Cope

by Mushious

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Princess Celestia, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other
Length: 11667

Direct sequel to Void. After surviving a plane crash, Marian Anderson, a flight attendant must struggle with the possibility of never returning home.

When the world burns down around you, who do you turn to? With a mile high language barrier between herself and the native inhabitants of this strange land, Marian Anderson is struggling to find an answer.

Sequel to Void however, it is not required to understand.

Published 2013-09-25 18:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-25 18:30:02 UTC

Prologue

“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Marian and I am your chief flight attendant today. On behalf of the entire crew, welcome aboard American Airlines flight 108, non-stop service from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand.” She took a breath, flashing the passengers a winning smile before returning her attention to the microphone.

“Our flight time will be approximately twelve hours. We will be flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet at a ground speed of 560 miles per hour,” she gestured to the monitor in the central row, which showed a colourful animation that showed the aircraft taking off and ascending to cruising altitude.

“At this time, make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Please be sure your seat belt is correctly fastened. Also, we advise you that as of this moment, any electronic equipment must be turned off and, thank you for joining us on our brand spanking new 787’s maiden flight.” The passengers cheered at this, Marian couldn’t help but grin as she made her way to the staff compartment.

Marian took a seat as the automated safety instructions began broadcasting throughout the plane, checking her seat’s own emergency equipment as they were listed. As she was finishing her routine, another flight attendant sat down next to her and repeated the movements.

“Pretty exciting isn’t it?” The attendant asked, Marian glanced briefly at her nametag which read ‘Victoria’.

Marian nodded, “especially after all the problems they’ve had with these planes, I’m glad they’ve finally got something right.”

They both laughed quietly between themselves as the plane began to gain momentum, powerful jet turbines screaming into life as it tore down the runway, a joyous shout could be heard from the cockpit as the plane lurched skywards, ascending into the heavens. Marian sat back and pulled out a well-read book as she waited for the plane to finish it’s ascent, a task that would take roughly twenty minutes.

DONG

Marian flinched as the speaker overhead announced to the crew that the aircraft was leveling out. She hastily stashed her book away, unclipped her seatbelt and jumped to her feet, smoothing out the creases in her uniform before turning to face the other attendants.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, lets do this. Another long flight ahead of us, we’re going to try our best to make it as uneventful as possible, Stan and Victoria, you’ll be handling first class. Anita, Louise and myself will have business, everyone else, you’ll be serving in economy.” One or two of the flight attendants frowned at this but said nothing, knowing better than to invoke Marian’s wrath. “As this is a new plane, you might not be familiar with the layout, reference charts are on the walls of each galley, be sure to use them.”

Marian checked her clipboard before nodding to the crowd, “that’s everything, if anyone has a problem, you know how to reach me. Enjoy the flight and best of luck.”

She picked up her headset at the crowd dispersed, stepping out from the staff compartment to face the business-class passengers, “hello again, ladies and gentlemen. The Captain has turned off the fasten seat belt sign and you may now move around the cabin. However, we always recommend to keep your seat belt fastened while you are seated. You may now also turn on your electronic devices such as game consoles, MP3 players and laptop computers.”

On cue, several passengers hurriedly got up and began digging around in the overhead compartments in search of various pieces of luggage.

She watched them as they rushed to get lost once again in their digital worlds, "in a few moments, the flight attendants will be passing around the cabin to offer you hot or cold drinks. Alcoholic drinks are also available with our compliments. Now, sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. Thank you for once again choosing American Airlines.”

Attendants began pushing trolleys down each aisle of the aircraft as she finished her announcement, offering the passengers drinks as they arrived at each row of seats. Marian grinned, the day was beginning flawlessly. She stepped back into the staff compartment and knocked on the cockpit door.

“Open up boys, Aunt Marian want’s to chat,” she called through the reinforced door. She heard someone inside laugh as the lock was drawn back.

She feigned her best scowl as the door swung open, raising an eyebrow as she was greeted by one of the flight engineers. He cringed, stepping out of the way in a hurry to allow her access.

“Morning boys, I hope that wasn’t about me.”

The co-pilot grinned as he turned around in his seat, “we wouldn’t dream of it Maria, how are things back there?”

She shrugged dismissively, “the usual. Quiet bunch, heads in their computers,” she looked out the windshield and frowned. “Please tell me you’re not going to fly over that thing.”

She pointed to a large black cloud formation ahead of them, directly below their flightpath. It glowed brilliant blue for a moment as lightning lit the clouds from within.

“Eh,” the co-pilot followed her gaze, “it’s just a baby, we’re high enough to avoid the worst of it. Although... we could hop along the the top of it if you’re feeling really uncomfortable.”

Marian stuck out her hand, a rolled up magazine was promptly placed in her grasp by one of the flight engineers.

“Forget I said anything!” The co-pilot cried, shying away from her as she swatted him across the back of the head.

Marian grinned as he turned around to face the controls, arms held high in defeat, “I’ll see you boys shortly, after we’re clear of that minefield,” she turned and walked out the door, back into the staff compartment.

She pressed a button on her headset which allowed her to talk to attendants only, “alright guys, we’re going to be flying over a nasty storm, might be a bit of a shake but once we’re clear of it, it should be smooth sailing the rest of the way.”

The plane rocked slightly as she finished talking. From the other side of the curtain, she heard a loud string of cursing. Sighing heavily, she once again smoothed her uniform flat and stepped out from behind the curtain to see a man sitting in the first row who had spilled his drink down his lap.

She approached him with a gentle smile, “sir, is there anything I could help you with?” She asked, immediately adding him to a mental list of people she did not like; he was an overly large but well kept man, dressed in a loose fitting blue suit which now bore a dark wet patch where his coffee had been spilt.

“I could think of a dozen things but none of them are going to get this fucking stain out of my pants,” he growled without looking up, flicking his coffee drenched hands in mid-air, pelting Marian’s skirt with tiny black droplets.

Her eye twitched as she struggled to maintain her smile, “you stay right there sir, I’ll get you some napkins.” She ducked under the curtain that separated the cabin from staff compartment and rubbed her temples, maybe it wasn’t going to be such a smooth flight after all.

As she reached for the napkins, her ears twitched. Behind the curtain the passenger grumbled, “stupid bitch, what’s taking her so long?”

Her hand passed over a bottle of Big Jim’s Stain Remover/i] but she lowered it looked at the box of napkins in her grasp, ‘oh no, I’m taking much too long for that,’ she thought, stepping out into the cabin once again.

“Here you are sir, sorry for taking so long.”

The passenger grunted in response. He snatched the napkins from her hands and began rubbing at his sodden leggings, Marian couldn’t help the motherly thoughts passing through her head, ‘dab it, don’t rub it. You’ll only make it worst’.

She was about to ask if he needed anything else when to both her relief and dismay, the fasten seat belt light came on as a chime rang through the plane. Moments later, the aircraft began to shake violently. Marian struggled to stay on her feet as she made her way back through the curtain and into the staff compartment, behind her the coffee-stained passenger swore loudly as the remainder of his drink reminded him of it’s presence.

