Luna was awakened in the middle of the day by the sound of knocking on her chamber doors. She groaned unhappily and snuggled closer to Chris as her husband continued sleeping through the noise. He was warm and very cuddly and Luna was beyond loathe to separate herself from her love.

A second, firmer knock sounded against the mahogany doors and Luna groaned irritably, now awake if bleary-eyed. She lit up her horn and projected herself into the hallway. It was a complete waste of Thamaturgic Energy but she was comfortable.

Her illusionary avatar in the hallway addressed the Solar Guard knocking on her door, "Pray tell, for what reason doest thou disturb the slumber in the Royal Marriage Bed?" She rarely lapsed into Olde Velensovth, but she was barely awake.

The Solar Guard gave a start and quickly turned toward Luna's avatar, "Forgive the interruption, Queen Luna, but there is a message from New Humansville: The President has information and needs to speak with you immediately."

Luna yawned and smacked her lips, "Message delivered. I shall respond promptly. I expected it to take longer, but I shall not complain about eleven days."

**********

President Seviston sat at his desk and waited for the call to China to go through. He did not have the best opinion of Jin-long Chan, the Chinese President, but he knew the Chinese had fronted the majority of the funding for The Facility, even if it was mostly to enhance their image. Jin-long had the image of a country to maintain and Seviston knew the communist man would cooperate to keep face with the world, if for no other reason.

The Vice President and the Joint Chiefs were all in the room as well. Congress had been a real hassle to deal with, especially once Seviston revealed what Luna had said about the violent incursion and the evidence she turned over. It had been a close vote. Nearly half the Congressmen and women were convinced that what Luna had said was a hoax for purposes of manipulation. Seviston himself would have been lying if he said the thought had not crossed his mind as well, but he knew he was very good at reading people and while he was certainly not used to dealing with any species other than Humans, he felt that Luna had been honest. He dared not ever mention that he felt that Luna was being honest. It would have stripped away his credibility regarding the situation. He knew feelings had no place in addressing Congress.

As it was, Congress had eventually decided to move forward with the proposal to reveal the portal and by extension, all of Equestria and her residents, to the world, so long as the focus was taken off the United States government for any possible wrongdoing. People needed to believe in their government. Congress had to keep its pockets lined after all.

The Chinese ambassador had been understandably doubtful of the situation, but some bribes and more than a few words hinting at an international and interplanetary incident which would paint China in a poor light, not only to the world, but to a whole other planet, managed to get him to acquiesce.

"Call accepted sir, automatic translation is ready to go." One of the six technicians said, trying to be helpful, as he made some final adjustments to the camera system pointed at the President.

Seviston waved the man away, "I appreciate that but my Mandarin is more than passable. Use the translation system to record the interaction though."

The technician nodded and held out his right hand, counting down from 5 with his fingers. President Seviston sat upright and erect in his chair, leaning slightly on his forearms in order to appear intense. The large monitor and camera in front of his desk displayed an image similar to his own: another man sitting behind a desk, this one Chinese.

President Jin-long began, "Arturo, to what do I owe this call?"

"A situation has arisen, Jin-long. One that your General Hiriboshi seems to be involved in." President Seviston stated bluntly, watching for any tells from Jin-long.

"What accusations do you bring to China? We spent more money and resources on The Facility than all other countries combined." Jin-long shot back.

President Seviston knew he was going to have to pander to the man's ego, "We are not accusing China of anything. The entire world owes China a great deal of thanks for its significant and vast contributions to the project and they all know it." The words were sour on his tongue, but he did what he needed to do. After a brief pause to let his words sink in, President Seviston continued, "Were you watching when I was unveiling the memorial to the people in Norfolk who lost their lives to The Event?"

Jin-long sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers, "Are you going to reveal what happened?"

