The Ambassador

Chapters

The Missing Ambassador
Time to Go
Just A Short Trip
A Bad Start
Strange New World
First Impressions
Cracks in the Armor
Of Ponies and Men
When Bonds Form
Safety in Numbers
The Hardest Part

The Missing Ambassador

It was late in the evening in the magical land of Equestria. The soft glow of Luna's moonlight cast over the sleepy town of Ponyville. Ponies slept idly in their cottages, dreaming peacefully of their fantasies, goals, and desires. In the center of the otherwise plain village, a magnificent crystal tower stood erect. The light from the moon reflected off of every face of its surface. Hoofsteps could be heard echoing throughout the halls.

The ruler of the domain, Princess Twilight Sparkle, paced around her library restlessly. She bit her lip in worry. It had been six months since Bishop had departed.

Bishop was one of nineteen human ambassadors welcomed to Equestria over the course of the last century. He had spent his five years like most of the previous ambassadors: learning as much as he possibly could. Recording Equestrian history and legends, memorizing magical properties, and studying absolutely everything. When his time came, Twilight escorted Bishop to the Badlands, where his spacecraft waited for him.

That night, Bishop returned to Earth. He would be the last human to lay eyes on Equestria ever again.

For without warning, the twentieth ambassador never arrived. The ponies waited days, weeks, months. No new spacecraft was sighted. Twilight was sure that there had to have been some sort of accident. The first ambassadors had stressed that humans were incapable of harnessing magic. They were limited to scientific methods.

However, their technology had guided them through Luna's stars and past Celestia's sun. Surely they would have sent a message explaining their predicament? The humans and Equestrians had a good relationship. Roman, the first official ambassador, had even expressed that he hoped for a time when Equestrians could visit Earth. They had no reason to cut those ties.

Back when the first human arrived, he had caused quite a panic. After establishing terms with him, Twilight discovered that the humans were in the middle of a purging process. They had been riddled with war, famine, poverty, disease, and many more horrible things. The ambassadors were sent to study and discover means of peaceful, prosperous living.

Of course, Celestia had been a generous host. She, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight personally greeted each new arrival upon landing.

Now, there was no one to greet. There was nothing.

"Twi, what are you doing?" Twilight heard a deep rumbling noise from outside. Spike peeked a large eye in through the window. He had grown a lot over the years. Spike now had wings, and he stood almost as tall as Twilight's castle.

She ruffled her feathers uncomfortably. "Thinking."

Spike rubbed an eye. "You're not still upset about the missing ambassador, are you?"

"Very. Roman was specific about their procedures. They wouldn't just cut off communication with us. Some must have gone wrong." Twilight said, stamping her right back hoof onto the floor.

Indeed he had been. Roman had revealed the humans intended to send precisely 20 ambassadors, each spending 5 years to determine as much as possible about this foreign land. They would report back, and the scholars there would dedicate their time analyzing the research. Most of it, being about magic, would be archived, as the humans would have no use of it. But Roman was thrilled to realize that there was much more to Equestria, enough to fill many weighty tomes.

Spike paused to think. "Have you talked to Cadence or Luna about it?"

Twilight flared her wings in frustration. "Of course I have. Cadence is as clueless as I am, and Luna can't see as far as Earth."

"I'm sorry, Twi," Spike yawned. "But there's nothing we can do about it. The only way to really find out what's going on would be to go to Earth."

Twilight was about to respond, when she stopped and narrowed her eyes in thought.

"You really should go to bed, Twi. You're not gonna be able to do anything half asleep."

Twilight smiled appreciatively. "You're right, Spike. Thank you."

Spike's grin was only partially visible through the window. "No problem. Good night."

Twilight bid Spike good night, and turned to leave. As she walked down the hall to her room, she passed a beautiful crystal monument decorating the center of the foyer. Twilight had hired the most talented of artists to carve out life-size shapes of her closest friends.

It had been heart-wrenching to watch as her friends passed on, while she herself didn't age. The five individual statues posed, each expression filled with joy. Each time Twilight saw their faces, she half expected them to jump down and say hello.

Although blessed (cursed) with long life, Twilight was secretly relieved to learn that Alicorns were not in fact immortal. Celestia had ascended to the sun already. Even though Twilight felt the sting of loss, she knew that just as Celestia rested inside the sun, her friends lived on inside of her.

Twilight often wondered how her friends would have handled the current situation.

Fluttershy, the kind-hearted soul who would do anything for anypony no matter the stakes.

Rainbow Dash, a brave Pegasus loyal to all of her friends, even in times of doubt.

Rarity, who, even though a rather prim Unicorn, would offer everything she had to help a pony in need.

Applejack, the hardworking, trustworthy pony that would always come though if you needed help.

And of course, Pinkie Pie, the eccentric Earth Pony that did everything in her power to ensure everypony's well-being.

All of them had been Twilight's very best friends. And Twilight had a good feeling that they all would have agreed with her. Twilight nestled herself into her bed, already planning her task. Tomorrow, she would put word out for volunteers. Twilight sighed as fatigue washed over her. She had more concerns to deal with now, but she knew it would be worth it in the long run.

If the humans couldn't send an ambassador, then the Equestrians would. It was time to go to Earth.

Time to Go

Pop and Fizz bounced cheerily down the road. The two lemon-yellow Earth Ponies whistled a joyful tune in sync, grinning widely. It had been a long time since they had visited their hometown of Ponyville. They had been meaning to come back from Manehatten, but never really found the time.

But once they heard the news that Princess Twilight Sparkle was assembling a crew to venture to Earth, the twins knew that this was the time. The brothers signed up immediately, both surrendering their projects to rival party ponies.

They continued down the street, taking in all the changes. In reality, nothing had really changed at all. It was still the same cozy Ponyville they remembered. Pop and Fizz approached the titanic crystal castle, with its doors open hospitably. They were a bit surprised to see that the Princess stood in the main hallway, awaiting them.

“Your Highness,” the brothers bowed humbly.

Princess Twilight smiled amiably. “Good morning, boys. I’m glad to see that you made it. Most of the others arrived last night.”

Pop chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry if we’re late. We had a lot of parties to cancel and re-schedule.”

“It’s no trouble at all. In fact, we still have a week before we undertake our expedition.” Princess Twilight dismissed casually. “Come on in. Everypony else is having breakfast as we speak.”

The Earth Ponies followed the Princess, dipping their heads respectfully. Deeper inside, the brothers discovered that the dining hall was absolutely packed with ponies. There was a mix of about 30 Unicorn, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. All of them scattered around the room, eating and chatting.

Pop and Fizz scanned the room, looking for familiar faces.

They immediately recognized Blazing Skyward. The jet-black Pegasus with her cyan blue mane was a reserve Wonderbolt. She was famous from the moment she was born, being the great-granddaughter of Rainbow and Soarin Dash, two legendary Wonderbolts.

Lightning Strike, an old playmate of Pop and Fizz. The electric green Pegasus and his father had previously worked with Mr. Bishop to guarantee the safety and performance of Equestrian motor technology. It was no revelation that he would be present.

Quick Fix, a grey repair pony who lived in Manehatten. Despite how others teased the Earth Pony for his name, Quick Fix had never once downed so much as a cup of hard apple cider. That buck was resilient.

Dubstep, a forest green Unicorn. He was an aspiring musician (as was expected, being the descendant in a famous line of musical artists). Pop and Fizz couldn’t quite understand why he was there.

Crabapple, a dusty brown Earth Pony mare who worked on a local ranch.

There were a few others they recognized as well. Pop and Fizz exchanged grins. This was going to be a real party.

~~~

Twilight drew in a breath. Everypony was present now. Let’s get this over with. She cleared her throat.

“Attention everypony.”

All heads turned to face Twilight.

“As I’m sure you’re all aware, the final ambassador from Earth has been delayed for reasons unknown.”

All ponies listened in, taking in everything the Princess said.

“This has given reason for concern, as the final ambassador was obviously an essential part of the human plan to investigate into Equestrian society. I suspect that an accident has occurred, either on Earth or in Mr. Bishop’s homecoming trek.

“As close associates with the humans, we must hold ourselves responsible to our friends.”

Twilight sucked in another big breath of air.

“I have decided to travel to Earth to discover the reasoning behind the disappearance of the last ambassador and the sudden loss of communication between us. For this reason, I have called upon you to assist me in my venture.

“I am so grateful to all of you, as I request something that may be hard for you. When I journey to Earth, it will take many moons to arrive. There is no telling how long I will stay to accomplish my goal. I will be there to ensure the well-being of our allies, and may enact a rescue mission for the ambassadors.

“The trip will take a year, at least. I do not, however, want to rip you from your lives. If anypony wishes to stay, I will completely understand.”

Nopony breathed a word.

“Since we will be gone so long, I have arranged to depart in a week, to give you time to say goodbye to your friends and families.”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “With that being said, the humans are probably simply facing manual or technical issues, and we will be home in time for next year’s Grand Galloping Gala. Either way, this is an exciting chance to witness the humans’ homeworld.

“Again, I can never thank you enough. I will guarantee that your efforts will be thoroughly compensated upon our return home.”

The dining room was filled with noise as the ponies cheered in unison. Twilight knew that most of these ponies would probably go with her anyway, reward or not. She truly was fortunate to have them with her.

~~~

Twilight sat perched on the balcony overlooking her kingdom. She had been motionless for quite some time, deep in thought. She hadn’t noticed Spike standing to the side, gazing at Twilight thoughtfully. She jumped when he finally broke the silence.

“You know, I wasn’t being serious.”

Twilight folded her wings. “I realize that, but you were right nonetheless.”

Spike frowned, unconvinced. “You know, you really don’t have to do this. We don’t know what the humans are going through. They may want to be left alone.”

“Exactly why we have to go. We don’t know what’s going on. In order to be decent companions, we need to find out what happened.”

Spike paused, before replying. “You really are going through with this.”

Twilight looked up at Spike in annoyance. “Why wouldn’t I? Do you have some sort of agenda against it?”

Spike’s eyes widened. “No, I just think it’s unnecessary, is all.”

“It very well may be, but that’s not the point.” Twilight sighed.

“Then why? Why go?”

