> Mane Six vs. Technology
>  by StevieBond
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Power Of TV
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything seemed fine and normal for just another day in London. Then, a sudden click and on went the TV from a human's room, showing the opening of a news programme and it was a special report.





"Good morning and welcome." the news reader greeted. "A team of scientists from South London have been working on a new kind of technology, involving portal transportation. This follows the breakthrough that was made when they made the startling discovery that there are multiple universes different to ours. We go live now to our correspondent, Angus Walker who's at the site of where the portal is. Angus, what's the situation?"

Over at the portal area, a team are working on making final adjustments before they stood back and Angus is reading his response to the camera crew in a sky booth overlooking the site.

"Morning Charlene, the team behind me have been putting the finishing touches." he replied, "I've also been told just a few seconds ago that they are ready to launch thier first test to activate the portal and open what they call a gateway to what could be another universe and we are all standing by, but we're not sure what to make of it."

"Okay, places people, stand well back!" one of the scientists ordered as he jogged away from the portal.

The others all did the same as he walked over to the control panel and pushed the small lever up.

"And now it's beginning to warm up so we'll let you go back to the studio. Angus Walker, ITV News, South London." Angus added as he looked for somewhere to hide.

The portal began to light up and the engines were increasing the speed to bring the whole machine to full power and in one big flash, an aura of many colours was displayed around the portal inner circle and it was moving around like a spiral. Then in a moment of anxiety, out came from the portal a lavender hoof followed by another and then a face with a horn above the mane. To the people that were watching this happening, it was a female pony but not the normal sort to them and soon, the whole body appeared and her eyes opened to witness the new universe she had travelled through.

The scientists stared in absolute horror, jumping to the conclusions that it was a pony of an animation kind.

"Sooo, this is the human world?" Twilight asked before another five ponies appeared through the portal in different colours.

"Well what do ya think, Twi, this is the universe ya wanted to go to for our vacation from Equestria." Applejack replied.

"Well I think it's a fabulous place to visit...'London' as you call it, darling." Rarity added.

"Oh...my...god." One of the scientists whispered to the others. "...they talk!"

"Shhhh!" another one replied, "Keep it down, we don't wanna scare them away."

This caught the ponies attentions.

"Oh, hello everypony...or everyone? My name is Twilight Sparkle and is this the human universe?"

Then there was a long silence before a pen dropped.

"ARGH! RUN AWAY!" the scientists screamed in terror as they ran out of the portal room at lightening speed, leaving the ponies confused at what just happened.

Twilight then brought out her guidebook from her saddle bag and read a few lines.

"Oh wait, this is the human world. According to this, the humans live in this universe all around the world."

"But ah don't get it, why did they run away?" Applejack asked.

"Maybe they have some kind of surprise party to go to!" Pinkie intervened whilst jumping around the whole room that sparked her interest.

"Or um maybe they're scared of us as much as we are scared of them." Fluttershy replied.

"Yeah right! I for one ain't scared of humans." Rainbow boasted. "Those humans aren't worth the time if you ask me."

"Now now Rainbow." Rarity said, "Let's not resort to petty behaviour, we should go and find a hotel to unpack our bags, we are here for a week after all."

"I guess you're right, we should just be careful." Twilight replied as they walked out of the portal site and through a hallway.

As they walked onwards until they came towards the reception area and the doors to the outside beyond it, there wasn't anyone around.

"Hey, where did all the humans go?" Applejack asked.

"Maybe the party must be super duper special and all the humans wanted to be there!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Pinkie please, we are not heading to a party." Rarity retorted. "Not until we find a hotel room for the six of us."

"But how are we gonna do that if the humans keep runnin' away from us?" Applejack asked.

"I think I have an idea." Twilight pondered as they left the building, "Come on, girls."

They walked out and along the streets of London only to find that wherever they showed thier faces, all the humans stopped whatever it is they're doing and glared at them, making the ponies a little uncomfortable. A couple of children saw them and yelled in excitement which caused Pinkie to do the same, only to end up scaring them away.

"Awww, but I thought humans were supposed to be fun." Pinkie pouted.

"Come on Pinkie, we haven't got time." Rainbow responded.

After several minutes of trotting and being greeted with stares and shocks, they finally came across a hotel that caught Rarity's attention.

"Oooh, now this is a high quality hotel." she pointed at the hotel. "Most certainly up to my standards."

"Blah blah blah..." Rainbow muttered which Applejack giggled quietly.

As they walked inside, the hotel seemed to deserted but there was a bit of talking coming from other rooms but with the doors closed.

"Well, it looks...nice." Fluttershy complimented.

"Why Fluttershy, it's just more than nice." Rarity corrected. "It's simply fantastic, why I could open a fashion store right next to it and become a top quality pony on Earth!"

"Uh I think you might be getting a little ahead of yourself there." Twilight replied. "We still to need to find a room and I don't think we have the money for it."

"Well, with those humans runnin' away from us, ah don't think getting a hotel room will be much of a problem." Applejack said as Rarity grabbed a hotel room key with her magic.

"I guess you're right."

Rarity looked at the hotel key which read 326.

"Looks like we'll be using the elevator to go up. Let's go, darlings." Rarity said as she walked towards the four elevators besides the reception.

"Elevators? Do you know how those work?" Rainbow asked.

"Why of course, don't you remember the time we were in Manehatten?"

"Oh yeah, way to bring that up..."

Rarity glared angrily back at Rainbow, displeased by her remark.

"Now now, girls, let's take the elevator and go to the third floor." Fluttershy said to them.

"Whee! Up the elevator we go!" Pinkie added, bouncing when the doors opened after Rarity pushed the button next to it, standing up.

They got inside and waited whilst the elevator went upwards to the third floor. There were other buttons that caught Pinkie's eye.

"Oooh, I wonder what happens if you push all the buttons." Pinkie said as she was about to place her hooves on all the numbered buttons.

"No Pinkie! It's not a toy." Rarity lightly told her, "One does not play with the elevator like a school filly."

"Since when was she not a school filly?" Rainbow muttered.

They heard a ding and the doors opened. They walked out and along down the corridor to find the room number 326 until they spotted it.

"Alright girls, this is our room." Twilight said as she took the key from Rarity and unlocked the door.

She opened the door and they all walked in and the hotel room was indeed a wonderful sight.





The centre of the room instantly grabbed thier attention as after closing the door behind them, they looked around the whole room and took in all the highlights such as the big L shaped sofa, the unique designed table and the big bedroom which was out of sight from where they were.

"Oh yes, this room will most certainly do for one as I." Rarity stated.

"Umm, you mean as in for all of us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Ah better hope it is." Applejack replied as she walked into the bed room with her saddled bags. "We need's to get unpackin' and then leave Twilight to do all the plannin' for us."

Twilight rolled her eyes as they followed Applejack into the bedroom to unpack their bags around the bed.

"WHEE!" Pinkie yelled as she bounced on the bed in complete excitement.

"Pinkie! That is no way to behave on a bed, dear!" Rarity scolded lightly.

"Yeah and besides, only I can fly up to the ceiling with great care." Rainbow bragged as she flew upwards, touching the ceiling with her hooves.

"Ahem." Fluttershy intervened quietly.

"Says the pony who couldn't even win a race without her wings." Applejack retorted.

"Hey, neither could you and I thank you to never remind me of that day."

"Girls, please!" Twilight exclaimed as she left the room. "I'd appreciate it if we have our vacation without coming home to Equestria miserable. Besides, this piece of technology sparked my interest."

She then went of the sofa and looked at the TV that wasn't on, but the ponies didn't know about the TV or any of the other kind of electric equipment.

"Hmm, according to the multi universe guidebook, it says that this is a television or TV for short and can be turned on by a remote." she said, reading it from the book.

"Ya mean this thingamajig?" Applejack asked as she held the remote in her mouth.

"Yes, that's it. Let me see if I can work this out."

"Oooh, I wonder what it'll show." Pinkie said as she jumped alongside Twilight.

"Hopefully something fashionable for my next design." Rarity responded.

"Or something really fast for me to challenge!" Rainbow added.

Twilight then pushed the red button on the remote and then the TV switched on to show...the BBC news programme that was currently running.

Well as I stand outside this building, it was reported that a few minutes ago, a portal leading to multiple universes as I understand it, was booted up for a test run which apparently worked, but then six ponies of a different kind appeared, apparently scaring the team and everyone else into hiding.

The ponies didn't say a word and instead listened carefully.

As of this moment, we have no idea where they are, but what we do know is they are able to talk in our language just fine, following statements from witnesses who were there at the time. Wherever they are right now, hundreds or maybe thousands of people, could be in either real danger or not. Tom Edwards, BBC news, London.

