Twilight looked at the alien creatures with a friendly smile on her face. The rest of the townsponies surrounding her looked back and forth between each other as the strange looking group stared back at their princess, motionless in their place. After a few moments, the silence that raged in that empty space between ponies and otherworlders became almost painfully unbearable.

Movement from the back of the crowd drew many eyes away from the apparent standoff and toward the source of the commotion. The gathered ponies parted ways for Tempest as she galloped through them, fully dressed in her black armor. Within seconds, she was at the front, her hooves grinding to a halt as she appeared next to Twilight. The creatures appeared startled for a moment by her sudden appearance, but after a moment, the nearest one tilted its head to the side and pointed at her, before turning to its comrades. Ponies strained to hear its voice, but they were all just a tad too far away to hear them just yet.

"Are you insane?" Tempest whispered to Twilight.

"What? They were already here." Twilight reasoned.

"So you just leave without me and go say 'hi' to them!?" Tempest raised her voice, drawing the attention of the creatures once more.

The nearest one hesitantly took a step forward, causing a collective gasp from the rest of the surrounding ponies.

"Tempest, I know you're just trying to protect me, but I'm fairly certain that these creatures mean us no harm. If they did, they would have done so by now." Twilight lectured.

Another step forward, and yet another gasp throughout the crowd.

"Uh, Twilight-" Tempest tried to speak.

"I'm not done yet, Tempest. I understand you want to do your job to the best of your abilities, but sometimes you need to just trust me." Twilight finished, turning back toward the creatures to find the forward-most one stepping even closer to her.

Now it stood merely twenty feet in front of her, and albeit hesitantly, it stepped forward once more. The rest of it's group pointed their strange, metal sticks at the group, slowly traversing across the gathered ponies like some kind of scanner. This continued until the being in front was just ten paces away from the Princess of Friendship, and the ponies now only a mere two dozen feet away strained to hear what it had to say.

It slowly slung it's strange metallic stick around its shoulder until it rested comfortably there next to its backpack, and then, it spoke. Not to Twilight, but to Tempest.

"Are... Are you the same... unicorn... from the forest?" It asked, its deep and masculine voice reverberating through the crowd.

Every pony in the crowd, including Twilight, all stared intently at the mulberry unicorn guard and waited with bated breath for her response. Tempest, in turn, nervously gulped at the sudden turn of attention towards her and glanced over to Twilight for an answer. The Princess of Friendship merely shrugged and gave a quick nod of her head, motioning for her to respond.

"Uh-Um... Y-yes. Yes I am. Who... or rather what, are you?" She slowly asked, deliberately choosing her words as carefully as possible.

The creature immediately turned back to the rest of its group, finding them all lowering their metal sticks and looking about the crowd much more calmly.

"If I tell you the answer to those questions, will you answer mine?" It asked, glancing over to Twilight for a moment.

Feeling like the question was directed completely at her, Twilight decided to intervene, "We would be more than happy to answer all of your questions. However, would you like to come to my castle and talk there? I understand that having a crowd of ponies staring at you like this might be a little... intimidating, to say the least."

The creature turned on its feet and waved the rest of its group over with its hand. They all quickly moved up until they were all together in a triangle shape.

"Lead the way." The apparent leader said.

"Right, follow me." She said, turning on her hooves and addressing the crowd, "If everypony could just give us some room, I'll show our guests to the castle. I'm sure you'll have more than enough time to meet them once I've had the chance to show them around first." She called out.

The sea of surrounding ponies immediately parted, allowing for a long aisle to form between the now separated group. Once there was enough room to comfortably stroll through, Twilight lead the way through the crowd with Tempest quickly taking up her place at her princess's side, and the alien creatures quickly falling in line behind them.

As they walked through the crowd, each creature turned back and forth, looking at each and every pony they passed. The one with a strange paste covering half of it's visor tilted its head to the side and lean forward towards a particular pony, apparently sizing them up in the process, before moving to joint the rest of its comrades. Hushed murmurs in the crowd quickly began to grow louder and louder until the ponies were talking and conversing like there was nothing strange in the world at all.

"Wow! Those things look so cool!" A prepubescent voice loudly exclaimed.

"I can't believe we've never seen any of them before. They look so unique." Another female voice spoke out from the crowd.

The crew of strange creatures hesitantly glanced back and forth as the displacing ponies started to talk about them more and more. One merely shrugged, prompting another to return the gesture, before the group simply continued on after Twilight and Tempest.

Eventually, they all arrived at the Castle of Friendship, and Tempest opened the door for the large group. Each creature hesitantly followed Twilight inside the large doorway until all four of them were inside, and Tempest slowly closed the door behind them.