Seviston nodded, "To the entire world here soon, but I wanted to speak with you first." The President of the United States leaned a little farther over his desk, "This is going to sound unbelievable, but I assure you it is the truth." Seviston licked his lips before continuing, "What you saw was a portal in space opening up behind me. It was one of the people who we assumed to be dead. One of the people from Norfolk. He found a way to make contact... from another world." President Seviston stopped and waited for Jin-long Chan to react. The Chinese President neither moved nor spoke for several moments, his face was unreadable.

Jin-long Chan eventually replied with a single sentence, "I assume you have proof."

President Seviston had to force himself not to breathe out a sigh of relief. It had been a real possibility that Jaw-long Chan would think it was an insulting joke. The American President sat up straighter, "We do. One of the rulers of the nation which contacted us, agreed to make a recording specifically to you, in order to prove their appreciation."

It was obvious that the Chinese President was surprised, his eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch and he leaned back in his chair ever so slightly, "Play the recording."

President Seviston nodded to the waiting technicians. A moment later President Chan's screen displayed a picture of Luna, "President Chan, I am Luna, Diarch of Equestria. It is with great pleasure that I greet you today. I have been informed of the dedication of the people of China regarding the finances and resources provided by your country, to stop an ongoing problem, a problem Humans call The Event. For the resources your nation has provided to the cause of dealing with the threat, you have the thanks of all of our nation and beyond. I wish that our first meeting could have been in person and under more pleasant circumstances, but events have been set in motion which threaten the peaceful and productive trade we had planned to share with the Human world. Several days ago, two citizens of an independent city/state came under attack from Humans and we know that at least one of them is dead. It is our understanding that your General Hiriboshi is the man tasked with supervising the goings on of The Facility. Every Human person who was taken by The Event has ended up on our world somehow, therefore, the only known way to breach our two worlds is in our hooves or in the hands of General Hiriboshi. We have discovered a bullet casing and many boot prints around the area where the attack occurred. The bullet casing has been fingerprinted and been traced back to a soldier who is stationed at The Facility. I do not wish for any of us to be at odds with one another, but this infraction must be dealt with. We will be revealing ourselves to your world at large in a few weeks. It is my fervent hope that the issue regarding the actions of General Hiriboshi's soldiers will have been resolved by then. This has obviously been the result of a terrible and unfortunate misunderstanding, certainly not the doing of a great nation which has made such sacrifices for the good of all of Humanity. Goodbye, President Chan."

President Seviston had told Luna it was as direct as she could possibly be without risking sparking a major conflict. Luna's initial statement had been significantly more pointed and President Seviston had informed her that her words might start a war unless she rephrased everything. Thankfully, Luna had been willing to adhere to his advice.

"I will have my people send you a copy of the recording. The reveal is set to be in sixteen days and we are hoping that we will be able to tell Queen Luna that the problem has been dealt with." President Seviston said with absolutely no vocal inflection.

President Chan simply replied, "We will deal with the General. He is one of our people and we will deal with him our way." Without another word, the Chinese president nodded and the transmission cut off.

**********

"... and so as Emissary, you are expected to be directly involved in this matter. I have already spoken to Captain Joyner and he has released you from your duties as a member of the C.W.G." Luna finished her explanation to Artex and his herd.

Artex chewed his cheek pensively, "This is WAY bigger than I was ever expecting. I'm going to need to study up on the politics and current events on Earth before I can even think of acting in any official capacity."

"We are well aware. President Seviston has already obtained permission for you to travel on Earth under a few conditions and with limited diplomatic immunity. The same offer has been extended to myself, Celestia, Alana, Vaiawa, and a few others with more to be considered as time goes on. You need to be ready to go as soon as possible. You will be assigned eight American bodyguards who will travel with you at all times. All outings will be scheduled and cleared through the cadre of bodyguards, but they should not hamper your movements except to certain locations such as high-security areas or overtly dangerous places such as protests or riots."

