"Flash, buddy, do you think you could get me that pencil?" Kenny was enjoying some bro-time with Flash Sentry in a lounge they had found roaming the castle. It had quickly become a regular thing for them to go and spend a couple hours doing there own things. Flash put down his comic book and retrieved the pencil. Once the utensil was safe in the hands of the human Flash continued reading Attack on Slepnir. Kenny looked at the cover and started to laugh.
"What?" Flash asked, bewildered by Kenny's sudden mirth.
"Sorry, it's just I never imagined you guys had stuff like that here." Kenny said, continuing his sketch of Master Chief.
Flash looked over his reading material, "Comic books?"
"If only you knew..." Kenny said with a chuckle.
Flash was going to retort when Luna came crashing into the room.
"Kenny! I'm so sorry!" Luna said as she wrapped him in a crushing, protective hug. "I'll protect you until this all blows over..."
"Protect me from what?" Kenny managed to squeak out.
"Have you not heard?" Luna asked him, still holding him firmly in her hooves. "I would have thought they had reached you by now."
"Hold on, Kenny's in some sort of danger?" Flash asked, returning to his guard programming, "If he is, I need to know exactly what it is that is endangering him."
"I am." Luna said, receiving looks of shock from both males. "Figuratively, I was at a press conference today and I might have let it slip that I was officially in a relationship with you." Luna had expected reprimands, not sighs of relief.
"Geez, Luna. You scared us or a second there. I thought this was something serious." Flash said.
"It is serious!" Luna yelled, "I have inadvertently placed Kenny into the political machine! With the knowledge of his direct connection to me floating about it is only a matter of time before he is involved in a major political scandal!"
Kenny snorted, "You mean besides the one that was already brewing with us just being friends?" Luna promptly punched him in the shoulder.
"Kenny, politics is a horrible thing, filled with bureaucracy, underhand dealings, and empty promises." Luna said in a dead serious tone. "It has taken me and my sister decades to master it, and I am a millennium out of practice. Heed my warning young human, you are now in strange and unforgiving tides. From this moment on you are no longer a free being, you belong to the Equestrian political mechanism. Every action you take will have unprecedented effects on the populous as a whole."
Kenny, to everyone's surprise, picked Luna up and carried her to the door in his arms like an oversize foal. He dumped her in the hallway and gave her one last comment before closing the door.
"Luna, I think this will all be fine. I doubt that dating you has made me some target for politicians to take advantage of. Now, I'm gonna spend the rest of the day coloring Chief, so I'll see you at dinner."
Luna watched the door close with pity.
"May the Goddess have mercy on your soul..." Luna whispered.
"Excuse me, Mr. Lee? May I have a word?" A vivid green unicorn with lemon-lime hair asked as Kenny walked through Canterlot in search of a bookstore. He had decided to take a break from the Arcana and learn about Equestrian literature. Then this dude showed up.
"About what?" Kenny asked warily.
"Is it true that you-" He began.
"No."
"But what about-"
"No."
"Okay." The unicorn said, scribbling down something in a little book with his magic. "Sir? If I could give you any advice, your better off sticking to the castle. Your quite the icon among nobility now, watch out"
Kenny turned to ask him what he meant only to find the unicorn was gone without a trace. Deciding magic was involved, Kenny went back on his merry way, but he didn't make it two steps before he was met with two dapper stallions with looks of awe.
"How did you do it?" One asked.
"Do what?" Kenny asked, the stares these two were giving him were creeping him out.
"Woo the Princess of course!" The other stallion said. "What is your secret?"
"No secret here guys." Kenny responded. "We ran into eachother and had an accidental make out, that's it."
This didn't warrant the reaction he expected. "Thank you!" They shouted before running off to who knows where.
"Weird..." Kenny continued walking and made it all the way down the block when another pony stopped him, this time a pegasus mare.
"Yes, Ma'm?" Kenny asked when she had tapped him on the shoulder.
"Umm... Are you the one they call 'Kenny Lee'?" She asked timidly.
"Yes?" Kenny responded.
"Umm, Do you... I mean-"
"I'm sorry, but I do have things I need to do so-"
"DO YOU THINK I'M PRETTY!?!" She suddenly yelled before immediately covering her mouth with both hooves.
"Suure?" Kenny offered.
The mare gave a light gasp and a furious blush, flying away giggling like a geisha girl.
"What has gotten in to the ponies in this town?"
