Anonymous in Nu-Questria 2

You’re looking over Zipp and Sunny’s shoulder. They are crammed into the small tech post, and you’re in the doorway.

Zipp carefully tuned the old device that looks like a ham radio. The needle swept gently over the dial as she listened.

The small speakers on the device hiss with the drone of static, then slowly a voice starts to pierce through.

“-Aircraft. Repeat. Land immediately. You are in a restricted area!”

The voice sounds like a mature female, but not the creature you heard before. It sounded quite commanding.

“Where is it coming from?” Sunny asks Zipp.

“I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s there.” Zipp says.

She points to one of the monitors. The camera is pointed to a skinny, black tower that’s situated within the city ruins about a dozen miles away from the storm. It soars over the rest of the buildings, at least forty stories tall. There are long, spidery strands of antenna on the roof.

Zipp holds down a button and the image on the screen zooms in.

Amid the ruins you notice that some of the chimneys are wisping out smoke. There’s activity in the streets. Creatures dressed in dark clothing are scurrying around. Some of the buildings have been boarded up, and some of them have lights coming from inside.

“An encampment.” Sunny says. “That has to be where they’re calling from.”

She puts a hoof to her chin pensively as the radio crackles to life again.

“Hey. The ponies in the balloon. I repeat, land your ship right now!” The voice says.

“Well, should we answer her?” Zipp asks. She holds up a microphone on a spiral cord towards Sunny.

Sunny raises her head and puffs out her chest. Despite Canterlot and Ponyville being destroyed, she retains some glimmer of resolve.

She takes the microphone in her hoof. You feel a bit tense as she raises it towards her lips and presses the button to talk.

“This is Captain Sunny Starscout. Ambassador of ponykind. We would like to extend an offer of peace and friendship.” She says.

There’s a long silent hiss of static through the radio.

“Are you shitting me?” The voice responds. “Land your ship, now.”

“Can you please tell us why you want us to do that?” Sunny asks.

“Listen.” The voice responds. “Do you have any idea where you are? Do you know who I am?”

Sunny smirks. “Well, I don’t but I’d love to know.”

“Alright then, listen up.” The voice says with a riled-up tone.

“My name is Zelina. Major General Zelina of the Imperial Abyssinian Military. You are currently entering a world of shit. I am giving you a direct order to land your ship immediately. Do it now.”

“Woah.” Zipp says. Her eyes widen with surprise.

Sunny lowers the microphone and furrows her brow.

“Abyssinia.” She says. “Where have I heard that before?”

“It was a continent far away from Equestria. It was home to bipedal cats and many other creatures.” You say.

“A foreign army?” Zipp asks.

“It seems that way...” You say.

“Hm.” Sunny says. “We need to approach this very carefully.”

“Well, Captain Starscout?” The voice from the radio says mockingly.

Sunny raises up the microphone and pushes the button to talk.

“Can we negotiate over the radio? We’ll halt our ship’s progress but we’ll stay airborne.” She says.

There’s a pause before the voice responds in a stern tone. “No.”

“Why not?” She asks.

“Haha. Alright. You don’t know how things work around here. I get that, but this is for your own safety. Land now or I will shoot you down.”

Sunny bristles with anxiety as she pushes the button again quickly.

“There’s no need for that.” She says. “If you wish to talk peacefully, we are willing to meet, but I won’t put my crew in danger.”

“Sunny...” You say.

She shushes you and listens to the radio.

“You’re serious, huh?” The voice says. You think you hear a long breath mixing with the static on the radio.

“Well then, you leave me no choice. Sorry, ponies.”

“Why?” Sunny asks. “We are only here to observe and learn more about Equestria. Why do you need to resort to violence?”

“Oh, so you’re a history buff? Is that it?” The voice responds in an agitated tone. “How about I give you a lesson face to face, Starscout? If you aren’t dead when you hit the ground.”

The sound a receiver violently banging down comes from the radio, and then it cuts out. Beads of sweat glisten on Sunny's forehead and she grits her teeth.

Zipp leans in towards the radio’s display. “We lost the signal.” She says.

You let out a long-held breath.

“Well.” Sunny says. She flattens her mouth. “I tried my best to negotiate.”

“Right...” You say. You frown at Sunny. “Do you think she’s just... bluffing?”

“I don’t know.” Sunny says. She adds a bit of cheer to her tone. “But at least we learned her name, and more about who they are.”

“Yeah, wonderful.” You say sarcastically.

Zipp operates the the control pad for the cameras and starts pointing them towards the encampment, trying to get a better angle on things.

Sunny takes a breath and looks up at you.

“Is there anything you know that might help us, Anon?” She asks with pleading eyes.

You sigh. “Well, you won’t like to hear this, but I didn’t hear many good things about Abyssinia back in the day. The things that went on over there... Let’s just say it’s not a good sign.”

Sunny lowers her head. “I figured you might say that.” She says.

“Uh, Sunny? Anon?” Zipp says. She points her hoof to one of the monitors. “Should we be worried about... that?”

You look at the monitor. In the blurry, desaturated picture you see some large device rotating on top of one of the smaller buildings. The long barrel and heavy mechanical base are all you need to see to discern its purpose.