Once inside, one of the creatures immediately let out a whistle as it took in the castle's interior and crystal decorating. All four of them seemed entranced for a few moments before Twilight cleared her throat and caught their attention.

"If you'll all please follow me, I'll take you to the meeting hall and we can be properly introduced." She said, turning on her hooves and leading the way.

The leader of the alien creatures slowly followed after her, emboldening the rest of the group to follow as well. Twilight led them through the dining room first, allowing them to all look and appreciate the crystal furniture and decor throughout the room. Each one looked around the massive room, apparently taking it all in as if it were their first time in such a grand castle.

Quick enough, Twilight led them out of the dining room and into the meeting hall. Once there, she turned and properly addressed the alien creatures standing before her.

"Alright. Now that we're here, and you don't have all of Ponyville staring you down, let's properly introduce ourselves. Like I said outside, my name is Princess Twilight Sparkle," She said, holding a hoof to her chest, "And this," She pointed to Tempest, "Is my personal guard, Tempest Shadow."

Tempest gave a small nod and looked intently at the creatures as both her and Twilight waited for a response. Soon enough, the leader of the group took a step forward and spoke again.

"My name is Sergeant Jason McKnight. This is Corporal Eddie Icon, Lance Corporal Mike Jones, and Chief Warrant Officer Rebecca Williams," Jason said, gesturing to each of them respectively, "We're UGSC Marines from the planet Earth."

"So you are humans, then?" Twilight asked.

Jason tilted his head to the side, "You know about us?"

"Well, you aren't the first humans to arrive in Equestria." Twilight replied, smugly grinning at Tempest who, in return, scowled at her.

"You mean... Huh... You know why we're here, don't you?" Jason pieced together.

"As a matter of fact, I think I do, although, I do have to warn you. If my notes on Sky hold true, then you're all in danger just by being here." She warned, her tone taking a more serious edge.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, a slight edge in his voice mirroring hers.

"If our experience with Sky was anything to go off of, Equestrian magic is deadly to humans. Your species doesn't have the necessary mana pathways for our magic to flow through your bodies without causing harm. It took about six months, but we almost lost him." Twilight explained.

Jason raised an eyebrow behind his visor, "Uh, right... Listen, we're not looking for anyone named 'Sky'. I'm not sure how this planet works, but I'm not particularly sure I follow."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I've just gotten so used to his new name that I almost forgot his old one. Sky is David Lawson." Twilight cheerily replied.

Jason immediately tensed at the name, "So David Lawson is here? Right now?"

"Well, not here in Ponyville, but he is just outside Canterlot. I'm sure he'd be more than ecstatic to meet you all."

"Canterlot?" Rebecca spoke up, her feminine voice catching Twilight's attention.

"Yes, it's the capital of Equestria. Home to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna... By the way, are you a human mare?" Twilight asked, eyeing her curiously.

"Uh... what?" Rebecca replied, glancing to the rest of the team for help.

"Are you female? I've never seen a human female before. Oh this is so exciting! There's so much I want to learn about all of you," Twilight exclaimed, excitedly clopping her hooves together, "Also what's that paste all over your helmet?"

"Um... O...kay... It's uh... nothing. Just helps keep the air inside." Rebecca hesitantly replied.

"We're getting off topic," Jason interrupted, "We need to find David Lawson. Can you take us to him?"

"Well, I'm sure I could, but if you'd like, I could send him a letter and have him here by tomorrow or the day after at the latest. I'm sure he'd be in a rush to get here if he knew you were all here." Twilight replied.

"Could you please do that then?" Jason asked.

"Of course!" Twilight replied, turning around and heading over to a nearby table.

She channeled her magic through her horn, causing a purple aura to surround the appendage, before similarly wrapping around the top drawer and pulling out a quill, ink, and a piece of paper. Jason, Rebecca, Mike, and Eddie all jumped back at the scene, causing Tempest to visually tense at their sudden movement.

"What the fuck?" Mike asked, much louder than he meant to.

"Hmm?" Twilight turned around, "Oh! Right, you don't know. Gosh, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle any of you. I'm just so used to using magic that I forgot it must be quite strange for creatures that haven't even seen it before." She explained.

"How did you do that?" Eddie asked.

"Magic. I know it must be hard for you to understand. Sky was the same way for the first few weeks he was here, but basically, there are mana channels in each and every pony that allows us to use the natural energy of the planet to control objects and sometimes, bend the laws of physics, just a tad." Twilight explained.

"How... What?" Jason breathed.

"I know it's hard to understand at first, but I assure you, it's just the way of things here. Some ponies have larger mana channels, and that allows them to do more with their magic than others, but all ponies have some level of magic in their bodies. It's how we fly, grab things with our hooves, and channel that magic through our horns to cast spells and such." Twilight further elaborated.

