Chapter 17: The Winner is…
There was an intense silence in the air. The dust slowly began to settle as the shadowy image of a pony pileup became visible. All the other ponies moaned and groaned as they rubbed their head trying to shake away the dizziness. Twilight, Celestia and Luna stared with their mouths wide agape at the incredible sight, with their horns still lit.
Somewhere beneath that pile of ponies was Alex, the weight of all of them having knocked the wind out him. Unsure of which of them had their magic locked on Alex, the two monarchs and Twilight simultaneously lifted Alex off the ground, pushing away the ponies above him. As soon as he was in view, everyone’s eyes widened with more surprise and disbelief.
Nopony had grabbed Alex!
This only meant one thing. That one of them had claimed Alex ahead of the others. With controlled excitement, all three levitated Alex towards them.
Twilight bit the tip of her hooves with anticipation. Luna was nervous as well and did the same. As Alex drew ever closer, he started to float in the direction of the spell caster. Twilight and Luna gasped. Celestia smiled and cleared her throat.
“The hunt is over! The winner is… Oh! Giggle! Me!”
“Aaaaw…” the other ponies groaned with disappointment.
“YAY!” cheered Pinkie Pie.
Celestia smiled greatly with the still unconscious Alex floating beside her. The other ponies soon joined them and congratulated her for her victory. “Congratulations princess…” said Twilight with a rather forced smile while bowing her head and kneeling.
“Thank you Twilight.” said Celestia.
Everypony, including her sister, congratulated Celestia for her victory and it wasn’t long before they all heard the weak moaning of Alex regaining his consciousness.
“Uh… What happened?” muttered Alex as he scratched his head.
“The hunt is over Alex.” said Celestia with a smile. Alex turned his head towards Celestia, his eyes wide with dread. “And I won.”
Out of every pony present, the one pony he most definitely didn’t want to get caught by was Celestia. He had silently hoped that one of the other ponies… yes… even her sister Luna, would’ve caught him instead. But here he was, enveloped by her magic and utterly helpless.
“Now we may finally begin. Sister? Twilight Sparkle? Everypony?” Luna and Twilight gave Celestia their full attention, along with everypony present. “I would like for you all to join me back at Canterlot. I have something extraordinary that I would like to share with you all, something that especially concerns young Alex here.” Celestia smiled while Alex cringed.
Twilight and her friends all started to mutter excitedly with eachother, curious as to what their princess was talking about. Alex just gulped as he knew exactly what she was talking about. Luna knew it too, but sighed. Since she had lost the hunt, she was now unable to prevent Celestia from doing what she had in mind for Alex. All she could do now was pray and hope Celestia’s intentions were more merciful than hers.
With everypony ready, Princess Celestia then lit her horn and in an instant they were all teleported back to Canterlot.
*****
FLASH!
Once on the castle grounds of Canterlot, Celestia released Alex from her magic and folded her one wing gently around his shoulders. “Come Alex.” She then eyed the others. “If the rest of you would please follow us…” Luna, Twilight and their friends followed close behind as Celestia guided them and Alex through the main gates of the castle, up the stairs and through several corridors.
Alex was quite taken by the castles’ interior décor. There were white marble walls, tall ivory colored pillars and red carpets spread all across the floors of the hallways, with pictures of noble ponies hanging on the walls.
It wasn’t long before they reached the Main Hall of the castle. At the end of the hall was a mirror, and standing by it were three armored stallions on guard, two unicorns and one pegasus. Luna recognized the pegasus as Captain Fury Feather from the night before.
“Captain Fury Feather!”
“Your Highness!” The captain kneeled and bowed as they approached. “What’s the status?”
“I’m happy to inform you that everything is going forward as planned. Take your men and inform the rest of the garrison to get ready and make immediate preparations.”
“Yes your Highness!” The captain saluted. He gestured the two guards by the mirror to follow and all three quickly left the hall.
This made the ponies even more curious. “Pardon me Princess, if I may..?” Rarity politely interrupted. “…But ‘what’ is going as planned, exactly?” The question was shared by everyone.
Celestia smiled. “Come and I’ll show you.” Celestia led them to the mirror. “My little ponies! The mirror that you see before you is a magic mirror, made by Starswirl himself.”
“Starswirl?” exclaimed Twilight, stars sparkling in her eyes with excitement. Anything made by Starswirl that she had no knowledge about was worth every attention.
“Yes Twilight. It has enabled me to explore the great vastness of the universe and the alien worlds beyond Equus.” This information made Twilight’s eyes sparkle even more and her mouth drool.
“And after many years of exploring beautiful and lifeless worlds, I eventually found one teeming with life! Sentient life!”
Everypony gasped upon hearing this news. It even made Applejack’s Stetson fly off her head and onto the floor.
