My Family and Other Equestrians

by Blade Star

Chapter 11 - Sun and Moon

The five of us walked to the foot of the throne.Twilight, like her brother, offered but a brief bow to her mentor and fellow princess. I on the other hand, bowed properly. While I was not strictly a citizen of Equestria, Celestia was still royalty and was entitled to some level of respect. Just as I might refer to the American president as ‘Mr. President’, even though I myself am British, I thought it best to respect local custom.

It seemed Mum, Dad, and Lizzie had the same idea too, or followed my lead, for they all either bowed or curtsied as their gender dictated. Celestia too acknowledged this with a bow. She then turned her attention back to Twilight; her former student.

“Twilight, it’s so wonderful to see you again,” she said. Her voice had that same comforting maternal tone that I was familiar with. I felt some of the butterflies in my stomach flutter away. Celestia now turned her attention back to the four of us.

“I take it that these are the humans you and your friends found in the Everfree Forest.” Twilight nodded.

“Yes,” she replied. “This is Roger, Margaret, Elisabeth, and Blade Star.” Celestia quirked an eyebrow at the mention of my name, but said nothing further and let Twilight continue.

“From what I can make out, the four of them were brought to Equestria by some kind of portal. Though whether it was natural or artificial, I don’t know. I tried to recreate the portal at the library, but it just destabilised. I was hoping you might have some ideas.” Celestia nodded and stepped down from her throne.

“Indeed I do, Twilight,” she said, making my parents both crack a smile. “But before we go any further, I’d like to get to know these people a little better.”

The princess walked down the steps and approached my dad, who stood on the far left of our group, with me at the far end. I saw his eyes widen in surprise as he realised that Celestia was just as tall as he was, not counting her horn. He bowed and as he rose, extended a hand.

“Good morning, your highness,” he said. Celestia, well versed in the ways of several species, placed her own hoof in his hand and shook it.

Please, Dad, no Blackadder jokes, I thought to myself. Celestia smiled at him warmly. As it turned out though, Dad was actually more diplomatic than I gave him credit for, going as far as to open initial relations.

“Princess Celestia,” he went on. “As a British citizen, I offer you greetings on behalf of Her Most Britannic Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of Almighty God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and all her Realms and Territories beyond the Seas, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, and Defender of the Faith.”

“Quite a collection of titles,” Celestia commented, sounding somewhat impressed. “I take it this United Kingdom is a monarchy, somewhat like Equestria?”

“A constitutional monarchy, ma’am,” my dad replied, switching to another way of addressing a princess. “Our queen is a figurehead, but retains a great deal of power, simply not exercising it. The vast majority of the countries on Earth though are democratic republics, with their monarchies abolished, either by rebellion or reform.”

“I see. Then we are not so different,” Celestia replied. “While our diarchy may be absolute, much of the day to day business is conducted at a more local level with elected representatives. In fact, it is often the cities and towns themselves that negotiate trade and other business with one another. My sister and I act at the international level and as a unifying force.”

“That must make things difficult to run at times,” Dad said. “It must be difficult to keep track of things like the various local laws and statutes. And I always thought our legal system was complex.” Celestia turned her head slightly to look at him sideways.

“You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject,” she suggested. Dad smiled.

“I’m a solicitor, or was until I found myself here,” he explained. “My firm specialises in criminal law.”

“And what of this ‘Commonwealth of Nations’?” Celestia enquired. I half wanted to jump in myself, being a bit of a history buff. But I figured it would be rude to interrupt the princess; no doubt I’d have my turn soon enough. Dad explained.

“Our country once possessed a large empire that covered roughly a quarter of the globe. But over the last fifty years or so, the vast majority were granted independence to prevent outbreaks of rebellion and foster democracy. While each former colony is now independent, most are a member of the Commonwealth, and they cooperate on matters of trade, mutual defence, and diplomacy, and their leaders regularly meet to discuss matters relating to their respective nations. Some members continue to recognise the Queen as their head of state, even after becoming independent. Consider it a twilight form of empire.”

Celestia seemed greatly interested in the idea. In a way, Equestria was very much like the Commonwealth; a lot of the regions were fiercely independent in their own way, but all came together under the banner of Equestria for mutual benefit.

For whatever reason, she didn’t question the last title in the royal style. Equestria, as far as I could make out, didn’t really have religion in the same sense we did. Not that I could be certain; at best I’d seen a fleeting glimpse of a funeral in one episode. Still, evidently satisfied, she moved on to talk to my mum. I must confess I thought Dad had done rather well for himself; his summary of the Commonwealth seemed to have impressed Celestia. It finally put my concerns about us being viewed as barbarous to bed.