"Wait, you can pick things up with your hooves?" Eddie asked, incredulously.

"Mmhmm." Twilight replied, turning around and picking up the quill with her hoof to demonstrate.

"Son of a bitch..." Mike whispered.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?" Jason asked, still in disbelief.

"Oh, right. Of course. I am an alicorn. Tempest over here is a unicorn. I'm sure you saw a few of them out there, but any pony with wings is typically a pegasus... unless of course they have leathery wings, in which case they're probably a thestral, but anyways... We're all ponies, and you've landed in Equestria!" Twilight triumphantly explained.

"And... you can all talk?" Jason asked.

"Yep! There's a lot of creatures in Equestria that can talk. In fact, the school over there just closed for summer break, but we have all kinds of creatures in there. There's Ocellus, our resident changeling, Yona, a yak, Gallus, a griffon, Silverstream, one of the only hippogriffs this side of the planet, and of course, Smolder, the only dragon in the school... besides Spike, of course, but he's been here as long as I have." Twilight listed, sticking her tongue out in thought for a moment.

Jason and the rest of the humans stared at her with a mix of awe on their faces. The ponies couldn't see any of their reactions, but if their silence was anything to go off of, they were stunned.

"Holy shit... Griffons and dragons... Where the fuck are we?" Eddie whispered.

"Regardless of all that... We're here on a mission. Finding David Lawson and getting out of here is our number one priority." Jason announced.

"I understand. I'll send him a letter now." Twilight replied.

With that, the lavender alicorn willed magic into her horn once more, and the quill quickly rose off of the table, only to be quickly dunked into the ink and brought it to the paper once more. Twilight quickly scribbled out a letter, and placed the quill back on the table. Without another moment of delay, she concentrated for a second and the letter simply blinked away.

The group of humans stared at her in abject shock.

"Did... did you just?" Jason began to ask.

"Hmm? Oh yes. I just teleported the letter to Sky's house. Midnight and I both have a two way link so we can send each other letters and such, so she should have just received the letter. I expect we'll hear back from them in a few moments and then you'll probably get to meet them both tomorrow morning." Twilight cheerfully explained.

"Wait, wait, wait. Who's Midnight?" Rebecca chimed in.

"She's Sky's wife. They actually just got back from their honeymoon a few months ago. You'll love her. She's very nice." Twilight replied, smiling away.

Each human slowly turned to each other and shared a unanimous moment of silent communication.

"David, uh... he married a pony?" Jason asked, cocking an eyebrow back.

"He did. Trust me, they were practically made for each other. Anyways, I'm sure you're all tired from your journey here, and if what Tempest told me was true to any extent, then you're all in need of assistance, unless I'm mistaken?" Twilight pressed, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"We... We crashed a few miles out in the forest. Something happened with our aircraft, and we lost power. Everyone made it, but we can't seem to get our communication equipment working." Jason explained.

"Hmm... I'm sorry that happened to you. Are any of you seriously hurt at all? We could take you to the hospital and properly check for any kind of trauma." Twilight offered.

"Besides a bit of a concussion, I think we're all fine. Chief, how're you holding up?" Jason asked, turning to Rebecca.

"I'm good. It's just a dull ache at this point, no need to worry about me." She replied.

"Yeah, we'll be alright." Jason said.

"Hmm... Well, while I do insist that you go to the hospital and get it checked just to be safe, I understand your hesitation. In the meantime, I don't think we can expect Sky to arrive until at least tonight or tomorrow morning at the earliest, so if you'd like, there are several delegate rooms available for you to stay in for the night." Twilight replied, giving a sincere smile.

"I... Think that would be extremely appreciated. Thank you, Princess." Jason said, giving a polite nod.

"Oh, please, call me Twilight. I've never been a fan of being so formal. Here, I'll have Spike show you to your rooms." Twilight responded, turning on her hooves and heading for the doorway, "Spike! Could you come down here real quick!?" She called.

"Yeah, one sec!" A teenage, boyish voice called from upstairs.

As they waited for Spike to come down the stairs, Twilight glanced to her left to find Tempest staring intently at Jason while he looked toward the door. Her eyes were fixed on just him, despite there being three other humans in the room, and the lavender alicorn was almost certain she could make out the tiniest trace of a blush on Tempest's face while she eyed the tall man.

The group of humans shared a glance as the pitter-patter sound of feet on crystal floors reached their ears, and after a few moments, a small purple dragon walked into the room through the open doorway.

"Oh, wow. Who're you guys?" Spike asked, eyeing the four humans curiously.

"Spike, this is Jason, Rebecca, Eddie, and Mike. They're more humans, like Sky." Twilight explained, motioning to each human respectively.

