For years, mankind stared up at the stars, wishing they could create their own fate in those wondrous balls of fire. No matter who was asked, all would have the same answer. The stars were the gateway to the future, and very few understood that better than the pioneers who lived on the frontier of Alliance territory.
In a dark part of the wondrous sky, a sleek, bullet-shaped object cut through, its engines burning blue with huge jets of plasma. Lights ran along the edge, always scanning the darkest corners of the sky. Along the sides were blue streaks of paint, denoting its function as a shuttle. The most illuminated part of the hull was the designation, 'Alexandria'. It blasted silently through the vacuum of space, its destination a brightly lit space station in the distance.
Inside the Alexandria, many beings sat in bunks, flight seats, or walked around. Some carried luggage, or conversed. This time, two were in a heated argument.
“Grellick! You stupid human! That was my bunk!” A blue alien, four arms, with a single pony tail reaching down to his waist, towered over the average-sized human standing in front of him.
“Hey, Zurn! It's not marked as yours! Besides, that lazy Norian stole mine!” Grellick, a skinny Caucasian human with mousy brown hair, pointed at a large, fat, pink slug-like entity. “Hey! Gunter! Get out of my frakkin' bunk!” The slug rolled out of the bunk, slithering over to Zurn and Grellick.
“You got a problem wit' me, humie? I eat humies like ya fer brekkie!” Gunter slithered in front of Zurn, who was shaking his head.
“Gunter, you can't take Grellick's bunk. Your bunk is with the rest of the Norians in the aft compartment! Get out of here!” Gunter was about to object when Zurn lifted him up. “And don't you say nothin' 'bout it or I'll get the rest of the Huzilians to help me toss you out an airlock!” Gunter closed his mouth, slithering away to the aft compartment. Zurn shook his head. “You'd think that a mentally backward Norian would learn how to properly speak Alliance Basic. Oh well.” Zurn turned to Grellick, who was clapping.
“I've never seen a Huzilian pick up a Norian like that before! That was awesome!” Just before Grellick was about to shake Zurn's hand, an announcement came over the ship's communications system.
“We will be docking with the Echo-5 Station in five minutes. Please secure your belongings on your person, and prepare for deceleration.” Grellick shrugged.
“Well, Zurn, see you on-station, then.” Grellick grabbed his drawstring duffel bag from underneath Zurn's bunk, tossing Zurn his sling bag.
“All right, Grellick. Hope we can get on the same maintenance crew again.” Grellick laughed, smiling at Zurn.
“That's why we're friends, junt.” Just before he made it to his flight seat, the deceleration began, flinging him onto his back. His body slammed into a guard railing, knocking the wind out of him. He gripped the railing, weakly bringing himself back up to his feet. “I hate deceleration.” He swung his back over his back as he heard the tell-tale clunking of metal on metal, the docking procedure beginning. Zurn was snoring in his flight seat, while a few of the all-female race, the Gonorrians, eyed him up and down. Grellick shook his head, walking towards the airlock to disembark the Alexandria. He stared at the airlock, gulping as he stepped over the threshold. The message that played for newcomers still played in his mind, but this time, it did not play. A maintenance crew was repairing the communications system aboard Echo-5, the most evident part being the Public Address speakers lying against the wall. A worker stopped to shimmy down his rope.
“Hey, Grellick Henderson! Good to see you, you stupid son of a gun!” The worker, a purple, tentacled alien wearing a high-visibility suit, waved at Grellick.
“Foche, you arrogant Nuzite! How have you been!” The two friends embraced, laughing as they did so.
“Grellick, word in the Civilian sector is that you might try to get a job with the Frontier Colonists. It would be an amazing job, but the Dominion of Narta... ain't a place for an arrogant Nuzite, right?” He nudged Grellick in the side, laughing.
“Foche, you have no idea the opportunity I could have. To be one of the first to step onto a new world, see it before terraforming! What a rush!” A familiar blue alien walked up behind Grellick and Foche, squeezing them both. He let out deep laughter as he set his friends down.
