> The Edward Lawton Chronicles: Book One: The Deluge
>  by Herr Director
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Terror at 10,000 Feet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	On the planet Earth, the conditions for life were perfect. Well, at least up until late 2015 when an imbalance in the atmosphere caused by greenhouse gasses forced water to evaporate faster than the clouds could condense it. This resulted in a constant, never ending rain. Fortunately for us, humanity was able to adapt, but life was not what it used to be. It was dismal, not a life much worth living. However, one man was able to escape the sad monotony of that life. This is the story of that man, the friends he made, the happiness he found, and the challenges he faced. 

This is the story of Edward Lawton.



<---^--->


6:30 AM
11882 Franklin Ave. 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

On June 25, 2047, 33 years since the start of the Great Deluge, Edward Lawton woke once more to the sound of raindrops thundering on his Philadelphia rooftop.
Just like every other day in my life Edward thought as he brushed a hand through his light-brown hair. Edward was a fairly young man, at 28, and was average for his age at 5'10". He was born after the Great Deluge had started. Though he had heard about sunshine, he had few memories of experiencing it. Now all he could remember was cold hard rain every day and every night. He got out of bed and looked through his suitcase. Everything, books, clothes, laptop, was packed and ready. He stood up and walked to the other corner of his room. There sat a gleaming titanium case. An orange sticker was on the side with a bio hazard warning label. He opened the case. All fine. Edward stood up and took one last look around his room. All the awards he had earned form science expositions, trophies from scientific debates, lined the walls. Whatever wasn’t covered up by awards was covered in large, thick books. The room smelled of paper One could say that Edward had devoted his room to science. He checked his watch. Better go down and eat he thought. I have a schedule to keep and I cannot afford to miss this flight. 
Edward grabbed his suitcase and the metal case that contained his experiment. He walked downstairs where he was greeted by his housemate Rob. Rob was, as usual, looking at his computer. “Well Rob, what are you doing on there?” Edward asked only out of habit, because he knew what the answer would be.
“I’m looking up My Little Pony stuff.” Rob replied.
“For God’s sake Rob, that show was taken off the air six years ago!” Edward exclaimed as he poured himself a bowl of Corn Flakes. ”I have to respect that it went on for a long time, but seriously, why are you still looking it up on the Internet?”
Of course, Rob replied the same way every time. “As Rainbow Dash would say, ‘An egghead like you wouldn’t understand’.”
Edward sighed. “I have no idea who that is, or what that means. Look, I need to eat now, got to catch my plane.”
“Where is this next expo anyway Ed?” Rob asked, looking up from his computer for the first time. “You never told me anything about it.”
“It’s the International Exposition in California,” Edward replied between bites of Corn Flakes “It’s got a $10,000,000 grand prize to the first place winner. And stop calling me Ed.” he added.
“Man, we could move out of this place with that kind of money!” Rob said 
“Ha, we’ll see after you blow it off on more pony memorabilia. I bet you'd love to fill up an entire room with that stuff!
"Hey!" Rob cut off Edward's jibe. "Don't be a jerk!"
"Fine." Edward resigned, seeing as the conversation had soured. He picked up a black umbrella from a stand by the door.
“Is that the Electromagnetic Self-Powered Rain Repellant Umbrella that powers itself by catching rain?” Rob asked.
“No,” Edward replied. It’s my government issue. The ESPRRU is broken, remember?” He sighed. “It’s a shame the patent office is closed down. I could really help people.” Rob stood up from his computer and walked over to Edward.
“Hey,” Rob consoled. ”Don’t talk like that. You are a good man. You do good things. That should be plenty for you-,” Edward raised his hand to cut him off. His face contorted into a frown
“Rob, you don’t get it,” Edward looked more ticked off. “I don’t want to be a good man. I want to be a great man. I want people to talk about me for years. I want them to say ‘Hey, that’s Edward Lawton. He made our lives so much better!’” He turned to the door and put on his coat and grabbed his things. “I really should get going.” He finally said, and not another word was spoken between the two as he hurried out the door.
Even though it only took a few seconds to get to his car, Edward was freezing by the time he got in. On any part of his body that would not have been covered by his coat or protected by his umbrella, the raindrops would have felt like frozen needles pricking at his skin. Edward switched on the car waited for the engine to heat up, and then drove to the airport.

30 Minutes later
Level B1 PHL Parking Garage
Philadelphia International Airport

Edward pulled into Level B1 of the airport parking garage. He grabbed his suitcase and metal box, and walked to the elevators. He pressed the button marked A4. In a matter of seconds, the elevator arrived at Edward’s stop. 
Level A4. Sky-bridge. A female voice announced. Edward stepped out and crossed the sky-bridge over the busy and rainy road underneath him.
 Please do not leave baggage unattended. As some baggage may look alike, please claim a Baggage Identification Tag for any baggage you have with you. The intercom blared safety and convenience announcements as Edward walked through the noisy, expansive Main Terminal of the airport. He procured his International Exposition Invitation from his coat pocket and examined it.

Dear EDWARD LAWTON
Congratulations! You have been chosen, due to your advanced knowledge of scientific and mechanical properties, to present at the International Exposition. You have been sponsored by BENEFACTOR ANONYMOUS. If you are traveling by plane, please depart from PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, and check your bags at SECURITY STATION 9N. While there, present this invitation. You will then receive further instructions.
Thank you for participating,
The International Exposition Team

Edward looked at the baggage checking stations. There at the end, the characters “9N” in bold, black letters stood clearly above a station. There was a solitary Checking Attendant at the check in desk. He walked up to her. 
“Are you here for the International Exposition?” The attendant inquired. Edward showed her his invitation. She handed him a badge with the National Exposition logo on the front. “Your plane leaves in one hour, take a priority tram to the High Security Concourse. The plane leaves form Gate S8 at 8:50. Be sure to present your invitation to the Identification Officer at the gate.” The attendant instructed. Edward thanked the attendant and walked to the set of escalators in a corner of the terminal that would take him to the Priority Tram Station

7:47 AM
Priority Tram 081
Philadelphia International Airport

Good morning, and welcome to the Philadelphia International Airport Priority Tram. The current time is 7:47AM. This tram is: IMBOUND from: MAIN TERMINAL to the destination of: HIGH SECURITY CONCOURSE. Please keep your limbs inside the tram at all times. For your safety, and the safety of others, no smoking, eating or drinking is allowed on the Priority Tram. Edward sat and listened to the announcements as he watched the gloomy rainy landscape move outside the windows. The tram went into a tunnel before coming out into the well-lit interior of the High Security Concourse tram platform.
The tram is now arriving at: HIGH SECURITY CONCOURSE. The current time is 7:52AM. Please check the space around you for personal items before exiting the tram. The PA system said a final announcement as Edward stood up and joined the crowd of bustling commuters exiting the train. A set of escalators led up to the security checkpoint before giving way to the main part of the concourse. Smoothly making his way through the maze-like security procedures, Edward entered the main part of the concourse and, after a minutes search, found Gate S8. He walked up to the Security Identification Desk and presented his ID, as well as his invitation, to the Identification Officer.
“Thank you Mr. Lawton,” the officer said. “Flight 5188 boards in about thirty-five minutes.”
After a few minutes, Edward’s stomach began to growl
I’m kinda hungry, he thought. I better eat something before the plane boards. Seeing as he still had some time, Edward decided to duck into a near Starbucks and get some tea and a cinnamon roll. He went up to the counter and ordered, got his food and tea, and sat down. As he ate his cinnamon roll and drank his tea, a young man sat down next to him. He was wearing a faded pink T-Shirt with light blue and yellow balloons on it. The shirt looked like it had been worn many times, like the man had few other shirts.
“Hey Jay,” the man said. Before Edward could tell the man he was not Jay, the man carried on. “They say that My Little Pony might get back on the air! Isn’t that great?” 
Edward glared at the man. My God, how many guys are still into this crap? People are so persistent these days, he thought.“Excuse me,” Edward said to the man. “Do I know you?” The man’s smile vanished. He blushed and apologized, finally realizing he was not talking to “Jay” (whoever that was), and left in a hurry.
Attention. The loudspeaker blared. Flight 5188 is now boarding. Flight 5188 is now boarding. Edward quickly threw his trash away and rushed to the gate. There was no line. Edward showed the Attendant his invitation once more.
“Well, well, well,” the Attendant commented as Edward boarded the plane. “Looks like you’re the first one on.”
The plane was a private jet and was rather roomy. The seats were facing in alternate directions. In the center of every two seats were tables. Edward later found out that the tables had television screens that popped out in case the occupants wanted to watch a movie or connect it to their laptops. Edward sat down at one of the tables. A waitress brought him a glass of water which he drank quickly as the slightly bitter tea had still left him rather thirsty. About three more people boarded the plane. 
“Attention Passengers, this is your captain speaking. Please sit down and buckle your seat belts. We will take off in about two minutes.” The plane took off smoothly and rose into the expansive clouds.

9:04 AM
Transcontinental Flight 5188
U.C.N.A Airspace

“Attention Passengers. We have reached a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet. You are now free to move about the cabin.” Edward ordered a glass of cranberry juice and brought up his television screen. He connected it to his laptop and began working on his itinerary for the National Exposition. One of the few other scientists stood up from his seat, and casually walked over to him.
“Edward?” The man said. “Is that you?” Edward looked up from his computer. He recognized the man.
“Perry!” Edward exclaimed “I haven’t seen you in forever!” Perry was Edward’s partner in the Philadelphia Science Convention. They had completely stolen the competition with the Electromagnetic Self-Powered Rain Repellant Umbrella that Edward had developed.
“Man Edward, I had no idea I would find you here. I wish we could work together this time-“
The plane shook violently, interrupting Perry.
 "Attention Passengers. We are experiencing severe turbulence. Please remain calm and return to your seats."
Perry rushed back to his seat as the plane shook. Luggage fell out of the racks. Lightning flashed out of Edward’s window. He gripped his umbrella uneasily as he called to Perry across the aisle 
“Dammit Perry,” he said. “This storm looks pretty serious. I’m not sure we’ll make it to California with this mess going on”
“No, no, no.” Perry responded. “Don’t think like that Edward. I am positive we will make it out of this.” But, as smart as he was, Perry couldn’t have been more wrong. Because at that moment, all hell broke loose. Lightning struck the fuselage of the plane, blowing a giant hole in the cabin. Orange-yellow oxygen masks dropped out of the ceiling. Edward put his on as soon as it appeared in front of him, sucking down the oxygenated air. Perry was not so lucky, and was pulled out of his seat by the decrease in pressure. Edward grabbed Perry’s hand as he flied past. “EDWARD!” he shouted. “I’M SLIPPING!” With a final bloodcurdling scream, Perry slipped from Edwards grasp. He flew out of the hole and was cut in half by the wing of the plane.
“PERRY, NOOOO” Edward shouted, but his cry fell on deaf ears. His own seat suddenly began to creak loudly with a horrible earsplitting groan. The seat detached from the floor and Edward was sucked out the hole as well.
Fortunately for Edward, the extra weight of the seat saved him from sharing Perry’s fate. As he fell, he felt the cold and rain stabbing at his bare skin. He would freeze shortly. He unbuckled his seat belt, falling independently now as another lightning bolt struck the plane above him, causing the cargo bay to burst open. Luggage and other cargo flew out of the ruptured belly of the plane. As Edward fell through the freezing rain and clouds, he thought about his life. He thought about Rob, and what he said to him about his show. Would he die with his best friend hating him? Out of the corner of his eye, Edward saw his luggage. He flew over to his suitcase and his metal case. Opening the titanium box to see if his experiment had survived, he was pleased that it had. He would die knowing his contribution to science was safe. He was partly right. His contribution would be quite safe, but fate had other plans for our friend Edward. 
As he was about to close his case, one of the reserve power cells floated out of its holder. Edward grabbed at it, but it was just out of his reach. Static electricity built up around it, and was ignited, causing the power cell to explode in a flash of blinding white light. The flash enveloped Edward, his luggage, and many boxes around him. When the flash subsided, there was no Edward, and no luggage falling through the air anymore. They had seemingly vanished.