"What!" Rainbow exclaimed throwing her hooves in the air.

"Oh my goodness." Fluttershy added quietly.

"How dare they call us dangerous." Rarity said, displeased by the report. "I am tempted to give them a piece of my Canterlot mind."

"People in danger? That doesn't sound like fun." Pinkie said feeling low.

"Calm down girls, I'll change the channel." Twilight assured as she pressed a number on the remote.

The TV went from showing BBC news to another channel that showed a sports programme.

Welcome back to the UK derby league where the horses and thier jockeys are standing by for the next race.

"Hold on a second 'ere!" Applejack said. "They sorta look like ponies, don't ya think?"

"Yeah, but they don't look like us." Pinkie replied, "And they're not even happy."

"Ugh, would you look at what those people are wearing." Rarity commented. "The colours simply do not match!"

"Maybe I should change the channel." Twilight suggested.

She then pushed another number button and the TV now showed some kind of wildlife programme. This immediately caused Fluttershy to gasp as her eyes widened and big smile was put on her face, she then flew closer to the screen.

"Uh Fluttershy, you may not wanna be too close to the screen, it could hurt your eyes according to this guidebook."

"Oh um...sorry, I just got a little bit too excited." she then squeed and blushed slightly before flying back down beside Twilight whilst Rainbow shook her head.

Twilight then changed to another channel to show a channel logo on it.

Now on UKTV Gold, it's our second double bill of Only Fools And Horses.

"Only fools and horses?" Rainbow commented.

"What the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked.

"According to this guide, it's a comedy TV programme that was once shown during the late 1970's." Twilight explained.

"And what year is this?"

"2014."

"Oh oh oh! What's the dateline in Equestria?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh please, does it matter what year we are in?" Rarity asked.

"Um, would you girls mind if we change to another channel?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight responded by pushing another button to select another different channel.

You've just tuned into Channel 4, because we've got The Simpsons, yahoo, sucks to be you, BBC!

"Well that was a little rude." Rarity commented. "So uncouth!"

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" Rainbow asked.

Just then, Pinkie paused everything for a second and looked at the fourth wall before going through it like it was nothing.

"Uh Pinkie." The writer of this story said in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking over the script." she replied as she looked at the story writer's word document on Microsoft Word. "Hmm, seems to be Rarity's line after all."

"It is, because I wrote all of this before I even transferred it on here. Now get back behind the fourth wall or I'll remove you from this story altogether!"

"Okie dokie lokie."

Pinkie then got back to the other side of the fourth wall and un-paused the story.

"Maybe we should leave the TV alone and think of something else to do." Twilight said.

"Ah think that might be a good idea, sugarcube." Applejack replied.

Twilight pressed the red button and the TV switched off. The six mares then gathered around the sofa and began to plan on what to do next.
> Excerise With Toast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So we should we do now?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well I would like to spread my wings above the clouds, I haven't flown since we got here." Rainbow replied.

"I don't think that's wise, Rainbow." Twilight responded. "The last thing we need is public attention."

"That's because you don't know what it's like to have wings."

Twilight glared back at Rainbow, not pleased by her remark.

"What about sweet shopping?" Pinkie asked.

"That wouldn't be necessary, Pinkie." Rarity replied. "As much as I would like to look around for fashion, it's far too risky for us ponies."

"Then is there anythin' that would be considered as safe for us?" Applejack asked with her hooves in the air. 

"Okay girls," Twilight began. "I think we should have a look around this whole apartment and see what else we can try using."

"Um, like what?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, there's that small electrical appliance in the kitchen that caught my interest earlier."

"You mean that trapezoid-looking thing by the breadbox?" Rainbow asked which caused the others to blink in surprise.

"How in the hay do you know that?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Does it matter?"

"Well I'm gonna look at it myself." Pinkie declared as she bounced into the kitchen.

The others followed her and when they came across the toaster, Pinkie stopped bouncing.

"So, what is that appliance, Twilight?" Rarity asked with her left hoof under her chin.

Twilight brought her guidebook with her and opened it to a page.

"According to the book, this is called a toaster and it toasts bread, which seems simple enough."

"Simple, you mean as in totally complicated?" Rainbow remarked.

"I don't think it should be that hard to use." Fluttershy responded.

"Well ah might as well take the first go, see what happens." Applejack said. "Anypony got any bread?"

Pinkie's tail began to move on it's own.

"Oooh, my Pinkie senses say it's in this cupboard." she said.

She opened the cupboard door next to the cooker and dived right in, making a mess in that part of the kitchen before coming out with a pack of bread with it being held by the end of the wrapper in her mouth.

"Here you go, one pack of bread!"

"Uh, we'll need to open the pack before we can toast any of this bread." Twilight said.

"You don't say?!" Rainbow replied which got her evil looks from Twilight.

"Well how can we do that since our hooves a little big to open it?" Applejack asked.

"I know, Rarity can use her horn to pierce through the packet." Pinkie suggested.

Rarity gasped.

"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "I am a unicorn with high standards, I will never use my horn physically to open packets!"

Rainbow facehoofed at her Canterlot behaviour.

"Any other ideas?" Fluttershy asked.

"We could use our teeth." Applejack suggested.

"Hello uh Applejack, we're ponies, not animals?" Rainbow remarked.

"Ya know Rainbow, you're not exactly helpin' 'ere."

Twilight sighed, "Alright, I'll open it."

She then used her magic to grab a kitchen knife and had a thought of temptation to create a moment of bloodshed around the kitchen, but it passed instantly and she pierced the packet and letting a few slices fall out. She then brought the toaster down to the floor so they could see it better.

"So uh what do we do next?" Applejack asked as she grabbed a slice with her left hoof.

"It says that you put the bread in one of those two slots." Twilight replied.

Applejack then proceeded to place the bread in one of the slots, but with the size of her hoof, it proved difficult to line it up properly.

"Uh, might need a little help 'ere." she said.

"Well you're the one who loves to get her hooves dirty, right?" Rarity smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Twilight grabbed the slice with her magic and placed it in the left slot as she was getting fed up with the snide comments.

"There, done!" she sighed angrily. "Now, we push down that small plastic flap on the side to bring the bread inside and then it turns on automatically."

Pinkie pushed the flap down and then the toaster was on as the tiny metal bars inside glowed orange and the entry surface began to warm up.

"Now we have to wait for however long we want the bread to be toasted." Twilight added.

"Um, how long did we set it for?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, looking at the mini timer on the other side of the toaster, it should be another nine minutes."

"Then that bread is gonna be...toast!" Rainbow laughed.

Pinkie paused the whole scene, placed on her displeased expression and walked off the story, before brining in a tumbleweed and moved it with her head from one side to the other and when it was out of the way, she jumped back into the story and un-paused the scene.

"So anyways." Pinkie said. "What should we do while we're waiting?"

"What about that weird invention over there?" Applejack asked as she pointed to what looked like an exercise machine near the doorway to the balcony.

"It looks like some kind of metal d-d-d-dragon." Fluttershy replied as she shivered slightly.

"Metal dragon? Don't speak such nonsense, dear." Rarity said.

"Then what is it exactly?" Rainbow asked.

"This is an exercise machine." Twilight answered, "It says that humans use these for when they need to lose weight and build strength."

"Oooh, maybe we should try it!" Pinkie said happily.

"But why?" Rarity asked. "I for one have the finest figure in all of Equestria."

"Now who's the one boasting?" Rainbow muttered.

"Well looking at that machine, ah don't think we are in the right shape to try it." Applejack said. "Besides, ah'm already a mighty good athlete so ah don't need to exercise."

"But what about Big Mac?" Fluttershy asked. "I think he could use one of those."

"For what?" Rainbow asked in confusion.

Applejack jokingly but gently nudged her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"You're not suggestin' that ya fancy mah brother, are ya?"

"Um, no it's...not...um...like that." she replied before glowing whole pink in embarrassment.

"Girls, I think I've got it." Twilight said

She stood up on her back legs and used her hoof to push the power button, the machine was now on and she pushed the walk button and the moving area of where the feet walk on began to move. Twilight almost lost her balance but soon got into a walking rhythm whilst holding onto the side handlebars with her hooves.

"Seems easy enough." Pinkie said. "Lemme try, lemme try!"

Twilight got off and Pinkie then trotted on it with minimal effort.

"Twilight?" Rainbow asked. "You wanna lose weight?"

"No, do I look like I need to lose weight? I'm not interested in stallions I'll have you know."

"Oh does that mean your barn swings the other way?" Applejack asked, raising the eyebrows.

Twilight growled and showed off a foul mood.

The mares looked at her, they now began to wonder if Twilight was still okay with how things were going.

"Umm darling," Rarity said, "We're not being much of a problem, are we?"

