[Helping Hooves Shelter - Gregory’s Room]
Gregory lay on his bed, a warm fire roaring in the fireplace in front of said bed. He was full from the steak he’d fried up earlier outdoors using some of his camping equipment and a campfire for heat. Earlier that day, however, he had spoken briefly to Princess Luna about the guards she would be sending. Apparently, one would be a powerful unicorn guard and the other would be a pegasus with incredible speed and strength nearly comparable to that of an earth pony. They would arrive the day after and be given a room near him for his further protection. She apologized for Blueblood’s behavior as well and promised to speak with him.
Gregory stared up at the canopy above him, watching the light of the fire as it was illuminating the canopy. Now that he was alone, he had time to majorly think about what had happened. He had a lot on his mind, but he took a deep breath and concentrated on each thought individually.
First, he thought back on his last year on Earth. He recalled how the strong desire to go to Equestria had seemingly come from nowhere. However, after hearing about his human predecessor Jason being afflicted by Discord’s chaos magic and never once leaving the forest or even that disgusting cave, he now began to suspect that he, too, was afflicted by Discord’s magic. Or he had been, at least. Princess Luna had done a magical scan of sorts on him earlier and had said that all traces of chaos magic that had been inside him were gone, and recently too. It would explain just why his mind felt a lot clearer than it had just one day before. However, he realized that he really couldn’t pin the blame solely on Discord. It had been his decision to come to Equestria, after all. He’d taken the money he’d been given and had blown it all on coming on a one way trip to this world. He’d been an idiotic naïve fool. Even so, he was here now and he had to make the best of it.
He then next followed the train of thought revolving around Jason. Seeing his memories and his treatment from the magical recording had been shocking, to say the least. However, now that he had the time to process what he’d seen more clearly, in a sickening way it made sense. This world wasn’t a cartoon; it was real. Nobody here would be how he imagined. It was hero worship, plain and simple, that had brought him here. He’d heard and seen examples of the phrase “Never meet your heroes” plenty of times back on Earth, but even before he discovered the website and the portal, he’d always imagined that if he had ever gone to Equestria, he’d find that things weren’t as speciesist as they were here. After all, they were fine with Spike, that random mule in that early episode, Cranky Doodle and Matilda. Still, he doubted that Princess Luna would lie about anything like that, and he certainly couldn’t think of a reason why Blueblood would, either.
In a way, he could understand why Twilight would keep this from him. She had even outlined many of her failings for him at their first meeting, but it was more than those things. Twilight in the show had an intense fear of failure, and it seemed like the same could be said of this version. It was a phobia of hers, it seemed. However, the more he thought, the more he realized she had indeed been trying to use him to cover up her guilt. He’d basically been a replacement Jason Wright to her. However, despite being furious about that and being lied to, he’d meant what he said about giving Twilight a second chance.
His thoughts then drifted to the others. He still wanted to meet them despite everything, but now with the truth laid bare, he knew better than to raise them on a pedestal. He wouldn’t withhold the gifts he’d brought for them, but he wouldn’t go with the hope of becoming friends. After hearing about what they’d done, he couldn’t just brush their actions aside. Especially Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash’s actions were nothing short of sadistic, cruel and barbaric to the highest degree, and he wasn’t too sure how she was a year later. Applejack’s actions were just as bad in his opinion. The Element of Honesty lying just so she could inflict the most damage was indescribably cruel. Even worse, when it was clear that Jason couldn’t move, she had Wynnona attack him. It was a miracle that dog hadn’t been put down.
The only other pony he considered giving a chance on friendship was Pinkie Pie. Had this been a month ago, he’d have ranked her as his fourth favorite after Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy, but with the latter two kicked way off the list, he figured she’d moved up to being completely in first place. At least, for the time being. From what he’d seen, she was the only one who tried to make amends truly to Jason. It showed a lot about her character that she was willing to stand in the witness box in that open air arena to atone for her own actions when the others during that trial continuously denied their guilt spoke volumes about her.
Still, he knew now to keep one thing in mind, that being that everyone here were real individuals, not characters on a screen. He was honestly feeling like a real moron now, but he knew he had to make a new life for himself with what he now had. Of course, with Princess Luna having promised to expedite his citizenship paperwork and a stipend from the crown, his life was definitely off to a better start in this world than it had apparently been for Jason. Still, despite what he’d told Twilight about giving her a chance, he had a lot to think about considering the fact that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to find work in Ponyville if the actions of the other ponies earlier that morning were the norm.
Finally, his thoughts focused on the news that Cozy Glow was leading this Creatures For Equestria movement. That brought a frown as he tried to consider what sort of plan she might be conceiving. In the absence of the School of Friendship, which had apparently been put on hold thanks to this Trial, Cozy had taken advantage of the situation to gather power in another way. He hadn’t said anything to Luna about it since he had still been reeling from the discovery that objects from his world could disrupt magic, but now he had to think about it. Sure, his knowledge of the show was a moot point now, but he couldn’t just dismiss Cozy.
He knew he had to tell Princess Luna about her, at the very least so someone could keep tabs on her. Still, he knew that he needed a lot more information about this world. Information was key to making informed decisions. For all he knew, Cozy would be planning to try and aggravate racial tensions with this movement. Then again, this wasn’t his kingdom. He wasn’t a citizen yet. Part of him realized he had no legal obligation to report this, but that was quickly overrun by the moral obligation. Still, there were too many variables. He needed information, and fast.
