July 16, 2020
Fluttershy's Cottage
It was the day Jack was meant to be interviewed by the Royal Court. At the moment, he was buttoning up a fancy suit Rarity had designed for the occasion. It was only 7:00 AM, so he had some time before the train for Canterlot was set to leave for his meeting at 9:00 PM. The ponies had spent the past few days instructing him on how to behave during his meeting. From what Jack understood, while Princess Celestia had allowed him to stay, the decision was only hers to make temporarily. As of now, the Court would decide his fate.
"I don't think I've done anything too offensive while I've been here. This shouldn't be too tough," Jack thought to himself. "Then again, Cheerilee did say that Diamond Tiara's father is on the Court. I can't imagine he'll be very fond of me."
"Jack, are you ready?" Fluttershy called from the hall.
"Yeah, I'll be right out!" he shouted as he finished with the last button.
He gulped down his pills and made his way into the hall. "Good morning, Flutters. What's for breakfast?"
The shy pegasus didn't answer and appeared to be lost in thought.
"Flutters?" asked Jack. "You ok?"
"Hmm…" Fluttershy said as she snapped back to reality.
"What's for breakfast?" the human asked again.
"Oh, I made you some toast," Fluttershy said.
"That sounds great!" Jack said as they started down the stairs. "On another note, you seem troubled. Is there something you want to talk about?"
"I-I'll tell you at the table," Fluttershy responded.
When they got to the table, the human questioned Fluttershy a second time. "So, what's wrong?"
"Well, I'm a little worried about the Royal Court," the shy pegasus admitted.
"Why?" Jack asked.
"It's just some of them aren't… well," Fluttershy started.
"Aren't what?" the human questioned before biting into his toast.
"Very fond of foreigners," Fluttershy answered quietly.
Jack swallowed his toast, "Oh... I see."
Ponyville Station
47 minutes later
Although she knew she wouldn't be able to accompany him into the courtroom, Twilight had agreed to accompany Jack as far as the castle. As they settled onto their coach, the blond human took the chance to question Twilight about the Court.
"So, Twilight, what can you tell me about the Royal Court?" he asked.
"Let's see here…" Twilight started. "Princess Celestia and Luna founded the Court two years after the defeat of Discord, it's made up of four representatives from each class. The four highest-ranking members of the Royal Family, the heads of each branch of the military, the four richest ponies in Equestria, and four ponies elected to represent the peasants. The representatives usually only meet a few times a year, but they are responsible for declarations of war, controlling immigration, international trade deals, and major trials."
"I see," Jack replied. " What else can you tell me?"
"The Princess has told me that she feels like the Court is out of date," Twilight said. "According to her, it's unfair to the peasants because the other classes tend to gang up against them when it comes time to vote."
"What can you tell me about the representatives?" Jack asked. "Fluttershy mentioned that some of them might not be too fond of me."
"Oh," Twilight said in realization. "There's Celestia, of course, and then there's her sister Luna…"
"Luna, huh? I hope she's not butthurt about the last time we talked," Jack thought to himself.
"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is the newest princess, but unfortunately I don't know much more about her. Prince Blueblood is Celestia's nephew and a purist. He is a strict believer in the system of classes and has even advocated for banning interclass marriage," Twilight continued.
"Well he sounds pleasant," Jack sarcastically noted. "Probably won't be very fond of me."
"I'd say that's a safe assumption," Twilight agreed. "My brother Shining Armor is the Captain of the Princess's Personal Guard. You shouldn't have any problems with him."
"Wait, your brother is on the Court!?" Jack asked in astonishment.
"That's right!" Twilight gleefully confirmed. "Shining Armor is my BBBFF!"
"BBBFF?" the human questioned.
"My Big Brother Best Friend Forever!" Twilight elaborated.
"Oh," Jack said. "I wish I had that kind of relationship with my brother," he thought. "Anyway, what about the others?"
"Where was I," Twilight asked herself. Oh, Flash Sentry is the Captain of the Navy and the newest member of the Court. I don't really know anything else about him. Three Arrows is the Captain of the Army and a vocal critic of the way Equestria is run. Spitfire is the Captain of the Wonderbolts. She generally takes a more neutral stance on immigration. Fancy Pants is the owner of the Equestrian Trading Company. He's probably the only business class pony who will look on you favorably. Filthy Rich is the owner of Rich's Barnyard Bargains and your classmate, Diamond Tiara's father. He's also a prominent pony supremacist, a leading figure in the Equish only movement, and a proponent of banning public education."