"Sir?"
Kenny turned to find none other than Fancy Pants standing before him, "What now?"
"If you would be so kind as to humor me, I need a spot of advice." Fancy Pants said with a warm smile.
"Okay, I guess that's innocent enough." Kenny muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"I said ask away!" Kenny recovered, giving a sigh of relief when Fancy Pants nodded is head in satisfaction.
"I have a little marital issue right now. Things have gotten a little boring, if you know what I mean. I was wondering if you could share with me any techniques to make things a little more interesting for me and Fleur."
"Wut."
"Sorry if it's a little too personal, but seeing as you have the Princess satisfied, I thought you could teach me something."
"Umm, uhhh... I, uh, hmmmmm..." Kenny struggled to say something coherent. It didn't help that Fancy Pants was giving him the most hopeful look a man (or stallion in this case) could muster. "Kamasutra!"
"Kama-who-what-now?" Fancy said.
"Look it up!" Was all Kenny gave before dashing away back to the castle and away from all this.
"Kenny you have made a couple out there very happy." Celestia said amid the laughter blossoming from Luna. "Frankly I don't see any issue with what happened at all today. You practically saved a stallion's marriage, boosted a young mare's self esteem, and gave two colts some great stories to tell, if not a couple of mare-friends. I'd say you're shaping up to be quite the image of Prince of Love. Too bad Cadance already took the job."
Kenny slammed his head against a throw pillow.
"May I speak freely your highness?" Flash asked.
"Of course." Flash gave her a firm nod before turning to Kenny.
"Bro, help me out here. I have a bit of a thing for this one mare and I'm not sure how to go about asking her-"
"If slamming face-first doesn't work then just ask her you pansy." Kenny yelled through the pillow.
"Thanks!" Flash said. He was about to run off to ask a maid out when a hoof stopped him. He turned to see Celestia had stopped him.
"If you would, I would prefer that you wait on that for now Flash Sentry." Celestia asked. She breathed a sigh of relief when he gave a salute and returned to his post by the door.
"Come now, Kenny! Surely this is not as bad as you make it out to seem? You haven't even been confronted by the politicians yet!" Luna offered.
"I never wanted to be famous..." Kenny muttered. "Celebrities always go crazy in the end."
"Fear not, Kenny. I am here for you." Luna said in a motherly tone, holding the moping man in her hooves. "Remember that we are in this together. I have been 'famous' for countless years, you learn to accept it. Besides, at least it seems that the public has taken the news well! No one seems to think badly about our relationship."
They all heard several heavy knocks from the door. "Princess! We have a problem!" Yelled the voice of a guard. Celestia opened the door to find one of her guards standing in the door way with a look of worry.
"Princess, several citizens have amassed at the castle gates demanding to see the Mr. Lee." The guard hurriedly said, "They have threatened to break their way in if we don't give him up."
Luna tightened her grip on Kenny, Kenny giving out a pained 'urk!'
"Celestia, speak to them. Tell them they cannot have him and that he is under my protection."
"Luna-" Kenny began, but Luna kept talking regardless.
"If anyone tries to get in throw them in the dungeons for a couple hours. No one is going to reach my moon monkey!"
Everyone's faces turned to shock and mild disgust.
"Luna, calm down. I have my own plan." Kenny said as he extracted himself from her hooves. "And you are very necessary for it."
With a light mutter, Kenny summoned the Arcana to him. He scanned the pages as everyone else watched.
What now? The Arcana read.
You should know exactly what I want. Kenny thought, knowing that the book would hear him.
Yeah, yeah something to show those bozos that they can't touch you. Shouldn't the word of the Princess be enough? You know that this will probably reignite the rumors that you're some evil brainwasher. I think that I could provide you with something to more effectively earn their trust and favor.
What would that be?
Simple, rather than scare off the neigh-sayers, you appeal to your supporters.
That was a horrible pun and how would I do that?
I have a couple ideas...
"Mares and Stallions, it is I, Princess Luna." Luna spoke in her Equestrian voice to the crowd below her from a balcony on the castle. "The one you seek known as Kenneth W. Lee wishes me to tell you that he will be appearing at the Canterlot Amphitheater for all of who will come. I ask you withhold your questions for him until then.
The crowd of ponies began to disperse. Slowly at first, but picking up speed until they left in droves. Once the crowd was entirely gone, Luna went back inside. Flash and Celestia we're helping Kenny into a set of luxurious and complex robes.
