With Time, and Aeronautics

With the aid of Summer Breeze, Iron made his way to the 'others' that Summer mentioned. In doing so, they slowly stumble past the broken thruster, and up to the bulked remains of the New Promise. Something Iron had wanted to do, but the sights he saw could have gone amiss. The twisted and burnt, as well as burning shell was a testament to the loss of life from this catastrophe. They tremble right up against the side of the wreckage, looking into one of the giant tears. Scanning for survivors, or the deceased, Summer could only see smoke.

Coming up to a second smaller tear, both the ponys skin crept. You could see inside, which revealed the destroyed insides of the ship, but a more scarring site could be seen. A blood-soaked metal panel, broken from the inside hull that landed onto an unfortunate stallion could be spotted on the ground. His body was crushed, but his head remained untouched, albeit with some minor scars. If he hadn't died from the initial impact, hr would have bled out. Whatever the way, he was gone.

After a few watery tears being shed, they continued their dreaded walk. Small slits in the weakened murky silver bodywork of the ship had been carved by the trees on impact. They leaked more black smoke, by now the whole surrounding area probably could see the clouds it had formed. A beacon for help, it would seem.

As the two walked over broken metal sheets, and snapped destroyed branches to get to the site of destination, voices and cries could be heard. They were getting close.

"You feeling ok, Iron?" Asks Summer.

"Getting...lightheaded..."

"Just hold on in there, the others are around this corner."

After some more dreary steps, they arrived at a section of forest with a lot of other injured ponys, doctors and ponys who had vouched to help out. Spotting Iron and Summer, one of the medics rushed over to them.

"You found a survivor! Good job Summer. Did you see any more injured or dead?" He asks.

"Only one doc. A stallion, in the ship."

"Alive?"

Summer shakes his head.

"...ok. You should get him."

"Yeah, I was going to."

Summer helps Iron down against a tree once again.

"Right, take it easy now Iron. What did you say the name of your son was?" Summer asks Iron.

"Chrome Colours. He has green...eyes and a...silver coat..." Iron struggled to breathe. "...and...gray...mane..."

"Got it." Before Summer could run to a group of ponys, Iron grabs his leg.

"...promise me...you will find him..."

"Oh Celestia..." Summer says underneath his breath. "...I promise."

Summer scarpers off to the group, realising the burden he had upon his shoulders. Iron watched him talk with the group.

"My name is Rose Bud, or Dr. Rose." The medic spoke.

"...Iron Essence."

"Ok Iron. This whole experience may be daunting to you, but please remain as calm as you can."

Dazed, and not paying his full attention, Iron saw the ponys Summer had spike with depart to different sections of the forest. He had probably told them about Chrome. One pony went to the wreckage with Summer Breeze, another to a generic area of forest, and more sadly, one to the where the bodies were put.

Irons attention snapped back to the doctor.

"...ok...ok."

"Tell me, where does it hurt the most?"

Iron removes his folded arms to show the now brown and red bruise covering his chest.

"...there."

"Right. Are you having trouble breathing?"

"...yeah, and it hurts...when I breath."

"Have you coughed up any blood?"

"That too..."

"Ok what I'm going to do for the minute is give you an injection of painkiller to take the edge off the pain, which will as well prevent infection in your insides. We will try to arrange a bed for you in the closest hospital as soon as we can, alright?"

Iron didn't answer, his attention was on a mare who had been brought in via wagon that would normally be used for apple-bucking. She was accompanied by doctors. The mare was screaming in pain, wailing her legs, and appeared to be bleeding profusely. Those sounds, they were horrible. The doctor had already injected Iron, but he hadn't noticed until he saw the needle get pulled out of his leg.

"Get a nurses attention if you feel anything weird or painful, ok?"

"Yeah...I will."

As Dr. Rose attends to another injured pony, the screaming from the mare diminishes to blood-curdled whimpers, then it stops entirely. Looking over to the wagon she was in, Iron witnessed doctors and civilians alike breaking into tears.

The mare had died.

Yet another doctor wheels the wagon away to a section of the field where the bodies are put.

As severely damaged ponys got rushed from the forest to the nearest hospitals, equally hurt ones were rescued and brought to the site. Along with much more heart crushing sights. They were bringing bodies.

More and more deceased were brought from the flaming wreckage of the new promise. What if Chrome was one of them?

They couldn't get many hospital stretchers to carry the bodies, so they had to get them into wagons, and when none of those were available, on the back of other ponies.

Iron looked around the forest, and saw a group of emotionally shaken stallions through the trees. They were tasked with carrying the dead. He focused on of the stallions, as he carried away an unlucky mare. The stallion was weeping, the sights he had seen, and the job he had been tasked was too much for his emotions to be contained. It had to be done, but it was horrible. Then the body caught Irons attention.

It was Cornelian Kiwi.

The entirety of Kiwis lower body had been singed. It appeared that she had suffered a sever knock to the head, as there was a blood-soaked gouge that dripped down her mane.

To think that not long ago, Iron was enjoying a conversation with her, alive and well. Now she is gone, just like that. Time is a cruel element.

Kiwi is taken to the field where the rest of the bodies went, for identification and space.

"You knew her?" Asked a broken voice from beside Iron who noticed him staring at Kiwis body.

"Did."

"...sorry 'bout that."

Iron turns his head to see a male Unicorn, his hoof in a cast, and a bandage around his right eye.

"She a friend?"

"...yeah. Yeah she was."

"That's a shame. Horrible way to go."