> Meanwhile, In a Dimension Far, Far Away
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

5:34 PM
Castle Canterlot,
Canterlot, Equestria

“Princess Celestia, what will you do about our economy?”
“Princess Celestia, what do you think about out diplomacy with the Griffons?”
The subject of these questions barely managed to make it through the front door of Castle Canterlot with the mob of concerned subjects and ministers at her hooves. She shut the door and slumped against it in exhaustion as a servant brought her a warm towel to wipe her perspiring brow. In these desperate times, her job was extremely difficult. She was constantly hounded over and over again by concerned citizens. Even the guards that were at her side wherever she traveled could barely hold them back. As a matter of fact, she was so bogged down by citizens, she had told Luna she would be back by 5:00 and was now 24 minutes late. Finally regaining her breath, she dismissed the servant and trotted into the dining room for a snack after a very long and tiring day. 
Upon entering the dining room, she saw Luna sitting alone at the end of the large, rectangular table. She was eating her breakfast, even though it was almost dusk.
“I’m sorry I’m late Luna,” Celestia apologized “these mobs of citizens everywhere are very hard to shake off.” She then noticed her sister’s unhappy appearance. “Is everything alright Luna?” Celestia asked.
“Yes. I just decided to get up a bit earlier today” was Luna’s shy reply. Celestia sensed everything was not truly alright. Ever since her… explosive return from the moon, Luna seemed rather detached and disconnected from everyday life.
“You know, maybe you should find your own Faithful Student,” Celestia suggested. “You would probably be a bit less lonely.”
“Tia!” Luna snapped, her voice rising. “We talked about this before!” She was silent for a minute, and then spoke in her usual quiet tone. “But I feel you may be right. Maybe a Faithful Student is just what I need” If you looked at Celestia, you could never tell how happy she was feeling to know that Luna was finally turning around.
“Come on Sister,” Celestia said. “Let’s go upstairs. Perhaps we can find somepony for you.” Luna smiled.
“Can I at least eat my breakfast first?” Luna asked. Celestia laughed
“Why yes, of course. Would you like me to wait outside until you are finished?” 
“Well, I really don’t see any need for that.” The two royal sisters made light-hearted chat as Luna ate. When Luna finished her food, she rose from the table. “Let’s go.” She said enthusiastically. The royal duo left the dining room and walked up the grand staircase.
“So Luna,” Celestia began as they climbed the spiraling staircase to Luna’s bedroom. “What sort of student do you want? Light hearted? A devoted studier like my Twilight?”
“Well,” Luna replied. “I really haven’t given it much thought to be honest, but now that you have me thinking about it, I sort of want somepony who is a diligent scholar, but one who would never run out of gripping stories to tell. Somepony who would never bore me, and who would always keep me interested. Somepony who wouldn’t be just a student, but a friend to me.”
“Hmm…” Celestia pondered “If you give me a day or two, I could probably find somepony who meets your requirements.”
“Honestly Tia, I believe I am old enough to choose who gets to be my student. You don’t have to do everything for me anymore!” The conversation was interrupted by a very loud “THUMP” coming from somewhere upstairs. 
“Luna,” Celestia said. “I think it came from your room.” The sisters’ calm walk evolved into a quick gallop. In a matter of moments, they reached Luna’s bedroom. Luna put her ear to the door. There was the sound of the balcony door closing, as if somepony went out on the balcony. Luna cautiously opened the door. Her room was full of boxes that were not there when she left it about an hour-and-a-half ago. Some were made of a canvas-like material, while others were some kind of metal. There was a particularly shiny one near the center of the room. It was left open revealing some kind of device inside, although it was hard to see from the doorway. Celestia entered the room after her. “What in Equestria is all of this?” Celestia asked. 
“More importantly,” Luna responded. “How did it get here and why is it in my room?” As if to answer their questions, the balcony door opened. A tall figure walked in, its exact shape obscured by the blinding sunlight. It seemed to be muttering something.  
“If only I knew what happened. If only I knew where I am and how I got in this bizarre situation.” It walked over to the case and closed it. Suddenly, it stood up, as if it realized it was being observed, and looked directly at the sisters, seeming to be equally astounded to see them as they were to see him. The sisters got a better view of the creature. It was a bipedal being, wearing a grey jacket over a white dress shirt and tie. It had hands in the place of hooves and was dripping with a clear liquid, most likely water. It had no fur, only hair on the top of its head and more sparsely placed along the portion of its limbs that the two alicorns were able to observe. For about a minute, there was no sound. The creature finally broke the silence, clearing its throat. It spoke in a medium pitched male voice. 
“Talking unicorns?” it said. “Well that’s, ah, certainly different.”

Three Minutes Earlier
Time: Unknown
Location: Unknown

When Edward came to, the first thing he realized is that he was not dead. Hadn’t he just fallen 10,000 feet to his death? And yet he was in an unfamiliar place, seemingly unharmed. He was still covered in precipitation and felt rather cold. He stood up and looked around the room. The room clearly had a night time theme. The carpets, curtains and even the stones that made up the walls and floor were painted a rich deep blue. A bed sat in the corner with indigo covers. The covers were rumpled as if they had been slept in recently. Many things in the room, like the covers, carpet, curtains, had a white crescent moon embroidered on them. Most of the hardwood furniture had moon designs painted on or carved into them. The ceiling had a beautiful mosaic of the night sky, with stars and constellations, and of course, a crescent moon. Edward’s gaze brought him to a set of open doors leading out to a balcony. Instinctively, he ran to close them, but then he realized that it was not cold outside. He decided to step outside onto the balcony.
His eyes squinted shut as they were suddenly assailed by bright light. What a wonderful feeling! To finally be able to stand outside without being constantly assaulted by rain. It’s so bizarre! Edward thought as he stepped into the warm sunlight. The air had a faint sweet smell to it. He gazed around. He appeared to be in some kind of castle that overlooked a great valley. He laughed softly in happiness Remember now, Edward never had a chance to experience this sort of thing; he had known nothing but cold rain for all his life. 
Edward wished he was able to stand out in that sun forever, but there were other matters that needed his attention. He opened the balcony door and stepped back inside. “I need to know what happened,” He muttered as he gazed down at the deep blue carpet. “I need to know where I am and how I got in this bizarre situation” He noticed that the case that contained his science experiment was wide open. He walked over to it and gently closed the lid . Somehow, he got the feeling he was not alone. He looked up. 
He was right. Two creatures stood in the now open doorway. Both equine in nature, both had horns on their foreheads, both had wings, both even had the same bewildered expression as he. One was tall and white with a long multicolored mane and tail that floated in the air, as if from an unseen, unfelt breeze. The other was slightly shorter, was a dark blue color, and had a dark blue mane and tail that twinkled, as if it contained thousands of stars, floating in the same manner as the white one’s. Both had a different symbol on their flanks, about where a branding mark would be on a normal horse. One symbol was a moon on a dark background for the blue one, the other was a stylized sun for the white one. Edward decided to break the silence. He cleared his throat. “Unicorns,” he said, as if to himself. “Well that’s, ah, certainly different.” Edward you’re an idiot, he thought to himself. You are visited by oddly colored unicorns with inexplicable floating manes and that’s the best you come up with? Really? The blue one, a female, spoke. Not neighed. Spoke. REAL WORDS!
“Who are you, what are you, and why are you in my room!” she inquired in an extremely loud voice, one that demanded undivided attention, and one that was so loud that Edward had to wait a few seconds before his hearing returned to optimal function. She was probably someone very important. She also did not sound pleased at all to see Edward in her room. First and foremost though, Edward was shocked. They TALKED!
“Well, first of all,” Edward said, shaking his head to clear the ringing from his ears “I have to say I love the décor. It is very nice.”
“Answer the question!” The unicorn spoke again, in the same loud voice. She was obviously not amused at Edward’s meager attempt at small talk.
“I was getting to that part!” Edward said, annoyed (and temporarily deafened) at the blue one’s impatience. “Now, I realize you must have heard this excuse countless times, but I honestly have no idea. One minute I was falling 10,000 feet to my death in the freezing cold rain, and now I wake up in this beautifully decorated room with that… sun, I guess,” He gestured outside to the sun, although he didn’t remember what it was called, “shining on my face.” The white one spoke for the first time.
“You mean,” she tensed uncertainly, as if the notion she was about to suggest was ridiculous. “You have never heard of the sun?”
“Yes,” Edward affirmed. “Yes, where I come from, we have no sun. Not anymore.” The two creatures looked shocked. “There was a time when the sun shone everywhere,” Edward continued. “But now, it always rains. It’s always cold. It is not so nice of a place anymore.” He finished with sadness in his voice. The white one turned to the blue one. Although they tried to be quiet, Edward could hear every word.
“Luna,” the white one said. “He has plenty of stories to tell. And he seems eager to learn. You could teach him so much.”
“I know Tia,” The blue one, Luna, responded. “But he is so different. For lack of a better term he is an alien.” This last bit annoyed Edward quite a bit. He spoke up
“You know,” Edward blurted out. “I really do not like being referred to as an alien. You are as much aliens to me as I am to you, so can we drop the tag and get along?”
“You better watch your tone” Luna forcefully. “You have no idea of what my sister and I are capable of.”
“Luna, be a little understanding,” Tia cautioned. “He is clearly not going to do any harm. He seems very smart. Can you try to get along with him?” Luna looked rather displeased. It was clear that Luna really didn’t want to accept Edward for… well, Edward had no clue as to what she was considering him for. So he decided to play it safe.   
“You’re right,” Edward agreed. He shuffled his feet nervously “I do have no idea, don’t I. Perhaps we could exchange names. I have no doubt we will need to use them later on. I’ll start. My name is Edward Lawton, resident of the United North American Confederacy, which is the worldwide leader in the development of precipitation prevention devices.”
“I am Princess Celestia,” Tia, or as Edward had just learned, Celestia, declared. “I along with my sister Luna, are rulers of the country Equestria.”
Monarchy? Edward thought. These people, ponies, whatever, are really behind the times. Democracy is the new thing. It might be a good idea not to mention the fact for the time being or it might cost me my head. And what is this Equestria place? I’ve never heard of a country by that name before. “Ah…well met. Should I bow, or, uh, bestow some other formality?”
“Bowing or kneeling is appropriate.” Celestia said. Edward did so right away.
“Forgive me for disrespecting you two earlier,” Edward sincerely apologized as he rose from the floor. “As Princess Luna so rightly observed, I had no idea who I was speaking with.” 
“Apology accepted.” Luna replied, but she sounded as if she only half meant it.
Celestia nudged Luna. “Luna,” Celestia said. “Is there something you want to ask Edward?”
“Oh, please,” Luna replied indignantly, “I’m not a little filly anymore. Stop treating me like I still am!” She turned to Edward. “Mr. Lawton, ah, Edward,” Luna began, taking a deep breath. “Recently I had to undergo a certain… shall we say, tragedy. As of late, ponies have been avoiding me and I have been very lonely. My sister has suggested that I choose a student that I can educate, and in the process, perhaps that would make me feel better. Even though you come from another place, my sister and I feel you have great potential. I wish for you to be my Faithful Student and companion.”
Edward scratched the back of his neck. He certainly wasn’t expecting this. He pondered for a moment. For one, it looked like he wasn’t getting back to Earth anytime soon. And for another, he did want to experience as much of this strange new place as he could.
“Well, I am always one for learning,” Edward said. “What kind of subjects would you be teaching me? Literature? Mathematics? Science? History?”
“No, no, not any of that boring stuff,” Luna responded. “That is taught to grade school fillies, and I am sure you know much of those. History might be an exception due to the fact you probably know nothing of Equestria.” Edward was slightly offended, for he thought those subjects rather fun to learn about. He had to admit this mystery subject was starting to pique his interest. “No,” Luna continued. “I shall teach you about magic. You do not have magic on your world, do you?”
“Magic, huh?” Edward said with a skeptical tone in his voice. Magic, ponies, sunshine, unicorns, this is starting to sound like one of Rob’s ridiculous girly fantasies. Either I died during or because of the fall, and this is some kind of strange heaven, or I survived the fall and I am in one seriously screwed up coma. “You mean like sawing people in half and putting them back together or pulling rabbits out of hats?” he remarked snidely.
“No, none of those cheap conjuring tricks” Luna said. She did not seem to be as irked by Edwards sarcasm as she would have been before. She gestured to her bed. “Watch.” she ordered. Luna’s horn began to glow a deep blue. So did the covers on her bed. Then, before Edward’s eyes, the rumpled covers began to move. They smoothed out all their wrinkles, and were laid out flat and evenly on the bed, seemingly independently. Impossible, it’s like telekinesis. Must be some sort of energy. I bet there are other thing they can do with this. The possibilities could be… endless.  At that point, Edward realized the great opportunity he had been granted. All the things he would be able to learn. He could do anything with this sort of knowledge. Anything man could think of. His mind made up, he looked at Luna and extended his hand
“Congratulations Princess,” he said, smiling as he shook Luna’s hoof. “You got yourself a new student.