Twilight turned to go inside, lowering her voice to a whisper. “You know why.”

~~~

Twilight stood outside the ship. The massive vessel was the size of ten homes, powered bi-partly by natural fuel and Equestrian magic. It had taken since Roman’s arrival to finish construction. Each new ambassador offered more accurate views of human technology, and revisions were made to it often.

But now that it was done, Twilight was glad to see it finally in action. Once she bid Spike farewell, she led her band of volunteers into the Badlands, where the ship awaited them. Twilight learned from experience that the empty Badlands was the best place for ships to launch and land in Equestria.

The ponies boarded swiftly, chattering amongst themselves excitedly. Twilight had to admit that she was also eager to see Earth. Now, it was time to go. No more time to reflect. As she guided herself up the ramp, Twilight recoiled upon hearing a voice call out from behind her.

“Wait! Don’t leave without us!”

Twilight whipped around. Who had she forgotten? She had been quite certain that everypony was there. Twilight couldn’t have made a mistake that big already.

She gaped as she saw the two ponies, a mare and a stallion, galloping at full speed towards her. As they came into view, Twilight could instantly recognize them. The mare, a grey Pegasus with playful, innocent cross-eyes, and yellow mane. The Earth Pony stallion with a brown coat and darker brown slightly frizzled mane, a scarf wrapped around his neck.

“Impossible.”

The ponies halted before her, panting. Twilight ogled as the two ponies regained their breath.

“Good to see you again, Twilight!” The Earth Pony gasped.

“It’s not possible,” Twilight repeated in disbelief.

The stallion just grinned. “You never thought it possible, but here we are!”

Indeed they were. Twilight realized that standing before her, without the help of Unicorn magic, were Doctor and Derpy Whooves.

Just A Short Trip

“You found a way to time travel.”

Dr. Whooves continued to smile proudly. “Yes, indeed. And rest assured, our past adventures have taught my wife and I that time travel should only be used for the most important of events,”

Derpy smiled blushingly, and only nodded in agreement.

“But really, does it get more important than this?” The doctor finished.

Twilight was astounded. “I can’t believe it. I truly cannot. Time travel is a tricky field, and even the most advanced of Unicorn magic can barely scratch the surface.” Twilight felt a wave of dread overtake her. “You are aware of the possible consequences of time travel, I assume?”

Dr. Whooves shrugged, still grinning. “Mostly theories at this point, I’m afraid. But don’t worry. Dear Derpy and I have enough sense not to meddle with the past. Luna knows there’s so much that could go wrong there!”

Twilight’s face flushed upon hearing this, and she cleared her throat to distract their attention from it. “Yes, well, I’m flattered to see that you went to such lengths to see us off. It really is a joy to see you two again.” After all, she hardly saw them when they were alive. Or, alive in their actual lifetime. Except right now, technically? Time travel is awfully confusing.

“See you off?” Dr. Whooves scoffed. “We’re here to join you!”

Twilight cringed. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We’ll be gone for a very long time. You’ll return to your present time a year older, at least.”

“And that’s a year of our lives well-spent with our friend,” Derpy chimed in.

The Doctor wrapped a foreleg around Derpy. “Trust us, Twilight. We’ve put an awful lot of thought into this. It wasn’t a decision made on a whim.”

Twilight still grimaced awkwardly. “Well, if you’re absolutely sure…. Welcome aboard.”

~~~

“Fascinating… so exciting… look at all the stars…” Dr. Whooves scurried about the ship, interrogating anypony he saw, inspecting all manners of gadgets, and attempting to peek out of every available window.

It was actually a blessing that the good doctor had joined them. When they weren’t rocketing through space, Lightning Strike was coordinating time and distance to formulate windows for space jumping. To make the journey faster, large quantities of magic were used to hurdle the ship vast distances.

It’d continue on fuel while the magical energy re-charged, then jump again. It was handy to have another pony gifted in calculating and recording details. If they were off-course by a fraction, they could smash into an asteroid within milliseconds, or end up inside of a star.

Despite the irksome task of managing the ship, Twilight found she enjoyed simply gazing out of one of the windows. Everything looked so marvelously different. She felt a twinge of longing when they passed the Sun. The Sun in which the spirit of Celestia blazed.

Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal that came when she cast an enchantment on the ship to protect it from the Sun. According to the humans, the Sun could do a lot more damage than just stinging the eye of those that swept their stare over it.

While these ponies were her charge, it was far better to be safe than sorry.

~~~

“So… you’re from the past?”

Blazing Skyward was initially befuddled to see two newcomers join the crew before takeoff. But the Princess obviously knew them; they must have some sort of purpose. It wasn’t Blazing’s place to question Princess Twilight’s decisions.

But when she overheard the dusty brown Earth Pony chatting with the cross-eyed Pegasus, she heard more than one mentions of time travel. And this fellow was awfully uninformed for a member of a space crew. Some time after the eccentric pony questioned her about what kinds of suits are worn in this century, she decided to confront him.

“Well, the cat’s out of the bag. Yes, my dear, dearest Derpy and I from 100 years this day in the past.” The Doctor admitted.

Blazing raised an eyebrow. “Derpy? Is that because of your…” she made a circular motion around her eyes.

Derpy smiled. “It’s Muffin. Doc just was gentlecoltly enough to ask what made me so derpy when we first met,” the mare explained, with playful sarcasm. “It just stuck.”

Doctor Whooves only chuckled awkwardly.

“I’m guessing you’re the one who figured out the whole… timey-wimey, wibbly wobbly stuff.” Blazing addressed the doctor.

“Yes, well, I’ve always had a thing for time. But I certainly wouldn’t have made this possible without my dear wife.”

Derpy gave Dr. Whooves an appreciative hug.

“So, what about you, Miss Skyward? What manners of tales lurk in that mind of yours?”

Blazing shrugged. “Nothing really. I mean, I’m a pretty famous Wonderbolt. My mom was a Wonderbolt for a while, too, before she broke her wing. Both of my great-grandparents were pretty good Wonderbolts. Kinda runs in the family.”

Doctor Whooves laughed warmly. “Well now, one wouldn’t exactly call that nothing.”

“Which Wonderbolts were they?” Derpy asked. “We might have known them.”

Although Blazing very much doubted that the two could have personally known them, she obliged. “Rainbow and Soarin Dash.”

“Great whickering stallions, you don’t say?” The Doctor gasped. “If I’d known the great-granddaughter of Rainbow Dash was going to be here, I’d have tried persuading that rascal a little harder.”

Blazing Skyward cocked her head. “Huh?”

“I toyed with the thought of accompanying the Council of Friendship to this time,” the doctor expounded, “But they were unsure how it could possibly benefit Equestria to suddenly have them alive and in the flesh running around once more. They were very insecure of the idea, so I tossed it, never spoke of it again.”

This was boggling Blazing’s mind. “Wow. Well, that sucks. I’ve always kinda wanted to meet Rainbow Dash. I bet she could’ve shown me how to do a sonic rainboom.”

“No doubt,” Derpy offered. “She’s the best flier in all of Equestria.”

Blazing only smiled. “Yup. So I’ve heard.”

~~~

Twilight hummed quietly to herself as she read. They had only gone a day into their journey, and she was already bored. All of her reading material had already been finished.

It wasn’t exactly rare for Twilight to find nothing to do. Her kingdom didn’t require much ruling, actually. Ponyville was always just Ponyville.

Delegating tasks and presiding over projects were always a treat. But now, there was nothing to do until they reached Earth. The beautiful orb that made up the Equestrians’ planet had long since disappeared from view.

“Oh come on. I’ve spent a century like this. A few months are practically nothing.”

~~~

“Longest 5 months of my life.”

That’s saying something, coming from a century old Alicorn. Twilight had spent most of her time playing with her gravity spell, turning it off and on at random in her dormitory. When the others weren’t singing, dancing, and telling stories, they would ask Twilight to use the spell in the home space below the deck.

She knew it was good to take her mind off of things, and Twilight suspected that’s what all the ponies wanted at this point. Nopony wanted to lose their minds out of boredom. Blazing Skyward and Ash came up with a tag game for them to play in zero gravity.

It was pretty fun, provided you didn’t lose momentum and end up stuck floating in the middle.

Doctor Whooves and Lightning Strike had to call cease during games every now and then, just so that they could get the ship to jump again. So when Lightning came galloping to Twilight’s quarters in the middle of the afternoon (in Equestria, at least), Twilight figured he just needed her to turn the spell off for a jump.

She was pleasantly surprised to hear his words:

“Your Highness, we’ve arrived.”

Twilight now gazed out the window at the blue and green sphere in the distance. It was no bigger than a marble from her point of view.

“How long before we land?”

Lightning grinned. “By the end of the day. One more jump, a small one this time, and we can dock on the space station.”

“Perfect! Have Crabapple organize provisions for landing.”

Most of the crew crowded around the window, gazing in awe at the alien world.

Fizz tapped his chin. “How do you think they chose the name, Earth?”

The others shrugged and mumbled in thought.

“I mean, Earth means land right?” Fizz continued. “Sure is an awful lot of water for a planet called land.”

“It’s pretty, though.” Indigo Plateau said. The ponies all nodded in agreement.

“Indeed.” Twilight said, transfixed. “I wonder what could possibly be going on down there.”

A Bad Start

Pop was thrown as the elevator jolted to a stop. The unconscious Pegasus mare slung over his back was flung to the ground.

“Horseapples!”

Pop gingerly picked her back up, ignoring the nauseating urge to throw up. The muggy hotness on his skin was growing at an uncomfortable pace. The cage doors to the elevator creaked open. Pop stumbled out, followed by his brother and Dubstep. In the darkness, he could make out the shapes of two ponies waiting for them.

“Hey guys.” Pop recognized Sherbet Surprise’s voice.

“Twilight and the others are just up past that staircase,” the other pony, Spring Loch, began. “We were just waiting for you to- Sweet Celestia!” The Unicorn mare shrilled upon seeing the twins.

Pop grimaced as he imagined their expressions of horror through the darkness. “Yeah… you might want to go get her.”

3 hours earlier...

“We’ll activate the beacon once we’re ready to leave. Come and get us with the ship, then we can go home.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Lightning Strike bowed.

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “Are you sure you’ll be alright up here by yourself? We could be down there for months.”

The Pegasus smiled wryly. “Certainly. Besides, I’m the only one who can pilot the ship. The humans need the rest of you.”

And indeed they must. The station was completely abandoned when Twilight’s crew docked to the station. It was rather tricky having no one inside to direct a safe landing, or even open the doors (Twilight was fortunately able to force them open). This only increased Twilight’s growing fear for the humans. An unexplained disappearance, a cease in communication, and an abandoned space station. None of this bode well.

Twilight swallowed her fear. “Thank you, Lightning.”

Lightning Strike bowed again. “I’ll see you all later.”

The ponies all shuffled into the smaller landing craft. As luck would have it, there were several left behind by whatever team had previously occupied the station. It was a tight fit, but everypony managed to squeeze in. As the doors shut, Lightning Strike turned around to exit the launch area.

Another thick transparent door closed behind him. Lightning waved forlornly as the craft was ejected into space, hurdling towards Earth.

~~~

The ponies all shook from the force. For a minute, Twilight had a fleeting fear that the ship might be torn apart. The worst soon past, and they were sailing through the sky at breakneck speed. Twilight checked the console, ensuring that they were heading towards the landing tower described in the space station.

The coordinates were still correct, and judging from the position of the setting sun, they were heading in the right direction. Twilight tried peeking down to see the ground below, but the window didn’t allow her to see that far.

On the horizon, she saw the outline of skyscrapers like the ones found in Manehatten. Well, that’s at least a good sign. Getting in touch with a world leader shouldn’t be a problem. Not in a metropolis like that.

Lower and lower the vessel went, dipping from the sky into the city. Twilight was grateful that it had slowed down; speeding through a maze of buildings couldn’t possibly be very pleasant. Or safe.

The ship came to an incredible crawl, and Twilight sensed that the building they hovered over was their destination. Sure enough, she heard the whine of machinery as the pod began extending its legs to land. The ship touched down, and the doors opened.

The ponies stretched as they disembarked. Twilight fought the urge to throw herself to the floor and rest. She stepped down the ramp to see that several others didn’t share her self-restraint.

Twilight urged everypony inside the doors far beside the landing pad. The room inside was a wide open space, with writing desks strewn here and there. There was a small kitchen off to the side, and a metal-framed doorway at the end.

