31ST AUGUST 1939
--------------------------------------------------10 KILOMETERS FROM GENEVA AIRPORT---------------------------------------------------
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Chamberlain were nervous. It was now 3:00am over in Geneva, which meant it was almost 1:30am in Equestria. They were on board a VIP-spec Royal Air Force DC-3 on final approach into the city's airport. Today was the big day. 
The Equestrians, along with the Crystal Empireans, would be arriving at the League of Nations headquarters in just eight hours. The first time that aliens would participate in Earth's politics. A new era for the world. Man, it was overwhelming. They had hardly got any sleep on the plane, and they couldn't sleep until they got some sleeping pills, since they were so nervous.
Roosevelt and Chamberlain looked outside the window as the plane flew over the runway approach, less than 200 feet above the ground, and rapidly descending. Less than ten seconds later, the main wheels touched the runway with a bump, the plane started slowing down, and the tail wheel touched the ground around twenty seconds after main touchdown. As the DC-3 taxied off the runway, they could see other world leader's planes parked at the VIP terminal, specially built for world leaders. He could see numerous world leaders' planes parked there: multiple DC-3s belonging to European and Asian world leaders, and other smaller planes, but one plane stuck out above all the other planes.
A large Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, in military camouflage, with the Nazi Swastika on the tail. This was that madman Adolf Hitler's personal plane. Everyone looked at that Condor with an expression of disgust. They did admit, though, that somehow, the Germans were ahead of the rest of the world in terms of aviation technology.
As the DC-3 pulled up in its stand and the propellers were shut down, six black cars pulled up next to the plane. The doors were opened, and everyone aboard the plane got into the cars, which drove down to the League of Nations. Roosevelt and Chamberlain were both feeling that something bad was going to happen, very soon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------CANTERLOT----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Twilight, and Shining Armor had already woken up. Today was the big day. They were going to the League of Nations. They would see a human city for the first time, let the world know they were peaceful, and meant no harm, and begin diplomatic relations with Earthly countries. Twilight could barely sleep until Spike gave her a sleeping pill, she was so excited. Twilight had awoken at 4:30am that morning to pack up and get ready for their trip. She was too excited to travel on an aircraft, and find out how they worked. This would begin the future of Equestrian air travel. Shining Armor was also excited, to see how a human military worked.
Luna had almost tried to lower the Moon, until Celestia had reminded her that in this world, the Sun and Moon weren't controlled. Due to this, Luna had suffered a nervous breakdown, crying that her cutie marks were never going to be of use on Earth, and cursing Faust for sending them to a place where they were of no use, until Celestia reminded her that they were of use, by helping the humans, and ruling their nation. This made Luna a little happier. She was also excited to see a human city for the first time, and see how the League of Nations worked.
Meanwhile, in the garden of Canterlot Castle, Discord made one final push. He was 99% there, come on.... YES! The statue shattered to pieces and despite their being a huge roar, only those inside the soundproof bubble he had created would hear the sound of it, and the disguise charm began to wear off. He was free, at last, an hour or two behind schedule, but still free. He knew that the princesses would be leaving for the League of Nations, in one and a half hours. He better go invisible mode, so that no one noticed him. He instantly teleported off to Geneva, where he would wait a little before he put the next part of his plan into action.
As this was happening, Celestia felt something off, like something evil had escaped. She looked at the statue of Discord, in case he had freed himself... no, it was still intact, albeit it seemed like there were a couple of cracks on it. Celestia thought it had probably occurred when they had been transported to Earth, and left it alone for now. In the meantime, Luna had gotten herself back together after her breakdown, and was ready to leave. She was busy eating pancakes in the dining room, when Celestia came in. "Luna, are you okay now?" asked Celestia.
"I am fine, 'Tia. I am feeling much more sure about myself now." responded Luna.
"Fine, then. Are you ready for probably the biggest event of our lives?"
"I am nervous, of course, but I feel ready."