Minutes later, Edward, Celestia, and Luna arrived in the Diplomatic Wing.
“Edward, this room will be yours.” Celestia said as she opened a door to one of the rooms. Edward peered inside. The room had stone walls, as always, but the floor was made of wooden floorboards with a red rug. A decently sized bed with a red bedspread was in the corner. There was a desk in another corner with many drawers. A large window looked out upon the Equestrian Valley. The walls had several bookshelves stocked with books, along with some still-life paintings on them.
“Wow,” Edward said. “It’s perfect. Thank you both.”
“If you are to become my student,” Luna began. “Then you must live like a student of mine would. Our servants are at your command.” Edward blushed slightly, embarrassed that so much effort was placed on his comfort. Then, a thought crossed his mind.
“Hey, mind if I ask a question?” He inquired. The princesses nodded. “I noticed you weren’t as surprised to see a creature like me.” He sat on the bed. “Tell me, am I the first human you’ve seen here?” Celestia answered him first.
“You are astute, for you are not.” She continued. “The first human appeared about 38 years ago.”
Before the Great Deluge! Edward thought. I wonder if they know what Earth was like before.
“Her name was Lauren Faust,” Edward had heard that name before, but she couldn’t remember where. “She was a producer back on Earth. She had a device with her, that could record events and play them back after they happened, like memories, except others could see them as well.”
“That’s what we call a video camera,” Edward explained. “It can capture moving images and can be used to project them on to a screen for mass viewing.”
“I see,” Celestia said. She then resumed her story. “She had recorded many things by the time we were able to send her back, including… my sister’s tragedy” Luna suddenly became very interested in the rug she was standing on. Edward noticed this, but said nothing.
“Thank you for explaining this to me.” He said, smiling a bit. At this point, Luna had resumed her usual posture.
“If there’s anything you need,” she informed. “Let us know.” The two regal figures exited the room, leaving Edward to his thoughts.
I need to sleep on this. So much has happened, and my mind and body haven’t fully caught up yet. He climbed into the bed, which was rather comfy, and his mind drifted into the realms of dreamless sleep.

> A Deadly Misunderstanding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Three Months Later
3:15PM
Edward’s Suite
Castle Canterlot, Canterlot

Edward sat at his disorganized desk. In the past three months, he had been swamped with new things to learn about this magic he was being educated about. Quite an interesting topic, though he could perform none of it himself. He had replaced the ordinary floorboards with exotic hardwoods and exchanged the red carpet and bed with blue ones to reflect his teacher’s color pallet. Somehow, Edward managed to squeeze in more bookshelves into the already crowded wall space. Most were on magic, others were on Equestrian culture, history, and legends. On the space above his desk were very painful-looking cross-section sketches of Equestrian anatomy. Under one of a unicorn horn, where nopony would notice it, Edward had drawn a black-and-white picture of Princess Luna. It was so detailed that it seemed to come from a photograph and was accurate right down to the point. Edward had used every single minute of his spare time working on it, and had finished a few days ago. It was this photo that Edward looked at now. He was surprised of how fond he had grown of the alicorn, and would have never suspected how great friends they would become, due to her chilly welcome when he suddenly appeared in her bedroom. Although she was very important and powerful, she too, had feelings like any other pony. She often spoke with him on personal matters, and he was honored to be one she trusted
A sharp rap at his door jarred Edward out of his thoughts. He quickly hid the picture and slumped over his desk so as to look busy.
“Can it wait until later?” he called out, for he did not want to be disturbed. “I am a little tied up at the moment.”
“Edward this is not a joke. You will let me in at once!” replied the all too familiar imposing voice of Princess Celestia. Edward had a feeling he knew what this was about and he also knew that he was in very deep trouble.

Yesterday  
10:09AM
Edward’s Suite
Castle Canterlot, Canterlot

As the rest of Equestria bustled busily, Edward sat quietly by his desk. He had so many things he wanted to learn, that his desk was covered by a pile of books and papers he hadn’t read, and an even larger pile full of notes and diagrams on magic. His reading was interrupted by a gentle knock at his door. He was slightly startled, as it was currently his day off and he was not expecting any visitors.
“Who’s there,” he said in his usual calm demeanor.
“It’s Luna,” The soothing voice of the moon goddess flowed back through the door, yet Edward noticed it quavered slightly. “May I come in?”
“Certainly,” Edward turned around in his swivel chair as Luna’s majestic form graced his room. “What seems to be the problem?”
Luna sat on his bed, the edges of her eyes slightly irritated from what Edward figured must have been crying “I had another dream about Nightmare Moon.” Edward knew about Luna’s horrifying adventure with Nightmare Moon, and was all too keen on how it had scarred her. He sat with her on the bed and coaxed her to explain the dream. “…And then she locked the door and left me there to die. But I could see all the horrible things she was doing to everypony and… and…” The tears came back as Luna sobbed into Edward’s shoulder. He gently patted her on the back, feeling slightly cliché.
“There, there. Nightmare Moon will never show her face again. You have my word.”
“Edward… I know this may seem very odd, but is it alright if I sleep here for a while?”
“Go ahead. Make yourself comfortable. My room is your room.” Luna went over to Edward's bed and snuggled up beneath the covers.
"Um, Edward?"
"Yes Princess?"
"Do you think you could, er..."
"I could what?"
"Well... I realize this may sound awkward," Luna blushed, turning her face a deep purple. "Could you... er, sleep with me?"
"Uh, well, I don't think humans and ponies can really-"
"Eeww! Not like that! Just so I can have someone to keep me company, and I trust you with that. You've been a good student, but you've been a greater friend."
"Oh, heh, okay. Well, I really cant say no, now can I. I suppose I’ve stayed up long enough anyways. This tea you make here keeps me wired all day and night. No funny business, promise me?”
"I promise."
Edward joined Luna in his bed. She rested her head on his shoulder. Edward felt like he was on top of the world. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest, the quiet beating of her heart, her fuzzy coat, her warm breath blowing gently on his cheek. I’ve never experienced anything like this before, he thought as he fell into the depths of sleep. Nothing like this would have happened to me on Earth. It feels so wonderful to know that someone this important trusts me this much. Then, a darker thought crossed his mind. God, I sure hope her sister doesn’t find out. Maybe she won’t jump to conclusions…

