//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1; A trip to another world   
// Story: A Leon, Luna, and Eddy side-story; Final Fantasy IV adventure 
// by Fireheart 1945 
//------------------------------//

	
The pilot of the Sopwith Camel lined up his shot and fired. Black smoke poured out of the stricken red triplane, which belched fire from it's side and began falling in a downward spiral. 

Luna leaned out the side of her plane as it fell. "We curse thee, ye arrogant whelp!" 

Leon waved cheekily in response as her plane crashed in no-man's-land. "Be seein' ya." 

On the ground, troops in feld-grau and picklehaubes pushed forward against a number of Vickers machine guns, which turned as needed to hit the attackers. At a glance, he could tell it wasn't going to be enough. 

He dove and began strafing the enemy soldiers, who tumbled about, exploding into plastic chunks and lone metallic gears as the bullets hit their mark. As the plane came about, he could see that the ground forces could now handle the enemy on their own. 

It wasn't the end of the enemy attack; twin-engine bombers, of similar design to his own plane - only much larger and carrying more bombs than he did - flew in, ready to smite the machine guns that had brought their ground assault to grief. A pom-pom cannon opened fire, but by itself it couldn't stop all the bombers. 

Sighing, he turned around and headed straight for the flimsy craft. He shot at one, and was quickly rewarded as a number 300 burst from it and it's engines lit on fire. It began falling to earth, a strange sort of aerial scream emitting from it as it fell. It exploded at it rammed into the ground, destroying a tree in the crash. 

Grinning, he went after the second bomber. A few seconds' worth of gunfire and it too was going down in flames. The third suffered the same fate. 

He ducked as a stream of bullets cut the air over his head. Turning to his left, he saw the dread of many an Allied pilot, the Red Baron. Pulling the stick to the left, he headed straight for his attacker, who was forced to turn away to avoid a midair collision. 

This gave Leon the time needed to get on his tail. You're a goner now, buddy. 

Or so he thought. A bright blue beam struck his fighter from below; the craft began emitting sparks, and fell into a dive. 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  

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Leon awoke with a start as a sudden, violet-blue flash of light appeared in front of him; the resounding noise reached his ears. 

"Ah!" He almost fell out of his chair. 

"I'm sorry, did I surprise you?" 

Leon rubbed his eyes. "Princess?" 

"I thought I told you a while ago, we can go by a first name basis," the midnight-blue alicorn answered, smiling. 

"Uh..." 

"Did you forget what day this was?" 

Leon tried to gather his thoughts. "Sorry, I'm feeling a little groggy. Um..." Then he remembered. "This was the day you were going to take me and Ed to visit Canterlot... for the Grand Galloping Gala. Which is weird, since I cannot gallop." 

Luna giggled. "With two legs, I should think not. And that's more or less the excuse to go, at any rate." 

Leon needed a moment to comprehend what she was saying. Then he nodded. "I thought the GGG was the premiere event in Equestria." 

"Oh, it is. At least, for some." Her face fell a little. "In my opinion, it's unbelievably dull. It's mostly talking and admiring the fancy decorations and a dance here and there... and after a thousand years, I've almost forgotten how to do even that." She looked at him seriously. "Or did the episode about it tell you any different?" 

"No." A question formed in his mind. "How is the show able to-" 

"Not here. I'll tell you about it when we get there. Do you have your things?" 

"Yes, in this bag right here," he answered, pulling the handle on his luggage bag. 

"That's good," she said. "Give me a few minutes to ready my transport spell." 

"Can't you just cast it now?" 

"No," she said. "In fact," she added, pulling a chair over with her hoof and sitting on it, "I feel pretty drained as it is. Magic spells require energy from the user's own body in order to work. It requires a lot of concentration as well as the exact knowledge of where the destination is, so it can be mentally taxing as well as physically. There have been times when a unicorn has used so much energy in their spells that they died." 

"Okay, I get the point. If it's a choice between you dying and us staying here a for a few more minutes, I'll take waiting." 