"Alright, let's finish our breakfast quickly, and then leave for Manehattan, along with our selected guards and scientists. Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armor will meet us there, and we will walk with the humans to the airstrip. Remember, we have to be extremely careful about our magic use, Luna, once we leave Equestria, so we don't deplete it."
"Alright, let's eat quickly, and leave, and yes, sister, I will be careful about my magic use." said Luna, midway through a mouthful of pancakes.
"Yes, let's." agreed Celestia.
At exactly 6:10am, Celestia, Luna, five select scientists, and three Royal Guards teleported off to the meeting place at Manehattan. There, they met up with Twilight, Cadance, Shining Armor, and their five select Royal Guards. They were all carrying a lot of things, to survive five days in the human city, and the six hour flight to Geneva. "Alright, is everypony ready?" asked Celestia.
"Yes, Celestia, we are all ready to leave."
"Excellent, let's go meet up with the humans."
A few minutes later, they had met up with Rockmond, Wood, and eight select diplomatic staff and soldiers from their ranks, and were on their way to the airstrip, just a twenty-minute walk from the city. Rockmond and Wood had examined the airstrip the previous evening, and had declared it okay for flight operations to begin, so British and American aircraft could now come and go from Manehattan.
At 6:40am, the whole team had reached the airstrip, which was surrounded by crowds, and a lot of Royal Guards. The second the group heading to the League of Nations arrived, they swarmed by a lot of Equestrian reporters were covering their departure. The reporters were asking questions, which the group were willing to answer.
"Your Highnesses, are you worried that Earth's inhabitants will not accept our lands?" asked one of the reporters.
"I don't really know, but from my interactions with the ambassadors of the United States of America, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain, it seems Earthly nations will accept us."
"What will happen once you reach this 'Geveva' city where the League of Nations is located?"
"When we reach Geneva, we will head to the League of Nations, and commence a meeting with the Earthly leaders, and let them know we are friendly. Once that is done, we can begin diplomatic relations and trade agreements?"
"I see. We have heard much about the humans' methods of air travel. Will this be the starting of air travel in Equestria?"
"We hope that after we return from the League of Nations meeting, we hope to set up more airstrips and airports, and buy more aircraft, so airlines can be set up, and Equestria and the Crystal Empire are fully connected by air."
"Oh, okay then. Will human companies set up factories in Equestria, and will the common Equestrian have a chance to visit the rest of Earth's countries as well?"
"That is also planned, yes."
"Your Majesty, what about the rumors that we can only use magic for up to two days if we go more than 100 hooves, or as the humans say, 100 feet, off the coast?"
Celestia was surprised at this, and so were the humans. They were not expecting that question, as they were not expecting anyone, apart from the Royal Guards, and themselves (except for the humans) to know about it. Thankfully, Cadance was expecting everything, so had an answer ready.
"Yes, if we go more than 3,500 hooves off the coast, we can only use three days' worth of magic, if we do not overuse it, else it will only last around 18 hours. There is a magic bubble surrounding our countries, enabling us to use magic even in a magicless world." explained Cadance.
"Oh, I see. That is all, your Highnesses. Thank you for answering our questions." said the reporter, as the princesses and humans reached the main entrance area, where reporters and the common public could not access. As the gates closed behind them, Wood finally came out.
"You can't use more than three day's worth of magic outside of your countries on this planet? What if something happens that requires you to use your magic?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Wood, I am sure nothing such will happen, and if it does, we will all use it together, so that we don't all deplete our magic reserve."
"Alright. Anyways, I can see our aircraft over the horizon. Looks we'll be leaving on time today." said Wood, seeing the big Boeing 307 Stratoliner on approach in the distance.
"Ah, yes, I can see it too." said Celestia, looking at the sky to the north, seeing the big aircraft on approach. None of the ponies had seen an aircraft up close before, except for the incident with the reconnaissance flight. They couldn't believe such a large object was capable of reaching a top speed of 400 kilometers per hour, as Wood had claimed, for this particular type of aircraft. Twilight kept asking them questions about the plane worked and how it flew. The humans explained that while they didn't know, they could ask the pilots questions about it.