Taking a few steps, Celestia moved along our little line and turned to Mum. She was significantly taller than her, even without the horn. Mum however, didn’t seem fearful or anything, for which I was glad. Friendly or not, Celestia’s size was enough to make most people stop and pay attention, and I knew for a fact that she could be intimidating when she needed to be. Luckily, this was not one of those times.

As with Dad, Mum offered a brief curtsy to Celestia and shook her hoof.

“A pleasure to meet you, Princess,” she said. Celestia let out a soft laugh.

“Please,” she said. “You are guests here. Feel free to call me Celestia.” Mum nodded.

“As you like, Celestia.”

“I do hope your time in the Everfree Forest wasn’t too unsettling. I know most ponies are fearful to go in there.” Mum now smiled back.

“Well, it was a little frightening at first. Especially when we both saw how my son here had changed. But he was quite good at helping us find our way, and not long after, we ran into Twilight and her friends.”

“I will of course, do my upmost to ensure you are returned back to your world,” Celestia promised. “Until then, I will see to it that some rooms are prepared for you to stay. At least for this weekend.”

“Thank you, Celestia,” Mum said, with a slight nod. “I’m sure Twilight will be glad to have her library to herself again.” We all let out a little, albeit still formal, laugh at that. Celestia then came to Lizzie.

My sister was a little more unsettled by the large alicorn. It sort of reminded me of a time when we went to Disneyland Paris, and she was afraid of the various Disney mascots wandering about. I smiled to myself as I remember her, six years old, burying her face into Mum’s jacket to hide.

Luckily, she’s a lot less flappable nowadays. Mum put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which seemed to calm her down. Celestia, no doubt used to foals being just as shy, lay down so she was little shorter than Lizzie, and thus less intimidating.

“Hello, Princess,” Lizzie said, fairly quietly. I guess some of Fluttershy’s shyness had rubbed off on her. Celestia smiled.

“Hello, Lizzie,” she replied kindly. Lizzie still looked a little uneasy at meeting the alicorn, but then, out of the blue, asked a question that, if I’m honest, I’ve wanted to know the answer to for ages.

“How do you get your mane to do that?” she asked, pointing at her large, flowing mane.

It was an impressive thing, and something neither of my parents had commented on. As if held by an unseen breeze, it rippled like water, the greens, blues, and pinks all intermingling, creating all sorts of patterns. Celestia giggled at the question.

“Mainly magic,” she replied with a grin. “And some help from my personal manedresser. Touch it, if you’d like.”

Hesitantly, Lizzie reached out with a hand. She paused for a moment, before letting her fingers slip into the flowing mane. To my surprise, it had very little effect, hardly disturbing the elegant patterns. She let out a little gasp as she held her hand in there a few moments longer, before retracting it.

“That’s cool!” she declared, now more confident than before. Celestia giggled again before standing up.

Now, she came to me. I’d had some time to prepare what I was going to say to her on the way here. I was certainly determined not to freeze up like an idiot, as I had before when we were all in the Everfree. It was a bit tricky though. You think Celestia looks intimidating at 5’3? Try being no more than 4’6. She absolutely towered over me, far more than Big Mac did. But, as I said before; nothing about her seemed even remotely hostile. I felt completely safe around her. I was about to offer my own greetings when the white alicorn beat me to the punch.

“And you, I take it, are Blade Star,” she said, looking down at me. “I think you and I have quite a good deal to talk about.” That sounded almost ominous.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said quickly. I wondered where this was going, although there was one obvious answer. I looked up at her, but her gaze revealed nothing but a well-practiced poker face.

“Twilight tells me that you…know things, about Equestria. Things that few ponies, and no doubt even fewer humans could possibly know.” I nodded.

“That’s correct, your highness,”

The princess stepped away for a moment, before turning back to face me.

“You passed several stained glass windows on your way here,” she said. “Tell me, what do each of them represent?” I thought for a moment before answering.

“Each portrays a crucial moment in Equestria’s history,” I replied, doing my best to avoid running my mouth like a fanboy. “From Equestria’s founding and the banishment of the Windigoes, to Discord’s appearance and imprisonment, Princess Luna’s banishment and subsequent return from the moon, the Changeling attack on Canterlot during the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, and King Sombra’s return from imprisonment within the ice of the Frozen North, and his failed attempt to take over the Crystal Empire, he was then defeated by Spike of all people.”

“Impressive,” Celestia replied. “Considering that, since you claim to be from another world, such knowledge should be beyond your reach. You have an explanation, I take it?”