Celestia then sighed and her smile faded. “Alas, the mirror only gave me the ability to see and hear. I was, and still am currently unable to interact or enter this world due to a powerful invisible barrier that’s keeping our worlds separated.” Everypony looked at one another with silent disappointment at the news. But then Celestia smiled again. “Earlier today however… Moments before dawn, my sister Luna did the impossible and managed to bring by accident one of its inhabitants to our world, which of course happens to be young Alex here.” Celestia proudly extended her wing and gently folded it around Alex, bringing him closer.
Everyponies eyes were on Luna. She blushed and bit her lips in silent regret for having done it in the first place. They then stared at Alex. They had all wondered from where and how he came to Equestria, and now that answer was finally revealed to them.
“Due to my sister’s actions, a magical tether was formed and has linked young Alex here with the mirror, allowing nopony but him to reenter the mirror. And with his help, I shall use this magic link to finally remove the magical barrier that separates both our worlds. Not only will Alex be able to finally go home, but we will accompany him.”
Twilight and her friends gasped even more. Applejack’s Stetson fell off the second time.
“My word!” exclaimed Rarity.
“Us? On Alex’s homeworld? This is SO amazing!” muttered Twilight in restrained glee. “Think of all the knowledge I will learn! All the books I will read!!!”
“Boy Howdy..!” said Applejack while putting her Stetson back on. “A whole new world to explore…”
“Really? He can go home? How wonderful!” Fluttershy cheered with great relief. “Isn’t that great Alex? You’re finally going home to your family!”
“AN ALIEN WORLD?!? COOL!!!” exclaimed the Crusaders.
“CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS! NEW WORLD EXPLORERS! YAY!”
“M- MORE HUMANS?!?” Pinkie could hardly contain her excitement. She then began to bounce around, throwing streamers and confetti into the air. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!! WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SUCH A PARTY!!!”
“This… is… AWESOME!” cheered Rainbow Dash while anxiously rubbing her hooves. “Just think of all the fun we’ll have! I can hardly wait!”
After hearing those words come out of Rainbow, Alex started to panic. His world was only moments away from disaster. He had to prevent it. He quickly tore himself away from Celestia’s wing and quickly distanced himself from both the mirror and them.
“Alex? What is it?” exclaimed Celestia with surprise. Even Twilight and her friends got startled by his unexplained behavior.
“Alex? What’s the matter?” asked Fluttershy concerned.
“What gives Lexy? Aren’t you excited to go home-?”
Then they all suddenly saw tears building up in Alex’s eyes as he ignored them, his eyes focused only on Celestia.
“Your Highness…” he chocked. “Stop this… Please! STOP THIS!” he fell to his knees on the hard floor, adding more confusion to the ponies. “I impl- OUCH!” He rubbed his knees before continuing. “-implore you- No! I BEG of you! Show mercy! DON’T INVADE MY WORLD!”
His last words echoed throughout the hall, followed by utter silence. The ponies’ faces were filled with shock.
“In- Invade..?” Applejack stuttered.
Twilight shot a questionable glance back at Celestia. “Princess..? What is he talking about?”
“Why did it have to be you?” Alex continued. He then eyed the ponies. “Why couldn’t any of you have caught me instead? Now my world is doomed!” He eyed Celestia again. “I played your stupid game with the promise that if one your ponies caught me, you would not force me to do this! Please! Do whatever you want with me, but please spare my world!” he wailed.
Celestia just stared at him. Her mouth opened and was about to say something when suddenly the doors reopened and Fury Feather popped his head in.
“Your Highness! Just to inform you that the troops are making preparations for the crossover and will be ready once you give the signal.” the captain happily announced. “I would also like to add that everypony is really excited to begin Operation Stormbreaker.”
Everypony in room was again silent. Twilight and all her friends suddenly began to realize that something was up. Apparently this was more than a simple ‘First Contact’ mission.
“That’s good to hear captain…” Celestia answered nervously, yet kept her smile on. “Carry on.”
“Yes your Highness!” As the smiling captain pulled his head and closed the doors, Twilight and her friends now turned their eyes on Celestia.
“Operation Stormbreaker…?” asked Twilight.
“T-Troops?” asked Fluttershy.
“Preparations?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Signal?” asked Applejack.
“Crossover?” asked Rarity.
“Every…”
“…pony…”
“…excited?” asked the Crusaders, finishing eachother sentences.
“Your Highness?” asked Pinkie. Her friends shot her a questionable look. “What? All the good ones were taken.”
