Title:           [PiE] (Un-named Story) Chapter 3: A Bridge Between Worlds
Author:          rubyist
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/KvmNG9su
First Edit:      Saturday 16th of August 2014 11:26:13 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Saturday 16th of August 2014 11:26:13 PM CDT

>You are Princess Twilight Sparkle, and today you are more nervous than you have ever been in your life
>Presently, you are standing in the capitol building of a nation which, only 3 weeks ago, aided Equestria in a war that, thanks to their ingenuity and superior technology, lasted only a few hours.
>Over 200,000 griffons died that day, shot out of the sky by a wall of lead shot from turrets strategically placed around Canterlot, and mounted onto unmanned flying machines
>It took over 200,000 griffons falling to the ground, their bodies torn to shreds, before the Griffonian general had the sense to realize that he could not take Canterlot. Not then, and not ever again in the future. It was protected.
>At least that's what you hope.
>During those few hours, the sky had been painted red with blood, and the only sound that could be heard was the the loud buzzing of the Americans' weapons, which could be compared to a million bees beating their wings about an inch away from one's ears.
>You still have a few nightmares of that day, wherein you are in the place of one of the countless griffons being mowed down by a curtain of death.
>You're glad it's all over.
 
>Standing next to you are Princesses Luna and Celestia
>In truth, they are the only ponies who need to be here, but Celestia had requested that you, as her student and Equestria's newest princess, be with her to learn one of the most important lessons of being a princess - diplomacy.
>In your absence, Cadence has been given the responsibility of governing Equestria.
>It isn't exactly a difficult task to keep ponies from descending into anarchy for one day, so you aren't particularly concerned for her
>You just hope today's meeting won't go so long that she'll have to try and lower the sun herself
>Humans are lucky in that regard, their sun rises and sets on its own from natural forces
>In fact, it is slight differences in physics like this that make you wonder whether today's meeting will be for nothing
>Or alternatively, if Celestia has been hiding information from you, and for that matter, all of planet Equis.
 
>But enough inner-rambling
>You should be paying attention
>"...and in conclusion, I believe the United States, and perhaps humanity as a whole, may have much to gain from the Equestrian people through an exchange of technology, which may advance us both farther in the next few decades than we have advanced in the past two centuries"
>The president's speech is followed by a round of applause from the several hundred legislators in the room, but you can tell from their faces that not everyone in the crowd is particularly enthused.
>"Now, unless there's any questions, I'd like to give the floor to Princess Celestia of Equestria"
>A man who had been sitting behind President Obama stands up
>You remember that he was called John Boehner, and that his title was "Speaker of the House"
>Humanity's government is complex
>"I have a question, Mr. President. How do we know we can trust them? How do we know they won't just close the portal once they have our technology? How do we know that they, or another species on their planet, won't attempt to use our own weapons against us? It's bad enough the Russians and the Chinese have nukes. For all we know, their planet could be rich in uranium, and it would be trivial for them to, given our technology, produce a nuclear weapon, perhaps made invisible by the so called 'magic' you claim they have. And furthermore, how do we even know they have magic? It could be a bluff just to make it seem as if they have something to trade..."
>As he says this, Celestia grabs a microphone with her telekinesis and moves it from across the room over to her face.
 
>"I believe I can answer your questions, Mr. Speaker."
>The room goes silent at the sight of the floating microphone.
>"First of all, neither humanity nor equinity knows how the portal between our worlds appeared, and as such, knowledge of how to make it disappear does not exist. Given that our species will be conducting research together on both of our worlds, I can see no reason why either of us would see a benefit in destroying the portal, which would trap ponies in Earth and humans in Equis. I would think it better that once we discover how these portals work, that we create more to better facilitate trade, and to ensure that should one portal fail for whatever reason, further passage between our worlds will still be possible."
>She pauses her speech to summon a bottle of water from another room - much to the shock of her human audience, who were most likely convinced that she had pulled it out of thin air - and takes a drink before continuing.
>"Regarding security issues, I am glad you brought this up, because unlike humans, ponies do not find themselves frequently at war. Just as you fear potential threats coming from Equis - a fear that I might add that I do not find unsubstantiated - we too fear the potential of humans bringing their own weaponry onto our planet and waging war against our kind. In spite of the potential risks, however, it is an endeavor worth pursuing. To my knowledge, the United States does not lock up its borders to other countries, in spite of the fact that at any time, a human from another country could sneak a nuclear weapon onto a boat or airplane, and kill millions, were security protocols to fail. From the stories I have heard, America has made allies of countries it has made war with in the past. Surely, you can consider taking the risk of trading with a nation that has a clean slate for all intents and purposes."
>"Any further questions, Mr. Speaker?"
 