“Foche! Ha! You Nuzite jerk! How you doing?” Someone tapped Grellick on the shoulder, making him turn around. A strange man in a black suit was staring at him.
“It isn't polite to insult a citizen aboard this station.” Grellick waved him off, laughing.
“Nuzite tradition. You insult each other as a greeting! A fun way to blow off steam, eh, Zurn? Ha!” The three friends laughed as they walked away. “Hey, drinks are on me tonight! How about the Den tonight? I heard they got the good stuff on tap!” Zurn turned to Foche, who nodded. “All right! The Den it is!”
The Den was the seediest bar on the entirety of Echo-5. Smoke poured out when Grellick opened the door. Zurn and Foche were already inside, laughing and joking as they sat at the bar. Grellick sat down beside them, raising his hand.
“Nuzite brewski. Make it the smooth kind, too.” A metal bottle was slid over to Grellick, who shook it up. “Thanks, babe. I'll be sure to give you a good tip tonight.” He chugged part of the drink, sputtering when he felt it burn all the way down. “Real smooth. Nuzite beer for you two as well?” Zurn nodded. Foche shrugged.
“Thought I'd try human whisky. It's not every day you get a safety bonus on station.” The holographic television in the corner blared on about colonizing opportunities on the frontier. The bartender whistled and pointed.
“Something about a new world, patrons! Quiet and listen!” The Gonorrian on the screen was rattling on about a newly discovered world.
“Sources have been saying that this world is a Class 5 planet. That would be the fifth to be discovered since the commission of Echo-5. What is more interesting is not the planet itself, but the inhabitants. Prospecting company GeoTech distributed photographs of the inhabitants. They appear to be fairly large, colourful equines with three distinct groupings: Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony. There are many opportunities being offered by GeoTech to colonize the uninhabited areas on this new planet, which currently does not have a name. Its designation is J-144. GeoTech. Explorers into a new future.” The program ended with an advertisement about signing up with Geotech. Grellick turned with a big smile towards Zurn and Foche.
“Guys-”
“Grellick, if you're going to talk us out of going with maintenance-”
“This could be our chance to be somebody, not just numbers on a computer anymore. To blaze trails on a new world, to meet new races! Don't tell me that's not appealing to you!” Grellick raised his hands in the air for emphasis.
“It does seem interesting. Foche?” Foche was grinning from what could be one ear to the other.
“I say let's do it.”
“All right. One more round! To new discoveries!” They raised their flasks in the air, knocking back their drinks fast. Three friends cheered as they stood up to go sign up.
“Well, a human, a Nuzite, and a Huzilian. I'd never thought I'd see the day when you three maintenance workers decided to make something of yourselves.” The clerk at the desk seemed to know Grellick and his friends.
“We saw the new discovery, and thought, 'Why not? Let's blaze some new trails!” The clerk flexed its fingers, its mask hiding which race it belonged to.
“Well, then. Enter the door to your left. That's all you have to do. I hope you like it on J-144.” Grellick, Zurn, and Foche entered the door, seeing no other sentient beings around.
“Foche, why are we the only ones?” Grellick turned to Zurn and Foche.
“Because it appears that no one wants to do something radical or new.” Foche sat down in a seat. Grellick and Zurn followed suit. After about five minutes, a small alien, purple, with a single eye, waddled into the room. Its voice sounded like a child's.
“If you all would come with me?” The trio stood, following the waddling Guzeri into the next room, where three sets of clothing sat. Long trench-coats, with wide-brimmed hats, metal combat armour, heavy trousers and thick steel-toe workboots.
“Are these what we have to wear on that world?” Zurn ran his finger along one of the uniforms, checking the trench-coat. It had four sleeves, and was the perfect size for him.