"Oh, sweet! I was wondering if more of you guys were ever going to show up." Spike exclaimed.

"Uh..." Jason muttered, still taken aback at seeing a dragon with his own eyes for the first time.

Twilight noticed the lack of a response Jason or any of the humans were giving, for that matter, and decided to speak up herself.

"Spike, do you think you could show them all to the extra delegate rooms we have upstairs?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Follow me and I'll take you guys there." Spike announced, turning on his feet and heading out the door.

Each human eyed each other for a moment before Jason hesitantly followed Spike's lead and headed out the door. One by one they followed him, leaving Twilight and Tempest alone in the room.

"This place just keeps on getting weirder and weirder..." Mike muttered as he left the room behind him.

Twilight and Tempest sat alone together in silence for a few moments before the mulberry unicorn decided to speak.

"So... You're letting them stay in the castle?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow back.

"Well of course. What else was I going to do? Ask them to stay at a motel?" Twilight shrugged.

"I guess not... But why didn't you tell them more about how magic will make them sick and eventually kill them if they stay here." Tempest asked, eyeing her curiously.

"I did! I mean, at least I thought I did. Either way, it's going to take months upon months for the effects to seriously start affecting them, and Sky will be here either tonight or tomorrow. Judging by the way they all responded to half the things I told them, I doubt they'd believe me anyways. It'll be up to Sky to convince them that I'm telling the truth." Twilight reasoned.

"Why wouldn't they? They saw you use your magic, so they know it's real now." Tempest pointed out.

"It's just a lot for them all to take in, I'm sure. Don't worry, by tomorrow night, we'll have everything sorted out and they'll be fully informed of what dangers they need to watch out for in Equestria."

"I hope you're right..." Tempest whispered.

"You may want to talk with them some more. I would, but I have that meeting with Celestia and Luna today... Speaking of which, I should definitely tell them about four more humans in Equestria." Twilight mentioned, scratching her chin.

Tempest tilted her head to the side, "Wait, why do you want me to talk to them more? Isn't that kind of your job?"

"Well, yes, but like I said, I'm going to be pretty busy today... and I saw the way you were looking at him." Twilight smugly replied.

"What? Who?" Tempest asked, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Jason!" Twilight teased, "The one that scratched your ear."

"Wha- I couldn't even see his face!" Tempest defensively rebutted, "And I was just making sure that they didn't do anything to hurt you. You know, that job that I'm supposed to do now that I can't exactly do if you have me over with the humans all day while you have your meetings?"

"Tempest, we're just using a communication crystal. It's going to take a while, but I'll still be in the castle all day. You're only going to be a few doors down, besides, whether you could see his face or not, I know that look you had. That's exactly the kind of face you make when you're interested and you know it." Twilight teased, zeroing in on Tempest's obvious insecurities.

"I don't- You're not... Ugh! Fine. Tonight, I'll go talk to them some more." Tempest relented, blushing hotly.

"Fair enough. Just know that once they take those helmets off, you just might fall head over hooves for him. If Sky was anything to go off of, humans are adorable!" Twilight gushed.

"I'm sure they're just as attractive as any other species in the world, Twilight. Now, can you please stop being weird." Tempest deadpanned.

"Oh, you're no fun. This is probably the most exciting thing to happen since Sky crash landed a few years ago! Think about all the knowledge they could share with us! For all we know, there could be a thousand more of them somewhere nearby and this could be the beginnings of a long and prosperous relationship between human and ponykind!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Or could be the destruction of us all." Tempest rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, stop being so over dramatic. Humanity doesn't want a war with us just as much as we don't want a war with them. Besides, like they already said, they came here to find David, which probably means that they're a rescue squad."

"If they're a rescue squad, then why are they dressed in so much armor? And what are those metal stick things they're all carrying around?" Tempest rebutted.

"Well for one, they're from space, so for all we know, those suits and armor are just to protect them from adverse environments... And I believe Sky said something about humanity using weapons that look like metal sticks once... I think he called them 'guns', or something like that." Twilight replied, sticking her tongue out in thought.

"Oh, so they were just pointing their weapons into the crowd of ponies and at you, and you just smiled like everything was okay?" Tempest deadpanned.

"I was sure that if we presented the most pleasant and friendly atmosphere possible, then there would be no reason to be afraid, and as you can see, everything's fine!" Twilight declared.

"Ugh... You're gonna get us both killed one day, you know that, right?" Tempest asked.

"I'll try my best not to. Besides, why are you so adamant that they're hostile? You know almost nothing about them." Twilight pointed out.

Tempest sighed deeply and looked away from Twilight.

"I... I'm just trying to protect you, okay?" She admitted.