*END OF FLASHBACK*

Now we return to Edward, cowering at his desk as Celestia entered his room. He never really noticed how frightening she looked when she was angry. And he had never even seen her that pissed before. “I think you know what this is about,” she said. Edward cringed slightly with each word. “You coaxed my sister down here and got with her!” Edward was astonished. He didn’t expect her to think that he… copulated with Luna. Edward retched internally. He was disturbed just entertaining the notion.
“EUGH! Is- is that what you think?” he sputtered angrily. “I wouldn’t do anything of the sort. I refuse to believe that you really think I would stoop so low as to- GACK!” Celestia used her magic to lift Edward up into the air and slammed him into one of the bookshelves. Books rained down on the floor. “What… on Earth… on Equis… whatever… are you *gasp* doing?” Edward choked out as he was being ground into the wall. So much for not jumping to conclusions. “P-Please… let me explain.”  Celestia spoke through clenched teeth.
“How dare you touch my sister! We both trusted you. This is inexcusable!” She flung Edward into his chair which spun around wildly to stop with Edward facing Celestia.
“W-W-What are you going to do?” he asked, truly afraid.
“What I do to all that betray me.” Celestia’s horn began to glow a magnificent white. Edward shut his eyes. He sure 	he would be liquefied into nothing. Just then, a voice spoke in the back of his head.
Are you just going to sit there and do absolutely nothing like a coward? Are you really going to let this… horse lady simply snuff out your light? You imbecile! Edward opened his eyes. The voice was right. He was not going to fold over like an unlucky gambler. Mind racing, he remembered a banner that hung outside his window. As the beam left Celestia’s horn, Edward made his move. He sprung out of his seat, scooping up his umbrella. The beam hit the chair with a loud ‘ping’. As the room filled with light from the spell, he jumped out his window. As Edward looked back into the room, he saw that his wood chair had been turned into a dull-grey, coarse stone. Not taking any time to ponder it, he reached out for the banner. To Edward’s relief, his hand made a connection and he was hanging on the end of the banner. Edward surveyed his options. There was a window across from him leading into a diplomatic room. Below him was a patio that overlooked the sculpture garden. It took Edward only a second to think of a plan. Using his weight, he swung into the diplomatic room. The glass shattered loudly as he had hoped. He ran over to the door and flung it open. He then tied the banner to the curtain bar above of the window. Grabbing his umbrella, he jumped back out the window. As he sunk below the windowsill, he heard the familiar pop of a teleportation spell. Hopefully, Celestia would think he had run out into the hall, thus buying him some time. Edward opened his umbrella. It did not slow him down much, but it was enough to make him not break his legs when he hit the patio.
Edward looked out over the sculpture garden as he regained his composure. Would he have ended up here if he had not escaped? He looked at a particularly ugly one of a creature that seemed to be a mish-mash of all sorts of animal body parts. The statue’s mouth hung open in a silent scream. Edward folded his umbrella. He would have to get to Luna; Celestia would be more likely to listen to her than him. He figured she would be sleeping in her room at this hour. Getting there would not be easy, and Edward still did not know the entire layout of the castle just yet. He would have to get lucky a few times, but it would be do-able.
Edward entered the castle. There was a short hall that turned a corner, and around it, Edward guessed, was the main hall. As he walked down the hall, a single Solar Guard turned around the corner. Edward froze. Did he know about the incident and was going to apprehend him? The guard looked at him oddly.
“Is something wrong?” he asked. Edward shook his head.
“No,” he said, equally as cordially. “You just startled me, that’s all.”
“Well, I’m gonna have to ask you to come with me. Celestia must be pretty riled up to get you to her ASAP.” The guard did not get any farther. Edward picked up the pony and slammed him into the wall with a loud clash. He slumped down against the wall. Edward checked the guard’s pulse to find he was alive, only unconscious. He dragged the stallion’s body into a supply closet in the hall. He put an empty cider bottle in his mouth for good measure and to make a more believable story. Closing the door, Edward ran out of the corridor and into the main hall. The ceiling seemed to stretch on for miles, or so it seemed. None the less, Edward was always impressed with the illusion. A lone guard was at the entrance to the dining room. He did not acknowledge the scientist, so he must not have heard the news yet. Edward swiftly entered the dining room without attracting too much attention.
The empty dining room shared the illusion with the main hall of a seemingly never-ending ceiling. There was a gigantic chandelier made of precious metals that was hanging in the center of the room. The table was covered with beautiful bronze plates and utensils.  Edward paced around the table, thinking on how to get to the Lunar Wing from here. He was cut short by hurried voices outside the main door. Edward knew that wasn’t good. The guard from outside entered the room, with another stallion that Edward recognized as Shining Armor, the Captain of the Solar Guard. 
“There he is!” he exclaimed. Edward jumped on the table. The private shot a silvery bolt from his horn that just barely grazed Edward’s side. Picking up one of the plates, he threw it at the subordinate like a Frisbee. It smacked him squarely in the front of his forehead putting him out like a light. Shining jumped up on the table as well and fired a purple bolt from his horn at Edward. Edward scooped up another plate and deflected the blast upward at the last moment. The bolt severed the chain holding the chandelier. The shocked captain was unable to teleport out in time, and the chandelier crashed down around him. Wait staff ran out of the kitchen to see what was the commotion was all about, quickly followed by the chef who shouted at Shining, still lying in the ruins with a bewildered expression. Not seeing any other way out of the dining room, Edward quietly slipped into the kitchen unnoticed by the crowd.       
Edward stepped into the gleaming white kitchen. He knew that the guards will be back to attempt to apprehend him. There was a back door at the other end of the room that led into a back hall. But Edward needed to delay the guards first. He opened all the ovens. Each had some sort of pie or other foodstuff baking in them. Edward turned up the heat so the food began to give off smoke. Soon, the room was filled with smoke, making visibility virtually impossible. Edward found his way to the door and went through it. He closed the door and listened to it.
“What the hay happened here?”
“I can’t see a dang thing in this!”
“Get the Fire Brigade in here at once!”
“NO! Lunch is ruined!”
Edward had bought some more time. He remembered that Luna’s private library was close to here. It wouldn’t hurt to check it out. He set off down the corridor towards the Lunar Wing. 
Edward arrived at the door to the Lunar Library without incident. He pushed it open gently. A quick search proved a failure. Edward meant to leave immediately after, but a sharp pain overpowered him. He sank down into a chair, clutching his side. The spot where the silver bolt had grazed him had left a large gash in his skin. White hot pain blossomed from the throbbing wound as his adrenaline dissipated. Red blood had stained his indigo suit a very deep maroon. As he clutched the wound, blood seeped slowly through his fingers. Come on, this is a library in an old castle. There’s got to be some sort of secret passage. It’s an obvious cliché which is never overlooked. He gazed at the titles. Most of them were on moon-related topics. One caught his eye, because of it being so dusty. "Atlas of the Moon" the title read. Luna is the goddess of the Moon; she probably has the surface memorized. Why would she need an atlas? He took it off the shelf to blow off the dust, but it wouldn’t come off. Instead, the bookcase to his right opened up to reveal a secret passage. Edward looked inside. This must go all the way up to Luna’s bedroom, Edward thought. He stepped into the passage as the hidden door shut behind him.
Edward sat on the first step of what looked like a very long staircase. He couldn’t believe how much running and jumping he had done. The adrenaline was really starting to wear off. Edward looked again at the staircase. Torches were placed every fifteen steps or so for illumination. He hated stairs, especially with his wound, which throbbed with every step. Edward stood up. If he wanted to keep living the life he was living, he was going to have to climb some stairs. He began his tiring ascent
In the hallway outside Luna’s room, there was a lone Lunar Guard clad in dark blue steel. His name was Midnight Fog, he was positioned next to a painting of Luna, and he was bored out of his mind. Being a Lunar Guard, though it paid very well, was a rather dull job, as nothing really happened during the day shifts. The most exciting thing that had happened that day was when a few of Princess Celestia’s Solar Guards came and sealed Luna’s door. Naturally, they wouldn’t answer any questions and left as quickly as they had come. Midnight was considering a nap, when the painting of Princess Luna that hung in the hall fell off its hook. The wall behind it opened to reveal a hidden passage from which the human, Edward Lawton, jumped out. Edward held his side, which was bleeding rather profusely. The Lunar Guard got over his shock quickly, for he was trained that way, and confronted the man. 
“Hey!” Midnight shouted. “What are you doing here?”
It took Edward a little longer to get over his shock. “You aren’t here to arrest me too, are you?”
“Why in Equestria would I do that?” 
“I’ll give you the short version. Luna is the only one who can save me from a long boring future in the statue garden.” Edward walked to Luna’s door. “I need to talk to her straight away.” As he reached up to knock, Midnight hurriedly stopped him.
“No, don’t touch that door. It’s been sealed by Celestia’s guards.” Edward slowly lowered his hand to his pocket. He took a pencil from inside and threw it against the door. It flew back with such force that it shattered against the stone wall across the hall. He winced. Another hit taken for the team. You will not be forgotten Ticonderoga No.2. 
“Do you know of another way I can get into that room?” He asked Midnight.
The guard spoke. “There’s an attic upstairs. That door,” he said as he gestured to a door a little further down the hall, “leads into it. You can drop down on the Lunar Balcony from the window. If the guards come up here looking for you, I will delay them for as long as I can.”
“Thanks, uhhh… Midnight Fog. Right? Right. I guess I really owe you one.”
“Nah, it’s no problem. You’ve been doing my duty for the Lunar Court. I still owe you several more. Now hurry. That wound looks pretty bad.”
Edward ran into the attic. It was full of dusty boxes, furniture, and other artifacts.  He opened the window. It was quite a drop to the Lunar Balcony, and if he used his umbrella again, it would undoubtedly break. His wound beginning to take its toll, Edward’s vision began to swim as he quickly came up with a plan. A quick search resulted in some dusty old curtains on a rusty iron hanger. Looking down at the balcony again to judge the distance, Edward tied the curtains into a rope that he estimated would be long enough to reach down all the way. Next, he bent the curtain hanger into a hook shape, and tied one end of his curtain rope to it.
“Lieutenant Fog. You are dismissed. We need to search the Lunar wing for Lawton.” Edward heard voices under him.
“Under Lunar Decree 21, you, as a Solar Guard, are not allowed to interfere with daily duties of the Lunar Guard Organization. You of all ponies should know that Captain Armor.” Edward worked fast as the soldiers argued in the hall under him. His time was now limited severely. He quickly made a note not to forget Fog’s Birthday, which he later found out was next month, and attached the hook to the window sill. He dropped the rope and was pleased to see it dropped down all the way. Taking a deep breath, he climbed down the rope to the balcony.
Princess Luna was asleep. At the moment, she dreamed she was in the dining hall downstairs. Her sister was there, as well as Edward, and everypony else she cared about. Celestia was putting away all the cider in the house and everypony was laughing and pointing and encouraging her. One voice was louder that the rest. It was Edward, and he was shouting her name. “Luna. Luna! LUNA!”
Luna woke from her slumber with a gasp. It took her a second to shake off the grogginess of sleep. But no matter how hard she tried, Edward’s voice was still there. There was a sharp rapping at the balcony door. Luna parted the curtains with magic to find Edward standing there with a pained look on his face. His side was stained a black-purple, and his hand was covered in blood. Luna opened the door.
“P-Please…” Edward began to stutter from blood loss. “I need… medical attention” Luna’s horn glowed its magical blue hue. Edward shuddered as the wound became very hot, and gasped as the pain vanished. His blood was replenished by the spell and the wound was closed. Even the blood from his suit was cleaned so it looked good as new. 
“Edward, look at me!” Luna ordered. Her student slowly raised his head. “You must tell me what happened. Do not leave anything out.” She listened in shock as Edward told her every detail from his nerve-wracking adventure, from his harrowing escape from his room, to his crafty use of the makeshift grappling hook. "I see. You will probably get a brief sentence on Kitchen Duty for burning those pies, but other than that," Luna stood up in her full regality. “Edward, my sister has acted irrationally.” Luna said gently. “I will talk to her, and she will never do this sort of thing ever again.” 
The duo was interrupted by a voice on the other side of the door. “Take down the seal, he’s in there!” Luna stood up from the bed.
“Edward, leave this to me.” She said. Edward nodded and sat down on the bed, examining where his wound had just been. The door opened as a team of Solar Guards entered the room. Luna spoke in her Royal Canterlot Voice, which was deafening to poor Edward “WHAT IN EQUESTRIA DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?!”
“W-w-we were just f-f-following orders Princess.” The guard in front quivered in fear as he replied.
“Well here’s an order for you,” Luna said, her voice now a normal, angry level. “Get my big, fat, potato of a sister down here RIGHT NOW!” The guard nodded fearfully and the squad all teleported away.
Edward sat on the bed shaking his head, his ears still ringing from the RCV. “See?” Luna said calmly. “I will get this resolved straight away.”
“What!?” Edward shouted. “I think I’ve been temporarily deafened! Did you say something?” Luna quickly cast another spell. With a slight pop, Edward’s hearing came rushing back to him. “Thank you,” he said with a slight smile. “Now what happened?”
“My sister will be here in a moment.” Luna said. “I hope you can keep your temper in check with her, because now would be one of the worst times to lose it.”
Edward closed his eyes and raised his hand politely. “I’m sure I would have done the same thing given the circumstances.”
A minute later, there was a loud pop. Celestia had arrived
“Is something the matter?” she asked, kindly at first. Upon sighting Edward, her brow furrowed and opened her mouth to speak.
“Not so fast sister,” Luna said with a scowl. “The way I hear it is that you sent an entire brigade of the Solar Guard after MY student because you thought he had courted with me? Is that so?”
“Luna, you must see-”     
“Oh, I see all right! I thought I was the one who jumped to conclusions all the time, but I have never seen you make such a gigantic err in judgment!”
“Luna, I thought you were in trouble, you must understand I was only trying to protect you-”
“From who? A thin, possibly underfed human?”
You could have picked a less degrading set of adjectives you know. Edward thought, frowning at his charge’s poor description.
“And anyways, how did this thin underfed human manage to outsmart the Solar Guard? Some military you have!”
“Hey!” Edward interjected. “Let’s get back on topic here! The argument continued for a good ten minutes. At last, the two princesses came to a conclusion. Celestia turned to Edward
“Edward,” she began. “I am truly sorry for how much trouble I caused you. I suppose I overreacted horribly.” Edward blinked. Celestia was apologizing… to him? “Please forgive me.” She finished. Edward said nothing for a moment. He pretended to think about it to milk the moment. At last he looked up and smiled
“I forgive you.” Edward said. “Everyone overreacts. Some a little more than others I suppose.” This statement provoked laughter from the three. “Now,” Edward continued. “I think Luna wants a few more winks of sleep before her duty calls. Am I right? Right. I am famished.” He looked to the sun goddess. “Would you be free for dinner?” She nodded. Edward bowed curtly to Luna, then he and Celestia left Luna’s room. Although from that day forward, Edward and Celestia were always slightly distrustful of each other. Perhaps this was for the better, or maybe... Well that’s for another story.