“God…or Faust, I suppose,” he said aloud, “I’m not really a religious person. Never really was. But Lauren Faust, if you can hear me, I’d appreciate whatever help you can send my way…” With that being said, he pulled the covers over himself, put on his facemask, and fell asleep.
And dreamed. Once more, he dreamed about how Ponyville acted towards non-ponies, whether they had been temporary visitors or citizens who’d lived there until they couldn’t take it anymore. Here, he learned every single thing that the citizens of Ponyville had ever done to a non-pony through its entire history, starting from the time when zebra labor had been used to construct large parts of the town. The zebras had been paid, but well below what a pony would have been paid. That had led to an entire zebra protest which had only resulted in said zebras being fired and chased out of town.
Time and time again, Gregory witnessed the sins of Ponyville on display for him to see, even if it was something as small as a snide remark to a non-pony, he saw and witnessed it all. Unlike the dream before, he sat back and watched, well aware that he couldn’t say or do anything about it.
Near the end of the dream, he found himself facing a strange being in what looked like an endless forest with pools of perfectly circular water scattered everywhere. He wasn’t sure what to call this being since it continuously shifted between different forms. At one point, it appeared as a pure white alicorn with straight red hair and tail and a quill for a cutie mark. In the next instant, it changed to a pure white dragon with red spines and horns. Next, it’d be a white griffoness with red plumage. It shifted between all sorts of Equestrian species, but the coloring remained constant. White with patches of red.
No words were spoken between the two. None were needed. All the being did was smile warmly at him and nod.
Gregory woke at that moment, the knowledge of all of Ponyville’s xenophobic and speciesist actions against other races now fully ingrained within him. He looked over at his phone, only to realize that it wasn’t even twelve midnight. He got up and restoked the fire before going back to sleep. The last thought on his mind before drifting off was, Tomorrow…I really need much more information. As much as I can gather…
[The Crystal Empire - The Next Morning]
“Hurry up, Caddy, or we’re going to be late!” Shining Armor, Emperor Consort of the Crystal Empire, said in a hurried tone to his wife, who was still looking through her walk-in closet for a dress to wear.
Cadance walked out, carrying several different dresses with her magic. She floated them in front of her for her husband to see. “What do you think of these?” she asked. “Be honest. I want this grand opening to be special!”
Shining Armor groaned as he straightened his suit with his magic. “Caddy, the reason we’re cutting it so close is because you can’t make up your mind on what to wear. It doesn’t have to be something extravagant. Starlight’s just opening up a school.”
“It’s not just any school, Shining. It’s the Seeds of Yggdrasil!” Cadance exclaimed as she put down the dresses on their bed and lifted a few others out of the closet. “It’s a school for creatures all over the world! We can’t attend the debut of such an inspiring establishment looking indecent. Especially when it’s right next door to the Empire!”
Shining finished fiddling with his suit and approached his wife. Putting a hoof around her withers, he smiled. “I know, sweetie. It’s a big moment. A critical, life alternating moment that will change the future and leave a mark on history. I for one want Flurry to attend when she’s older. But that won’t happen if you can’t decide on something to wear.”
Cadance pouted as her horn glowed once more. A beautiful blue satin dress came floating out of the closet. In no time at all, she’d put it on and looked at herself in the mirror. Seemingly satisfied, she adjusted her crown then turned back to her husband. “Well then, my dear husband, shall we go get Flurry from the foalsitter and attend this life changing event?” Cadance teased as Shining rolled his eyes.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. “My Empress? My Emperor?” the voice of one of the crystal pony maids came from beyond the door, “The train leaves in a half hour. You asked one of us to let you know.”
“Thank you. Come on, my Princess.” Shining said while holding out his hoof.
Cadance graciously accepts. “Why, thank you, dear Emperor.”
The two picked up their daughter from their foalsitter and made their way to the train. The station was more crowded than usual as many were eagerly filing into it, going to the same destination as the royals. The Imperial Family had a suite all their own, and Flurry spent a lot of the trip staring out at the landscape with wide-eyed curiosity.
The trip lasted for approximately three and a half hours. The royal couple spent their time reading or playing with Flurry. At one point, they were given a light meal from the dining car. They watched as the frozen wastelands of the north began slowly morphing into greener plains of the unclaimed territory that existed between the Crystal Empire and Equestria.
Finally, at just half past one in the afternoon, the train reached a brand new station, one built to mimic the older train stations back when locomotives were brand new. Everyone disembarked and began making their way up a large stone pathway that had been constructed recently. They headed up a small hill until finally they reached the top. There, in the valley below, stood one of the largest feats of modern architecture and engineering since the construction of Canterlot. The Seeds of Yggdrasil, a school built in order to foster new understandings between each and every race on Equis.
Cadance giggled a bit as little Flurry Heart stretched out her hooves towards it, eyes wide with childlike curiosity. “I know, Flurry. This school looks like an ancient temple.” she said.
“I’m not surprised, especially considering the funding that went into the school from the other rulers. Each of them wanted a piece of their culture woven into the halls,” a nearby voice said. The assembled mass of creatures turned to see Starlight Glimmer, Trixie Lulamoon, and Sunburst walking up towards them.
Cadance was the first to approach. She wrapped her wings around the young magical unicorn prodigy. Starlight hugged her back. Ever since Starlight, Trixie and Sunburst had begun this endeavor, many letters had been exchanged between the two. Cadance was one of the first to put her full support behind the Seeds of Yggdrasil project, especially when Starlight outlined the complete purpose of the facility. “Starlight Glimmer…it’s wonderful to see you again.”