"Which may occur," Artex said in a sour tone, "People will protest anything these days. It's my job to mitigate what reasons they have to protest. It's safe to assume that any and all public appearances or broadcasts will be scripted beforehand too. So," he clapped his hands together, "Who is the poor soul who gets to be paraded around with me? Besides the rest of my staff of course, which I already know my herd has to be kept a secret."

"I will be with you," Luna said, "But your herd will not be going with you, except Vaiawa."

Artex suddenly became very still, "And for what reason will they be kept here?" He asked quietly.

"I will be your counterpart instead of Razor Wit. I have a wider knowledge of laws and current events all over Equestria plus experience making peace with unfriendly species and the fewer of us there are, the easier it will be for the bodyguards to keep us safe. I will have my own eight bodyguards and you and Vaiawa will have your own eight bodyguards each." Luna turned and spoke to Vaiawa, "You will need to stay in your native form while on Earth. Do not shape shift or else the bodyguards will probably not be able to recognize you."

Vaiawa looked confused and voiced her reasoning, "Why am I even going? Alana is the Queen."

"Alana wants to spend time with Bobby and their boys. She needs to nurse them and she does not want to expose them or Bobby to the media." Luna explained.

Artex sighed, running his hands down his face in exasperation, "Great. Any idea how long this is going to take?"

"Do not expect to return before several months are up at least. If you want, at a later date we can search for a different Emissary, but for now we need you to do it." Luna settled back, twisting her neck to get out some of the kinks, "When do you believe you will be ready to go?"

Artex sighed and leaned back fully against his chair, "No earlier than tomorrow morning. If I'm not going to be seeing my herd for months, I'm going to enjoy a night with them."

"You can always return for conjugal visits." Luna said with a snicker, "I know I plan to."

Artex' eyes bulged as another thought occurred to him, "Oh shit!" He stood up and began pacing, "Ooh this is bad! This is very, very bad!"

His demeanor worried the gathered Ponies, Zebra, and Changeling. Razor Wit spoke up first, "What's wrong!?" She asked her husband.

Artex stopped and turned toward her with a terrified expression, "I'm going to have to get a whole battery of immunizations!"

Luna cocked her head to the side, "Obviously. Why is this a problem? Bobby already modified immunizations for Human Kavim last year. You'll be fine."

Artex looked to her with fear-filled eyes and responded with only a single word, "NEEDLES!"

**********

The following day, at noon, Artex and Vaiawa strode purposefully toward the portal where Luna and a large number of the C.W.G. officers was waiting. Razor Wit, Rose Thorn, Oriana, Feather Tip, and Suey all walked with them. Razor's pregnancy was showing, but she was still able to move around easily enough.

On the other side of the portal President Seviston waited patiently with a large number of military service men and women. All of them were waiting to receive the Emissaries and looking at the Community Welfare Guardians curiously, especially at the Pony and Changeling members.

Artex had been leery of leaving his khopesh and hatchet/hammer at home, but he was fairly certain that most attackers would be ignorant of his physical capabilities. That and he had Vaiawa. He pitied anybody stupid enough to try attacking her. He carried along his shoulder bag and a tote, the latter of which he had Rarity and Twilight custom make to hold more and weigh less. Within the bag he had packed a few harmless trinkets as gifts for a few select high profile persons and a few large gems as well as his clothes and his Bit purse.

He and Vaiawa stopped less than ten feet from the portal and turned to say their goodbyes. Artex knelt and hugged each of his mares, being mindful not to kiss any of them in front of the President or soldiers. Razor Wit held the hug for quite a bit longer than was necessary, but Artex dared not complain. She was pregnant with his foal and she was emotional. He whispered in her ear, "I can come back once a week, sweetheart. Don't worry about me. Take care of yourself and our foal."

Razor nodded into his chest and spoke quietly, "Be careful out there. I know it's your world, but I can't help but to be worried. We haven't been apart like this in over two years and I feel like a piece of me is leaving."

Rose placed a gentle hoof on Razor's shoulder, "He'll be fine, Razor. Vaiawa will be able to keep him out of trouble."