Twilight was not thrilled to find that it was empty.

“Alright, my little ponies. We have finally arrived. Now, once we contact whoever is in charge of this land, we can get to the root of our problems.”

“How are we supposed to get down?” Charcoal inquired.

Twilight nodded towards the steel cage door. “That, if I’m not mistaken, is an elevator.”

“Oh.”

The troupe closed in on the elevator, inspecting it inquisitively. The inside wasn’t very big, maybe enough room for 5 ponies at a time. Twilight pursed her lips. The sun was nearly set, and the sky outside was a remarkable pink color. But it would be dark soon, and they would be in no position to commence their objective.

Hopefully the humans inside could aid the ponies in their effort.

“Doctor Whooves, Muffin, Blazing, Quick Fix, please come with me. The rest of you follow in groups. We’ll meet at the bottom and find someone to help us.”

The designated ponies followed Twilight into the cramped elevator. Twilight gave the lever a tentative pull. The elevator screeched as it began descending slowly, metal grinding on metal.

“This elevator appears operational. What do you think?” Twilight addressed Quick Fix.

He shrugged. “If it were gonna fail, I think it would have already.”

Twilight nodded, silently scolding herself for not testing it before they boarded.

The ponies waited (im)patiently for the elevator to reach the bottom. The elevator came to an abrupt stop, jerking the ponies roughly. The doors rumbled as they slid open, revealing another dimly lit room. Twilight squinted as she tried to discern her surroundings.

The room was much larger than the one on top of the tower. The elevator was positioned in the center of the room. There were rows and rows of desks throughout the room, each with papers aged yellow scattered across the tops. Twilight forced down the urge to stop and organize them into neat piles.

The air in this room was stale, as if no one had opened a window in a long time. Beyond the rows of desks was a metal staircase leading up to a wide lobby with several glass doors. Twilight could barely make out the street outside.

Twilight jumped at the sound of the elevator returning upwards. She turned to see that the other ponies glanced around nervously. It was indeed unsettling to find the building abandoned. It was late in the evening, but the human ambassadors had boasted about the productivity of the human race.

According to them, the humans would be bustling with work, even at night. So why was it so… silent?

Twilight flattened her ears. She hadn’t considered that. She didn’t hear crowds jostling. She didn’t hear feet stepping. No sounds of work, no chattering voices. Absolutely nothing.

“We wait here for the others. I have a bothersome feeling.” She instructed. The ponies all nodded. “And… make sure everypony stays within eyesight.” She added.

After around 10 minutes, most of the ponies had already arrived. The elevator was sent back up once more to retrieve the last of them. Twilight tried not to overthink the situation. And failed.

The humans had been going through what had been described as a purge of devastation. What if they were unsuccessful? What if the work of the ambassadors had been for nothing? What if, what if, what if?

Twilight cast her gaze to the doors. The answers are outside. She stepped towards them, hoping to find some sign of activity outside. So far, there hadn’t been any movement.

“Somepony stay here and let the others know we’re just up the staircase.” She ordered. Twilight did her best to mask her nervousness as she scaled the stairs. Maybe if she looked from an eye-level view she could see something going on. Anything.

Her group slowly followed, subconsciously pressing together, looking out for anything to come leaping out for them from the shadows. Twilight made a proper scan of the street. Still nothing. Still not good.

“Once the rest return up here, I’ll take 3 volunteers with me to… find a dignitary. And hopefully form a solid plan. Everypony else will please wait here for us to return. I expect we’ll be gone for a few hours, so… make yourselves comfortable.”

The ponies all exchanged looks and reluctantly moseyed around to find a place to rest. Dr. Whooves raised his hoof. “I’ll join you, Twilight! I can’t stand the suspense anymore.”

Derpy pulled the doctor aside, whispering concerns into his ear. He only chuckled.

“There’s no reason to fret, my dear. Even in the dark, I have an eidetic memory, and I believe that will come in useful. This will be a trot in the park!”

Derpy scowled, obviously not pleased.

“I’ll go too,” Blazing Skyward groaned as she stretched her wings. “It’s been too long since I’ve properly used these babies.”

“Alright, as long as we all stay toge-”

"Twilight!"

Everypony jumped at the piercing scream. A pony galloped at full speed up from the elevator. Twilight stared as the orange Earth Pony gasped, eyes wide.

“She, I uh… there’s- she was,” Sherbet Surprise babbled unintelligibly.

“What is it? What happened?” Twilight queried anxiously.

“She was attacked by a human.” The ponies all swiveled their heads to determine the source of the new voice. At the base of the staircase stood 4 more ponies. Spring Loch, Dubstep, Fizz, and Pop. Twilight felt her stomach lurch.

Lying across Pop’s back was a young Pegasus named Shortstack. She was out cold, blood spilling from a large gash on her side onto Pop. A gash where her right wing should have been.

Strange New World

Muffin heaved as she forced herself to fly faster. The wind bit at her face, causing her eyes to tear up. She gasped, pushing onward. Muffin had never flown this fast before. The fear of whatever monster was behind her only made her flap her wings faster. She soared between the buildings, weaving in and out of the obstacles.

“Can’t…stop!” Muffin urged herself as she felt her energy drain. But already she began to sink from the sky. Muffin flapped desperately, propelling herself through the air. She was lucky to get that far in the nighttime, but she would be caught without a doubt if she stopped now.

Muffin sobbed as she careened into the hard ground. Small rocks jabbed into her side, making her whimper in pain. Muffin lay wheezing, sucking in air. “It’ll… get me…” Muffin’s eyes drooped.

It didn’t even feel like minutes before Muffin felt something tugging at her hind legs. She groaned as she was hoisted up.

It got me. Muffin realized, too tired to resist. She was aware that she was being slung across the back of the creature as it carried her away.

The monster got me.

3 hours earlier…

Twilight pondered the severely devastated building with bleakness. According to human historians, this building was one of the most important in their nation.

“Are you sure this is the White House?” Blazing asked.

“Of course.” Doctor Whooves nodded, though he looked less certain. “It… matches the architectural description.”

“They’re gone.” Twilight murmured to herself. Blazing Skyward looked up.

“What?”

Twilight shook her head. “The humans… they’re really gone.”

Doctor Whooves grimaced. “Not entirely. But I doubt that there is anything we can do to help them now.”

Twilight frowned. “I just don’t understand. How could they not tell us about this? They were repairing the damage they did to Earth! What happened?”

They had communicated on a daily basis. Each received reports on the other race’s status. How could the humans, who were so desperately climbing the ladder of salvation, possibly end up in such a cataclysmic state?

Unsure how to answer, the two ponies exchanged looks, illuminated by the pink shield spell surrounding them.

Twilight shook her head. “Come on. We’ve left the others for too long already.”

And indeed they had. Twilight had barely managed to calm the hysteria that arose when Pop appeared, carrying a badly wounded Shortstack. Twilight knew more than a few medical spells, but none that could reattach limbs. Even though the gaping wound had already started to scab over when Twilight left, Shortstack would be grounded for the rest of her life.

Twilight knew that there could be no worse feeling for a young Pegasus like her.

The other ponies now waited for Twilight’s return, fortified in the tower behind countless amounts of protection spells. Nothing could come close to the tower without anypony knowing about it. Twilight hated having to abandon her team, even temporarily, but they still had a mission. A mission, it turns out, that was in vain.

They would be calling Lightning Strike tonight. He would surely be surprised to see the beacon activated in less than 24 hours.

The Doctor Whooves and Blazing fell in line with Twilight, as her shield spell moved with her. It would probably be easier to fly back, but they would certainly get lost in the dark, even with the Doctor navigating. So, a silent trot through the streets it was.

Streets that were cluttered with debris and trash. It was dispiriting to see the buildings on either side crumbling and ruined, littered with graffiti. The other two must have thought the same, because they kept their eyes straight forward.

Suddenly, Twilight heard Blazing yelp in surprise, followed by a muffled thump. Blazing stumbled into Twilight, knocking her into Doctor Whooves. Just to the right, a human pressed against the outside of the transparent shield. This human bore similar features to the one that had attacked Shortstack: tattered clothes, little hair, gangly, misshapen body, and a horribly disfigured face.

Twilight couldn’t help but gasp. Even after the events described by Pop, Fizz and Dubstep, she couldn’t believe what humans had devolved into. This human, who appeared to be male, snarled menacingly, baring blackened teeth. He pounded furiously on the shield, anxious to get his next meal.

“What do we do?” Blazing puffed as she scrambled to her hooves.

“Just… keep moving. He can’t get in, he’ll go away eventually.” Twilight didn’t believe herself, even as she spoke the words. The human acted animalistic, and very aggressively. Twilight, however, continued onward. Doctor Whooves and Blazing followed, determined not to fall outside the shield.

The human moved with the shield, enraged that his attempts to break through were unsuccessful. Twilight saw out of the corner of her eye that the human was glaring at her, as if accusing her of some minor inconvenience. He threw back his head, and even though it was stifled, Twilight could hear him howl. Twilight began to sweat. The human growled, a triumphant look reflecting in his yellow eyes.

Twilight felt her fur rising in anxiety, and she didn’t have to look to know that the others did the same. Soon, another human came crashing from the darkness, lunging at the shield with all its might. It bounced off, shrieking in pain and confusion.

“Th-they can’t get in here, right?” Blazing Skyward stammered.

“No, we’re safe for now.” Twilight could practically feel Doctor Whooves’ dubious gaze. She was not surprised that he knew about the Changeling invasion of Canterlot.

As they moved, more and more humans dived at them from their hiding places. Twilight made sure to stay in the middle of the road to avoid letting some dark crevice pass into their shield. The three ponies jumped as a loud boom went off in the distance.

“Great, now it’s thundering again.” Blazing muttered. 2 more bangs followed shortly, and a couple humans outside collapsed.

“What the-” Twilight was interrupted by another series of rumbles sounding off. The humans dropped like rocks, and Twilight saw, to her dismay, that they were exploding with blood.

“Stop! Don’t move!” Twilight ordered the others. They didn’t need to be told twice. All around their shield (which Twilight had prayed didn’t crack), human bodies were scattered, bleeding and unmoving.

“What’s going on?” The sight of the blood made her stomach flop, but she refrained from gagging. Her inquisitive side was too busy trying to understand what had just occurred. It seemed like hours, but Twilight eventually saw movement outside the shield once more.

Another human was approaching. Only this one moved with distinguishable purpose. Not the irrational staggering of the crazed Earth inhabitants she observed. He strode (definitely a male, by its build) tensely and cautiously, slowing down as he approached the shield.

As he grew close, Twilight gasped. “Impossible.”

Even with the shaggy, unkempt hair and hardened, weathered body, there was no mistaking the piercing green eyes and business-like posture.

Standing less than 10 hooves away was Roman, the first human to set foot in Equestria, nearly 100 years ago.

Meanwhile…

Somepony sniffled in the darkness. The top of the tower had begun to reek from the stench of the dead body. Nopony had moved it, even though they all agreed that the top of the tower had to be the safest place in the building.

The room was spacey, but nopony dared venture off to their own corner. They all crowded together by the door, anxious for the Princess to come back.

“That’s it!” a dull gray Pegasus mare snapped. She stood up and galloped to the still corpse. “We need to get this body out of here before we lose our minds!”

“Don’t touch it, Ash. You’ll get sick.”