“Thanks for coming,” Starlight said.
“Thtar! Thtar!” Flurry shouted, reaching her hooves out to Starlight expectantly.
Starlight grinned and took the young alicorn foal in her hooves, hugging her. “Hey there, Flurry.” She turned next to Shining, who’d come to stand next to Cadance. “Emperor Shining.”
Shining held up his hoof. “Just Shining, please.”
Starlight nodded. “Alright then, Just Shining,” she joked, earning a snicker from Cadance. “I’m glad to see you.”
“Same to you,” Shining said as he took back Flurry with his magic and set her on his back. He turned and looked around at the gathering of various creatures. “You really managed quite a turnout for this.”
“Just means that other creatures take this as seriously as I do,” Starlight said. “I’d love to talk more later, but right now I’ve got to get up and give this speech.” She looked nervously at the mass of creatures, and not just ponies, but dragons, griffins, zebras, yaks and more. “Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck,” Cadance said reassuringly, “because you have a natural leader instinct.”
Starlight flinched. “And the last time I used it…I enslaved an entire village.”
“You’re not that mare anymore,” Shining replied. “Because of you, this place was completed in less than a year. Because of you, this crowd of various creatures are here to witness the opening of this new school.”
“Give yourself more credit,” Sunburst said from beside her, putting a hoof on her withers.
“Besides, you have us with you!” Trixie said, patting Starlight on the rump which earned her a glare from the aforementioned unicorn. “Oh…sorry.”
“Thanks, everyone,” she said as she straightened herself. She turned and headed to the front of the crowd with Sunburst and Trixie walking beside her.
“Those two make a great couple,” Cadance said with a chuckle.
“Which one?” Shining asked.
“Does it matter?”
Shining sighed. “Let them be for now, sweetie.”
Cadance was about to respond when there was a shrill whistle from nearby that rose into the sky. Everycreature turned and watched as a firework exploded high in the sky. Shining thankfully had enough sense to cover Flurry’s ears before it exploded. The last thing they needed was a crying foal. As the explosion subsided, Cadance heard somepony say, “And that’s how you get everyone’s attention.” A few moments later there was a smack followed by the same voice saying “Ow!”
Starlight stepped forward and faced the crowd, who were now all facing her. “Hello, everybody,” she said with a raised hoof in greeting. Cadance could see the nervousness in her face, but as she continued to speak, the nervousness began to subside. “A lot of you know me, if not personally then from the events of a year ago. My name is Starlight Glimmer. These are my closest friends. On my right is Sunburst, my oldest and one of my best friends. On my left is Trixie Lulamoon, otherwise known as the Great and Powerful Trixie. She’s also one of my best friends.”
Taking a deep breath, she looked out at the crowd with a sincere expression. “Just under a year ago, the world changed forever with The Trial. In it, we learned that Equestria is not the paradise it claimed to be. It’s rife with speciesism, xenophobia, and hatred of other races. We heard and saw examples of horrendous abuse by ponies against other races, especially one Jason Wright.” There were murmurings of agreement and some of the ponies in the crowd looked down, ashamed. “I was friends with the Elements of Harmony at the time of The Trial, or so I thought. Turns out they weren’t the friends I thought they were. I left them and the town that abused the only human in our world and came to the Crystal Empire to make a fresh start with my friends here. It didn’t take me long to grow restless, though. I needed to do something worthwhile.”
She sighed. “As bad as my former friends were, I believed in what I was taught. Harmony is something that was given to us by Faust herself. And it isn’t for ponies alone; it’s meant for every other race on Equis. So, one day shortly after arriving in the Crystal Empire, I brought these two over to where I was living and talked to them. Together, we came up with the idea of this school. I’ll admit, the idea came when one of us mentioned the School of Friendship that Twilight Sparkle was hoping to plan. However, it gave me an idea, an idea for a school for every race. One which would be a starting point for a new world. And so, I had a dream, a dream of a world where everyone views everyone else without looking at them through the lens of what race they are. The buildings behind me are the culmination of that dream. Everyone, may I present the Seeds of Yggdrasil school.”
She gestured to the buildings behind her. “Behind me is the hope for a better tomorrow. Here at the Seeds of Yggdrasil, or Yggdrasil if you prefer, we intend on having teachers from every race come from all over the world to inform not just ponies, but other races about the culture and societies of far off lands. From the savannahs of Zebrica to the Dragon Lands and all the way over from Griffonstone we will invite representatives to teach the younger generation of the world about various cultures and histories from around the world. Why, we even have Miss Zecora from the trial who will be teaching about the Zebrican culture. But we won’t neglect the basics. Like most other schools, we will teach universals like mathematics, reading and writing for our younger students. With the latter two, we will be teaching multiple languages for those who hope to become bilingual or more but for the most part we will be teaching everyone the Common Tongue.”
Starlight grinned as she turned towards the large structure and the others surrounding it. “So, before we go inside and explore, I should probably explain what each of those buildings down there is. Now obviously, the biggest building in the center is our main campus building.” She pointed to the massive structure at the center. The structure itself was a large circular building with a domed roof and four large towers at equidistant points around the circular structure of the main building. At the apex of the dome, a large spire, taller than the four other towers attached to the building, rose with a large pearl colored orb standing atop the spire itself. “As you can see,” Starlight said, “the campus design takes inspiration from many different ancient architectural designs, albeit with all the modern comforts we can provide, like indoor plumbing, magically self-sustaining heating and cooling systems, modern light fixtures and more. We were lucky that the land we built it on is geologically stable and that it’s unclaimed by any one nation. And for those of you worried about the safety of the building itself, this was built to last and built to modern construction code standards.” She turned to Sunburst. “Sunburst?”