The ponies watched in awe as the bulky airliner smoothly touched down on the airstrip in a cloud of dust, and rolled to a stop, turned around, taxied to the parking area prepared, stopped, and the engines switched off.
The second the plane's passenger door opened, the ponies and humans walked towards the big aircraft. Luna was a little skeptical of the plane at first, but Rockmond calmed her down. "Don't worry, your Highness, for every one million flights, only 0.06 planes crash! Flying is perfectly safe!"
"If you say so, I guess." replied Luna.
The second the ponies got on board the plane, they were greeting to the sight of the plane's amazing interior. It was pure luxury, full of leather seats, magazines in the seat pockets, and other things. There were thirty seats in all, and the ponies instantly walked into their seats. Some were able to fasten their seatbelts correctly, while others had to be helped by the plane's flight attendants.
"You know, for soldiers, you seem to have a hard time working out something as simple as a seatbelt." said one flight attendant to one of the pony soldiers.
"Hooves, ma'am, I have hooves." replied the pony soldier with a smirk, holding out his two front hooves.
The second the ponies were securely fastened in their seats, the pre-flight announcements began. "Ladies and gentlemen, humans and ponies, welcome aboard Air Force One to Geneva. This flight will last six hours, and refreshments will be served, and the weather seems to be clear, so you need not worry. If emergencies do occur, then you must do the following in certain emergencies.... " said one of the flight attendants, explaining the safety features to be used in the event of certain emergencies, which the ponies listened to carefully.
As the safety instructions were being announced, the ponies could hear the throb of the plane's four large piston engines starting up. Despite the cabin being heavily loaded with sound insulating material, the loud sound of the plane's propellers was still present, making some of the ponies stuff their ears with cotton. They felt the brakes release, and the plane started taxiing to the end of the runway. At exactly 6:55am, the plane had lined up on the runway, and everyone was pushed back in their seats, as the throttles were advanced, and Air Force One began it's takeoff roll. The ponies felt the speed, as the tail lifted into the air, and a minute later, the plane was climbing away from Equestria, with the landing gear retracting.
As the plane began a right turn towards the sea, Luna asked the ambassadors something. "Mr. Rockmond, Mr. Wood, what will happen to your naval fleets?"
"Oh, they will stay here until we come back from the League of Nations. After that, we'll decide where to go forward."
"Oh, okay, but is that a good idea, leaving a military fleet that can reduce our city to rubble there like that?"
"Don't worry, we know the captains of those ships personally, and we trust damn well that they will not do anything like that."
"Alright, then. I must say, your aircraft fly very fast, and very high, as well! How high can this aircraft fly?"
"It can fly up to an altitude of 24,000 feet."
"But how are we able to breathe at that height?" asked Twilight.
"This aircraft has a pressurization system, which keeps the cabin pressurized with air to enable us to breathe at such high altitudes. I don't know the exact specifics, but once we reach our cruising altitude, I'll take you on a tour of the cockpit, which is the area from where the pilots control the aircraft. You can ask them questions."
As this was said, the plane flew through the required distance of Equestria, and the ponies felt a loss of some of their magic, but since they weren't planning on using it too much, they weren't that worried.
Most of the flight was uneventful, except for a part around an hour after takeoff where Twilight tried to sneak into the cockpit, until Rockmond actually let her and Shining Armor in and let them take a look at the cockpit, amazing both of them. Shining Armor was already amazed by how he didn't feel airsick onboard the airplane, like he did on an airship, and had to appreciate how the pilots were smoothly flying the big machine. Twilight was also happy, as the pilots answered all of her questions about how the airplane worked, and she got to see how it was controlled.
The in-flight service was also very well enjoyed, the vegetarian subs and sandwiches going down very well with the ponies, and they also enjoyed the wide variety of cookies and drinks that were served. After a flight of just under six hours, at around 2:45pm in Geneva time, they were on descent. The ponies were enjoying the views of the Swiss Alps, and they could now see the city of Geneva coming into sight, as the plane made another turn.
