There are times when someone should speak up, and there are times when someone should refrain from speaking. And I had to open my big mouth and suggest a world peace tour. Me and my big mouth., I thought to myself.

However, there's also a time when a man needs to stand up and not take the bullshit of the world when it's thrown against him unfairly. I'd been hearing that it wasn't my fault from my friends for a long time, and perhaps it was time I pushed back. Perhaps it was time I started believing it more myself than anything else.

"A worldwide peace tour?" Prince Haakim asked, raising an eyebrow at me curiously. "And what would that entail, exactly?"

I sighed and as I replied, my eyes focused on each member of the council. "I'm not a complete fool," I said. "I know there are members of your nations who would gladly see my head on a pike for what they think I did. I know there's a lot of hatred directed towards me from many of the representatives here, even, and since I'm a Knight of Equestria, it's my duty to protect my Princesses, my country and the Ponies and other citizens of this kingdom. If the hatred towards me could lead to war, I would much rather dispel the hatred before things get bad."

"I don't hate you!" Princess Skystar said with a wide friendly smile and a wave.

I nodded in her direction and waved back with a small smile. "Thank you, your Highness."

"And if we did hate you, we would never go to war over hatred of just one individual," Lady Arathyra said calmly. "But perhaps there is a better way."

"What do you have in mind?" Princess Amira asked.

"We have gathered here today members of the most prominent civilizations in the known world," the Deerfolk Princess said. "I believe that, if any of us wish to ensure peace and to not let our uncertainty for this human to lead to anything more…unpleasant…then perhaps we should have two on one conversations with him."

"That might work, actually," Ember said, which surprised me. "Us Dragons might be barbaric to you Ponies, but we aren't a savage race. We can see reason."

"And this comes from a race that kicks its own young out after they molt," Lady Arathyra said with a hint of disgust in her voice.

"It teaches us how to be strong and self-sufficient!" Ember said in a defensive tone. "And what do you Deerfolk do with your young? Teatfeed them until they're decrepit and old?"

Ebiner frowned. "I take great offense to that," he said, putting one hoof on the table loudly, "We let our young leave when they are ready!"

"Um…can we not fight?" Skystar, bless her heart, tried to have her voice heard, but was instantly silenced by the ever growing raucous noise in the room.

"And when are they ready, Deer? When they're thirty?!" Ember shouted back. "That just makes them soft!"

"Delegates, please!" Celestia shouted over the din, "We are losing sight of the matter at hoof!" She brought down her hoof like a gavel, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. She looked around the room, then sighed. "Thank you, delegates."

"I, for one, would like to point out that going on a tour of the world would take too long," Frida said with a slightly Nordic type accent. "Our nations are too widespread for any long-term mission of this sort."

"Perhaps so, but it is clear to me that there are allies of Equestria here and those who are, at best, on neutral standing with Equestria." Arathyra sighed, then continued. "The allies will more than likely accept the judgement of the Princesses of this nation, but for those of us with a, shall we say, checkered past with this country, we would want more proof than just their word."

"Which is why my mind thought up a worldwide tour," I said. "I'll be proving to the world that what Eris said about humans is only partially true. In person."

"Partially?" Ambassador Highfur asked.

"If I'd been like some of the more jaded members of my species, I'd tell you that humanity is a cruel sadistic species who wars constantly with each other," I said, keeping my voice firm and slow so that I didn't stutter, "but I want the world to know that there's so much more to humanity than that. My Princess stated it better than I could, but I also grieve with thee. I know the pain of loss, and I would help build up better relations between my nation and the nations of the world."

"Perhaps we can table that discussion for a later time," Cadance finally spoke up, cutting me off.

"Indeed," Celestia said, although I could see her giving me a glance that all but said We'll discuss this later.

"The matter at hoof is more serious than a peace tour," Luna added. "We, my sister, niece and myself only wish for there to be no war or conflict between our nations."

"This coming from the Pony who forced peace on us," Amethyst shouted.

The others around the table looked confused by this admission, all except the Deerfolk, who both looked at Celestia and Luna with unreadable expressions. I held up my hand. "That is an entirely separate matter altogether, your Imperial Highness," I said politely.

She almost replied, but Jasper interrupted and said, "Please forgive my Princess. The journey here has been tiring for all of us. But you are correct, human. This is a separate matter. Back to the matter at claw?"

Celestia nodded. "Indeed. I have seen in some of the replies that some of you are demanding restitution from Equestria. Including the head of Sir Jethro, as he so inelegantly mentioned." I felt shivers going down my spine at how she worded that, and I knew I was in for a yelling match later. "I must, however, decline on that latter part. He is our knight."