“Princess..? What’s Operation Stormbreaker?” asked Twilight as she approached her. She then thought about what Alex said before. “Wait… Invade… Troops standing ready..?” It then hit her and she held her mouth in complete shock. “You… You’re not…”
Celestia looked at her student with an unreadable expression on her face. She then snickered and a devious grin suddenly appeared on her face. “What’s the matter my little ponies? I thought you all wanted a human? Now you can have a whole world of humans to choose from.” She turned to face the mirror. Using her magic, the image of Alex’s world came into view. “Just think my ponies, a whole new world for us to rule. Once I nullify this magical barrier, the path to Alex’s world will be laid bare…”
Everypony was utterly stunned hearing this. Twilight herself couldn’t believe what her own mentor was saying. “Princess… You can’t be serious! This goes against everything you taught me! This is-”
“What?” Celestia turned her head and faced Twilight. “Don’t you want your Hoofbel, my faithful student?” Celestia then eyed Alex and trotted slowly towards him, her horn now charged and ready to perform the deed. “Think of all the wonderful things you could learn from this world. Think of all the test subjects…”
Twilight felt sick. This was not what she wanted. “No…”
“Twilight?”
“NO!!!” Twilight screamed and immediately galloped past Celestia, blocking her path to Alex. “No Princess! I won’t let you do this!”
“Twilight!”
Tears began to form around Twilight’s eyes. “As much as I wanted that Hoofbel, I will not let you use Alex to take over his world! It’s wrong!” Twilight gulped and gritted her teeth. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you. But if I must… Gulp! I… I’ll stop you myself if I have to…”
“Twilight…”
The rest of the ponies suddenly galloped over to Alex and huddled around him, in a desperate attempt to protect him from Celestia.
Luna didn’t move. She just stood there and watched closely, with her eyes firmly locked on Celestia. Something was wrong. ‘What art thou doing sister?’
Fluttershy held her hooves around Alex tight and cried while nuzzling his face. “Please Princess! Don’t hurt the humans! Alex just wants to go home to his family!” She then glared at Celestia. “I WON’T LET YOU!” Celestia couldn’t believe it, but she nearly felt a chill down her spine at that moment.
Pinkie Pie, holding around him even tighter, cried like a fountain. “WAAAH!!! All I want is to party with them! I don’t want to invade them!” she chocked. She too glared at Celestia. “And I thought you were nice! What are you going to do to them, huh? Make them sacrifice their young? No wait, that’s Luna…”
A rather shocked Luna shot Pinkie a very questionable gaze. ‘What in Equestria are you implying?!?’
“Are you going to make them worship you? Are you going to become their goddess??” Pinkie continued. “Ooh! I know! You’re going to turn them all into ponies using my Pony Po-” Pinkie suddenly pulled the bottle out of her mane and frantically tossed it out a window. “I mean… What Pony Potion? Squee! PRINCESS MEANIE!”
*****
Just outside below the castle, a rather distinguished-looking blue earth-pony mare was talking to a shy jack gardener.
“Miss Blue Belle… I’m… happy that you want to go out with me...” said the rather bashful donkey. “But I don’t know… Do you really want to be seen dating a donkey gardener like me?”
“Oh Bashful, it doesn’t matter if you’re a donkey and not a pony. I love you just the same and that’s all that matters.”
Bashful’s ears fluttered. “Really?”
“Really.” Blue Belle puckered her lips and leaned over to kiss him. The now love-stricken Bashful swallowed nervously and puckered his lips...
SPLASH!
Suddenly, a bottle came crashing down and shattered on Bashful’s head, spilling its contents all over him.
“Hey! Ew… What is this-”
POFF!
“BASHFUL!” Blue Belle exclaimed as Bashful was suddenly engulfed in smoke. “Cough! Bashful! Cough! Cough!” As Blue Belle waved away the smoke, Bashful eventually came back into view and her eyes widened.
“Bashful..?” Blue Belle’s stuttered in utter surprise. Bashful the donkey was suddenly replaced by a beautiful cream colored earth-pony stallion.
“Wha-? Blue Belle? What happened? What are you looking at-?”
Blue Belle suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs and ran away crying. “WAAAH! This is awful! You’ve CHANGED!”
“Huh?” A rather confused Bashful quickly chased after her. “Blue Belle! Wait! What do you mean?”
*****
Back in the Main Hall…
Celestia just stared deadpanned at the Mane Six.
Rarity nervously tried to reason with Celestia. “Your Highness… I have to agree with Twilight. This is most… uncultivated! Savage even! Surely we can-”
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash interrupted as she suddenly flew up to Celestia in a challenging manner. “Alex might’ve been a jerk but he doesn’t deserve this! So if you want him, then you’re going to have to go through me!”
“Ya mean, through US!” said Applejack angrily as she joined Rainbow. “Ah hafta honestly say princess, that tis here is low. Even fer ya’ll!”
“YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH US TOO!” yelled the Crusaders as they threw themselves onto Celestia’s forelegs in a feeble attempt to keep her away from Alex. “PLEASE PRINCESS CELESTIA! DON’T DO IT!” they cried.