The orange unicorn swallowed a bit nervously before clearing his throat and pointing down at the buildings. “The campus has what you’d expect from any other school. We have lots of large classrooms for various different classes and even a few labs for those who want to study with a more hooves-on approach. We also have a massive cafeteria and a kitchen with staff from many different kingdoms to cater to our students. The cafeteria also doubles as a meeting hall in the case of schoolwide meetings. One wing of the building is dedicated to the teacher’s office area where each teacher can receive their own corner to plan their lessons. There’s also a study hall and right next to it we have a vast library space. Right now, the library doesn’t have many books and scrolls in them, but each kingdom that helped fund Yggdrasil’s construction has promised to send copies of as many of their books as they can find or to even write books to store in the library for all to see. We’re really excited to fill all the empty shelves.”
“If we’re lucky, we might need to build an even bigger library,” Starlight joked, earning a laugh from most of the gathered creatures. She then pointed down to another building which resembled a massive ring with various pathways running underneath them. “That ring-shaped building there is our student dormitory,” she explained. “There are rooms available for about five thousand students. Each room will have a large and comfortable bed, a window, a desk, closet, bookshelf, a cabinet with a few necessities packed inside and a small bathroom complete with a bath, sink and toilet. The building itself has the same modern day necessities as the main campus. There are four moderate sized kitchens for those students who want to cook their own meals, one at each point of the compass. The kitchen itself is stocked with many different types of foods for each and every sort of creature as well as cooking implements of as many kinds as we could get. There are also four common areas, each with couches, tables and chairs, bookshelves for more books if need be and a large fireplace for the cold winter months up here.”
“What about those four towers attached to the main campus?” a random voice asked from the crowd.
Starlight smiled. “I was just getting to that. Those towers attached to the main campus building were actually Trixie’s idea so I’ll let her explain.”
Trixie brushed her cloak aside dramatically as she pointed towards the towers attached to the main campus,, each one attached to the building’s cardinal points. “Behold! The Great and Powerful Trrrixie’s brainchild!” she announced in her normal flamboyant way. “The faculty dormitory towers, where us teachers will be living! Each room will be much like those of the student rooms. We have enough room in all four towers for a maximum of one thousand teachers! Each tower has a common room for the teachers just like the one in the student dorms too! You can praise Trixie for her brilliance, now.”
Starlight facehooved before she lifted Trixie away before she embarrassed herself further. She looked over at Sunburst with a pleading expression. He nodded before he straightened up, turned and pointed to the very edge of the campus space. Where he pointed, everyone there saw a large circular stone wall with one large gate at the eastern side and one on the western side. There were large towers along the cardinal points of the wall, two at the gates and one larger one at the other two points. “The wall surrounding the campus itself, along with the guard towers and that large glowing orb on top of the spire, will be essential in keeping any wild monsters away from the campus, thus keeping the students and faculty who will be living here safe. The wall has been magically reinforced to be able to withstand even the harshest of winds and storms. At night, the orb will create not only light for students and faculty to see by, but a magic shield to keep dangerous creatures out as well. Nocreature can fly through it, and the only way in or out is through the east and west gates.”
“But the campus itself isn’t just those buildings!” Starlight exclaimed, showing a bit of her excitement as she swept her hoof around to the landscape within the walls. “We’ve made sure to include many different environments for students to walk through and enjoy. We have a large wooded area, a grassy plain, a lake for swimming and for fishing and more. We are working on the details of constructing a magma pool for any dragons who wish to swim in that instead of water.” Dragon Lord Ember, who was standing nearby, nodded in approval at this. “There have also been talks of starting construction of a nearby multicultural city, but those are just rumors for the present.”
“What an utterly atrocious concept!” a spiteful voice called out suddenly. Everyone turned to see a black-maned and gray-coated unicorn in red and black robes walking up with several unicorns flanking him, all with scowls on their faces. “From the way you talk, it’s as if you believe that this school will change the world! Well, I bring news for you, Miss Glimmer. This school was illegally constructed on Equestrian soil!”
Trixie leaned over to Starlight. “Starlight, who’s that?” she whispered.
Starlight frowned deeply as she glared at the stallion. “Chancellor Neighsay, what an unpleasant surprise!” she said with as much cordiality as she could stomach. “What is this about the Seed of Yggdrasil being illegally constructed? All of the funding was generously donated by the various rulers. There is no impropriety of bits.”
“This school was not sanctioned by the EES,” he replied with a sneer. “As the president, I have grounds to seize this property.”
“Just a moment, Mister Neighsay,” Empress Mi Amore Cadenza said as she stepped forward, looking at the unicorn with a calm and collected expression but putting a small emphasis on the mister instead of his title, “but this land does not belong to Equestria, the Crystal Empire or any other nation in the world. It’s neutral territory and as such it’s outside of any jurisdiction.” Her husband came forward with a document in his magical grasp which she grabbed with her own. She presented it to the unicorn. “I believe you’ll find everything in this document in order. It was signed by the leader of every world government who helped to fund this school, including Princess Luna herself. You can check for magical tampering if you wish, but the document is legal.”
