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I walked into an administrative employment building. Wearing my saddle bag and a cloth cowboy hat. "Good day, i saw on the government website that you are looking for a diplomat for an upcoming colonial expedition. I thought i would be fit for the position as a pegasus doing administration." I told the earth pony at the desk, in front of a computer monitor.

"Let me see... Can i see your ID?" she asked

"Certainly, a change of job would be nice." i answered, using my right wing to pull out my ID on her desk. She took it and entered the information from it on her computer, a minute later she printed out a contract form.

"Fill in the details. You will get an answer on whether or not you will be accepted tomorrow." she said, pushing the ID card and contract form with her left hoof towards me.

"That's fine by me. I need to stop by the voting booth before going to rest home anyways." i told her, snatching my ID and putting it in my saddlebag. Then filled the contract form

"Bye till tomorrow!" i told her cheerfully, trotting outside, where the sun is setting. Walking on the stone streets, surrounded by stone block buildings of constructivist style, i made my way to the local voting booth. The voting booth itself had a large pretty steel sculpture installed in front of the door. I entered through it's glass door. Unsurprisingly there was a line of ponies waiting to cast their vote. Thankfully it's not long at this time of day.

On the wall to my left was a wide poster, which in bold print was describing the law we were voting for. The law in question would make it mandatory for immigrants to attend at least a year of military service after going through the immigration process.

"I wonder if i get accepted for the diplomat position. While easy, doing bunch of paper pushing and stuff for years gets too boring. Somepony else should do that, i want to be able to use my wings while also being able to get some prestige. That way I'm not just a nobody that gets forgotten in history." as the waiting line moved, i decided to read the law over.

"I wonder why some just don't show up to vote..." it was my turn to cast my vote. A mare at a desk asked for my ID, which i provided. I was then given a paper with a pencil and she wrote my name down before letting me take my ID back. Going behind a wide curtain where the ballot box was. I quickly casted my vote before going outside again.

Outside, insects could be heard as the moonlight illuminated the streets. I spread my wing and flew to my apartment. Entering, i washed my hoofs and took off my saddlebag. Heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth. After which i went to bed, laying on my bed felt rather comfortable since the bed was of good quality.

The next day i woke up, going through my usual routine, i took my saddlebag and flew back to see if my job change was approved. I greeted the pony asking about my job, she said yes.

"Oh, so what should i do now? " i asked surprised

"You will be moving residence, probably permanently, so you need to pack all your stuff and fly to the place where the expedition you signed up for has set up a colony. They probably won't be waiting for long. So you should hurry." the mare at the desk said.

"Isn't there a period where i still need to work at my normal job before switching to the new one?"

"This is one of the exceptions, where the position is urgent."

"Right i will do that, bye!" I said, going home. "Good thing i don't have much to my name and have a map with an extra saddlebag." i thought to myself while flying home.

I took everything except the furniture that was in the apartment when i got it. I was heavy with both saddlebags loaded, which made flying difficult. Despite this, i managed to get to my destination by sunset, since i already live on Acrab, somewhat close to this new colony. I could see low building made mostly out of wood. With a guard waiting outside.

"Who are you pegasus?" asked a unicorn stallion with magenta eyes and brown coat. Who was wearing a cowboy hat. In his blue telekinesis was a firearm i could not name, since as a city resident, i could not even have one myself.

"I'm the new diplomat, who was suppose to do negotiating for benefit of this new settlement, name is Proud Cheesewing." i told him confidently.

"Ah good, good. I was wondering when the second diplomat was going to show up. I'm Blue Horizon. Nice to meet you, i will show you your cabin."

I was then lead to a wooden cabin in that was a far cry from the apartment i was used to. Never the less, i washed my hoofs and unpacked my belongings. Then i jumped on the bed and took a rest.

The next morning i went outside, curious to check out the rest of the settlement. I went outside and saw several ponies, among which was Emperor Bigpip. Which made me double take, what would he be doing here? I walked slowly closer and it really was him. He was an alicorn with the same coat, tail and robe, wearing saddle bag over it.

I confidently walked up to them. "Good day! I arrived at yesterday afternoon." i said

"You must be Cheesewing correct? We needed a second diplomat, you will also get the honor of working with me. Since i will be temporally in charge of this settlement until we can find someone else that is suitable. Since you are new here i will give you short time to look over the settlement." Bigpip said with stoic expression, i nodded and decided to look around.

There were many log cabins for ponies to rest and store their belongings. A big part of the settlement seemed to be still under construction.

Flying slowly around, looking at the sky, i could see an airship flying towards the settlement.

I decided to then return to Bigpip but could not find him again at first, so i decided to ask the guard from earlier, who was patroling where i met him previously. "Do you know where Emperor Bigpip is Blue Horizon? There is an airship flying here, i wanted him few questions and officially start my work as a diplomat." i asked him.

"I think he may be in the cafeteria, we should go there, if you haven't eat today either. The meals served here are simple but they aren't bad. Come with me"

I nodded, since i was hungry too. I followed him to the cafeteria which unlike most buildings here was put together out of stone blocks instead of wood.