Celestia just stood there, mouth hanging as she stared at them all. She saw how they willingly cast aside their selfish goals in defense of Alex and his world. They even went as far as challenging her directly. She had never seen such bravery before…
“I see…” Celestia sounded rather displeased. “Then I guess I have no choice…”
The ponies braced themselves.
“…but to say that I’m SO PROUD OF YOU ALL!”
“HUH???!?”
Celestia began to snort. Then she began to burst into a fit laughter. It wasn’t a malicious or taunting laughter, but actually a heartily and joyful one, as if someone had told the world’s greatest joke.
“Did… Did I miss something just now?” asked Rainbow confused as she lowered back onto the floor. Even Twilight shared her confusion.
“Princess..?”
“Oh Twilight…” she giggled while drying her eyes. “I thought you knew me better than that.” She looked to the ponies. “Did you all seriously believe I was going to conquer Alex’s world?”
“You’re not?” asked Alex bewildered.
“YOU’RE NOT?!?” the ponies exclaimed even more confused.
Twilight was now more confused. “But… But you just said-”
“To teach you all a lesson.” said Celestia. “And to show Alex that you are not the ponies he believed you to be. That despite your rather ‘un-ponylike’ behavior in trying to capture him, deep down you really care for him and would even stand up to defend him if needed.”
Everypony blushed. “Ehm… Is it too late to apologize for that ‘Princess Meanie’ remark..?” asked Pinkie, wondering if she was going to throw herself a ‘Welcome to the Dungeon Pinkie Pie’ Party.
“My goal, my little ponies, is to establish a peaceful relation with Alex’s world. I had no intention of invading anything.”
“But… the soldiers..?” asked Alex.
Celestia sighed. “Forgive me. It was meant to be a surprise.”
“A surprise..?” asked Alex confused.
“That’s right Alex. I know I should’ve told you, but I couldn’t help myself.” She used her magic to lift him back on his feet. She then embraced him with her wings and nuzzled his cheek. “Forgive me. From the moment we first met, I should’ve taken your feelings into more consideration. I should’ve realized that you would react this way, especially after everything you had been through.” Twilight and her friends all shared the look of guilt.
Celestia then gently pulled herself away and looked him in the eyes with a regretful smile. “And please forgive me if I scared you with my theatrics’. I promise you that you and your people have nothing to fear from me or my ponies. What I’m about to do will usher in a Golden Age for your people and I can assure you that everything will be fine! I Pinkie Promise!”
Alex didn’t quite know what to say to that. After that little ‘evil princess’ acting of hers, he was still pretty mad at her.
“You can trust her Alex.” said Pinkie with a smile as she appeared beside him. “Nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise. Not even Princess Celestia!”
Alex still felt unsure.
“Alex… You have my solemn vow that nothing bad is going to happen. Trust me.”
Alex looked at Celestia. He then looked at the ponies, seeing the sincere smiles on their faces. He also looked at Luna, who smiled as well.
“I know my sister better than anypony young Alex. Believe me; she has more good in her than I ever had.”
Alex took a moment to think. Where they telling the truth? Even after what he had seen and what they had done, it seemed likely that they were. Still, it didn’t change the fact that his only hope of getting home was through the mirror and everything now relied upon him trusting them.
In the end, Alex took a deep breath and calmed himself. “You promise that I won’t regret this?”
“I promise Alex, with all of my heart.”
“Well then… Do what you must.”
Alex did not resist as Celestia placed her wing around his shoulders and guided him back towards the mirror, placing him directly in front of it. Celestia carefully tapped her horn on his forehead. She then began to recite a spell that not even Twilight knew about.
As she did, intense light began to emit from her horn and a chain of magical energy bewtween Alex and the mirror became visible. Using her horn, Celestia carefully linked the chain onto her horn. Alex stepped aside as Celestia now moved in front of the mirror, her eyes now glowing as her magic intensified. Suddenly, the mirror began to glow with a bright near-blinding light. Then black cracks began to appear, as if an invisible wall inside the mirror was starting to break.
Citing one more incantation, Celestia’s magic finally broke the barrier, creating a large gust of wind that blew throughout the hall.
Everypony gasped. Applejack managed to hold on to her Stetson this time.
Once the light had finally died down, everyone carefully approached the mirror. Alex and all the ponies held their breaths as Celestia carefully placed her hoof on it. It went through the glass without any resistance. The barrier had been lifted.
Celestia smiled. “Now we may begin…”
*****
A few weeks later, on Earth…
An Emergency Meeting was being held at UN building in New York. Murmurs and intense chatting amongst the World Leaders, as well as the Committee, echoed throughout the great hall until the currently elected Secretary General found his place behind the podium and addressed them.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! If I may have your attention, we may finally come to order!” The chattering slowly died down as everyone directed their attention towards the podium.
