//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: A Chestnut at a meeting. // Story: A Walking Chestnut // by Netap //------------------------------// It's been a week since I've met Razer and William, Since then I've started visiting the library more to make my stay here a bit nicer. According to Twilight, The Mirror that can take me back home is at The princesses Castle in Canterlot, She'll receive a letter when the Portal will open. I just can't wait! Oh, And did you know? William fought in World War 1!? How cool is that? And Antonio? He isn't as exciting, But he is Engaged, So he can get married when he gets to return to his home! Hopefully we all return to our respective times, I don't really want to go fight in World War 2 When I find myself switching times with William. But now that I know there's a way to get home, This place doesn't seem as bad anymore. It's like an uncomfortable vacation, Sure, It's not fun, But it's a vacation, at the very least. And as I am thinking all of this, I hear footsteps running towards my den, Taking a peek outside I see Spike, The baby dragon and Twilight Sparkle, The town Librarian, Running in my direction. Floating next to Twilight's horn, Is a letter. I guess the time has come, If I'm getting a letter, Then it must mean the Portal is ready. Goodbye colorful cartoon world, I Will Not miss you. "Samuel, Thank goodness we found you." Twilight huffs as she stops running. "Yeah, We got a letter addressed to you and we didn't want to open it." Spike added, wiping drops of sweat off his brow. Wow, those two are out of shape. They should really work on their Stamina if a short kilometer run from Ponyville to here got them this tired. Taking the floating letter, I eagerly open it, Excited at the prospect of finally going home, only to frown as I begin reading. "Dear Mr Cohen, We are writing you this letter in order to request your presence at the Royal Castle of Canterlot, More will be explained when you arrive, We Hope to see you soon, Raven Inkwell" Who the hell is that? And this also tell me nothing? When am I supposed to arrive? Is this another part of cartoon logic? Like when someone says "So, Want to meet up?" And the party they're talking to immediately knows when and where to meet up? Is that it? I give the letter back to Twilight for her to read, And she immediately gives it to Spike without even looking. He then proceeds to read out loud the whole thing. That's kind of rude on her part, She could have read it and saved Spike the effort. Dick Move Twilight. Dick move. "You're presence has been requested?!" Twilight yells after she takes in what Spike read. "Chespin Ches" She looks at the Human before looking to Spike for translation. Taking a moment to understand why her eyes on him, Spike translates "He says That he's not going without knowing what it's about" Looking at the Chespin as he walks back into his burrow, Twilight looks back to Spike, "You got all that from just those two sounds?" Spike looks at her confused, "Sounded like a full sentence to me" He tells. Turning back to the human turned Pokemon, "Sam, you can't just ignore a request from the crown, You need to go, We can take you to the castle." Twilight tried to get the Chespin to see reason. "Ches" she heard from the small cave dug under the tree that Samuel made into his home. "He says he doesn't owe them anything, Not until he uses the Mirror to go home" Spike translated a full sentence out of a single syllable. Having enough of this, Twilight sends her magic into the small den, grabbing the only living being inside and floating him out with her Magic. "Listen up Samuel, you have been requested to present yourself in the royal castle, so you are going to present yourself in the royal castle, Now do I need to drag you there myself or are you going to act your age and walk with us?" Looking the Unicorn in the eyes, The Chespin sighs before nodding his head resolutely. Taking that as an agreement, Twilight lowers the human back to the ground. As soon as he touches the ground he rolls into a ball and runs away. Looking at the ball of green spikes rolling away from her, Twilight rubs her brow before going to visit a very specific pony. I am not going to a castle, I am not speaking with stuck up royalty, and I am not listening to a letter from a stranger, no matter how much Twilight asks me to. And as I roll between tree-roots and low branches, I hear the sound of air being displaced. Stopping my roll as I look up, I rainbow trail criss-cross over the forest. Wondering what that is all about, I fail to notice the light blue blur snatching me and flying with me