>John Boehner is left almost speechless by Celestia's answer, yet you can't help but notice that he is still nervous about the whole ordeal.
>You start to wonder whether or not you might be able to play a role in alleviating their worries.
>The princesses have brought you in on countless meetings with foreign dignitaries, only for you to accomplish nothing more than smiling and waving.
>Not many months ago, you had managed to defeat Tirek - a demon capable of sucking all of a pony's magic out of them - but it was not until after he had rendered the nation powerless that the princesses had trusted you to fight him.
>It's high time that you started to take action.
"Princess, I would like to make a proposal."
>Celestia gives you an eye of intrigue and passes you the microphone.
>All around the room, the legislators bear a look of confusion, and there are muffled voices asking questions wondering just who the hell you are, and why you were given the microphone instead of proceeding on to taking their questions.
 
"Citizens of Earth, I am Equestria's newest crown princess, Twilight Sparkle. I am also one of its most capable scientific minds according to several universities across Equestria. I believe that the combination of these two qualities may offer a solution to your worries. If it would help establish trust between our species, I would like to remain here on Earth, along with a research team, both to help advance both of our species, and also to ensure peace between our species. As it stands, I don't think Equestria would even consider going to war with a country while one of its princesses remains in its borders. If it would be acceptable with Celestia and Luna, I am prepared to live here for a minimum of 5 years, if not longer."
 
>You hand the mic back to Celestia, who furrows her brows and gazes into your eyes/
>Almost as if she had it written on her face, you can tell that Celestia is worried about you in the same way a mother would be worried about her foal.
>"Are you sure about this Twilight? I am certain that there are other important ponies who could stay here in your place..."
>She isn't lying.
>Equestria's most esteemed doctors, magi, and physicists all would be priceless to keep on Earth, as would a few of its nobles.
>Regardless, this is the chance of a lifetime to prove your worth as a princess, and you aren't going to pass it up.
"I'm sure princess. This is something I feel I need to do. Besides, I don't think I'm going to be alone in this endeavor."
 
>Your thoughts drift to your friends.
>Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike
>Perhaps it may be favoritism that you will be bringing as many of them as you can with you to join your research crew, but all of them could stand to learn from Earth's technology and culture.
>Applejack might find their advanced farming techniques worth looking into.
>Fluttershy, with her love of animals, could do well to study medicine here, as humans' veterinary sciences have advanced far beyond ponies have ever achieved.
>Pinkie Pie... she defies all known laws of physics in Equestria, and if there's any species that could find a way to understand her, it would be humans.
>Plus she's already made friends with everyone in Ponyville, and Earth might make for a fun playground for her to branch out into. You're sure she'll love it here.
>Rainbow Dash might find interest in their aeronautics industry, because in spite of the fact that she is capable of breaking the sound barrier with her wings, humans have managed to go even further.
>That is of course if you can keep her studying. She's not much of a pony to hit the books, but there should be a way of getting her to learn.
>Rarity of all ponies could definitely help you in teaching magic to the humans, as even she's managed to impart a spell or two onto you.
>Plus, she'll get to be around a species that wears clothes nearly every hour of the day. You're sure she'll appreciate the artistic inspirations it will give her.
>And finally, Spike. You can't travel without him. If you're plan on doing any sort of research trip, you'll need your number one assistant.
>Looking forward, things are going to be just fine.