"Tempest," Twilight said, stepping closer and placing a hoof on Tempest's wither, "Thank you for trying your best. Really, I appreciate that, but you also have to trust me a little. If you try talking with one of the humans tonight, who knows? You might just find out that we have more in common with them than you think." She said, giving a friendly wink.

"I'll... give it a shot, I guess... I just hope you're right." Tempest relented, giving a small smile in return.

"Thank you. Now, in the meantime, can you please relax a little. Everything's going to be fine. Just trust me that much, okay?" Twilight offered, giving a sincere smile.

"I'll... try. No promises though."

"Heh, good enough for me."

Sky sat on his favorite seat on the front porch, casually sipping away at a glass of lemonade in his hooves. His reflective sunglasses kept the majority of the powerful summer sunlight out of his eyes while he enjoyed his morning sunbathing. With birds softly chirping away in the nearby trees, and the gentle smell of warm summer air all around him, the crimson pegasus couldn't have less of a care in the world. He closed his eyes and softly sighed while further relaxing into his chair until he was nothing more than a pile of red jelly soaking in the sun.

As if to cue that he was relaxing just a tad too hard, the front door opened, making his ears flick back slightly. The sound of hoofsteps on hardwood quickly reached his ears, and he slowly opened his eyes to find a gorgeous mare with deep blue eyes looking down on him.

"Enjoying the sun there, big guy?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

"I was. It's been a hot minute since I just laid back and... relaxed," Sky casually replied, "Of course, the lemonade only made it better, Mid."

"Glad I could help," Midnight gave a triumphant little smile, "Now, scooch over a bit. That's my favorite chair."

Sky happily wiggled over to the side of the chair, giving her ample space to hop on with him. She quickly climbed onto the chair and laid down alongside the pegasus, before finding a comfortable position against him and kissing him on the cheek. Sky gently traced a hoof along her chest fluff and down to her belly.

"So... Any luck?" He asked, almost a whisper as his hoof did little circles around her stomach.

"Not yet, big guy. Don't worry though, it's not really my estrus cycle yet. Should be in a few more days at the latest." She replied, softly rubbing her hoof over his as it paused on her belly.

"Okay. Soon enough though. That's good. I can't wait." Sky whispered, placing a tender kiss on her muzzle.

"Hehe, that makes two of us, big guy." Midnight smiled, kissing him back as he pulled away fully.

For a while, they just laid there in the sunlight, pressed ever so gently against each other, without a care in the world. The sun slowly climbed through the sky and warmed the world around them more and more, filling both their bodies with the most profound sense of comfort and safety. Eventually, Sky wrapped his hooves around Midnight's barrel and pulled her in closer, meshing their chest fluff together in the process. She happily accepted his advances, and nuzzled her muzzle into the crook of his neck, finding his slow, steady heartbeat against her cheek, before giving out a small sigh of contentment, and closing her eyes.

Then a loud popping sound startled them both out of their impromptu snuggling session, and they both turned their heads up to see a letter hovering just above in a light purple aura.

"Twilight?" Midnight asked, squinting her eyes to see slightly better.

"Looks like it, if the purple magic is anything to go off of." Sky replied, reaching up and grabbing the letter out of the air with his hoof.

He bit down on the end of the envelope and gently tore it open to reveal its contents. Midnight scooched up slightly to see better, and together, they set about reading the actual letter.

Dear Sky and Midnight,

I hope you are both doing well, and while I know Sky was just here for Tempest's knighting ceremony, I'm afraid I must ask the both of you to come to Ponyville as soon as possible. Humanity has arrived.

Your friend, Twilight Sparkle

Sky held the letter for a while, his jaw having dropped some time ago. Midnight read over the letter five different times, just to be sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her, before looking up at Sky to gauge his reaction.

"Uh... You okay, Sky?" She hesitantly asked.

"I-I just... I didn't think I'd ever read those words on a piece of paper in my entire life... How did they get here so fast? I mean... I get that technology would advance over the last hundred and fifty years, but... Holy shit..." Sky slowly trailed off, his brow deeply furrowed in thought, "We have to talk to them." He suddenly announced.

"Well, yeah. Those are your people. They'll die if they stay here as long as you." Midnight replied, rolling over and hopping off the chair.

"Oh my god, you're right... I completely forgot about that... Twilight would have told them though... Right?" He asked, following behind and jumping off of the chair.

Midnight walked over to the doorway and opened the door for both herself and Sky.

"Oh I'm one hundred percent sure she told them already. Now, if they'd believe her or not... Well, let's just say that you didn't believe in most of what everypony told you for the first few months you were here. They might not have believed her either." Midnight reasoned.

"That's a fair point, but I'm ancient compared to these dudes... Who knows what they could have seen over the last century and a half." Sky muttered, heading inside and pacing in the entrance.

