Dominic took deep breaths as he walked back and forth in his room, not two days since the incident had the conference been set up. Now there were only minutes until his presence on this world would become official, he wasn’t sure he wanted that. Dominic was combing through his memory for anything that would help him, he even delved into his memory of the few fanfictions he had read. That brought up a dark prospect. Dominic picked up his revolver and checked that it was loaded, he wouldn’t have his shotgun but the revolver would do just fine with Luna and Twilight backing him up.

The princesses had gathered a list of reporters that they would allow in the conference, as well as several emissaries from the dragons, zebras, griffons and minotaurs. Then there were the nobles, who were complete snobs if the few ponies he had actually talked to were reputable. The only one that didn’t seem to suffer from snobbish tendencies was ironically, Fancypants. Odd that someone with a name like that in a world like this would be the exact opposite.

Dominic heard the trumpets in the courtyard, they were heralding another guest, another set of eyes that would be judging him today. He looked around his room, knowing that soon it could very well be the last time he left it. The thought of almost a dozen various creatures chasing after him with pitchforks ran through his head again. He rushed to the restroom and vomited in the sink. He stood there for a few minutes, washing his mouth out.

“Dominic?” Asked a voice from his bedroom. “Art thou well?” Dominic sighed and turned off the sink, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve and walked out of the bathroom to see Luna sitting by the table where Dominic’s helmet rested. The young man walked over and took a seat in front of her, looking down at the floor.

“No.” Dominic muttered. “But it’s a little late to get cold feet now, isn’t it?” He asked, looking at the helmet that sat on the table. The young man let out a sigh and grabbed the metal headgear, he looked it over thoroughly.

“Thou seems rather attached to that helmet, would thee mind elaborating as to its origin?” Luna asked, looking at the helmet with interest. Perhaps the discussion would ease Dominic’s nerves. The human nodded and placed the helmet down again.

“It was my grandfather’s.” He said, Luna noted many dents and scratches as well as a faded symbol painted on the back. “He fought in the Atlantic theatre during the second world war. He wore this helmet from D-Day until the end of the war-” Dominic was going to continue when another trumpet sounded from the courtyard. He growled at the interruption.

“Thou will need to explain further this ‘D-Day’ in the future, for now we fear the time has come.” Luna said, rising from her seat. Dominic did the same and place the helmet on his head. Luna noticed the revolver that sat in its holster. “Dominic, doth thou not trust us to protect thee?” She asked, slightly uncomfortable with the prospect of the weapon near the ponies.

“I have implicit trust in your ability.” Dominic replied, walking towards the door. Luna followed behind him. “But, at the same time, there’s no such thing as too much firepower.” There was a knock at the door, which struck the man as odd but not surprising. He opened it to find Twilight Sparkle standing outside, the wound in her hoof had healed but a patch of missing fur and a large scar remained.

“Hello, Dominic.” She said with a small smile, when Luna trotted up beside him she smiled a bit more. “Hello, Luna.”

“Greetings, Twilight. Is everything been prepared?” Luna asked, walking out into the hallway with Dominic close behind her. Twilight nodded as she too followed the princess.

“Yes, I’ve limited the audience to twelve. Six of which are the emissaries from the other nations.” Twilight explained, Dominic felt a bit of relaxation rush over him. Politicians at least knew to keep themselves under control. “Three are reporters and three are noble ponies who demanded access.” A sigh exited Twilight’s lips. “Of course you know that our ever so ‘noble’ prince is waiting for us.” Dominic stopped walking for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Blueblood?” He asked with mild hope that he would be wrong. To his dismay, Twilight nodded. “Oh, fucking wonderful.” Dominic started walking again, albeit slightly slower. “Can’t you get rid of him, you’re his superiors right?” Luna shook her head.

“We wish we could, but Blueblood cannot be bargained or reasoned with once he hath made a demand.” The annoyance in her voice was clear. “Never fear, however. He is not invited to the reception area after the conference. Your time with him shall be brief.” Dominic nodded slowly at the news.

“Alright. Thanks for that.” He said, patting Luna on the side. They continued in silence for the rest of the walk, Dominic could feel the nerves from before building in his shoulders and back. They tingled to the point where they almost caused him pain. When the three of them turned the final corner and the door to the conference room became visible he froze for a moment.