"Thank you for your understanding." Her belly rumbled. "I've already brought Edward to the portal we'll be using. Do you think you or your family could spare a morsel or two?" 

"I think we can do that. Follow me." 

Leon lead the Lunar Princess into the kitchen. His mother was standing there, her back to him as she swirled a ladle in a frying pan. "Good morning, Leon. I thought your special friend was going to pick you up by now." 

"Gah!" 

"We will be leaving in a few minutes, as soon as I regain my strength, Luna said. Leon's mother turned around, a surprised expression on her face. "If you could spare it, a little food would go a long way towards speeding along our departure." 

"Oh," mother said. "Oh," she said again, noticing Luna's crown. She curtsied. 

"You don't need to do that, kind maiden," Luna said, as Leon felt a little - or more than a little - embarrassed. ""I usually don't mind being a little informal when in private." 

"Well, if it's food you want, I'm making grilled cheese sandwiches." 

Luna's stomach growled again. "That would be most welcome." 

Leon sat down at the table, and Luna did so as well. "How has life in Canterlot been lately?" he asked her. 

"It's been busy this week," Luna said, twirling a hoof in the air. "How could it not be, with preparations with the greatest event of they year?" 

"Laying it on a little thick with the sarcasm, aren't you?" 

"I can't help it. Back in Equestria's medieval ages, the Grand Galloping Gala was truly something to die for... without the dying, of course. Nowadays, it's just awful. The nobility really was noble back in my time; now it's full of spoiled brats who don't deserve the title. My nephew is a prime example, but sadly just one of many examples." 

"I notice your hooves look shiny today." 

"Thanks! I actually had them done this morning before picking up Edward. It went well with all my accessories, which, if you'll notice, have been polished and shined as well. I'll end up doing all that again before the Gala, but I just wanted to make sure the services at the palace could meet the proper standing." 

"Has anything else happened?" 

"I went out with Celestia and Cadence, a girl's night out, as it were. We went to a local restaurant, and Celestia..." Luna giggled. "Celestia disguised herself as a unicorn, and started bashing herself before everypony after we'd paid the bill. Naturally, the waiters, waitresses, and patrons weren't too happy to have someone insulting their princess, and they kicked her out. We were all laughing about it as we walked home." 

"Wait, really?" 

"Yes. And get this; after the head chef yells, 'get out and stay out!' Celestia removes her disguise, revealing herself, and says, 'gotcha!' to him. You should have seen the look on his face!" 

"I... hope he knew how to take a joke." 

"He didn't know what to do; he was somewhere between furious and reverent. Come to that, I doubt I would have acted any different." 

"Anything else?" 

"Other than a hooficure, no notable event outside the castle happened over the past week, other than preparations. If you want to hear of events inside the castle, now..." 

"Hopefully nothing graphic?" 

"What? No, nothing of that sort. However," she went on, lowering her voice, "Prince Blueblood was caught tampering with the treasury." 

Leon leaned forward, eyes widened in surprise. "Really? He was dumb enough to try that?" 

"Oh yes. Apparently, it's been going on for quite a while now." 

"I can't imagine he got away with it?" 

"No, but..." 

"What?" 

"Well," Luna said hesitantly, "he... got a punishment rather... unbefitting for a prince. Celestia spanked him, in front of the entire court and staff." 

Leon's face went 0_0. "She spanked him? In front of hundreds of ponies?" 

"Yes. And after that, she told him his allowance was being completely cut off for the next five years, so he's going to have to find work if he intends to buy himself anything special." 

"Let me guess; he was begging at her hooves?" 

"More than begging, I assure you. It didn't get him anywhere. We also had trouble with a certain avatar of chaos." 

"What did Discord do this time?" 

"He the idea of spreading poison joke everywhere to be funny, and he spread sneezing powder on every bed in the castle. I ended up screaming myself hoarse at him with the Royal Canterlot Voice. Of course, once I was done, he found the world to be a big game board again." 

"What punishment did he get?" 