"If he's against public school, then why does he send his daughter to one?" Jack asked in confusion.
"There isn't a private school in Ponyville," Twilight explained. "From what I've heard, he's been trying to have one built-in Ponyville for a while, but nopony is willing to sell him the land he needs."
"Um-hmm," Jack said. "What about the other six?"
"Cherry Jubilee is the owner of Cherry Hill Ranch and head of the Cherry Clan, the second most profitable agricultural business in Equestria," Twilight continued.
"Second most?" Jack questioned.
"Technically, the Apple family make more money, but they renounced their business status over a decade ago," Twilight replied.
"Why would they do that?" the human asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Nopony knows for certain, except perhaps the Apples, but rumor has it that they did it because they thought the concept of class was unfair to the peasants," Twilight explained.
"I don't think I've ever had this much respect for a rich family in my life," Jack thought to himself. "And the rest?"
"Hoity Toity is the owner of the Equestrian Fashion show," Twilight continued. "He tends to vote in line with the other business-class representatives. Which brings us to the peasant class representatives. Lyra Heartstrings is a mythology expert obsessed with obscure myths." Twilight explained before adding. "Especially humans."
Jack recognized the name Lyra Heartstrings. "I think Spike mentioned her the other day. He didn't say anything about her being a representative though. I assume I don't have anything to worry about with her?"
"I'd say she's a sure thing to vote in your favor," Twilight answered. "As for the other three. Apple Fritter is a member of the Apple Clan from Fillydelphia. Cherry Berry is an inventor specializing in aviation, and Time Turner is a scientist."
"So, it sounds like the ones I need to worry about most are Blue Blood, Filthy Rich, Cherry Jubilee, and Hoity Toity," Jack noted, "And probably Princess Luna as well."
Outside the Royal Courtroom
5 hours later
"Good luck in there, Jack," Twilight said as the human made his way into the chamber.
"Thanks, Twi," he said as the doors closed behind him. "I'll need it," he thought with a gulp.
Walking past the sculpture in the room's center, he nervously made his way up to the four boxes containing representatives and sat down.
"Welcome, Mister Jager," Celestia greeted. "Please make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you, ma'am," Jack said.
"The Royal Court has been made aware of your full story, so there is no need for you to hide anything from us," the sun princess informed. "For the Court's records, your full name is Jack Delano Jager. Is this correct?"
"Um, technically, my full name is Jackson Delano Jager Jr.," the human corrected.
"Noted," Celestia said as she and the other representatives scribbled on their parchments. "I assume you have some idea as to why you've been summoned?"
"You're making a final decision of what to do with me, right?" Jack asked.
"That is correct," Celestia confirmed. "Based on reports of your magical prowess, the Court has come to three possible decisions. You can either be granted citizenship on the basis of military service as proposed by Flash Sentry, regular citizenship as proposed by Princess Cadenza, or Banishment as proposed by Filthy Rich. Each representative who has given a proposal shall be given a chance to argue it's merit, then each representative will ask you a question to help them reach their decision. After the questions, the representatives shall cast their votes, and we shall reach our decision," Celestia informed. "Do you have any objections, Mister Jager?"
"Yeah…" Jack started. "Come on Jack, play it cool. Do you really think an objection is going to help you?"
"What was that?" Celestia asked.
"No, ma'am, I do not." Jack sighed.
"Then let's begin," Celestia stated. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, would you care to get us started?"
"Yes, Aunt Celestia," the pink alicorn said. "Fellow representatives, here before us today, we have somepony who needs our help. We have no reason to feel threatened by him, as some would have us believe," she started, prompting a scoff from Filthy Rich. "In fact, he has shown himself more than willing to put his life on the line to protect our citizens. While he has proved skilled in combat, the idea of forced service is ridiculous," she continued as Flash Sentry rolled his eyes. "Why should he be forced to risk his own life for us when he still has family back home? Equestria is a nation founded on the idea of harmony, on helping out those in need. As such, I believe it is our duty to offer Jack refuge until such time as he can be sent home."
"Thank you, Princess," Celestia said. "Captain Flash Sentry, state your case, please."
"Of course, Your Highness," the orange pegasus answered. "Based on numerous reports, we have learned that the human is in possession of a powerful magic. Using this power, he has briefly been able to hold his own against a timberwolf, an ursa minor, and even a dragon. While it is true that he was unable to defeat them, I believe that given the proper training, he would be a valuable asset to Equestria's military might."
"Thank you, Captain," Celestia said. "Mr. Rich, it's your turn."