"Well, where do I start?" she asked.

Pinkie then used her nose to push the start button on the machine to turn it off.

Just then, a loud noise from outside swooped by, this caught the ponies attention as they walked to the doors and opened them, leading them to the balcony. They looked up and saw a jet plane flying above them and it was landing down before it was out of sight from the ponies view.

Rainbow couldn't believe what she just saw.

"What...was...that?!" she asked.

"It's an aeroplane and I can't believe it either!" Twilight replied. "When I first read some of this, I never thought it was possible that humans could fly in one of those."

"Humans flying? No way!"

"Oh goodness. That sounds amazing." Fluttershy added.

"Look, there's another one." Pinkie pointed seeing one that was higher in the sky and flying above thier heads.

"So how do aeroplanes work in detail?" Applejack asked.

"Well, I haven't studied on aeroplanes in full detail yet, so I'll have to get back to you on that one." Twilight replied.

"Those aeroplanes do move slowly, though." Rainbow said. "I could fly to wherever they're going to in ten seconds flat."

"We know!" The other five mares replied, causing Rainbow to frown.

"By the way, don't even think about following one, Rainbow." Twilight warned. "We don't want any more attention from the humans after earlier."

"Duh, I know that."

Just then, they heard ding coming from the toaster and the now burnt toast was sticking out.

"Toast is ready!" Pinkie exclaimed as she grabbed it with her hoof and took a bite before she spat it out. "Yuck! This toast tastes funny and I'm not even laughing."

"That's because it's burnt, Pinkie." Rarity replied. "Although that said, I am getting kind of hungry."

"Same here." Applejack replied.

"I guess we could have a quick break and have some toast together." Twilight added. "I'll take care of making toast, girls."

"Good idea and then, we can discuss what else to find in the hotel." Fluttershy replied.

"Uh, Twilight's supposed to be the genius one here." Rainbow said.

"Oh...um...sorry..."

After a few minutes, Twilight got six slices of toast made and they weren't burnt this time. They all smiled and nodded as they really liked it and saw it as trying something new, even if toasters weren't possible in Equestria. Shortly after they were done, Twilight took the dishes into the kitchen and placed them in the sink before rejoining the others and discussing what to look around for next.
> Social Networking
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a knock on the door which caused the ponies to gasp.

"Room service!" A young male hotel manager called.

"Oh pony feathers." Applejack said.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to bust some chops!" Rainbow declared, bumping her hooves.

"Rainbow!" Rarity replied, "How can you be so insensitive?"

But until now, they noticed Pinkie opening the door.

"No Pinkie!" Twilight yelled. "You'll scare him away!"

But it was too late, the manager walked in and saw Pinkie by her feet.

"Hi human, wanna be my friend?" she asked with hope.

The manager stared back in horror, exchanging blinks with Pinkie who tilt her head to the side slightly.

"Y-y-y-you're the p-p-p-ponies?" he asked, shivering and sweating.

"Of course we are, silly."

"But we're not the ponies like here on earth." Fluttershy added who approached him confidently.

"Oh god...so it is true! You're the ponies from the news!" the manager replied nervously.

"Oooh, does that mean we're famous?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight face-hoofed.

"Please don't run away human." Fluttershy said. "We don't mean any harm to you creatures."

"Well err...I'm sure you d-d-don't." the manager replied who was starting to feel less scared. "But that doesn't mean I'm just going to walk away and forget about this."

"So you're going to tell those other humans that we live here?" Rarity asked.

"Well, something has to be done."

"In that case, we may have to tie ya up and have ya stay 'ere like a turkey on a mornin' spree." Applejack said.

The manager gasped and felt scared once more. "No, no, no, no, no, get your hooves away from me!"

"Applejack!" Fluttershy said, "That's no way to be friendly with a human."

She walked even closer to him and was now under half a meter away, she held out her hoof to him as if to shake it with his hand.

"Don't be scared, we're not gonna hurt you. I'll keep you safe for as long as you want."

He shivered a little, holding his right hand out before he got hold of Fluttershy's left hoof.

"See? We don't mean any harm." She added.

Fluttershy then got on her backlegs and hugged the manager around the waist which startled him, but seconds later, he felt a moment of warmth and peace, he found the courage to accept the hug as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. The other ponies stared at what Fluttershy was doing, but thought best to not get involved.

"Alright ponies." the manger said as he let go of the hug, "I'll let you stay in the hotel for as long as you like and I promise not to tell anyone."

"Do you Pinkie Pie promise?" Pinkie asked.

"What kind of promise is that?" the manager asked back.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" The six mares replied, doing the actions.

The manager blinked since it was different to the normal way of saying a pinkie promise.

"Go on, try it!" Pinkie said.

"Uh okay." he held up his left hand and followed the same action. "Cross my heart and hope to errr fly, stick a cupcake errr in my eye?" he replied before stopping himself from poking himself in the eye.

"Uh, close enough." Rainbow said.

"So much for brinin' my rope along." Applejack muttered.

"By the way, I need to ask you something, human." Twilight said, "Do you still write letters like we do in Equestria?"

"Equestria?" the manager asked in confusion, "Errr, not much these days. We tend to use emails and social networking."

"What's social net-what do ya call it again?" Applejack asked.

"Social networking and why should I know that? I'm just a hotel manager." he then began to open the door, "But if you're interested, there is an internet cafe across the street from here."

"That sounds fun!" Pinkie replied.

"But we can't go out because we'll scare them away." Twilight reminded them.

"They're only scared because of the news and the media making a big deal out of it." the manager replied, "I'm sure that in time, they'll become more accepting like I am with you right now."

"I guess we could try to get out and see more of London."

"That's more like it, now I should be getting back to my job."

"Oh, one last thing." Pinkie said before she went right close to his eyes. "You ever break this Pinkie Pie promise and I will be in your dreams...foooooreeeveeerr!"

"Uh I promise...I won't tell another living soul!"

"Okay." she then got off him and smiled once more.

The manager then left the room and closed the door behind him, not saying another word.

"Uh Pinkie, that wasn't exactly nice to say." Fluttershy said.

"Yeah but we can't really argue with that, if anypony is a pony of his or her word, it's Pinkie." Rainbow replied.

"Well darlings, I think it's time we took his advice and explore the city." Rarity said.

"That's if anypony else wants to do the same." Applejack added.

The others nodded in agreement and even Twilight now liked the idea.

"Well, since we're all in agreement, let's go."

Twilight placed her guide book on the bed and took the hotel room key as the others all made thier way out of the hotel room. Twilight was the last to leave, she closed the door and locked it and they caught a lift to the ground floor, when they arrived, they looked around to check for any humans in sight. When the coast was clear, they left the hotel close together and began walking and looked around where they were, before they noticed the internet cafe the manager told them about.

Due to the media scare earlier, there wasn't many people or cars around, so it was pretty much safe for them to cross the road and on the other side, Twilight opened the door and they walked in to find the Internet Cafe full of people which surprised them.

"Woah, I don't think any of us were expecting it to be this busy." Rainbow exclaimed.

Rainbow's outburst inadvertently got all the humans's attention away from their computers and gasped.

"You and your big mouth, dear." Rarity muttered.

"We should probably stand away from the door in case they run away." Fluttershy said quietly.

The others followed suit as they stood away before the humans began to scream in terror like a sound wave as they all ran away from the cafe and out onto the streets.

"Ah wish these humans would stop doin' that." Applejack said. "It's beginnin' to depress me a bit."

"I know, but maybe someday in the future, they'll come round to us." Twilight replied.

They explored the internet cafe and noticing the computers, wondering what they do.

"They don't look like television screens to me." Rainbow said.

"They're computer monitors." Twilight corrected. "They show what's on the screen, much like TV's."

"Well, at least there's more than enough for us to have one each." Fluttershy said.

The ponies got on a chair and sat down, facing the computers they each had.

"What are these?" Rarity asked.

"They are a mouse and a keyboard." Twilight replied.

"Ya sure? This don't look like a mouse...unless it's shaped like one." Applejack said as she tried grabbing hold of it.

"You sort of answered your own question there, Applejack. You just click one of the buttons to open up an internet browser, it's simple."

"Well of course it would be simple to you, nerd." Rainbow smirked.

Twilight frowned before she clicked on the Firefox Browser icon, the others did the same, all of them were shown the search bar page.

"So how do we use these keyboards?" Applejack asked. "They look mighty small for our hooves."

"Well I guess we just have to be careful with typing, although Rarity and I can use our magic to make a hand appear and type for us." Twilight replied.

"But I don't know how to make a hand appear." Rarity moaned. "My magic isn't as strong as yours, despite me being fabulous with fashion."

"Oh, I can show you right now if that makes it easier."