Vaiawa snorted, "More like the other way around. He knows the world, I don't." Her response garnered a few good natured chuckles from the rest of the herd and Artex released Razor, "I'll be back before you know it. I love you, Razor."

Razor blinked back tears, "I love you too."

Artex had to stop himself from leaning over and kissing her. He was worried about her and their foal, but he had a job to do and it was beyond important.

Rising to his full height, he said to all his girls, "I love all of you. I'll be back soon."

Turning, he and Vaiawa strode purposefully toward the portal. Luna was already through and speaking to President Seviston. Artex and Vaiawa walked up as they concluded their introductions. The President looked Vaiawa up and down before extending his hand through the portal, "I'm President Seviston."

Vaiawa accepted his offered hand with her right forehoof, making for poor balance, "I am Vaiawa. I am standing in for Alana until her duties to her family are completed to her satisfaction."

The President released her hoof and stepped back, sweeping his left arm toward a series of stairs, "Welcome to Earth." Vaiawa stepped through the portal and moved to stand beside Luna.

Artex smiled and placed his hand on the edge of the portal, "Where once this was home, so too shall it be again, for a time at least." He preemptively extended his hand to President Seviston, "The locals call me Artex, but my birth name is Dan Pering."

President Seviston's eyebrows rose slightly, "Pering? Is it in your family's nature to he so involved with major events?" He asked, accepting Artex' hand and giving it a firm shake. Though to Artex, it felt like a feather touch.

"Well, I am, or I was rather, Chris' brother in-law. I married his brother's wife's sister. Our family has always been servants of of those we love. My Great Uncle, may he rest in peace, fought with the 101st Airborne at Bastogne during World War II, my Uncle served two tours in Vietnam as Army Air Cavalry, and my own Father served 26 years in the NAVY and was in Egypt during Desert Shield and Desert Storm." Artex replied.

The President smiled widely, "Well then get ready for one hell of a reunion. Your wife is here, as is the rest of your family."

Artex blinked, paused, then blinked again, "Wait-what!? Why?"

"They all knew Chris, and some overly zealous former members of the Department Of Defense wanted to make sure they were not involved with anything unsavory." President Seviston said as diplomatically as possible.

Artex saw right through it for what it really was, yet he knew he did not have the luxury of laying into the President the way he wanted. Instead, he schooled his face into neutrality, "An unfortunate misunderstanding, I'm sure. And it has been rectified?"

The President smiled and released Artex' hand, "You better believe it, Mr. Emissary. Welcome home." As Artex released the President's hand, the slightly shorter Latino man turned and gestured to a trio of Marines, "These gentlemen will take you to your rooms until the doctors finish their checks. After that you will be given an itinerary and notes for the press conference. At noon tomorrow, there will be a press event showing us shaking hands/hooves, whatever. There will be some questions, obviously, but we'll keep it short. Your bodyguards will be in rotating shifts at the doors to your rooms and will accompany you at all times. This is for your safety. Other than that, after the doctors clear you, you will be free to wander around the place until we have a schedule worked out for each of you. Feel free to ask to speak to me, if you wish. I cannot promise I will be available all the time, but I will make an effort to see you, should you wish it. If you want anything, anything at all, just ask."

Artex quickly spoke up, "How do I go about getting my stuff from my old place? I didn't exactly have time to pack." His statement was met with a few chuckles, some from the President.

"We will look into retrieving your personal effects." President Seviston assured the disfigured man.

Two Marines stepped up to Artex, both wearing nitrile gloves and pushing a small rolling table, "We need to check your bags for contraband and then we need to pat you down, Mr. Emissary."

Artex looked over to Luna and Vaiawa. Luna was displaying the contents of her saddle bags to another pair of Marines. Vaiawa did not have anything with her.

Artex handed over his shoulder bag and tote to the two Marines, "Don't be alarmed at how much room there seems to be inside the tote. It's enchanted to have more space than normal. Feel free to ask what something is and I'll be glad to explain it." He then spread out his arms and legs, "I'm ready when you are, gentlemen."