"Well that's all the more reason to go see them and find out for yourself, right?" Midnight supportively suggested.

"Me? You're not coming with?" Sky stopped in his tracks and looked at her with a sideways glance.

"You want me to?" Midnight asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?" Sky rebutted, a little hurt in his voice.

"I just... I didn't think you'd want to risk them being upset over your... dating choices," Midnight hesitantly replied, "I just remember how you said dating outside your species was considered wrong and gross on your homeworld way back when you first got here..." She trailed off.

"Mid... I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks about me being with you. I love you and you're the best thing that ever happened to me. If humanity still has those views, not only when you're an intelligent species, but I'M part of that species now, then they can fuck right back off to whatever planet they call home these days. I don't need them." Sky declared, stomping a hoof on the ground to emphasize his point.

Midnight tried to hide a blush that quickly rose to her cheeks, "I-if you're sure, big guy. Thank you."

David walked over to her and brushed his cheek against hers, nuzzling her in the softest of ways while he sat down on his haunches and wrapped his hooves around her neck.

"No matter what anyone else says, you're my reason for waking up in the morning, Mid... Heh, if anything, I should be the one more nervous about how my kind would react, not you." Sky teased, punctuating his statement with a little nip at Midnight's ear.

Midnight gasped at the sudden sensation of Sky's teeth on her sensitive appendage, and a small shudder ran through her body. She retaliated by softly biting at his ear, causing him to let go of her and kiss at her neck. Quick enough, she let go and they resumed nuzzling each other for a few moments before finally pulling away.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you more." He replied, giving her a cheesy wink.

Midnight giggled into her hoof before leaning forward and stealing a quick kiss from Sky's lips.

"Alright then. I'm pretty sure we missed any trains leaving for Ponyville today, so how's about we go first thing tomorrow morning?" She offered.

"Alright. Sounds good to me. What do you want to do for the rest of the day then?" Sky replied.

"Hmm... Well, first let me send a letter back to Twilight to let her know we'll be there tomorrow morning, and then after that..." Midnight said, trailing off as she sauntered up to him, bringing her muzzle up to his ear, "How's about we keep trying?" She whispered.

"Did I ever tell you that you can read my mind? 'Cause you totally can." Sky responded, kissing her cheek.

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Jason paced back and forth through the large crystal bedroom while the rest of the team sat on the massive, silky bed. Rebecca trailed her hand across the satin silk sheets and tried, in vain, to feel the softness of the material through her gloved hand.

"Damn... Wish I could really feel these sheets... They look so fuckin' soft." She mumbled.

"So, Sarge... What are we gonna do about food? Not to be a bitch or anything, but I'm getting kinda hungry." Mike complained from his lazily sprawled out position on his back. He expectantly glanced over at Jason while slowly sinking into the mattress.

Jason paused as he stared out the crystal glass windows and into the setting sun.

"I'm not too sure... We could just hold our breaths, take our helmets off, and try to eat the MRE's we've got with us, but then we'd have to depressurize, and repressurize between bites... so that's just a pain in the ass that just isn't worth the hassle..." Jason muttered, never taking his eyes off the setting sun.

"Well, we weren't supposed to be stuck on the ground for long periods of time. If they had planned for that, then we'd have those badass EVA suits with the liquid calorie injectors and shit. What do you guys think? Poor planning on the command team's part, or just low budget?" Eddie asked, trying his hardest to scratch an itch on his back that he just couldn't quite reach.

"We're Marines, Ed. It's always a low budget issue." Jason chuckled.

"Well we can't just sit around here and not eat a damn thing. We're gonna starve before we run out of air. Speaking of which, I don't think these ponies are gonna be able to get us back to the frigate." Mike chimed in.

"I know... When I think of an answer for you, I'll let you know. For right now, let's just focus on the mission. From what Twilight said, Lawson replied to her letter a few hours ago. We can expect him to be here tomorrow morning. That leaves three of the crew to go." Jason explained, turning to address the group as a whole.

"Am I the only one that heard that purple pony thing say 'when' he was human? You know what that implies, right?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well she also said something about their magic being deadly to humans too, didn't she? Or am I just remembering shit wrong?" Eddie added, "No, you know what, I remember now, she definitely said that, both of those things."

"Magic... Jesus Christ, what in the fuck even is this place." Jason muttered, turning around and resuming his pacing.

"I dunno. Right now, I'm a little more concerned that they sent us up here and we haven't seen any of them since the princess came to tell us Lawson is stopping by tomorrow. Now I don't know about you guys, but that seems a little fishy to me." Eddie mentioned.

"I don't think they want to hurt us at all... They had more than enough time to do that earlier... and if their magic is as powerful as they claim it is, then they wouldn't need a whole village either... that princess could have taken us all out when we were in her dining room." Jason replied, once more glancing out the window at the setting sun.