“I do, your highness,” I replied.

And so, I explained everything to the best of my knowledge. I told her about the show, Lauren Faust, the other generations, even the comics, which seemed to be hit and miss in terms of their canon. I also briefly explained how I’d gotten involved in it personally, and the positive effect it had had on my life. All in all, it took about a quarter of an hour.

Celestia didn’t respond too much, beyond asking the occasional question, but I could tell that she was deeply fascinated by what she was hearing. When my story was done, she stayed silent for a moment, thinking, before she spoke again.

“Your explanation is…intriguing, Blade Star,” she said at length. “However, it does raise some serious questions. For one, the idea that, even now, we may be observed by those from your world.” Twilight now, spoke up.

“I don’t think that’s likely, princess,” she said. “The kind of observation required to get such a close representation of our lives would no doubt be noticed by somepony. I think this is more likely proof of the multiverse theory.”

“That’s the whole malarkey about an infinite number of universes when every possibility exists, right?” my dad said, turning to her. Twilight nodded.

“Exactly, it stands to reason that in that infinite, there would be at least one where another universe is just fiction. I’m sure that somewhere out there, all this would be treated as fiction too, and the world Blade Star and his family came from.

“If I’m right, then they arrived here through a sort of bridge, a moment in space/time where the two different universes briefly merged. Think of it as an unstable form of mirror portal.” Celestia frowned.

“What you suggest would require vast amounts of magic, Twilight,” she said. “If your theory is correct, then I fear it may be difficult, if not impossible for these people to return home.”

The news hit all four of us like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden, the bottom of my world had vanished. Up until now, as strange as this all was, our visit to Equestria had been a mostly enjoyable experience. And while I had toyed with the idea of what to do if we were stranded, I’d never really thought it to be the case. I’d hoped for a stable portal or something, so I could go back and forth. But to be trapped here? Granted, there were worse places to be stranded, but still, we were now cut off, perhaps forever, from everything we’d known. Up until now, we’d all been just, almost expecting Princess Celestia to pull a rabbit out of her hat and send us on our way.

Mum and Lizzie both turned to Dad and hugged him, with Mum doing her best to avoid crying. I just sat down, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Celestia and Twilight did their best to comfort us.

“Please, do not lose hope yet,” Celestia implored. “I am sure that there is some way to get you home. It is simply a matter of finding it. I’m certain that Twilight would be more than glad to help me in that regard.” Twilight nodded.

“Of course, princess,” she replied dutifully. “I’ll put all my other projects on hold until I find a solution.” Celestia nodded and smiled kindly at her.

“Until we do find a solution though,” she went on. “I shall do my best to make your stay in my nation as comfortable as possible. I certainly would never wish for anypony to find themselves in such a position.”

Activating her magic, her long horn glowed for a moment, before a medium sized bag appeared, floating in the air next to her head. She levitated this over to my dad, placing it in his hand.

“There are 2,500 bits in there,” she explained. “That should be more than enough for you to live comfortably for some time.” Dad opened the bag, and I saw the gold reflecting on his surprised face.

“As I said before, the four of you are welcome to stay here in the castle until Monday. I shall then accompany you back to Ponyville and explain your presence to the townsfolk. I think we can now avoid the need for secrecy.

“As far as housing is concerned, if my memory is correct, there is a modest house in Ponyville that has recently gone on the market. With some modifications, it would be more than suitable for you.” She turned to one of her guards. “See to it that the estate agent is fetched up here, and once the purchase is complete, have some of our engineers begin modifications.”

The guard nodded and promptly trotted out of the throne room, passing us along the way. Dad looked up to the princess, still holding his wife and daughter closely.

“I appreciate all of this, your highness,” he said. Celestia smiled slightly.

“I’ll have my guards take you to the guest wing of the castle. No doubt you would like some time together to process all that has happened. But I would be honoured if you would join me and my sister later tonight for dinner.” Dad looked to the three of, and we all nodded.

“We would be happy to attend, princess.”

---

The four of us were then quietly escorted to our temporary accommodations. It was a bit of a trek from the throne room, but it was conversely a stone’s throw away from the dining rooms and gardens. Not that any of that really bothered me that much. Like everyone else, I was still processing what we’d all heard.

An interesting side note was that, according to Twilight, the mirror portal did in fact exist. But I didn’t particularly care about the canon of the show at that point. Honestly, I just wanted to go and lie down for a while.

It was just the four of us at the moment. Twilight, along with Shining Armor, had remained behind in the throne room to talk with Celestia. The only pony beside myself, were the two guards who were taking us to our rooms. They were an escort, rather than a security detail. After our introductions, they’d all become far less wary around us.

