I was waiting patiently inside Twilights library-home as she franticly ran around the room stuffing her saddlebags with ink and other things to bring with her.
“Twilight we're gonna be late do you really need all that stuff?” I spoke
Twilight then stuffed her bags with quills and rolls of parchment
“Of course, I wanna document everything beyond the gate as much as possible and judging from what you have told me there’s a lot of stuff over there, I wonder if I can get some of that technology that you mentioned”
I looked over and saw spike with his arms crossed waving his head in disappointment.
“You’ll take care of her, right?” spike said
“Of course, spike don’t worry”
Twilight levitated her saddlebags onto her back and was ready for her journey
“Spike don’t stay up too late and don’t eat too much ice cream while I’m gone”
“Come on Twi, I can take care of myself you know”
“Alright next stop is Applejack” I said
Twi and I made our way to Sweet Apple Acres when we saw Aj leave her house with her own saddlebags. As we approached the rest of the apple family came out to say their goodbyes
“Now you be careful youngin’ you don’t know what’s beyond that confounded gate”
Applejack reassured granny
“Don’t chu worry granny, I’ll be back in a couple of days”
“Take care now” Big Mac said
“Will you bring me back a souvenir?” Applebloom spoke
“I’ll bring something back, there’s got to be a lot of shops over there from what Mel was saying”
I walked up to Aj and knelt down
“You ready to go?”
“You bet sugarcube, I even brought my winter hat and scarf on account of it getting colder now and I betcha that it’ll be colder on the other side”
“Yes definitely” I said as I stood up
“Fluttershy is the last one so let’s head on out”
We headed down the path as the cold wind brushed up against me, I looked up at the sky and the dark clouds blocked out the sun. Winter was indeed on its way. We headed up to Fluttershy’s cottage, as we passed over a small creek, I gave the door a couple of knocks.
“Be right there” Fluttershy said
We waited awhile as I looked at my phone. It was 11:19, our flight was slated for 1:00 so I hoped we would make it on time. Soon the door opened and Fluttershy emerged with her bags.
“Hi there” she said softly
“You all set to go?” I spoke
“I think so, I’ve got somethings to keep my mind off of the potential meeting” she said nervously
“Don’t worry Fluttershy I’ll be right by your side when that happens, and I’ll make sure you're ready okay”
Fluttershy nodded and turned around to face the inside of her cottage
“Now you all be good and behave while I’m gone okay. I’ll be back in a few days and then we can have a tea party and I’ll tell you all about it”
The animals all nodded and went about their day, as Fluttershy closed the door. We all walked back to the gate as fast we could. Sargent Haynes and his men were standing by waiting to pick us up. When we got closer, he and his men snapped to attention.
“Sir are you ready to travel?” he spoke
“Not yet sir, we’re waiting on one more pony”
As I said that from up over head, I saw Celestia’s chariot heading towards the gate. Her pegasi guards came and swooped right down in front of us. Celestia got off with her bag.
“Thank you, that will be all” she said
The Guards then flew off with the chariot back to Canterlot.
“Well looks like everypony’s here are you guys ready?” I said
They all nodded with excitement
“Let me take your bags and put them in the back” Haynes suggested
The girls took their bags off and handed them to Haynes and I as we loaded them into the back of the Humvee as well as Celestia’s. Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie were all waiting by the gate to say goodbye
“You guys have awesome time” “Take care darling” “Bring me something back please”
“By the way Mel why can’t we all come?” Rainbow said
“Well, this meeting is very important for both sides of the gate Dash, it’s not exactly a vacation”
“Yeah, I guess”
“You’ll watch over them wont you”
“Absolutely” I turned to face the girls
“Alright let’s get you guys inside” as I walked over to the side of the Humvee and opened the door. Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy all climbed into the backseat.
“Celestia you get to ride in the front one, is not as big as the truck from before but I hope you won’t mind”
“I’ll be fine” she trotted over to the back of the Humvee as I opened the door.