“Thank you. As many of you may already know; roughly two days ago, hurricane Larson, the largest hurricane to date, threatened the coastal cities of this great country. According to our scientists and their weather analysis’s, this storm was one the biggest in over a hundred years, with winds estimated to be the most powerful on record. It was this country’s biggest ecological and financial disaster to date.” He paused. “That is… it would’ve been…”
A large white screen was lowered behind him and the Secretary General began to show slideshows of pictures taken by civilians and rescue workers of during the impact of the storm. “As the storm hit, Rescue Centers received numerous distress calls from trapped civilians. What followed was…” the Secretary General paused again and cleared his throat. “It’s hard to explain…” He changed the photo.
The World Leaders gasped as the next picture showed what appeared to be a flying armored pony carrying a young woman to safety. “Reports of… Cough! ‘ponies’ rescuing civilians suddenly came in.”
Whispers and murmurs echoed among them.
“At first they were perceived as practical jokes, but soon more and more reports and sightings came in.” He changed one picture after another, showing more armored flying ponies rescuing civilians; men, women and children alike. “These… ‘pegasi’ were described wearing some kind of metal armor. Braving the storm, they flew in and brought out every civilian they could find to safety, before suddenly flying off and mysteriously disappear without a trace. But these were only the first…”
He then showed a picture of several armored earth-ponies. “While on duty, rescue teams reported seeing ponies that seemed to possess unnatural strength and intelligence. They were observed ‘helping’ the workers building barriers and river defenses to prevent rivers from flooding over. Others were seen carrying hurt civilians out of wreckages and providing medical aid.” He showed them a picture of a pony with a red cross on its flank, providing CPR to an unconscious civilian.
“And it gets better.” He showed them a new picture. This time it was a unicorn using its horn to magically lift an injured man up from a raging river, keeping him shielded inside a protective bubble. Gasps echoed throughout the great hall. “Eyewitnesses claim that these ‘unicorns’ used what can only be described as magic to rescue and protect civilians. Some even appeared simply out of nowhere and shortly disappeared the moment their task was done.”
What followed was long pause by the General Secretary, as he tried to work up his courage to say the next thing on his report.
“To make things even more… unbelievable…” He showed them a series of satellite photos. “As you can see from these pictures, a large number of pegasi suddenly entered the hurricane and…” He shook his head and tried to remain calm. “And… ‘tamed’ the storm…” The World Leaders gasped and looked at one another in utter disbelief and shock.
“And, as if by a miracle, the largest and most destructive hurricane in Earth’s history ended as nothing more than a light breeze.”
Everyone was utterly silent.
“Then, as quickly as the storm ended, the pegasi, like the others, disappeared as if they were never there.” He took a deep breath.
“No one knows who or what these ponies were, but their involvement saved many homes and lives…”
Then more photos appeared on the screen. “Of course, this was not the only incident. Before the hurricane, there had already been early reports of ‘pony sightings’ throughout the world. Mountain climbers in the Alps reported being saved from falling by several pegasi. In Africa, a village suffering from extreme drought and famine was suddenly aided by ponies that… somehow made it rain! They even plowed the barren fields and grew food for the whole village. In the Middle-East, two warring tribe leaders were suddenly abducted by unicorns who, by the leaders own account, brought them together to talk out their differences before returning them. Thus ending a 20 year long conflict in less than one day…”
A photo of what looked like a celebration was shown. “Here in New York, 6 year old Timmy Bodkin’s birthday party was saved by what was described as a pink ‘Party’ pony.”
He then showed another incredible photo. “And last weekend, outside of Tokyo… The great beast, Gorgozilla, rose from the depths of the Pacific Ocean and threatened to flatten the great city, before being stopped and chased off by a yellow pegasus that… kindly asked it to go away…”
The hall was again in utter silence.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, these… reports have baffled us just as much as they are baffling you right now.” He sighed. “We still have no idea as to who or what these mysterious and… ‘heroic’ ponies are or where they come from-”
“Um… Excuse me?”
The Secretary General and the whole assembly suddenly turned their heads and saw a young man standing in a corner, as if he had materialized out of thin air. “I know what these ponies are Sir. I can explain everything...”
Security was about to remove him from the building when the Secretary General signaled them to stop. “How did you get in here son? This is a highly secured building.”
“Please Sir…” Alex slowly approached him, showing his hands to reveal he had no ill intentions. “If you’ll allow me, I’ll explain everything and tell you all what’s been going on.” Unsure at first, the Secretary General eventually gestured him to come forth. And while it did seem highly unorthodox, everyone, including him, desperately wanted answers to this ‘pony’ phenomenon. He stepped aside as Alex nervously took the podium and faced the assembly.
“World Leaders… UN Committee… Secretary General… My name is Alex. The ponies that stopped the hurricane are more than just ‘magical ponies’. They are visitors from a distant land beyond our world, known as Equestria.” The World Leaders looked at eachother. Some scratched their heads in confusion while others seemed to chuckle at the name.