“I don’t care! We’re all breathing in the gunk from this thing. Let’s just move it out of here so we don’t have to deal with it anymore!”

Nopony else moved a muscle.

“Come one!” Ash pleaded. “I can’t move it on my own!”

“Just leave it, Ash,” she heard her brother Charcoal call. “Princess Twilight said not to leave, anyway.”

“I’m just moving it outside, I’m not going anywhere.” Ash retorted, desperation creeping into her voice. “Won’t anypony please help me?”

“I’ll help you.”

Ash saw the blonde Pegasus mare trotting up to join her.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Somepony asked.

The mare shrugged at the other ponies. “She shouldn’t be doing anything alone. Besides, we’ll be safe.”

Ash smiled gratefully at the mare, who returned it. Her left eye slid upward a tad, as Ash had become quite accustomed to.

The two mares grabbed a mouthful of whatever clothing they could, instantly recoiling from the taste, and hurriedly began to drag it to the elevator.

```

“Roman! You’re alive!” Twilight embraced the human securely, almost sending him tumbling to the ground.

“Twilight, what are you doing here?”

“No no no, don’t change the subject, how are you alive?”

Roman gaped, apparently at a loss for words. “You know, I think it would be better if we talked when we’re safe at camp.”

“You have a camp?” Twilight’s eyes lit up as she relaxed her grip around Roman. “There are more of you?”

“Yeah... who are your friends?”

Roman finally noticed the two ponies behind Twilight, who had silently watched the reunion unfold.

“Oh, this is Blazing Skyward and Doctor Whooves. They came here with me.”

“We’ve met before, briefly.” Doctor Whooves interjected.

“Okay… well, as I said, we should get back to my camp. These aren’t the only ones out here,” Roman muttered bitterly as he kicked a nearby corpse. It was then that Twilight remembered the situation they were in.

“Oh, of course. We can’t be too long, though. We need to get back to the others eventually.”

Roman cringed. “There’s more than these two?”

Twilight ruffled her wings as she trotted beside him. “Yes. They’re safe, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

Roman sighed. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Twilight sensed Roman wasn’t interested in how the last century had been. “How did you…” Twilight choked on the word “kill”. “-take care of those… I think they’re humans.”

Roman reached into his thick coat, pulling out a small metallic instrument. “With this.”

Blazing Skyward scrunched her face at the device. Doctor Whooves, however, flattened his ears in shock. “That’s a firearm, isn’t it?”

Roman nodded. “I had backup, but I nailed a few with my 9-mil. You’re lucky that Twilight’s shield was so… conspicuous. We would have gone right past you guys if I didn’t recognize Twilight’s magic.”

“How do you know Twilight, anyway? I don’t recognize you.” Blazing asked.

“I was the first ambassador.”

Blazing frowned in confusion. “So, did you time travel too?”

“’Too?’ What do you- never mind. I reiterate, lots to catch up on.”

```

Muffin wiped her forehead. It was quite the exercise getting the human all the way up the stairs. The whole time she wished she hadn’t spoken up.

“We’re just going to observe, my dear.” Doc’s voice rang in her head, as clear as the day they left. “What a story it will make to tell Twilight when we get back!”

Muffin doubted this was what Doc had in mind. However, she couldn’t stand watching the poor girl struggle with the task all by herself. Everypony wanted it out, but nopony wanted to move it. Besides, it just wasn’t smart to go anywhere alone.

When they finally reached the door, Ash sighed, shoving it open. They quickly rolled the body outside. Ash sighed once more.

“Done.”

The two mares sat, catching their breath. Muffin kept a careful eye on her surroundings, then two, when one wouldn’t suffice.

Before she turned to reenter, Muffin stopped to stare at Ash. Ash stared back, perplexed.

“What?”

Muffin couldn’t help but giggle despite herself. “There’s a speck on your forehead.”

“A speck.” Ash deadpanned.

Muffin squinted. “Well, it’s a reddish blob.”

Ash groaned. “Oh Luna, is it blood?”

Muffin shook her head. “It’s kinda bright, actually. Like a neon marker.”

Ash rubbed her forehead. “Well, help me get it off. I don’t want to look like a-”

Muffin saw Ash’s head snap back at a frightening speed before she heard the thunderous crack. Muffin’s face was sprayed with a steaming hot liquid.

Now that was blood.

Muffin ducked, pressing herself to the ground as she inched closer to the door. As she neared, she stopped to drag Ash along with her. Muffin tried not to look at Ash’s face, her uncomprehending eyes still open. Her neck was bent at an impossible angle, and Muffin choked, realizing that Ash was dead.

The ground exploded near Muffin, and another boom rang off. Tears ran down Muffin’s face as she hauled herself to the door. The journey was less than a mere hoofstep, but it felt like miles. Reaching up, Muffin shoved the door.

To her horror, it didn’t budge. Muffin’s eyes widened when she remembered that Twilight placed protective spells on the building. How could they have let the door shut?

The side of the building next to Muffin’s head was pulverized, followed by another mystery bang. Muffin squeaked as rubble pelted her cheek.

“Help!” Muffin began pounding the door futilely.

Bang, bang!

Twice more, the world around Muffin blew up. “Stop! Stop! Please!”

Muffin extended her wings, sobbing. She took to the air, filled to the brim with terror. Muffin gained speed, the wind blowing her tears off. Subconsciously, Muffin wondered how Doc could ever survive the terrifying new world, even with Twilight.

But she pushed everything aside as she flapped harder. The only thing that mattered right now was escaping. Something had murdered Ash. And Muffin was sure it was after her, too.

First Impressions

Lightning Strike kicked his hind legs up on the desk. Day one of his new job, and he was bored out of his mind. He didn’t really want to go in the first place. Well, of course he was loyal to the Princess. But he didn’t want to leave.

He thought back on the conversation he had had with Quick Fix a couple months ago.

“It don’t matter what you know,” he began in his matter-of-fact Manehatten accent. “Ponies these days only care what you do.”

It was true, in some sense. Lightning Strike was a successful engineer, but he could never find a job.

“Me and you, we could switch jobs easily, based on the experience we have. You build stuff, I fix it. But nopony cares.”

Lightning had thought about it for a while, and supposed Quick Fix was correct. The buck had offered to let Lightning intern at his repair shop once they got back; couldn’t hurt his resume.

But Lightning’s thoughts drifted to his marefriend Strawberry Avalanche, the real reason he had gone. Wife, Lightning corrected himself. The two had married just before his departure.

He often fantasized of his final moments with his wife. Even though the creamy pink mare was opposed to him leaving for so long, she understood that they needed the money. Sometimes Lightning could still feel his wife’s embrace before his trek to the Badlands.

“Angelfire will be old enough to speak the next time she sees you,” the Unicorn whispered dolefully, nuzzling Lightning close.

“I know, love. I’m sorry, I just want the absolute best for you and Angel.”

“So selfless,” Strawberry smiled, attempting to mask her aching, “That’s why I love you so much.”

“I love you,” Lightning gently kissed his wife. He looked down to the small white Unicorn foal cradled in Strawberry’s right foreleg. “Take care of your mother, little one,” Lightning chuckled, his voice cracking.

He turned to leave, fearful that he would change his mind and abandon the Princess.

“We’ll be waiting,”

A loud thump and sharp pain woke Lightning from his daydream.

“Huh?” he grumbled dumbly. He hadn’t noticed that he had begun wandering a hallway, and had walked straight into a wall. That was odd. Lightning didn’t zone out that much often. But he was here, he may as well explore. Learn his way around.

Lightning rubbed his muzzle, bitterly cursing the wall for ruining his trance. He paced around, until he discovered one of the doors they couldn’t open. This one led to a janitorial section of some sort, indicated by the sign outside.

“I’m an engineer. No stupid door is gonna stop me.” Lightning began searching for a tool he could use, hopefully a screwdriver. It was better than doing nothing.

~~~

Twilight remained still as the humans took in the sight of her.

“Roman, man… what the fuck are these?” a younger human with a sharp face raised his arms in a questioning manner.

Roman rubbed the back of his neck. “They’re… the creatures I talked about. They’re friends.”

Another human, this one more rotund than the others jabbed a thick finger at Roman. “Those alien things, you mean? Told you the suits were up to something.” He elbowed another man next to him, who nodded absently.

Roman narrowed his eyes. “Shut up with your conspiracy theories right now, Plumber. There is no government.”

“That’s what you’re supposed to say, you fucking suit.”

“Seriously, shut your ass, Plumb. No one wants to hear you spewing.”

The three ponies remained silent, shocked at the profanity.

The round man, Plumber, didn’t appear to agree with Roman. “This guy just comes outta nowhere, spins some shit about aliens, then expects us to trust some bright-ass horse things he brings to camp? Probably here to eat us in our sleep!”

“Knock it off, Plumber.” Another man spoke with an obvious feeling of authority. He turned to Roman. “Do they understand English?”

“Yes. And we’re vegetarians,” Blazing Skyward smirked. Half of the men shuffled backwards upon hearing her.

The man faced the three ponies, eyeing them with intensity. “We have a lot to talk about, it looks like.”

The ponies said nothing.

Expressionless, the man continued. “I’m Caine. Roman here is my great-great-grandfather. Because I trust his judgment, we’re going to take you back to camp. Roman insists that it’s important."

Twilight couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows. Roman and Caine looked to be less than 10 years apart age-wise. Surely Roman had an explanation for his unnaturally long life.

The look in Roman’s eyes stated that he felt Twilight’s confusion. “We’ll clear everything up, I swear.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you.” She dipped her head to Caine. “It’s very generous of you to take us in times of peril.”

Caine turned and began to walk away, and the other men quickly followed. “We’ll see if it was smart.”

~~~

Lightning whistled an old tune as he worked. It pained him to keep thinking about his family, so he needed something to take his mind off of them. The door was proving to be stubborn. Maybe the lock had been broken.

What will Angelfire’s first word be?

Lightning shook his head, angry at his thoughts for wandering back. He knew he was homesick, but thinking about his life awaiting him would only make things even more miserable.

What about her first spell? What will her cutie mark be? Will I be there for her cuteceanara?

Lightning Strike gritted his teeth. Of course I will. I’ll be there.

Lightning stopped what he was doing. He sat back and sighed. “I just want to see you again,” he whispered. He twitched as he felt the ghost of Strawberry’s touch, gently whispering to him.

