Another Casting of the Cards

I awoke with a jerk as I heard a pounding on the door. It seemingly increased in intensity, so I opened the door, still feeling a little drowsy. To my surprise, it revealed a twilit dawn and a slightly scared-looking Applejack and Big Mac.

"Whoa, Applejack, what's up?" I asked her, getting a little paranoid myself. If something scared Applejack, and Big Mac, to boot, it had to be more than a little unnerving.

Big Mac danced around, looking just as nervous as his younger sister. I frowned, silently wondering what was wrong. Applejack apparently picked up on my slightly flattened ears.

"Lyra 'n'  Bon Bon said they were attacked, by ah big creature. Ah guess they were jus' roughed up ah bit, 'cause they're ok, only a little bruised and scared. Big Mac found 'em when he went ta harness up. They said they'd been chased through th' forest, an' inta Sweet Apple Acres. It stopped when it saw th' farm, an' then they hid in th' barn. Oh, an' Twi?" the farm mare finally paused for breath. I resisted the strong temptation to roll my eyes at what they were doing-- they had left Bon Bon and Lyra, who were both likely injured, alone, in the woods, with help, with a hostile being running around.

Twilight finally arrived to interrupt my internal monolgue, and answered AJ's frantic question.

"Yes, Applejack, what's up?"

"Twilight, they said it came down in a beam of light, like a pillar of dawn. They went in an' investigated in case anypony needed help, an' they saw... it. they started screaming an' hollering, an' then they got knocked around a bit, an' then they just ran," finally concluded the farm mare. I looked past her and stared at the imposing figure of Big Mac.

"Are they still there? Big Mac, did you leave those two in that barn?" I asked him, manic worry edging my voice.

"Eeyup," the big stallion responded, his simple response tinged with curiosity.I sagged against the doorjamb, wondering why I had to do this. Finally, I hauled myself upright.

"Okay, Goonies, lets go. We're going to meet the new folks."

Fifteen minutes later, we had reached the barn and I had spent an awkward ten minutes debriefing the unfortunate couple. It was then the work of a five minute journey to place ourselves two hundred yards from where the, now obviously a general purpose shuttle, ship had landed.

"Okay, Twilight, I'm sorry to do this to you, but i want you to stay here and watch. I'm expendable, and none of you are. Just, if I'm hurt, hit 'em hard, eh?" I saw Twilight object at the use of 'expendable' but I ignored her. They all nodded grudgingly, nevertheless, at my last sentence. With that, I left them there and continued on to the ship. I hadn't gone fifty yards before I, shaking my head, pulled Twilight and company out of the cover.

"I want y'all to watch this." I requested, placing everypony about seventy-five yards from the ship. I saw Twilight smile and nod, apparently happy to have a better view, but Applejack and Big Mac merely looked rather apprehensive, a feeling I understood quite well.

I cautiously crept towards the tub, and was about twenty yards from it when the rear hatch opened. I stiffened, knowing the forest and my coat would hide me, but still fearing-- wondering-- about what resided within. I guess it was like Christmas, or what Thomas knew as Christmas anyway-- waiting and wondering about what was in the gift-wrapped box.

A female figure stepped out-- female, insofar as I could te in her heavy black armor-- and scanned the forest with a large rifle. I recognized it as a pulse rifle-- ideal for long range shots, with high accuracy, and very little attenuation of the actual energy contained. I smiled wickedly. I knew Thomas hadn't had the C gene, so it was highly unlikely Sam did. That being said, I was happy it was a Sylorian model-- I would be able to use it, in the unlikely situation it might be needed. I hoped to everything I knew that it wouldn't be necessary, seeing as how I really did not want these ponies to know war.

Once she saw the perimeter was clear, she stepped into the forest, painfully clearly trying to simply vanish.

It was mere foals play for me to find her, standing as statue-like as she was. Her pillar imitation notwithstanding, I almost missed her, something tha was only exasperated by the black armor the mysterious pilot wore.

I mentally smirked and shook my head; she was being a little blunt in her efforts to try to set up a trap, but I wondered, why? Why set a trap, ex post facto she's already roughed up two local citizens, who know doubt already-- but that was it, this new player in the game had abandoned the chase, the trail, the two hapless ponies at the barn, assuming the Apple family building to be abandoned. With a snort, I came to the realization that the space-woman must have figured that those two would raise a ruckus and bring backup. Or they'd be found, and bring me. Same thing either way, as was the trap she thought whoever was next would otherwise be walking into.

She wasn't doing a particularly good job, though, of setting up an ambush, so it was no trouble for me for me to position my horn right next to her neck. I knew it was an impractical weapon, but it would do. If I wanted to, I could end her, and all she stood for.

I chose against-- she was a Sylorian who had changed sides, who could have helped the Sylorians. But she didn't. She had made a choice, and a good one too. Normally, I look down on traitors, but I knew how hard it was to go against your country, let alone your very species, but Thomas told me that he wasn't fond of what his country had become. He had entertained thoughts that would have made Big Brother very angry, but he knew it took a lot to do the right thing. In this war, I suppose there aren't really any things that are good or bad, but still, it takes a great deal of courage to make a choice, and moreover, to stand by that choice.

So instead of testing my horn against her armor, I instead concentrated on stopping time, at least within this area, this person. My horn glowed an odd, shifting, crackling white-blue color that I somehow had managed to miss earlier.

Looking around, I saw the Everfree was operating as normally as this place could ever get, so I delivered a silent kick to the side of the alien's head, praying that I delivered enough force to stun her but not enough to cause a head wounds. Those are one of the worst types of wounds, bleeding all over the place.