They could see the large apartment blocks and villas. Twilight wondered how the people in the apartment blocks could live like that, stacked on top of each other. The villas though, looked nice, and Twilight wondered how rich were the people who lived in those, such was the whole city. As they descended lower and neared the airport, they could see people lining the streets, looking at the plane. They then heard hydraulics noises, as the landing gear was lowered.
The ponies looked eagerly outside the windows, as they flew lower and lower, the buildings stopped, and they started flying over some fields, and they could see the airport's taxiways, and one of it's terminals, outside their windows, and they felt some bumps, as the plane's wheels touched the ground, and felt like something was lightly pulling them out of their seats, as it began slowing down, and the tailwheel touched the ground with a smaller bump than that of the main landing gear.
As the plane turned off the runway, they could see other planes parked next to a large building with multiple windows, and they could see multiple human soldiers, and multiple humans holding what seemed to be much more futuristic cameras than the ones in Equestria. Reporters, Celestia guessed. They noticed that most of the other planes were much smaller than theirs, including one wearing the British flag on its tail, except for one large plane, similar to theirs, with four engines, but a different design, and it had a large white cross-like marking in a white circle in a red flag, painted on it's tail.
As their plane pulled up to its spot, some of the ponies began to unfasten their seatbelts, and they could see that the throb of the engines was slowly reducing, and the propellers began to stop spinning. They saw ten black horseless carriages moving towards their plane, and realized these were ground vehicles of some sort. They were sleek, looked fast, and seemed to have one human each in the front, probably their drivers. Celestia asked Wood, "What are these vehicles pulling up next to our plane? Are those what will take us to the League of Nations?"
(basically this but black in color)
"Your Highness, those vehicles are called cars. They are powered by a heavily scaled-down version of the internal combustion engines used in the engines of our aircraft. Those particular cars can hit a top speed of 135 kilometers per hour, and they are used mainly for travel in the city, or between cities. VIPs also use them, to get between meeting places."
Another innovation by the humans. Celestia decided that cars would definitely be a benefit to her nation, with a proper road network, and one of the things to be discussed was the export of cars to Equestria and the Crystal Empire.
The doors of the plane opened and the ponies began stepping out, and began walking towards the cars, as the cameras began clicking. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Rockmond, and Wood, got in one car, while Twilight, Shining Armor, the guards and scientists got in seven of the other vehicles, while the human soldiers got in the remaining three. As the cars began moving, Celestia heard the hum of it's engine, and could tell it was much quieter than the throb of the plane's engines. The cars drove through a gate, and through the streets of Geneva.
The ponies admired the large buildings of Geneva, and were looking at the large hotels, restaurants, and other such places. A lot of crowds were out, eagerly watching aliens come to their planet for the first time. The crowds were waving to all the ponies, who were nicely waving back, despite their nervousness. Thankfully, there were no assassins out here today, thanks to all the precautions made by the League of Nations. Less than ten minutes later, they had reached the Palace of Nations, which was the headquarters of the League of Nations. It looked formidable, and reminded Celestia of some of the buildings in Manehattan. The cars stopped next to the gate of the main building, and the ponies all got out. There were less reporters, but more soldiers here, since it was a government building. She could see the League of Nation's flag displayed on the lawn, along with those of multiple other countries.
The ponies all got in line, and following Rockmond and Wood, began a new era in history, walking into the main lobby of the building. Meanwhile, Discord was watching from one of the other buildings on the Palace of Nations compound, in the body of a now-possessed Nazi soldier. The Equestrians had arrived. This was going according to plan. There wasn't much time left, now. Discord was busy thinking, when the German commander called. "Herman! Stop watching the aliens and get back here! Your shift to protect the Fuhrer's room has come! "
"Coming, coming, Commander!" said Discord, in perfect German, thanks to him mind-reading the young soldier's mind before possessing him. Discord went back in, towards Adolf Hitler's room. It was going to be a long day today.