“We’ll be waiting…”

Lightning Strike knew this was going to be a very lonely job.

~~~

“Now, Roman promised you answers, but once he’s done, I expect some. From both of you.” Caine stated as he sat down. Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Of course.”

Roman sighed, his eyes wandering as he wondered where to begin.

“The United States spent great amounts of money studying space travel before the war. They knew overpopulation was a problem, so they decided to look for another planet to colonize. There were several possible candidates. Equestria included, but the nukes were launched before they could act.

“After that, whoever was left decided that that was still our best option. But they couldn’t risk just launching themselves into an unknown environment. So, low-level officials were selected to be test subjects, of sorts.

“They were sent to several different planets, each with Earth-like conditions. I landed in Equestria.”

Roman drew in a deep breath. “My journey was 40 years long, and I spent all of it in cryo-storage. By the time I woke up, the government had already gathered enough information to determine that Equestria was our only option.”

Twilight gaped at Roman. “You… you said ‘colonize’. I thought-”

“That was the intention,” Roman interrupted, lowering his gaze in shame. “5 years after I was sent, another ambassador followed my trajectory. We would gather enough information about suitable places to live, and once we returned, organize the pilgrimage to Equestria.”

Roman flinched at Twilight’s growing expression of hurt and betrayal. “We were just going to terraform the Badlands, I swear to God, Twilight.” He raised his arms in a gesture of display. “We couldn’t stay here.”

Twilight swallowed, suppressing the stabbing pain in her chest. The Equestrians surely would have accepted the human refugees, had Roman told her the truth.

“I… I still don’t understand. Th-the reports…”

Roman nodded. “They were computer generated. Algorithms that determined our chances of survival based on the progress we made in regards to our infrastructure.

Twilight remained silent, absorbing all that she had just learned. After several moments, she spoke up. “What went wrong? If you were planning on coming back, what went wrong?”

Roman shook his head, smiling wryly. “We fought a losing battle. Radiation, disease, starvation, other natural elements. Some of us made it, but not enough to make a difference.”

“All those crazies out there,” He pointed out to the streets below. “They’re just as hungry and desperate as we are. But they’re the kings of the jungle now.”

~~~

The space station turned about to be a lot bigger inside than it looked. “A pony could get lost down here for ages,” Lightning murmured to himself. He made sure to memorize every sign next to every door he passed; it wouldn’t be good to trip up and lose his way.

His hoofsteps created an eerie echo in the seemingly endless hallway. It was weird that so many doors had appeared to have been forced shut. There was nothing through them except more walkway! One of them actually had the lock broken.

Lightning’s stomach rumbled, and he took that as a sign to end his little escapade for today. He turned back the way he came, his eyes cast sullenly on the floor. “I’m gonna go crazy…” Lightning mumbled.

As he neared the door that led to the maze of corridors, Lightning felt a tingling unease. Something felt… wrong. Not something that he would expect in a new environment; not even something he would notice. Instincts.

Lightning swallowed, and wet his lips. His instincts told him something was very wrong.

~~~

“So what’s the plan?”

Caine turned to meet Twilight’s eyes. “Excuse me?”

“What’s the plan? You obviously haven’t given up. What are you going to do?”

Caine shook his head. “The only thing to do: survive.”

Twilight blinked.

“The system the suits had in the old days, that’s gone now. There is no government. Anywhere. Sure, there are pockets of us stranded here and there, but there’s nothing to do but soldier on and try to live to see tomorrow. I’m responsible for my group. No one else. The dream Roman had when he was launched died probably before he even landed in Equestria.”

“But you can’t do anything?” Blazing finally spoke up. “I mean, we came here to help you guys. You’re saying there’s nothing to help?”

“There’s no saving this world, no.” Roman said grimly. “The damage has been done. But, you can help us,” he added, turning cautiously to Caine.

Caine raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

Roman nodded. “They have magic, we don’t. They can help us get a steady supply of food, better protection, maybe a better place to live.”

Caine raised a finger impassively. “I think I would like to see this magic. Roman has glorified it to no end.”

“Okay…?” Twilight stood up, unsure. Twilight felt her magical aura form around her horn as she lifted Caine off of his seat.

Caine, who had maintained a serious composure so far, widened his eyes and flailed comically as Twilight levitated him. She held him for a few seconds, then gently lowered him back into his chair.

“That… was something.” Caine nodded, brushing his hair to the side, trying to regain his composure.

Roman grinned. “And magic has nearly no limit! Imagine the possibilities!”

“This has been an interesting discussion, but we will have to continue propositions tomorrow. I have to return to my herd.” Twilight exclaimed, not quite eager to be around Roman for much longer, her frustration coupled with hunger and drowsiness. She was still rather bitter that Roman had lied to her, even though he meant no harm.

“Your herd?” Caine leaned forward. Roman rubbed the back of his neck. Apparently Roman hadn’t given all the details.

“Yes, my herd. They’re still at the landing tower where I departed earlier this evening.” Twilight explained, beckoning for Blazing Skyward and Dr. Whooves to stand up. “And we need to get back to them right away.”

Roman and Caine’s faces both darkened in dread as she finished her sentence. Twilight was quick to notice.

“What?”

Roman bit his thumb. “The United States landing tower? The official one, about 10 miles West of here?”

“Sounds about right,” Dr. Whooves nodded slowly.

“Fucking hell.” Roman cursed. “How did you get down?”

Twilight frowned in confusion. “The elevator? There was only one feral human there, and it was…dispatched.”

“No, no, no, that’s not what I- um…” Roman hesitated. “Did you dock on the space station? That has to have been how you got the coordinates.”

Twilight nodded.

“Fuck!” Roman swore again.

“What in the heavens has you so riled up?” Dr. Whooves said, eyes narrowed at the language.

Roman shook his head, eyes wandering again. “You really didn’t have any trouble up there?”

Twilight felt a block of ice forming in her stomach. “What kind of trouble?”

Roman gripped his head in his hands. “When I docked there, maybe 25 years ago, the crew, they were all… they were feral.”

The block of ice exploded.

“I barely got out with my life.”

Blazing shook her head. “That’s nuts. We were up there like, last night. There weren’t any humans.”

"You must not have seen them, but that space station was home to hundreds of Americans. It’s likely they starved off, but I’m concerned that you didn’t see any bodies.”

“We didn’t explore the station in its entirety; some doors couldn’t be opened.” Twilight said.

Roman considered this. “Another ambassador must have done that. But then…”

Twilight's eyes widened as she came to the terrifying conclusion before Roman did. “Lightning may not be alone up there.”

Cracks in the Armor

Doctor Whooves hummed to himself as he trotted. Yes, Derpy was quite right. Getting exercise was a good idea. The warmth of Celestia’s rising sun spread like honey over the stallion’s coat.

“What a perfect morning! Why, I should do this every day. Half an hour, at least.”

The doctor circled the inner-most of the village twice before coming to a stop. He stretched, groaning as his back popped. “Don’t want to do that very often,” he chuckled to himself.

Doctor Whooves trotted back into his lab. It was still a bit messy from last night’s work, but it was neater now that Derpy had gone through it. She was a peculiar mare, that Derpy. But the doctor certainly didn’t regret hiring her. Even if she made an occasional fumbling mistake (the latest setting fire to the Doctor’s kitchen), she was very helpful.

And frankly, her cheerfulness was infectious. “Ought to give her a raise.” He mumbled to himself.

“You have to do a lot more than that, I’m afraid.”

Doctor Whooves jumped at the sound of an intruder. Had Derpy not locked the door last night? Well then, there goes her raise!

“Who’s there? I have a sonic screwdriver, and Luna knows I’m not afraid to use it!” Doctor Whooves quickly brandished a plastic spoon he plucked off the ground.

“Don’t be stupid. You don't have any such thing.” The voice rasped.

The mysterious visitor emerged from his hiding place in the shadows. What little light that came in from the window shined on the new stallion’s face, illuminating his features.

Doctor Whooves felt his legs weaken. The dark circles under the stallion’s eyes indicated he was extremely exhausted, and his brittle coat and mane over his frighteningly skinny body implied dehydration and starvation.

“Please tell me that’s not me after my lecture tomorrow.” Doctor Whooves chuckled awkwardly at his attempt of a joke.

“No.” The second doctor murmured. “You’ll never be so fortunate.”

~~~

It was sickening to think of. Everything that could possibly go wrong was going wrong. The fact that Lightning may have company aboard his quiet post was unsettling to Twilight. Especially since there was no way of knowing who was up there!

All the more reason to activate the beacon as soon as possible.

“This world must seem weird to you, huh?” The human escort said. “I mean, aside from all the nuclear winter and stuff.”

“No. This isn’t my first time in a human world.” Twilight responded without even looking at him.

“Huh. Okay, then.”

The human, Greg, as Caine had introduced him, said no more. He didn’t seem to mind having to escort the ponies back to the tower. In fact, Greg appeared more eager to be up and about. He, like most of the other humans, was scared of the ponies at first. But he seemed to get over it quicker.

Which might have been the reason Caine selected him to bring the trio of ponies back to the landing tower. He certainly wasn’t the most physically able of the humans she saw. Twilight didn’t intend to be curt towards Greg, but it was hard enough just keeping a lid on her stress at it was.

Caine and Roman had been reluctant, but understanding, when Twilight decided that it was best that they leave Earth. Come back in a few years when they were fully prepared and knew what to expect. Leaving, of course, meant that Lightning could come and get them.

Don’t be ridiculous. Twilight chided to herself. He’s safe and sound, probably settling into his post right now. I believe it.

~~~

“Alright man, you n’ me gonna talk.”

Caine looked over his shoulder to find Plumber standing behind him, accompanied by Assassin and Banks. Caine immediately noticed that they were all carrying at least one weapon. Was there disarray in his ranks? Plumber’s body language was friendly enough, but there was a hint of threat in his eyes.

“Is this something that we have to do, or more of an optional thing?” Caine smiled coldly back, letting them know he wasn’t intimidated.

Plumber’s swagger faded, and he scowled. “Them freaking aliens, man. You can’t be serious ‘bout workin’ with ‘em. Ain’t you heard no stories ‘bout aliens?”

Caine rolled his eyes. “This again, Plumber? More of your paranoid nonsense?”

“It’s sinister! Can’t you feel it?” Plumber hissed.

Caine glared impatiently at the three men. “You all need to grow some balls! All the shit we’ve been through, and you’re crapping your pants over a couple of goddamn ponies?! I’m not having any more of this.” Caine waved his hand dismissively.

“Get out. And do something productive, for Christ’s sake.”

Plumber glared daggers at Caine, but he silently obeyed, Banks and Assassin tailing him. Caine ran his hand through his hair, sighing. He did not want to deal with Plumber. He may be a loudmouth and a troublemaker, but he was a valuable member of their little team.

There was less than a hundred heads under his care. One hundred mouths to feed in a shrinking world with less and less opportunities each day. The likelihood of extinction increasing. Would they last until Twilight returned?

Caine stood up, stretching. He walked towards the door, gazing out the grime-stained window. The early morning sun was rising higher. The ferals would be retreating to their nests, and the snares could be checked. If they hadn’t been ransacked.

“Maybe I can get some work done,” he muttered.

Caine hadn’t slept in nearly two days, but there was no sleeping after the events that had just unfolded. He made his way down the stairs, eager to do something. As he stepped out into the sunlight, he saw that several others were also emerging from their shelters. Most of them bunked in the faded, sagging houses on either side of the street, but the unlucky ones camped in tents or broken down cars outside.

Caine saw Spud and Habib at work starting a fire, most likely preparing whatever passed for breakfast. Leftover soup, or charred meat if luck was in their favor.

“Morning, boys.” Caine nodded to them. The two waved back in greeting.

“Did you see Stud come back? Man bagged some good, fresh meat!” Spud grinned.

Caine shook his head. Stud, one of their most exceptional hunters, had a tendency to track his kills for miles and miles. Hunts could last for up to three weeks, but Stud always came back with a decent prize.

“Where is he?” Caine asked. As if on cue, another man appeared from a nearby tent. Aside from his deep tanned skin, he was identical to Spud in appearance. They both were short, had curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a spark of cheer in their sunken eyes.

“Right here, bro!” Stud laughed.

Caine raised his eyebrows. “You’re in a good mood. Must have been a good run.”

Stud flashed another smile. “You know it, man! Bags and bags of squirrel and rabbit, a string of rats, and a mutt, too! I had to pull it all on a wagon!”

Caine whistled. Might be enough for everyone to have some meat tonight.

“Dude, you gotta see this mutt, man! I ain’t never seen anything like it!”

Caine cracked a little, allowing a hint of a smile on his face. “What do you got?”

Stud retreated to his tent, then returned pulling a small wooden wagon.

“I swear, freakiest damn thing ever. Mutations are weird, dude.”

Caine’s smile died as he saw the “mutt” in the wagon.

“Oh my God.”

“I know, right?” Stud chuckled giddily. “Reckon it should be safe to eat once we cook it. Almost bagged two of them, but I didn’t know these suckers have wings.”

Caine felt the blood draining from his face. “Oh my God, Stud.”

Stud faltered, hesitating. “What?”

Caine regarded his hunter with a look of mixed dread and pity.

“That’s no mutt you killed.”