Celestia got in and knelt down in order to get comfortable. We had laid a blanket so her knees wouldn’t hurt as much.
“A little Cramped but it’s only for a while” she said
I nodded as I got into the front seat of Celestia’s Humvee and Haynes Radioed us to move out. We then drove into the dark abyss of the gate. A few minutes later and we made it to the other side. Haynes honked the horn and soon the gate opened up and we pulled on through. I got out and helped Celestia out first. I then went and let the girls out. They all looked around in awe and wonderment at their new scenery, Twilight most of all.
“Well girls welcome to Earth, more specifically the US, even more specifically New Hampshire”
“Wow they’re so many buildings” Twilight said as she scribbled her findings down on a piece of parchment.
“Welcome back Ambassador” Major Bennington said
“Your Highness, I see you’ve brought some ponies with you”
“Why yes, it was Mel’s idea, he wanted to show the different races to Congress”
“Excellent, as always it’s good to have you again” the Major turned to face two gentlemen
“This is the Governor of New Hampshire John Lynch, and this is Jamie Sullivan the town manager of Hampton”
Celestia bowed her head to them
“It’s nice to meet you”
“We hope you enjoy your stay here Princess” John said
“If there’s anything you need just let us know” Jamie said
“I appreciate your hospitality”
“Well, your flight will be leaving soon, we have a bus that will take you straight to the airport” the Major said
“Thank you Major, now come along now everypony” Celestia said as she boarded the bus
The girls, Haynes and I all boarded and got situated. The bus was built different from ones that I have been on. The seats were lined against the cabin and the back had a bar and a bathroom. There were several tv’s mounted to the tops of the cabin. The girls got up on the seats and sat down. Celestia was a little too big so she sat in the middle. Soon the bus pulled out of the contained area, when it did, there were tons of people with camera’s trying to catch a glimpse of the ponies inside. We passed all of them and drove towards to airport. Twilight was very fascinated by the bus and was curious about everything.
“What are those black squares?” she asked
“Those are flat screen televisions Twilight that’s what we watch special programs on as well as the news”
“Wow” her eyes glowed with excitement
“Hey Mel” Applejack asked, “What did the major mean when he said our flight will be leaving soon?”
“Oh well in order to get to Washington DC at a faster rate we’ll have to board a plane and fly down”
“We get to ride on one of those flying machines with the turbines that fly up in the sky, that’s is so cool” Twilight was now even more excited
“I hope we’ll be okay” Fluttershy said
“Don’t worry Fluttershy, Celestia and I have been on one before so its safe”
“I sure hope so, ain’t one for flying” Applejack said
“But you’ve been on an air balloon before, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, once or twice but I prefer staying on the ground”
“The flight won’t be long I assure you, also the meeting isn’t till tomorrow, so we have some time to sightsee”
I Assured the girls that this wouldn’t be all business
“DC is a big place girls, but I didn’t get to look around much while I was there but it is safe” Celestia spoke
“Doesn’t the President live in DC?” Twilight said
“Yes, while the President does his duties, he resides in a big place called The White House. Where he makes all the important decisions”
“Are we going to meet him?” Fluttershy spoke
“More than likely, he’ll want to meet the Princess again before the meeting happens”
“So, what is there to do around this DC area?” Fluttershy said
“Well, there is a lot of buildings and memorials of historical significance, there’s the Smithsonian museum as well as the aerospace museum”
The minute I said museum Twilight’s eyes sparkled with joy again
“But will we be okay, you know being out in the open?” Applejack said concerned
“Don’t worry, the US Government has a lot of people whose sole job is to protect important beings like us”
“The Secret Service is their name if I recall” Celestia retorted
“That’s them, they’ll be with us every step of the way”
“Whew, that’s comforting” just then Applejacks stomach began to rumble
“Didn’t realize I was that hungry” she rubbed her belly
“Don’t’ suppose you got any food on this here bus?”