While one Marine began going through the bag, the other began patting Artex down. The Marine started with Artex' arms then, finding nothing, moved to his chest and back. Again, finding nothing, he moved on to the disfigured man's legs, and finally to his head, checking his mouth as well, and lastly, his belt, "I have several pouches here. I need you to remove your belt and empty the contents onto the table."

Artex unbuckled his belt and pulled it out of the loops of his pants. He set the belt on the table and unfastened each pouch buckle. He tipped the first onto the table and out spilled a sack with a tied drawstring. Artex opened the drawstring and held it open toward the Marines, "These are gems for foreign dignitaries or persons I feel inclined to give them to. Speaking of which," Artex turned his head, "Mr. President, I have something for you."

President Seviston walked over to the rolling table and peered at the gems, "One of these?" He asked, eyebrows rising.

Artex folded his arms and gestured to the small pile of gems, "Feel free. These ones were too small for a friend of mine to use."

The President looked at Artex with a quirked eyebrow, "To small? The smallest of these has to be at least 3 karats."

"Knock yourself out, erm, figuratively of course." Artex replied.

The President selected a ruby which Artex guessed was around 5 karats. A medium sized gem. President Seviston held up the gem and nodded to Artex, "I appreciate this, Mr. Emissary. Was there anything else?"

"No, just going through my belt pouches with these gentlemen." Artex replied.

The President took his leave and Artex carefully scooped the gems back into the sack, then tied the top and placed the sack back into the pouch. Opening the next one, he dumped out a small pencil and two dozen small sheets of paper. The Marine took no interest in those, so Artex placed them back into the pouch. The next pouch contained one of Oriana's potions in a small vial, cushioned by dried leaves. Artex removed the potion and set it down on the table-top, "Okay, this is a potion, made by the alchemist of our town. This one instantly purifies toxins such as poisons and venoms. The vial has enough for two doses."

The Marine shook his head, "I'm sorry, Mr. Emissary, but we cannot allow any unknown liquids. We're going to need to confiscate this."

Artex shrugged, "Go for it." He closed up the pouch as the Marine pushed the vial to the side of the cart. Artex opened the next pouch and withdrew his Bit purse. He untied the drawstring and dumped the coins onto the cart top, "These are Bits, the currency of Equestria. Each one is made of gold and the density of the gold determines its worth." The Marine pawed around the coins and waved them off.

Artex put the Bits back and secured that pouch before moving onto the next one. He withdrew a small candle made of green wax, "This is a Dragon Fire Candle. You light it then burn the paper you want to send. The fire incinerates the paper and the ashes blow in the wind until they reach the designated recipient."

The Marine stared at the candle then looked back up to Artex, "No way."

Artex took out the pencil and a piece of paper then wrote out a short message. He looked to Vaiawa, "Would you please light it?"

Vaiawa's horn lit up and the candle wick flickered into flame. Artex held the note in the flames and it burned up like flash paper, the ashes blowing away through the portal surrounded by green sparkling motes. Artex then held out his right hand and waited. The Marine looked dubious until ashes surrounded by green motes flew through the portal and materialized into a piece of paper. Artex handed the paper to the Marine, "It's written in American English. Go ahead."

The Marine took the piece of paper and read it out loud, "Artex, the candle works just fine. Please don't waste it. Spike took over a month to create that candle. Your friend, Twilight."

Artex leaned over and blew out the candle, "You don't always have to blow out a Dragon Fire Candle. If you try to smother it with your fingers it will still extinguish, you will never end up sending yourself."

The Marine shook his head, "The candle should be fine."

Artex repacked the candle into the belt pouch and opened the last belt pouch, "This one contains my official documents such as my New Humansville Passport and Royal Certificates. Everything is written in American English, Velensovth, and Aerophene for simplicity sake."