Speakers throughout the plane burst into life, “ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We’ve encountered a little bit of turbulence and would much appreciate it, if you could at this time fasten your seatbelts and stow away any insecure possessions. We’ll be through the worst of it in a minute or so, and it should be happy flying from there onwards. Thank you.”

Marian groaned as the plane continued to shake, she hated turbulence; it was David to her Goliath. She looked up as another attendant sat down opposite her, looking a little green.

Without warning, the oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and the speakers crackled to life once again. “Apologies ladies and gentlemen, feel free to push the masks aside for the time being, these new jets have hair-trigger response systems,” the Captain laughed over the loudspeakers, “not that that’s a bad thing!”

Through the speakers, Marian could hear sirens screaming. Something wasn’t right. She unclipped her belt and stood up, bracing herself against another crew member as the plane continued to rock violently.

“I’m going to find out what’s going on,” she declared, ducking under the curtain and heading to the cabin, using the plush first-class armchairs as support. She banged on the cockpit door, holding tight to a nearby handrail.

“It’s Marian, open up.” The heavy door swung open revealing a red-lit cockpit. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “Fill me in guys,” she called over the din of the sirens.

A flight engineer pointed out the windshield as an inhuman scream filled the air; a sound not too dissimilar from the sound of straining metal. She looked out the window, eyes wide at what she saw. All around the aircraft was a writhing purple-black sea of what she could only think of as liquid lightning.

“Sir!” The flight engineer called as a new alarm screamed into life, “we just lost all control left and right primary ailerons, we’re losing fuel and hydraulic pressure from both wings.”

The Captain swore, “seal off whatever the systems allow, we’ll have to turn back and land on the continent.” He flicked a switch on the dash, “ladies and gentlemen, we’ve encountered a minor technical difficulty and will have to return to continental USA. Once we’ve landed, you will be transferred to another plane to our destination-”

The Captain was cut off as the cockpit was suddenly filled with a robotic voice, joined by an obnoxiously loud klaxon.

TOO LOW, TERRAIN. TOO LOW, TERRAIN, TOO LOW, TERRAIN

Outside the cockpit, the ‘lightning’ faded, revealing a clear, cloudless sky.

“HOLY... SHIT!” The Captain and co-pilot yelled in unison.

The aircraft screamed through the air, suddenly no higher than a hundred feet off the ground. The Captain and co-pilot each pulled back as hard as possible on their respective yokes, “it’s no use Captain!” The co-pilot yelled, “we’ve lost hydraulics!”

In response, the Captain slammed the throttle all the way to zero. Outside, the turbines coughed and spluttered, starved of fuel and power.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he called over the radio, “if you would kindly... put on your masks and brace for impact... I’d uh, much appreciate it. If you haven’t fastened your seat belt yet, may god have mercy on your soul.”

Ahead of them and fast approaching, stood a tall structure of glass and steel with a large, bright red cross painted across the face of the building.

“Aw hell,” the Captain groaned, “we can’t crash into a hospital. That’s seven flavours of wrong. Ed, pull back as hard as you can on the count of three and don’t let go whatever you do. We’ve still got manual control, it’ll just be a bitch to move. Marian, engies, give us a hand.”

The co-pilot, Ed, nodded and the rest of the crew in the cockpit raced to assist them.

“One...”

“Two...”

“Three... PULL!”

They pulled back on the stubborn yokes as hard as they could, adrenaline surging through their veins with their last ditch effort. Inch by inch, the nose of the plane began to rise. However, it was not fast enough.

“BRACE!” The Captain yelled.

Marian screamed as the plane shuddered violent, the world around the cockpit dissolving in a storm of brilliant fire as everything went black.

It's What Separates Us From The Apes

Cope

By Mushious

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo held one another tightly as the building crumbled around them. They coughed, their eyes stinging as plumes of acrid smoke wafted into the air from pools of burning liquid that littered the debris. They looked at one another and nodded before inching their way through the fire towards the exit; a gaping hole where a wall once was.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash rasped, “are you coming or are you going to get cooked over there?”

Twilight didn’t move a muscle, she stood in the middle of a perfect circle which was free of any debris or fire. Before her was a gigantic metal carcass that stretched far beyond her gaze. Intense flames and oily black smoke billowed out of it in various places, paint peeling in the heat. Ignoring her friend’s call, she took a step towards it, unable to comprehend what was happening.

It was tubular in design, a large fin stuck out from the side of the main body, which had severed half-way along it’s length. Twilight was unable to see the end of it through all the smoke and fire but from the glimpse she got before it crashed into the hospital, she knew there was a smaller set of fins towards the rear.

The body itself was largely intact, although it did appear to have separated in certain places. Buried in the ground next to the visible fin, was a large curved object which Twilight assumed was what gave it motion.

She took another step towards it when a thick section of steel fell away, causing her to jump, snapping out of the trance that had overcome her. She shook her head and peered through the black haze. An internal light within the new hole flickered to life, bright blue, not a colour she expected from the within a roaring fire.

A loud hissing filled the air as a giant balloon like object expanded from the opening, creating a steep bridge between the hole and the ground. To her surprise, something fell from within and tumbled down the new bridge. Whatever it was, it was alive.

“Sweet merciful Celestia!” A colourful accent filled the air, “what the hay happened!?”

Twilight gasped as she was thrown over the back of a red stallion and rushed out of the building, “Big Macintosh! I’m fine, put me down!” She cried.

Once outside the crumbling building, he crouched, allowing her to climb off his back, “you were not safe Miss Twilight, standin’ in the middle of a burnin’ building.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, “I was fine. Thank you for your concern though.”

He nodded before racing back into the hospital which Twilight saw was very much on fire, she cringed at the sound of internal walls giving way. Turning her attention to the flaming wreck, she suddenly remembered the life form she saw moments earlier.

“Twilight!” Applejack cried out, running over to her, “thank Celestia you’re alright. Have you seen Applebloom?”

Twilight shook her head, “she’s probably on her way back to the orchard, or with Sweetie Belle. They were here about an hour ago checking on Scootaloo.”

Applejack sighed, “I sure hope so.”

“Applejack,” Twilight glanced at her orange friend, “there are ponies in that thing. We need to help them.”

“Whatever this thing is, it sure as hay ain't pony made. But, I agree, if there’s somepony in trouble, we oughta help.” They ran over to the metal construct, dodging pools of liquid fire as they made their way to the opening Twilight had sighted.

As they neared, they spotted a strange individual doubled over at the bottom of the slope.

“Uh Twilight,” Applejack observed, “that ain’t a pony.”

Twilight shook her head, “doesn’t matter, we should help. You get that one, I’ll go inside.”