"Please do, dear."

Whilst Twilight gave Rarity a magic lesson, the others were busy, being careful to type in whatever word they thought of in the search bar and clicked search underneath it.

Fluttershy typed in animals and she was given thousands of links to wildlife websites. As she clicked on more and more pages and images, her smile grew bigger until it came across as a cheesy grin when she saw a few photos of animals that were...getting busy by accident.

"Oh...my..." she said sheepishly.

Applejack was searching on maps and getting a map view of London, she found it all confusing to understand the names and places at first.

"Ah don't get any of this." she said "But ah can tell now that London has no farms, if only ah could go to one and see how a human farm works."

Rainbow was searching for clouds and she found some weird shaped ones on a website.

"Hey girls, check this out!" she said, "Got photos of clouds that look like other shapes."

"That's nice, Rainbow." Applejack replied in an almost robotic tone with her face glued to her monitor screen.

Rainbow looked at a few more before she saw a cloud that looked incredibly rude and she laughed out loud.

Pinkie was looking at sites that had party bookings and reservations for special occasions which got her excited.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "These humans have parties for just as everything as I do!" she suddenly change her expression. "Wait a second, are they trying to copy me?"

"Ah don't think they intend to do that." Applejack replied. "Besides, the humans don't know anythin' about us, let alone you."

"I guess you're right."

Meanwhile, Twilight had just finished giving lessons to Rarity about using a magic hand and now she was able to get the hang of it. Both unicorns used thier magic to type in on thier keyboards.

Rarity looked at the fashion store sites whilst Twilight searched for local libraries.

"Oooh, looks like some humans do know the right way of fashion after all." Rarity commented. "Look at these dresses, they would do wonders for my boutique business."

"That's if they were in pony size." Rainbow remarked.

"Oh you laugh, Rainbow. But someday, I'll be more famous in Canterlot than say being a Wonderbolt."

"Yeah, yeah..."

There was a slight rumble coming from outside the store, this got the ponies to jump slightly and they hide underneath the computer desks. There was an army tank that was rolling down the street along with a few soldiers. The tank stopped moving right outside the internet cafe and the soldiers looked inside to see nothing out of the usual and they shrugged and left the store before jogging along with the tank that started moving again until it was out of sight and the trembling stopped, meaning it was safe for the ponies to come out of hiding.

"That was a close one, girls." Twilight said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"So much for us bein' brave against humans." Applejack replied.

"Those humans didn't look very friendly." Fluttershy added.

"I would agree, they were either soldiers like the Canterlot royal guard or humans making a fashion statement." Rarity said as she shuffled her hooves.

"Maybe we should get out of this cafe, just in case they come back." Twilight advised. "I'm sure there's more for us to explore and try out."

"Yeah! Let's go!" Pinkie replied.

They left the internet cafe and walked along down the street, after a few minutes, they came across a sign with one pointing to an arcade and amusement store and the other pointing to a travel coach department that either takes tours of around London or to a luxury beach-side all the way in Brighton.

"Alright girls, it appears that we have three options." Twilight said to them. "Where shall we go first?"
> At The Beach
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Girls, I think we should be on the safe side." Fluttershy suggested. "Let's get a coach to Brighton beach."

"That's gon' be a bit of a problem." Applejack replied, "Cause for one, how far is it exactly?"

Twilight looks at the sign. "About fifty-three point six miles from here."

"What?!" Pinkie exclaimed as she grabbed a glass of apple cider, drunk it and then spat it out in another direction.

Applejack didn't seem too pleased by that.

"That's gonna take so long for us to get there!" Rainbow said.

"Well done for letting your irony out." Rarity muttered.

"Which is why I said we should use the coach." Fluttershy whispered.

"Which does leave another question." Twilight said. "Can anypony drive a coach?"

The others blinked as their pupils shrank instantly, proving that a simple no would've made it too obvious.

"What? Are you saying that I should drive?" Twilight asked she put a hoof on her chest in slight surprise.

"Well, you're the one who's fascinated by the human world the most." Rainbow replied.

"I know that, but I've never really used a steering wheel."

"But what about the taxis back in Equestria?" Pinkie asked.

"That's different, Pinkie." Applejack replied. "They're run by earth ponies, unless the Princesses are travellin' around our world with them pegasi guards."

"Um, I hate to make anypony scared, but should we find a coach now?" Fluttershy asked as she began to shiver. "Cause what if those mean soldiers come back?"

"Oh, don't remind me of thier ugly green coloured designs." Rarity replied.

"Uh beg ya pardon, but we really should get goin'." Applejack intervened.

"Yeah, let's go!" Pinkie responded happily.

The ponies walked along and followed the signs that directed them to the coach department. When they arrived, Twilight looked at the row of coaches by the parking lot, the gate was unlocked and opened wide. This wasn't exactly helpful to the ponies seeing that none of them knew how to drive a coach and that the scary news about them was being spread very quickly. The six of them walked into the parking lot and stopped to see one coach which somewhat towered above them. Twilight went over the door on the side of the coach and used her magic to open it.

"Phew." she said as she wiped a bit of sweat from her horn. "Okay, let's get on girls and see how this works."

"Oooh, this is gonna be so exciting!" Pinkie said happily as they all got on the bus and looked to see the row of empty seats.

Twilight got into the divers seat and closed the coach door on the outside with her magic.

"So what are those things?" Rainbow asked.

"They're pedals, one which makes the coach move forward and one to make it go in reverse. That little one sticking out is the brake pedal."

"WHEEEEE!" Pinkie yelled as she bounced across the seats, overjoyed.

"Uhhh, please don't scare me like that." Fluttershy responded quietly.

"Those pedals seem to be too far away from your hooves, Twilight." Rarity pointed out. "Would you need help?"

"Well, I guess you could help move the pedals while I use this steering wheel to drive." she replied.

"For helping me with learning the hand magic, I will do you this favour in return."

Rarity then climbed up to the seat next to Twilight and put a hoof around her which made Twilight smile.

"Uhh, can we save that for later?" Rainbow asked. "We need to get out of here!"

Rarity got off the seat and sat by the pedals whilst Twilight noticed a key inside the ignition hole, somebody must've left it meaning that if turned to the right will start the engine. Twilight used her magic to turn the key to it's side and after a second of shuttering noises, the engine began to make quiet noises as it warmed up slowly.

"Okay everypony, we might as well put our flanks on these seats, so we don' fall off." Applejack advised. "That means you too, Pinkie."

"Awwww!" Pinkie pouted as she stopped jumping and sat down, close to the others.

"Here goes nothing." Twilight sighed with hope, "You ready, Rarity?"

"Ready when you are, Twilight." she replied.

"Okay, push the left pedal to move the coach forward, but slowly."

The coach began to move as Twilight grabbed hold of the wheel and steered the coach from out of the parking lot and to the right onto the main road.

"So just to be sure, we do know which way to go to Brighton, right?" Rainbow asked.

"Well pointed out, Rainbow." Twilight replied. "Which is why this coach route map I just found shows directions to Brighton."

"And since you asked so nicely, why don't you be our pony map reader." Rarity added.

"But reading maps is soooo boring." Rainbow moaned.

"Was that meant to be a sarcasm, dear?"

"Uhhh yeah, but all the same, I don't want us to crash so I'll help too."

"Thank you, Rainbow," Twilight replied.

Rainbow picked up the map and looked for Brighton and the route to get there.

"Okay, we go straight onwards it says." Rainbow said.

They got the bus to move straight and after a while of navigating and driving across countless streets, they finally found an exit and leave the city of London. The journey was taking longer than expected and it was already the late afternoon, most of them were getting bored but they were relived that Pinkie didn't start jumping about repeatedly asking if they were there yet.

"Are we there yet?" Pinkie asked.

Too late...

"Not quite, sugarcube." Applejack replied.

"Are we there yet now?"

"No, Pinkie." Rainbow answered who was still reading the map.

There was silence for a while until they saw a welcome sign in the distance.

"Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we-"

Pinkie got cut off as Rainbow stuffed the now scrunched map in her mouth.

"Um Pinkie, you should take that as a yes." Fluttershy said.

"And about time, too." Rainbow added with her hooves in the air.

"Well, we have to drive at a reasonable speed." Twilight responded. "We don't want the police after us."

Shortly, they arrive inside Brighton to find the whole city not exactly full of people. Knowing not to take any chances, they kept on driving until they found the beach with a huge pier alongside it and four abandoned coastal guns that looked very familiar from another universe. Arriving at the beach, Rarity lets go of the accelerator pedal and pushes down the brake pedal and when it stopped, Twilight turned the key to switch the engine off and opened the bus doors with her magic.

"Oh my gosh! We're here, we're here, we're here!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced off the bus.