"Ahem, I have said time and time again that Equestria is a nation of ponies and should remain as such," the stallion began. "Something that isn't a pony can never understand our culture and, as such, can never be loyal to Equestria. Nonponies bring nothing but crime to the communities they inhabit. It's only natural after all, ponies are an inherently peaceful and civilized species, while other species are inherently violent and primitive. The ape in front of me is no different. On his first day of school, he violently lashed out at my daughter, leaving her emotionally scarred. I implore my fellow representatives to do the right thing and banish him to somewhere he can no longer harm us ponies."
Thank you, Mr. Rich," Celestia said. "Now that the opening arguments are out of the way, I will begin the questioning. Are you ready?"
"Yes ma'am," Jack responded.
"How are you adjusting to Equestria?" the sun princess asked.
Jack took a few seconds to think about the question. "Had you asked me that three weeks ago I would have said terribly, but I'm actually starting to like it here."
"Art thou still plagued by thine nightmares?" asked Luna.
"Somewhat, but they aren't nearly as bad as they used to be," Jack answered. "I would have expected you to already know that. After all, isn't the dream realm 'your domain,'" he added mockingly.
"We see thine attitude hasn't improved in the slightest," Luna said. "We haven't been paying attention to thine dreams as of late."
"Are you in love with anypony?" asked Cadenza.
"Erm, when you say 'anypony,' do you mean people from back home or people in Equestria?" Jack asked.
"Both," Cadenza answered.
"I hope you don't take any offense at this, but I don't think I could ever fall in love with anyone who isn't human," Jack replied. "As for back home, not for a long time."
"Tell me about your heritage," Blueblood said pompously.
"Pardon?" asked Jack.
"Your class, your status in your society," Blueblood elaborated.
"I'm just a student from a working-class family," Jack admitted.
"In other words, you're just a peasant," the prince said as he held up his nose.
"Has Twilight been giving you any training to help you control your power?" asked Shining Armor.
"Very little," the human admitted. "She determined that my magic is a defense mechanism triggered whenever I'm in danger. Since she wasn't willing to put me into any dangerous situations we've mostly been trying to activate my power without any danger."
"That's my LSBFF for you," Shining Armor said with pride.
"Have you ever served in your own country's military?" asked Spitfire.
"No, I have not," Jack answered.
"Do you have any training in combat or other skills relating to survival?" asked Flash Sentry.
"I did a lot of target practice at the shooting range near my apartment. I've also gone to a camp where I learned how to sail, was a scout for a couple of years, and had to learn to use a tourniquet for my job." Jack admitted.
"How do you view the world politically?" asked Three Arrows.
"Well, I consider myself to be a Liberal," Jack explained. "I believe that the job of a government is to protect its citizens' rights, that all of those citizens should be treated equally, and that there should be a strong social safety net to protect people from poverty."
"We've all heard Filthy's side of the story about the incident on your first day of school," Fancy Pants said. "Care to give us your side of the story?"
"I was out of meds and had a bit of a meltdown," Jack admitted. "However, unlike what Mr. Rich said, there was nothing violent about it. All I did was yell at her.
"And what was your place in society exactly?" asked Filthy Rich. "What did you do for a living?"
"I was a maintenance worker," Jack said. "I mostly cleaned bathrooms, mowed lawns, and emptied trash, but from time to time, I'd do construction, repair, and ditch digging."
"It is my understanding that you eat meat," Cherry Jubilee said. "Could you elaborate as to the kind of animals you eat?"
"Sure, but first, I'd like to point out that many species that are sapient in this world aren't in mine," Jack said carefully. "I eat, cow, pig, chicken, turkey, deer, alligator, frog, fish, and shellfish, among other things."
"Did you say cow!?" Hoity Toity gasped.
"Yes, but as I said, they aren't sapient in my world. "I would never eat a cow in Equestria."
There were a few seconds of silence before Lyra Heartstrings broke it. "CAN I TOUCH YOUR HANDS?!"
"I'm sorry, what now?" Jack asked with his head, tilted. "I knew she was obsessed with humans, but I wasn't expecting this."
"Can I touch your hands?" the mint green unicorn asked again.
"No," Jack answered.
"But I…" Lyra started before she was interrupted by Apple Fritter.
"He's answered yer question, Lyra, it's my turn now," the mare said. "What kind of agricultural products is your homeland known for?"
"I don't know much about agriculture," Jack admitted. "But I would assume wheat and corn are the primary agricultural products of my country."
"What kind of education did you receive?" asked Cherry Berry.
"I finished high school as well as some college," Jack answered. "I had just finished with my next to last year of university when I came here."