"That's a big if... I mean, how do we know that what we saw down there wasn't some kind of illusion or something?" Mike asked.

"We don't. I doubt they'd have a reason to lie to us, unless of course, they were some kind of super intelligent species that lures victims in by pretending to be friendly, only to eat them the first chance they get." Eddie rebutted, holding up a finger for emphasis.

"Um, not to derail this... fascinating conversation of yours, but aren't you all forgetting one super teeny tiny, yet ever so crucial detail right now?" Rebecca chimed in, turning all eyes in the room toward her.

"And what's that, Chief?" Jason asked.

"We're running out of air. Me, in particular. I've got, what? A day and a half left? I think you're all kind of missing that massive roadblock that will literally kill us all unless we figure it out. I've almost suffocated a few times during trainings and one particularly bad mission - it ain't fun." She lamented.

"I don't know what we're gonna do, Chief. Maybe if Lawson survived here without filtered air, then we can too." Jason admitted.

"You willing to risk your life on that?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow.

"If it comes to it." Jason quickly answered.

"Alright, calm down, let's focus on figuring out our current situation, and then you two can go at each other later." Eddie spoke up, motioning with his hands in a placating manner.

"Agreed." Jason replied.

"Fine, there's still a massive elephant in the room you guys haven't addressed yet." Rebecca said.

"What's that, Chief?" Mike asked.

"They all speak fucking English." She deadpanned.

Everyone in the room took a moment to stop what they were doing and look at the pilot in silence.

"Uh..." Mike tried to think of something, only to come up short.

"Well... They're not the first sapient species we've ever come across... So... Maybe they have some way of picking up a new language just by hearing it?" Jason suggested.

"What, like the Varrack on Cliptus?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah."

"Those things just parrot what they hear, though. They're not intelligent by any definition." Eddie replied.

"I know that. I'm just making a suggestion. If that's not it, then I have no idea. Maybe we should just ask them later." Jason shrugged.

"Eh, not a bad idea, but I doubt they're going to tell you the truth." Mike guessed.

"Maybe... God, this is all so fucking weird. First we get shot down by God-knows-what, and now, little talking alien horse things. I don't know what to make of it all," Jason sighed, "Look, you guys just wait here for now. I'm gonna go see if I can figure some of this shit out. Maybe get some answers if nothing else."

"You're not planning on going alone, are you?" Eddie cautioned.

"I know that it's not a tactically sound decision, but these creatures have given us no reason not to trust them... so far. Look, I'll be back in an hour. If I'm not, then come looking for me. If you can't find me in an hour after that, start shooting, cause I'm probably dead," Jason replied, turning and heading for the door, "Besides, I need to clear my head for a bit."

Jason opened the door and stepped outside. He glanced left and right down each hallway to find nothing but crystal floors and walls lining the halls and tapering off into two separate stairways; one going up, and one going down. He elected to follow the ascending one, and headed off to his left. A short walk up the stairs later, and he found himself approaching a balcony of sorts. After a quick glance left and right for any prying eyes, he stepped out and walked over to the railing.

Jason sighed as he brought his forearms to the metal railing and leaned his weight forward. The last few rays of sunshine licked over the horizon as the fiery ball of light descended behind the planet, and he soon found the stars peeking out from the darkness to greet him after such a long day.

He was lost in the view and his thoughts for quite a while, before metal horseshoes on crystal alerted him to an unexpected visitor. He quickly turned around to find Tempest rounding the corner in her full suit of black armor. She nearly jumped as her eyes fell on him, but managed to maintain her composure this time around and quickly cleared her throat.

"I, uh... Didn't expect you to be up here." She greeted, taking a few steps forward.

"I... didn't expect to see you up here either... What, uh... what're you doing up here?" Jason awkwardly asked.

"Well... I was going to go see how you were all doing... but, um... I suppose I just... needed some fresh air... Uh, what about you?" Tempest replied, equal amounts of awkwardness in her voice.

"Well... that room was getting kinda stuffy." Jason replied, watching her closely as she stepped towards him. He kept a careful eye on her posture and position, in case she tried anything he wasn't expecting.

"Ah, I see..." Tempest replied.

What's your game... do you even have a game? Jason's thoughts quickly filled his mind, making him eye the mulberry unicorn just a little more carefully.

For several seconds, the two of them stood in awkward silence, neither one willing to broach the topic any further until it became almost unbearable. Tempest glanced back and forth between Jason and the floor for a few more moments before stiffly scratching the back of her neck with a hoof. She hesitantly took a step forward and spoke, getting Jason's full attention in the process.