> Field Reconnaissance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Six Months Later
2:56PM
Castle Canterlot Front Gardens
Canterlot, Equestria

Edward walked down the steps of the grand palace towards the carriage that would take him to another portion of the Equestrian world. It had taken nine months of hard work, but Edward had finally completed the first phase of his education on magic. The second phase was field reconnaissance. Edward would be traveling to an Equestrian village, known as Ponyville. There, he would get more hooves-on, or in his case, hands-on education from Princess Celestia’s own Faithful Student, who, from what he had heard, was very skilled in the magical arts. Edward calmly walked with Luna and Celestia past the rows of Lunar and Solar Guards that guided the way to the carriage. He fit right in with his midnight blue suit. The carriage was made of gold and ivory, and was pulled by six able-bodied Pegasi. The trio stopped at the carriage. 
“Now Edward,” Luna said. “Remember to send me a report on your findings on magic every week or two. If you miss too many, I’ll have to call you back here to do more desk work.”
“All right,” Edward said. “I won’t forget to write. Thank you for doing all you have done.” He embraced Luna “And at first I worried we wouldn’t get along.” Luna giggled innocently, her first innocent giggle in a long time.
“Better watch that mouth of yours, Edward” Luna managed to say through fits of giggles. Now it was Celestia’s turn to say her goodbye.
“Thank you Edward,” she said. “You really have done so much for Luna.” Edward smiled
“It’s my pleasure. She is certainly a wonderful character” He looked down at his watch. “Whoops! Time flies doesn’t it,” he said. “I better go. Your students name was Twilight Sparkle right? Right.” He hopped in the carriage and waved as the Pegasi team took off, taking the carriage with them. “Bye Luna, bye Celestia!” he shouted as the two princesses became little dots as the carriage rose into the air, headed towards Ponyville, where the next part of Edward’s story begins.

4:23 PM
Sparkle Residence
Ponyville, Equestria 

“SPIKE, IS DINNER READY?”
“Geez Twilight, I’m right next to you, no need to shout.” Twilight was running around her abode preparing things for the arrival of Luna’s student.
“Sorry Spike,” Twilight apologized. “I am just really stressed out. Luna has never chosen a student before and I just want everything to be perfect for him.” She took out the letter that Princess Celestia had sent to her that morning. She read it for the umpteenth time.

Dear Twilight,

I am pleased to inform you that my sister Princess Luna has chosen her own Faithful Student. He will be staying at your home for a few days until we can find a way he can settle here. I must warn you he is a bit… different, but I assure you he is a quick and eager learner. He will arrive at about 4:30PM. Be sure to make him feel welcome

Your Ruler and Mentor,
Princess Celestia

“I still don’t get it Spike,” Twilight pondered. “What could be so different about him?”
“Maybe he’s a dragon like me.” Spike suggested as he put the finishing touches on dinner.
“No offense, Spike,” Twilight countered. “But I don’t think Princess Luna would have a dragon as a student. Plus, a mature dragon probably wouldn’t fit in my home.
“Well, whatever he is,” Spike stated. “He must be pretty important. Rarity was up all night making a custom made order from Princess Luna. It was this really nice suit. I bet it was for her student.” Twilight was jealous. Why didn’t Princess Celestia make her a suit, or dress, or something? Given that she probably wouldn’t need it, but still! “But get this,” Spike continued. “Princess Luna ordered pants with the suit.”
“She ordered pants?” Twilight responded in disbelief “The only pony I know who wears pants is Lyra Heartstrings. And that’s only because she’s obsessed with… with… I can’t remember. What are those things she keeps talking about?” Spike looked out the window.
“Well,” he stated. “We don’t have time to think about that. Look who’s here.” A white carriage pulled by six black iron plated Lunar Guards pulled up in front of Twilight’s door. The door opened. A crowd of at least ten other Night Guards piled out of the carriage. They were obscuring a figure at the center of the group.
“Oh no, here he comes!” Twilight exclaimed. “Hurry up Spike, get into position!” They stood by the front door. When the Lunar Guards knocked on the door, Spike opened it, then the two of them stooped into a deep bow. The door closed. For a moment, there was no sound. Then, gentle laughter cut through the thick fog of silence. 
“Now, now, there’s no need for all of this formality.” Twilight looked up. There was a strange creature standing before them. He was rather tall, almost twice as tall as Twilight, and had hands instead of hooves. He was wearing a midnight blue suit with a crescent moon stitched on his breast pocket in silvery thread. His skin had no fur of any kind. In one hand, he held a leathery cloth-like box. In the other, he held a very shiny titanium case. He looked very much like that one creature that had documented her friends' and her's lives. Lauren Faust. “I am Edward Lawton.” He spoke once more with a warm smile on his face. “I am Princess Luna’s student and I will be staying here for a few days. I am sure we will become great friends.” He stuck out his hand. “You must be Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia spoke very highly of you.” Twilight stood up from her bow and shook Edward’s hand. 
“Well,” Twilight said, boasting a little. “I am her star student, and only one for that matter.” She paused to think. “Hey! Weren’t you the one who dropped a chandelier on my brother?” Edward’s cheeks flushed red. 
“That was your brother? Well my deepest apologies!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll let him know that you’re sorry. He is really nice once you get to know him better”
“Well, I am famished,” Edward changed the subject. “I had to skip lunch so I could pack.”
“That reminds me.” Twilight said. She looked over to Spike who was still bowing. ”Spike,” she said. “You can stop bowing.” Spike stood up and grinned sheepishly.
“Wow,” Spike said, stumbling over his words a bit. “So you’re Luna’s student. Pretty tall guy aren’t you?” 
“Spike!” Twilight said with a slightly embarrassed tone in her voice. “Be polite”
“Now, now,” Edward said, chuckling as he raised his hand. “Don’t worry. It’s pretty difficult to offend me with trivial stuff like that. And anyways, I take it you haven't seen anything like me for a long while”
“Well, anyway,” Spike recovered “I’m Spike, Twilight’s assistant and uh… copyist. Is that the right word Twilight?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah, copyist, that’s right. It’s hard to get a handle on this brainy smart pony speak.” He finished, receiving a discouraging look from Twilight. Edward, on the other hand, simply laughed
“Twilight,” he said. “Your assistant is hilarious. I have a feeling I’m going to like it here.”
“Well,” she said in a slightly relieved, “Dinner’s ready. Follow me.” The three walked towards the table at the other end of the room.