Whether out of spite or to truly test the authenticity, the chancellor did just that. After a moment, a scowl formed on the disgruntled stallion's face as he floated it back to the Empress. “...Yes, it seems legitimate. However, as an official school officiate, it is my right to inspect these halls to see if things are up to standard.”
Starlight gave the unicorn stallion a flat stare. “Even if I were to entertain your clearly unbiased input,” she began, trying to hold back her sarcastic tone and failing, “I, as headmistress of this facility, have the right to allow whomever I wish to perform such an inspection. We’ve already had several renowned educational officials thoroughly inspect the grounds and they’ve given their approval. So honestly, there is no need to hear anything from you.”
The chancellor began to sputter. “Y-You can’t– I don’t– this is outrageous!” he finally managed to get out, “I will have you know that I personally gave the seal of approval for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, the most successful school in all of Canterlot and Equestria!”
“You also denied several other schools that didn’t revolve around unicorn magic and unicorns themselves,” Shining Armor added as he stepped forward, glaring at the unicorn. “I know this because the EES commissioned the royal guards to forcefully shut down those establishments and arrest anyone that resisted!”
“The fact remains that your esteemed approval goes against everything this school stands for and it will not be tolerated,” Cadance added, “Now, would you would be so kind as to remove yourself from the premises? Your authority isn’t recognized here and you’re disrupting school proceedings!”
Before the chancellor could retort, Starlight’s horn glowed and Neighsay and his followers disappeared in a burst of magic. The other creatures cheered and applauded as Starlight smiled back at them. “Now, let’s head inside, shall we? There’s so much for you to see!”
[Ponyville - Later That Day]
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Graystone,” the guard said as she and her partner nodded politely at him. “My name is Swift Sprint and this is my partner Moonlight Star. For the foreseeable future, we’ve been assigned by Princess Luna to be your personal guards whenever you’re out in public.”
Gregory looked down at the two mare guards who were standing before him on the steps of Helping Hooves. He’d woken up about twenty minutes ago to Twilight knocking on his door and telling him that the guards that had been assigned to him had arrived along with the first of his regular stipend that the crown had hastily given to him. Swift Sprint was an eggshell colored pegasus mare with a fiery red, orange and yellow mane and tail, both of which were slicked back and tied up to better be prepared to fly on a moment's notice, and bright blue eyes. She wore the standard Roman-esque guard uniform as did her partner, a slightly taller and surprisingly somewhat muscular unicorn mare. Moonlight had a dark blue coat, white mane and tail, light green eyes and also wore the Royal Guard uniform.
“Well, I knew I was supposed to be getting a couple of guards,” he began, “but I wasn’t expecting any so soon.” He smiled down at them and held out his hand. “Gregory Graystone, Equestria’s newest human. You can call me Gregory if you like.”
Swift looked at his hand with a slight look of nervousness passing over her face briefly before her professional demeanor had returned and she placed her hoof in his hand. “As you like then, Mr. Gregory,” she said with a small smile of her own.
Gregory chuckled softly. “Just Gregory. Mister makes me feel old, and I’m only twenty seven,” he replied good naturedly as he broke the hand/hoofshake and held it out to Moonlight who silently took his hand with her hoof, giving it a vigorous shake. “Whoa there! You’ll shake my entire arm off at that rate,” he said jokingly as he shook his arm and massaged it after the unicorn had finished shaking it.
Swift chuckled. “Moonlight here grew up in a family of all earth ponies so she has had to exercise a lot to keep up with them, but don’t be fooled. She’s strong with offensive and defensive magic.”
“Judging by her handshake I don’t doubt it,” Gregory said. “Now, before I say anything else, I’d like to ask you both a few questions if I may?”
“Of course,” the pegasus said.
He nodded and looked between them. “Is there anything else you two want to tell me before I ask a few questions?” he asked.
Moonlight raised her horn, and it began glowing the same color as her eyes: light green. Her saddlebag opened and a large brown bag tied up with some black rope came floating out and over to him. He held out his hands and she placed it gently in them. He gasped at the weight of it. “We were instructed to give you this stipend,” she said. “There are two thousand five hundred bits in there.”
“Is that a lot?” he asked. “I’m not sure what that value comes out to.”
“It’s a rather good amount to live on comfortably for two to three months at least,” Swift replied.
“Wait, are you serious?” Gregory asked with a frown as he looked at the bag. “That seems like a lot…”
“Those were her majesty’s orders,” Moonlight replied.
“Sometime in the next couple of days you will also be receiving paperwork in the mail about Equestrian citizenship,” Swift added.
“Wow…that’s a lot to take in,” he said softly. “It doesn’t feel like I’ve earned that…”
“It was her explicit order,” Moonlight repeated.
He took a deep breath, exhaled, then nodded as he sat on the steps, putting the bag down. “Well, I gratefully accept, then.”
There was silence for a bit as the three stood around. Finally, Gregory stood and looked down at them. “So, I’ve only recently been made aware of this country’s experience with another human. I was shown the major highlights of the trial too. I’ve already had experience with the ponies of this town trying to destroy something of mine. Thankfully they failed and were arrested, but I just wanted to ask you both your opinion on humans and other races that aren’t ponies.”
Swift’s ears flattened but that was the only indication of the emotion that came from the question. Moonlight remained stoic, but it was her that answered. “What happened to Mr. Wright should never have happened to him,” she said stalwartly, “and my partner here and I won’t let that happen to you.”