"Fluttershy used the stare on him. This time, it worked, probably because they've become friends more than for any other reason. He wasn't smiling for a while after that." 

"As long as he doesn't screw up our time together, I'm fine with him around." 

"As am I, but just be careful around him, mind you." 

Before Leon could say anything, his mother appeared with two plates. "Here you go darlings," she said. "Enjoy." 

"Thank you, Mrs. Berthou, this smells wonderful," Luna said as she lifted the grilled cheese to her face. After taking a bite and swallowing it, she cast a mischievous glance at Leon. "And I am a much better pilot than you are in Toy Soldiers." 

"You were in my dream!?!" Leon said in surprise and shock. 

"Oh, yes," she said, with more relish in her voice this time. "It was rather hilarious to see your face as you plummeted to earth." 

Leon coughed. "That was a dream. This is real life." 

"So it is. So remember what really happens when you try going up against me in a Sopwith Camel as a plastic pilot." 

"Yeah, but let's not forget how good I am at controlling machine guns and artillery." 

"Who cares if my bombers destroy them all?" 

"Please, dears, no arguing at the table," Mrs. Berthou said. "And please eat up, or it'll be cold before you know it." 

"Yes mom," Leon said, at the same time Luna said, "Sorry." In someone else's house, it didn't matter if you were royalty; mom was queen in her own realm. Leon got up and went to the fridge, bringing back to the table a large bottle of ketchup and pouring some of it on his plate. 

"Do you really need that much?" the princess asked. 

"Yes. Ketchup is the greatest condiment ever invented, and the world better not forget it." Leon dipped his own sandwich into the red substance and brought it to his mouth. It was still pretty hot, but it wasn't boiling hot, so it was easily digestible. 

They finished their breakfast quickly. "Thanks Mom," Leon said as he picked up his bag. 

"Have fun, sweetheart," his mother said back as he turned his reddening face away. "Be safe." 

I'm not a little boy anymore, Mom! Nevertheless, he said, "I will, Mom. Me 'gar ac'hanout." 

His mother smiled, understanding the phrase. "Me 'gar ac'hanout. I'll see you when you get back next week. Bye!" 

"Bye!" Leon and Luna stepped out of the house, with Leon closing the door after them. "Is your magic back yet?" he asked, turning to Luna. 

"Yes, I think I have enough energy to get us to the portal, from which we will enter Equestria." Luna's horn began to glow. "Hold onto my neck," she said, "otherwise the spell will leave you here." 

"I could ride on your back," he joked. 

She turned to him. "That's not funny. I would be out of energy and in all likelihood collapse if you did that, and I don't intend for anyone at the American embassy to see anything in the slightest awkward." 

"Sorry," he said quickly. 

"That's alright. Just don't hold on too tightly, I don't want you to choke me." 

Leon put his right arm over her neck, establishing a loose hold. "This okay?" 

"Yes. Hold on... three, two, one...!"  

There was a flash. For the smallest instant of time, Leon felt strange; half in and out of reality, his body disconnected, every atom for a second on it's own, as though his Maker had taken him apart and was reassembling him... 

And then he had feeling in his body again. He swayed, a little put off by the sudden burst of magic and it's side-effects. Looking at the Princess, he could see that the teleportation spell had worn on her; whereas he felt a little discombobulated, she was drained of energy after having performed a spell of such concentration and power. 

"You know, I've seen you do that half a dozen times, Princess, and it still fascinates me every time." 

Leon turned toward the speaker, a U.S. soldier guarding the inside of what he recognized as the Equestrian Embassy to the United States, next to a Royal Guard who looked as if he were made of painted stone. 

"Who ya got there?" the soldier asked. "A friend of yours?" 

"Yes, Jefferson," Luna replied, breathing a little heavily. "He'll be coming with me today." 

"Well, then, I wish you both a happy weekend." 

"Thank you." After a moment, Luna caught her breath. "Follow me," she said to Leon. 