"And it looks to be a sunny afternoon." Fluttershy added as the rest got off.

"What should we do about this 'ere coach?" Applejack asked.

"We'll just have to leave it here for now, we should enjoy our time at the beach." Twilight replied.

"That I can agree with." Rarity added. "I have no desire to use those pedals anytime soon."

Rainbow flew up and looked around the beach to see that there were no people around.

"All clear, girls." she said.

They trotted to the beach and getting a feel of the sand, they began to enjoy themselves.

"Anypony got any games we can play?" Rarity asked. "And before you ask, I will let slide of my appearance for some beach fun."

"I have this!" Pinkie replied as grabbed a beach ball from somewhere.

"How did ya get that beach ball?" Applejack asked. "Ah thought ya only stashed balls in Equestria."

"Here we go..." Rainbow muttered.

"Not really, I just found it on the other side of that wall." Pinkie replied, pointing to a beach wall.

The story writer breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the fourth wall was spared for now.

Pinkie threw the beach ball for Fluttershy to catch but she ducked and whimpered, causing Rainbow to groan quietly. Twilight picked it up and threw it over to Rarity who caught it with her hooves.

"You have to throw the ball back to either one of us, but it can't be the same pony per throw." Twilight said.

Fluttershy got the confidence to stand up right and joined in along with the others who all took turns at playing catch with the beach ball and with the sun still in the sky, they were enjoying the day at Brighton beach, completely forgetting all about the issues back in London. Until that came to a stop when the ball landed on Twilight's horn by mistake, the beach ball made a pop noise and slowly deflated. The other ponies laughed, leaving Twilight not feeling amused by thier sense of humour. She shook it off with her head and the deflated ball landed on the sand, no longer of any use.

Suddenly, in the distance, there was an approaching sound of a whirling noise coming from above and away from Brighton. The ponies looked up to see where the noise was from, when the noise grew louder, the ponies gasped in surprise. It was a helicopter and it stopped moving, but was hovering in mid-air, Twilight squinted her eyes slightly to see two pilots inside, one of which turned on the bird's eye view camera and could see the ponies.

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy whispered nervously.

"What?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "They have helicopters too?"

"Woah nelly!" Applejack added.

"Wow! Are they here for a party?!" Pinkie asked.

"This is the multi-verse security team!" one of the pilots said through the built-in megaphone. "You are hear by ordered to return to London and go back to the portal, to your own universe."

"This...is...bad..." Twilight said worryingly.

"If you refuse, we will be forced to take legal action!"

"Oh yeah? Just try!" Rainbow yelled back.

"No, Rainbow!" Rarity said. "Taking them on would be very unwise and reckless."

"No offence Rarity, but you're beginning to sound like Twilight."

Twilight glared back, not pleased with Rainbow's remark again.

"Well ah have one suggestion." Applejack said. "Let's get the dodge outta 'ere!!!"

They suddenly galloped away from the beach and onto the main pavement.

"Stop!" the pilot ordered which they ignored unsurprisingly.

They looked around for any possible exits and maybe a chance to hide from the helicopter so they could buy themselves some time. On their left was the coach they drove to the beach, in the centre was a road that led to a closed factory and on their right was a seaside arcade store that was still open.

"Where d-do we go n-now?" Fluttershy asked whilst shivering.
> Arcade Gaming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Quick everypony, to the arcade store!" Twilight said to them.

"Got it!" Rainbow replied.

"YAY! More fun time!" Pinkie exclaimed as they galloped into the arcade store.

"They're going inside the arcade store." one of the pilots said.

"No...really?!" the other asked sarcastically. "Whatever, get the thermal heat sense set up, they won't be hiding for long."

Back inside the arcade, the ponies caught thier breaths and were looking for areas to hide, apart from Pinkie who was dazzled by the pretty lights.

"Wow! This is amazing!" she exclaimed, "Ponyville should have one of these places!"

"Uh Pinkie, we're tryin' not to get captured 'ere?" Applejack responded.

"Well, it's a good thing there are no humans around in this store." Rarity said.

"Twilight, don't you have any kind of invisible spell?" Rainbow asked.

"I've used that spell once before, I haven't even perfected it yet." Twilight replied worryingly.

"Well you gotta perfect it before they take us back to London!"

"Okay, okay...I'll try it now."

Twilight took a deep breath and used her magic and in a moment of lavender lights, her whole self disappeared.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy gasped, "Are you still here? Please talk to us!"

"Don't worry girls, I'm invisible." she replied. "Looks like it works after all."

"But what about the rest of us?" Applejack asked.

"Hmm, maybe if I increase the size of my aura of invisibility and you all crowd close to me, it'll give the technology in that helicopter the impression that we just disappeared, as if we weren't here anymore."

"Will that really work?" Rarity asked.

"Only one way to find out."

The ponies all got close into a group hug and at first, it felt weird for the five mares who couldn't see Twilight but felt her hooves. Twilight began to use her magic and increased the invisibility aura three times as big and soon, they were all completely invisible.

Back outside and in the helicopter, the pilots had their thermal heat scanner set up, but they were too late. One of them looked through the camera with the thermal setting on and looked all around the arcade store to find nothing at all, not even a glitch of the ponies, this left them confused.

"Problem?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, they're...gone." the other replied.

"How could they be gone?"

"I don't know, maybe the camera's busted or something."

"Enable the night vision setting."

"Nope...nothing with this setting either."

"Then how are we supposed to keep track of those ponies if we can't get a visual reading on them?"

"Maybe we should report back to base and file in a faulty equipment."

"Are you kidding? The Major would have our backsides handed to us if we abort now."

"Well, unless you have a better idea, I can't think of anything else."

"Don't look at me, I'm not going down there and make myself an easy target."

"Actually I've been wondering, has anyone ever seen what these ponies have done?"

"Do I look like I care? We have orders to capture them and send them back to where ever universe they came from."

"Wow, you really didn't get loved by your parents much, did you?"

"Shut up, co-pilot! Your job is to use that camera. I'm gonna try and lower us down via the beach-side so we can get a better look"

As the pilot holding the control stick began to move the copter, the other pilot put down the camera and took out a taser from his holster and got ready to use it.

"No, why don't you shut up?"

"Oh what are you gonna do, tell me off some more?"

The camera pilot then sharply placed the taser on his co-pilot's neck which shocked him completely, knocking him out. He then reached for the control stick and took control of it.

"Nope, because when we go back to base and I tell them that you aborted the mission, you will be in for another shock."

He then steered the copter away from the arcade store and they flew away from Brighton till it was out of sight.

Back in the arcade, the invisibility aura disappeared and the ponies were all visible again.

"I don't hear the helicopter." Fluttershy said.

"They're...gone." Applejack replied.

"Oh what a relief!" Rarity exclaimed. "I thought we were done for."

"I still think I could've taken it on." Rainbow added, pouting.

"Owwww!" Twilight said, "My horn."

The mares gasped as they saw that the top half of Twilight's horn was now in a bruised red colour.

"Uh, are you okay?" Pinkie asked.

"Not really, I think I used too much of my magic to make that spell."

"As a fellow unicorn, it would be wise to not conjure any more magic until the horn is completely healed." Rarity said.

"Yeah, we should be safe for now though."

"That's mighty good to hear." Applejack replied. "So, this arcade has a lot of things ah don't understand."

"Well from the book, they have various kinds of arcade games and machines here." Twilight explained. "There are those small ones where you try to win prizes, there are machines there that involve shooting, driving and a flight simulator from what I can see."

"A flight simulator? That sounds cool I guess." Rainbow said.

"And a bumper car area too on the far left of us."

"Bumpers cars sound like fun!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We should go on those."

"Ohhh, I'm not sure if it's safe enough to do that." Fluttershy replied.

"Well they have seatbelts on them which protect you from flying out and hurting yourself." Twilight said.

"Oh, that's good to know."

"In that case, we should enjoy ourselves with them bumper cars and make up for the time we lost earlier." Applejack suggested.

"Way ahead of you." Rainbow said as she got inside a bumper car.

The others each got into a bumper car and use learnt to use the seatbelts...but nothing was happening.

"Uh, how are we suppose to move these?" Rarity asked.

"Oh wait, I forgot..." Twilight replied. "All these arcade machines require money in order to work."

"Money? You meant bits, right?" Rainbow asked.

"No, in this universe it's called money and it looks like there were a lot left on that display counter."

"Hold on dear, I'll get them for you." Rarity said as she used her magic to bring a tray of pound coins over. "Now take one each and...where do they go?"

"In the coin slot on the side, by the steering wheel."