“She’s right,” Swift said with a reassuring look and tone. “We have no problems with other races, either. I had a griffon friend once before The Trial. She joined the CFE after that, not that I can blame her. I’ll admit, I don’t know much about other races, but if The Trial taught me anything, it’s that I shouldn’t ever judge an entire race by an individual or even at all, for that matter. Princess Luna asked us many questions about our suitability for this job, too.”
“I imagine she did,” Gregory replied with a nod. “My next question is about this.” He reached to his side and retrieved one of his pistols and held it out. “Did Princess Luna tell you I brought weapons with me so I could defend myself?”
“She did,” Swift said, staring at the gun with some curiosity. “She also said that she’d ordered you to never use such weapons against anypony else.”
“And I intend to do just that,” he replied as he slid it back into its holster. “Did she tell you that my weapons can somehow disrupt magic?”
“She did say you killed a timberwolf,” Moonlight said as she stepped forward. “Did you?”
“I suppose I did, yeah,” he replied.
“Even though Princess Luna said she was there to witness it, I still find it hard to believe,” she replied incredulously.
“I understand that,” he replied, “and I still find it hard to believe too. And I was there. Still, while I won’t go walking around with my guns on me, I’d feel much better if I at least were able to wear my knives. If not them, at least my multitool knife.”
“We can communicate this to her Highness right away,” Swift said, “but for now we’ve been instructed not to let you have weapons on you while you’re in public.”
“Then what about this?” he asked as he held out a tall metal pole. “I’d like to use it as a walking stick.”
The guards looked at each other for a few moments before turning back to him. “You’re not planning on using it as a weapon, are you?” Swift asked.
“That’s not my intention, no,” he replied, “only as a walking stick.”
“Our orders are to be your shield between Ponyville and yourself,” Swift said. “If anything happens, we’ve been trained to be capable of diffusing tense situations. Please let us handle them.”
“You’re the locals here, not me,” Gregory replied, “I’ve no intention of trying to stir up trouble.”
“I appreciate that, and so does my partner here,” Swift said gratefully.
“Great!” He clapped his handsOkay, you know, I haven’t had a chance to fully explore Ponyville. Since I have some lovely guards with me, let’s go sightseeing.” Gregory said.
The guard ponies frown slightly at the request. “Are you sure you don’t want to see more of the castle?” Swift Sprint asked.
“To tell you the truth, sir. Ponyville is not a pretty sight these days and it can get depressing.” Moonlight Star said.
“I’ve heard that,” he replied, “but I’d like to see it at least once.”
The two mares exchange a glance before shrugging. “Well, he is the boss.”
“Follow us, sir.”
Gregory chuckled. “Just let me put this gun and the money in my room first before we leave. I’ll be right back.” He turned and headed back inside. Five minutes later he was back with a small pack on his back and holding the metal pole in his hand. “Alright, now I’m ready. Lead on, you two.”
The trio made their way away from the castle. The two walked on either side of him, keeping their eyes peeled as they began making their way towards the main town. The closer they got, the more ponies they saw, all of whom Gregory didn’t recognize. What he did recognize were the emotions on their faces. Now that he knew the truth about what they’d done to his fellow human, the various looks of fear and derision that were thrown his way made much more sense. That, and he actually noticed them. Of course, the only other time he’d been in Ponyville was when he’d driven Twilight around.
The first pony that he recognize as he and his new guards went further into Ponyville was surprising. He spotted a young yellow filly with bright red hair and a pink bow walking away from a nearby shop with saddlebags on her back. All he had to do was look at her cutie mark to know who it was. “Applebloom…” he muttered to himself.
Gregory started to approach, but hesitated. Blueblood’s words echoed in his mind again. He didn’t want to go making assumptions, but he felt it was rude to at least not introduce himself or at the very least say hi. However, before he could make a decision, the little Apple filly must’ve felt him staring as she turned in his direction. Upon seeing Gregory, Applebloom’s eyes widened. Gregory didn’t know what to make of that reaction so he put on his best smile and waved at her. “Hey, there young filly.”
There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence between the two of them. Finally, Applebloom asked, “A-Are you Jason Wright?”
Gregory shook his head. “Nope, not him. My name’s Gregory Graystone,” he replied.
Applebloom’s’ eyes widened further as she ran up to him. The two guards took up defensive positions, but Gregory stopped them. She skidded to a halt in front of him and looked at him with a frantic expression. “Listen to me, you gotta get out of here!” she said in a worried tone, looking furtively around at the nearby ponies. “I don’t know what you’re doin’ here, but it’s not a good place for humans. The last fella like you was–”
“I know all about Jason Wright,” Gregory replied, cutting her off. “I know just what the ponies here did to him and what they’ve done to other non-ponies. Princess Luna, Prince Blueblood and Miss Sparkle told me. But I also saw that not every pony here is like that.” He knelt so that he was facing her eye to eye. “I saw the part of the trial where you shouted at Applejack. I know that must have broken your heart, but it told me that not every pony around here hates or is afraid of other beings. You’re a good filly. You even just tried to warn me to leave. That tells me you’re a better pony than most of the others in town.” He then stood and gestured to the two guards beside him. “Besides, I have these two beautiful mares by my side to protect me in case anyone in town tries anything.”
“That’s very unprofessional to compliment your charges, sir.” Moonlight said despite the blush.
“But not unwelcome!” Swift said with a cheeky smile.
Gregory chuckled warmly at them before turning to Applebloom once again. “Miss Applebloom, I’m glad you tried to warn me. Thank you very much, and I will be very careful around here.”