“Now that you mention it Aj I asked Haynes to get us something for the road and they were able to procure some food” I got up and went to the back where the bar was
“We have a tray of vegetables as well as fruits since you guys don’t eat meat” I pulled them out of a small fridge under the bar and brought them out to them
“Oh, that’s right isn’t your world full of people that eat meat?” Twilight remarked
“Yes, and not to worry we don’t eat horses or ponies, also there was one thing I was able to get that I really enjoy that doesn’t have meat well not usually”
I went back to the bar and grabbed a familiar flat white box on the counter and brought it back. The girls were already munching on what I had already put out.
“This is called pizza” I opened the box and showed them the square slices with extra cheese on top.
They all looked at it like it was the most fascinating thing they had ever seen. Twilight used her magic to levitate a slice out of the box and take a bite. When she did her eyes went wind as she smiled happily at this new treat
“Mmmm it’s so sweet and crunchy”
AJ and Flutters grabbed a slice and tasted it and were just as amazed. Celestia tried it as well and she was pleased.
“It’s so good I ain’t never had anything like this before”
“How is this made, its so delicious?” Fluttershy said
“Well, they start out with this special dough that they stretch out into a rectangular pan, then they put the tomato sauce on the dough then they sprinkle the cheese on top. This one has extra cheese which they put a slice of provolone on top”
We ate our food together as we neared the airport, a short time later everypony including me was full.
“I gotta say that was one heck of a meal Mel” AJ said
“I’ll have to try making this pizza at home maybe spike would like it” Twilight reviewing her notes on the matter
Haynes got up and looked out the window
“Alright were here”
We cleaned up as best we could before we passed the gate onto the runway. We then pulled up next to a familiar jet as the bus came to a halt.
“Alright girls you ready?” they all nodded at me
The door opened as I let Celestia out first then the girls. Haynes and I grabbed their bags and made our way to the cargo hold. We made sure the bags were secured before boarding.
“Your Highness” I said
Celestia walked up into the plane cabin and Twilight quickly followed behind her. Applejack slowly took one step at a time shaking a little as she climbed into the plane. I looked and Fluttershy disappeared but then I felt something grab my legs from behind. I looked down and saw Fluttershy shaking in fear at the giant metal beast.
“Sir we have to leave now” Haynes said as he boarded the plane
I knelt down and put my hands on Flutters head. She looked like she was about to cry
“Fluttershy look at me, look at me” Fluttershy opened her scared eyes at me
“There is nothing to be scared of okay, I know your nervous so listen closely okay, close your eyes”
Fluttershy nodded and closed her eyes
“Now take a deep breath”
Fluttershy inhaled as best she could
“Count to four in your head okay”
Four seconds went by
“Now exhale and count to four again”
She did and they seemed to help calm her down
“I don’t know if I can get on”
“Let me help you okay” I gently picked up the little yellow pegasus and held her in my arms
“Keep your eyes closed and keep doing the counted breaths”
She blushed a little bit and did what she was told. I carried her on the plane and set her down in a seat. Haynes ordered for take-off and we slowly moved towards our destination. Soon the plane started moving faster and faster until we were airborne. Once we reached the right altitude, I turned to Fluttershy who still had her eyes closed but was more relaxed.
“Okay you can open your eyes now”
She did slowly and saw that we were okay, she even looked out the window and saw that we were in the air.
“Wow I thought it was going to be scarier than that”
“Me too I guess we were frightened by nothin’” AJ said
“See!”
We all got settled and I was starting to get thirsty
“I’m gonna request a drink, anybody want anything?”
“Water” “Apple juice” “Tea?” “Wine for me”
“Not sure if we have tea but I’m sure they’ll have something for you” I said
A short time later a flight attendant came out with everybody’s drinks including mine. I grabbed the can, opened it and took a good swig
“Hey Mel, what’s that your drinking?” Twilight asked
“Oh, it’s just some soda”
“What flavor is it?”