They walked into the tall building before them into the atrium. The entire place was pristine, almost spotless. Ponies walked here and there, some with papers clutched in a forehoof. A pair of Guards, one of them a white, large, tough-looking earth pony stallion, the other a black, fanged thestral, stood at attention at a massive doorway domineering the scene. Both held spears, looking as though they would be ready to spring into action if need be. He noticed they weren't the only Royal Guards present. There were perhaps a dozen around the entire room, no doubt with others elsewhere in the embassy. 

"This is your embassy?" 

"Quite the busy place, isn't it?" 

"Well, yes..." 

"I was glad when your government allowed us to set this up. Our most skilled diplomats work here." 

"Wow. How do they keep it so clean?" 

"A hard-working staff and dedicated workers. All of whom are well paid, by the way." 

"Considering how many gems and diamonds there are in your world, it doesn't surprise me." 

He was a little surprised to hear her laugh. "More than one human has mentioned this. Equestria was a rich kingdom, even in it's medieval days. The gold and silver we had made us prosperous; the jewelry we made from the elements we mined was considered the finest in the world." Luna looked reminiscent; her eyes stared into the distant past, and her ears paid no attention to the little noises in the atrium. "Equestria was so much grander in those days. We had magic and what little technology we needed, and that sufficed to make things work. I can still remember the great hall in the old castle, when a hundred ponies would sit down to feast at dinner. I remember mother and father announcing the beginning of the feast. The food was to die for." 

"Do you have a passport, sir?" 

Both of them stopped. Luna shook her head, as though reluctantly though dutifully awakening from a pleasant dream. The Royal Guard standing watch over the doorway had addressed him. "Uh..." Leon reached into his bag and pulled out a small passport. "Here it is, I think." 

Way to look stupid in front of everyone, moron, came an unwarranted thought. 

Hey, he's big enough to pound me into mashed potatoes if he wanted to! 

The Guard took the passport in his hoof - it was odd to see the hard, flat surface somehow holding onto the small book, as though the hoof was somehow magnetic all of a sudden - and studied it. After a few moments, the Guard gave it back. "You're clean." 

"Could have told you as much," his Lunar companion said. "He's come in with Princess Luna herself." 

The other Guard didn't say anything in response. Maybe the thestral thought he could get away with a little loss of discipline in front of the Princess he represented. 

He was right, if he thought that. "We'll be going in now," Luna said to them. "Continue your vigorous watch." 

"Yes, my Lady." 

"As you will, your Highness." 

With that, the door opened. Leon and Luna walked inside as it closed behind them. 

Inside was... something. That was the first thought that came to his mind. Clearing his head, he recognized the thing as the portal; a giant, somewhat transparent sphere, suspended in a vertical band of metal. It was massive, easily taking up most of the space between the floor and the roof. Glowing strings of white light waved in and out of existence. 

"Quite mesmerizing, isn't it?" 

"Yeah," he said, still dazzled by the magnificent object before him. "You sure this is safe?" 

She gave him an indignant look. "Would I be here if it weren't?" 

"Oh," he said, feeling a little guilty, "right." 

"Are you ready?" 

Leon nodded. 

"Just walk through it, from one end to the other, and you'll find yourself in Equestria; in our foreign office, if you want the precise location." 

"Alright," he said, more bravely than he felt. He took a few steps forward. 

Immediately, he felt odd again, though the feeling was not the same as being teleported hundreds of miles in an instant. This was more like being submerged in lukewarm water, with the difference that he was able to breathe and didn't have the weight and pressure on his body and ears. 

Keep going, he told himself. Keep going.

He took a few more steps forward. After a few seconds, he stepped out of the sphere into the open world again. 

Only this time, it wasn't his world. The room he stepped into appeared to be the same size as that of the one he had just left, but the wall and floor were different colors. 

He heard the clip-clop of Luna's hooves behind him. "Well, what do think?" she asked, smiling encouragingly. 

"Hmm?" 

"You're in another world. How do you feel about it?" 

"I think I'll know when I have more than just this room to look at." 

"Ah. Guards," she called, "open the door." 