Another body passed on the back of a pony who tried to avoid attention of the crowd. The body was covered in a blanket, but it was the size of a fillie, or a colt. Could it have been Chrome? Iron could only hope not.

"...Chrome..." Iron quietly cried.

"He was only a young'en, poor fella. Had the whole-" The Unicorn next to Iron stops, as he sees him breaking down. "...oh no. You ain't lost a little one, have you?"

"...my son."

"...Celestia...I hope that weren't him..."

Iron struggled to keep it together, although he didn't have to.

"Pear Juice? Is there a Unicorn named Pear Juice here?" Shouts a nurse from amongst the trees.

"Well, that's me. Best of luck, friend."

Iron over watched the increasing amount of injured get called in. From ponies with cuts, bruises and other generally minor injuries, to life threatening ones, Iron saw it all. He would watch, speechless and crying as ponies, gushing blood out of their wounds came into the forest. Some of them it was already too late for. Seeing all this slowly decayed the thought of seeing Chrome still being alive and well. After all, he is only a colt. Putting hope over reality, Iron remained certain he is ok.

The pain in his chest had subsided. Mostly because of the injection, but also diminished by the emotional pain he was going through.

A nurse trots over to Iron. "Iron Essence?"

"...yeah?"

"You can get admitted to a nearby hospital now if you wish. There is a vacant room available, and you have waited long enough."

"No." Iron swiftly replies.

He wished to wait for Chrome. And seeing all the injuries around him, alot of them worse than what he is suffering, it seemed wrong.

"Give it to somepony else." Iron continues.

"But..but...are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Well...that's very considerate of you sir." The nurse trots through the trees, continuing her jobs.

As quickly as the New Promise crashed, word spread of the disaster. Like an infection, it passed from town to town, and from city to city. Ponyville was oblivious, still marveling at the majesty of the Timeless. Lavender listened to the gentle breeze through the trees surrounding the still active crowd. Even though a vast majority of them departed with the New Promise, quite a few still remained.

Lavender thought to herself about Chrome.

'I wonder if Iron has told him about the baby yet...' She thought.

Thinking about the baby, and Chromes excitement to see his mum again had distracted Lavender from what was going on around her, which had changed from the expected chitter-chatter to wondering whispers. A Pegasus, flying from the direction that the New Promise had departed, had the crowds attention. He seemed to be panicking, and shaking with the strides of his wings against the warm air. Celestia still remained at the site of take off. She wanted to see the ship return.

The aforementioned Pegasus landed in front of the Princess, sweating and still in a panic.

"My Princess." He says, accompanied by him landing, then kneeling.

"Rise, my little pony." Celestia replies.

"I come with news regarding the ship 'New Promise'."

"What news?"

The Pegasus took a long, deep breath. "Your highness, I bring...terrible news. It has...crashed."

Celestia took a step back, like a gust of wind hit her.

"I'm...I'm sorry? What?!" She says, hoping she misheard what the Pegasus said.

"The New Promise has crashed, Princess!"

"Crashed?! Where?!"

The Princess of the day was wide eyed, and dumbstruck. Without realisation, the two winged ponies had been speaking quite loud, and everypony was watching them, silent as mice. Meanwhile, Lavender was still lost in her little world.

'I wonder if the baby's eyes will be green like Chromes...' She thought.

Concerned voices echoed through the crowd.

"No need to be alarmed everypony..." Celestia says.

"...my best friend was on that ship!" A voice wept.

This erupted the crowd into panicked cries, as Lavender thoughts continued to explore her clouded mind and stayed far from the real world.

'...I know! I will think of some names for the baby! That'll kill some time!'

Snapping back into reality, but still unaware of what had happened, Lavender turns to see a bush of roses, bluebells, and some lilies. Taking a moment to let her creative mind wander, she concludes her search for the perfect name.

'Got it!' She thought.

Turning back around, Lavender finally notices the uneasy crowd.

"Wait...what..." She stutters, confused at the sudden change in the crowds emotion.

"Everypony! Please remain composed! I'm sure the situation is under control!" Celestia shouts. She turns to the Pegasus who brought the message. "Are there any doctors, or nurses taking care of injured?"

"Y-yes Princess. They g-got there as soon as they c-could." The Pegasus trembled before the concerned, and somewhat angry Princess.

"Where did it crash?"

"Right next to the village of Oldtail, in a forest your Highness."

"...you may depart."

And as soon as he arrived, the messenger was gone.

Lavender was still bewildered at the crowd. Too many voices could be heard to listen in, and Celestia stood like a statue, staring at the ground.

To avoid getting knocked over, Lavender slowly escorts herself from the frantic crowd, but quickly gets her attention taken by a crying mare to her left. She was sat on the grass.

"Is everything alright?" Cautiously asked Lavender, although the answer was most definitely yes, and about whatever the crowd was panicked about.

"Of course not! Didn't you hear the Princess!?" She wept.

"No, I didn't. And I was hoping somepony could tell me."

"The ship crashed! The New Promise crashed! And my brother was on it!" The mare breaks into a crying fit.

The moment the words came out of her mouth, Lavender was speechless.

She was right. She shouldn't have let Iron and Chrome onto the ship after all. Lavender stumbled back, caught herself, then lowered down to the ground. As her flank rested upon the grass, all the Pegasi in the area took off, like a flock of startled pigeons, to find the crash site.

Lavender faced the ground, the regretful tears rolling down her face to fall from her nose and cheeks, landing between the grass blades.