"Are you sure this will work?" Luna asked warily.
"I have no idea..."
The Amphitheater was packed with ponies from all around Canterlot. Some had come to protest the unorthodox relationship between Kenny and Luna. More came out of genuine curiosity about this new being, ready to ask tons of questions. Even more just came to see what all the hype was about. Regardless, they were all there for the same reason.
To see this Kenneth Washington Lee, an alien that had the fancy of one of the two highest authorities in the land.
The lights in the amphitheater went out, and dozens off conversations were cut off by the darkness. Speakers crackled to life and spotlights danced across the audience, each one a different color of the rainbow.
"Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls! Straight from a world beyond this plane, I give you the one-and-only, Kenny Washington Lee! Yelled Flash Sentry in his best announcer's voice, and pulling it off quite well. All the lights shifted to a single spot on stage, the lights combining to form a single white orb on the massive stage. They stared there for a mere moment before the air above the white spot exploded into a cloud of black, inky smoke. It was whisked away by a gust of wind to reveal Kenny in his new magician's robes, layers of silk and velvet combing into a myriad of blues and blacks. It was made from one of Luna's older dresses, butchered and reassembled by Perfect Fit to fit his frame. They were rather form fitting down to the waist, where it flared out anime style. On top of his head he wore a black suede top hat with a powder blue band. Kenny waved his hand for the audience, a confident performer's smile written across his face.
"Hello, people of Canterlot!" Kenny said with his magically amplified voice. He got a mixed reaction. Some ponies gave out the typical whoops and wallops, others still yelled out insults and accusations. "Do I hear some dissenters out here? What is a man to do? Say I have an idea! Why don't one of you nay-sayers come up here and tell me what ails you so? Select one pony to represent your case."
The crowd of protesters went into a panic. They all wanted to stop this monster, but none wanted to face the gorilla alone. Kenny watched in amusement as they a quarreled in their seats. Eventually, an older stallion was selected and thrown in heap on stage despite his constant pleads for them not to. Once he was on stage he scrambled to collect himself and stood before Kenny with an air of nobility and poise. He also failed to hide the way his knees shook as Kenny approached.
"So you're the lucky winner!" Kenny said with joy, "Tell me, what is your name?"
"I am Shire Snob." The older unicorn responded. Despite his fear his voice was level and confident. "My associates and I have come to protest your advances on our fair Princess. You are a beast, undeserving of her hoof. We will ask that you leave Equestria and back to whatever 'plane' you came from."
Several ponies in the crowd took exception to that. Shire was met with 'boohs' and the occasional 'Jerk!'
"Well Mr. Snob, I can see you are concerned for your 'fair Princess'." Kenny responded, stroking his chin. "How about I prove that I am more than some common shumck that just happened to catch the eye of your Princess, you know the one that totally was thinking of dating a pony beforehand." His last comment earned a couple giggles from the more tolerant parts of the crowd.
"I fail to see how you will manage to do that." Shire snorted.
"We'll see. Now head on back to your seat my friend because the show is about to begin!"
Kenny snapped his fingers and Shire Snob was sent straight back to his seat in a flash of his black magic. Everyone in the building gasped. Up until that point nothing but a unicorn had been known to use magic.
"Now I will show you the many great legends of my people, in chronological order!" Kenny summoned forth a black cloud of smoke to encompass the stage, and the lights went out.
"We're going for a ride..." Kenny muttered. "Simulacrum!"
One blue light appeared through the smoke, along with a light hum. A dark figure stepped forth from the murk, a glowing blue blade in hand. He wore simple brown robes and a hood that hid his face from the audience.
"I'm going to stop you here, Sith." Its vice was clear and strong, filled with a steel that rang through the amphitheater.
"You underestimate the power of the Dark Side, Jedi." Everyone's heads turned to see a menacing figure in black armor at the back of the amphitheater, standing in the entrance. He wielded a similar glowing blade, only this one's was blood red.
The Sith leapt at the Jedi crossing the distance easily in one jump. The Jedi easily blocked the Sith's advance and their sabers met. Their blades let out a sharp crack at the contact and sparks leaped from between their blades. The Jedi shoved away the Sith's weapon and thrust his palm at him. Everyone gasped when they saw the Sith get thrown across the stage by a mysterious force. The Sith landed on his feet and extended his own arm, lightning arcing from his fingertips and at the Jedi. The Jedi blocked this too with his blade and the two were locked in a stalemate. It didn't last long, and they both vanished in a large explosion.
