Chapter 55

11-27-14, 2:14 P.M.

The week had once again been uneventful, and now Jeremy was starting to get a little worried at the utter lack of activity, both from the militant enemy group and of his own life. As soon as the break rolled around on Wednesday afternoon, he slipped away to Equestria and had enjoyed a fun day of games and other activities – by himself, unfortunately, because his marefriends were all busy. Thursday rolled around without incident, and Jeremy slept in until noon before he had to remind himself that today was Thanksgiving Day, and he should probably do something to celebrate. Exploring his campus, he was surprised to find that almost everything was closed for the holidays and no one was even in sight – he was alone in the dorm. In addition, a fresh coat of snow had been laid onto the grass and trees to replace the melted one from last week.

He walked around for a while, trying to find something to do on Earth. It seemed every door he tried was locked, and every window was dark. After two hours of searching, Jeremy reluctantly gave up, and began the long walk back to his dormitory. It seemed that everyone had gone home for the holidays except for him, and he felt oddly alone as he traversed the wintry streets. Entering his dorm, he took the stairs two at a time, as per the usual, and stepped into his dorm room. Finding nobody there, as to be expected, he set off to Equestria.

The castle, in stark contrast, was bustling with activity – from what Jeremy could glean of the maids’ and servants’ conversations, some foreign dignitaries were visiting today, and apparently Celestia hoped to broker a deal with them on exports of something or other. Deciding not to interfere, Jeremy changed direction and headed towards the dungeon.

He found Ethan playing chess with some other inmates. This confused Jeremy – wasn’t Ethan barred from contact with others due to the intensity of his crime? Then again, he’d certainly repented as of late – perhaps the other inmates had warmed up to him. As Jeremy entered, the prisoners stopped what they were doing to bow, and Jeremy had the sudden revelation that he was, in fact, married to royalty.

“None of that, please,” he politely addressed them. “I am on equal status with the rest of you.” With that, they stood back up uncertainly, and Jeremy crossed the room to speak with Ethan.

“Wow, look at you, being all formal and wise,” Ethan mocked as Jeremy took a seat across from him, and conversations slowly resumed around them.

Jeremy snorted with laughter, leaning back in his chair. “It’s called ‘being cool’, and I highly recommend you try it sometime,” he returned, setting up the pieces for a new game.

“What brings you down here, anyway?” Ethan asked, sounding bored already.

“Princesses are meeting with some foreign dignitaries in hopes of a trade deal, and I didn’t feel like messing with that. Black or white?” Jeremy asked.

Ethan stared at the board for a moment. “White, I guess,” he answered. Jeremy rotated the board, and they began their game. “What about Chrysalis?” Ethan asked.

“Holding the first-ever United Changeling Nation meeting,” Jeremy answered with a laugh. “Planned topics: Finalization of export plans, setting up a democratic institution, and how amazing High Queen Chrysalis is for putting this all together.”

Ethan chuckled, moving a pawn. Then he looked up. “…Is that actually on the topic list?”

Jeremy laughed as he moved his bishop across the board, taking out a knight. “Knowing the other queens? Probably. I don’t actually know myself, if that’s what you’re asking…”

Ethan smirked, rolling his eyes as he took the bishop with his queen. “Sounds about right. Hey, I’ve been thinking about asking one of them out on a date – any ideas?”

For a moment, Jeremy stared in shock. He then burst out laughing as he doubled over, unable to continue the game for sheer hilarity. “They’ll eat you alive!” he managed to choke out in response.

Ethan grimaced, tugging at his collar. “That unlikely, huh?”

Jeremy recovered and sat up straight, still chuckling as he wiped a tear from his eye and considered his next move. “Hey, I dunno, maybe you just have to impress them. But from the looks of things, going after a changeling queen is not a very safe idea in terms of romance.” A passing unicorn chuckled as he overheard this.

After half an hour of playing, Jeremy conceded defeat and sighed as he packed up the board. “So, any plans for Thanksgiving?” he asked as they walked out of the dungeon.

Ethan stiffened in surprise. “…Shit, I forgot that was a thing,” he exclaimed.

Jeremy laughed. “They don’t seem to have any equivalent here. I’d ask the palace staff to throw a feast or something, but I don’t think they’d be too big on turkey…”

Ethan smirked. “What about Earth?” he asked.