~~~

“I did it. I can’t believe I did it!” Doctor Whooves bounced with joy. “I invented time travel! Or will, shall I say.”

“Do you not comprehend that I am currently exhausting every ounce of strength I have right now?” The second doctor growled.

Doctor Whooves coughed. “Yes yes, sorry about that. This must be extremely important, if I’m visiting myself to tell myself about it. I thought I swore to myself I would only visit the past in the event of an extreme emergency.”

“You did.” The new doctor rasped.

“Shall I… get you some water?”

“No! For Luna’s sake, I have to tell you something, and I don’t have much time!”

“Oh. Well, carry on, you handsome lad.”

The doctor stared at his past self, unimpressed.

“Rainbow and Soarin are celebrating the birth of their new son, are they not?”

Doctor Whooves nodded slowly. “I helped deliver the young lad.”

“Yes, I remember.”

The frail-looking doctor sighed heavily.

“I’m going to tell you to do something. Something very hard.”

Doctor Whooves nodded. “Of course. Whatever it is, I won’t let me down!”

“I’m not so sure.”

Doctor Whooves stared at his future counterpart. He appeared to regret some decision of his.

“Is it something dire? Is all of ponykind depending on me?”

“Don’t be overzealous. I can’t reveal too much, but nothing so drastic. No.” The older doctor’s eyes drifted to the wall behind Doctor Whooves. “But it might be enough to save her.”

Doctor Whooves turned his head to spot what had caught the other doctor’s attention. Behind him was a framed picture of him and his assistant. He remembered that day. Derpy had stolen some of his attire, donning them and making exaggerated impressions of the doctor to try and cheer him up after another experiment failed.

The two had gone out for muffins.

“My assistant?”

“Yes… my assistant.”

“Alright then… well, what must I do? If Muffin is in danger, I won’t allow it!”

The malnourished doctor looked Doctor Whooves in the eye, his gaze unwavering.

“I need you to kill Summer Blaze, the newborn son of Rainbow and Soarin Dash.”

Of Ponies and Men

How easy it would be. It wouldn’t even have to be violent. A quick shot of improper medicine, and he would die peacefully in his sleep. An unfortunate tragedy. Nopony would have to know. Yes, I think that will do.

Doctor Whooves spent the entire day contemplating what his future self demanded.

But how does killing the foal of a friend possibly save my assistant? It must be a trick! Yes, a stray Changeling, or some master illusionist.

But… that me seemed knowledgeable enough. He didn’t look malevolent. He looked desperate, in fact. This foal must have a reason to die.

But what? Good Luna, does Summer grow up to be a murderer? Does he kill Muffin? Maybe he causes some national disaster. I sure looked like I had been through a great ordeal.

But I’m not a killer, I’m a doctor! I do the exact opposite!

You are a scientist. Scientists know when to act for the greater good.

Is this the greater good?

“Hi, Doc!”

Doctor Whooves leapt up out of his seat upon hearing Derpy’s voice.

“Ah, yes, Derpy my dear! So good to see you! Is my afternoon tea ready?”

Derpy cocked her head. “It’s been ready since this afternoon.” She motioned to the cold cup of tea resting beside the blank notebook on the Doctor’s desk.

“You didn’t like it?” Derpy looked a little hurt that Doc didn’t drink it. She always tried to make it exactly how Doc liked it.

“Wha- Oh, yes, of course! Silly me. Must have missed it.” Doctor Whooves tittered nervously. “Lots of work to do, today. Would you mind, what hour is it?”

“Almost 11:00.”

“Great whickering stallions! Is that the time?” Doctor Whooves rummaged for his own pocketwatch.

“Yeah. Anyway, I just came up here to tell you good night.”

Doctor Whooves nodded. “Ah yes, about time to punch out and lock up, isn’t it?”

Derpy nodded. “I finished cleaning up downstairs, but you seemed really focused up here, so I tried not to make a commotion.”

Doctor Whooves smiled. “How thoughtful. Well, once again, another job well done.” He placed a hoof on Derpy’s shoulder. “Now, you have a good night, my dear.”

Derpy smiled back, and wrapped Doctor Whooves in a hug. “Don’t work too hard, Doc.”

Doctor Whooves chuckled nervously again, returning the hug, which lasted for about four seconds. With that, Derpy trotted down the stairs, and out the door.

“What in Equestria happens to you, Muffin?” Doctor Whooves whispered to himself.

The Earth Pony sat in silence for a long time, contemplating what to do next. Eventually, he stood up, making his way to the door.

“Sorry, Rainbow,” the doctor murmured. “I’ve made my decision.”

~~~

“Looks like we’re almost there.” Greg squinted and raised a hand to block out the sun.

“Good. The others must be as tense as coiled springs by now.”

Twilight would be right up there with them. Had she ever been on a more stress-inducing adventure? Okay, well, she could think of a few, but none that led straight to disaster quite so fast. Right now, regrouping was her priority, and that was all she could focus on.

“Sucks that all this war and stuff happened, but I have to say, I’m not really eager to get back onto the spaceship.” Blazing sighed.

Twilight shot Blazing Skyward an interrogative look.

Blazing fluttered her wings innocently. “They need exercise.”

Twilight shook her head, but said nothing. There were a lot of luxuries that they couldn’t afford at this point. In the back of her mind, Twilight knew that it was all because she had blindly rushed into these problems. Well, there would be a time to repent.

As they grew closer to the tower, the group heard several gunshots go off far in the distance. Twilight felt her heart begin to pound. “What was that?”

Greg looked a little nervous. “I don’t know.”

The shots had seemed to originate from the way they had come.

“Is that one of your people?” Blazing asked.

“Probably.” Greg muttered. “If anyone needs help, they’ll pop a smoke.”

He waited for a few moments, but no signal appeared from beyond the buildings.

“Must have been one of the hunters taking down a mutt, or something.” Greg seemed satisfied with his own explanation.

Twilight hesitantly turned back around. Drawing nearer to the tower, they saw a shape lying near the door.

“What in the name of Tartarus…?” Twilight galloped forward to examine it.

The shape was that of a rotting human carcass.

“Oh, gross! Isn’t that the thing that attacked Shortstack?” Blazing immediately noticed the caved skull on the corpse.

“It is. But how did it get out here?” Twilight pondered.

None of the ponies noticed Greg holding his breath, silently observing the surrounding bullet holes and the spray of dried blood splattered across the wall.

“Somepony must have tossed it out.” Dr. Whooves mused. “I’m guessing everypony is waiting for us at the top.”

Twilight shook herself from her awake from her thoughts. “Well, what happened out here?” She gestured to the said bullet holes and mess of blood.

All three ponies felt an anvil dropping in their stomachs. Then slowly, turned to glare at Greg accusingly.

“A hunter must have passed through here and took a shot at something. Probably a mutt that smelled the meatsack here.”

“Hey!”

The ponies (and Greg) jumped at the sound of another human calling out. Far down the street, a human was sprinting at full speed, waving his hands. His footfalls echoed in the empty streets like an eerie drum.

Twilight’s ear twitched. She already knew from the sound of his voice that Roman had followed them. Roman soon caught up to them, panting like a dog.

“There’s… *pant* a big… *pant* problem!”

Will there ever not be? Twilight silently cursed.

Roman waited, catching his breath. “Caine sent me ahead of the group to find you. We have some really bad news.”

~~~

Lightning Strike scowled in irritation. Was it possible to go insane after being alone for one day?

Haunting visions of his family, tedious reminders of his desperate dependence on his job, a maze of hallways that can’t be navigated, and now a phantom noise.

“Oh yes, I am going insane.”

“Well then, why don’t you keep a journal? I’ve heard it helps. That way Angelfire can read all about your adventures.”

“My boring adventures in an abandoned space station with nothing to do.”

“Go find out what that scratching is. Maybe take a marker, so you can find your way back if you get lost.”

“I don’t really want to.”

“Don’t you like a little mystery, some excitement?”

“Damn it to the moon, for all I care.”

“Come on, stop feeling sorry for yourself. Why don’t you want to get up and do anything?”

I’m not feeling sorry for myself! I’m just…”

Lightning Strike’s voice trailed off. What he would give just for a picture of Strawberry Avalanche.

“…Lonely.”

“Look, they’re not going anywhere. Don’t you remember? They’re waiting for you. Now come on. Let’s go see what that noise is.”

Lightning Strike sighed. “Fine. It’s good to get off my haunches, anyway.”

“You bet it is. Just don’t go too far. Gotta leave some left to explore for the rest of the thousand days you’ll be spending up here.”

Lightning groaned. “How very reassuring of you, Lightning.”

“I try.”

~~~

If there was one thing Twilight never imagined seeing, it was an angry Doctor Whooves. Anger was the wrong word. Furious? Enraged? Words wouldn’t do it justice.

“Where is my wife?!”

The herd of ponies didn’t dare move a muscle.

“They’re not with you?” A small voice called out hopefully.

Doctor Whooves bellowed in rage. “What happened?!”

“M-my sister and Muffin took the human down the elevator.” Charcoal choked between shuddering sobs. “I told her, I told her, ‘Don’t go outside.’ I told her…” Roman had pulled Charcoal aside after Twilight confirmed which of the two Pegasi had been shot. Twilight had intended to deliver the news to the herd gradually, to avoid another frantic upset.

“I specifically ordered everypony to stay inside.” Twilight stated. “Why where they allowed outside?”

Again, she was met with silence.

“We have to find Muffin.” Doctor Whooves growled at Twilight. “We are not leaving without her.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course. This situation is tragic enough. We’re not leaving anypony behind.” She raised her voice so that her herd could hear.

“Caine already has a search party organized. They’re heading this way right now so they can track her.” Roman piped up.

“And just how do you think they’re gonna do that?” A voice challenged. Twilight singled out Pop in the crowd, glaring at Roman and Greg.

“We’re bringing our best hunters, and the one… that knows which direction she flew.”

“The one that murdered Ash, you mean.” Pop spat.

Charcoal finally broke down into tears upon hearing his sister’s name.

Roman raised a hand cautiously. “It was a horrible mistake. Stud is doing everything he can to right his wrong.”

Pop scoffed.

“We have to find Muffin.” Doctor Whooves repeated, more to himself. The venom in his voice was fading, and he looked as if all his energy was evaporating.

“We will,” Twilight assured him.

“We have to find her. I promised.” He looked at Twilight with helpless eyes.

“I promised her.”