Applejack moved to assist it as Twilight teleported to the top of the inflatable slope and stepped inside. She nudged the strange creature in what she assumed was it’s shoulder. It looked up at her, eyes wide with fear, blood running down it’s forehead. It opened it’s mouth and a strange, sharp noise flowed from it’s lips. Applejack shook her head, gesturing to her back in a way she hoped it would understand.

Shakily, the strange creature stood up, towering over her in a manner similar to a Diamond Dog. It placed a hoof... claw, thing on her back and followed her through the haze.

Inside the aircraft, Twilight wasn’t having much luck. Many of the strange beings were not moving, dead from either the smoke or their injuries. She looked around in a hurry for any that were still alive; the heat inside the tube was becoming unbearable. Most of the creatures were secured to some kind of seat, obviously designed for travel within the tube by thick woven straps, secured by metal buckles. None of the creatures in this part of the tube were moving, Twilight scowled, running through a large door into the next.

From behind a tall curtain, Twilight heard a loud wailing noise. Ducking under it, she saw another of the creatures secured to it’s seating apparatus, struggling to escape from the binding device.

Twilight’s horn burst into life, severing the straps with a single flick. The creature fell forward, collapsing on the ground. Another of the strange creatures came barging into the compartment through a curtain on the other side, racing to the other’s aid. Twilight’s eyes shot wide; help, exactly when it was needed.

“Hey!” She called out, “this way!”

The able creature looked at her and cocked its head, murmuring something in its strange language.

Twilight rolled her eyes, ‘perfect’ she thought, ‘they don’t understand us.’

“Hey!” She called out again, grabbing it’s attention. She waved her hooves around in the air, pointing wildly for the door she came in through.

A look of realization washed over the creature’s face. Throwing the forelimb of it’s companion over it’s neck, it stood up and dragging it’s companion with, followed her out the wreckage into the cooler yet still nearly unbreathable air.

Outside, Twilight gasped, greedily sucking down whatever oxygen she could get. The creature that followed did the same as they made their way down the bridge. Through the smoke, Twilight saw a medical tent had been erected outside the debris field in the short time she had been inside. She pointed and the strange creature nodded, speaking once again in it’s strange tongue as it limped through the fire and smoke towards safety.

Twilight rushed back into the burning tube, galloping into another compartment. She slipped on the carpeted floor which gave poor traction under her hooves and fell to the ground. She sighed, at least the impact was cushioned by a warm, squishy pillow.

She jumped to her hooves in disgust, realizing the pillow was anything but. Before her lay a motionless body that had fallen out of it’s seat on impact. She stepped over it carefully as she made her way deeper into the wreckage. Thankfully she didn’t have to go far, only a few seats away, fire had begun to creep along the ground and up the walls, she took a cautious step towards the inferno, her hoof crunching on broken glass that littered the ground.

In response, she was rewarded with a whimper. Wedged between the tight space was another of the creatures, smaller than the others. ‘An infant,’ she decided. Sparing herself a moment to think, she reached in and pulled it out from the tight gap, accidentally dropping it inches from the ground as something grabbed her mane.

Looking up from the infant, she saw a pale forelimb grabbing her. It was attached to a long-maned creature who was wheezing, struggling to breathe in the hot, smoky environment. Twilight hurriedly severed the straps holding it in place. It flopped out of it’s confinements and fell forwards onto her back. The fire was dangerously close now and the infant had begun cry, drowning out the crackling flames with it’s wailing.

Twilight grabbed it’s clothing in her teeth and struggled to the door, stepping carefully over the body on the floor while the creature on her back bore down on her with it’s weight. Upon making it to the opening, she shrugged the creature off and watched it slide down the bridge to the bottom where another of it’s kind were waiting.

As she joined it at the bottom, a pair of claws carefully took the foal... infant from her mouth, the group cheered and much to her displeasure, patted her on the head. Twilight followed them back to the medical tent, casting the giant tube one final look as it was entirely engulfed in fire.

Inside the tent, Nurse Redheart and Nurse Tenderheart were hurriedly darting around the makeshift beds, treating ponies and the strange creatures left and right. One of the injured ponies sitting near the door with a bandage wrapped around it’s head looked up as they came in.

“I don’t get why we’re helping these things,” he grumbled, “they did this to us in the first place!”

He was quickly silenced when a white hoof plowed into his jaw, the crack of bone resounding throughout the entire tent. Sporting his new injury, he looked up to see Nurse Redheart standing over him, murder in her eyes.

“I don’t care who they are or what they are. If they’re injured, we’re going to help them. If all you can do is sit around and make foalish remarks, get the buck out of my tent,” she seethed venomously. The stallion was quick to comply, darting out the tent flaps before she could prepare another strike.

“Coward,” she muttered, rushing back to help those who needed her.

“That’s one heck of a mare...” another stallion breathed, flinching as the nurse threw him a dangerous look, “I... I think I’ll go help outside,” he said shakily, following his companion outside.

--

Marian whimpered as she opened her eyes. She looked around blearily, trying to get her bearings. She was still in the cockpit of the jet, amazed that the frontal section of the of the aircraft had even survived. Blinking a few times, she realized she was sprawled across the lap of the co-pilot, Ed.

Sucking in a mouthful of stale air, she forced herself into a sitting position and looked around. Through the shattered windshield, she saw the nose of the jet pointing towards the ground, leaves and branches wedged themselves through the side windows leaving little to the imagination as to where she was. As she shifted her weight in the confined space, the entire cockpit groaned and slipped in the branches and threatening to fall to the ground.

She reached towards Ed’s neck and checked for a pulse, not that she needed to; his body was already going cold, a large gash in his torso giving evidence as to why. She repeated the motion on the Captain, shivering violently as she felt his cold, clammy flesh beneath her fingers.

Her whimper turned into a wail as something registered in her brain that she was surrounded by corpses, “I... have to get out of here!” She choked, tears streamed down her face, turning red as they washed over dry blood.

Using an aluminium-backed book, she smashed out what remained of the window, breaking away the jagged points around the edges. Just to be sure, she weaseled her way out of her blood-stained blouse and lay it across the metal window frame.

“Don’t you fail me now,” she wheezed, patting the dash as she climbed over the dead pilots and out the window, the craft groaning in response to her every movement. Once she was free of the cockpit, she let go of the window ledge and slid down the nose of the plane. She could tell from the way it was wedged in the tree, it wouldn’t be going anywhere in a hurry.

As she reached the tip of the nosecone, she felt the sensation of crisp, moist grass under her feet. One of her shoes had come off as she made her way down to the ground, which she hobbled over to, stepping on a stray splinter of glass as she bent over to pick it up.

She scowled and plucked the sliver from her foot, “so I’m not dead then.”

Blood began flowing through her sock the second she pulled the glass splinter out, not enough to worry about she thought, as she slipped her shoe back on and looked around.

Wide open fields made up most of the land, a large red barn could be seen in the distance, “America?” She asked herself, confused, looking around for the rest of the plane. As she turned around her jaw dropped.