The door glowed, then opened slowly. Leon and Luna walked through it. 

The building they were in was obviously different from the one they'd left behind. It was even more pristine than the embassy had been. As in the embassy, ponies were walking here and there, going about their jobs with a mixture of speed and efficiency. Something felt different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was.

Then he had it. The ponies here somehow felt more relaxed than those back in the embassy. No doubt about it; he was now in Equestria. 

"I'm... I'm..." 

"You're in Equestria," Luna finished for him. 

"I can't believe it." 

"Believe it you will, once you've seen more of the capital than this." 

After following her out of the building, believe it he did. The mountain was unmistakably the one on which Canterlot rested. The city streets were filled with ponies going from one place to another, some pulling carts or taxis, still others waiting on the sidewalk for one reason or another. 

He'd never seen so many ponies, not even in the show. While he'd seen a pony once or twice in his home town, they were rarely seen in Maine, which was a far distance from Washington and possessed little to attract ponies, either to get a job or settle. 

"Believe it or not, Canterlot isn't the biggest city in Equestria," Luna said as they got walking. "A mountainside has only so much room for expansion, and it's hard to fit more buildings here than we already have. Not that we aren't trying, mind you, but it goes hard on our architects." 

"Can't you just drill into the mountain?" 

"We have considered that. However, most ponies dislike the idea of living underground, though it might be necessary if the population size increases much more." 

"Do you need magic to hold the city up?" 

"That's a good question. Yes, we've needed magic to strengthen some of the supports for the city, and every week we send out a crew to check how the supports are doing, down to the very last bolt." 

"How long has Canterlot existed?" 

"It was but a mere twinkle in the eye when... Well...." Luna went quiet. 

When you were banished to the moon. Leon didn't say it out loud. He did ask, "How long after that did it take for settlers to start living here?" 

Luna gave him a grateful glance before answering. "It took about twenty years of construction for a sizable population to begin living here. The palace was naturally one of the first buildings to go up, followed by much of the nobility and some craftsponies and merchants. After a few years, some lower class ponies also moved in." 

"Why was Canterlot built in the first place?" 

"Equestria needed a centralized capital. As you can see on a map, it's the closest we could get. Another reason was prestige; no other country that I know of has a city so suspended in air. Oh, there are pegasi towns like Cloudsdale, but I'm not counting those. It was an engineering marvel to build Canterlot, which became the envy of the world and of Equestria. Finally, the Everfree forest was growing more wild and uncontrollable, and of necessity the capital was moved." 

"How did they manage to extend the railway up here?" 

"That was a challenge as well. Eventually, they builders were able to construct elevating mounds that allowed them to connect the rail lines to the city." 

"It feels like the city is more than a thousand years old." 

Luna laughed. "Another thing you humans have said, and it is understandable, as the architecture of the earliest buildings and of the palace in particular is from our own medieval era." 

Luna's laughter died out as they passed the train station. "Back in the old days, such contraptions were unknown. Ponies usually got around by cart, flying, or simply walking. Old nail-on horseshoes were common, not because it was necessary for the health of our hooves, as it wasn't, but because it gave us better grip in poor conditions." She sighed. "I missed out on a lot, all because of..." 

Uh-oh... 

"Well, I suppose it couldn't be helped," she said at last, after a moment of silence and sad memories. Leon sighed in his mind out of relief. He didn't want her to go through more painful memories. 

"Are there precious minerals in the mountain?" he asked, trying to draw her out of the past. 

"Hmm? Oh, well, the truth is, we haven't even tried looking. We don't want to weaken the mountain by digging mines through it." 

"Your mines are pretty precise, aren't they? I mean, unicorns can detect gems." 

"Yes. We expend far less energy than other races in extracting minerals from the soil." 

Leon looked up and saw the town streets in the process of being decorated, with banners being hung on lampposts and streamers being strung on windows by colts and fillies. "Wait, isn't the Gala five days away?" he asked

Luna nodded. "It is, however, most of the officials in charge of that event are fond of starting early. Far too early, if you ask me, but I suppose work now saves work later." 