“Unfortunately, yes. Now, the coats, they have a camouflage matrix installed, so you can use them to hide yourselves from any being that might decide you will make a tasty meal. The armour is for extended combat, of course. Now, you will get some weapons.” A large rack of various firearms slid out from the wall. Zurn retrieved a very large shotgun, Foche lifted a folding rifle, while Grellick settled on a small handgun. “Suit up and get ready.”
When all three were suited, they regarded themselves with a certain modicum of mirth. They did not appear like their thought of pioneers, but more like operatives about to be inserted into a war zone. Grellick flipped out his handgun, spinning it around before sliding it quickly back into the holster. Zurn pumped his shotgun, popping an empty shell out. Foche merely securely strapped his rifle to his back. As they finished preparing, a large holo-screen dropped from the ceiling. A human in a military uniform appeared on the screen.
“Welcome gentlemen. I am General Havok of the Alliance Military faction. As you should be made aware of, there are four factions in the Alliance: the Military, the Civilian, the Pioneers, and the Intelligentsia. Whatever you do, do not mess with the last one. First things first, you've been given your special uniforms that will allow you to hide from enemies. Second, you've been given weapons for self-defense.” A large map of what appeared to be a landing zone was shown. “The world still has not been identified. Now, something that you were not told on the news. This planet-” The map zoomed out. “-is on the demilitarized zone between the Alliance and the Dominion.” Grellick stared, Zurn crossed his arms, and Foche made a choking sound. “That means that the Dominion of Narta may have already detected J-144 and may have sent a team of pioneers as well. We will be sending you aboard the Nosferatu, our quickest jumpdrive corvette. Until you are dropped off on the planet with a three-being shuttle, you will be in command of the Nosferatu. Any questions?” The trio looked around at each other without speaking. “All right. Head to the Military Sector and meet with Security Director Zuask. He'll be the one wearing a suit of security armour even inside a civilian Mag-Train station. I do recommend you take the Mag-Train. Godspeed, good sirs.” The screen slid back into the ceiling, leaving Grellick, Zurn, and Foche seated in the small room. As they sat there, the room began to move. A beeping sound emitted from a speaker near the door, followed by a short message.
“Mag-Train online. Please remain seated at all times while train is accelerating and decelerating.” The train began to move faster and faster, the metal spars outside speeding by quicker and quicker. A hissing sound echoed inside, followed by another message. “Air seals active. The car is now pressurized. Entering vacuum.” The train exited the outside of the station, running on a rail system outside. Grellick turned to watch various shuttles of differing races come to and leave the Civilian sector of the station.
“It's still amazing just how many races are in the Alliance.” The shuttle suddenly shifted tracks, floating weightless for a few seconds before the magnets kicked in again. Zurn chuckled.
“Echo-5 may have state-of-the-art defense systems, but the rail system still has to rely on action/reaction forces to switch tracks in vacuum.”
The train slid to a stop in the Military sector's Mag-Train hub station. As the trio left, a large crowd pushed past, various languages and voices creating a cacophony of noise. A single man, wearing security armour and cradling a laser rifle in his arm, walked briskly up to the trio.
“I've been sent by the security director. I'm Agent Black. I'll be your guide to the Nosferatu.” The trio fell into step behind Black as he walked away. “So, I hear you're the three going to J-144? I don't envy you. I don't want to go anywhere near the demilitarized zone, even if I wanted to be a Pioneer. You lot are crazy.” The rest of the walk was spent in silence. Zurn pointed out several good places to find a good time to Foche, while Grellick shoved his hands in his pockets. When he looked up, several security agents were aiming at him, Zurn and Foche.
“What's going on? Where's the Nosferatu?! Black!?” Another security agent stepped forward.