In the distance was a gargantuan column of filthy black smoke, not too different from the kind she saw during the BP platform explosion a few years back. What remained of the once majestic aircraft lay in ruin, entirely engulfed in fire.

“Holy shit!” She yelled as memories of the crash suddenly came back to her, “there’s a goddamn hospital under all of that!” She broke into an awkward run, hobbling through the grassy field that sat between her and the raging inferno.

As she drew closer, she saw little remained of the building the jet had plowed into, what kinetic force hadn’t claimed, fire had devoured instead. The jet itself wasn’t much better, a roaring carcass sat where it once was, flames eating through the aluminium body as if it was paper.

‘Total loss...’ she thought, eyeing the wreckage. She was almost at the point of collapse when she heard a shout over the the din of the fire. She looked up expectantly but saw no-one. Adrenaline began to course through her veins with the thought that people may have survived. She raced towards the burning hulk, the heat of the flames causing her eyes to water.

She darted around the shattered remains of the tail section; the only part of the 787 not on fire, and broke into joyful tears at the sight that lay before her. People were running around the crash site, darting between large green tents, carrying buckets and unidentifiable objects as they went. Oddly enough, they weren’t alone. Several four-legged, multi-coloured creatures were running and flying around dousing fires and carrying supplies of their own about the crash site.

From this angle, she saw exactly how she had survived. The plane had crashed into the hospital belly first and the cockpit had severed on impact. It had continued through the air to where it had landed not far from the rest of the wreckage. She was surprised at how much of the plane had survived, mentally shrugging it off as she approached the field tents.

Her head spun as she hobbled to the tents, several survivors noticed and raced to meet her.

“Ma’am, it’s good to see you’re alive,” one of them spoke, lifting her from behind as another grabbed her legs, “you’ve done enough walking for now, let’s get you inside.”

She mumbled something incoherent as the strength left her body, succumbing to fatigue. One of the survivors pulled a flap on the tent revealing the chaos within; coloured horses and people alike rushed between beds made from wooden crates, attending to the injured sprawled out atop them.

“If she can sit, put her over there,” a heavily bandaged man called, pointing to some chairs that had been salvaged from the plane. He glared at a white horse in front of him who gave an equally intense stare back, “DAMNIT MARE! I’M A DOCTOR NOT A HORSE WHISPERER!” He yelled, pointing at himself and then jabbing the mare in her hindquarters where a large red cross was displayed. This earned him a swift blow to the stomach followed by his head being jerked in the direction of the injured. The white mare gestured to them all.

He threw his hands up in the air, rubbing where she had struck him, “goddamn devil-horse, you’re supposed to fix people, not make more patients!”

Approaching Marian, he stuck out a hand, grinning, “Careful with that one, she’s got one heck of a temper. Doctor Leo H. McCoy, ma’am.”

She took his hand shaking it gently with all the strength she could muster, “Marian Anderson.”

“Oh yeah, the flight attendant,” he recalled, leaning over her, “I’m just going to check you for signs of trauma, you seem mostly fine but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” He put two fingers under her chin, “pulse feels fine, surprisingly calm actually. Could you lift your chin please?”

She complied and he lifted her eyelids, shining a bright light in her eyes, “no obvious sign of head trauma,” he concluded, “you seem good to go, head outside and get some air. If you feel any discomfort, come and see me, or the wicked witch over there immediately.” Nodding, Marian forced herself to stand and limped out of the medical tent.

Once outside, she took a deep breath. The fire was beginning to burn itself out and the air around the wreckage was clearing, revealing pristine skies above. She began to look around for somewhere to sit down and rest when a hand bumped into her chest, looking down she saw a steam cup of something black in it’s grasp.

“It looks like coffee, it smells like coffee, hell, it even brews like coffee,” the owner of the hand exclaimed, spitting in the dirt, “but it tastes like tea.” He finished.

She took the cup, putting it to her lips. He was right, “thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. As strange as these little critters are, you have to admit, they know how to make a good cuppa,” he grinned, “c’mon, lets go find somewhere to sit down.”

They wandered away from the tents and climbed a small hill where what appeared to be a park bench sat at the top. The tip of a building could be seen in the distance, flag on top blowing in the breeze.

Marian’s jaw dropped as they got to the top of the hill, wrapped around a central building sat a large village unlike any she had ever seen. Mismatched structures of various shape, size and colour littered the town, nestled between them sat whitewashed houses with what appeared to be straw thatched roofs.

“It sure is something huh?” He asked, sitting down on the bench, “the name’s Connor by the way and you’re...” he paused and thought for a minute, “Marian, right?”

She raised an eyebrow, “that’s right, how did you figure that one out?”

He grinned, “I never forget a voice and...” he scratched the back of his head, “your nametag is hanging from your pocket.”

“So, what do you think happened? One minute we were in mid-air, the next, we were barely off the ground?” She asked, “I was in the cockpit at the time, not much of a view.”

“You were in the cockpit!?” His eyes widened, “ho...lee... shit. Last I saw, that thing was stuck in a tree. You’re lucky to be alive.”

She pointed at the smouldering wreckage behind them, “I think we all are.”

“Well, I can’t really explain what I saw, I was in a window seat behind the right wing, but...” he dragged a fingernail across his wrist, “it all seemed fine at first, and then without warning, everything went dark, black crap started swirling around the plane, all voodoo like. Next thing I know, treetops are whizzing by under us only, we can’t pull up because we have no wings. it was as if a saw had cut clean through them. All that was left were those little flappy things close to the body.”

Marian cringed as he made a gesture resembling an explosion. “When I finally came to, the plane was a shambles, I heard someone cry out and when I ran to them, I found one of them little horses with a pointy thing on their head trying to drag someone away. I didn’t know what to think, were they friendly? Last I checked, horses didn’t come in many more flavours than black and brown.”

She nodded, “I didn’t notice any other people around, yet, there’s all those buildings down there.”

Connor leaned closer, “Wherever we are, I reckon it’s well out of the reach of us humans, I don’t even think this is the same world y’know? I’d say them horses built them.”

Marian scoffed at the idea, “with what? They have hooves, not hands.”

Connor shook his head and tapped his forehead, “those horns you see aren’t just for poking things. I’ve been watching them, they can do all kinds of things!”

“What do you mean exactly?” She asked.

“Magic.”

Marian laughed again, “I think you might have hit your head a bit too hard, thanks for the coffee... tea, stuff. I’m feeling a bit better now, I think I’m going to go back and help out.”

Connor shrugged, “you’ll believe me when you see it.”

She made her way back down the hill, leaving Connor to stare out into the village on his own. She sighed as she wandered back towards the carnage, it was a miracle they had survived at all. She approached one of people who appeared to have taken charge.

“Where can I be the most help?” She asked. He turned around and his face lit up when he saw her.

“Marian!” He cried cheerfully, sweeping her up in an awkward hug. It was Lou, one of the flight engineers, “you’re alive! I thought I was the only one who made it out of the cockpit,” he squeezed her extra tight before putting her down, “I’m so glad.”