The ponies all inserted their coins and soon the bumper cars began to power up and sounds were made from the speaker in the corner. They all began to move their cars and in no time at all, started bumping into each other since the others couldn't drive, apart from Fluttershy who tired to avoid bumping into the others. Twilight soon forgot about the pain on her horn and was smiling again. The mares began to really get into it and were enjoying the fun a lot for a while, laughing a few times along the way until a siren played and the bumper cars stopped moving.

"Oh, looks like our time is up, driving these." Twilight said.

"Well that's a little bit depressing, but it was so cool!" Rainbow replied.

Suddenly, Pinkie paused the whole scene and looked at the fourth wall.

"Just wanna say quickly that to anyone or anypony who drives." she said, "Always drive safely, responsibly, always wear a seatbelt and obey the laws of the road."

She then showed a big grin before she went back to where she was and un paused the scene.

"So, what should we do next?" Fluttershy asked.

"Maybe we should explore the whole arcade." Twilight replied as she got out of her bumper car. "I'm sure each one of us will find something fun to do and we'll have these pound coins to use so we can enjoy playing for as much as we want."

"I can agree to that." Rarity replied.

Soon the rest of them got out of the bumper cars and began exploring the whole arcade separately. Moments later, they all found a game they each liked. Rainbow was playing on a flight simulator called After Burner Climax, Fluttershy was on a claw machine that had prizes inside, Rarity was using her pound coins on a horse racing bet game, Pinkie was playing on a dance machine called Dance Dance Revolution, Applejack was on a kart driving game with a famous moustache plumber as the icon and Twilight was on a quiz machine and getting most of the questions wrong.

Soon, they began to work up an appetite and were starting to feel hungry. They spent the last of thier pound coins on vending machines and each getting a packet of cheese flavoured nachos which was no surprise, seeing how Equestria has nacho cheese too.

"Can't beat any packet of good ol' nachos!" Applejack commented.

"Nacho, nacho mare!" Pinkie sang as she put on a Disco outfit from out of nowhere, "I got to be a nachomare!"

Twilight stared. "Seriously?" was all she could ask.

"Pinkie, no offence darling, but you sing somewhat below average." Rarity said to her, bluntly.

"Uh beg ya pardon, Rarity, but isn't being that honest my job?" Applejack asked, nudging her a little.

"Well you can't blame me for going out of character, Applejack. I'm sure you've behaved in ways you shouldn't have."

"Don't remind me..."

They then left the arcade store and seeing the sky going from blue to a bit of orange.

"I think we've had our fun in this arcade place, so where can we go next?" Rainbow asked.

"Well the sun is starting to set." Fluttershy, pointing to the sky, "Maybe we should go and find somewhere to stay before night time."

"I think Fluttershy has the right idea." Twilight agreed, "It would be bad news for us to go back to that coach and sleep there during the night."

"Then we must leave this place and find a hotel." Rarity replied. "And can we try to walk with grace and dignity?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes as they left and walked down the pavements, taking in the places of Brighton until they came across a hotel.

"Well, it's not as fancy as the other one we're stayin' in, but ah reckon it's comfy enough for all of us." Applejack said.

"Hmm, maybe my taste of appearance is starting to rub off on you." Rarity replied.

They walked on inside and as before in the hotel back in London, no one was at reception. They grabbed a hotel room key, took the lift to the second floor and looked for room 210. Before they found it and unlocked the door to reveal a somewhat big enough room with separate rooms for a kitchen and a bedroom.





"We should have a party in here!" Pinkie said as they walked in and closed the door behind them.

"And then what, make ourselves heard when there are other humans around?" Rainbow asked.

"Ah think what Rainbow meant was is that doesn't seem like a good idea, after what we went through today." Applejack told Pinkie.

"Awww, but we haven't had a vacation party since we got here."

"We know that, but you can make up for all the unplanned parties when we go back to Equestria." Twilight replied.

"I guess so."

"And besides, it's getting towards night time and we should rest." Rarity said.

"Maybe we should so we can be ready for tomorrow." Fluttershy added.

The others nodded in agreement as they looked around the room to see plentiful of food and drink so they were okay with eating the next day, before each of them took turns at using the shower room which Twilight had to teach them about using it before each of them look to find somewhere to sleep.

"Hmm, this bed can only fit at least three of us on here, the rest of us will have to find somewhere else." Twilight said.

"Well I don't care which of you choose to sleep, as long as I get the fabulous king-size bed." Rarity replied.

"To share with, Rarity." Applejack added. "Don't forget that."

"Well of course, I'm not that selfish."

"Please, can we get some sleep now?" Rainbow asked.

Shortly, Rarity took the centre of the bed and shared with Fluttershy and Twilight. Applejack and Rainbow found a couple of spare bedsheets and placed them on the sofas before getting into them and Pinkie rested on a very soft carpet rug besides the bed.

"Okay girls, we'll have a good night and then in the morning, we'll think about what else we can do around here." Twilight said.

"Ah agree to that, sugarcube." Applejack replied.

"Good idea. Goodnight, girls." Fluttershy said.

Each of them said goodnight before Rarity used her magic to switch the the lights off and thankfully, none of them snored unless Pinkie was recovering from one of her party events in which case she would her flank off. With them now safe once more, only time will tell if they'll be able to enjoy more of thier vacation before going back home to Equestria.
> Back To London
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the next day and the ponies weren't aware that it was already the start of midday when Applejack was the first to wake up as she stretched.

"Mornin' everypony." she said before noticing the others were still asleep. "Guess ah better make some breakfast for ya'll."

Twilight's ears moved slightly and woke up quietly and yawned.

"Morning Applejack." she replied. "Want me to help you with setting it up?"

"That depends if your horn is back to normal."

Twilight felt the tip of her horn, the red patch was gone and it didn't hurt this time.

"It feels a lot better now, so I really can."

"Alrighty, thank ya kindly, sugarcube."

Applejack and Twilight walked into the kitchen and began to make breakfast for them all.

"You know, I've been thinking." Twilight said. "As much as the human world and it's technology really fascinates me, I'm starting to think that maybe we should've gone to another universe to have our vacation at."

"Well, ah have to be honest with ya, Twi. Ah don't really think this is a safe world for us ponies." Applejack replied. "After what we went through yesterday, ah just can't understand why this universe has to be like it is."

"Me neither and unless some important human assures us that this world isn't dangerous, I don't think we'll wanna come back here again."

The other ponies began to wake up just as Twilight and Applejack had finished making breakfast.

"Morning darlings." Rarity said as she checked over her mane, "Hmm, still in one piece? Fabulous."

"Is it time to eat?" Fluttershy asked.

"Sure is, partners." Applejack replied. "Let's tuck in at the kitchen table 'ere."

"Awww, no candy in the bowl." Pinkie moaned.

"Pinkie, this is breakfast, not snack time." Rainbow said.

Pinkie pouted for a second before shrugging and putting her smile back on and they all tucked into breakfast consisting of cereal and of course, well made toast on the side this time. After they were done, Applejack and Twilight cleaned up the dishes whilst Rarity grabbed a TV remote and pushed the red button with her hoof and the TV switched on to show the BBC News show.

...and we will have more information on the recent demotion on the two helicopter pilots. In other news, the six ponies from another universe that left London yesterday are still free and there are no possible clues to their whereabouts.

This got the attention of the ponies who sat around closely, looking on with concerned expressions.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron delivered a surprising message to the ponies earlier this morning, calling for peace and reason.

Military action should have never been carried out as it happened yesterday. I believe that we can come to a more diplomatic agreement so my message is this. Ponies, wherever you are, I would like you to consider returning to London to have a private word with me and discuss any negotiations in regards to uniting the universe of where you originally live. I will personally make sure that no threats will be made towards you.

"Well uh, that doesn't sound so bad." Fluttershy said.

"What's a prime minister?" Rainbow asked.

"An important human who is in charge of the Country, which is the United Kingdom." Twilight answered.

"So, they don't have a princess?" Rarity asked.

"They do, Rarity, but let's not go into that."

The Labour leader, Ed Miliband delivered a response just moments ago after the Prime Minister's statement.

Our Prime Minister has broken many promises in this coalition government and he will be certain to break that promise too. Ponies, please come to my constituency of North Doncaster and I will make sure that my party will do all it can to keep you safe until we have you safe in London and that you can return home.

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg was not available for comment as he is having a new spine operated into his back.

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy commented.

"Like, ewww!" Rainbow added.

Twilight switched off the TV with the remote and looked at the mares.

"Well, looks like we're faced with two important people instead of one." Twilight said.

"At least they know how to dress smart and fabulous." Rarity commented.

"Uh Rarity, now's not the time to compliment the humans on clothes." Applejack replied.

"So where shall we go, Twilight?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure." Twilight replied, "But to be honest, I'd rather spend the rest of our vacation here and not worry about the issue."