Amethyst was about to say something else, but Jasper quickly interrupted and said "Then what else would you offer us? Necromancy to bring our dead back?"

Celestia's eyes widened in horror. "There is no such magic!" she shouted, "and even if there were, we would never use such a cursed method!"

"Indeed. Tis quite a barbaric magic to have even imagined," Luna added.

"Besides, even if there were," Twilight finally spoke up, "we wouldn't know if the being we brought back was actually the one who died."

"Not helping, Twilight," I muttered.

"All we want to do is make things right," Celestia said, "and to establish a …friendlier relationship with each nation represented at this table."

"And what about those not represented?" Ember asked. "What about the Buffalo? Or the Kirin?"

"The Kirin are too secretive to be contacted," I replied, surprised that the Dragon Princess even knew about them, "And besides, they have currently made themselves mute, so talking to them without the cure would be impossible."

"The Buffalo declined to come," Celestia added, "but I have their chief's word that he will accept any judgement this council decides."

That seemed to satisfy everyone. Everyone, that is, except the Lycan Princess who just scowled at Celestia, then at me. "Then hand over that human. It's because of him that we've suffered lately!" She pointed an accusatory claw at me.

"Do you think he did anything?" Thormod asked, staring at the Lycan Princess. "We all saw how Eris assaulted him. Nodeer could fake that type of fear and disgust. He was genuinely molested. He was a victim!"

With a sudden motion, Amethyst stood, her chair falling back with a loud crash. "Then the Lycan Empire wants nothing more to do with this so-called Council of Equestria!" She pointed at Celestia. As long as your pathetic kingdom continues to protect that creature, don't expect any cooperation from our Empire!" And with that, she stormed towards one of the doors. Jasper quickly stood, bowed and, surprisingly, had an apologetic look in her eyes before she quickly followed her Princess.

To be truthful, I'd expected this kind of behavior from the Lycan Empire, especially if that spoiled brat was there. I had hoped that this council would be enough to knock some sense into her, but I hoped too much, it seemed. When the door to the main hallway slammed shut, its echo filled the hallway. There was silence for a while, until finally Cadance spoke up. "Um…Princess Celestia? Perhaps we should have a small break and cool our heads a bit?"

Celestia sighed and nodded. "I think that's a good idea. How does that sound to everybeing here?" Murmurs of agreement went around the room. "Well, let's plan on reconvening at eleven o'clock, one hour from now. Our chefs can prepare you some small meal if you wish."

And just like that, everyone in the room began standing up and talking among themselves. It didn't escape my notice that none of the delegates were interacting with each other, only their own kinds. I stood, closed my laptop, put it back in my bag and looked at my friends. They all looked nervous and somewhat despondent. However, when I turned to Celestia, that's when I knew I would be getting the mother of all lectures. Not even Twilight's could compete with what I was probably about to receive.

But…I needed to grow a pair and listen to what she had to say, so I gestured to the door we'd come through, bowing to her as was befitting her station. She nodded, then walked towards the door, opening it with her magic. The others tried to enter, but Celestia stopped them. "This is between me and my Knight."

"Nice try, sister," Luna said, stepping forward. "Our knight, remember?"

Celestia looked at Luna for a bit, then sighed and nodded. "Right, sorry sister. You can come." Turning to Cadance, she said, "I hope you and Captain Shining Armor don't mind waiting out here for a while?"

Cadance nodded. "Sure thing, Auntie."

Celestia smiled gratefully, then she and Luna both turned and entered the room. I followed, closed the door behind me, locked it, then stood at the door, arms crossed. "Alright, let me have it."

Celestia's horn glowed a bit, and the sound from outside vanished. When that was done, she whirled on me, face contorted in rage. "What in Tartarus was that out there!?" she shouted angrily, albeit not with her Canterlot Voice. Storming up to me, she loomed over me and narrowed her eyes. "Worldwide Peace Tour?! What…what the FUCK?!"

"The world is scared right now," I replied. "They're scared of me! Of humanity! They saw us at some of our worst, and those fanfics are as NOTHING compared to what we're really capable of! But I need to prove that I'm so much more than just that display in Ponyville! I need to show that there is kindness within humanity! Compassion! Depth of feeling that matches their own! We're on the verge of a world war, your Highness! Are you willing to raise an army to fight the rest of Equestria?!"

"But why go in Pony?" she asked.

"There's a quote from a fictional character from Earth. 'If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?' I think this can apply here. I need to make sure this is taken care of personally."

Celestia bristled. "Wouldn't it be easier to talk to everybeing out there instead?! Sit down two on one like Lady Arathyra mentioned!"

