As the night went on the drinks kept on coming, everyone was letting their hair down as we engaged in a number of drinking games and small competitions. I particularly enjoyed the fact that myself and Luna were usually able to beat the others when it came to these games, in all honesty I'm surprised by how well she can handle her drink.

Draining the last of my mug of ale I slam it down on the table, my body sways heavily as my head rest back against the seat. Turning my head to Luna she finishes the last of her own drink as she begins to poke the tankard around with her hoof. Sighing I run my hand over my face, "M-maybe it's time to call it a night."

Blinking slowly Luna looks to me, "Perhaps you are right. Everyone seems to be... out of it."

Turning my head I look to all the others who seem to be in a similar condition, they're all slumped in their own seats as they converse with slurred speech. Blinking slowly I look over the rest of the bar, with it being late night most of the patrons have left to get an early night ready for the opening ceremony in the morning. Only a few other patrons remain and they all seem to be in the same condition as us.

Nodding I slowly stand but manage to fall back into my seat. With a second attempt I'm successful to stand as I move away from the table. Looking around again I notice that everyone but one person is present, "Where's Chaser?" I try to look around again in the hope that I failed to notice him with my distorted vision. "Where the fuck is he?"

Moving past me Silver rests a hoof on my chest, "H-he's... he's in the restroom."

Groaning I run my hand through Silver's mane as he passes me, "I'll get him... then we'd best get going." Struggling to remain upright with each step I cautiously move towards the toilets, moving through the door I look around the room to find five cubicles with the doors wide open. "Old man! Are you in here?"

The sound of sudden retching causes me to wince slightly. Heading to the source I come across the end stall where I find Chaser with his head slumped against the toilet rim, I can't help but laugh as I look to him in his sorry state. Belching Chaser turns his head to the side, "Buck off."

Laughing even louder I end up falling backwards and landing on my back. Unable to control myself I continue to guffaw as I hold onto my side, "C-can't you handle your drinks old timer?" Chaser only gives a groan in response as he spits into the toilet. Slowly sitting up I take out my phone and crawl to him on my hands and knees, reaching him I grab onto his chest and pull him slightly towards me.

Once I'm alongside him I quickly take a photo of us as I continue to laugh. Looking at the photo I keep a hold of Chaser, "You shouldn't try to keep up with me when it comes to dri-"

Chaser retches again as he tries to move to the toilet, failing he instead only manages to puke all over my trousers and the bottom of my shirt. Pushing him away I quickly shuffle away from the cubicle, "You fucking dick!"

Cackling like a school kid he raises his hoof to me as he lifts his head, "You deserved that."

As the smell hits my nostrils I start to gag myself, moving away as quick as I can I slump over the sink as I dry heave. Unlike Chaser though I'm able to keep my food and drink inside my stomach. Spitting into the sink I reach for some paper towels and start to clean the vomit from my clothes.

Chaser shakily stands on his hoofs as he pushes on the handle of the toilet clearing it of his bile, running his hoof along his muzzle he moves alongside me. Slumping forward he instead falls onto the floor causing me to laugh. Pocketing my phone I throw the towels into the bin before lifting Chaser onto his hooves, "Come on, let's get you to bed."

He quickly shakes his body escaping from my grasp, "I... don't wanna."

Picking him up again he tries to struggle, "Don't be an arse." Chaser let's his body fall limp causing his legs to give way as I press his hooves onto the floor, "Come on. I want to go to bed." As he groans I lean closer to him and whisper into his ear, "Maybe Sunny will want to fool around if you get back quicker."

This does the trick as he suddenly gains the control to stand. Stumbling from side to side he moves to the door as his wings seem to be standing upright alongside his body. Chuckling I follow him out of the toilets as we move to join the rest. Luna and the others look to me with disgust as they see the vomit on my clothes, in response I point to Chaser as he seems to retch once again to reinforce my point.

This time however he's able to prevent himself from puking all over the floor of the pub, much to the bartenders relief at the other end of the building. Herding everyone towards the exit we all slowly begin to leave. Spotting a couple of shots left on the table I quickly pick up the glasses and drain them before moving to catch up with the others, there's no point in wasting good booze.

As everyone moves down the street I match the pace of Luna as we stick to the rear of the group. Tilting her head away from me she pushes me away slightly, "You smell revolting, John."