"Just, uh... just a few months ago I was in a similar situation... Well, not really, but I did end up spending an entire day in my room." She mentioned in a slightly awkward bid to make small talk.

"And how'd that happen?" Jason asked, turning slightly as Tempest stepped toward the railing. He watched her carefully, as she walked past him, making sure to keep his torso pointed in her direction in case she suddenly turned on him.

"Well... Suffice to say, I've made some bad decisions in my life... and some of them came back to bite me..." Tempest slowly replied, choosing her words carefully.

Jason's eyebrows both rose at her ease of admission, and his mind fumbled for the proper response for such a statement.

"Ah, I know the feeling." Jason somewhat awkwardly admitted.

Why is she opening up to me so easily? She doesn't know a damn thing about me...

Tempest gave him a sideways glance before frowning slightly and looking out over the horizon. Her apparent shift in mood, made Jason tilt his head to the side, and he slowly turned until he was facing the end of the sunset with her. He kept an eye on her while he thought of what to say, but her slight frown strangely brought a genuine sting to his heart, and he couldn't help but bite his lip as he watched her.

What the hell? She looks so sad...

The mulberry unicorn kept her eyes glued to the sun while the man next to her stiffly looked back and forth and twiddled his thumbs. Eventually, the silence became too much, and Tempest turned her head to Jason. She moved to speak, but just as the words were about to leave her lips, she closed her mouth and shook her head.

"What?" Jason pressed, having noticed her attempt at communication.

"Um... It-It's nothing, really. I just thought of something but, uh... I figured it out. Never mind." She replied, a heavy hint of sadness sprinkled in her voice.

Jason stared at her for several more seconds and frowned. She kept her gaze leveled on the sun as it disappeared from view, making it clear that she did not want to continue that particular train of thought.

Fuck me... why do you have to be so damn cute... Jason whined in his head.

"Hey, uh... can I ask you a question?" Jason asked, the sudden change of subject causing Tempest to immediately turn her head to face him.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Well... How are we speaking the same language? I've never heard of another species just... speaking perfect English before. Did... Did Lawson teach you all that?" Jason asked, clearly grasping at straws for an explanation.

"Um... Well, actually I was wondering the same thing. You're speaking perfect Equish and it really confused me when I first ran into you in the forest." Tempest replied.

"Hmm... Alright, now that's something to look into..."

Hold on... why didn't she say anything in the forest?

"You know what, speaking of the forest, I had another thing I wanted to say to you." Jason spoke up.

"Shoot."

"Okay, this is, uh... kinda awkward, but, when I first saw you... I honestly didn't know you could talk... You didn't say anything when I... you know..." Jason trailed off.

A blush quickly began to form on Tempest's face, "Oh! Uh, d-don't worry about it. It's fine, really. From what Twilight told me, Sky was the same way when he first got here." She quickly replied.

"Yeah, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about that. It wasn't my goal to come off that way," He apologized, sounding as genuine as he could, "But I do have to ask, why didn't you just say something? I would have stopped right away if I knew you could talk."

Tempest's blush darkened further, and she swiftly looked away from the tall man standing next to her before finding her words.

Is she blushing? Okay, either she's been genuine with me this whole time or these ponies have human emotions down to a 't'.

"I... I just couldn't find the words... The whole situation was so... bizarre... I just had no idea how to react." She admitted, her gaze never venturing back to Jason.

"I... I get that. Again, I'm really sorry. I wasn't trying to demean you or anything." Jason apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Honestly, it's not a big deal." Tempest assured him, giving a gentle smile as her blush faded.

"Okay... If you're sure... Thank you. I just didn't want any bad blood between us."

"Heh, no bad blood here. No need to worry." Tempest replied.

Another silence reigned over them as the man and pony took to glancing out at the fading sunlight and rising starlight. Jason's eyes darted upwards just in time to see a shooting star as it bolted through the skyline and disappeared. A thin smile formed on his lips before he glanced back down at Tempest, finding her head also angled skyward, but her eyes were closed. Another few moments passed before they slowly opened, and the white dots of starlight shown in her turquoise eyes.

"You make a wish?" Jason asked with a small grin.

"Yeah... Here's hoping it comes true." Tempest replied, a rosy blush creeping onto her face once more as she shyly glanced away.

"Heh, I guess we're not so different after all then." Jason chuckled.

"Heh... guess not." She whispered.

Author's Note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_BjjubkdBo

Hey guys. I was really excited to get this chapter out and I hope you all like it. This is about the point where you have to have read my other stories to know what's going on. Sky and Midnight are super important characters in this story, so if you're just now reading this story without any context, you're gonna be completely lost from here on out.

Moving on to our mulberry mare of the day, Tempest looks like she's finally found another being that catches her eye... We'll just have to see where that goes from here