“Please! I know this sounds ridiculous, perhaps even insane. But I swear it is the truth. These ponies possess powers that are unlike anything we have seen. Their leader is called Princess Celestia. She is the reason I appear before you right now.”
While he found the whole thing too impossible, the Secretary General decided to play along with this new development. Anything that could explain these impossible events was welcome enough.
“And just what does this ‘Princess Celestia’ want?” he asked.
“She sent me ahead to inform you all, that she’s ready to appear before you now. All she asks is for you all to remain calm and she gives her word that she comes in peace.” Everyone looked rather skeptical while others were curious. “Sir..? With your permission..?” The Secretary General scratched his head. In the end he just shrugged and signaled Alex to proceed. “Ladies and Gentlemen… I give you… Princess Celestia of Equestria!”
As Alex stepped off the podium, a bright orb of light suddenly appeared from above the ceiling and settled down behind it. It intensified and nearly blinded the assembly. Once it faded, everyone gasped as Celestia herself suddenly materialized before them, accompanied by two unicorn guards.
More Security arrived and surrounded the ponies, their hands ready on their holsters. They were quickly waved off by the Secretary General, signaling them to back off but still remain vigilant.
Celestia calmly took her place behind the podium, facing the World Leaders. “Greetings. I’m-”
The World Leaders gasped.
“HOLY SEABISCUIT! SHE CAN ACTUALLY TALK!”
“LOOK! SHE HAS A HORN AND WINGS!”
“DO YOU COME IN PEACE? IF YOU DO, THEN SURRENDER OR BE DESTROYED! IF YOU COME WITH WAR, THEN WE SURRENDER!”
Celestia giggled. “Please! Calm down and I shall reveal to you all my true intentions here!”
Everybody in the room eventually calmed down as Celestia cleared her throat to speak.
“Ahem! Leaders of Earth! I am Princess Celestia of Equestria.” She smiled and bowed her head before them. “I apologize for arriving in such a dramatic manner. I can assure you all that I had no intention to startle any of you, and you can rest easy knowing I’ve come with good intentions. As you all have just seen and heard, my little ponies have appeared throughout your world; diverting storms, saving lives, tending the earth and bringing peace. This is just a small example to show you all that Equestria means you no harm and that you have nothing to fear from us.”
“But why? Why are you doing this?” asked he Secretary General. “And how is it that you know of us?”
“I will admit that I have been aware of you for quite some time. We only now can interact with you thanks to young Alex here, who arrived on Equestria due to an unforeseen circumstance perpetrated by my own sister. You can rest assured that while Alex’s experience on our world has been a great trial, he has been well taken care of. And now we return him to you as a sign of good will and trust. We only wish to make friends with you and perhaps teach you of our Equestrian ways. And in turn, humanity can teach us the ways of theirs.”
The World Leaders chatted and murmured to one another after hearing this. The Secretary General slowly approached her. “Uh… Your Highness…?” he struggled, trying not to laugh on the fact that he was talking to a horse. “If I may be so bold as to ask… What could we possibly teach you? You obviously seem more… ‘advanced’ than us. ‘Magically’ that is…”
Celestia sighed. “True… We possess great magic and we can manipulate the world around us, such as we have always done for centuries. Even my sister and I control the sun and moon of our world.” She then looked out towards the assembly. “But you… You’ve all come so far without physical guidance from any all-powerful being other than through your own beliefs and wisdom. You live your lives surrounded by uncontrolled nature and you have strived to overcome great obstacles. Without magic, you have accomplished many great feats, even reached the surface of your own moon! My ponies however, live a sheltered life. And while I’ve done my best to guide them, some are still too dependent on me. Some are even scared of their own shadows. What they need is a ‘human element’ in their lives, an element that can teach them to go even further and to not be afraid.”
She then flared her wing and bowed some more. “And so I appear before you now to extend my hoof of friendship in hopes that you’ll welcome Equestria into your lives.”
The World Leaders looked at eachother with uncertainty. This was a huge step.
“Should you decide not to accept us, then I shall respect it. I will leave you all in peace and never return.”
There was a great pause throughout the assembly. The Secretary General thought for a moment and then approached her again. “This needs to be taken into careful consideration. Would you all please wait outside while we discuss this?”
Celestia nodded. “Of course.”
A security officer appeared to escort them to the VIP rooms. Celestia, along with her guards and Alex followed, leaving the World Leaders to decide upon this new development.
*****
Many hours passed. Alex and Celestia were sitting comfortably on a sofa, waiting patiently for a decision to be made. Her guards were lying on the floor in front of a television set, their helmets off and watching a Sci-Fi show with great interest.
“Do you really think they’ll go along with this?” asked Alex, having grown a bit anxious the last hour.
Celestia just smiled. “Not to worry Alex. No matter what their decision is, I will keep my promise.” She then leaned over to him. “Thank you for not saying anything about the… ‘you-know-what’.”