Lifting my hand I point to Chaser up ahead, "Blame that twat." As I say this I watch in amusement as he tries to kiss Sunny only for her to push him away, I can only imagine how horrid his breath smells. Catching a wiff of my own shirt I lift it over my head and hold it by the collar, "Better?"

When Luna looks to me I notice her eyes lingering on my chest, "Much."

Chuckling I rest my free hand on the back of her neck, "Pervert."

"I'm not a pervert. You're just performing the role of an erotic dancer."

Laughing out loud I take a step away from Luna, "You can look but you can't touch. That costs extra."

With a coy smile she pushes a hoof against my chest, "Are you saying you don't want me to touch you?"

Stopping I turn to face her as I run a hand across her cheek, "Now why would I want that?" Leaning close we lock lips with one another. Her tongue begins to push forward against my lips, granting her access I part my lips allowing our tongues to brush together. As she moans I pull her body closer to mine bringing the fur of her chest against my bare skin.

"Moon Glow! John!" Chaser shouts to us from up ahead. "Get a room."

When I pull away from the kiss I look to Luna as I try to give my best puppy dog look. If they can do this to me then I'm gonna do it back at them? With a soft smile she places another soft kiss on my lips, "Not tonight, John. You still smell pretty bad."

Chaser! You fucking cock blocked me! Releasing a frustrated groan I return the kiss before glaring towards Chaser as he seems to be getting a little bit of luck with Sunny. Oh no you don't! If I'm not getting any tonight then neither are you. Quickly running ahead I jump between Chaser and Sunny and throw my arms around their necks, "Hey guys."

Chaser pauses as he looks to me in annoyance, "W-what are you doing?"

"Just returning the favour, mate."

"What do you me-" Before he can finish talking I take my puke covered shirt and slap him across the face with it transferring some of the foul smelling substance onto the end of his muzzle and his face. Sunny quickly jumps back as Chaser is once again about to spill his guts.

Laughing like a madman I run off ahead as I throw my shirt back at him, "Paybacks a bitch!"

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As morning arrives I feel as though I've had a woodpecker constantly attacking my head throughout the entire night, with each beat of my heart another jolt of pain shoots through my head. Sitting up I rub my face before climbing out of bed, the smell of the stale vomit on my clothes helps me to wake up but not exactly in a good way.

Making my way to the bathroom I clean myself up ready for the day, Luna mentioned to me that she would be around to give me my ticket for the opening ceremony. With my daily preparations complete I quickly fill a glass of water and drain its contents in an attempt to rehydrate myself following last nights heavy session.

Moving to the main room I open the suitcases which have been left for me and root through the clothing inside, since this would be the opening ceremony I figure that it would be best to wear something that at least looks a bit smart. Finding some suitable clothing I put on a pair of black trousers followed by a simple buttoned white shirt along with dress shoes I wore to the Gala. As I adjust the cuffs of my shirt a sudden knock at the door attracts my attention.

Walking to the door I kick my dirty trousers and shirt into the corner before opening the door, standing on the other side is Luna in her natural form. How the fuck doesn't she look hungover? Stepping to the side I allow her entry before closing the door.

Smiling she turns to face me, "At least you've cleaned up following last nights... incident."

"Well you can blame Chaser for that." Stepping forward I rest my hand on Luna's cheek as I place a soft kiss on her lips.

Grinning she rests her hoof on my hand as she slowly pulls it away, "You still look rough though." With that her horn illuminates causing it's energy to envelope my body, within a few seconds the pounding in my head subsides as I immediately feel refreshed. "There, much better. I wouldn't want to have you falling asleep in front of everypony, it wouldn't exactly look very good."

Cocking a brow I step over to my bedside table to retrieve my phone and lighter. "Look very good? What do you mean?"

As I turn to face Luna I find a scroll and ticket floating in front of my face, taking hold of them I open up the scroll. "Since the Equestria Games are being held in the Crystal Empire, Cadence has been the one who has played a large role in organising the ceremony and the main events. Cadence has since decided to invite you to attend the ceremony in the delegation stand alongside us, you will also be there with rulers of other territories who are close to Equestria."

"What? Why? I'm not exactly a political figure or anyone of any significance."

Opening the door Luna gestures for me to follow her. Once I join her outside the room we begin to walk down the corridor, "Cadence has decided that you should be treated as a guest to her Empire, not just as an Equestrian citizen but as a representative for the United Kingdom."