Applebloom stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. Then, she looked at the ground, digging at it with her hoof. “Say, do you think things will ever get better again?” she asked in a small voice. “Ever since the trial, it feels like nopony is friendly anymore. My two best friends are gone and I’m still so mad at my sister. I know that Jason fella was doin’ what he felt was right, but was any of it worth it?”
Gregory took a deep breath. He took note of the despair, anger, then despondency that flashed across the young filly’s face when she said all of that. He took a seat on the ground and motined for her to come closer. She did so and sat in front of him. “I’ll be honest, Applebloom, I don’t know how things will go one way or another,” he replied. “It’s possible that things will start to get better, but from what I’m seeing and hearing it will take a while.”
“I hope it doesn’t take forever,” Applebloom said, looking down at the ground still, “I don’t like hatin’ my sister. She ain’t been the same…”
Gregory nodded. “Well, from the punishment I saw her getting, it looks like she’s had it rough,” he said softly. “I’m really sorry you had to go through this, Miss Applebloom.” He resisted the urge to reach out and hug the poor filly. Instead, he gave her a sympathetic look.
Applebloom looked up at that and locked eyes with him. “Maybe you can talk to her? It might help her out of her funk,” Applebloom suggested, a pleading look in her young childlike eyes.
Gregory pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t know…” he mused, looking up at his two guards who were still standing beside the still seated human. “What do you two think about it?”
“We’re not at liberty to advise such actions.” Moonlight said.
Gregory sighed. “Well, it might not be the best–”
“But, off the record, I think ponies are either too proud to admit fault or too busy sulking,” Swift added, giving Gregory a small smile. “A little initiative to solving the problem could be better for everypony. Redemption is a road we all can trot.”
Gregory nodded. “Redemption is a road we can all walk, huh? Maybe so, but the question here is whether or not I should stick my nose in the business of someone I don’t even know.” He turned back to Applebloom. “Are you really asking me for my help, young lady? You don’t really know who I am, you know?”
Applebloom’s features took on an uncertain look and it looked like she was thinking hard. Gregory waited patiently until she spoke again. “Um, can I think about it?” she asked sheepishly, “I don’t just want to spring this on my family.”
“Of course,” Gregory replied, “that’s not a problem. I’m staying at the Helping Hooves Shelter right now.” Slowly, he stood. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Applebloom.” He held out his hand to her.
Applebloom reached up and put her hoof in his hand as the two shook appendages. “Nice to meet you too, Mister Graystone,” she replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, huh? I’ll let Twilight know you’ll be stopping by, then,” Gregory said. “See you later.”
“Bye bye.”
Gregory watched as one of his favorite ponies turned and scampered down the street, a bit more of a pep in her step. He smiled. “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to meet her today,” he said, “but I’m glad to have met her. Now, ladies, shall we continue? When we’re done, I’m heading back to the shelter to talk with Twilight.”
As the trio turned back and headed towards the Helping Hooves Shelter, Gregory felt the ground beneath him start to rumble slightly. He at first thought it was an earthquake. That was, until he turned around and caught a glimpse of something in the distance. He paused and narrowed his eyes to get a better view. He saw a dust cloud steadily approaching. Upon closer inspection, Gregory could faintly make out the form of a pony within the cloud who was running at top speed. “So…who’s that?” he asked as he pointed at the approaching pony.
“Get behind us, sir!” Moonlight immediately said, igniting her horn and stepping in front of him.
“Looks like trouble on the horizon.” Swift said, spreading her wings which had some sort of metal attachments on the end of them.
Gregory stepped behind the two, but he still held up his metal pole just in case something happened. He watched the dust cloud approach faster and faster. “Whoever it is is coming towards us. Let’s get out of the road,” he suggested.
However, it was too late. The dust cloud zoomed past the three as they shielded themselves. The three fell into a coughing fit until Moonlight dispelled the dust cloud with her magic. As the two guards looked around for the potential threat, Gregory stood gobsmacked at the pony in question.
The pony was a mare, at least judging from her initial appearance. She had a bright pink coat and mane that was straight with some curls around the end. However, it was her cutie mark that stood out, as he’d seen it plenty of times on the show. There, bright as day on her flank, were three party balloons attached to strings. The last part threw Gregory off as this particular pony should have had a mane and tail that wasn’t styled like that. “Wait a moment…Pinkie Pie!?” he exclaimed.
The pink party mare stared at Gregory with an unreadable expression. She slowly trotted around him, analyzing his every detail. Gregory stood there, unsure what she was doing. The two guards were ready to restrain her, but Gregory held up his hand to stop them. Finally, after seeming to examine every inch of him, even going so far as to gently touch him with her front hooves, the party pony sat down in front of him. Gregory was officially lost for words now as this was hardly how he thought meeting Pinkie Pie would ever go. However, he remembered the trial and how she had looked like Pinkamena there at the end. Even a year later, it appeared to have some effect on her. “You’re…you’re okay, right?” Pinkie asked as she looked up at him from her sitting position. There was a concerned look in her eyes.
“Um…yeah, I’m alright, if a bit dirty,” he said as brushed his clothes off of dirt, which caused him to sneeze. The dust hung in the air and he fell into a small coughing fit again. He grabbed his metal water bottle from his backpack and drank before he faced her again. He noticed how much more slender she was, but also how much more toned the earth pony mare was. He was no expert on pony standards of beauty, but he felt like she’d be a really good model. She could probably compete a lot with Fleur De Lis if she wanted. “So…how can I help you?”