“It’s okay Dominic.” Twilight said, urging him forwards with her wing. “You have nothing to fear.” The young man looked down at her for a moment, and then looked at Luna. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. With his right foot he took a step forwards, shaking the nerves from his body. The princesses walked ahead of him, they would be the first to enter the conference room. Luna cast her modern speech spell before opening the door.

“You’ll know when to enter.” She said to Twilight and Dominic, with that she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. The two stood in silence for few moments, Dominic looked at the floor while Twilight looked at the wall. The silence continued for a few minutes before Twilight heard a soft noise, she looked over at Dominic who had drawn his revolver from its holster. He was staring at it, rubbing his thumb over the barrel.

“Dominic?” Twilight asked, the young man looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Are you okay, or… better than usual?” He shook his head and went back to staring at the weapon.

“No.” He said, closing his eyes and sighing through his nose. “What about you?” Twilight was slightly surprised by the question.

“I’m okay, I guess.” She answered, getting a nod from the young man. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” Dominic said. He let out a somber chuckle, which made Twilight uncomfortable. “Isn’t it fuckin’ strange? Us trying to make small talk, like we’re good pals…” He sighed again and shook his head. “Meanwhile, behind that door, your world is finding out that it’s not alone in the universe, or multiverse, or whatever it’s fucking called.” Twilight trotted over to him, she sat in front of him and looked him in the eyes. They were bloodshot, a side effect of his lack of sleep.

“Dominic. It’s not too late to back out.” She said. “You’ve told me enough, I could answer the questions for you. I don’t care what Princess Luna said, if you don’t think you can do this, you don’t have to.” Dominic was silent for a few moments, then shook his head.

“No, I’ll do it.” He slid his weapon back into its holster. The young man patted Twilight on the head. “But thanks for the offer.” Twilight was sure how she felt about the pat on the head, but assumed it was a good thing. Dominic took a deep breath and redirected the conversation. “So, what can I expect from these delegates.”

“Well, I’m not sure. I’ve only met a few of them.” Twilight explained. “Ambassador Remea is representing the Griffons, I heard he brought his wife with him. Then there’s Ambassador Sundia, of the Zebra’s. She’s attending with her husband, who’s the minister of external affairs. Aside from them, the only other one I know personally is Princess Dunai. She’s representing the Saddle Arabians, she seems stern on the outside, but when you get to know her, she’s extremely nice.” Dominic noted the names in his mind and nodded. “We’ll have time to talk with them at the reception.”

“Right…” He replied, they sat in silence for a few minutes before the door to the conference room opened. Twilight and Dominic stood up and approached it slowly. The alicorn trotted in front of the man, but only by a little.

“Princess Twilight, would you kindly bring our guest in.” Luna said through the open door way, Twilight picked up her pace and entered the room. Dominic paused just outside the room and looked through the open door way. From what he could see, it was an immaculate white room with gold trim on the walls. He hadn’t expected different. Luna was sitting at a mahogany table in front of a blue curtain, the table sat on a short wooden stage. The setup reminded him slightly of what the President would have when giving a press conference.

Dominic took a deep breath, straightened his helmet, and dusted off his jacket. Then, he put his right foot forwards and stepped into the room. The worn combat boot clicked on the marble, and it was followed by its counterpart seconds later. Gasps greeted his ears as he entered the room, his eyes wandered over the audience while he walked towards the table. In the first row of chairs there were two griffons, two zebras, a minotaur, and a pony that was built more like a horse. The second row was all ponies, three of them were obviously ‘nobles’ while the other three were most likely reporters.

“Is that beast wearing skin?” Asked one of the nobles to the others, Dominic instantly identified the blonde unicorn as Prince Blueblood.

“My word…” Said another one of the nobles, Fleur de lis if Dominic remembered correctly. She sat next to Fancypants, both of them bore surprised expressions. The reporters stared at him for moment before writing in their notebooks. Aside from the first few reactions, the room was silent. Dominic sat beside Luna and Twilight, looking at the group of delegates. The minotaur and the male looking griffon wore armor, while the remaining delegates wore expensive looking robes. Though Dominic didn’t understand why. From what Dominic remembered, most of the species were fine with being naked.