Being unable to contain myself I start to laugh as Luna looks to me in confusion, "Me? A representative for Britain? Well... the country is screwed then. I'm not exactly the greatest person to be representing the country, besides I hate politics."

"I often tire of petty matters as well, but Cadence has assured me that this is merely a formality. You are not expected to behave in a certain manor just because of this, it simply allows you to view the ceremony and the games from the delegation stand should you chose to."

Grinning I nudge Luna with my elbow, "This is just a ploy to get me closer to you during the games, isn't it?"

With a neutral expression Luna raise her head as she increases her pace, "I have no idea what you're referring to."

"Sure you don't. Fuck it, for the time being I'll join you all for the ceremony."

"For the time being?"

I nod my head, "Well I want to see a few events with the Rangers and the girls from Ponyville."

"That is understandable. Very well, just don't forget about me."

As we move down the stairs into the main lobby I whisper into Luna's ear, "I could always make it up to you again." Luna freezes on the spot as a intrigued expression forms on her face.

"Speaking of making it up to me, I still need to claim my reward from our little wager."

"What was it again? I have to do whatever you want for an entire day?"

Luna gives me a seductive smile as she starts to descend the last few steps, "I've already got it planned out, John. For now though I believe you have some visitors who wish to see you." As we stop in the lobby I look out to a small group to find Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow and Rarity all making their way to me. "I'll leave you to it, make sure you're at the main gate by 11:00."

Turning back to Luna I smile to her as she heads out the main door with a number of guards joining alongside her, "I'll be there." Turning back towards the girls I'm quickly tackled by a pink blur sending me to the floor causing my back to impact with the floor.

"Johnny! It's so good to see you!" Pinkie cries out as she sits on top of my chest, "Did you miss us?"

"Well I may have missed you guys but I certainly didn't miss getting tackled." Grabbing hold of Pinkie I move her off my body before climbing to my feet.

As I start to dust off my clothing Rarity's magic helps me by brushing my back clean, "We're so glad that you're alright, John. Twilight told us about the... unpleasantness you had to work with."

I can only imagine that Rarity is referring to the chemical bomb during the state visit, it only makes sense that Twilight would have told them about what happened during her visit. "Yeah... it wasn't exactly an ideal situation to deal with."

Applejack and Rarity look to one another before Applejack steps up to me, "Are you sure everythin' is alright, John?"

"Guys I appreciate your concern but I'm alright, really."

"Of course he's alright," Rainbow adds as she moves alongside me. "John's a fighter like me, we can handle anything."

Chuckling I glance to Rainbow, "Then how about you enlist with the Rangers? We need more troops since I'm apparently going to have my own Company now."

"And throw away my chance at joining the Wonderbolts as a full member? I'm good."

"When you next see Spitfire make sure you call her a crab."

Rainbow looks confused as she tilts her head, "A crab?"

"Yeah, she'll know what it means."

"Why don't you tell her yourself? She'll be at the games competing for Cloudsdale."

I should have figured that Spitfire would be competing, no doubt being the Captain of the 'elite fliers' of Equestria will give her an advantage over those she's competing against. "I will do when I see her. Enough of that though, for now how about we get some breakfast?"

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Durring breakfast I gave the girls a quick rundown of all the activities I was engaged with during my time in Griffonia, from training my team to assaulting the main base of operations. I obviously left out a number of details though, especially the ones involving my time with Luna on Hearts and Hooves day.

Rainbow and Fluttershy would be competing in the Equestria games. I found it particularly odd that Fluttershy was competing since she is normally shy around large groups, lord knows how she was persuaded to race in front of a crowd of thousands of spectators. I would be cheering them on when it came to their race in the coming days, since I live within Ponyville I should support them through the games.

Twilight and Spike weren't present for the breakfast, apparently they were with Cadence at the palace discussing a last minute change to the ceremony. Apparently Spike has some elaborate title in the Crystal Empire, I couldn't help but laugh at how daft it was when Rarity told it to me. 'Great and honourable, Spike the brave and glorious.' If a baby dragon can get that title, what sort of stupid title will they give me?

With our catch up session over and done with we all made our way to the main stadium, this allowed me to view a few other areas I didn't get around to during my first day here. Walking underneath the main palace I was able to see the statue of Spike holding a representation of the crystal heart, that was right before I saw the heart itself. It was literally a large heart carved out of crystal which spun on its own accord between two vertical posts, it did look fairly impressive but I'm not particularly impressed by the fact that this important magical defence for the empire is out in the open with little to no guards defending it.