out of the forest and towards a train station. As I'm thrown out of the blue arms of the Pegasus that grabbed me, I'm caught midair in a purple colored aura. As I'm trying to struggle out of the magical hold, I get tied up by floating ropes before being dragged onto the train by an unamused twilight, Followed by a giggling Spike. As I'm thrown into a booth on the train, followed closely by the other two, I ask myself. Why am I needed at the castle? And who the hell is Raven Inkwell? An attempt at biting my way out of ropes, an annoyed Twilight and a train ride later, We get off at the City of Canterlot. Is it supposed to be a reference to the King Arthur Mythos? But for horses because they Canter? That's stupid. The Naming convention of this world is stupid. Getting dragged is a ball of ropes around the city by an angry unicorn also isn't as embarrassing as I thought it would be. I'm not saying I like it, no. But if I was in my original body, and the angry librarian dragging me around town didn't look like a pony and instead more like a human. That'd be kinda hot, not gonna lie. After awakening a fetish I didn't know I had, we finally reach the castle. It's very big. I'm not very good at detailing things so that's all I can give you, really. Entering the castle we are greeted by a white Unicorn with brown hair, "Twilight Sparkle, I presume you've brought Mr Samuel Cohen with you?" She greets Twilight, she didn't even give her name. Now I might have a thing for smart and independent women, If Mayor Mare or Twilight were Human, I'd tap that. With Consent of course. But this Mare? Her looks hit all the check-marks, Well learned, Elegant but with that touch of nerdy cuteness, Glasses, Will look good dressed as a teacher, but her personality? So far, Kind of a bitch. "Yes Ma'am, He's right here" Twilight drags my tied body to the other Unicorn, who grabs me in her magical grip as well. The least she could do is to grip harder to make up for dragging me all the way here. "So this is him?" She says as she looks at me. "Spike, Tell her to suck my dick!" I tell the dragon to translate for me. With cheeks burning red, he turns to me and yells, "No! I'm not telling her that!" Which grabs the attention of the two unicorns that can't understand my words. "Tell me what?" The white Unicorn asks the dragon, putting him on the spot. Looking over at Twilight, She also seems curious as to what I just said. Just translate it. "Umm, He said that you look very good a-a-and he complemented your hair, yes, that's what he said." Spike tells her with a nod. Looking back at me, the white Unicorn untangles the ropes and places me on the ground, her cheeks slightly red. "You don't look too bad yourself, Mr Cohen. Now please, follow me." She starts walking, forcing Twilight, Spike and I to follow suit. Walking down a corridor, we pass a number of door before the White Unicorn stops and ushers us in. Looking around the room, I notice that we aren't the only ones here. Sitting on a long table in the center of the room are three other individuals. There's a White Unicorn with Blonde Hair who looks like he wants to be anywhere else but here. There's a Pink pony with both Wings and a Horn, I believe that's called an Alicorn. And Sitting at the head of the table, A Bipedal Dog wearing a glasses and a Tie connected to his collar. Taking a seat at the table, The white unicorn lady that guided us here closes the door and takes a seat to herself. So why is she sitting close to me? I'm not going to try running away again, no need to keep a close watch. I promise I won't try and run away. because If I did try, I know I'll succeed, so It wont be me trying, it'll be me escaping. Truly, the wordplay that I used to spread a sense of vague superiority. I really am the worlds greatest criminal mind! "Thank you all for gathering, Allow me to introduce myself, I am Duke Snifflepaw of Caninia and I have been asked by Queen Katherina Proudpaws to come here and get equestrian aid to stop a civil war from starting in our majestic land of Caninia" The Dog Introduces himself, Looking each person on the table in the eyes, Including me. "Allow me to take it from here, Duke Snifflepaw." The white unicorn who say next to me rose form her seat before continuing to speak. "Princess Celestia has agreed to send a diplomatic envoy to Caninia on the conditions that a treaty of peace and trade will be signed once we secure a peaceful solution to the rising tensions in the land." She suddenly gets interrupted by the White Unicorn Stallion that's sitting with us. "Excuse me, but should we really be getting ourselves involved in a Civil War