“Glad to see you’re alright too, Lou. Where do you need me?”

He rubbed his chin, “there’s not much hope for the plane, why not head over to the hospital and help dig, these ponyfolk don’t seem too happy to have a great big jetliner sticking out of the side of it.”

“Pony?”

He shrugged, “they’re little horses. Where I come from, we call little horses ponies.”

“Ah,” Marian looked at the mess that sat where a hospital once was, “works for me. I’ll see you around Lou.”

He waved as she walked over to the hospital ruins, stopping when she noticed something strange. Debris was floating through the air, encased within coloured glowing barriers. “Well, I’ll be damned, he was right,” she looked around to see the colours matched up with various ponies dotted around the site.

She set to work, clambering over the rubble, pulling at loose chunks of cement, throwing them aside. Every now and again, a shout would ring out from somewhere around the ruins as ponies were trapped beneath. She held her breath as she threw another hunk of cement over her shoulder when she thought she heard something underneath her.

She began to dig frantically, throwing twisted steel reinforcing aside as she caught sight of what was making the noise. Pinned underneath several strips of rebar was a small yellow pony. She stuck a hand up in the air and called out.

“Hey! I’ve found one over here!”

Several people rushed to help her, digging at surrounding rubble to loosen up the rebar that jutted out at odd angles. She pointed to one piece of iron overlapping the others, “pull that!” She shouted. They hurried to comply and upon lifting the metal rod, the others all shifted allowing her to push them aside.

Reaching in, she passed a hand to the small pony. Cautiously, it raised a hoof to her hand. Once it was within reach, she grabbed it tightly and pulled with all her might, lifting the yellow pony to safety. The crowd applauded as she cradled it in her arms, before setting off to find other ponies buried beneath the rubble.

The yellow pony squirmed in her arms, murmuring something in their strange language. It wasn’t anything like what she expected. Instead of a whinny, she was greeted with a burst of what she could only describe as song. Not like a bird yet, not like a human. Deliberate, calm tones flooded her ears making her wonder just what in the world these ponies were.

“Lets get you to the tent,” she smiled, a gesture that seemed to calm the small pony down. She hobbled over to the nearest tent, stepped inside and set the pony down on one of the crate-beds before collapsing to the ground.

“Ugh...” she groaned falling face first into the dirt, “hey Leo...? Help.”

--

Twilight and Applejack darted in and out of the tents, ferrying the injured around the site. They were about to head out once again when one of the creatures burst through the flaps carrying a familiar face in it’s claws.

“Applebloom!” They both cried out in surprise, rushing to her side as the creature that bought her in collapsed to the ground.

One of the creatures inside the tent ran to assist it’s fallen comrade. He had taped a red cross to his clothing using a roll of surgical tape he had found in a tin salvaged from the wreckage. He hoisted the her and sat her against the crates resting along the wall, clearly not in need of urgent care.

“Where were you Applebloom?” Applejack asked, “I was worried sick.”

Applebloom pointed to the creature that brought her in, “I got trapped when the hospital exploded. That thing dug me out!”

Their reunion was interrupted as Nurse Redheart poked her head into the tent and called out, “Twilight! I need your help, please hurry!”

Twilight raced out of the tent and into the trauma tent next door. Nurse Redheart pointed to a pony lying on a stretcher, a torrent of blood streaming from beneath a cloth stuffed into a gash in her leg, “the artery has been nicked, there’s too much blood for me to get in to stop the bleeding. Can you use magic to stem the flow while I patch it?”

Twilight cast the spell without hesitation, pinching the damaged vessel shut. Nurse Redheart mopped up the remaining blood before diving in with a needle and thread. She pulled away moments later drenched in the sticky red substance.

“Done, thank you Twilight. Care to hold the wound shut so I can do that as well?”

Twilight cringed at the sight of blood on her once-pristine coat, ‘Rarity would have a fit if she saw this,’ she thought. Without a word, for fear of losing her breakfast, Twilight complied with her request.

“There’s one more over here Twilight... one of their kind, if you’ll please.”

Twilight walked over the patient who lay opposite. It was the first chance she had to examine one up close, the activities of the day had been so hectic, she hadn’t had time to get a good look. They were of bipedal build, as she had observed earlier. Their bodies were mostly hairless; at most, a light pelt coated their otherwise clear skin. Atop their heads they wore manes of various lengths and colours. On the end of their forelimbs they had slender claw-like appendages, fit for grabbing and holding.

“If you’ll please, Twilight,” Nurse Redheart repeated, pulling her back to reality.

“Sorry, It’s just I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Redheart pointed to the gash in it’s leg, “you won’t again if we don’t them patched up. Now, please.”

Twilight’s horn lit up, pinching the wound as shut.

“Thank yo--” Nurse Redheart was interrupted as the gash erupted, painting the roof of the tent bright red. Twilight froze, dropping the spell immediately. Thick red blood dripped from her muzzle as the patient thrashed wildly, blood gushing from the gaping hole it’s leg.

Redheart cursed as the creature stopped thrashing and exhaled one last time, “alright, no more using magic on them.”

Twilight began to shake, one of the creatures a bed across from them barked in it’s strange language, fumbling with a strap of leather around it’s waist. It continued to shout as it raised a black object into the air, pointing it directly at Nurse Redheart.

A loud bang filled the air and the tent flashed violet. Redheart screamed and backed away from the creatures hurriedly. Inches from her neck, an acorn sized lump of copper spun wildly, held within Twilight’s magical grasp.

The creature’s eyes darted wildly from Twilight to the projectile as it lined up another attack, this time pointing the black device at Twilight. She released her magic and gave the creature a sinister look, taking the device in it’s claw with her magic and crushing it in mid-air for all to see. Once she was done, she dropped it back in his grasp and walked out of the tent. As she exited through one of the flaps, several creatures rushed in and dragged the aggressor outside. Blood streamed from it’s nose as it hung limp in their clutches.

Twilight threw up in the grass outside. From head to hoof, her coat had been stained bright red from her magical mishap.

She shivered violently at the thought and walked away from the medical tents, unable to bring herself to reenter. She looked around at ponies and the newcomers assisting one another, pulling ponies from the wreckage, sharing whatever food they could find and communicating, even if it was at the most basic level.

“How can creatures that show so much compassion commit such acts of cruelty?” She asked herself, thinking back on what happened inside the tent. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand.”

Her train of thought was interrupted as a loud crackling noise filled the air. All heads turned towards Sweet Apple Acres where lightning arced from the giant portal above. Twilight frowned.

“That can’t be good,” she muttered, abandoning the camp and racing towards the void.

--

Marian stretched as she opened her eyes. The sun appeared to have recently set and the sky was awash with colour, brilliant oranges that faded into inky black.

