'not quite sure,' Captain Jones?" the General replied, narrowing his eyes. "Somebody has to live there."
Captain Jones rubbed the back of his head. "We didn't see any people, Sir, but we saw a lot of equine-looking creatures," he said hesitantly. "It could just be a farming community of some kind."
General Smith sighed. "Get the crabs to send a reconnaissance drone to the town," he ordered. "I want to know where the inhabitants are before we do anything else."
"Yes, General!" Captain Jones replied. He saluted stoically and ran out of the room, barking orders as he went.
General Smith turned around in his chair and looked out the window of his tent, where the portal still stood in the middle of the clearing. It was surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, all of whom were looking around warily with their fingers poised over the triggers of their weapons. As he watched, a small robot took off from a nearby tent and headed in the direction of the town. Smith smiled as he watched it leave, then leaned back in his chair.
"Soon we'll have some answers," he said to himself. "And then we'll find out what that crackpot doctor is really up to."
***
I woke up to find Twilight sprawled across my chest, still deep in slumber. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, and a tiny smile was fixed on her lips. I looked at the clock; it read 7:30pm.
"Wow," I said quietly. "We must have been exhausted."
I gently hoisted Twilight off me and laid her on the couch, covering her with my jacket, then crossed over to the window.
Opening the blinds, I caught a glimpse of a small robot working its way around town. It hovered between buildings and darted down alleyways as the camera mounted on it spun around rapidly. Ignoring it, I closed the blinds and went upstairs to have a shower.
I came down a few minutes later, freshly dressed, to find Twilight looking out the window. I stood by her side and she pointed at the robot, which was still whizzing around Ponyville.
"Why is Ace still using his BIRDs?" she asked. "Surely he doesn't have a need to now that he's in Equestria?"
I shrugged. "Honestly, Twi?" I replied. "I don't know. Now come on, we're going to be late for this party."
Twilight looked at the clock and gasped. "Seven forty-five?!" She ran upstairs. "Let me get a quick shower first!"
I laughed and sat on the couch, my train of thought soon taking me back to the robot. The more I thought of it, the more I realised it didn't look anything like one of Ace's creations.
Maybe its a new model? I thought. Then again, I know what the man is like; he'd eagerly tell me about his new inventions.
I shook these thoughts out of my head as Twilight came back downstairs, looking fresh as a daisy. Grabbing my keys, I opened the library door and put her on my shoulders.
"Time for a party!" I said. "Shall we get going?"
Twilight nodded and we left the library, the door locking behind us.
***
"I seriously cannot believe he just asked us that!" I seethed, throwing the contents of my glass down my neck. "What business is it of his what we get up to behind closed doors?!"
Twilight took my hand in a hoof and squeezed it, while John was doing his utmost to suppress a laugh.
"Relax," Twilight said. "I don't think Ace meant to cause offence."
"I know." I sighed. "It's just... I wasn't expecting that subject to be brought up; at least not for a while, and certainly not by him. Hell, I was expecting your mother to bug us about it again."
"What subject?" asked Twilight. "Foals?"
I coughed. "Yeah," I said flatly. "Foals."
I took another round of punch from the bowl and drank it in one go. The atmosphere around the table was as thick as treacle.
"I guess I should go talk to him and explain that I'm not pissed off about what he asked," I said eventually. "Besides, I need to ask him if that robot we saw in town earlier was one of his."
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and walked across the room to where Ace was standing with Pinkie Pie, a solemn expression on his face. As I approached, however, Pinkie suddenly grabbed him by the hand and swept him onto the dance floor. I decided not to butt in and returned to the punch bowl.
"That was quick." John raised an eyebrow.
"He was busy," I replied, nodding my head towards the two of them enjoying a dance. "I'll talk to him later."
I sat with Twilight and put an arm around her. "You and I need to talk," I said. "About what Ace mentioned." Her eyes widened as she turned to look at me. "Not now, though." I said with a sigh. "But as soon as we get home, we're going to discuss this."
Twilight nodded and put her head in my lap, allowing me to stroke her mane. As I did so, an all-too familiar feeling washed over me.
A feeling of nervous apprehension.
***
As the video footage from the drone was played back to him, General Smith sat in his chair with a puzzled look on his face.
"Sentient ponies?" he repeated the words again and again, trying to comprehend what he was saying. "Are you insane, Jones?"
Captain Jones shook his head. "I couldn't believe it either, General, but the evidence is undeniable," he said, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "Hell, I actually took the drone around the town twice, just to make sure I wasn't seeing things."
The two of them sat in silence as the playback continued. Suddenly, Smith sat upright in his chair and pointed at the screen. "Pause!" he yelled. "What's that, right there?"
The picture showed a human leaving a structure which had been built into a tree, with one of the ponies at his side.
"It appears to be a human, Sir." Jones peered at the screen, studying the image carefully. "He's not our man from the Ministry, and I don't see any signs of coercion."
General Smith raised an eyebrow. "Coercion?" he asked. "From the looks of things, Captain, that man appears to be happy as Larry." He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "The Prime Minister was clearly over-reacting when he called us in." He said. "I will report to him that these creatures are not a threat, and simply wish to be left in peace... but only after I talk to that man."
"Yes, Sir." Captain Jones saluted. "We'll bring him in for you."
As Jones left the room, Smith stood up and walked over to the television, leaning closer to the still image it showed. "Whoever you are, I hope you're up for answering a few questions."
He moved away from the screen.
"Because the fate of this world depends on how you answer them."