“Hold still for identification scan. If you have any papers, please present them now.” A small wrist scanner waved over Grellick. “Grellick Henderson. Former maintenance worker in the Civilian sector of Echo-5. Recently hired by GeoTech as a Pioneer. He's clean. So are the Huzilian and the Nuzite.” They dragged 'Black' out. “This man is a wanted criminal. I would hazard a guess that he intended to lead you to a waste grate, shoot you, and take your place on the ship to escape the full extent of the law.” The imposter was dragged away, with one security agent kicking him in the stomach. “I'm Director Zuask. Now, the Nosferatu is currently in Bay 12. The entirety of your trip will consist of training and practice. A full two days travel time.” Grellick held out his hand to Zuask.
“Thank you, Zuask. I'm sure we'll be fine on J-144.” Zuask chuckled.
“A planet in the DMZ. It's just great. I hope you get there before the Dominion, or we will have a war on our hands for that planet. You do know its significance, right?” Zurn looked at Foche, who gave the equivalent of a human shrug. “It is strategically important. A single launch platform in J-144's gravity well could tip the balance in the current stalemate.” Zuask handed a Personal Data Assistant to Grellick. “These are your orders, from the Magistrate of the station himself. Don't cause anything that might create hostilities between the Alliance and this new race. Godspeed, Henderson.” Henderson gripped the PDA tightly, shoving it in his coat pocket. A loud voice boomed over the Public Address system.
“Pioneers boarding for planet J-144, please come to Bay 12. The Nosferatu is waiting.” Zurn pointed at a sign that distinguished the bays.
“That's Bay 12 right there. Let's see what kind of people crew the Nosferatu.”
As they entered Bay 12, they were greeted by the sight of a sleek, silver bullet with four wings at the flat end. Two large engines were on each wing, humming quietly. The front of the bullet was pointed, sharp. Underneath, two large laser cannons perched, glowing red with their deadly aptitude. A being inside a pressure suit approached the trio as they sat in amazement at the jumpship.
“Welcome to the Nosferatu. First, I am a Junto. Now that's out of the way, I am the captain of this fine jumpdrive corvette. Would you come aboard?” Without much else to examine on the hull, they followed the captain inside.
The actual inside of the vessel was smaller than expected. The captain pointed to various places.
“This is the common area, where you'll be having your meals for the next two days. Your quarters are marked by the yellow lines on the ground. Refer to the guides on the wall for which lines go where. Command Bridge and Engineering are off-limits. I think that's all I need to say.” The Junto turned to them with a red curve appearing on his helmet. “My name-designation is VIG-56.” VIG left for the Bridge. Foche tapped Grellick on the shoulder, a confused expression coming across his face.
“What's a Junto?”
“Cybernetic race. The pressure suits make certain that their bodies are at a consistent temperature. Don't make one mad, or they will not hesitate to hunt you down and murder you. I had an uncle who did that once. That was never pretty.” He dropped his duffel bag on the ground. “Let's get settled in. They should be leaving soon.”
As the Nosferatu undocked, a small shuttle silently clamped magnetically onto the underside of the hull. Inside, a single man sat.
“Well, Alliance dogs. You will never be able to fight the Dominion if we get to J-144 first. It will be our world.” As he continued to speak, his voice began to distort as his face was covered in shadows. “My world.”
The two days of travel had passed without much of any sort of inconvenience. For Zurn, he had practiced with the shotgun almost every moment he was not sleeping eating. Foche had been getting rather friendly with another Junto member of the Nosferatu's crew, while Grellick had spent much of the time meditating in his quarters, allowing himself only enough time to eat or sleep. He was more anti-social during that time than any other time in his life. A knock on his door brought him back to reality.
“Hey, Grellick! Come on out! You're not going to believe this!” Grellick threw on his trench-coat quickly, bolting out the door.
“Zurn! What's going on?!” Looking out the window brought him to a full realization. “That's J-144? We're here?” He looked down upon the Class 5 world below him. Clouds swirled, the planet rotated, and it seemed very peaceful. He could hardly believe they were in the Demilitarized Zone.