Pinkie never took her eyes off of him, and they faced each other for a few seconds. Finally, Pinkie asked, “You know what you are and where you are, right?”
That question confused him even more, but he figured she had a reason for the question. “I’m a human and I’m in Ponyville,” he replied. However, a couple seconds later, he made the connection. “Wait, let me guess. Your questions have something to do with Jason Wright and that trial?”
Pinkie’s eyes widened a bit. Clearly, she hadn’t expected him to know at that moment. Slowly, she nodded before continuing “That’s the reason why I’m here. My Pinkie Sense was telling me something big was happening in Ponyville but I didn’t think another human would come.” She stood quickly and got on her hind legs. She put her front hooves on his shoulder and, with a pleading tone, said, “ Please…please don’t tell me you abandoned everything like Jason did to come here!” she said, her voice heavy with worry.
The guards moved forward but once more Gregory held up his hand. Slowly, he put his hands around her hooves, startling the young mare. The two looked at each other for a few seconds before she removed her hooves and backed away slowly a couple of steps. Gregory sighed and replied, “If by abandoning everything, you mean I sold almost everything I owned and came through the portal from my world to Equestria, then I’m afraid I did. But I didn’t come here empty handed. I brought a lot of things with me so I could make the adjustment easier for me. It’s a very long story as to how I got here.”
Pinkie’s ears fell and she looked up at him with even more concern. “Why? Why would you think leaving your friends, family and everything you know just to come here was a good idea?”
“I didn’t have any family when I left,” he replied.
Pinkie’s eyes went wide again. “What…do you mean?”
“Well, to make a long story short, my relationship with my parents was nonexistent,” he replied. “It was a pretty toxic one, to be honest. They often ignored me and left me alone for hours. They didn’t really care what I did. I haven’t spoken to them in years. I don’t consider them family anymore.”
Pinkie deflated a bit. “I’m so sorry…”
“It’s not your fault, so there’s no need to apologize for it,” Gregory said as he finally sat on the ground in front of her. “I don’t have any other family I was really close with, so I didn’t have a problem leaving family behind.”
“But what about friends and everything you knew and loved?” Pinkie insisted.
Gregory looked up at the sky. “Well, to tell you the truth, I didn’t have anyone I was particularly close to when I left,” he said. “Maybe the old librarian lady, but when I left, I’d said my goodbyes.” He looked back down at her. “My life back home had its ups and down, but I think deep down, I wanted something more, and when I found the portal to Equestria, that part of me just grew and grew until I couldn’t think of anything else. It was a hyperfixation for me. To me, this world, or the one I saw in the show, seemed like a paradise. Now I know better, and I’m not saying that because my thoughts were clouded by Discord’s chaos magic. Not that I’m pinning my decisions all on that, because that’s wrong. I made the conscious choice to come here, Discord’s magic be damned.”
Pinkie clasped her hooves together as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Right, Discord. He’s on my list,” she said. She put her hooves down and opened her eyes again, looking back at him. “So, will there be any more humans joining us?”
Gregory wondered what Pinkie meant by list, but since it wasn’t any of his business, he decided not to ask. “Well, I can’t be sure about other humans,” he admitted. “I don’t exactly know how Discord managed to infect the computer that I had when I saw that website. It’s not like I could find it on my other computers. If that was the only thing his magic affected, then I’d have to say no, since I brought the computer with me. And unless I miss my guess, I somehow got Jason’s old computer.”
“Yep, definitely not a coinky-dink!” Pinkie said as she stood up. As Gregory did the same, she pointed a hoof at him. “You’re supposed to be here, doing something important. I don’t know what, but I do know you’re meant to be here. I guess that means I got to help you out.”
Gregory raised an eyebrow. “I’m supposed to be here? How so? Is that a Pinkie Sense thing I didn’t see in the show?”
Pinkie shrugs. “I don’t know the specifics. You know, if you have a show about us, why didn’t you bring some fan based article about my biography from what was shown in My Little Pony?”
“I did, actually,” Gregory replied. “I brought that, and the entire show based off of this world. And not just that, but so much more. But it looks like we’re gathering a crowd,” he added, pointing to the ponies who had indeed been staring at the two as they talked, “so let’s make like a tree and leaf.” He pointed to the Helping Hooves Shelter. “Let’s head back there so we can talk more in private, Miss Pie.”
“Alright, I should check on Twilight anyway. Oh yeah, here you go.” Pinkie pulled a cupcake out of her saddlebag and handed it to Gregory. “I know you would probably want the full Pinkie experience, but I learned to be more considerate during this year.” She shrugged “Who knows, though? Once things get better, it might be time to bust out the party cannon.”
Gregory smiled and held up the cupcake. He wasn’t sure how she’d know, but the chocolate cupcake with green mint frosting and some chocolate sprinkles was one of his all-time favorites. It had been a recipe he’d brought from home so he could recreate it here. “Thank you for this,” he said. “Still, it’s good to see that some ponies are growing up. Come on, let’s head back. I actually brought a few things from Earth for you as a present.”
Pinkie gave him an appreciative smile as they headed to the castle. Behind them, Swift and Moonlight stood still with a look of bewilderment on both their faces. “What…in Luna’s name just happened?” Swift asked, turning to her partner.
“I think it’s better if we classify the pink one under a need-to-know basis,” Moonlight replied, still staring after the pink pony, “by which I mean we don’t need to know.” She straightened and began trotting after Gregory and Pinkie. “Now, let’s follow them.”