A unicorn mare with a hat on her head would give out trays of food to a couple of ponies that arrived here before us. Bigpip wasn't here, so i sat down with Blue Horizon at a table. With each of us having a tray with boiled rice and apples.

Stuffing our bellies full i could hear a soft clank from inside the cafeteria.

"Did you hear that?" i asked Blue Horizon

"Hear what?"

"Like a clank or thud from outside. Let's see what that was" i said slightly concerned, getting up from the dinning chair with Blue Horizon. Outside we could see that the airship i saw flying earlier has landed, almost crashing into one of the log cabin. It was a thermal airship with a partially deflated balloon. Ponies were unloading some crates from it, i could see Emperor Bigpip walking outside.

"My Emperor!" I addressed him

"Yes? Are you finally ready for your 'diplomatic' assignment, Cheesewing?" Bigpip answered in a neutral tone

"I have some questions for you first actually."

"Alright, ask away but you will have to go do your assignment afterwards." Bigpip answered with a slight smile.

"So first off, in the work description, it said that i would get hazard compensation. Is that the case? What is hazardous about this?"

"Negotiating with foreigners carries a risk of being attacked, thats why."

"What's the point of creating a settlement here, instead of just expanding the existing city we have here on Acrab?"

"Because we need to spread our empire's influence in this region of Acrab, before others decide to colonize it themselves. Which why i want pegasi or bat-ponies to peacefily engage with these other colonizers for me." Bigpip answered sternly.

"Should you not be on the mainland, doing what you are normally doing with the central government?"

"Yes but doing that for decades gets mentally exhausting at times, so when i get the chance to get personaly involved in colonial affairs, i take it. I will appoint somepony from the settlement to take my place here. Before you ask, it won't be you, since you are too new here. Also Cheesewing, i believe that you should meet with the other diplomat hired for this expedition would you not agree?" Bigpip told me.

"Yes i suppose, since we will be working together, lead me to them, please my Emperor." I said with slight excitement as i was lead to one of the log cabins. Inside was a lime coated pegasus with red eyes, brown mane and tail.

"Hello there, it looks like we will be working together." i greeted

The pegasus was laying on his bed with a book, looking up he said.

"Sorry, i didn't notice you, i was focused reading. You are the second diplomat that will be helping me? My name is Lime Feather. What's yours?" he said

"That would be me, my name is Proud Cheesewing, nice to meet you!" i told him smiling.

"Alright you two, here is what i will need you two to do today. Cheesewing, you will fly west to spy on colonizers there and Lime Feather will go negotiate with mutated human slavers south of here.

"Wait spying? I thought i was going to be negotiating like Lime Feather?" i asked bewilded.

"Well no, your task will be gathering information on the seven competing groups in this region of Acrab. So here is what you are going to do. You will grab your saddlebags with some supplies and fly over the areas I will tell you. Then you will report back to the mare named Green Pear, who is going to be taking it over for me here. That way the military will be able to capture them with minimal casualties." Bigpip said sternly

"May I resign from this position? Doing military espionage isn't what I signed up for. I signed up for conducting diplomacy and the job description in this regard was misleading." I answered disappointed, considering myself to be anti-military.

"You are in the right to do so and switch job again but you still have to perform your duty for the normal amount of time after your resignation is signed."

"Alright fine, I will get to it right away." I dismissed him. Doing as I said I prepared to fly over west, bordering this settlement, was a foreign settlement of bipedal creatures, they looked like cyborgs of sorts but they weren't ponies or humans but I don't know what they were either. I flew over, noting how many there were as well as other details. I turned over that noted information to the mare I was told to, since the Emperor had to return to his formal duties on the mainland.

To my dismay I found myself doing almost the same thing after a week. This time, I was spying on a human cannibal tribe, who managed to shoot me with a couple of arrows while doing so. Had to get myself treated and wait for my injuries to heal in a improvised hospital. While the imperial army took over and integrated those weird cyborg creatures. The human cannibals followed suit soon after.

I did the same thing for a second group of weird cyborgs who settled south east, close to the Acrab city. Who ended up having the same fate as the ones before them.

The I had to spend here was almost up and my final mission would be to spy on a sizable tribe of mutated humans with feline traits. This took a lot longer due to the tribe covering a lot bigger area. However my work obligation ended and I resigned. Despite me providing incomplete intel, the imperial army took their chances and conquered part of the tribal lands.

I took all my stuff from the log cabin and moved back into my apartment in the city where I would proceed to find a new peaceful job as a bee keeper. Few years later I would read a book documenting the events that I could partially see myself unfolding, I was mentioned in that book too. Surprisingly, I wasn't mentioned in a negative light. What I didn't know from being there myself was that the slavers that Bigpip mentioned fought alongside the imperial army against the tribe of mutated humans, only for them to then turn against the Anocratic empire after the war was over. Resulting in them being conquered as well, with their slaves freed. There was also a savage tribe that converted to the religion that the tribe of mutants followed, helping them against Anocratic empire. Only to be swiftly defeated due to their outdate technology and small manpower.

But that is a year in the past now, I'm happy to finally have peace again, away from the violence that Acrab has to offer