Leon saw a shadow cross his vision. Glancing skyward, he saw dozens of pegasi at work maneuvering clouds around. "Why would it have to rain in the capital, or in any city for that matter? isn't it the places with crops that need rain?" 

Luna chuckled. "Well, for one thing, that's a little narrow-minded. For another, it wouldn't be fair if farmers were rained on day in and day out and the settlements remained dry." 

"I guess that makes sense." Up ahead, he saw what looked like a dirigible about to take off. "How many of those do you have?" 

"A couple dozen private craft, mostly only affordable by the upper class, and some heavy haulers for cargo transfer. We rely primarily on trains and ships to carry needed goods where they need to go, but that's changing, albeit very slowly." 

"I'd advise helium, not hydrogen." 

"I've heard about the Hindenburg Disaster, and I quite agree. All our balloons and dirigibles, save those held aloft by hot air, float using helium. Pegasi wingpower is also used to pull lighter cargoes." 

For a few minutes, they walked in silence. Leon was bedazzled by the grand city he had the pleasure of visiting. It was truly a sight to rival anything back home, with well-swept streets and sidewalks. Here and there, foreigners such as griffons and Saddle Arabians could be seen, and citizens of Equestria sat down at tables in out-door cafes, talking about this and that. 

Finally, the palace loomed before him. "You live here?" 

"Oh my, yes. Quite grand, isn't it?" 

"Just how many rooms are in this place?" 

"More than I ever bothered counting. It's fully furbished for dozens of guests, and thousands come every year to the Gala." 

"Wow." 

Two Royal Guards stood watch over the gateway. One of them lowered his spear at Leon. The other Guard shook his head, and his companion resumed his former position. "Welcome, your Highness, and your guest as well. Sorry about the rookie," the older Guard apologized. "He's only been on duty for a day." 

"I expect he'll shape up soon enough," Luna said, in a voice that said the youth would do just that, or else. The younger Guard's face became pale. 

"Hope you enjoy your stay," older of the pair said to Leon as they walked inside.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. To Luna he added, "Please don't punish him." 

"Oh, I won't," she answered, still sounding a little angry. "I just thought anypony with so much as a single brain cell could tell that anyone coming with me was welcome in the castle." 

"Well, we could have been Changelings, for all he knew." 

"I know, but it's still infuriating." She took a couple of deep breaths. "Besides, we have unicorn Guards constantly on watch for Changeling attacks." 

Suddenly, Leon saw a flash of light, then felt a weird feeling in his body as a ray of light from somewhere ahead of him struck his belly and began moving up and down. "What the...?" 

The ray of light continued moving up and down, giving him the most peculiar feeling, then finally vanished, revealing a gray unicorn Guard standing in front of a second door. Another Guard had apparently done the same check on Luna, for both nodded. "You're both clean," the one on his right said. 

Thanks for the warning... 

Luna looked a little peeved, but she didn't unleash the Royal Canterlot Voice on the Guards. She nodded in place of doing or saying anything else, and motioned for Leon to come with her. After they were in and the door shut behind them, she turned to him. "Now with all that red tape out of the way," she said, something in her voice growing in excitement, "I'll take you to the game room. Oh, I can hardly repress my joy; my two best friends have come to the castle! We are going to have so much fun together!"*  

"As long as it isn't the wrong kind of fun, like drinking ourselves into a stupor, I'm game for that." 

"Oh please; the first time I drank alcohol was my last; my head the next morning, I swear, I still get little aches whenever I think about it." she rubbed her head with a hoof. "Let's not talk about that subject anymore. So, what have you brought with you?" 

"Oh, you waited until now to ask? Hmmm," he said, pretending to think. "A little something called a Nintendo 64, with Super Mario 64, Mario Party 2, and Mario Kart 64, along with Battletanx; Global assault and Army Men; Sarge's Heroes, and four controllers." 

He was happy to see her smile. "Nice. However, I think I may have done just as good, if not better." 

