“Well now we better get Princess Twilight here,” Tennerac said as the group made its way into Canterlot Castle.
“Would you two happen to know where she is now?” Jolterix asked Luna and Celestia.
“The town called Ponyville, most likely,” Celestia said, “Just about an hour away by airship.”
“Alright, well send someone to get her and whatever belongings she needs,” Jolterix said.
“But aren’t you gonna-” Luna began.
“We can’t. We’ve been charged with your protection and we really can’t run errands for you. Plus I’m sure there’s a train or something that can get her here?” Tennerac said.
“I’ll send her a letter,” Celestia said as she walked to her throne, “Meanwhile Luna, you can get some rest.”
“I’ll see you later then, Celestia,” Luna said as she walked off. Jolterix followed her until they passed his room.
When they had awoken, Twilight Sparkle and her entourage had arrived and were speaking with Celestia and Tennerac.
“Is this another Florian?” the one Jolterix remembered as the dress maker asked.
“Yes,” he replied as he realized he wasn’t wearing any of his Florian clothes. He had his disc with him, as it was habitual at this point in his long life, so he placed it on his back. His robes materialized over his leisure clothes as well as his epaulettes and the disconnected metal plates that formed wings on his back. He walked over the only one with a crown: easily identified as the other princess.
“Well it’s nice to meet you properly,” the princess said.
He looked at her intensely as he thought to himself, “Shoot, what’s her name. It means dusk light, and sunset happens at dusk, and light…ah, I remember now.” He extended his hand and said, “It’s nice to properly meet you as well, Princess Sunset Shimmer.” His was replied to with a hard slap to the face and no idea why it happened.
“Uhh…Sunset Shimmer is someone completely different, entirely,” the one Jolterix remembered as the apple farmer told him, “Her name is Twilight Sparkle.”
“Well, sorry about that, then,” Jolterix apologized half-heartedly. “I assume you’re up to speed with the situation here?” He rubbed his face and felt the heated skin: it still stung like something bit him.
“Yes,” Twilight said, “Your friend and Celestia have said that your people are here to ‘protect us.’ Also, that you’ll be doing some kind of tests at ten thousand feet, and that your ships disabled and destroyed Discordian ships. Also, it looks like you’ve got some kind of magic with those bars above your shoulders. Can I ask what that is?”
“It’s not magic,” Jolterix told her. He glanced at Tennerac as he was leaving the room and noticed he wasn’t sporting his metal plates so they were completely new to these Equestrians. “It deals with magnets and gravity: the same sciences that keep our ships in the air. Anyway, these wings signify that I’m a pilot, armor plates and gauntlets signify ground combat, and a big fin on the back and smaller ones just off the arms signifies marine combat. They all float just above our skin.”
“So what kind of flying do you do?” Rainbow Dash asked him with a look of minimal interest. He remembered her specifically well because she was also a pilot.
“Oh, you know high G maneuvers and upper-atmosphere weather control,” Jolterix told her as he sat down with them, “We’ve already requested your airspace above ten thousand feet, so if you look closely you might get to see Florian planes buzzing around making a lot of noise.”
“So are you two really the Germanes from a few days ago?” Fluttershy asked him.
“Yes,” he said, “I’m sure Tennerac gave you the same answer?”
“I just wanted to make sure,” Fluttershy said as she tilted her head down and tried hiding behind her hair.
Jolterix could tell it took a lot of her courage to ask him that, but she still needed to know who she rented her house to nonetheless.
“So if I remember right, your name should actually be pronounced ‘Yolterix,’” Twilight said, “The way you two spoke to each other in your language sounds an awful lot like Germane and I know they would pronounce your name like that.”
“That’s quite perceptive if you,” Jolterix praised her, “But either one is fine.”
“Why does Germaney have the same language as Auflorsung?” the dressmaker, Rarity, asked.
“If I remember right it’s because a lot of Florians went there during the ancient days and assimilated with the locals and the language is similar but not the same,” he answered her.
“Whatter ya Florians really doin’ in Equestria, anyway?” the apple farmer asked him.
“No beating around the bush with you?” he asked rhetorically. “We’re just here to see that Equestria doesn’t burn in a potential war with Discordia. After what we’ve seen today…er yesterday, whatever it was to you, it’s evident you need our help.”
“Whataya mean?” she asked him.
Jolterix thought back to the event and remembered how early it was in the morning. Very few people were probably awake and Applejack was most likely not one of them. “Discordia has some fleet of ships that look similar to Florian ships-to you-but they’re definitely not Florian, and there’s no way Discordia could have built them; they were using flintlock guns just days ago,” he paused in thought, “I’m not sure what’s going on over there.”
“Don’t get used to that, girls. He almost always knows what’s going on,” a voice came. Luna emerged from the hallway with a groggy expression and just barely into her royal clothing: a long blue dress with her obsidian and diamond crown, accompanied by glass bracelets and glass shoes. Through the windows, everyone could see she had already raised the moon so she was taxed from that on top of just waking up. “You’ll soon see that the Florians are incredible people,” she yawned, “And that we’re in very good hands.” She gave Jolterix a smile that he returned.
“But why can’t Equestria just handle itself?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Along with the Crystal Empire, aren’t we strong enough? What if we persuaded Chrysalis and her armies to help us? I’m sure they would…as much as I’d hate to see her again.”
“Maybe if Discordia didn’t have those new ships,” Luna explained, “that our combined forces could defeat them, but even then we didn’t want to ask the Chitin Peoples to help us. If we allowed them in our country, they would surely take advantage of the situation and use us as their food.”
“Luna does have a point, Rainbow,” Twilight told her.
“Just how do they do that?” Jolterix asked them.
“They can change their appearance to blend in, which they would surely use to steal our energy through love until Equestria was annexed by them,” Luna told him.
“Interesting,” he mused, “Perhaps I’ll have to go meet one and see how they do that.”
“That’s a bad idea,” Luna told him, “Trust me.”
“I’m a Florian, my dear. I can handle myself pretty well, you know that.”
“Is this about the jyptolok?” Luna asked skeptically.
“That and all the other things.”
“Can you people do anything you want?” Twilight asked trying to get a better idea on their limitations. . She seemed to be the most curious, but Jolterix remembered her as a thinker.
“No. Did you think Florians were limitless people akin to gods?”
“Well…not really.”
“Alright, Twilight, Ah think you’ve pestered the boy enough,” Applejack replied.
“I’m actually over a thousand years old,” Jolterix told her.
Applejack laughed, “I know I know barely anythin’ about your people, but I know you’re not immortals.”
“Actually,” Luna butted in, “He’s a couple hundred years younger than me. Thanks to some kind of genetic thing they do, they let themselves live forever, but the cost was they can’t have kids anymore.”
“How awful,” said the barely audible voice of Fluttershy.
“Well I think it’s time you all went to bed,” Luna said, “Jolter and I have to keep the night.”
“Do you need any help, Princess Luna?” Twilight asked her.
“No. Besides you all need your rest, anyway,” Luna said.
“She’s raht, we need our sleep,” Applejack told Twilight.
“Always the boring voice of reason,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.
“You should be rested,” Jolterix reinforced, “I’m not sure what will happen tomorrow and you should all be ready for anything.”
“Alright,” Twilight said, her curiosity finally being dominated by reason and caution. Her entourage and she went off to their respective rooms and soon went to bed. Luna and Jolterix guarded the night as usual: Luna took care of any nightly affairs from the throne and Jolterix kept an ear out for the Florian fleet and their activities. A smile found its way onto his face as he heard of their most recent plans.