~~~

Doctor Whooves fidgeted. This is it. There will be no going back. The foal looked up at him curiously, not comprehending what was going on. Doctor Whooves carefully held a needle with a large dose of heavy tranquilizer. This much would kill a Minotaur. Only a fraction will do.

He balanced the syringe with one hoof, aiming the needle at the colt.

“I’m sorry, lad. I’m sure you’re a right chap.”

I know I’m certainly not.

Doctor Whooves felt like a downright criminal, breaking into the clinic in the dead of the night. Wasn’t he? Here he was, prepared to assassinate a newborn colt, while his mother slept not five hooves away.

There will be no going back.

Doctor Whooves steeled himself. He raised the syringe, ready to just plunge it into a vein and be done with it. And he dropped it.

Doctor Whooves backpedaled, burning with shame.

“I’m not a killer.”

Doctor Whooves retreated from the clinic, throwing the syringe in a trash can on his way out. He sucked in fresh air, trying to clear his mind.

“I am not a killer.”

Oh really? Did you just sentence Muffin to death?

Doctor Whooves meditated intensely as he walked. “I will not kill.” Doctor Whooves vowed to himself.

“But I swear, I shall let nothing harm you, Muffin.”

When Bonds Form

“Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap!”

Lightning Strike pelted down the hall. He skittered as he turned, fighting to follow the path he had left. The loud clanging that was following him grew louder. Lightning clambered on, occasionally slipping on the smooth floor. He dared not stop.

Finally, he entered the janitorial section. The exit was near! Lightning veered right, diving past the door frame. He quickly turned, pawing at the door controls. His shaky hoof kept jabbing at the wrong buttons. Lightning flinched as the harsh clanking drew nearer and nearer.

“Please Celestia, shut the damn door!” As if by divine intervention (thank you, Celestia), the mechanism whirred, sealing the space. Hardly a second later, a loud bang erupted as a mysterious force collided with the door on the other side.

Lightning Strike heaved a sigh of relief. He collapsed, leaning against the door. Lightning began to giggle hysterically at his narrow escape. He was cut short as the monstrosity on the other side banged against the door again. And again, and again.

Lightning Strike stared in disbelief as dents rapidly began to appear.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

~~~

Spike uncurled as he awoke. He began to stretch, wary of nearby cottages. He had long since grown up, but leaving the castle just felt alien. In truth, he probably should find a cave to live in. It wouldn’t have to be far away. He could still visit Twilight when he liked.

Once she gets back, Spike reminded himself.

Spike yawned. He quickly remembered his mental note to visit Princess Luna. He spread his wings, and with a few mighty flaps, was off. The flight to Canterlot was less than ten minutes as a fully grown dragon. If there was one thing Spike could find pleasure in about out-growing his old home, it was the ability to fly.

The sky feels like home. Spike chuckled, remembering one of Rainbow Dash’s many interpretations of the joy of flight.

The majesty of the royal city quickly grew in sight. Spike carefully glided downwards, touching down outside the city border. The two royal guards posted outside the gate exchanged nervous glances.

“Uh… can we help you?” One of the stallions asked.

“I’m Spike. I’m here to see Princess Luna.”

The two guards shifted uncomfortably. “Um… I’m afraid we can’t let you in.”

Spike sighed, shaking his head. “I knew I should have written ahead.” He muttered to himself. To the guards, he added, “Look, I’m not here to burn the place down or anything. Just one of you go get a quill and parchment, please.”

The second guard, who had remained silent, hesitantly obeyed. He returned from inside the train station with the quill and paper.

“Okay, now here’s what I need you to write.”

~~~

There were a lot of things Twilight was not happy about. But bringing her herd with the human party was one thing she loathed. She still trusted Roman, though. So if he said they were safer traveling with protection, even out in the open, so be it. He had lived on this world longer than Twilight had.

A shadow passed overhead every once in a while, signaling Blazing gliding past, keeping a tight watch. At the head of the mismatched pack was a burly young man. Stud, if Twilight remembered correctly. His body language was stiff, and he refused to look anypony in the eye. He was downcast, somberly trudging forward, only sometimes checking a compass or scanning his surroundings.

No, that isn’t the face of a murderer.

Twilight had seen murderers in the past. But Stud wasn’t a power-hungry king, or a manic psycho Centaur. For some odd reason, Stud reminded Twilight of her first students.

It’s okay that you accidentally shot and killed one of our dear friends. As long as you truly regret it, we can teach you to find the true, true friend inside of you.

Twilight banished the snarky thought. She needed to set a good example. Already several ponies cast livid gazes at the humans near them. The tension was very obvious. But the humans were at least trying to be compassionate.

Two young men, boy-colts really, were carrying Shortstack on a makeshift stretcher. The poor Pegasus had been slipping in and out of consciousness. The boys traveled in the middle of the motley crew, and the majority of other humans surrounded the pack, all carrying firearms.

Twilight hoped there would be no further need for them, but knew in the back of her mind that that was just wishful thinking. More shots would be fired before they departed.

“Water break!” Caine shouted, bringing up his fist as he halted. Everyone stopped. A couple humans fished out canteens, and several ponies retrieved their own from saddlebags. The humans, who took pitiful sips before passing their canteen to the next eager mouth, threw confounded looks at the ponies, who took in generous mouthfuls.

Twilight felt rather uneasy. No doubt the comparison must seem to the humans as if the ponies were entitled. But they had never gone days scavenging for food and rationing water. These humans had been born fighting to live in a dangerous, corrupted world. Twilight’s eyes fell upon the man named Plumber, who had so far only glared threateningly at everypony.

Some of them, Twilight reminded herself, were already resentful of the herd.

~~~

“You have grown much, Spike.”

Princess Luna was surprised to receive the letter from the monstrous dragon. She had not seen him in many long moons. Yes, he had been too big for Twilight to bring on diplomatic missions for a long time, but he was not an adult dragon at that time.

And now, here he was, standing tall outside the city limits.

Spike shrugged. “Yeah… sorry we haven’t visited, Luna. We did come by Canterlot before Twilight left, but…”

“I regret being involved with other affairs at that time.” Luna nodded, hiding the sadness in her eyes. “But it is still pleasant to see you, my friend. What can I do for you?”

Spike fiddled with his claws. “Well, I was actually wondering… can you still see Twilight’s dreams?”

Luna shook her head despondently. “Princess Twilight has been far beyond my reach for many weeks now.”

“Oh.” Spike looked down dejectedly.

Luna flew up to meet Spike’s eyes.

“The last time I visited her in the realm of sleep, Twilight yearned to return to the comforts of home. She misses you very much, Spike. But she was still filled with eagerness and willpower. And I would expect nothing less from her.” Luna patted Spike’s snout reassuringly as she spoke.

Spike nodded gratefully.

“Come, Spike.” Luna motioned as she flittered down. “Let us catch up over afternoon tea. I’ll see to it that several pitchers are brewed.”

~~~

“In the name of all things good and holy!” Lightning Strike gasped. The door strained as it held back the maniacal force pounding at it. Lightning’s instincts screamed at him to run, but he couldn’t help but stare in a mixture of awe and horror.

Hit after hit, the thing on the other side never relented. Lightning pushed himself to his hooves, regaining his senses. He tried to remember what exactly was chasing him. He didn’t get a good look. But it was big. And it seemed to be made of flailing armored appendages.

Lightning Strike extended his wings and lifted up, allowing himself to move slightly faster through the hall. A dreadful crash sounded behind Lightning, and his heart sank as he realized that the door had caved in. Lightning dove back into the office he had claimed, slamming the door behind him.

Which of course, he knew, would not stop that beast. He felt the ground shake as thundering footsteps approached. Outside the window, the creature appeared. Lightning Strike’s fear was temporarily replaced by puzzlement. It was a human.

Okay, it was a large, bulging human with a hideous face that reeked of raw meat stuffed inside a suit of body armor. And it snarled at Lightning, its yellow eyes gleaming with fervor, drool dripping from its gaping mouth.

It reared its head back, and brought it against the glass of the window, shattering it instantly. Lightning could feel tears streaming down from his eyes. He felt like begging. Begging to be let go, because he was young, he had a family, he had never done anything wrong, there was so much to live for.

As the wretched creature of a human began to worm its way inside, an Earth-shattering chain of exploding noises went off. Lightning covered his ears, but to no avail. The hulking human was pelted by an unseen savior, trembling as invisible forces ripped through its body.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the human dropped dead from the window, belching a spurt of blood into Lightning’s face. He sat there, ears ringing, waiting for the world to stop spinning. Eventually, he noticed another figure approach the window. A human.

Lightning cowered as it kicked the door down. This human also wore a set of body armor, but it appeared to fit much better. The human knelt down in front of Lightning, and he noticed behind the visor of the helmet a pair of blue eyes staring at him intently.

Lightning’s vision began to fade, and before he passed out, he could just comprehend a female voice demanding, “How the Hell did you get here?”

Safety in Numbers

The first thing that Lightning Strike registered as he awoke was pain.

"Ow!"

He scuttled back, his cheeks stinging.

"Stay with me, pal."

"What the-?" Lightning sputtered, gasping for air. He was still in the office. A rotten smell hung in in the air, making his nose wrinkle. He was joined by a human in full body armor.

As his head cleared, the memories came rushing to him.

"Oh Celestia, what's happening?"

"I think you should tell me." The woman responded. "So, first thing's first: how did you get here?"

Lightning rubbed a cheek with a hoof. "I, w-we came here by spaceship. We were going to... wait, I know you!" Lightning's eyes widened as he stared at the face behind the visor.

"What do you mean, 'we'? There's more of you?"

"You're Andromeda!" Lightning jabbed a hoof at her, ignoring the question. "I've seen pictures of you!"

"That's nice, kid. Now could you answer the fucking question?"

Lightning shivered, suppressing his awe. "I, um... I came here with a party. A little over 30 ponies. Princess Twilight lead us here to help the humans."

Andromeda squinted at Lightning. "So do you know what's going on?"

"Frankly, no. No, I..." Lightning gagged as his gaze landed on the source of the smell. "I don't suppose it has anything to do with..."

Lightning felt his stomach rolling as his lunch came rushing up. He coughed, the bile stinging his throat.

"Sorry you had to see that, kid." Andromeda patted Lightning on the back. "But at least there's one less to deal with."

"There's more?" Lightning groaned.

"At least two." Andromeda nodded. "I've been staying in the vents to keep away from them. I'm pretty sure they're crew members who starved until they ate each other."

"Lovely," Lightning muttered.

"Good news is, there's not many, they usually just fight each other."

"What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is they probably heard all that noise," Andromeda sighed, dropping the mechanism in her hands. "And I just ran out of ammo."

~~~

"Momma?"

The words only just escaped Shortstack's lips, which were dry and cracked. Every attempt to move resulted in searing pain. She thought she would keep crying, when Shortstack felt a soothing wave wash over her.

The feeling of somepony stroking her mane reassuringly. Like Momma did every time Shortstack would come home with a scratch or a scrape. Momma always made Shortstack feel better. She always protected her.

She coughed, setting her skin ablaze. It felt like her chest was exploding. Something was pressed up to her lips as her head was tilted back. Cool, delicious water trickled into her mouth.

Shortstack remained still. She didn't want the comfort to leave. "Please stay, Momma. It hurts."

Something scratched at her ear, then went back to softly stroking her coat. She shivered. It was almost enough to quench the burning pain.