Jeremy briefly considered this. “There aren’t any shops open on campus, and venturing off campus for something this frivolous wouldn’t be very smart.”

Ethan frowned. “So, what can we do then?” he wondered aloud. Jeremy pondered some more, brow furrowed in concentration.

“Maybe we could have a small Thanksgiving dinner, just the five of us?” he suggested. Ethan shrugged amicably and nodded.

They met up with Celestia and Luna, who were exiting a conference room.

“How’d it go?” Jeremy asked.

Celestia looked around, making sure they were out of earshot of anypony else before whispering “Terrible.”

Ethan stifled a chuckle, and Jeremy merely grinned. “Can’t win everyone, huh?” he quipped as they entered Celestia’s room.

She wearily shook her head. “They were quite adamant that they should reap the main rewards of the deal, rather than the equal trade I proposed. I know their advisors well, and hopefully they’ll convince the main delegates to adopt a more neutral stance by tomorrow.” Jeremy grimaced in sympathy.

Luna turned to Ethan, evidently intending to ask him something politely, but her expression shifted to one of confusion – Ethan was staring all around him, apparently taking in the sight of Celestia’s bedroom.

“Ethan… what… what art thou staring at?” Luna inquired.

Ethan didn’t respond, a glazed look in his eyes, and Jeremy held back laughter as he reached out an arm and gently punched Ethan in the shoulder. Ethan yelped, coming back to the conversation, and Jeremy turned to him, arms crossed mockingly.

“To be fair, it’s a nice bedroom, but don’t space out too hard,” he admonished. Ethan gave a short, embarrassed chuckle.

“So, did you have any plans today?” asked Celestia as they sat on the carpeted floor of the bedroom.

“Well, I was hoping to celebrate Thanksgiving, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening,” Jeremy answered, and at Celestia’s inquiring look launched into an explanation.

“Well, we can say with certainty that the consumption of a turkey is not going to happen,” Luna reminded him, and Jeremy nodded.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t push that on you guys. I wonder what vegetarians do for Thanksgiving, anyway?” He looked over at Ethan, who simply shrugged.

“But a low-key, celebratory dinner… I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Celestia mused. She called up a few guards, and requested that a smaller dining room be prepared for the occasion. Jeremy watched the guardsponies exit, still impressed by their coordination and efficiency.

11-27-14, 7:02 P.M.

The five sat around the dinner table and waited for courses to be served, Chrysalis having been called over for the holiday shortly beforehand. Celestia and Luna were as regal as ever, sitting up straight and making little to no noise. Jeremy was more relaxed, leaning backward and sliding down slightly in his chair as he gazed up at the wax candles on the chandelier that lit the small room. Ethan, meanwhile, was ramrod straight and slightly trembling as he fought to keep it that way – Jeremy suspected he wasn’t the only one who had been poorly versed in table manners. Chrysalis would occasionally look over at Ethan and chuckle, or examine a utensil as though she were trying to discern its purpose, but otherwise kept a bored demeanor and expression. The only others in the room were two royal guards, one of the day and one of the night, who were as stoic and impassive as ever.

Finally, the meals were brought in, and Chrysalis was about to start eating when Jeremy held up a finger, signaling her to wait. Surprised, Chrysalis slowly put the spoonful of food back onto her plate, and Jeremy cleared his throat. “So, as most of us know, Thanksgiving dinner is a time to share what you have been most thankful for this year. So, to start us off, I’m thankful for meeting all of you and everything we’ve done together – roller-coaster ride though it was, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He made sure to look at Ethan as he said this, and although Ethan raised an eyebrow, he seemed to get the point. Then, as the rest of the table stared at him expectantly, Ethan hurriedly cleared his throat. “Oh, ah, right. Yeah. I’m most thankful for… well… for a second chance in life. Not many people get a chance to atone for stuff like what I did, and… I just wanted to say thanks.” Jeremy nodded appreciatively, and to his surprise Luna actually flashed Ethan a small smile.

Next in the circle was Chrysalis, who looked up with a serious expression. “I am thankful for… oh, I can’t say it, it’s too silly.” Jeremy looked at her flatly. “If I can say something sappy and embarrassing, you definitely can.” Chrysalis grumbled, but made no further objection. “Fine. I’m thankful for getting my own ‘happily ever after’. Happy?” she sarcastically asked, and Jeremy nodded.