“Um… Hello?” Dominic asked, more than said. He wasn’t sure what to say, they had briefly touched on what and wasn’t to be said. The urgent speed at which the conference had been convened left barely any time to mentally prepare. He looked at Luna for a moment, she just smiled and gestured for him to continue. “I’m Dominic, uh, as you’ve guessed. I’m not from around here…”

“Where are you from?” Asked a reporter in the back, Dominic looked at the table for a moment.

“I’m from Earth.” He said. “A small town called Evergreen.”

“There have been confirmed reports of Princess Twilight being injured in the past week, did you have anything to do with it?” Asked another reporter, several glares were leveled at Dominic. While normally he would have shrugged them off, they held a venom that he had hardly ever experienced.

“I’ll field this question.” Stated Twilight, the reporters turned their attention to her. “At the time of the accident, Dominic was speaking with Princess Celestia. I was examining his belongings and accidentally activated one of his devices.” The glares on Dominic continued. “Thankfully, he managed to reach me and aid my recovery.” Dominic let out a silent sigh as the glares disappeared.

“Mister Dominic?” Asked the third reporter. “The device that injured the princess, was it a weapon, or something else.”

“It’s a weapon.” Dominic answered plainly, not wanting to give away too much. The reporter did not look satisfied.

“How can we trust you if you don’t elaborate further on the power of these weapons?” The pony demanded.

“He has proven that he is responsible with his weapons.” Luna stated, the nobles and the delegates shifted slightly while the reporters jotted things down.

“A weapon and a helmet, I do see. You are a soldier, possibly?” Asked the female zebra in the front row. Dominic shook his head. The zebra frowned slightly. “Could it be, you’re a mercenary?” Again Dominic shook his head.

“No, not a soldier. I never got my chance.” Dominic replied with a sigh.

“If you’re not a soldier, or a mercenary, why do you carry these weapons? Is it customary in your world?” Asked the pony Dominic assumed was the Saddle Arabian princess. The accent was very slight, but still noticeable. The young man sighed and shook his head.

“No comment.” He answered, the group frowned, save for the zebras.

“Answer the question, beast!” Shouted Blueblood from the back. Dominic’s blood boiled in a second. Still, he tried to hold his composure.

“Blueblood, you will not refer to him in such a manner.” Luna scolded angrily. “If you do so again, I will have you removed from the room.” The prince blanched as the words left her mouth, she had never threatened to remove him from any function before.

“Why do you wear Princess Twilight’s cutie mark on your shoulder?” The male griffon asked, Dominic took a moment to look at the patch. He took a few deep breaths and calmed himself before answering.

“It was a gift from a friend. On my world it’s a charm to bring luck to its wearer.” What he said was truth, even if it was a lie. He believed the patch had brought him luck in the past, which made stating his lie so much easier.

“Now that you are making yourself known to the world, do you plan on staying in the palace or will you be moving to a different city?” The first reporter inquired. Dominic sat for a moment, unsure of what to say. He hadn’t thought of what he was going to do, but before he could answer Luna spoke for him.

“That has yet to be determined. Once a decision has been made, the public will be made aware.” The reporters nodded.

“What class did you hold on your world before you left your world?” Inquired the female griffon, Dominic raised an eyebrow. “Were you a noble or a commoner?”

“Neither.” The young man said firmly.

“Explain, strange one.” Interjected the Minotaur, his deep voice reminded Dominic of Sylvester Stallone. “How is it you had no class?”

“My people didn’t believe in classes, per say. We were a democracy.” The man explained, gaining a raised eyebrow from the male zebra.

“You speak in ‘Were’, for what cause? Why do you say it as if it was?” He asked, Dominic took a moment to decipher what had been said.

“No comment.” Dominic stated firmly, thoughts of his family dying and his hometown burning flooded his head. The screams, the heat from the flames, the blood on his hands. It all felt real to him again. Luna put her hoof on his shoulder, the delegates were confused by the gesture. Dominic leaned over to Luna and whispered into her ear. “I don’t think I can do much more of this.” Luna nodded in understanding before taking her hoof from his shoulder.

“We have time for a few more questions, then we’ll proceed to the reception area.” She declared, the reporters groaned.