Dinner was seasoned potatoes with a day lily stew (and gems for Spike). Edward thoroughly enjoyed the potatoes, though he didn’t touch the stew. These planty foods did not sit with him that well and his only source of meat was when Princess Luna had it ordered and prepared for him. It would probably be a long time before Edward had another good steak.. 
“Twilight,” Edward spoke. “These potatoes are amazing! You are a wonderful cook.”
“Oh, I didn’t make them,” Twilight said. “Spike did. If he was a pony his Cutie Mark would be for cooking!”
“I see,” Edward said. “Sorry Spike, I should have known. There is a certain taste that food made by hand does that food made by magic does not. I suppose I didn’t notice it” He looked around at the book lined walls. They reminded him of his own room on earth that he had left six months ago. “I see Princess Celestia wasn’t kidding when she said you devoted your life to studying.”
“Oh,” Twilight blushed. “Thanks. This is only half of my private collection.” Edward smiled in amazement. He really liked the lavender unicorn’s dedication to learning. It was an academic feat even he found astonishing. There was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it.” Spike volunteered as he stood up from his seat.
“Spike, wait!” Twilight called. “What about Edward? We don't want him seen yet!” But her warning came too late. Spike was at the door and had already opened it. A pink pony stood at the door. Actually, stood was an incorrect description. She bounced at the door. Edward noted the clear signs of hyper-activity. Her mane was very frizzy and curly, and her cutie mark, as Edward learned to call them, consisted of three blue and yellow balloons. She looked as if she was on a constant never-ending sugar rush.
“So Twilight,” The pony began. She spoke very fast. “Did you hear about what happened at Sweet Apple Acres? Did ya? DID YA???” She then caught sight of Edward, who was not particularly eager to talk with this strange individual. “OMIGOSH! TWILIGHT! WHAT IS THAT THING IN YOUR HOUSE?!? The pink pony zipped over to Edward faster than his eyes could recognize. She got right up in his face and let out a stream of questions at extremely ludicrous speeds. “Whatareyou?Whereareyourhooves?DidyouescapefromFluttershy’shouse?Whatsoundsbetterchimicherryorcherrychanga?INEEDTOTHROWYOUAWELCOMEPARTY!!! She took in a very deep breath. Edward took a moment to process all the information flung at him and responded calmly.
“A Human (or Homo Sapiens if you prefer), I don't have hooves, I have hands instead, I don’t know who that is and why I would want to escape from there, cherry-changa, and please don't take the trouble for that, I hate parties.”
The pony’s curly puffy mane deflated and became very straight.
“You don’t like parties?” She whimpered. Twilight moved her hoof across her neck in a slicing motion to warn Edward, but he didn’t notice and proceed to shake his head. The pony let out a loud wail and darted away, slamming the door in poor Spike’s face.
“Was it something I said?” Edward said halfheartedly. His face, after a few moments, deadpanned as he realized why Twilight was so worried. “Oh no, is she going to rile up the entire town about me?”
“That’s Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said with a tone of mixed defeat and displeasure. “And she won’t rile up the town. She loves parties, and she has never met anypony who doesn’t like them. She probably doesn’t know how to deal with somepony… sorry, someone like that.”
"Well, sorry for not living up to your expectations,” Edward snapped, annoyed. "I guess you really can't please everyone!"
“Is anypony going to do anything about my face?” Spike complained, his bruised face twitching in pain. Edward would have laughed on impulse, but he remained grim. The reason that Edward hated parties was that he hated socializing with large groups of people. Whenever there was a party that Edward was invited to, you could always find him sitting in a corner reading or working on his laptop. One of the things that made his lessons with Luna so enjoyable was that they mainly consisted of just the two of them, with the exception of a servant or two. Plus there was the fact that she was pretty hot.
Edward you scumbag. Don’t think about her like that, his sensible side said. Not only is she your mentor and friend, but also your political superior. Plus, she’s not even human. That's just sick, seeing a pony as hot!
Well, his scientific side countered. The combination of my raging hormones and the fact that 85% of the female population here doesn’t wear clothes really isn’t helping my mental assessment of females.
Edward shook his head vigorously, bringing his wandering mind back to the task at hand. 
“I just hope she won’t tell the whole town that I’m a big jerk.” Edward mumbled guiltily. “Honestly, I can’t be the only one in this town who doesn’t like parties! It’s statistically impossible!” Twilight just gave him that look he dreaded, the one that says “Dude, you’re out of luck”. “Oh, please. Well,” he said, changing the subject with a sigh, “It’s getting late and I want to do some research on magic before I go to sleep. Furthermore, where am I going to sleep?” 
“Umm, let me think” Twilight tuned away and thought as she started to fix Spike’s face with her magic, eliciting a small whine from the dragon. “I really don’t have any other beds besides mine and Spike’s. You could spend the night on the couch, sorry I couldn’t be more accommodating.” She gestured toward a burgundy, slightly worn couch. None the less, it looked fairly comfortable. Edward put down his suitcase and experiment case by the couch.
“So…” Edward said. “Can I have the grand tour of the place? It’s probably a good idea to familiarize myself with your cozy little home.”
“Well… it’s actually the town library, but I live here as well, so… sure thing,” Twilight said. “Just follow me.”
There was the main room, then a small annex off the side of the main room that had more books, and then there was the kitchen in the back. Upstairs, Twilight showed Edward her room and Spike’s room, both of whose walls were crammed with books. 
“There’s one more room I want you to see.” Twilight said as they walked down the stairs. Her eyes narrowed. “You are going to love this. This room contains one of the most advanced pieces technology in Equestria!” She seemed to get excited just talking about it. Edward shared her excitement as well. He was anxious to see how far these ponies, or Equestrians, had come along. Twilight opened a hidden door in the wall and led Edward down into the basement.
The basement was very dim, and Edward had a hard time making out what machine lay before him. Twilight, probably sharing his problem, picked up a candle and lit it with magic. Edward found the reveal to be severely lacking a surprise factor. A massive machine spanned most of the basement floor. A console was sitting in the corner of the room. A skullcap with lots of (probably useless) lights stuck on it was placed on a holder with wires connected to the console. There was a slot in the side of the console and a waste bin below it.
“Well… what is it?” Edward said as he gazed at the device, or as people on Earth would call it, the clunker.
It’s an analysis machine” Twilight said, her voice rising into a squeak from excitement. “It can measure the levels of magic in any being or object and is accurate to the ten-thousandth decimal place. Isn’t it cool?” Edward was not impressed in the slightest, but he didn’t let it show.
Oh don't get me started, Ms. Sparkle, he thought. Give me enough time and I could build a machine serving a similar function, but more streamlined, more accurate, and able to fit in the palm of your hand! And for half the cost at that. Despite his disappointment, he smiled to be polite.
“How… ah… intriguing.” Edward said. He looked at his watch. It had gotten very late. “Looks like I won’t have time to do that work.”
“Sorry,” Twilight apologized as they walked upstairs. “I can’t believe I let the time get away so quickly.” Edward shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured Twilight. “It’s not a problem. "Rome wasn’t built in a day.” He said, but after seeing the confused look on Twilight’s face, elaborated. "It's a human saying. The closest thing you might have to Rome is Canterlot I suppose." The two said good night as Twilight headed upstairs and Edward returned to the couch. There were some blankets and a pillow there, probably left for him by Spike. Edward got under the warm blankets and fell asleep. He was unaware that his true calling was soon about to surface.	

> The Obligatory Meet-and-Greet Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two Days Later
4:58PM
Golden Oaks Library
Ponyville Equestria

Edward sat in the cool of Twilight’s basement. He was finally alone, for the first time in two days. Somehow, word got out about Pinkie’s tragic discovery of a non-partier. Edward was constantly being reprimanded by total strangers, which made working very difficult. He spent last night, and most of the day trying to ward off the offended locals, and had barely succeeded only fifteen minutes ago. So far, his field reconnaissance was off to a very rocky start, and to top it all off, he had learned nothing about magic so far. That meant nothing to write to Princess Luna about, and that meant he would be called back to Canterlot if he didn’t find something. Though Canterlot wasn’t all that bad, it’s just that Edward never had the chance to see more of the beautiful country that was seemingly now his permanent home.
As Edward sat and thought quietly to himself, he was interrupted by the creak of the secret door upstairs opening. He looked up with a start, fearing that Pinkie Pie had come to take her annoying revenge, but was relieved to find that it was only Twilight. 
“Is everything all right?” she asked as she sat down next to him. “You’ve been down here for a long time.” Edward was glad that Twilight asked, he needed someone to talk to without being persecuted over a simple fact.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s just all those ponies treating me with so much hostility. I need someone to talk to.” Twilight had gotten accustomed to Edward’s strange way of saying certain words, so she wasn’t fazed by Edward’s way of saying words like “someone” as much as she had been.
“I see Edward,” Twilight assured him. “It’s just that nopony around here has ever seen something like you, and seeing how you upset Pinkie, they probably are even afraid of you.” Edward said nothing. Twilight was about to leave, when she came up with an idea to help Edward break out of his shell.
“Do you want to meet the rest of my friends?”
“Will we have to visit the pink one?”
“It’s Pinkie Pie. And I really think you should talk to her. She may be really crazy sometimes, but she isn’t entirely closed off to reason.” Sigh. Well the sooner I make up with her, the better. But, what about Twilight's other friends? 
“Will your friends be mad at me?”
“I’ll make sure they won’t judge you because of that silly little fact.”
“Then let’s go!” Edward stood up. “It’s time for us to get out of this dusty basement, no offense.” He bounded up the stairs inexplicably more energetic than he was half an hour ago. His new-found energy astounded even Twilight.
“What’s gotten into you?” Twilight called as Edward reached the top of the stairs.
“I’ve been cooped up in here all the time,” he replied. “To be able to go outside without being weighed down by having to listen to all these complaints and accusations, It makes me ecstatic! Now let’s go!” Twilight hurried up the stairs in an attempt to catch up with Edward.