She looked around to find the crash site had transformed greatly in the time she was unconscious. The smouldering ruins had given way to around a dozen more tents; dotted around the site. She saw several tables had been set up in an area clear of debris, and much to her stomach’s delight, the scent of hot food filled the air. She found it incredible how much the seemingly tireless ponies could accomplish in such a small amount of time.

The most noticeable addition was a small number of horned ponies roaming the area, dressed in glistening black armour. They were effortlessly levitating large sections of the ruined aircraft and carrying them off site. Those that weren’t removing the wreckage scurried in and out of the tents.

A pony pulled a long wooden box from a cart positioned outside a tent. As it did, another exited from the opposite entrance with a similar box, placing it on another cart. It then hitched itself to the cart and began walking away from the crash. Marian suddenly felt woozy as she realized what they were; wooden coffins.

Morbid curiosity got the better of her as she found her gaze following the cart away, down a beaten path towards the open field behind the ruined aircraft. The entire field was alive with activity; carts came and went, releasing their contents in a tidy pile around the edge. Several ponies were digging elongated pits as others lowered the coffins into them.

Feeling it was her duty to pay respect to the recently deceased, Marian climbed to her feet and wandered over to the busy worksite. Her breath was taken away as she got closer to the field; each and every grave had a tombstone, bearing an image of it’s inhabitant, completely uninjured. She took a deep breath to try and hold back the tears, turning to head back to the tents when one particular portrait caught her attention.

It was Doctor Leo McCoy. Marian rushed to the grave marker, unable to believe what she was seeing. Only hours earlier he appeared to be in excellent health, other than a few minor scrapes. She collapsed before the stone marker and began to weep unable to believe it, letting loose all the emotion she had been holding back during the day.

As her tears pitter-pattered on the fresh earth below, a strong scent of jasmine filled the air, unnoticed by Marian as she continued to cry. It was only when a feathered wing wrapped itself around her shoulders, did she look up. She was pulled in close as a tall white pony sat down next to her, it’s warm embrace banishing the evening chills that riddled her body. It smiled down at her, an expression that only made the tears flow stronger, she buried her face in it’s impossibly soft coat.

For Marian, it felt like several hours had passed. But when she pulled her tear-stained face away from the pony, she saw the the sun was pretty much where it had been when she woke up, nestled tidily behind the hills in the distance.

The white pony had taken notice of her movement and released the wing that held her against it’s side. It looked down at her again with it’s large pink eyes and smiled. Marian felt as if all her cares in the world were melting away under its gaze. She gave a sheepish smile in return, wondering how silly she appeared. They stood up together and it came to Marian’s attention that all of the ponies in the field were watching them. It quickly dawned on her that the taller pony before her was different. Atop her horned head was a golden, jewel encrusted crown and her hooves were shod with matching shoes.

She winced, unsure how to react amidst what she assumed was royalty. Hurriedly, hoping not to offend she hunched over into an awkward bow. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw ponies in the field resuming their efforts and assumed she had done the right thing.

A gold-clad hoof placed itself gently on her shoulder. She looked up to see the white pony shaking her head. Marian blushed and stood up, “um... sorry? I’m not really sure how to act under these circumstances.”

The pony shook it’s head again and murmured something of it’s own in a somehow delicate yet commanding voice. Neither of them could understand. Instead of furthering their lack of understanding, the white pony turned to stand beside her and nudged her in the back with a wing, causing her to take a step as to not lose her balance.

The pony followed her as she walked away from the graveyard, back towards the welcoming scent of hot food. Her stomach rumbled loudly eliciting a chortle from the pony; the smell of baked goods almost overwhelming as they approached the site Marian had spotted earlier. Several rows of rough-sawn picnic tables littered what remained of the hospital foundations, several people sitting at them digging into edible goods.

Marian’s mouth watered as they got close, she looked around for the source of the food to see several ponies standing around a roaring fire, loading a makeshift kiln with food as fast as they could take it out. Unsure how to go about obtaining her meal she took a step towards the chefs, only to be stopped as a steaming pie appeared in front of her, held in a golden glow. She reached out to grab it, only to have it float just out of reach. Marian looked at the white pony in confusion and got a grin in response. The hot pie floated over to an empty table and set itself down gently, a gentle nudge in the back telling her to follow it.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed, seating herself at the table. The white pony smiled, nodding before walking away, back towards disaster.

"You know," a familiar voice said, as a second pie dropped onto the table beside her.

"Mmm?” Marian looked up from her meal to see Victoria standing behind her. She dropped the slice of hot apple pie she was holding and jumped up, wrapping her arms around her co-worker.

“Oh god, Victoria, it’s so good to see a face I know,” she blinked as fresh tears began to form.

“Steady on!” Victoria wheezed, “it’s good to see you too! Care to give me a chance to breathe?”

Marian released her and took her seat again, turning back to her meal, chuckling “ sorry... what was it you were going to say?”

"Oh right,” Victoria pointed to the ponies dotted around the area, “If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were singing."

Marian choked on a mouthful of pie, “that’s ridiculous!” She coughed, “who would sing at a time like this?”

Victoria held a finger to her lips, “just listen.”

Marian cupped a hand to her ear to humor Victoria, focusing on a group of ponies amidst the carnage. Sure enough, many of them appeared to be chanting something in their sing-song language. She shook her head in disbelief, there was no way.

"Wouldn't that be rather… grim?"

"I dunno," Victoria shrugged, "I don't think these little guys have entirely grasped the concept of grim."

Marian stared into her meal, once again unsure what to make of this strange place.

She was promptly snapped out of her daze when Victoria slapped her hand against the table and turned to face her, “So, what happened for you to garner the attention of the big one?”

“I uh...” Marian blushed, “I had a moment.”

Victoria snickered, “so the big boss went out of her way to make you feel better? Cute.”

“Big boss?”

Victoria pointed to the armour clad ponies, “all those nasty ones answer to her.”

Marian scoffed, “now that I can’t believe. These guys have been nothing but nice to us since we... got here. You’re trying to tell me they’re being the exact opposite now?”

Victoria shrugged again, “don’t believe me then. Just ask tubby over there,” she pointed to one of the survivors sitting alone at the end of a table, “got the crap beat out of him when he tried to assert himself as our leader.”

Marian looked to where Victoria was pointing and frowned. Nursing a nasty bruise was the man she served earlier on the flight. The scowl on his face identical to that which was ingrained in her memory.

“He what!?”

“Hehe... yeah. Funny as hell to watch, almost as funny as watching Sunbutt tell them off afterwards,” Victoria laughed, stuffing a sizable slice of pie in her mouth.

Marian raised an eyebrow, “Sunbutt?”

Victoria nodded, swallowing, “that’s what I’m calling her. She has a sun... on her butt. I thought it was obvious.”

She shook her head, “seems pretty crude.”

“Eh, say what you will...” Victoria nodded at her, “looks like you’ve made a friend.”

Marian was about to ask what she meant when her hand was lifted off the table. She jumped in alarm, turning her head to see a mint green pony reaching out to grab her hand again.