"Final question," said Time Turner. "What would you say are your best and worst subjects?"
"My best subject would have to be history since it's my major," Jack answered. "As for my worst subject, I'd have to say math."
There were around 5 minutes of silence as the representatives looked through their notes.
"I hope everypony has had time to take everything into consideration. I would like all those in favor of regular citizenship to raise your hooves,"Celestia finally said.
Cadenza and all the peasant delegates raised their hooves.
"That's five in favor," Celestia noted, "Those in favor of Banishment raise your hooves."
Only Blueblood and Filthy Rich raised their hooves.
"That's two in favor," Celestia noted. "Those in favor of citizenship on the condition of military service raise your hooves," she said as she raised hers.
The remainder of the ponies raised their hooves.
"We have a clear majority for citizenship on condition of military service," Celestia said. "Motion passed."
Outside the Courtroom
30 minutes later
After the decision was passed, the representatives quickly made their way out of the room. Shining Armor promptly made his way over to Twilight, while Jack made his way to where Princess Celestia was having a discussion with Three Arrows.
"I have the utmost respect for you, Princess," the black stallion said. "But I can't help, but feel like the Royal Court isn't fair to the peasants."
"We have discussed this before, Captain," Celestia said. "I agree that it is unfair for 90% of the population to have fewer representatives than the other 10, but what would you have me do about it?"
"Maybe the human might have some idea, perhaps we should ask how his government operates?" offered Three Arrows. "Here he comes now."
"Hey, Celestia!" Jack shouted as he walked over. "Why did you vote for me having to join your military? What gives any of you the right to force me into your army?"
Celestia gave him an understanding look. "I understand where you are coming from, Jack. Believe me, I don't want to force you into service."
"Then why did you?" Jack snapped.
"Because you need training," Celestia answered, looking him in the eye. "Those who aren't used to magic have a tendency to lose control. While Twilight is right not to put you in danger to activate your magic, can you imagine what would happen if your magic were set off by a false alarm? An innocent pony could get hurt. The humans I met in the past could control their magic at will, and I have no doubt that with the proper training, so can you."
As much as he hated the idea of military service, Jack had to admit Celestia's logic was sound. "I see," he said reluctantly.
"We do have a question for you," said Celestia. "If it's not too much trouble."
"Ask away," Jack said.
"Me and the princess believe the current system to be unfair to the peasants," said Three Arrows. "We were wondering how your government operates?"
"Oh, well, I'd be happy to explain," Jack said.
Jack spent the next 15 minutes explaining the three branches of American Government, their checks and balances, and the Constitution. Celestia and Three Arrows seemed intrigued by the concept and thanked Jack as he headed back the train with Twilight.
"This could be a good starting point," Three Arrows said after Jack left the palace.
"I agree, but it would need some modifications to work here," Celestia said.
Everfree Forest
After having observed Jack for several days, Oni-Hime was ready to report to her father. Without cellphones and internet, long-distance communication was hard for those in the world of Equestria. Luckily for Oni-Hime, she had several other spells besides her Seduction Curse. Unfortunately for her, the spell she planned to use required a body of stagnant water. Seeing as there wasn't anywhere inconspicuous she could cast it in town, she found herself searching the forest.
Luckily for her, there was a pool shortly into the forest. Once she made her way to the water's edge, she dipped a hoof inside. "Mizu setsuzoku."
"Ja, Oni-Hime, is that you?" asked a voice from the pool.
"Hai, Otō-san, it's me," the demon Pony answered.
"Have you found the human?" Blutknochen asked.
"Hai! His name is Jack."
"I see, was else have you learned about him?" the black alicorn asked.
"He's been adopted by a pony named Fluttershy and currently attends the local elementary school," Oni-Hime informed.
"Wunderbar," said Blutknochen. "I want you to get closer to Herr Jack."
"How should I do that?" Oni-Hime asked.
"Enroll in the school; that way, you won't have to hide in the shadows to observe him," Blutknochen explained.
"Kashikomarimashita, Otō-san," Oni-Hime responded.
Author's Note:
Not my best work, but not my worst work either.
Next Time: Oni-Hime shows up as a new student at Ponyville's School. She quickly makes 'friends' with Diamond Tiara who has recently got her cutie mark and is bullying all the students who haven't. Meanwhile Jack tries to help Applebloom who is determined to get her cutie mark before Diamond Tiara's Cuteceneara. However his efforts to help are constantly thwarted by the Oni-Hime and the colts from his class.
Ps. I'm still looking for an editor