Once we're at the stadium we all split up to head to our individual entrances, Rainbow and Fluttershy went to the participants entrance, Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity to the spectators stands then myself to the delegation box. Climbing a number of steps I'm escorted to the stand by my own personal guard unit, normally I'm the one guarding officials not the other way around.

Reaching the box the guard points out my seat which lies exactly at the centre of the stand, moving to my seat I navigate around the others who are already sitting. The first pair are similar to ponies but appear to have a closer resemblance to horses, they also lack a cutie mark unlike every adult pony I've come across. Next I pass Bernhard who greets me with a crisp nod, since Griffonia have been allowed to compete as a sign of friendship it only makes sense that the Prime Minister would also be invited.

Reaching my seat I'm positioned on the row below the Princesses with myself positioned just below Luna, well this obviously wasn't a coincidence when Cadence offered me this seat. There is however one major downside to this seat, I have to sit alongside that pompous ass I met following Nightmare Night, Prince Blueblood. As I take a seat I immediately have to sit with my legs outstretched due to the low position of the seat, after a minute this soon gets uncomfortable so I decide to adopt a similar position to the others around me and decide to cross my legs.

Looking over the stand I find the three girls in the stand below as a group gathers at the main entrance onto the ground, amongst the group I can see the Cutie Mark Crusaders with the Ponyville flag. At the opposite end of the stadium on the raised platform is the torch for the games. It appears to be shaped similar to a large chalice with a twisting effect protruding from the centre, resting along the base I can see a small ladder which I imagine is where the individual lighting it will climb the torch.

When I glance to the Princesses behind me I notice Twilight as she takes a seat alongside Celestia, as we both look to one another we exchange a quick smile before I look to the stadium once again.

"Enjoying your brush with the elite, beast?" Blueblood says to me in a hushed tone.

"I wouldn't exactly call you 'elite,' wanker suits you better."

Glaring slightly he maintains his view on the crowds below, "Don't think I've forgotten about your little display at the Gala."

Smirking I tilt my head to him, "What's the matter? Still butt hurt 'cause I made you look like the little bitch you are in front of your entourage?"

Scoffing Blueblood turns his head to face me, "You are nothing more than a wild beast, it seems your time here has only helped to give you small levels of domestication."

"You know fuck all about what my time here has done for me. Life in this world is a piece of piss compared to life on Earth, with how you act I highly doubt you'd last a day in Birmingham without getting shanked."

"Well that clearly shows the kind of individuals who reside in this 'Birmingham.' If you're supposed to be the 'representative' for the United Kingdom then clearly your species and nation are nothing more then the scum of your planet."

Scowling I lean closer to him and whisper into his ear, "I command the most advanced unit in the Equestrian military with weapons capable of killing you from long distances. I've killed a lot of Griffins out there and plenty of humans during the war in Afghanistan, it would be wise not to piss me off."

This seems to shut Blueblood up as he doesn't respond. Turning my attention back to the field below I watch as the flag bearers begin their displays for their respective towns and cities. Below at the entrance I watch as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom hold a hoop with the Ponyville symbol as Scootaloo bursts through it on her scooter with the flag waving behind her, shortly after the team follow through with Rainbow leading, Fluttershy behind her then a oversized white Pegasus who looks as though he practically lives on steroids. How the fuck he is able to fly with that much weight and those tiny wings is beyond me.

Once all the flag bearers and teams are in position they all look to the torch waiting for it to be lit. At first there doesn't seem to be any movement until I finally see a small figure climbing the ladder, focusing my vision I realise that it's Spike as he reaches the top. As he goes to breath fire on the torch he instead begins to cough and seems to freeze on the spot. Well... that was certainly anti-climatic. When I look to the others around me they seem to be as confused as me as they watch expectantly for Spike to light the torch. Once again he tries to breath flames onto the torch for only the same results to occur. Houston, we have a problem.

As Cadence calls for one of the guards to go and help him I notice Luna giving a little yawn, I guess despite her magic she's still feeling fairly tired from last nights drinking session. With everyone focusing on Spike this starts to get fairly uncomfortable as I watch him repeatedly fail. As his face begins to strain he leans closer only for the torch to ignite directly in front of his face covering his face with soot before the flame turns blue.

With the torch finally lit the crowd gives a large cheer as Shining Armor calls out to the audience, "Let the games begin!"

Maybe next time I should give Spike my lighter... just in case.