“The shuttle is prepared and fueled up. VIG-56 will take us down when Foche gets here.” A squelching sound from behind alerted them to Foche's presence. “He just fell on his face again. He's been doing that for a day now.”
“Don't mind me or the fact my people don't use artificial gravity on their vessels.” Foche collected himself, staring at J-144. “Beautiful. Reminds me of my homeworld.”
The shuttle was quite delicate. It had been designed for more rigorous insertions, but it had been retrofitted for terrestrial work. Grellick ran his hand over the tear drop hull. The single engine on the back glowed with radioactive life. The landing jets and sponsoons gleamed with polish.
“You really made this quite beautiful, eh?” Zurn looked around.
“VIG isn't here. Maybe we shouldn't-”
“Stop being such a spoilsport, Zurn. At least Foche won't be driving.” Foche's face turned a bright white with embarassment.
“That was one time, and I was intoxicated!” Foche began waving his many tentacles around in emphasis.
“Foche, the word is drunk. Shorter, and more to the point. We all know you Nuzites are eggheads, so don't use your large words. Zurn might not understand-” Grellick's remark was met by a double-handed backhand slap that sent him flying at the shuttle bay wall.
“Be quiet, Grellick. I'm smarter than the average Huzilian.” He squeezed himself into the small rear compartment of the shuttle. “Althought I'm also a lot bigger too.” Foche took the passenger's seat, while Grellick strapped himself into the pilot's seat. A voice came over the intercom inside.
“All right. It appears that you are all inside. We will be launching you in a few minutes, once we get the magnetic rails warmed up.” Grellick turned around and shrugged.
“Easy as pie to fly these things. Pull down to go forward, push up to stop. Left and right are normal, of course.”
“Good flying.” The intercom clicked off, leaving Zurn, Foche and Grellick quite concerned.
“Grellick, this isn't going to hurt, is it?” Grellick smirked.
“Well, the heat shields should hold.” The shuttle bay doors opened, rails extending as the shuttle was turned around. “Unfortunately, I don't think Zurn's stomach will.” The Huzilian squirmed, giving up when he couldn't get a clear hit on Grellick.
“When we get on the planet, you are so dead, human.” The rails began to glow a fluorescent green, dragging the shuttle forward. Grellick gritted his teeth.
“This might hurt a lot.” Without warning, the rails hit full power, rocketing the shuttle forward. All three beings inside were screaming as it shot towards the planet. “This might hurt a whole lot more than a lot!” The shuttle hit the outer atmosphere, the heat shields shining to a bright white. Foche checked the temperature dials with worry.
“The heat shield's reaching its upper limits! We need to pull up, cut some of this heat out of the equation!” Grellick strained as he pulled up on another control stick to his right.
“Come on, you stupid son of a gun! Pull up!” The shuttle groaned, its descent straightening out. “Foche, fire up the engine! Get me a shallower descent!” Foche began flipping dials. A loud rushing sound from behind, coupled with a sudden decrease in the temperature of the heat shields, told Grellick everything he needed to know.
“Grellick, Foche! If we die, I'm coming back to life, bringing you both back to life, just to kill you!” The shuttle streaked across what seemed to be a night sky. VIG-56's voice came over the intercom.
“You're off target! Off target! Course correct now, or you'll end up in an area similar to Juntao's Guni Desert!” The intercom fizzled out, exploding with a loud bang as electricity built up across various systems. Foche attempted to compensate, resulting in the inertial dampening system exploding.
On the ground, a large crowd of the native inhabitants had gathered to witness a bright comet streaking across the night sky. Some were running around screaming while others watched in awe. One dropped its hat, its blonde mane tumbling out.
“What in tarnation? Ain't no comet supposed to move like that!” True to what it stated, the 'comet' turned, streaking right over the town, causing any who were standing there in awe to scatter, running for cover anywhere, even under overturned carts.