A few minutes later, the pair emerged from Twilight’s home. The sun was shining and the verdant hills around the town made the settlement look even more picturesque. Edward had changed into his midnight blue suit that Luna had had made for him. The dark suit sharply contrasted with the bright landscape around him. A few ponies who were milling about in front the library gave him dirty looks, but a smile and a wave on Edward’s part dismissed these. “So,” Edward said, turning to his equine companion. “Where to first?”
Twilight pondered this for a moment. She looked at Edward’s suit. “Well, I personally know the mare that made that suit; in fact she’s one of my closest friends. She doesn’t work far from here; it’s actually right down the street. It is called the Carousel Boutique. Ring a bell?”
“No I’m afraid it doesn’t” Edward said. “But I suppose we might as well make our first stop close.” 
The duo set off down the street. Many of the ponies here had not met him, and stared at him oddly. He waved cheerfully, and they went back about their business.
“Here is the place.” Twilight said as they stopped in front of a large shop. No wonder it was called the Carousel Boutique. The entire exterior seemed to emulate a giant carnival carousel. The two went inside to find a large display of multi-colored dresses. There was a cashier counter behind which stood a small white filly.
“We reopen at 5:30, go away, we’re closed- oh, it’s you Twilight.” the filly spoke.
“Hi Sweetie Belle,” Twilight said. ‘Is Rarity available?”
“Yeah,” The filly replied. “She’s in back. So, what’s that?” she asked, turning to Edward. Edward inwardly frowned. 	He was not a what! The filly, Sweetie Belle seemed quite intimidated by Edward’s size and frame.
“Oh don’t worry,” Twilight assured her. “That’s just Edward. He’s here to meet Rarity. He doesn’t bite.”
“I only bite on Thursdays.” Edward added with a devilish smile.
“Thursday?” Sweetie Belle pondered. “Bu-But that’s today!” Edward grinned. Such naiveté…
“I’m joking. Have a wonderful day.” The two walked past the filly and entered the back room
The room was full of more extravagant dresses. Fabric and ribbons were scattered everywhere. In the midst of it all, an ivory unicorn was busy about the room. She muttered incomprehensible things, most likely about fashion, under her breath.
“Um, Rarity?” Twilight asked. “Do you have a moment?” Rarity looked up from her work.
“Twilight!” she exclaimed, clearly startled. “What a surprise! Who’s your…” Rarity’s voice trailed off as she saw Edward’s suit. “So that’s why the measurements were so strange.” Rarity shook Edward’s hand, though he had to stoop slightly to give a proper handshake. “You must be Princess Luna’s student. My name is Rarity. I was the tailor for that suit. You look rather charming in it, I must say!”
“Well, you did a darn good job on it.” Edward complimented. "How could I not look good in it?" He introduced himself. “My name is Edward Lawton, faithful Student of Princess Luna. I will be staying in Ponyville for a while.” 
“Well met Mr. Lawton. You were the one who gave Pinkie a run for her money? Don’t worry, she can sometimes get like that.” Edward breathed a sigh of relief. “Generally I would take a break and chat, but I have a big order coming up, so I can’t afford to spend any more time not working. It was good to meet you Mr. Lawton.” As the pair turned to leave, Rarity called out to them. “Wait,” They turned around as Rarity came up to them with a picture of a pony and a couple of dresses. “Which dress do you think looks better for this mare?”
“They both look fine to me.” Twilight said after a cursory glance. Edward studied the picture for a moment, and then pointed to the second dress.
“Personally,” he began. “I think this would look better on her.” Rarity looked at the picture and then back at Edward.
“Why, Mr. Lawton you may be right. What an eye for fashion you have!”
“Well… thanks I guess,” Edward said with a small smile. “I was never really a fashion person, but I am happy I was able to help.” Goodbyes were said, and the two were left on their own once more. Edward looked down at his purple companion. “Where do you think we should go next?”
“Umm… let’s see…” Twilight looked up in thought. “…Let’s go to Fluttershy’s next. She’s closest to here.” The pair set out further down the cobbled street to meet Twilight’s next friend. 

It took about five minutes for Edward and Twilight to reach their next destination. Fluttershy’s cottage was smaller than some of the other dwellings Edward had seen and looked very cozy. The house made up for its small size with its enormous yard. Countless animals frolicked around. Twilight cantered up to a small, white, bored-looking rabbit that was leaning against one of the fence posts. “Hi Angel,” Twilight said to the rabbit. “Is Fluttershy home?” The rabbit gawked at Edward briefly, who smiled, and then, regaining his sullen look, nodded and pointed towards the house. Twilight led Edward up to the door and knocked. “Fluttershy, are you home?” Twilight called “It’s Twilight. I’m here with Edward. He wants to meet you.” The voice that responded was so quiet, it was a miracle Edward could hear it through the thick wooden door.
“Come in.” The voice spoke gently. Edward reached forward and opened the door. The inside of the house had just as many animals as the outside. There were even a few birdhouses hanging from the rafters. In the corner sat a butter-yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane, who Edward assumed was the resident of the cottage. 
“Hello. My name is Edward-” Edward started, but before he could finish, the Pegasus let out a squeak and dove under the kitchen table. “Lawton?” he finished, confused, and truth be told, he was a bit hurt.
“Come on Fluttershy, he won’t bite.” Twilight said. She turned quickly to Edward “Don’t worry, she does this to every now pony she meets.” Edward nodded and turned back to the terrified Pegasus.
“What a lovely collection of fauna you have here.” Edward complimented. Perhaps I can get her to speak to me if I make some small talk to get her warmed up. The Pegasus crawled out from under the table slowly.
“Do you really think so?” She mumbled in that cute quiet voice of hers.
“Oh yes,” Edward capitalized on this, knowing he had hit the jackpot. “Truth be told, I don’t think I’ve seen so many animals in one place!” Not even the crazy cat lady that lived next door to Rob’s house could compare to this. Wonder where the droppings go? “Now, let me properly introduce myself. I am Edward Lawton.” He extended his hand. 
“Fluttershy,” The Pegasus responded faintly as she shook his hand, the ‘shy’ in her name barely a whisper. “My name is Fluttershy.”
“Fluttershy, eh? What a lovely name.” It was a cute name, to fit the already cute mare. Edward had never seen another pony who was quite as cute. Maybe except for Luna... NO! You do not see her as anything more than a teacher. "So," Edward said, looking around at the fauna-filled room. “What exactly do you do here, run an animal shelter?
“Actually,” Fluttershy responded, “that is exactly what I do here. I love animals. They are all so cute don’t you think.
“Indeed.” Edward said. Most of them were very cute, though some of the animals looked very unusual and alien to him. Especially that chicken-like thing that it hurts my eyes to look at.
“So Edward, are there ponies where you come from?”
Edward snapped out of his thoughts and shifted uneasily. He didn’t prepare on how to answer this question. He decided to give the mare the facts. “Yeah, but they aren’t anything like the ones you know. All they do is eat, drink, run, sleep, poop. They don’t talk or anything of that sort.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy responded, a little surprised. “It must have been a huge shock coming here and seeing talking ponies.”
“I got over it surprisingly quickly.” Edward said. He gazed around the menagerie. “Mind if I have a look?”
“Sure thing.” Fluttershy said. “Just don’t make the animals mad.” As Edward looked around the room, Edward couldn’t help overhearing a conversation between his Equine companions.
“So how is she?” Fluttershy asked. Edward could hear a distinct tone of worry in her voice.
“I haven’t been able to make much progress.” Twilight said. “She still is suffering pretty badly.” There was a pause, then Twilight spoke again. “Do you think I should tell Edward about her?”
“Twilight, you know I can read ponies really well.” Fluttershy said. Edward had great difficulty in listening to her speak without it being obvious that he was eavesdropping “I think he should know about it. He seems smart and he seems like he would care about her. Maybe he could even help.
“Maybe you’re right Fluttershy.” Twilight said. Edward could envision her nodding in agreement. “I’ll have to think about it though.” Edward turned around
“Quite an impressive menagerie you have here,” He commented. “It was a pleasure meeting you Fluttershy.” 
“Going so soon?” Fluttershy asked. “I thought you would stay a bit longer.”
“Sorry Fluttershy,” Twilight apologized. “We’re going to A.J.’s next, and you know how long of a walk it is from here. Come on Edward!”
“Oh, right,” Fluttershy said, a bit sad. “Be sure to visit soon.” The duo left the small cottage and walked down the street 
“Twilight,” Edward said. “I do feel it was a bit rude to leave so soon and abruptly
“Don’t worry Edward,” Twilight assured him. “Fluttershy understands. Applejack lives on the entire other side of town.”
“That’s another one of your friends I assume.” Edward said as they walked down the lane. “What does she do for a living?”
“A.J.’s an apple farmer,” Twilight said. “Her family has been farming the apple tree orchards longer than anypony around here can remember. They make the best of anything that’s apple-based, like pies, fritters, hard cider, applesauce, you name it.”
“Well,” Edward said, chuckling slightly. “I do love a good apple fritter every now and again.”

6:21PM
Sweet Apple Acres
Ponyville Outskirts

“I suppose I understand now why we left from Fluttershy’s so early,” Edward and Twilight had just arrived at the front gate of Sweet Apple Acres. “It took us half an hour just to get here.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t just teleport us here,” Twilight said, blushing in embarrassment. “I wasn’t sure how your molecular structure would react with this type of teleportation spell.
“I suppose a bit of walking is better than the possibility of having your sub-atomic particles scattered across the planet. Am I right or am I right?”
Twilight laughed! “Ed, you’re a crackup!” Edward laughed a bit, but some part of him didn’t feel right. He was brought back to his years on Earth. Rob called him Ed all the time. It was sort of a thing. Edward couldn’t believe it, but he was actually missing that flooded rock from which he came. He didn’t let it show though, but inside he was crying. He was home sick. Equestria was great, but he belonged on Earth, as dismal as it was. “Edward, we’re here,” Twilight’s voice cut through his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. He looked up. They had arrived at the front gate of a massive apple tree orchard. There was a dirt path that led to a barn and farmhouse on a hill. The entire property was surrounded by a white fence.
The two entered the gate and walked down the path. A crimson stallion was working out in one of the fields. Twilight called out to him.
“Hey Big Macintosh!” Twilight yelled. “Is Applejack home?” The stallion looked around for the source of the bother before he noticed them.
“Eeyup.” He called back with a small nod towards the house. He then returned to his work without another word Twilight and Edward continued along the path until they reached the house and barn. Twilight knocked on the door. It was opened by a very elderly mare. The smell of baked apple goods wafted through the open doorway.
“Is that you Twilight?” the mare asked, squinting a bit. “It’s so lovely of you to stop by. Who’s that with you?”
“Hi Granny Smith,” Twilight greeted the mare, who must be Granny Smith. “This is Edward Lawton. He’ll be staying in Ponyville for a while and I wanted to introduce him to all of my friends.”
Edward knelt down and kissed Granny’s hoof gently. He could adapt his gentlemanliness to accommodate this pleasant old mare. “Charmed to meet you Mrs. Smith.” He said with a smile
“Oh, what a polite young gentlecolt,” She paused and squinted. “Oh my, a polite young gentleman I should say. Applejack’s in her room getting ready for bed, work never sleeps on the farm you know. But you can still go up and say hello.” Twilight thanked Granny Smith. They went to the back of the house 
Twilight led Edward upstairs. She knocked on the door at the start of the hall. A heavily southern accented voice answered from within as the door opened.
“Applebloom, Ah told you to stay in bed, oh, it’s you Twilight.” A blond-maned orange pony stood in the doorway. A Stetson hat was on her head and her tail was tied in a ponytail, which amused Edward slightly. She turned to Edward.
“You must be Edward,” the farm pony said. “I’m Applejack, pleased to meet ‘cha.” She spat on her hoof and held it out to Edward who cringed slightly. He rolled his sleeve over his bare hand and gingerly shook Applejack’s hoof. “Don’t worry, Ah ain’t mad about Pinkie. Just promise me you’ll go and apologize to her okay?”
“No problem,” Edward said. “In fact, that was on this evening’s to do list.”
“Glad to hear it pardner!” the cowpony said with a huge grin. “That’s what I like to hear!” Twilight stayed out of the conversation, giving Edward control of the situation.
“So,” Edward began. “You’re an apple farmer aren’t you?”
“Ya hit the nail on the head there pardner!” Applejack said. “It’s just me, mah brother Big Mac, mah grandma, and mah little sister Applebloom. That and the occasional farmhands we hire if our apples are super high in demand.”
“Sounds like a good business then.”
“Yeah. Course we all do our parts ‘round here, but Big Mac works the hardest. It’s him you should compliment!”
“Given the opportunity, I certainly will do that.”
“Now tell me something Ed.”
“Please don’t call me that. Edward is fine.”
“Apologies there Edward. Where exactly are you from?”
“Oh,” Edward’s eyes flashed with sadness for a quick moment, but his complacent features repressed it. “My planet is called Earth. It’s a rather dismal place compared to Equis, and I don’t like to talk too much about it.” 
“Maybe that’s for the better,” Applejack said in a matter-of-fact. “Ah like mah stories short ‘n sweet. It’s been real swell meet’n ya partner. Don’t forget about Pinkie now!” Edward and Twilight parted ways with the farmpony and left the farm.