The Marine flipped through the small documents and Artex' Emissary Badge of office before he nodded, "Okay, everything looks to be in order. You may collect your things and put your belt back on. Please wait while Princess Luna and Vaiawa finish getting checked in. In three hours, we will have photographers come and take your pictures for your own Passports for Earth."

By the time they were finished with Artex, Vaiawa and Luna were already waiting by the stairs.

Artex nodded, satisfied, and turned to follow the Marines up the stairs and to an elevator. He stepped onto the elevator while Luna and Vaiawa stood back and looked unsure. Artex mentally slapped himself, of course they would not know about elevators, "It's a mechanical conveyance to go from one floor to another more easily than stairs."

Vaiawa stepped onto the elevator first, followed by Luna. Both looked very unsure. The elevator doors closed smoothly and Artex placed a comforting hand on each of their backs as one of the Marines pressed a button, "You're going to feel a little jolt when it starts moving." Just as he finished the sentence, the elevator gave a slight vertical lurch and they were in motion.

It was a short ride to the third floor of the old Complex, now converted into a quasi military facility. The doors opened and Luna was the first one off, "Using those frequently is going to take some getting used to." Vaiawa said nothing as she stepped off the elevator. Artex chuckled, "Sorry, I forgot to warn you. Humans use technology for pretty much everything. We have no magic here on Earth, so we used our creative minds to solve problems. The end result," he gestured to the elevator, "Is a world where these are common."

"Speaking of which," Luna's horn quickly lit up, causing the Marines to tense. After a moment, her horn's glow tapered off, "There we are. I forgot to do it before, but I cast a spell which allows you and I to be linked to the magic of our world. No matter how far we go, we will be able to replenish our magic, but the regeneration rate slows somewhat with distance."

"Thanks, Luna." Artex replied. He had not been looking forward to losing a portion of his strength, durability, or magic while on Earth.

The Marines settled down from the surprising magical display and quickly stepped off the elevator, leading the party to the left and down a small series of corridors.

They stopped in front of a room, newly marked, 'Queen Luna' painted in stark white block letters. One Marine opened the door for her and held it open while she ventured inside. He then posted himself immediately outside of the door, rifle off the sling and onto his shoulder, ready to be raised for combat. Artex tried and failed not to chuckle, "Keep her safe, Marine."

The Marine kept his deadly serious look as a pair of tall, muscular men in black suits jogged into view and relieved the Marine. The Marine then rejoined the others of his brothers in escorting Vaiawa and Artex to their rooms. It was a short trip. Vaiawa's room was right next door to Luna's.

Artex had to really try not to guffaw at the needlessly tight security. He patted Vaiawa on the back as a Marine held the door for her then closed it behind her. A Marine then posed, ready for combat until two more muscular men in black suits jogged up and relieved him.

Within minutes, Artex was in his own room, which was right next to Vaiawa's. He sighed as he headed toward the closest bedroom and set down his belongings. He quickly unpacked, placing his clothes and other items in the chest of drawers then headed into the kitchenette to see if there was anything in the fridge. To his surprise, he found it fully stocked with prepackaged sandwiches, fruit, juices, wine, and beer. Selecting a small, plastic bottle of cranberry juice, he sat down at the small bar and proceeded to open the bottle of juice.

Before he could even take his first sip, there was a knock on the door, "Mr. Emissary, the Security detail would like to introduce themselves and the doctors are here as well." Called out a voice from beyond the door.

Artex opened the door and was met with the sight of a muscular man wearing a black suit. The man extended his hand immediately and Artex grasped it and shook his hand firmly. The man lowered his hand, "A firm handshake you have there, Mr. Emissary. My name is Harrison and I'm in command of your bodyguards. Any time you need to go anywhere, let one of the on-duty guards know where and give us an hour to prepare. Anything else you want or need, just ask one of us. Two of us will always be on duty."