“Gah! Come on, you! Stupid! Piece! Of! Junk!” The shuttle contacted the ground, bouncing along. The engine kicked out, shutting off as the landing jets fired. The shuttle was slowed, but was still gliding just above the ground. Yanking the main control right and left, Grellick barely avoided trees. Almost as if out of nowhere, a large hut appeared, the shuttle taking the roof right off. A small lake past the hut became the final resting place of the shuttle. Zurn was thrown from the shuttle, rocketing far from where it landed. Foche was buried upside down in mud, while Grellick was thrown backwards into the hut they had just accidentally partially demolished. Zurn was the first to recover, returning quickly to the crash site to drag the shuttle out. Foche had wiggled his way out of where he had been sticking out of the mud.
“Grellick? Where is that stupid human now?!” Grellick climbed out of the ruined hut, staring wide-eyed.
“That shuttle really is a piece of junk!” He clambered over, falling down a pile of wood. He quickly stood on his feet, looking around. He retrieved his hat from the shuttle, fixing it on top of his head as best he could a waterlogged hat. He looked at the glass panels on the shuttle. “Doesn't look like it will fly again. Let me see if my communicator works.” Unbeknownst to them, a small equine had returned to the hut that Grellick had just clambered out of. “Nosferatu, come in. Nosferatu!” Only static issued from the communicator. Grellick turned around to come face to face with an equine. It was barely half his height, with stripes like a zebra. Zurn slowly walked over and knelt down.
“So, these are the natives of this world? Grellick, if they really live in huts, we might be wasting our time here.” Foche was freaking out in the background, his tentacles waving around as he screamed.
“Mud! Mud is not good for me at all! I hate mud!” He started running around in circles screaming. Grellick rubbed his forehead, turning to his large associate.
“Zurn, could you shut him up? Please?” Zurn grabbed Foche with one hand and slapped him with three. Foche was out like a light. “Good. Now that we have some peace and quiet, we can have proper first contact.” He extended his hand to the equine, who stared at him with wide-eyed fear. It ran and hid.
“I think it's scared of us, Grellick. I mean, look at that dust trail.” Grellick turned around to see only a dust trail.
“No kidding. Whatever. We need to make a base camp. I think that hut should do fine. Zurn, set Foche down inside the hut. I'll grab the gear.”
Foche woke up to a round wall around him, with a modified tent over his head. Zurn sat beside him, eating a small bowl of rice. Grellick munched down on a nutrient bar as he checked the communicator.
“Nosferatu, come in, Nosferatu!” He shook his head again. “Still no response. The comms in the shuttle are fried, too. The electric bolts I saw in the shuttle, I've never seen anything like that.” Grellick continued to munch on the nutrient bar, staring at a small environment scanner he was able to set up.
“Grellick, the Nosferatu is probably gone from orbit. You remember what the general said, right?” Grellick silently nodded. Foche decided to pipe in.
“So, we are stuck here for now?”
“Appears so. Did you guys notice the tribal masks in here-” A loud noise from the outside broke his concentration. “Zurn, check that out, would you?” Zurn set down his empty rice bowl and stood up, staring out.
“Grellick, Foche, would you two believe me if I said there are at least two dozen equines outside, outfitted in golden armour, with floating crossbows and spears next to them?” Grellick and Foche looked at each other for a short bit, then fell over laughing. “I'm not kidding-” A crossbow bolt flew past his head, cutting part of his ponytail off. “All right. No one messes with my ponytail!” He leaped out from the hut and charged the two dozen equines, only to slam into some invisible barrier. “Foche! Grellick! They've got some sort of shield generator!” Grellick leaped out, his handgun drawn. Foche rested his rifle against the wall of the hut, taking aim.
“Whoa! Hold on, Zurn! I'm comin- what in the galaxy is that?!” A very large equine landed in front of the trio, a very stern look on its face. “Either I'm insane, or we are utterly frakkin' screwed.” Foche and Zurn nodded, their weapons aiming around.