I calmly ended the localized time halting spell, and kicked the pulse rifle towards the ship. With a faint flash of anger towards myself, I realized I must have kicked too hard, seeing as blood was gently pouring out a small temple wound. With a start, I frowned to myself, wondering why she wasn't wearing a helmet.

I shrugged at the lack of helmet and resulting but inconsequential skullbucket leaking, and gathered my breath, not that I had lost it in the first place.

"Oh Twilight, oh Applejack, oh Big Mac, come out, come out, wherever you are! Where are you?" I called in a sing-song voice, and they climbed out of the cover, looking a little surprised at what had happened.

As they neared, I was cuffing the unconscious figure with the flexicuffs I found in an pouch on her armor. I smiled as they approached; you have to love miracle fishing.

"Hey, Big Mac, would you mind hauling this deadweight for the hike back to camp? I'd do it myself, but I know I'm not as strong as you," I requested, a little sheepishly. He nodded, and I helped get her slung over him, looking for all the world like he had a large, black, sack of potatoes across his withers.

"I'llead the way!" Twilight exclaimed, grinning and bouncing with enough joy and enthusiasm to rival Pinkie Pie. I nodded, happy to dust up. I knew I would have to retrieve the ship, but it… had disappeared?

As everyone stared slack jawed, I threw a disapproving glance at the unconscious Razani draped across the farm stallion's back.

"Really Lee? You shielded this tub?" I asked, not caring that I wouldn't get a response.

"Ah pillar of dawn Ah'd believe, but vanishin' boats? What's up, Sam?" Applejack joked, sounding worried.

In response, I merely smiled and shook my head as I headed to where the ship had been. With a thud and a lightning buck that would have made Rainbow Dash proud, I slammed my back hooves into the ship. With an electromagnetic fizz, it came back. I tossed a laconic smirk at Twilight, who glared at me, instead choosing to look at the ship with an odd expression on her muzzle.

"You know, Twi, you stare any harder, your eyes are gonna fall out!" I playfully chuckled.

In response, she merely twitched, but grinned and carried on looking through the open hatch.

It was only a few feet later, however, that when Twilight brought her forehoof down, it resulted in a click that my friend Thomas knew all too well. With a whoosh, the mine popped open, and a small tan orb hovered up. It lazily drifted to humanoid head height, which activated the blinking of a on the side. This was an animal trap, meant for large animals like a bear, but it would be more than lethal to all of us.

Racing towards it, I focused all my willpower into one thought process-- stop everything.

Blinking, I awaited the agony that would mark the detonation of the bashful bear -- known to Terran civilians as the Bouncing Betty, known to Terran combatants as the dinner dish of death-- mine. It would release a hail of steel ball bearings in every direction. In a word, lethal.

There was nothing. Not a click, not a boom, not a beep, not a peep, not so much as a single bird chirping. I opened my eyes and sighed a heartfelt expletive.

There was the small orb of the bashful bear hanging in the air, looking like it was glaring at me with its one dry, tan colored eyeball, rather akin to Sauron's eye.

Figures. I had managed to stop time. Smirking, I kicked the little ball of death over the horizon.

It was with great difficulty that I prevented Thomas from rearing his hideous head. Though I concurred with him in his desire for vengeance, I knew it wasn't time, not yet, though I chuckled to myself when I realized the term "running out of time" held no meaning for me anymore.

Deciding to get rid of the other mines, i stamped around the perimeter of the area, my hooves ringing out every time they struck one of the dinner dishes of death.

I had finally finished the de-mining after what I knew wasn't much more than about forty-five minutes, but to the others was literally no time at all.

I ended the spell, a sudden slightly childish thought interrupted my work-- why don't I join the Cutie Mark Crusaders? It would be a good way to spend time, when not running around investigating pillars of light, I could help them find their cutie marks, and I could keep them out of harms way. Smiling now that I had some sort of thing to do rather than enjoy the strange things the Everfree seemed to summon, I retook my place at the end of the line, and killed the spell.

"What the hay was that?" Twilight asked, apparently confused about the click, as well as why the mine her hoof had been  on had been replaced with a dinner plate sized hole.

"And... what are those craters in the ground?" she continued, in reference to the other mines, now living a happy life with their families somewhere over the horizon.

"An' why in tarnation are you so happy, Sam?" asked Applejack.

"Those, my friend, are called either bashful bear mines, bouncing betty mines, or dinner plate of death, depending on who or what you are, and Applejack,  I'm happy 'cause I've decided to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Twilight gave me a look, almost like she wanted to question me, but instead I bounced over to the front of the line, and motioned with a hoof for the others to follow.

"Uhm, Phoenix, that's the wrong way, unless of course, you're heading to Zecora," the unicorn's voice rang out, dry enough to dehydrate a pineapple.

"Right, right. Jolly good show old bean. My apologies."

o.O.o

Celestia was engrossed in the parchment, but her attention was diverted when her sister trotted in.

"Hello, Luna, what's wrong?" asked the alicorn Princess of the Sun.

"I was just wondering why you weren't at breakfast, Tia. It's just not like you, to miss something like that. We all knowl know you raised the sun normally, but you... got a letter?" concluded Luna, glancing at the letter held in Celestia's telekinetic grasp as Luna sat down opposite her sister.

"Very astute, Luna, I did indeed get a letter. It's from Twilight, and is actually a report on that new pony, Sam Phoenix, I believe? I think you've visited his dreams, and have seen what they're like." At this, Luna shivered almost imperceptibly, recalling Wilhelm Tell and the fighting aboard the starship. It didn't escape Celestia's notice, who offered a sympathetic smile, and offered the report to Luna, who accepted it with a word of thanks. She began reading, not sure what to expect.