"Any time Luna or Vaiawa need to go anywhere, I need to go with them to help them become accustomed to the world and know what to do." Artex replied, then thought of something else, "Um, I heard that my wife and parents are here somewhere. I hope you won't require an hour to prep for taking me to their rooms?"

Harrison huffed out a small chuckle, "Not a problem, sir. As soon as the doctors arrive, we will be more than happy to reunite you. They are with Queen Luna right now."

Artex chewed his cheek, "Speaking of the doctors, I need to be present when they examine Luna and Vaiawa."

Harrison quirked an eyebrow, "And why is that?"

"Family matter regarding both of them." Artex replied.

Harrison chuckled, "I don't see that happening unless you're married to one of them." He slowly trailed off when Artex took a moment to respond, "Wait..."

Artex suddenly let out a chuckle, "Gotcha!" He slapped his thigh as Harrison looked sheepish, "No Harrison, I'm not married to either of them, but I am very close to them both. It comes with being an Emissary. I am simply going to be present to explain a few things they might not understand easily. I'll get their permission to know their medical information beforehand and with witnesses."

Harrison nodded seriously, "Then you want to head to Queen Luna's room immediately. The doctor is already there."

Artex blinked, "This is moving a great deal faster than the D.M.V. that's for sure." He said happily, then gestured to the hallway, "Lead on, Harrison." Artex stretched out his left hand without looking and the bottle of cranberry juice flew into his palm.

Harrison's eyebrows rose above his glasses, "We've been briefed on the so-called magic, but... that was incredible."

Artex stepped past Harrison and patted the man on the shoulder, "You think that's impressive? Ask Vaiawa to do impressions."

Harrison closed the door and escorted Artex to Vaiawa's room. Harrison spoke with one of the bodyguards in front of Vaiawa's door, "The Emissary needs to speak with Queen Vaiawa."

The bodyguard knocked on the door, "Queen Vaiawa, Emissary Artex desires to speak with you."

The door's handle glowed green and opened, "Yes?" She asked holding the door exclusively with her magic.

Artex chuckled at the expressions of the bodyguards at such a casual display of magic, "I need to be present when the doctors examine you and Luna."

Vaiawa took half a second to search Artex' eyes and his surface thoughts before nodding, "Certainly, it would be most helpful if you explained a few things for us. Besides, I think it would look poorly if Luna ended up banishing a doctor to the moon because he isn't a royally sanctioned physician."

Vaiawa stepped out of the door as Artex said to the guards, "We may joke about it, but there is some truth to it. Luna is known to have a bit of a temper." It was true but not the complete truth.

Artex knocked on Luna's door before the guard could, "Luna, it's Artex. May I come in?" The door glowed with a blue aura before it gently opened.

As they entered, they could see Luna lying on one of the couches in the small apartment speaking with six Humans wearing white coats. She stopped speaking and looked up, just as the very tip of Vaiawa's horn subtly flashed. It was quick enough and subtle enough to go unnoticed in the well-lit room.

Luna beamed a wide smile and shifted on the couch, leaving room for Vaiawa or Artex. She had received the message from Vaiawa. Artex casually walked over and leaned up against the kitchen wall while Vaiawa strode over and laid down on the couch next to Luna. Artex wasted no time, "Luna, Vaiawa, do I have your permission to be present and know your personal medical information?"

One of the doctors, an elderly black woman opened her mouth, but it was too late, "Of course you do." Luna blurted out.

"You have mine as well." Vaiawa supplied, then added, "I will sign any necessary paperwork to make it legal. Artex is all but Royalty himself and the Royal family hides nothing from one another."

Artex smiled and nodded his head, "Thank you, ladies." He then turned to the bodyguards, "Thank you for your time, gentlemen. We will come get you when we're finished." Harrison and the others exited the room and closed the door behind them.