“It’s okay your Highness. And don’t worry. I won’t mention anything about the ‘you-know-what’ as long as you keep that promise of yours.”
Celestia nervously bit her lower lip and giggled. “Of course! I wouldn’t dream of-”
The door to their room suddenly opened. Celestia and Alex rose from their couch. Her guards quickly scrambled back on their hooves, clumsily putting their helmets on as the Secretary General entered along with a few of the UN Security staff. “If you would be so kindly as to follow me…”
*****
Alex and Celestia were taken back to the great hall before the World Leaders as the General Secretary took the podium.
“After a long debate, we have reached a decision…” he paused and then faced Celestia. “On behalf of humanity, we welcome you and Equestria to Earth!” The General Secretary, the World Leaders and the Committee all stood up and applauded them. A delightful smile spread across Celestia’s face as she wrapped a wing around Alex’s shoulder. Alex smiled as well, quite relieved by the outcome of this decision.
“If you wish to employ a Representative to the UN, we’ll be happy to find one for yours.”
“Thank you Secretary General. I have already made arrangements for an Equestrian Representative to your UN. As for a human Representative, I have already considered a candidate for that job…” She extended her wing and gently placed it on Alex’s shoulder. “With your permission, I wish to take young Alex here under my wing and teach him the ways of Equestria. In turn he will represent the good of humanity amongst my ponies.”
The Secretary General rubbed his chin and smiled. “I’m sure that can be arranged… Of course, he is quite young… and we may need his parents’ permission...”
*****
Later, at Alex’s home…
Alex’s parents sat in their chairs and listened as the news of their son’s recent whereabouts was explained to them, along with the plans of him being instated as an ambassador to represent Earth, while living in a world of magical ponies.
“That’s sounds like a wonderful idea! Don’t you think so dear?”
“Stupid boy…”
*****
Back at the UN…
“Congratulations Alex! You are hereby an official ambassador of Earth!”
“Well, that worked out better than I expected.” said Alex rather dumbfounded.
“Did you doubt me?” Celestia playfully nudged him and smiled before noticing the Secretary General approach her again.
“Your Highness, if you still have some time, I would like to arrange a personal meeting with our President and several of the World Leaders. I’m sure they’ll be very excited to meet you.” He then whispered in her ear. “As well as the President’s five year old daughter…”
Celestia giggled. “I would love to. But before I do that, I need to return to Equestria to take care of some urgent business first.”
“What kind of business?”
She looked to Alex. “More like… a promise!”
*****
Shortly after arriving back in Equestria, both Canterlot and Ponyville were suddenly meet with a curious sight.
Celestia was parading through the streets, without any royal escort. She now trotted about Ponyville, without her crown and regalia, wearing only a worn out saddle and a bridle, with Alex sitting comfortably on her back and holding a small whip.
Ponies who saw them gawked with shock and disbelief. Some even fainted. Even Twilight and her friends were utterly speechless.
“They are staring at us…” Celestia felt really embarrassed. “Are we quite done yet?”
“Not yet…” smiled Alex as he gently stroked her mane and grinned. “We still have a few more streets to visit, so giddy-up!” He used his whip on Celestia’s flank.
CRACK!
“GAH!” exclaimed Celestia.
“Oh! I’m sorry! Did it hurt? I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s… It’s quite alright Alex. No harm done…” Celestia blushed. “However… I was wondering… Would you mind… doing that again?”
Alex blinked. “Has anyone told you that you’re weird..?”
As they rode by, they were observed by Lyra Heartstrings and her best friend Bon Bon.
“Did you see that?” asked Lyra bewildered.
“I sure did…” Bon Bon frowned. “Simply disgraceful… How can the princess permit something like that?”
“I know!” said Lyra. “Do you think he’ll ride me if I ask him nicely?”
*****
Several months later…
Just as Celestia promised, Earth went into a Golden Age as Equestria and its ponies became a valuable part of human life. Ponies would come and visit Earth to learn more about their customs. They would even use their magic to help out with the weather and to spread their wisdoms of friendship and love.
Humans in turn visited Equestria and shared with the ponies their technology and teachings. They even introduced popular inventions that Equestria had yet to discover, such as mobile phones to which the ponies’ embraced with great fascination and excitement.
*****
Twilight never received her Hoofbel prize. Yet in spite of this, it didn’t stop her from learning more about Alex and where he came from. She visited him regularly and he would tell her all he knew about his world and its workings. She in turn would teach him all about Equestria and gave him free access to her library any time he wanted to borrow a book. She apologized for the hard time she, Spike and her friends had put him through and she especially apologized for hurting his feelings.
Using her magic for much better use, it didn’t take long before they both eventually became good friends.