Now a lone figure stood center stage. It was clearly a human, only much more rugged and muscular than Kenny. It wore pieces of iron armor and held a shining steel blade in hand. Its face was hidden behind a horned helmet. It looked to the sky where a deafening roar shook the ponies in their seats.
"DOVAHKIIN..." A dragon unlike any have ever seen was peched just above the audience and before anyone could react, it breathed a stream of fire on the man. The Warrior was completely engulfed and some in the crowd cried out at the sight. However, when the dragon finished, the Warrior still stood. And he shouted back at his assailant.
"FUS RO DAH!"
A shockwave blasted the dragon, almost knocking it out of the sky. The dragon dive-bombed the Warrior and the Warrior swung his sword wide. The steel edge hit home and the dragon faltered as it flew. It flew around for another run. The Warrior prepared himself as the dragon summoned fire to his maw once more. It dive-bombed him again blasting fire all the way, narrowly missing the audience. The fire engulfed the stage and obscured the audience's view of what was going on. Soon nothing but the crackling of the inferno on stage could be heard.
Then the fire was blown away by a blue ball of explosive plasma impacting the stage. It had come from off-stage right, and from that direction a very large man ran, covered head-to-toe in orange-and-white armor, occasionally turning and letting loose a couple bangs from a small metal contraption in his hand. Another blue ball of plasma followed and the man leapt to the left. It impacted next to him and a blue flash of light suddenly burst from him. His body would be arced by electricity as he slowly stood. He got up just as a large armored monster appeared. It was easily as tall, if not taller, than the Armored Titan. Its four mandibles worked as it spoke in some strange unknowable language. Many swore it was all 'wort'.
The Armored Titan saw the monster approaching and raised his weapon. He fired of three times, each shot hitting the beast. The Monster seemed was unaffected as each blast only caused his armor to glow an eerie light. The Armored Titan's own armor was engulfed briefly in light before returning to normal. The monster pulled out his own weapon, a strange metal item with organic shapes and purple spikes protruding from the top. Its fingers pulled a small lever and a stream of purple spikes went flying at the man. He tried to dodge them, but several of them followed his movements and struck him. They shattered harmlessly on his armor, glowing just as the Monster had. The man pulled out an ergonomic metal handle. It shuttered as twin blades of blue energy curved from it, creating a deadly sword. The Monster did the same, throwing his spike-thrower aside. They both stood on stage, circling.
The Armored Titan was the first to make a move. He ran at the Monster and swung his blade in a wide arc. The Monster stepped out of the arc's path and stabbed at the man. The Armored Titan ducked, narrowly missing being stabbed through the chest. He swung his blade at the beast's feet leaving deep cuts in its shins. It cried out in pain and the Armored Titan thrust his blade through the screaming Monster's chest. It went silent and fell. The Armored Titan stood, its blue visor hiding any expression.
It picked up the spike-thrower and attached it to his side, and after it was secure left.
The lights went out.
It took a full minute for the audience to realize it was over.
The thundering sound of hooves stamping in applause and the whistles that they let loose was all the confirmation Kenny had needed. He wiped the sweat from his brow and walked on back on stage.
"Well! That was quite the show, was it not?" Kenny said in his amplified voice. "Thank you all for applause, for that is but a small taste of what humanity aspires to be, for we are as diverse in thoughts and ideas as nature herself! I am but a grain of sand to the grand collective of the human race. Now who here still thinks I should break your poor Princess Luna's heart and hit the road?"
Kenny was glad to see that only Shire and a small group of ponies similar in overall demeanor to him raised their hooves.
"Well, I guess I wasn't able to convince you Shire, and I'm sorry for that. Now who here wants Kenny, the human extraordinaire, to stay here in the wonderful city of Canterlot?!" Kenny said whilst throwing up his hand and letting loose a fireball that flew straight up and into the sky where it exploded in a wash of color.
Almost the entire theater raised their hooves.
"Motion carried!" Said a new voice, Celestia's. Everyone turned to see Celestia standing in the royal box far above the audience. "Voted on by the worthy citizens of Canterlot, Kenneth Washington Lee is to stay in Canterlot for as long as he may please."
Kenny took a bow and everyone (except Shire and his band of neigh-sayers of course) let out cries of victory. Their favorite human visitor was here to stay.