We soon came to the right part of the castle, although I had virtually no idea how the heck we’d gotten here. I’d not really been bothered to note down each and every little turn. If Canterlot Castle had one fault, it was the fact that all the bleeding corridors looked the same.

Our first stop was one of the larger suites, where my parents would both be staying the next night or so. There was some slight unease when Lizzie expressed a desire not to be apart from her parents. Luckily, her own, somewhat smaller room was just down the hall. Since we were not prisoners, in fact I was told that we had free rein of the castle, within reason, it would just be matter of going down the hall to see them if she wanted.

And so, in short order, all three of my family members had departed, leaving me on my own with the two guards. In a way, I was a little glad. When I get despondent, I prefer to be on my own for a while. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being around family. But after such a shock, I just wanted some time to myself.

My own suite, as it turned out, was a little further away from the others. Not by much, but enough that I had to commit the route to memory if I wanted to find my way. Mine was apparently one of the suites visiting ambassadors used when they stayed in the castle. Opening the large door, I found the place to be quite opulent. Like everything else, the floor was marble, and the walls were decorated with impressive, and no doubt expensive, artwork. There was a large four poster bed for me to sleep in, along with a desk and bureau. There was also an en suite bathroom, with a large tub, complete with whirlpool if you can believe it. Finally, there was a second door that led out onto the balcony which overlooked the city and the valley below.

After thanking the two guards, I was left to myself. I sat for a little while, looking around the room. I found myself longing for my more simple quarters on Sweet Apple Acres, or my own room back home.

Climbing up onto the bed, I tried to think. If only I could plan, I would feel slightly better. The feeling of being entirely powerless and at the mercy of the universe was not a feeling I much cared for. I don’t believe in the no win scenario, to quote Admiral Kirk.

But there was not much I could think of. I knew jack about magic, never mind how precisely we got here. Heck, even Twilight and Celestia could only guess it seemed. Even though I knew that my family were close by, along with at least one good friend, who would do everything within her power to get us home, I couldn’t help but feel isolated.

I managed to stop myself from outright crying. It may be old fashioned, and bad for my mental health, but I’ve never thought it right or proper to cry, not since I was a kid anyway. I did my best to shake off this melancholy feeling. Like I said before, there were far worse places to be stranded in. I tried to claw back the view I’d taken of all this before; viewing it as an adventure, rather than a crisis. Still, it didn’t make me feel too much better.

---

In the end, I guess I must have drifted off to sleep. I was startled awake again by a knock at the door and a mare’s voice calling out.

“Mr. Blade Star?” I heard. Shaking the cobwebs loose, I got up and trotted over to the door.

Opening it up, I found myself faced with one of the castle’s maids. She was an earth pony with a very light brown coat, and a charcoal mane. She was wearing one of those stereotypical maid’s outfits, albeit adapted to the equine form. She smiled up at me; no doubt I looked a little ragged.

“Yes, ma’am?” I asked, briefly slipping into my southern accent as I blinked and rubbed my eyes for a moment.

“Princess Celestia asked me to take you to the dining hall for dinner.” I nodded in understanding.

“Of course,” I replied, now a bit more alert. “Do ya mind if Ah just take a moment to make myself presentable?”

“Not at all.”

Heading back inside, I popped into the en suite and quickly splashed some cold water on my face, and did my best to set my mane right. One thing I needed to get used to was having a mane. It wasn’t like the hair I used to have; you couldn’t just smooth it flat. I guess I’ll have to talk to Lizzie about styling at some point.

Satisfied with my appearance, I headed back out to where the maid was waiting patiently. Sub-consciously, I did my best to set all my earlier thoughts to one side and put on my best faux smile.

“Alright, lead the way,” I said.

It wasn’t too far to the dining hall, as the maid called it. We passed the suites where my parents and Lizzie were staying, all of which were now empty. I guess they’d already been picked up, being as how they were nearer. As we walked, the maid struck up a conversation with me.

“So, where are you from then?” she asked. “That accent sounds pure Appleloosa to me.”

For a moment, I was caught off guard by what she said. It took a moment for me to realise that I’d suddenly drifted into speaking with the same southern accent that I’d adopted around Applejack. I wondered what had brought it on. Well, no offense to AJ or her family, but I’d rather keep my old way of speaking around the princess. Just so I don’t have to explain the whole thing. Consciously, I did my best to alter the way I was speaking.

“Sorry, I didn’t realise I’d started doing that again.” The maid turned back to look at me, no doubt surprised by the sudden change. “It’s just a weird tick I have. I’ve been staying with some folks down in Ponyville who speak like that. I sort of picked it up.”