“That was actually pretty cute,” he commented, and Chrysalis furiously looked away to hide her blush.

Next was Luna, who had been looking around with a small smile on her face. “Oh! Tis’ our turn. We… are thankful for having made such close friends, and… for their acceptance of our oddities,” she mumbled. Ethan looked over in confusion, and Jeremy nearly made to hug Luna before he remembered there was a table in the way. Instead, he looked her dead in the eye.

“Anytime,” he responded, and Luna gave him a teary-eyed smile as Celestia pulled her into a hug.

“We all love you just as you are, Luna,” Celestia replied, and Luna warmly returned the hug. Jeremy watched on, smiling at the moment.

Finally, it was time for Celestia to speak. “And to finish, I am thankful for a partner and friends who don’t treat me like a princess, but like a mare. Really, you have no idea how much that means to me,” she admitted, tearily reaching out with her magic for a napkin. This time, because she was next to him, Jeremy actually could hug her, and he did so immediately, remaining silent as he expressed with his arms what words could not accomplish. As he did, he got a glimpse of the guards by the doors – to his surprise, even they were holding back tears.

With the heartwarming moments over, the meal went relatively quickly. Jeremy was surprised at how many classic Thanksgiving dishes they’d managed to carry over to Equestrian cuisine, from stuffing to mashed potatoes to many more. Even Ethan wasn’t complaining, and in fact was the first one finished. They exited the room as quietly as they entered, Jeremy dropping the guards a nod as he left – and he could’ve sworn he received one in return.

“So, what now?” Luna asked as they made their way to the throne room, the starlight from the windows giving the corridor a soft white illumination.

Jeremy shrugged. “After the dinner, my family and I would always play board games or chess or something. Well, technically the adults would be more busy talking about boring adult stuff, but the part I remember is the games.”

Celestia considered this. “Well, that trade meeting was all we had to do today – what about you, Queen Chrysalis?”

Chrysalis looked over with an insolent grin. “Board games? Really? Who plays those anymore?”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Are you afraid of losing?” he taunted, and Chrysalis glared at him.

“Oh, it. Is. On,” she hissed in challenge.

Jeremy headed out onto the empty campus to retrieve a board game or two from the common building, Chrysalis tagging along under a random human disguise. To nobody’s surprise at this point, this building too was entirely empty, and locked. Chrysalis sighed and lit her horn, and the door unlocked, the light blinking green. Jeremy looked at her in surprise.

“You guys are getting better at that – the Pentagon might need to watch out someday,” he joked. Chrysalis gave him a short smile before sauntering into the building.

“I’ve been studying along with the research group on electronics – it’d be nice to get the jump on those before they get popularized in the other kingdoms,” she informed him.

Jeremy nodded appreciatively, and found the pile of game boxes. “Let’s see, Monopoly, Life, Stratego…” he muttered as he hunted through them, trying to pick the most interesting one.

“What’s this? ‘Cards Against Humanity’?” Chrysalis asked, levitating the aforementioned box upward, and Jeremy paled as he stifled a giggle.

“Not that one,” he answered hurriedly, lifting it out of her magical grasp and placing it back on the shelf. Chrysalis gave him a curious look, but didn’t argue.

Finally, he picked a game out and they exited. “Don’t forget to lock the door,” Jeremy reminded Chrysalis, who rolled her eyes and nodded.

Once they were back through the portal, the five met up in Celestia’s bedroom.

“Pardon us, we have to go see if there is anything for us to do tonight,” Luna stated as she left the room.

“Should we wait for her?” Jeremy asked Celestia, who nodded.

“She should be but a moment – I didn’t leave much for her to do, and nopony’s scheduled to meet with her tonight.”

Sure enough, it was only a few minutes before she came back, laying down between Jeremy and Chrysalis. “Say, how come I never see you doing your dream thing?” Jeremy asked curiously.

Luna snorted. “’My dream thing’ – what an eloquent way to put it. As for the answer, it mainly involves the equine sleep cycle, which is exactly like its human counterpart – true dreaming takes up a very small portion of sleep.”

Jeremy nodded, remembering the vague tidbits he’d learned somewhere on the subject. Ethan, however, looked like this was news to him, and gave Luna an inquisitive look. However, before he could question her further, the board game began. All prior conversations ceased, and they played for hours into the night.

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