"Well that wouldn't be a bad idea, if the humans were nicer and not afraid of us." Fluttershy added.

"But what about our bags we left in that London hotel?" Applejack asked worryingly.

"I could use the fourth wall to bring them here." Pinkie suggested.

"What's a fourth wall?" Rainbow asked. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Hold on Rainbow, I'm curious to see how it works." Twilight said. "Could you show me?"

"Sure Twilight, I'll just pause the story and use the scene selection to collect the bags and bring them here." Pinkie explained.

The others started and blinked at her, allowing complete silence before a loud belch was heard.

"Oops...pardon..." Applejack said in embarrassment.  

"Save the ponies!" a voice shouted from outside. "They mean no harm!"

"Lemme go and check." Rainbow said as she opened a window to look where the voice was coming from.

Down on the ground was a woman with a sign up and she was trying to get attention from the people walking on by, but to no avail.

"Let us be more loving to other species!" the woman added to the ongoing people walking on by.

"She doesn't sound scary to me." Fluttershy said.

"Of course not-" Rarity replied before cutting herself off, seeing Rainbow go out through the window. "-Rainbow, what are you doing?"

"Get back inside Rainbow, ah don't want ya to make a scene!" Applejack added.

"I am not..." Rainbow protested. "...if none of you are gonna talk to that human, I will."

"Oooh, lemme come with you!" Pinkie added.

"No girls!" Twilight intervened. "We have to do this the safe and proper way, we don't want that human to get the wrong idea."

"Then what is the safe and proper way?" Fluttershy asked.

"We'll just leave the hotel and go and speak to her with no funny business."

"If we must, we must." Rarity replied. "Come along, darlings."

They soon left the hotel room and then out of the hotel, they looked to thier left to see the woman still standing there. They walked up to her and Pinkie got her attention by poking on her leg, the woman looked down to see them.

"Hi!" Pinkie greeted. "You love ponies?!"

"Pinkie!" Twilight exclaimed. "That's not being safe."

The woman looked back, staring in shock before growing a smile.

"You must be the same ponies that people are talking about on the news?" she asked.

"Why of course, we are." Rarity replied. "I see no other fine mares that live around here."

"So who might you be if you don't mind us asking?" Twilight asked.

"Oh I don't mind that at all." the woman replied. "I'm Caroline Lucas and I was supposed to be at the houses of parliament in London today, but when I heard the news this morning, I wanted to use my MP benefits to help you ponies."

"So umm, you're not gonna run away or harm us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course not, you're just ponies from another universe, nothing more or less."

"Well ah'm glad you see us that way, cause ah'd be concerned if you saw us any different." Applejack said.

"So have you been living in Brighton for long?"

"We slept in the hotel behind us for the night, but our vacation bags are back at one of the London hotels." Twilight replied. "We are thinking of just going back home to our universe today as we haven't really enjoyed this world."

"Well, I think this is all crazy but if I see it, I can believe it." Caroline said. "Either way, I'm sorry to hear that you haven't been met with a positive experience. We politicians get negative feedback all the time, it's normal for us."

"So ya don't mind what others are sayin'?" Applejack asked.

"Sometimes I do, but it depends on the topics and who I'm speaking to. So are you thinking of going back to London now?"

"We are, but we need some kind of transport in order to get back safely." Rainbow replied.

"Well, I have my own car which should be big enough for you all to fit in."

"That sounds exciting!" Pinkie said.

"A car ride, exciting?" Rarity asked, confused. "Seriously, dear?"

"Don't worry what anyone else thinks, getting you back safe with no stress is more important." Caroline assured them.

"Okay, we'll agree to go back with you." Twilight replied. "Just a good thing that no other human is watching us right now."

The mane six followed Caroline along the pathway and through some of the streets. They were smiling due to the fact that there weren't many people around outdoors. They walked on for a bit longer before they came across a four-seater car. Caroline opened the car doors and the ponies got in. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow all took the back seats and Twilight and Rarity shared the front passenger seat.

"Have you all got seatbelts on?" Caroline asked.

"I've got that covered." Twilight answered, using her magic to strap the others and herself in with seatbelts on.

"I hope this journey doesn't take long." Rarity said. "I am in dire need of a day at the spa."

The car turned on and soon, Caroline and the ponies were on thier way out of Brighton and returning to London.

"The sooner we get our bags back in London, the sooner we can leave." Twilight said.

"But what about the Prime Minister's offer of a negotiation which I heard on the news?" Caroline asked.

"Oh right...well I'm not sure."

"Because I just heard that while David Cameron is willing to negotiate an alliance between this universe and your universe, Ed Miliband doesn't see it that way and would rather you just return home safe, because the Prime Minister will break his promise."

"Hmm, that would depend if Princess Celestia would wish to agree to a discussion."

"Well what do you think she would say?"

"I don't know, I'll have to give it some thought." Twilight looked at her five closest friends. "What do you think we should do?"

"I think we should just leave it, there's no way the humans and ponies could be a team." Rainbow replied. "Well okay, maybe there are a few exceptions."

"We should definitely agree to it, that way, we'll get to organise hundreds of universe parties!" Pinkie said excitedly.

"Maybe not that kind of party, Pinkie." Rarity intervened. "But I would be more than welcome to show off my generosity in fashion since some humans have proven that they can dress smart and fabulous."

"Umm, maybe we shouldn't, the time we were in the arcade and hiding was too scary for me." Fluttershy said.

"Ah'm not sure if a deal between ponies and humans could ever be possible." Applejack added. "A mighty amount of plannin' would need to be done."

"So in other words, you don't know what we should do?" Twilight asked.

"Eeyup, ah guess."

"Take as much as time as you need on what you think is best for your kind." Caroline said. "It's gonna be a bit of a long journey anyway."

Twilight went into deep thought and considered her two options as she spoke to herself in her mind.

A: Agree to a negotiation with the Prime Minister. If I go through with this, I would hope that Princess Celestia would be alright to come to the human world and take the discussion further. It won't be perfect and we would need to send a message to the other ponies that this multiple universe bonding can work, but it might take a very long time, considering the teleporting between this world and Equestria. There's so much more I wanna study about in this world, I may have read a lot about it in the guide book, but I'm sure there's more to learn and Pinkie and Rarity would see this as a benefit too.

B: Turn down the negotiation with the Prime Minister. Maybe Ed Miliband is right, since the day we came here, we were met with scared humans and some who were somewhat hostile towards us like that helicopter moment. Whilst there have been a few who have tried to accept us and become more welcoming to approach, I don't think it would be worth the effort to try and convince millions in this world to love ponies from another universe. Applejack, Rainbow and Fluttershy all made valid points, we didn't exactly have a fun vacation in the short space of time we made being here.
> Ponies & Politics
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The whole group were arriving at the outskirts of London with the city now in sight. Twilight had remained silent for a while with her eyes closed in deep thought, after imagining flipping a bit on a ground, she opened them and breathed in deeply with a smile as if to say that she had made her choice.

"Alright girls, I've come to a decision." she said.

The others paid attention as Caroline focused on her driving.

"I believe that we should accept the Prime Minister's proposal. A lot of hard work will need to be done, but it wouldn't hurt any of us to try."

"Well Twi, if that's what ya want, ah can respect that, sugarcube." Applejack replied.

"Yeah, it might take a while for me to get used to it, but I'll stand by your decision." Rainbow added.

"Me too, if you're happy with your choice, then that's fine." Fluttershy said, joining in.

"YAY!" Pinkie yelled as she bounced around the back seats. "MULTI UNIVERSE PARTY!"

"Pinkie!" Rarity lightly scolded, "Do be careful, Caroline is trying to drive us into London safely." she then cleared her throat. "Twilight, you won't regret it. This is going to be fabulous news when we get back to Equestria."

"I hope so and I'm sure Princess Celestia will find the time to help out, since she knows more about rulership than I do." Twilight replied.

"Alright ponies, we're here." Caroline said as they drove into the city.

The people were out and about, all of which didn't notice the ponies in Caroline's car, passing on by.

"We're going over to 10 Downing Street and once we arrive there, I can't go any further as only the Prime Minister, members of his cabinet and the staff who work there are allowed in." she added. "But still, they're all in for a surprise when they see you."

When they drove past the several roads, they reached Downing Street and pulled over just a metres away from the door.

"Here we are, ponies. Good luck with your negotiations and I hope you pull through."

"Thank you." Twilight replied. "Let's go girls."

The car doors opened and the ponies got out, they then closed the doors and waved to Caroline who drove away till she was out of sight.

"She was a very nice human." Fluttershy complimented.

"Ah'll say, a might lot better than any other human we've seen so far." Applejack agreed.