Alex managed to pay Applejack back for the apples he ate by helping her out with some odd jobs around the farm. While she never got the chance to make a fortune out of him, she was impressed with his working skills. She apologized for her behavior and even wanted to hire him as a farm hand.
She even went as far as practically making him a part of the Apple Family.
Fluttershy never got the chance to care of Alex like she wanted, but she did however provide for him a house in which to live as a sign of apology. Moving it closer to Ponyville, it became a second home with all the comforts that he required.
Fluttershy would visit him regularly to check on him and see how he was doing.
Pinkie Pie never got to throw Alex his ‘Good Bye Human’ party. Instead she threw him a ‘Welcome Human’ party and it turned out to be a huge success. She apologized for her behavior and was happy to see Alex getting along with the other ponies and that they in turn got along with him.
Even though she had lost her pet, Rarity never gave up on her creativity. In an attempt to salvage her ruined dress, she unexpectedly created a design so unique and so retro that it became the talk around Canterlot. Needless to say, her dress earned her more than enough Bits to repair her boutique and buy more supplies.
Seeing that Alex had been responsible for ruining her dress in the first place, she gave him his share of the profit for the trouble she put him through. She even offered him a time at the spa as a sign of good will.
Rainbow Dash forgave Alex for the troubles he had caused her, just as long as he forgave her for acting like a real jerk. She felt really bad about her behavior and promised to never bully him again. She even went as far as wanting him to punch her just to make things even. Alex didn’t punch her, but instead forgave her and pranked her with a buzzer he had borrowed from Pinkie Pie.
Surprisingly enough, their wild chase had actually inspired her with some ideas for some new moves in which to impress the Wonderbolts with during their visit.
The CMC would visit Alex often, to play with him and tell him about their adventures in crusading for their cutie marks. They still didn’t earn any, but always remained in high spirit (much to the painful chagrin of Alex’s ears). At times they even invited him to join in and help them, often resulting in hilarious hijinks.
They apologized for the jar treatment they gave him, and Alex just found them too adorable to stay mad at for that.
While it did take a while, Alex eventually forgave Luna for bringing him to Equestria. Luna made it her solemn vow to watch over Alex and to make sure nopony and nothing threatened him. On occasion she would visit Alex in his dreams as often as she could and through his creative mind, they had many grand and fun adventures together.
*****
In the royal studies of Canterlot Castle, Alex sat comfortably on a pillow as he read through some scrolls and books that Celestia had given him for his studies. As well as being an ambassador for Earth, the princess had even made Alex her new personal student and was teaching him not only Equestrian history and politics, but magic as well.
Alex put down his book and took a short breather as he glanced out the window facing out across the lands of Equestria and the clear blue sky. He stood up, walked over and leaned onto the window sill as he looked out in the direction of Ponyville.
He sighed as he thought back on the day her appeared in Equestria and how it all changed his life. While it had been quite rough ride, he couldn’t help but snicker at the whole thing.
“Alex? Are you in here?” the calls of Celestia’s voice echoed from behind the door to his room. It didn’t take long before she opened the doors and entered. “Ah! There you are Alex. How goes your studies?”
“Hi Princess!” said Alex as he stepped away from the window. He approached Celestia and bowed. “It goes great. I’ve learned quite a lot these past few months.”
“Really? Even magic?”
“Especially magic. I’ve actually managed to master a spell.”
Celestia smiled. “Care to show me?”
“Observe!” Alex directed her attention towards a desk, with a bottle of ink and a quill resting on it. He reached out his hand, closed his eyes and began to concentrate. His hand shook and his face contorted as he struggled to lift the bottle. Celestia couldn’t help but giggle a bit at that.
Suddenly, his hand began to glow with a white aura. A white aura even enveloped the ink bottle on the table.
The ink slowly levitated off the table. Concentrating very hard, Alex slowly made the bottle float towards them. However, the strain soon became too much and he lost control over it. The magic seized and the bottle fell towards the floor.
It was about to hit before Celestia quickly intervened with her own magic and saved it.
“Pant! Almost… Pant! …had it this time…” said Alex exhausted.
“That was very good Alex!” Celestia exclaimed proudly as she floated the ink bottle back onto the desk. “You’re making excellent progress. Keep practicing and you’ll be the first human in history to fully master Equestrian magic.”
“Thanks your Highness.” Alex smiled. “By the way, what bring you here today? More history lessons?”
“Actually, I’ve received a letter that Twilight and her friends are visiting Canterlot today. I figured you’d probably enjoy spending some time with them.” Celestia smiled. “In fact, I was wondering if you would have the honor of traveling with them to Earth. They’ve been eager to go there ever since their last visit.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” said Alex. “I’d be delighted to.”
Celestia smiled. She extended her wing and placed around Alex as she led him out the room and down the hall. “Any ideas on what you’re going to do once you get there?”
Alex grinned. “I’m sure I’ll think of something…”
THE END