“Stand down, guards! I will handle this!” Grellick had to stop. The equine was speaking Alliance Basic? That was impossible. “Why did you destroy Zecora's home?” Grellick carefully put his handgun away, motioning for Zurn and Foche to hide away theirs.
“First, we're not really supposed to be here. Second – I'm going to be perfectly honest – that hut came out of nowhere, giving me no time to change course.” The large equine had wings and a horn, and a coat that was bright white, now that Grellick decided to check it out.
“Well, I shall take you on your word, for now. I am Princess Celestia, one of the princesses who rules this land.” She nodded towards Grellick, who did not understand for a minute.
“What do you- oh. My name is Grellick Henderson, GeoTech Pioneer. The big, blue guy is Zurn, and the purple tentacled Nuzite is Foche. Say hi guys!” The other two waved. “To be honest, this is not the area we are supposed to be in. Actually, do we even know where we were supposed to be?”
“No clue.”
“Haven't the foggiest.” Grellick turned back to Celestia.
“We sort of need a place to stay, too. Unfortunately, we were in Zecora's hut for a short bit. One of your equines here shot at Zurn, which made him consider you a threat. Bad idea to make a Huzilian angry” Celestia stared at the motley group in interest.
“Nuzite? Huzilian? What do those words mean?” Grellick slapped his hand against his forehead.
“Right. I forgot you've never been to the stars, as far as I can tell. A Huzilian and a Nuzite, they're both aliens.” The armoured equines took several steps back, fear in their eyes. “Good aliens. We represent the interstellar group known as the Alliance of Free Species. As Pioneers, we came here to establish a colony, not to start a war.” Zurn had left to check on the shuttle, while Foche was busy packing up their makeshift camp. “We really need a place to sleep, preferably somewhere dry.” Celestia looked down for a minute, looking back up to nod.
“That would be adequate. You did not mean any harm by your actions. Guards, you can leave now. We should be fine, Captain.” Another equine stepped forward, this one clearly a male. He was white with a blue two-tone mane.
“They weren't kidding about the multi-coloured equines.”
“We're ponies, Henderson. Equines is too formal for us.” Grellick shrugged.
“Equines, ponies, same diff.” Celestia looked over to her Captain for a minute.
“Captain, would it be easy enough to build a house large enough for the tallest of these three?” The Captain shrugged.
“Given a few days, we should be able to whip up something. Having it inside a town would cause too much panic.”
“How about here in this forest? It looks nice.” The ponies appeared to visibly recoil at the mention of the forest. “At least, maybe on the edge. I don't feel like walking a far ways for food.” Zurn returned to report.
“Shuttle's completely fried, Grellick. It's not flying out of here ever.”
“That makes things more complicated. Is it okay if we come with you to wherever you came from on this planet?” Celestia nodded, her horn glowing with a mysterious force.
“What is that?” Grellick began to back up, fear beginning to creep into his being.
“A teleportation spell. Fastest way to Canterlot.” Grellick slapped his face hard for that one.
“Pony Camelot. Of course it's frakkin' Canterlot-” The light expanded and encompassed Grellick, Celestia, his friends, and the guards, leaving no one, or pony behind.
The flash returned, Grellick running to a bush to retch. Zurn stood there, slowly rocking, while Foche looked a sickly green.
“I'm sorry if it caused you any discomfort.” Grellick turned to Celestia, irritation written on his face.
“That's an understatement. I don't want to teleport ever.” Celestia seemed about to object. “Ever!” She quieted down, a smaller pony pushing past. This one was lavender, with a two-tone purple mane. From its voice, Grellick deduced it was female.
“Are these the new arrivals? Oh, one has six appendages! I wonder why it looks so angry! That one has tentacles! Aliens! This is incredible, Princess!” Grellick turned to Celestia, shaking his head.
“If I could go with you, we could work out the arrangements for a small house in the forest, if it's not too much trouble?” Celestia nodded, looking at various guards and servants around wherever they had appeared.
“Follow me.”