"What?" he said, surprised. "What's better than Army Men and Mario?" 

She just continued to smile. "You'll see..." 

Leon could tell that he wasn't going to get any farther in his question down that route. Instead, he asked, "What's the story behind My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic?" 

"Ah," she answered. "I suspect that you've had that question lodged in your mind for some time." After he nodded, she continued. "I suppose it would do no harm to tell you this, but please promise not to repeat to anyone or anypony, except to Edward; I can hardly tell you without telling him, can I?" 

"I swear." 

"Good. Well, it all started a few years ago. Celestia was planning for my return, though in secret. It was then that she began scrying the human world." 

"Wait, she knew of our existence?" 

"Yes. You'd be surprised. Occasionally, she would summon someone, someone trustworthy. Naturally, some of them, such as some Russian peasant she brought, couldn't understand her at all, nor she them. She sent him back, and as far as she could tell, he shrugged it off as a dream. This was about three hundred years ago, you understand." 

"I guess." 

"One of the problems with scrying another world is, of course, the location of where you're currently scrying. She eventually found Equestrian - you would say English - speakers, and would bring one of them here, question them about how things were going and what life was like, and then release them." 

"Uh, wait; she was kidnapping people?" 

"It wasn't kidnapping!" Luna exclaimed, her cheeks flaring red. "It was... granting them a special audience." 

That totally sounds like an acceptable reason, and not an blatant excuse at all. 

"As I was saying, she once in a while brought people who are famous in your world. She brought your Abraham Lincoln once, during the years of your Civil War." 

Leon felt something in his chest deflate. "She brought Old Abe?" 

"Oh yes. She had their entire meeting recorded. She was quite impressed with him; he was an able speaker as well as a determined leader. What really got her attention was his, 'a house divided cannot stand' statement. It reminded her of her relation as a sister to me, and how she paid so badly for... expelling me." 

Leon chose not to reply to that sensitive topic. "Please do not tell me she picked up Hitler." 

"She didn't, but after seeing and hearing what he did, she wishes she had, in order to send him to the sun. She wanted to do the same for Mao and Stalin as well, but at that time her policy was noninterference with human affairs, apart from summoning one, whom she'd send back once she was done." 

"And... what does this have to do with the whole show thing?" 

"Celestia came up with a plan a few years before I was to return. She would hire a talented television show person of sorts to make a bridge between our worlds. She had the intent of revealing our world to yours after a few years." 

"If I may interrupt," he said. After she nodded, he asked, "Why did - does - she want anything to do with us after some of the events of our history?" 

Luna looked at him. It wasn't an angry or frustrated look, nor was it particularly sad. "My sister has always been an optimist. In the past few years, I have begun to lean towards optimism as well. She knew that many humans were evil, corrupt, insane, and other rather defamatory words. But she also knew that many were good-hearted, kind, and brave, and that these far outnumbered those who were evil, even if the deed of the common person is not up to display. My sister and I believe that most people are good, although their actions are not publicized, as they simply do their jobs and live their lives. I haven't read the life of the average pony, or that of the average human, for that matter; most want to read the stories of either heroes or villains, not of the common people who stay out of the way." 

"So she wanted to help us?" 

"She and I do. We believe with our help, Earth might experience some good measure of peace, or at least receive aid in times of trouble." 

Leon thought about everything that had been said. "The show was an effort to bridge our worlds before we ever set eyes on one another. To provide a base for relations." 

"You summed it all up in a couple sentences," Luna confirmed, nodding. "I only came to know of the plan after the elements freed me from Nightmare Moon. I was skeptical at first, but Celestia gradually convinced me that it would be a good thing." 

"I doubt relations were helped much by some of the... er... controversial fan-made stories and videos out there." 

"Believe me, some of the content disturbed me, as well as the other ponies who saw them. Celestia had to work hard to prevent Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie from discovering a certain video." 

"That... might have caused a disaster." 

Luna sniffed. "Your gift for understatement is overwhelming." 