“Looks like she like you,” Victoria giggled.

Marian held her hand out for the pony who snatched it up before either of them could blink and began to play with her fingers, flexing them individually, “how do you know it’s a she?”

“Well I haven’t been peeking if thats what you’re trying to say.” Victoria threw her arms up defensively, “their faces are rounder and, the males are bigger and sound... more manly.”

Marian reached out and scratched the green mare behind the ear, much to her delight. If it works on horses, why not ponies? “I’ll take your word for it.”

They laughed as the pony continued to expand its knowledge of the inner working of the human hand when Marian’s hand was suddenly jerked away. In the time they were distracted a beige coloured pony had managed to sneak up on them and grab the green mare by the ear and proceed to drag her away, much to her dismay. Marian waved farewell as the mare burst into tears, stretching it’s hooves out towards her.

“Oooooooh!” Victoria burst out laughing, “drama!”

Marian turned her attention back to her now cold pie, “I wonder what that was about.”

“Dunno but, you’ve got more friends. Quit being so popular, I want one.”

A chirp snagged her attention, standing next to her was the small yellow mare from earlier. She was accompanied by an older, orange pony that wore a stetson. Balanced on the older mare’s back was another apple pie which she placed on the table, pushing it towards Marian.

The smaller pony reached out and hugged Marian, she chirped several more times before letting go and wandering back down the hill. The orange mare tipped her hat before following.

“That wasn’t weird at all,” Victoria said.

“I kinda saved the kid...” Maria breathed, surprised by the continued affection, “I think I’m starting to fall in love with that strange language of theirs.”

“Huh, no kidding.” Victoria pointed to the fresh pie, “you gonna eat that?”

Marian smirked, splitting the pie before handing half of it over.

--

Looking up at the portal overhead, Twilight scowled. It sparked violently for the third time this hour, becoming smaller as it did.

It appeared to be shrinking at an increasing rate as Twilight jotted down everything she could think of in an old notebook. She had been almost certain that a Flying Polyp would come through and had prepared in advance for it’s arrival, devising a series of electricity based spells that would kill the beast before it could do harm.

She however, did not expect a tin can full of aliens. Perhaps they were descendants of the Polyp? That might explain their hairless bodies. Twilight shrugged, there was no point thinking it over now, she had information to convey to the Princess whom she assumed had arrived at the crash as the sun remained unmoving on the horizon, a sign that great tragedy had occurred.

She put her notebook back into her saddlebag and glanced at the portal one last time. It was barely big enough to fit a pegasus through now, it would probably be gone within the hour. Sighing, she turned towards Ponyville and set off through the orchard.

She was pleasantly surprised when she climbed the hill that sat above the crash site; it had transformed greatly, with the apparent assistance of Celestia’s elite guard who roamed the crash carrying out various tasks. In the distance she could see Celestia herself lending a hoof, levitating an overly large section of the ruined craft, moving it out of harm’s way.

Her mentor appeared to notice her arrival, placing the metal carcass aside and trotting in her direction, Twilight set off down the hill to meet her halfway.

“Princess Celestia!” She called out as she galloped the remaining distance between them.

Celestia smiled warmly, “It’s good to see you unharmed Twilight... if only we were meeting on better terms.”

Twilight grimaced and cast her gaze to the dirt, Celestia’s brow furrowed as she noticed the stains in Twilight’s coat, “you look terrible Twilight, don’t tell me they did this to you...”

Twilight shook her head, tears splashing to the ground as she recalled the events from earlier, “no... I did this,” she mumbled weakly, “I... I killed one of them...”

Celestia’s eyes widened with shock, “explain.”

Twilight shied away from her mentor, refusing to make eye contact, “please Princess... don’t make--”

Princess Celestia cut her off, “Twilight Sparkle! You will explain yourself. What did you do?” She asked loudly, words dripping with authority.

Twilight flinched and looked up at Celestia, tears streaming down her face, “earlier... in the medical tents...” she mumbled, “I tried to stop the bleeding... the spell seemed to be working but then...”

Celestia’s features softened, “it was an accident? Twilight, try not to be so hard on yourself, these creatures are not of Equestria. You did not know what effect our magic would have on them.”

Twilight shook her head, hiccuping, “I knew there was a risk and I did it anyway. It bled out in seconds and it’s all my fault.”

Celestia sat down next to Twilight and wrapped a wing around the sobbing mare, “we’ve all made mistakes,” she looked up at the horizon, where the moon sat patiently waiting to disappear beyond the hilltops, “some of them bigger than others. Learn from what has happened here and become a better pony from it.”

She lifted Twilight’s chin with a hoof and smiled as their gazes met, “now tell me... if a tree falls in a forest and nopony is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, confused, “logic would say yes. What does that have to do with any of this?”

Celestia chuckled, “there’s my Twilight. I was hoping to throw you off. Now, do you know what caused this? Where this thing came from and what these creatures are?”

Reaching into her saddlebag, Twilight pulled out the worn notebook and flipped it open. She set it down on the ground before them, so they could both read what was written.

“Some of the ponies I tutor came across an ancient spell written within a book called the Necronomicon, it was designed to opened a portal that bridged the dimensional gap between our world and one inhabited by a being called the Flying Polyp,” Twilight stated, returning to her normal self in an instant.

Celestia nodded, “I know of this book, it was supposed to be sealed away within a vault beneath Canterlot, how did these fillies get possession of it?”

Twilight shrugged, “I haven’t managed to figure that one out, what I do know however is, something went wrong. While the spell appeared to be a success, the portal seems to have led elsewhere. These creatures are nothing like how my researched described the Polyp.”

“And what do you make of them?”

“I’m not really sure Princess,” Twilight said, pointing to the remaining fuselage, “whatever they are, they came in that thing. It appears to be a means of transport, similar to our trains. Except, it travels through the air,” she gestured towards a section of the wreckage. A hollow, cylindrical object that was by no means small when compared to it’s surroundings, “propelled by two of those. From what I can tell, they’re similar to the turbines in the hydroelectric dam near Rambling Rock Ridge.”

“And the creatures themselves?”

Twilight winced, remembering the armed creature from earlier, “most of them seem friendly enough. Given the technology involved in their machine, I’d say they’re highly intelligent. They communicate but, not in a language I’ve ever heard. We’ve been getting on well enough with sign language and basic gestures.” She saw Applejack in the distance working diligently around a roaring stove, “I’m assuming they share a similar diet from the crowd over there as well.”

Celestia followed her gaze and smiled, “I agree. While they do make pleasant guests, I would like to see them home. They most definitely have friends and family wherever they came from.”

“Thats the other thing...” Twilight pointed in the direction she had come from, “the portal they came through, it’s closing.”

Celestia frowned, “that is... less than ideal. Given the source of the spell, I don’t want you to try and reopen it.”

“But Princess...”

Celestia shook her head, “the magic of that book is beyond even me, it should not be meddled with.”

