>The portal shimmers before you. >You feel how uncertainty starts to build up inside you again. >You look around, but all you see is a grassy field and your "escort". Because you fellow human escort remained far away, beyond the guard perimeter set by the aliens. >Angular four-legged silhouettes look kinda like the BigDog -- money-laundering scam project by the Boston Dynamics. >Difference is these are clearly finished, armored and adorned with some futuristic guns and rocket pods. >Polarized visors make any guesses about their attitude a futile exercise. >You gulp nervously and take a step towards the portal. With a hesitation you touch it's surface, that reminds you of a mercury. >Enigmatic piece of technology didn't give you any time to even say "Hey!" >World around you becomes still like a frame. There is no wind, no sound, no emotion. And then everything around you shatters like a mirror just to be replaced by a completely different view in instant. >You find yourself in a grand and spacious Greek-looking hallway. Decorated with the kind of flashiness one would expect from an old European royal palaces. >Right in front of a huge gilded door. >You wonder, if the fucking aliens killed you and this is the Heaven. >Then you remember 1/5 of the shit you ever have done. Remember that you didn't believe in the Heaven since the elementary school and smile. >Of course you are alive! It must've been teleportation or some similar fuckery. "OK, where are those Gray Men? Let's find out what are they want from us!" >You say, mainly to hear your own voice and slightly boost a confidence. >Your confidence rises a little but begins to falter again, when the door begins to open before you. >You walk in and then... >You freeze, speechless. >There are no Grey Men. In the luxurious chamber, on an elevation, among the purple pillows resides a horse-like creature. Somehow you feel, sense, know right away that this is a She. Her pristine white coat gleams as if reflecting the rays of the Sun. >Her face, formed largely by the long elegant muzzle, is expressive and beautiful. Her moving ears turned at you. >Gracefully and deliberately slow she rises up on all her four legs. Despite being statuesque she is eveidently strong and fit. >You gasp, as her multicolored mane and tail begin to flutter by themselves. It's like watching an aurora borealis. >Distraught, you take a step back. She doesn't move, but just looks at you with her large magenta eyes. She smiles. >Immediately you feel something like a gentle breeze. It brings a wonderful, cozy feeling. Like a feeling of warm Sunday morning in the spring. Almost for real you can smell the blossoming flowers and trees. Feel freshness of the morning dew. >Absolutely devastated you kneel before her. You expected to see a monster. A boogeyman. Well, maybe an eldritch horror. Not this majestic beauty. "Greetings, Mr. Anonymous!" >Oh, damn! It's like a music! "Why, thank you for the compliment!" >Wait, what? You didn't say this aloud, did you? Also, you hear her loud and clear, but her mouth is closed and lips are unmoving. "I do not know your language to speak it verbally. " >Fear creeps through induced feeling of complete comfort. "Oh, so you are speaking in my head?" "You can put it like this." >Great, so it's like Vulcans? Or Asari from this Mass Affect or something? "Let's say, that being an alicorn I have ways to circumvent this little problem" >Fuck, she hears my thoughts! "Well, so you are representative of these strange aliens? Ones that have their huge space battleship-thing above the D.C.? "Yes I am, and yes I am. But never mind the ship. It's just, as your seafaring navy would call it, a corvette." "Right, so would you possible want to start a negotiations? Electorate- I mean citizens getting rather antsy about the corvette. When do you want to begin it? We need to assemble a Commis- "Now." >Says the Queen of Aliens. >You run through a meadow kicking a ball. You laugh. "Anon, it's time to eat!" "But granma!" "Come! I made your favorite pie!" >Prospect of a pie makes you to abandon the game. You run towards others, who gathered besides the house. >You get immediate pat on the head from your grandfather. His hand is powerful but gentle. >Your mother and grandmother hug you. You feel their warmth. You can smell familiar soothing aroma of a grandmother's perfume... >You feel tears running down your cheeks. It's so real, awfully real. Except for a fact that they are all dead. For many years already. >Scene changes. >You sit in your room in front of a TV, controller in your hand. >Your friend huffs and trows his joystick on the floor. "This is fucking bullshit! Where did this fucker came from?!" "Yeah, dude. Fucking wretches. " >You agree. "It's hard to saw them on Insane. Wanna drop the difficulty?" >He smiles savagely. "No way in hell, Anon!" "Take a shotgun this time." "But I like my chainsaw!" >Checkpoint loads again. >You proceed to shoot, saw and blow up ugly evil aliens. Together. Shoulder by shoulder. >It's a wonderful feeling of having somebody you can rely on. Somebody you can share your passion, your joys and sorrows. >You sweep down some tears from your face. >You haven't feel this in ages. Not since you've began your political carrier at least. Or maybe even longer. >You find yourself again in the chamber of the Alien Queen. >You are sitting on a floor, on a fuzzy carpet. Majestic entity herself lies along with you. Hugging you with her enormous, fluffy swan-like white wing. >Yeah. A wing on a horse from an outer space. "I am sorry." >She says silently. "I wanted to discern either you know what a friendship, a love, a harmony feel like. To make you remember..." "It was so fucking real!" >You answer wordlessly. "It is real. It's still exists inside you. And I can make it became physical. I can make you and your people remember how to live in harmony and friendship. With themselves, with others, with the Universe! I can teach them." "But why? Why would you do this? We just a bunch of underdeveloped savages compared to you!" "Why?" >She paused. "Because it'll bring me pleasure." >You answer nothing. Instead you just make yourself comfortable in a warm feathery embrace. >You forgot to ask right away, what's the alicorn. But now you don't want. Now you are pretty sure that Alicorn means God. Or, more perciesly, Goddess. *** >You sit by the table in a large conference room. >Hundreds of cameras pointed at you. "Mr. Presedent! What can you say about the ongoing reform of the FRS? "I would say that it's a long overdue necessity. And I'm glad that our Teachers provide us with their extensive knowledge during it's optimization!" "President Anonymous, how would you comment the state of country's intelligence and counter intelligence agencies?" "It was a truly horrifying that we've lost so many valuable professionals and good citizens in a recent government plane crash. But I assure you that new director of CIA and heads of other agencies are perfectly fit for their roles. Advisors provided by the Teachers also hold them in a high regard!" "Mr. President! Recently USA voted in favor of inclusion Teacher's representative into the UNSC with an advisory vote..."