6:45PM
Sugarcube Corner
Downtown Ponyville

The pair stood in front of Sugarcube Corner. Its pastry-like appearance and smells of fresh baked goods gave it an enticing and innocent feel.
“They are open, right?” Edward asked Twilight nervously.
“Come on Edward,” Twilight chastised. “Just go in, apologize, make friends and then it’s over’”
Why do I need to apologize for not liking parties? Edward thought as Twilight led him through the door. It doesn’t make sense! Edward wrote it off as Pony culture and stepped up to the counter. A lighter blue mare was working behind the counter. Her mane was very smooth and looked like frosting; it almost seemed edible. When the mare spoke, it was in a kind, grandmotherly way, although she didn’t seem that old.
“Hello Twilight. Who’s your friend.” With a quick nudge from Twilight, Edward stuttered with a start.
“Ah! Excuse me. I am Edward Lawton, Faithful Student of Princess Luna.”
“Well met dearie,” the mare smiled kindly. “My name is Mrs. Cup Cake, and my husband and I own this here shop.”
“Is… er… Pinkie here?” Edward asked, faltering slightly.
“Oh yes!” Mrs. Cake exclaimed. “She’s upstairs. She’s a little upset over something that happened a couple days ago.”
“About that…” Edward muttered solemnly. “I kind of told her that I didn’t like parties, and… she… didn’t take it so well.”
“So that’s what this is about,” Mrs. Cake realized. “Oh, that’s just the thing that would do it. She’s a bit eccentric, so I don’t blame you in the least dearie. I’m sure if you go up and talk to her, all will be forgiven.” Edward was very thankful for Mrs. Cake’s understanding
“In fact,” Twilight interjected, snapping Edward out of his thoughts. “That’s just what we are here to do.”
“Oh, right,” Edward half exclaimed, half mumbled. He then cursed the author on giving him such confusing adjectives. Oh, so you thought Pinkie Pie was the only one who could break the fourth wall, did you?
Anyways, Twilight whisked Edward upstairs as he silently prepared for a very awkward conversation with the party pony. Around a corner was the door to said pony’s room. Muffled conversation could be heard inside. Twilight took point and opened the door. Out of all the silent pep talks he had given himself from the moment he turned onto the street leading to the bakery, none could have prepared Edward for what he saw.

Pinkie was there all right, straight mane and all. She was sitting at the head of a large table with numerous inanimate objects (which all wore party hats for some reason) plopped down on stools positioned around the table. She zipped around the table, manipulating the objects, and giving them different voices that she recanted herself.
"Pinkie, you need to move on now. I'm sure there are just some ponies out there that don't like parties." Pinkie spoke in a quiet voice (not too different form Fluttershy's, as she manipulated and moved about a sack of flour.
"You're right, Madame LeFlour," Pinkie spoke in her normal voice. Edward looked at Twilight for some answers, but Twilight shrugged.
The schizophrenia is overwhelming! Edward mumbled. He spoke up "Uhh... hi? Is this a bad time?" Please be a bad time, please be a bad time, PLEASE be a bad time. 
Pinkie looked up and smiled. "Oh, hi Twilight! What are you doing here." She looked at Edward. "Oh, Eddy's here! Hello Eddy!" Eddy? Really? You're gonna call me Eddy... wait, HOW DOES SHE KNOW MY NAME! She left before I could tell her... HOW?!? Before Edward could react, Pinkie darted over to a pile of rocks.
"That fella doesn't like parties, and he's a big jerk about it." Pinkie moved around the rocks and spoke in a deep Brooklyn accent. "Kick that meanie outta here, Pinkie."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Edward put his hands up. "Let's not get violent here. I just want to talk."
"Yeah Rocky, be nice, maybe he changed his mind." Pinkie said, as herself this time.
Edward stepped back in the spotlight. "That is the main reason why I have come. I wanted to apologize for being so insensitive." I guess. I still don't think I did anything wrong. "The point being, I still hope that there is a chance that you and I can still become friends, or at least acquaintances."
Pinkie looked up from "Rocky". "You really mean that?"
Edward looked at Twilight. She was smiling. She acknowledged gaze and nodded. He turned back. "Course I do. Truer than the fact that glucose and fructose make sucrose which is sugar." Ha. Perfect timing on the science joke.
Pinkie's mane inflated dramatically back to it's original puffy disorganized look. "WHOOPEE!!" Pinkie jumped up on Edward and embraced him in a big hug. Edward cried out and fell on his backside due to the pink pony's surprising and sudden increase in velocity. "I'm sooooooo happy!" Her vice-like hug was squeezing the air out of poor Edward.
"Ah... Pinkie... you're hurting me."
"Oh, sorry!" Pinkie got up off of Edward. He stood up, straightening his suit. Pinkie grabbed his tie and pulled him down next to her face. "You know what this calls for?"
"Uh... no, what?" Edward was a bit frightened now. "It doesn't involve me being in pain, does it?"
"No silly filly, A PARTY!" Pinkie shouted as she pulled a small cannon out of nowhere and fired a bunch of streamers and confetti out of it. Edward brushed the streamers off his suit and spat out the confetti that had gotten in his mouth.
Great, another party, he thought. Looks like I got no choice on this one. It would save a lot of trouble if I just went along with it.
"Wow." Edward said. "how about... Friday?" It will help recovery from schizophrenic trauma if positive stimuli is induced.
"I better get planning right away. I gotta get the streamers and the cupcakes and..." Pinkie bustled around the room.
Edward and Twilight took this as the time to leave. "Well... see you around, Pinkie." Twilight said as she and Edward backed out of the room. A quick goodbye to Mrs. Cake, and the two left the bakery heading home

After a bit of quiet, Twilight spoke up. "Edward," she began. "I really appreciate how you stepped up like that. I'm sure it meant the world to Pinkie to throw you a party."
"It probably would have happened sooner or later." Edward stated. "As a wise man from Earth once said, 'Why put off for tomorrow what you can do today?'"
The two continued walking as another long silence set in. About five minutes from home, Edward stopped. “What is it Edward?” Twilight said, as she backed up to meet him. Edward pointed to the sky.
“Who lives there?” He asked. He was pointing to a house made of clouds floating in the sky. Multicolored waterfalls fell off of the clouds in several places. The architecture of the house looked very ornate, yet slightly whimsical at the same time.
“Uhh, that's the local weather pony.” Twilight said. "She's... out... out of town." Judging by her body language, Edward could tell that Twilight was not telling the whole story. She was also about to spill the beans on something important. He pressed her a little further.
“I heard you and Fluttershy talking about someone. Someone I could possibly help.” He pressed on, emphasizing his sincerity. “Does this pony need assistance? I would be happy to help if I was given the chance.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you.” Twilight said. She put a hoof to her head as if she had a headache. They sat down on a nearby bench. “The pony who lives in that house is named Rainbow Dash.” Twilight explained. Edward recognized that name. He had heard it from someone, but he couldn’t remember who. Did Luna or Celestia say something about her? Was it Pinkie Pie? “She’s one of my friends.” Twilight continued. “The thing is, she is going insane.” Edward was surprised. He certainly wasn’t expecting this. Dealing with insane people was not on his resume. Then again, he did just deal with Pinkie Pie. Did that count? Twilight continued. “About a month ago, she began having these… bad dreams. They must be really horrible because she is afraid of going to sleep.” Edward thought about this for a moment. The answer came to him.
It was Rob, Edward recalled. When I asked him about why he still was into those redundant ponies of his, he mentioned her, and saying I wouldn’t understand. What wouldn’t I have understood? Another thought crossed his mind, Wait, if he mentioned Rainbow on Earth, and she exists here, then… does that mean that that show wasn’t all mindless fiction? Is this world like that show? Or is the show like this world. Slow down Edward, listen to TwilightTwilight spoke one more time, snapping Edward out of his thoughts. “I wasn’t sure I could trust you with something like this at first. But I think you can help. Please say you can find time.” Edward was deep in thought. He sat and said nothing for a very long time. Princess Luna did say I need to learn about magic. That should be my first priority. But I can't just sit around while someone needs my help. Then again... why can't I do both at the same time? At last he stood up.
“I have made up my mind,” he said with determination. “I will not stand by when someone else suffers, especially when I could possibly do something about it.” He looked at Twilight with a look of the same determination that was heard in soft undertones in his voice. “Let me assist her in any way I can.”
“Gee Edward,” Twilight said. “You seem like you really want to help. Fluttershy was right about you.”
“It just seems like the right thing to do.” Edward said, shrugging a bit as he spoke.
“Rainbow visits me once a week,” Twilight explained. “so you can see her tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow?” Edward repeated. “Oh dear. That doesn’t give me much time to prepare.” He began to walk further down the street. “Let’s hurry back. I need as much time as I can get.” They arrived at Twilight’s tree where Twilight went straight to bed. Edward, on the other hand stayed up long into the night researching. He had a big job to do.