of all things? It would be different if Queen Proudpaws requested aid against an outside force, such as the MInotaur Kingdoms, But a war against their own country? I believe that we as an outside influence should not interfere. And even if we did, Who's to say Queen Proudpaws is just in this civil war?" He says as he drags a strand of hair behind his ear, "News travels fast, Duke Snifflepaws, The ones inciting for a civil war are none other than the workers themselves, are they not? Are you suggesting we, A nation with no positive ties to your country, send aid to a queen who calls on the aid of strangers and enemies in order to quell a rebellion of miners and farmers?" He leans back in his chair, keeping his cold and relaxed facade. "Blueblood that is enough, Queen Proudpaws asked us for aid, Is it not the right thing to help someone who asks for it?" The Pink Alicorn asks the now named Blueblood. "Cadenza, You know that I agree with you. But an old lady asks for help to carry her bags up a flight of stairs is one thing, Sending citizens to help a neutral, even sometimes hostile nation strike down on it's own citizens, Is a different thing all together." Blueblood told the Pink Alicorn, And from the context I got, Blueblood has a point. Now, I don't know what's going on in Caninia, But a Civil war should be kept in the confines of the country fighting it. There's obviously going to be nations sending help to the group that they want to win, mostly because of either the political ideals or because they're puppet leaders, But that type of aid is kept to supplies and medicine. You just don't send your army to fight in another countries civil war. Because that war, isn't your war. I don't know why I was called here, But I really don't see a point. The only reason they possibly have for inviting me is because the side of the war that queen Proudpaws is against also has a pokemon. There's no other reason I can think of. And if they want me to join an envoy to stop a Civil war from starting, Then they got the wrong human. I'm not going. After another hour of sitting around the table silently, Listening to Blueblood and Cadenza argue about sending an envoy, With "Princess Celestia already agreed" refuted with "She Agreed on the clause that the Dogs will sign a treaty that doesn't exist", Followed up by "Isn't helping others the right thing to do?" Replied with "Is giving a single parent custody of a child after a divorce the right thing? No, But that's the law. It exists to keep us safe." Now, You can probably guess who said what, But the gist is that Cadenza wants to help the Diamond dogs, and Blueblood thinks that that's a terrible Idea. And if the Diamond Dogs were an allied nation asking for support against a terrorist uprising, I would have agreed with Cadenza. But they're not, They're a nation with neutral ties, bordering on hostile, going through a Labour Revolt while two different leading parties comprised of three rulers each fight each other while the starving workers try and Unionize. Now, I might not be the smartest guy in this room, But I'm for sure not dumb enough to think about agreeing with Cadenza on this matter. There is now way I am going on a diplomatic Envoy to help these ponies. I'll just go back to my den, Take a swim in the lake, And relax once I'm back in Ponyville. How did it get like this? Why am I here? Why the hell am I on a boat heading towards another continent to help stop a civil war from starting. "Cadenza, I don't know how you dragged me into this, But know that I will not interfere in your Diplomacy for the entire length of this trip" "Blueblood, I'm sure you won't need to move a muscle, We will arrive In Caninia, stop the tensions from heating into a war, get Queen Proudpaws sign the treaty, and we'll be back before Hearth's Warming. How's that sound?" "You say that, Cadenza, But when your plan fails and no other option presents itself to save this mission, You'll ask Me to save your hide once more." The White Unicorn and the Pink Alicorn lock eyes and I can almost see the dramatic tension rising through the air. Who's going to throw the first punch? "Good Luck Mr Samuel Cohen, The future of relations between Caninia and Equestria is in your hands." The White Unicorn mare says as she hands me a bag filled with stuff that I'll look at later, before she walks off the boat and onto the pier. "All Aboard!" The Captain of the ship yells from where he stands, a group of Ponies wearing armor walk onto the boat and drag the gangplank up behind them. As the ship sets sail out into the open seas, I ask myself one more time. How did things get like this?