The maid simply gave me an odd look for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders. Great, yet another person who thinks I’m on the spectrum.

After a slightly uncomfortable silence, we arrived at the dining hall. Two guards stood on watch outside, but made way to let us pass.

Heading inside, I found the table laid for six. It was rather long, banquet style table, made of out of what looked to be expensive mahogany. Three chairs had been provided, presumably used by other non-pony species, for my family, while Celestia, Twilight and I had the more normal cushions to sit on. Celestia sat at the head of the table, while Mum and Dad sat on one side, and Twilight, Lizzie and me sat on the other.

Celestia smiled as I entered and my dad called out a greeting to me. I quickly took my own seat between Twilight and my sister. The last time I’d attended anything this formal was when my department at university hosted their annual graduation ball. Even in the waistcoat and collar I was wearing, I felt a little underdressed.

The princess nodded to one of the servers, who were stationed along the edges of the room. He promptly, headed through a double door toward the kitchens, and a minute or so later, dinner was served. It was a strange combination of dishes from start to finish, with differing diets for ponies and humans.

As we ate, Celestia struck up a conversation with each of us, ensuring that we all chatted freely. We’d all had some time to take stock of recent developments and now was as good a time as any to decompress.

My spirits certainly perked up being around my family again. The previous melancholy that had bothered me lifted somewhat. The same could be said of the rest of my family. We all began to chat about what we’d do when we got back to Ponyville.

Lizzie was keen to remain with Fluttershy if possible, having found the mare to be good company and the work enjoyable.

Dad meanwhile, was talking with Celestia about how her Day Court operated. I must admit, the little nuances like that that the show never really elaborated on were interesting to me too.

Mum was a little less sure, and was more focussed on getting this new house Celestia had promised them up and running. And the small matter of getting new clothes made up for all three of them. She did however, express some interest in the schoolhouse and chatted with Celestia all through dessert about her own school for gifted unicorns.

As for me, well, if I was to be stuck here, I planned to be stuck on Sweet Apple Acres. I mentioned how Applejack had offered me a job of sorts before we left, and what she’d said about enjoying working with me. For some reason, that made Mum giggle briefly and almost choke on her drink.

I also talked with Twilight about magic. If I was going to be here for some time, I might as well learn how to use my magic. The young alicorn was eager to take on the role of teacher, and Celestia too agreed that it was getting near the time where she ought to take on her own student, to pass on her own knowledge.

Eventually though, things began to wind down. Although I can now say I’ve had dinner with Princess Celestia, something not too many ponies can boast about. We all finished up with a little coffee, although Celestia stuck to her preferred tea.

It was now quite dark outside, Celestia having briefly stepped away to lower the sun a half hour ago. The sight of the full moon hanging low in the sky caused an idea to jump into my head.

“Princess,” I said, catching the alicorn’s attention. “Does your sister hold Night court tonight?” Celestia beamed and nodded.

“Indeed she does, Blade Star,” she replied. “She’s taken to holding court each night before tending to the Dreaming Realm. Although I must admit, she has few petitioners compared to my own court.” I frowned at that. Luna had been back from exile for a few years now. I’d hoped that she’d start to get a bit more popularity. My little idea began to take root.

“Then, if you have no objection, your highness, I will call upon her this evening.” Celestia smiled again.

“I’m sure my sister would greatly enjoy the chance to meet you, Blade Star,” she said. “In a way it is fortunate that you will be here for a little longer than I hoped. It would have been a shame for you all to arrive and depart without meeting her.” I got up from my seat.

“Indeed it would, your highness,” I agreed. Then, with a quick nod to the solar alicorn, and after wishing everyone else a good night, I headed out of the dining room and made for the throne room.

Author's Note:

Proofread by Sweetolebob18.

Comments

[Blade Star]

8933189 Derp. Thanks for that, just fixed.

[Luckyfanisaac]

It seemed Mum, Dad, (—— and Lizzie had the same idea too,

It’s just a weird trick I have.

chatted with Celestia all through dessert about her own school for gifted unicorns.

It’s racist!!
Wait give this to your School.
i5.walmartimages.ca/images/Large/805/2_r/6000196088052_R.jpg?odnBound=460

[SilverNightWolf]

9106467
Tick actually works better than trick in my opinion

[Vaalintine]

So he doesn't bring up Discord at all? Seems like a rather big oversight.

[Deltorix]

9202779
If you found yourself in Equestria and knew discord was free wouldn't you think about him in one way or another?