~~~

"We're going outside the city limits."

Twilight cocked her head at Roman. "Is there something I should know?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "It's going to be a lot hotter. We'll be able to spot threats easier, but that means we can be spotted easier, too."

"So, we take caution."

"More than usual, yes." Roman nodded. "On the bright side, we can't be cornered out in the open. And we can find Muffin faster... provided, she went in one direction."

Yes, there was always that. Frankly, Twilight wondered how they could be sure Muffin flew this way altogether. Stud seemed very focused. He hadn't so much as breathed a word to anypony.

Twilight knew, of course, that he was laden with guilt and disgrace. As much as Twilight wanted to blame him for Ash's death, she simply couldn't. Stud was a hunter. Not a murderer.

How quickly I can mark that distinction.

Just nights ago, the thought of killing anything would have been preposterous. In this world, killing was the only way to survive. It was wrong. Maybe not here. But Twilight wouldn't. She couldn't.

Killing was wrong.

~~~

The boy raised his hand to block the sun from his eyes. Not so far away, a group of people, and 4-legged things were emerging from the outskirts of the city ruins into the desert. Towards him.

"Pass me the binoculars." The boy muttered. Another smaller boy fished them out of a bag, handing them over. The first boy raised the lenses to his eyes. He got a much better view of the group. He vaguely recognized some of the men.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that the weirdly colored animals were horse like, some with wings or horns.

"Shit. I think these are the ones we're looking for." He frowned, shoving the binoculars at the young one.

"Why do you sound so pissed, then?"

"Cuz it's Caine's guys. And he's with them."

The junior of the two widened his eyes. "That's not good."

"No. It's not." The boy pursed his lips. "Come on. We got the water. Let's go back."

"But wait," his partner protested. "Shouldn't we do something?"

"Maybe. I don't know. We'll figure it out."

Feeling unsure, the youths turned around, making their way back. God knows it wasn't safe to be out in the open. Especially when there's a psychopath on the loose.

~~~

"So... how old are you, exactly?"

Lightning Strike wriggled forward, following Andromeda through the vent. It was hot and cramped, but infinitely better than facing more of those... things.

"Shit if I know." Andromeda muttered sourly.

"Well, it's just, you landed in Equestria when my father was a foal. But you look like you've barely aged."

"Look, the ambassadors spend the entire trip in cryogenic storage, okay? I really have no idea how old I am. Happy?"

Lightning pondered for a minute. "So... the scratching sound I heard earlier. That was you?"

"You're a talker, I see." Andromeda groaned. "Yeah, that was me moving around up here. I try to keep tabs on these guys so I know when it's safe to come down."

"So, why did you come down if you knew it wasn't safe?"

"Because I heard your noisy ass and assumed I was being rescued."

Lightning took that into consideration. "How long have you been up here?"

"I dunno. Maybe a year."

Damn. And I thought I was going crazy after a day.

~~~

Food.

So much of it.

Out there.

In the open.

In the light.

Wait for dark.

For food.

So, so much food.

The Hardest Part

Shortstack squeezed her eyes shut. There were a bunch of loud voices. It was making her head hurt. Suddenly something shook Shortstack.

Unable to comprehend what was happening, Shortstack balled up, quivering in fear. The frantic voices grew louder. Whatever was holding Shortstack up gave way underneath her, and she hit the ground with a thud. Shortstack whimpered, pain shooting through her body.

An unknown being was grabbing Shortstack, tugging at her. Dirt was flying, and blew into her face. What was going on? Her body was going numb, and her thoughts were beginning to... slow... down...

The last thing Shortstack heard was the shrieking of all-too familiar terror.

~~~

One hour earlier...

"Keep the fire going. It'll scare off any mutts or ferals."

Ponies and men bustled about, chattering softly to themselves. Twilight effortlessly enlarged the flames with her magic. The bonfire crackled loudly, and bright sparks took to the sky.

Not all of the men stopped to eat, however. A solid fraction of them circled the group, rifles in their hands. Doctor Whooves sat by himself, refusing to interact. Charcoal was occasionally breaking out into tears.

It wasn't easy for Twilight to watch. She stood up, walking over to the Pegasus.

"I'm so terribly sorry about your sister, Charcoal." Twilight whispered to him. "I understand that you're going through a tragic loss. Please, once you have a clear mind, tell me if there's anything I can do for you."

The Pegasus shook his head. His reddened eyes stared blankly ahead. "I'm sorry, Princess," his hoarse voice answered. "I just... I wish we never came here."

Twilight gave a soft sigh, turning back.

So do I.

~~~

"So... do you have any food?"

"Yeah. There were a couple emergency ration crates in my pod. It ain't gonna last us forever, if that's what you're wondering."

Lightning shrugged. "I have my own supply."

Andromeda cast a look back at the pony. "You wanna go back, be my guest."

"Well, how long will it take for the crazies to... ahem, go away?"

"No idea. The last ones look pretty well off. I was hoping they would just duke it out if I locked them in one area together, but they didn't go at it any more than usual."

"Okay, then. What do we do?"

Andromeda didn't answer for a moment. "There are still those pods. Maybe we could lure them into one and trap them inside it."

"The pods!" It just clicked inside Lightning. "We can fly out of here!"

"Keep your voice down!" Andromeda hissed. "What are you talking about?"

"I can fly the pods," Lightning explained excitedly. "Even better, I can fly our ship!"

Andromeda carefully processed this new information. "Alright kid. We're busting out of here."

"Sounds good. I just have to get one thing."

"What?"

Even though Lightning couldn't see her face, he knew Andromeda was frowning in confusion.

"There's a device in my office. A locator. I have to get it, so I can find Twilight and the others."

"Okay, okay." Andromeda paused to think. "Let's... go back. You jump out, grab it, get right back in, then we go straight to the landing doors."

"Got it."

~~~

Blazing frowned. The nights in Equestria were beautiful. The soft, gentle colors eased the mind, and the cool air washed away all worries and griefs. The nights here on Earth were just like the days: empty and unclean. The dryness was maddening. Not even a single star glittered across the sky. Truly, this was a forsaken world.

Blazing laid down next to the stretcher where the disabled Pegasus rested. The two boy-colts sat nearby, as well. One was actually petting her.

"What's her name, again?" One asked.

Blazing narrowed her eyes, but still answered. "Shortstack."

"Shortstack," The boy repeated. He continued to stroke the mare's disheveled brown mane. "Sorry this happened to her. I had a brother who got ate by ferals." He shrugged, as if it were a minor misfortune.

Blazing Skyward lowered her gaze back to the Pegasus. She was shivering, occasionally murmuring to herself. Blazing shook her head in pity, before stalking off again.

She was about to rejoin the small huddle of ponies she had left when a flicker of motion caught her eye. Blazing froze in her tracks. Peering out into the darkness past the edges of the group, something was moving. Blazing shifted. She couldn’t tell what was out there, but it didn't appear to draw any closer. The men standing guard kept a constant watch.

Blazing shook her head, dismissing the matter. Whatever it was, a feral or some other animal, it wouldn't come for them as long as the fire was burning. They were safe for now.

~~~

"Why did we come back, again?"

"We gotta watch them. If he finds us, he's gonna kill us. We have to be able to get away if they get any closer to the nest."

"But, what about the horse things? They're with him now, they look fine."

"I don't know! Just shut up, okay? I'm trying to spy."

"..."

"... You think Caine would protect us? If he attacked?"

"Quiet."

"I'm serious! Caine's not like all of them, he might-"

"Shut up! I see something."

"What?"

"... Not good."

"What is it?"

"We gotta... we gotta run. Run, now!"

"Wait, what happened to spying on them? What's going on?"

"There's nothing we can do anymore. They're all gonna die."

~~~

"I think I see something out there."

Twilight lifted her head. Blazing Skyward was visibly disturbed. Her eyes were constantly darting back into the darkness in anticipation.

"Don't get all uppity."

Twilight folded her ears back as she heard Plumber walking towards them.

"Whatever it is, mutts, foresters, ferals, they're all just stupid animals. We got fire. They won't come near." He looked somehow proud of this fact, as if he were a primitive that had saved his tribe by discovering fire.

"Yes, well, we appreciate your," Twilight cleared her throat. "Affirmation."

~~~

Kyle frowned to himself. His legs were beginning to hurt. When would that fatass Derek take over for him? Kyle sighed, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. This was going to be a long night.

A shuffling sound came out from the blackness. Kyle froze. That sounded a little close. Annoyed with himself, Kyle unsung his weapon again. He peered down the scope out into the night. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"K, what are you doing?"

"Just looking," Kyle yelled. He swept the rifle over the area.

Must have been my imagination.

Shrugging, Kyle resumed his walk. As soon as he turned around, he heard a pitter-patter grow louder behind him.

"Oh, for fuck's-" Kyle yelped before he could finish. Something snatched his ankle, and was dragging him away. Kyle fumbled for the safety on his rifle.

"Guns out! Guns out!" Kyle screamed, catching dirt in his mouth. The campfire was growing steadily farther away. With a grunt, Kyle fired forward, hoping to hit his captor. A mouth clamped onto Kyle's leg. Then one on his right arm.

"No! No! Fuck!" Kyle lashed out as teeth tore into his skin. Dirt kicked up all around him, and Kyle felt bodies pressing close, wrestling over him. Kyle continued to scream as his body was slowly torn apart.

~~~

"Stay close to the fire, stay close to the fire!"

Screams of panic filled the air, and several shots went off. One man was tackled to the ground, then pulled into the darkness.

"Everypony, to me!" Twilight raised her shield spell. The ponies quickly herded close under the shield. "Everypony stay here!" Twilight barked, planting the bubble shield into the ground. With that, she leapt out, joining the circle of humans. They fired at any object that dared to get close.

"Everyone, stay close!" Roman ordered. "Don't break formation!"

One by one, ferals came sprinting from the dark night. They dove, trying to latch onto any unfortunate soul. Twilight felt a pang in her chest when she saw several bright orange beams of light cutting through the heartless emptiness. They had gotten somepony.

The light was abruptly cut off with a gurgling scream.

"Everyone get back!" Twilight shouted to be heard over the voices and gunfire. "I'm going to raise another shield!"

~~~

"You heard her, we got to move her back!"

Kurt motioned for Russell to help him. Casting one last look over his shoulder, Russell holstered his pistol, grabbing one end of the stretcher. Shortstack groaned as she was lifted up. The boys shuffled backwards, closing in on the rest of the group.

Suddenly, Kurt was yanked back. Russell grunted as he fell to the dirt. The sound of Kurt's terrified scream grew farther and farther away.

"Nono, come on." Russell shook with fear as tears began to drip down his face. "Come on!"

Kurt pushed himself up. He reached down to grab the Pegasus. "Somebody! Cover me!"

Kurt strained as he lifted her up, trudging forward. Something slammed into him, knocking him back down. The mare dropped from his arms, hitting the ground. A feral snarled threateningly. Kurt reached for his gun.

Before he could line up the shot, Shortstack disappeared. Kurt sobbed as he saw shapes in the darkness fighting over a small object. The sound of flesh tearing dominating his head, Kurt could only pray that Shortstack was still unconscious.