Artex gently pushed himself off the wall and briskly approached the doctors, "Alright ladies and gentlemen, who else has permission to view the information you are going to obtain from all of us?" He turned his head to cough lightly and met Vaiawa's eyes. Her horn tip subtly flashed again, reading his thoughts and intentions, 'Make sure they're telling the truth, but be subtle with your magic. If they're telling the truth, do something on your left side. If they're lying, do something on your right side. Moving your tail would work well.' His thoughts read.

The older black lady doctor spoke up first, "We've been instructed to only reveal medical information in such a case that one of your lives is in jeopardy. In such a case, all safety measures are to be taken to return you to the portal since your own medical practitioners are likely better prepared to handle anything severe." Artex subtly watched as Vaiawa's tail whisked lightly to the left, indicating truth.

Luna took up the slack then, "What do you all need? I, myself have intimate knowledge of our body type. If you need an artery or a vein, I can direct you. Though I have little knowledge of Changeling anatomy." She said looking at Vaiawa.

Vaiawa snorted and waved her left forehoof, "It is not a problem. I can do the same."

Artex decided to pipe up, "And if you don't know my body type, we have a serious problem." He said chuckling lightly.

The doctors also chuckled. With the situation diffused, the doctors began their questions and sample taking. Artex had to explain that his blood could not be safely given to any other Humans because of his internal change. The revelation sparked a long line of questions regarding the situation and the involved changes. Vaiawa was all but a complete puzzle to the doctors. Her blood was iridescent blue, which made Artex laugh openly, reciting the old tongue twister, 'Big black beetles bleed blue blood.'

The biggest upset came when Luna was forced to reveal she was pregnant. The doctors questioned her for a long time over the foal growing in her womb. They were mostly worried that the foal might be injured by something and were perplexed when Luna guffawed at the notion. It took no small amount of convincing to explain that the foal would be fine, no matter what happened. In her own words, 'If flying at high velocity and dealing with the reverberations of rowdy sex haven't hurt my baby, unless I'm exposed to a missile hitting me dead-on, we will both be fine.'

While the doctors were still checking Luna over, the photographers arrived, waiting outside for the doctors to finish. As soon as the doctors were done taking their samples of absolutely everything, checking blood pressures and taking temperatures, they departed and the photographers and bodyguards entered the apartment. What Artex and the mares did not expect was a lawyer accompanying the photographers.

What followed was more paperwork than Artex had ever seen in his life. There were forms for filling out forms which were their own type of instructions for filling out other forms. By the time it was finished, Artex had written his signature more than four-hundred times and Luna had to sign even more forms. The lawyer was professional enough to offer his assistance in deciphering the legalese, the spoken language of bureaucracy. In the end though, Luna and Vaiawa had no need of the lawyer's help.

Finally the photographers took pictures of the three and the lawyer finished filling the forms. The entire gaggle of people left and closed the door behind them. Vaiawa blew out a long sigh and looked to Artex in sympathy, "I am all but certain that was a form of torture."

"More than ninety percent of it was unnecessary. I cannot believe they had a form specifically for ensuring that we understand that we may not publicly display our genitals or imbibe alcohol in a school." Luna griped, "Nobody with even a lick of sense would ever do such a thing."

Artex spread his hands and shrugged, "That's the way things are done. It's stupid and redundant as all fucking hell, but there is nothing we can do about it. Here is something to think about: if they have a form for it, then it must have happened at some point."

Vaiawa and Luna's expressions fell to seriousness as that fact sunk in. Artex nodded his head, "Yeah, there are people who really are that stupid or sick in the head." He pushed himself off the wall and stretched, "Well, I don't know about you ladies, but I am going to go visit my family."

Luna and Vaiawa both brightened, "That's right!" Vaiawa blurted excitedly, "The President said they were all here!" She nearly tumbled off the couch, "May I join you?" She asked excitedly.

Luna hopped off the couch as well, "I would also like the privilege of meeting your family."

Artex felt his heart swell at the two supportive mares, "Of course. I would love for you to meet them."

Author's Notes:

And yet another chapter emerges from my twisted brain. Thanks to my talented editor, this chapter is legible.