“I understand Princess but,” Twilight looked towards the creatures, “how are we going to explain to them that they will never be going home?”

Celestia stood up, “there will be a lot of tears but, if they are as rational as you say, I’m sure they will come to terms with it, in time. They will be welcomed into Equestrian society with open hooves, after what has happened today, I think they will need it.” She set off towards where they had gathered to eat, “I’d like you to come with me Twilight, and bring that notebook. I think it will be very useful.”

Twilight levitated the book out of the dirt and chased after the princess who and already put a reasonable amount of distance between.

Arriving at the campsite, Celestia turned to face the working ponies and lit up her horn, “fillies and gentlecolts, could I please have your attention for a few minutes,” she called out, her voice amplified for all to hear.

The ponies quickly obliged, dropping what they were doing and heading over to the Princess, forming a crowd before her. The creatures turned to see what the commotion was about and Celestia beckoned them over. They looked at her uncertainly but slowly joined the crowd one by one. Celestia gestured to one in particular who joined her at the front of the group.

“Twilight, could you draw what I’m about to say in your notebook for her to see please?”

Twilight nodded and pulled the book out, levitating it in front of the creature.

Celestia cleared her voice before looking to the crowd, “fillies and gentlecolts, thank you for taking a moment of your time to attend me. First of all, I would thank you for the effort you’ve put in today in assisting with such a terrible disaster. I know it has been hard for you all and that it will likely get harder in the coming days but, I’d like you to be sure I will help you all the best I can.”

The crowd murmured, reassuring her. She looked at Twilight, who waited expectantly, and nodded.

“Regrettably, I must inform you all that the portal that gave these creatures entry to this world is closing. Due to the strange nature of it, we will not be attempting to reopen it, as such, I hope you can find it within yourselves to accept these newcomers into our society. What happened today is not their fault, anymore than it is ours.”

Twilight scribbled furiously on the open page of the notebook, drawing various symbols. The creature watched as she drew, nodding as it understood. She gestured to her own kind, describing the situation to them the best she could. Several angry shouts arose from the crowd but were quickly silenced as she raised her voice.

The creature gestured to the book, “I think she wants to write something of her own Princess.”

Celestia nodded, “by all means, let her.”

The creature took the book and pulled a cylindrical object from her blouse, using it to draw on the blank pages. At first Twilight didn’t understand, the creature drew a circle with squiggles inside, followed by a large shape she did recognize; a question mark.

“It’s a globe...” Twilight murmured as she made sense of the scribbles, “she wants to know where they can live.”

Celestia tapped the creature on the shoulder to get it’s attention before pointing her hoof and drawing a line through the air around them.

“Everywhere, child,” she said with a warm smile.

Epilogue

I guess I should start writing a journal... I’m not really sure how to do this thing, writing has never been a strong suit of mine...

It’s been just over two months since the we got here. I can remember it as if the crash had happened yesterday. We’ve finally moved into our own little village, just outside the town. It’s quaint, human-sized houses made from wood and thatch. The ponies built the entire thing in such a short time. I’m still in awe of how quickly they can get a task finished.

I spent the last couple of months living with a pair of ponies in the main village as our own was being built. They’re a nice pair and I learned a lot from them, even if the green one, Lyra was a little on the clingy side. The Equestrian language hasn’t been as hard to pick up as I thought although, some things are still difficult for me. Names mainly.

The one thing I failed to learn was to duck every time I stepped in or out of one of their houses. The doors are little over five feet high and while I’m not a tall person, I’ve managed to hit my head every single time.

Lou managed to salvage a decent amount of copper wire from the tail section of the plane. He’s planning on rigging up power to our village for lighting. I’m not entirely sure why but, the ponies have a hydrodam not far from here, it’s strange because they use magic to power almost everything.

Speaking of magic, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the day and night cycle. The ponies all tell me their rulers, Celestia and Luna raise and lower the sun. It’s as if the laws of physics only apply when the ponies want them to. I’m sure I’ll figure it out in time, it’s not really something to stress about as long as the sun continues to come up in the morning.

Out of respect for our hosts, we’ve subjected ourselves to an extreme diet change. Eggs, fish and milk are still acceptable but, no more meat for us. Some of the men didn’t agree when we bought it up and have been speaking of venturing into the nearby forest for food. From what I’ve been told, it’s a very dangerous place. I hope they don’t do anything silly.

A few ponies have taken a strong liking to us, one in particular is a rather classy pony named Rarity. Apparently she designs clothing and has been supplying us non-stop with a large supply of outfits, I’m not sure where she gets her measurements but she’s bang on, every time.

Another pony that frequents us is a small yellow filly. I remember on that terrible day, I pulled her from the ruins of the hospital. Applebloom is her name. She brings us treats every now and again and is great company. She tells me of all her adventures in the world, constantly trying new things with her friends to get something called a “Cutie Mark”. From what I can tell, each pony that has one excels at the skill depicted. However, it’s not always clear what that skill is just by looking at them. I love hearing her stories and I’m sure that when she gets hers, it’ll be something exciting.

From everything I’ve witnessed in my time here, I’m pretty confident we’ll live happily. Some of us are finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that we’re stuck here. If you think about it, it’s understandable. They have family and friends back home, people who love them and undoubtedly miss them. I guess I’m lucky in that regard.

Marian looked up as a shout arose from outside. She swung the door open and rushed outside with a candle to see people clambering through the dark towards the village, carrying stretchers between them.

“What happened!?” She called out as they drew closer.

“Help!” The called back in response, “please, we need a doctor!”

Marian hurried back inside the house, subconsciously ducking as she went through the door. Inside, she grabbed a finely made coat from a hook and dashed back outside.

“I’ll go get Nurse Redheart, there’s a first aid kit under the kitchen sink!” She called, dashing out the door, running at top speed towards Ponyville, the new hospital standing tall in the distance, adorned with a large red cross that glowed brightly in the night sky.

We lost three people tonight. Something attacked one of the new houses, it tore through the walls like paper, flattening the building and the people inside before disappearing back into the forest. The ponies seem to think it’s because we built too close to the forest. I’m slowly becoming more convinced of the same.

The men are going to go out and hunt down whatever did this. I can only pray they don’t meet a similar fate. Whatever is out there is big and aggressive... I’ve heard the words ‘Ursa’ and ‘Hydra’ being thrown about. The image of an unkillable multi-headed snake in my mind is not something I hoped to go to sleep with.

But sleep I must, we’ve got fields to sow and a well to dig in the morning. The thought of drinking water in walking distance is a pleasant thought. We’ve had to travel all the way over to Ponyville to collect what we need, I’m not going to miss doing that every morning, regardless of how kind the ponies are.

Marian set her quill down on the table, picked up the candle and walked over to her bed. She climbed under the finely woven covers, sighing happily as she nestled herself into the surprisingly comfortable mattress. Leaning over to the bedside table, she quickly blew out the candle, enveloping the room in darkness.

“Home sweet home.”