“Your species… How advanced is it?” The Saddle Arabian asked. Dominic looked at her for a moment. He could practically see everything in front of him. The smell of the bodies, the cries and pleas for help, and all he could do was sit there.

“We were advanced.” Dominic said in almost a whisper. “We built great cities, great machines, great cultures. We went to the moon, we split the atom, we made our dreams reality.” He paused for a second, recomposing himself. “There were wars, and diseases and famines, but from it came hope. From it came understanding. Humanity learned from its mistakes and strived to rectify the wrongs.”

“Again, you speak in past tense.” The minotaur said, leaning forwards. “Tell us, why?” Dominic looked at the group, then Luna, and then back at the group. He sighed and shook his head.

“No…” Dominic looked down at the table. “Let’s make this last one the final question.” He expected it to come from one of the delegates or a reporter. He was unpleasantly surprised.

“Are you grateful towards Celestia for giving you a place to rest here inside the castle?” Blueblood asked smugly. “After all, she did save you from your horrid world. War? Famine? Disease? What was your species, a group of neighanderthals.” Dominic stared at the prince for a moment, the words echoed through his head. “Well? Answer the question, Beast!” He felt something during that sentence. Rage. Pure, undiluted, burning fury. For the first time in a long time, Dominic let go. He didn’t try to control his rage, he didn’t try to direct it, he would let it flow wherever it wanted, and it wanted to be heard.

“Bluebl-!” Luna began.

“No.” Dominic said plainly, getting a shocked look from the assembled group. “No, I’m not grateful towards sun cunt. I’m quite the opposite.” He paused for a moment. “I hate her, for poisoning me, for how she invaded my privacy, for how she can’t seem to keep her own sister safe. I absolutely loathe her. In fact, that’s why she’s not fucking here. I know you’ve all be wondering, and now you fucking know.” Luna gave him a glare, but held her tongue. She understood that he was angry, but it was still her sister he was talking about.

“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF THE PRINCESS IN SUCH A WAY!” Shouted Blueblood, getting several affirming harrumphs.

“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF MY SPECIES IN SUCH A WAY!” Dominic countered, loudly. “YOU POMPOUS! RACIST! SON OF A TWO DOLLAR WHORE! WHEN YOU WERE EATING DIRT, WE WERE BUILDING THE COLOSSEUM!” Blueblood, blinded by his own rage, cast the most powerful combat spell he knew. The arc of magic slammed into Dominic’s chest, the force of the impact flung the young man into the wall behind the table. He groaned, but to everyone’s surprise, got up and brushed himself off. He took several steps towards Blueblood, cracking his knuckles. Luna blocked him with her wing, giving Blueblood time to make a hasty exit.

“Dominic, he isn’t worth it.” Twilight interjected, the man glared at the room for a moment before his face softened and his posture relaxed. Luna pulled her wing out of his way, and the young man walked back to his chair. He picked it up and slid it back under the table, as if nothing had happened.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here.” He said before turning to the crowd. “Sorry folks…” The delegates, the reporters and the remaining nobles all looked at each other. The ponies glared at him, while the griffons, the minotaur and the Saddle Arabian gave him strange looks of respect. He could tell the zebra’s were not pleased, but at the same time he didn’t care. He walked to the door, Twilight following close behind. Luna addressed the group.

“As… Eventful as this has been, I still invite you to the reception. Perhaps things can be more civil in an actual conversation.” With that the Lunar Princess exited the room. The delegates weren’t going to pass up a chance to speak with a creature that could give them a technological edge. That was the motivation for most of them, for some, it was far different.

Princess Dunai, of Saddle Arabia, was the first delegate out the door.

Author's Notes:

Here it is! The next chapter! I know a lot of you wanted a noble beat down, and I was really, REALLY tempted to put one in. But that would kind of torpedo my plans for the moment. Thanks to everyone who gave me questions, even if I didn't get yours in there I really appreciate it. Also! New character! Yay! We'll get to her later.

Now, on a bit of a personal note. This is the longest story I've ever written. And I really want to thank all of you guys for the support so far. It's really what keeps me going.

Live long and prosper.

Comment, rate, favorite.

See you next time! :D