“Lemon-lime soda”
“Oh, like lemonade”
“Kinda”
“Does it always come in a can?”
“No Sometimes it comes in either glass or plastic bottles”
“Oh, we have soda in Equestria but never it never comes in a can”
“Hm Constance and variables”
Twilight was suddenly astounded by my response
“So, you know about those?”
“Well, if were talking about the multiverse as a whole there’s bound to be some similarities as well as differences between our worlds”
“Very well said”
Fluttershy sipped her tea, she seemed to like it considering it was from another world. She then scooched closer to me
“So, Mel mind if a ask you a personal question?”
“Sure, what’s on your mind”
“What do you think about Equestria?”
To be honest, since I’ve been rather busy to even think about the world that I’ve been tasked with understanding
“Well, it is a wonderful place, with lots of friendly ponies”
“How does it compare to this world?” asked AJ
“Well, there are friendly people here you have to find them though, like imma a big fan of anime and when I learned that they had conventions for it I was stoked to find like-minded people that shared a common interest”
“What’s anime?” Twilight said
“Anime is short for Japanese Animation, they animate there characters more human like but not all the time and the subject matter can range from cute for kids or violent for adults, I might show you some when we get to the hotel”
“Do you believe that Equestria is better than this world?” Celestia asked
“It’s hard to say, I mean we have more technology but Equestria there’s just something about it, it’s like the world itself is covered by a magic spell and it makes you feel good about yourself and it makes you want to be friends with everyone”
“Are you talking about pinkie pie, because that definitely sounds like her” Twilight said
We all laughed at the comment
“What’s your family like?” Aj spoke
“Well, my mom and my dad got divorced when I was young”
“Oh, sorry to hear that sugarcube”
“Eh I mean it happens to some poeple, my mom went on and married someone who was much worse unfortunately, I don’t like talking about it that much”
“It’s okay Mel, how bout siblings?” AJ said
“Well, I’ve got an older sister and a brother”
“Huh we got the same number of siblings”
“What about your dad?” Fluttershy retorted
“Well, my dad did the best he could to provide for his children eventually he married someone nicer”
“That’s good to hear”
After a while It got quiet as everyone relaxed as the plane neared our destination. I got bored and decided to turn on the tv. The screen popped up with the local news
-In other news the mysterious New Hampshire gate has opened a second time as officials are still wondering what came from the other side and are the beings from the other side friendly. Here we see footage of a large bus on its way to the airport presumably carrying its mysterious passengers. Report from Washington says that the President will present these beings before congress to solidify the peace negotiations between our worlds and to answer our concerns. There have also been report of protesters in DC stating that these beings don’t belong in our world and that the government should send them back and close the gate
“Geez everybody’s crazy over the gate, you got people that want peace and the people that hate things that they can’t explain to go away and stop interfering with their lives” I said exhaustingly
“It’s not your fault Mel we're here to make a good first impression and peace. True there maybe be others that may find us intimidating but we will do our best to make sure that peace is our only goal”
"Were in this together partner and so are you” Aj came and put her hoof on my leg”
“Me too” “And Me”
The plane slowly made its descent onto the runway. We pulled up next to a squad of Lincoln Navigators with secret service agents waiting for us. The door on the plane opened as we made over to them along with our luggage. The service men took them from our hands and put them into the back of the armored SUV.
“Ambassador” one said as he escorted me to the front along with Celestia. The girls were again put into the middle vehicle. Celestia was more cramped inside this one than the last. I sat in the front seat and we took off the runway and onto the road. As we drove to the hotel I was getting concerned about the girls as I kept looking back behind us. We drove past the white house as protesters were voicing their opinion out front. As we drove past them they didn’t seem to notice us until it was too late and that’s when my heart started racing. My mind was going
"What if they retaliate, what if they get their hands on them, what if I can’t protect them”
I was sweating and wiping my forehead as Celestia noticed. She then communicated inside my head like she did during the summit
“Relax Mel, everything will be fine”
I started to do my breathing again and it slowly calmed me down. We then pulled up to a Four Seasons Hotel. We pulled around the back so no one could see us. The Back was completely covered in black tarps to prevent spies from seeing the girls. We all piled out of the SUV’s and made our way into the hotel. The inside was fancy with white stone and maroon carpet. As Celestia walked in she couldn’t help but admire the hotel. The girls were all wide eyed seeing the massive crystal chandelier and waterfall in the lobby. We all stopped, and the Manager and all the hotel staff were present to witness their new arrivals
“Let me be the first to say welcome and we hope you enjoy your stay” he bowed as so did everyone else.