"Because it would only be a band-aid on a much bigger wound!" I replied. I could feel myself growing stubborn at this. Some part of me knew I was in the right here. "It's not just the leaders I need to convince! It's their people! The common folk!"

"And how are you going to do that?!" Luna jumped in, standing next to her sister. "Give a speech about how humanity isn't as bad as Eris made it out to be?!" Her anger was on par with Celestia's, but there was fear there as well. Fear for my wellbeing. A fear it appeared her sister also shared.

I could feel my determination waning in the presence of my friends. My employers. My Princesses. "What would you have me do?" I asked, forcing calm into my voice. "We have to do something to ease their worries. The Lycan Empire aside, what could we do or say? We can't really offer monetary restitution. That would bankrupt Equestria, not to mention it would be a weak response. And you said we can't kill Eris. What else can we do? What else? WHAT ELSE?!"

To my surprise, Luna stormed up, getting in my face, her dark blue eyes seething with anger. Anger that abruptly vanished as she leaned forward and put her forehead to mine. I could feel her trembling. "I don't want you to go," the Lunar Princess said in an uncharacteristically soft tone, her voice quivering with barely repressed emotion. I didn't have to be a genius to immediately guess why she was scared. Celestia's and Cadance's guesses were true. I doubted a princess like her would act so vulnerable around me otherwise. She really does have feelings for me, doesn't she?

Celestia's anger slowly faded as well and she too moved closer, putting one wing on her sister's back and another on mine. "Neither do I, and I know that the others outside wouldn't even consider not going with you. They're protective of you and care for you deeply."

"…You two really are unfair," I said softly as I put both arms around Luna's neck.

"And you don't need to go gallivanting off on your own to prove anything to us," Celestia said. "I didn't just make you a knight to keep you protected. I did so because I know you have the courage and strength of one of the knights of old."

"And my duty now is to Equestria and to you two, my Princesses," I said as I hugged Luna closer. "What else can I do other than go on this tour?"

"Do you remember the magic that my sister used to broadcast the song you played all over Equestria?" Luna asked, pulling me closer into her hug. "Why not try that instead?"

"And if they have questions? If the people of these other countries have questions?" I asked. "Luna…I have to-"

"Shut up for a second, Jethro," Celestia said sternly. Luna and I both looked at her. Celestia motioned for her sister to back away. As the lunar Diarch did so, Celestia raised a wing, then brought it down and slapped me. I flew backwards into one of the couches, my face stinging with the surprising force of the slap. She rushed forward, lifting me up with her wings and tears falling from her eyes. "You can't please everypony, and you can't take the world on your shoulders! Why are you so dead set on giving up your own happiness?!"

I felt tears stinging my own eyes. "But…my friends…this nation…"

"Your friends would tell you the same thing!" Celestia shouted, her voice cracking, "They want you to be happy, but you focus so much on them instead of your own happiness! A good friendship is based on give and take, and you constantly give more than you receive!"

As she said those things, the slap began making more sense. Her out of character behavior aside, I knew deep down that she was right. But that lingering doubt in my mind, the desire to make people happy, still pestered me. "Then…what do we do? How do we fix this?"

Celestia pulled me into a tight hug, holding me close and nuzzling my face. Her voice was soft, soothing, and full of warmth, but it also trembled a bit, as did her body. "For one, stop trying to be a martyr for us. I know it's your duty as a knight to protect the kingdom and us, but we also want to protect you. And I don't just mean me and Luna. Your friends, and your marefriend all care enough about you to come to your rescue when you're in trouble. They'd all go with you to Tartarus if you asked. Even Fluttershy."

All my instincts, my years of being raised to give of yourself to others were screaming at me to perform this tour. But another part of me, a part that seemed to have been repressed by my need to see others smile, the selfish part of me I feared, was beginning to stir. It was telling me that I deserved to be happy, so why not allow myself to be selfish for once? "…You two are so not fair…" I whispered softly.

"We know," Luna said.

"Why is it so hard for you to do what you want to do for once?" Celestia asked, pulling away and staring into my eyes. "Twilight's told me how you make time for your friends, and I'm glad of that, but what about your hobbies? Your desires? Surely you have something. You do things with your friends that they love, but I'm positive they want to see the sort of things you love. And not just the occasional movie you mentioned."

"Celestia…I've hardly had time to rest since I got here," I said. "It's one thing after another. The Lycan Empire incident, Eris, and now the potential for your own version of a world war? I was never alive for my planet's two world wars, but I know enough about them to realize that I don't want the same thing to happen here."

"Jethro Bethridge," Luna said, walking back over to me and nuzzling my face affectionately "My sister and I are aware of your species' propensity for violence, but we also know you. You are not your species. You are you. And I dare anypony or anyone else to call you a monster when you've shown great courage in the face of adversity. It's one of the main reasons why I want to make you my student in the arcane magic I know."