They walked up to the door and came across a policeman guarding outside. At first, the officer paid no attention until they came closer to him, causing him to look down with a serious expression.

"Can I help you miss?" he asked.

"Oh yes, my name is Twilight Sparkle and me and my ponies are here to speak with the Prime Minister to accept his negotiation offer." she replied.

The officer stood aside to the right and said no more as he regained his focus as a living statue of sorts. The ponies came to the door and Twilight tapped on the door with a hoof. It was then opened by a member of staff and the employee was taken back, seeing the ponies standing outside. But thinking that they're here to see the PM, the employee stood back and allowed them through. The ponies walked on inside the building and took in the scenery of where they stood.

"Well I never." Rarity commented. "These humans really do go all out with decorations."

The others nodded, unable to say anything else as they walked onwards down the hallway to the stairs that went up two floors. Another employee which was a maiden this time came along by and saw them.

"Oh uh." she said to them nervously. "If you're looking for the Prime Minister he's on the second floor."

"Okay, thanks." Twilight replied.

The ponies then walked up the stairs and noticed the framed portraits of the people that were in black and white before seeing the coloured ones as they climbed onwards.

"Who are these humans in the photos?" Rainbow asked.

"They look like the portraits of previous Prime Ministers that have discussed all politics and such in this building." Twilight replied. "Well, it's what the guide book says."

Soon, they walked to the second floor and looked around before they came across a male human all dressed up with a blue tie.

"Good day to you, ponies." he greeted.

"Oh, hello there." Fluttershy replied nervously.

"You must be the Prime Minister, David Cameron?" Twilight asked.

"Of course and I assume you are here to discuss the negotiation with me?"

"We sure are." Applejack replied. "Will it be private or somethin'?"

"I can't make that a guarantee, but we'll discuss this on the cabinet office, just follow me."

The ponies nodded with understanding and followed him as they walked past another hallway until they walked into a room with a huge wooden table and ten chairs on each side.

"Take the seats on the other side, if you wish." Cameron told them.

The ponies did so, they found it a little strange to be sitting on the chairs like humans and now they finally know what it feels like when Lyra Heartstrings sits like she does on the bench. After getting themselves comfortable, they paid attention to look forward at Cameron who sat down in his Prime Minister chair.

"First of all, I'm am thrilled that you agreed to come to see me." he added. "And as I promised, no harm came to exist."

"That's fine and dandy, mister." Applejack replied. "But ah'm sure we're not 'ere to talk about formalities."

"No indeed, what I said in my statement was true and deep down inside, this is all a first for me as we have never had this encounter happen to us in our Earth's history, but I am prepared to do whatever is necessary to form a unison with this world and your world through our teleportation technology."

"That's good to know and may I say that you look smashing." Rarity complimented.

"Well I am flattered and I thank you for that, but I'm sure that agreeing to speak with your leader is a far more important issue than trends."

"You mean Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"Is that who your leader is?"

"She is and she rules all over Equestria with a kind heart." Fluttershy replied.

"But she's also a firm ruler who we always remain loyal to." Rainbow added.

Twilight was considering telling the Prime Minister that she also raises the sun, but thought more of it and decided against it.

"That's very interesting to know." Cameron responded. "So are there a few things I can help with before I request a meeting with your Princess?"

"Yeah, we would like to start with getting our vacation bags returned to us." Twilight replied. "We left them at a hotel not far from where we traveled into this world."

"You must mean the hotel where there is the Internet Cafe on the opposite side, because I know that hotel."

"Yes, that's the one." Pinkie replied, nodding.

"Leave it to me, I'll send out a request to the staff there to have them sent here and returned to you."

"Great." Twilight replied happily. "When will the teleport be activated as we will need to go back to our world to let the Princess know?"

"Well that, I do not know when, but if I hear anything about it, I will let you all know."

"That ain't much to go on, mister." Applejack said. "But it's good news all the same.

"I have a request if I may." Rarity declared, holding her hoof up for a second. "Could there be a way for me to open up a fashion business store in London?"

"That will depend on if my meeting with your Princess goes smoothly."

"Speaking of smooth, if the agreement comes through, will you help in providing awareness and support for us ponies so that we don't scare humans or make them want to come after us?" Twilight asked.

"I will do whatever I can to ensure your safety whenever your kind visits our world and I'm sure the Princess would do the same if it was the other way around."

"So what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Rainbow asked.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come on in." Cameron responded as the door opened.

"Excuse me for bothering you, Prime Minister." said a security staff member "But the scientist team just asked me to let you know that they're portal is ready to go so that the ponies can return to thier world."

"Looks like we'll be going home soon." Fluttershy said.

"Ya don't say." Applejack muttered, making Rainbow giggle.

"Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you..." Cameron said.

"Twilight Sparkle." Twilight replied. "I properly should've introduced you to the others before we started."

"That's fine, we can go over greetings and such another time." Cameron got out of his chair and held out his hand over to Twilight. "I wish you all a safe journey back to your home."

Twilight held her hoof out and shook hand and hoof.

"Thank you, Prime Minister." The girls then got out of thier chairs. "Let's go, girls."

"Right behind ya, Twi." Applejack replied as they left the room.

The ponies walked down the hall and down the stairs to the ground floor whilst Cameron made a phone call to the hotel they mentioned.

"That went better than I think any of us expected." Rarity said.

"Yeah and now we can have multiple universe parties!" Pinkie replied happily.

"Only if this pays off for us, Pinkie, don't rush into things just yet." Twilight advised.

When they exited the building, they saw a small crowd which had gathered around, but they were kept reasonably far away. The mares smiled at them, hoping that things will be better from now on. The people to thier surprise smiled back in return before a London cab pulled over and the driver got out.

"Your cab is here to take you and your luggage from the hotel is here too." he said as he opened the passenger door.

"Goodness, that was fast!" Fluttershy said, feeling surprised.

"Okay Twilight, you have me convinced now." Rainbow added. "These humans are awesome!"

"Ah'll agree, that Prime Minister sure knows how to help out." Applejack said, nodding in agreement.

The ponies then got in the cab and they were in the same positions as before with Twilight and Rarity sharing the front passenger seat. They soon closed the doors and were on their way to the science building. During the drive, Pinkie looked behind and saw their vacation bags all looked as exactly the same as they had left them, she saw a small note among the bags and took it.

"Hey girls, look at this, a note from some human." Pinkie said as she held the note and began to read it.

Here are your bags and I made sure that everything you had are packed in them. I hope you enjoyed your short stay at the hotel. Anytime you wish to come visit here again, you're more than welcome to stay in room 326, we'll have it reserved for you ponies only, in the future.

Yours faithfully,
The Hotel Manager

"Well isn't that nice of him to say?" Fluttershy asked, smiling.

The others nodded in complete agreement, knowing that they'll always have somewhere to stay the next time they come to the human world. When they arrived at the science building, the ponies got out and the cab driver called out to them.

"Don't you worry about the cab fare, it's on the house for one time only." he said.

"Thank you, dear." Rarity replied as the cab pulled away.

The ponies walked inside and up to the main reception hall to see a few humans around. This time, the humans weren't scared as much as before, but instead just smiled at  them. The ponies continued to walk past the small hallway and it got a bit dark before they opened a door at the end and walked in to see the portal room and the team of scientists present. One of them noticed the ponies walking in, he shivered a little but regained his composure.

"Okay, I can do this...I will be brave." the team leader said to himself. "Greetings ponies." he said to them. "We are about to give this portal a final test run just to be sure that our new invention is a complete success. Are you here to return to your world?"

"Yes we are, but only if you keep the portal open after we leave." Twilight replied.

"Why is that?"

"Let's say a very important pony is being asked to meet with the Prime Minister."

The science team blinked before agreeing to it.

"Very well, just stand back and then when we have this online, you can all walk through."

The ponies nodded as they walked behind the control desk to witness the team getting final preparations checked over before the leader pulled the lever down which began to run up the power and shortly, a bright flash appeared and the portal went online with a moving swirling image inside. The six ponies walked up to the portal and stepped right through it, one by one they left the human world with smiles and all the way back to Equestria.

In a big flash, they arrived in Twilight's library in the basement with all of her scientific research. Before they left the library, they each shared thier thoughts about the human world in a letter, Twilight then got Spike to send off the letter to the Princess, now all she had to do was wait for Celestia's reply. All of them were feeling hungry as it was approaching lunchtime, so they agreed to say their farewells and see each other again soon. 

Their experience with going to another universe was indeed a surprise for them at first and despite some of the setbacks such as coming home several days earlier then planned, they did agree that thier vacation with the human world was most enjoyable and would certainly visit again. For now though, Twilight was very happy with how the whole experience went in the end and that it was a complete success.


THE END