The service men then led us up to our rooms. As we walked up the stairs to the elevators which the girls were not accustomed too. Celestia barely fit inside one with me very close by her side along with a service man. He hit floor 7 and we ascended. We got off and waited for the girls. The door opened and Twilight was writing down more notes. The service men then brought us to our rooms. One room had three beds for the Princess and the girls and the room next door from theirs had two beds. The girls got comfortable as their luggage was being brought up too them. I went to my room to change into my pajamas and relax a little. A half an hour went by and I opened my laptop to call the major. The skype call took a few minutes to get through but then the major popped up on the screen
“Ambassador, I trust your trip to DC went as planned”
“Yes sir, everypony made it to the Hotel safe and sound”
“Well, that’s good to hear, listen I know there’s a lot riding on this meeting going well, if there’s a chance however slim I want you to be on high alert and if you’re willing to lay down your life for them, I trust you’ll make the right decision”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I will protect them with my life that I can promise”
“You may not be a soldier, but I hope you’ll make America proud”
He signed off leaving me with the imminent feeling of death. I closed my computer and turned to my shiny metal case. I opened it up and saw my pistol that I brought with me to Equestria. I’m surprised the secret service let me bring it with me, but then again, I am very close to them, maybe they think I’m the girl’s best chance at keeping them safe. I went back to the case and pulled out my gun and just held it in my hands. I sat on the edge of the bed looking at it knowing full well I could take someone’s life with this pistol.
That’s when I heard a knock at the door
“Come in”
Twilight, Aj and Fluttershy all walked in
“Hey there partner” AJ looked and saw the gun in my hand
“You uh doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine”
Twilight was getting concerned
“Are you sure you should be holding that, isn’t that a dangerous weapon?”
“It’s only dangerous if you don’t know how to properly handle one”
I kept my finger off the trigger while I held it and the barrel facing down and not pointed at anyone. I dumped the magazine out, racked the slide and out flung one round as I caught it midair. I racked the slide forward and put the slide safety on. I put the round back into the mag and set them both aside.
“You seem to be a little on edge”
I was but I wasn’t sure how to deal with it what with everything that’s going on
“It’s just a huge responsibility protecting you guys over here, Jesus I might die from it or I could be taking another person’s life. That kind of pressure is a lot for someone like me, hell I’m only 17”
“I understand your concern Mel” Celestia said as she stood in the doorway
“You are not alone, I too am afraid that something might happen, but as long as we face them together, I think everything will turn out fine”
“We're afraid too Mel, but you can count on us in times that you feel like you’re alone, that’s what friends are for”
I felt a little better but still if anything were to happen to them, I don’t think I could live with that guilt
“Come on girls let’s get some shut eye” Aj said as she was leaving the room
Twilight followed behind her but Fluttershy stayed behind
“Um if it’s alright, I um would like to keep you company for tonight, if you want me too”
“Uh no I don’t mind”
Fluttershy smiled as she climbed into my bed. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and took a Melatonin pill. I went back and laid next to Fluttershy who was blushing a little bit. I rolled over and looked out the window still thinking about tomorrow. Fluttershy wiggled closer and put her hooves around me and whispered in my ear.
“It’s okay, I’m here for you if you need me”
I started to blush a little feeling her warmth on me.
“Sleep now and let me take away all your troubles, there’s nothing to worry about, I got you”