Celestia looked a bit shocked at this. "You never mentioned this," she said.

"Look, we can discuss this another time," I said, gently pulling myself away from the Princesses and their group hug of me. "Part of me is screaming to help, but the other part of me hears what you're saying. Can I…can I at least talk to my friends about it too?"

"Of course," Celestia said. "We wouldn't have it any other way."

I nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, you two."

They stepped aside as I made my way to the door. The moment I opened it, a yellow and pink blur crashed into me, sending me flying back into the room. I grunted as I fell onto my ass. I felt the familiar form of Fluttershy clinging to me. "Don't go! Don't go!" she began shouting as she buried her face into my chest. The poor shy mare was trembling as she held me.

"Go where?" I asked. Although I pretty much knew what she meant, I wanted to hear her say it.

"Don't do this tour!" she begged. She looked up at me, and my heart broke when I saw her eyes full of worry and tears. "You don't have to do it!"

I threw my arms around her and she once more buried her face into my chest. I looked up at the others who were slowly approaching me. They all had looks of worry on their own faces. "I take it Fluttershy speaks for all of you?" I asked.

"Sugarcube, ah think ah can speak fer all of us when ah say yer being as stubborn as a mule," Applejack said.

"You keep on taking the whole world on your shoulders," Rarity said.

"Dude, you're going to break at some point," Scarlet said as she knelt to kiss my cheek. "You're making the same mistake you made back on Earth."

Zecora's face was a mask, but that mask broke when she came and sat next to me, leveling her eyes at me. "Love…please do not go."

"But what do I do?" I asked. "I just…I want to help somehow."

"Damn, you're really as stubborn as AJ," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, come on! I get that you wanna help, and that's awesome and all, but even I know that there's such a thing as too much helping!"

"This coming from the mare who naps on a cloud anytime she pleases?" I automatically teased back.

"Hey! It's called resting my eyes after a hard day making sure the weather doesn't suck, thank you very much!" Rainbow said in a huff.

"Jethro, is it really important for you to try and fix something that really wasn't your fault to begin with?" Twilight asked cautiously.

"I just…I don't want a world war to happen because people are afraid of me," I replied. I paused and sighed. "Man, I really am a stubborn bastard, aren't I?"

"Your foul language aside," Rarity said, "we all admire what you're trying to do. You're a protective stallion and knight, but-"

"Jethy! Just get this through your thick skull," Pinkie came forward and hit my head lightly with each word, "None. Of. This. Is. Your. Fault." She gave my other cheek a gentle kiss this time. "Please…don't go?"

She gave me the biggest puppy dog eyes I had ever seen on her. My resolve weakened. "God…don't do that with the eyes. How do you do that with the eyes? It's like they inflate." I took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Even if I don't go on this tour, I still feel like I need to do something."

"Then do it from home," Celestia said from behind me, "because Luna is right. There are means of expanding the spell I used to move across the world. Why don't you let me and my sister and niece do the talking for now?"

Cadance stepped forward. "Jethro, nopony here wants to see you go. They'd miss you, and I know you would deeply miss them. Why are you torturing yourself?"

"I…Goddamnit…you mares are so unfair sometimes," I said, but a small smile formed on my face. "Fine…you win. You've made your point, and you're all right. I have been trying a bit too hard. I guess I didn't want to appear lazy."

"Darling, nopony here would ever call you lazy," Rarity said. "Sometimes I feel like you're giving too much of yourself and don't share enough of your own hobbies with us."

"See?" Celestia whispered in my ear, and I could hear the smirk in her voice.

"That's saying something coming from you," Scarlet said.

"Just because I'm the Bearer of Generosity doesn't mean that I don't have needs," Rarity said. "Jethro, won't you let us in?"

Fluttershy held me tighter, and I saw her nodding in agreement. I took a deep breath, sighed, then nodded. "Alright…I promise that I'll try. And I mean try. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Pinkie gasped, squealed happily and threw her hooves around my neck, causing me to fall over once more. I held both mares close, smiling widely. "I can't wait to see what you do for fun, Jethy!" Pinkie said.

"Heh, I'll bet. Now, why don't we take advantage of the break, huh?" I pointed at my laptop. "As I recall, we were going to respawn and try and fight a dragon again."

Sunset Shimmer, who had been standing in the background with her own worried expression, brightened. "Can I try playing this time?"

I chuckled. "Sure."

"What are you all talking about?" Celestia asked curiously.

Sunset turned to her old tutor and grinned. "Sit down and strap in, Princess. You're about to see some pretty sweet stuff."