"So after dealing with that problem..." 

"After that, we got to work trying to establish proper relations with each country. Most received us well, but a number of them... Well..." she hesitated. "They were... unreceptive." 

"Like North Korea." 

"Oh, you couldn't possibly imagine how stressful dealing with them was!" Luna said, here voice rising. "They glared at us the entire time, like we'd done something wrong! Every little proposal we made, the rejected with a long ramble of how 'reactionary' it was and how it was supposedly opposed to 'the people'." 

"Yeah, like they care about the people," Leon added sarcastically. "I laughed when the rocket they built from money sent to them for feeding their people crashed in minutes." 

Luna sniffed again, though it sounded different. "They ended it by absolutely refusing to allow us to establish an embassy at all. And then the hostility from Iran... need I go on?" 

"No, no," Leon said quickly. "I think I can paint the picture myself. I think you got quite a welcome from the rest of the world, or most of it, anyway." 

"We did," Luna nodded, smiling a little. "I had no idea how well liked we were before coming through the first portal. It wasn't long before people were lining up to get our pictures and autographs. After a couple of days I was able to meet with the President of the United States in... er, pony." 

"Let me guess; he was too busy trying to hug the cute little pony to pay attention to what you were saying," Leon said jokingly. 

That was a mistake. "WE ARE NOT CUTE!" Luna roared, her voice almost knocking him over. His ears rang with the force of the Royal Canterlot Voice had thrown at them. He rubbed his ears. When he looked over to her again, Luna seemed to be thinking over what had been said. "Are we?" she asked, sitting on her haunches and raising her front hooves to her muzzle. 

It was undeniably cute. "I don't think you want me to answer that," he said, trying hard not to say, "Awwwwwww!!!!!" 

"Hmm." Luna got back onto all fours, her hooves clopping as they made contact with the floor. "I see." Obviously wanting to change the subject, she continued, "The meeting went well. Celestia and I got our meeting with the United Nations, which was the official beginning to foreign relations." 

"And..." 

"We didn't let humans into Equestria en masse, not yet, not quite even now. They had to undergo an rather, er, thorough investigation before being allowed to enter our fair land." 

"Uh, how thorough?" he asked, feeling a little nervous. 

"Well, we listen to a brief history of their life up to that point, checking it for inconsistencies, before looking at their criminal records. Lastly, a unicorn uses a mind reading spell, similar to the one I use to search dreams, to go through the person's thoughts." 

"Wait, mind reading? Isn't that invasion of privacy?" 

"Maybe, but it's better than letting a terrorist get in," Luna retorted. "We don't go very far in, certainly into nothing intimate, just enough to allow us to determine their motives for coming to Equestria. Once we're certain, we allow them to proceed. In fact, we even pay them adequate compensation for any discomfort they may have suffered during the process." 

"Huh. Is it effective?" 

"We've caught numerous individuals who had malicious intentions. I'd say that testifies to the efficiency of the screening process, as well as to it's necessity."  

"Then why didn't you have me or Eddy checked?" 

"I did. That's part of the reason I searched through your dreams. One look was enough to convince me that two of my best friends had no evil designs on Equestria." 

"Oh So that's what that was about." 

"Of course," Luna continued, giggling a little, "I admit I enjoyed messing around with your dreams. You should have seen Edward's, and what I did with it." 

"Something involving tea or alcohol." 

Luna surprised him by laughing uncontrollably. "I... I... I put him in an maid's apron and dress," she finally managed to get out, her hoof stomping the floor with such force that it threatened to crack the beautiful tiles there. "His face...! You should have seen it!" She laughed even harder. 

"I doubt he liked that," Leon said, though he was laughing as well. 

"Oh," she said, finally managing to put a lid on her mirth, "it was all very funny, to say the least. Well, at any rate," she added, turning toward a door to their left, "this is the place." Her horn lit up again, and the doorknob turned. The door opened. 

"Finally! I was wondering when you two blokes were going to show up!" came a voice on the inside. It was one Leon had heard many times before.