It’s an anti-aircraft gun, and it’s starting to aim directly towards the camera.

“Shit! Fuck!” You say.

“What? What is it?” Sunny asks.

You put a hand on Sunny’s back and look at her with wide, terrified eyes. “Sunny, we have to turn the ship around. Right now.”

“S-so is that what I think it is?” She says, looking to the monitor and then to you.

“It’s a gun! A really big fucking gun! It’s going to shoot at us-”

You stop mid-sentence as you see a plume of smoke erupt from the anti-air canon.

“Shit. GET DOWN!” You yell.

You shove Zipp and Sunny down by their withers to the floor. You press yourself against the floor with them.

“H-hey!” Zipp says. Sunny covers her head with her hooves.

There’s a whistling sound that rises in pitch. Then the crack of an explosion off the port side. A moment late you hear the sound of metal fragments pinging off the hull.

Sunny gasps and tenses up. Zipp’s eyes widen as she realizes what happened. You look up at the monitor. There’s tiny creatures crowding around the base of the gun as they prepare another shell.

“It’s flak. They’re going to shoot at us again!” You say.

You look to Sunny. “We need to take this thing higher! Get out of range!” You yell. You get up and start to quickly descend the stairs.

“Anon! Wait!” Sunny calls out as she goes down the steps after you.

You don’t turn back. You make it down to the main deck and jump down the last few steps.

Zipp flies down quickly as Sunny reaches the bottom. Another shell explodes in the air close to the stern. It leaves a hovering cloud of gray smoke, and the ship is peppered with hot metal fragments. You hit the deck.

Izzy and Pipp gallop towards you from the bow, screaming for Sunny. Hitch bursts out from the door to the lower decks, scanning the sky with a surprised look on his face.

“What was that? What’s going on?!” Hitch shouts.

“EVERYPONY!” Sunny yells as loud as she can. “REMAIN CALM! GET TO THE BRIDGE!”

Izzy and Pipp skid to a halt. They look at her with terrified expressions. Hitch gallops over stoic and determined.

“You heard her, everypony! Move!” He shouts.

The air is thick with the smell of sulfur. You run along with the ponies across the deck to the bridge. You keep glancing behind to make sure they’re keeping up.

Zipp flies ahead and opens the door for everyone. One by one they start to filter inside. You wait by the door to make sure they make it all in.

Just as Sunny is about to make it to the door, there’s another explosion. It’s close. Right under the front of the balloon. You hear the sickening groan of metal being wrenched apart, and the shockwave ripples through you. Searing hot shrapnel pings off roof of the bridge.

You, Sunny and Zipp look up in horror as the patch of smoke clears. You see the fabric of the balloon catching fire and the exposed frame underneath. There’s now a sizable hole the canopy.

“No!!” Sunny screams. Her face twists in anguish.

“Sunny! Get this ship above the clouds!” You shout. You point to the helm.

Sunny whips her head towards you. “No! We won’t make it!”

“What?!” You shout, but she marches inside the bridge.

Zipp flies up and looks at the monitor on the control panel.

“We’re losing pressure!” Zipp says as flashing red warning symbols light up.

Sunny rears up and grabs the wheel with both hooves, keeping it steady.

“Vent the ballonets! Emergency override! Increase power to helium generation!” She yells in a commanding voice.

Zipp turns a heavy red lever on the side of the control panel. There’s a loud rush of wind through the pipes below deck as the ballonets are vented. Pipp shrieks and covers her head in her hooves.

Sunny cranks the throttle forward and the ship increases its speed. She turns the ship starboard, trying to make it less of a target.

“Sunny, the reactor can’t take this. We don’t have enough power!” Zipp says as she hurriedly adjusts dials to try and maintain altitude.

There’s another loud crack as a shell explodes on the port side dangerously close to the main deck. Bits of metal embed themselves into the deck and rip along the balloon canopy.

“Sunny!” Izzy shouts as she holds Pipp on the ground.

“Sunny, what do we do?!” Hitch asks. His eyes are wide, and for the first time ever, he looks panicked.

Sunny looks to the left and right. Her chest is heaving with heavy breaths. She levels out the ship and locks the wheel in place with a switch.

She turns and looks over at Hitch, Izzy and Pipp.

“Everyone! We need to come together!” She says while stamping a hoof. “Now is not the time to be afraid. No matter what happens, we’re going to get through this as friends!”

She looks at them with a tearful expression. Izzy and Hitch stare back, and Pipp raises up her head.

“Give me the crystals! Quickly!” Sunny says. She reaches into her own pack for hers.

Izzy stands up and reaches into her mane for the unicorn crystal. Pipp meekly retrieves the pegasus crystal from beneath her wing.

Sunny takes them and slots them together on the floor of the bridge. She closes her eyes and exhales in a long breath. She puts a hoof on the crystals.

The ponies watch with anxious expressions as there’s another loud explosion outside.

You start to get nervous. Nothing is happening.

“Well?!” You say. “Get on with it!”

“I’m trying, Anon!” Sunny says fiercely as she cuts her eyes to you.

“C-come on, everypony! Let’s help her.” Hitch says as he takes a step forward and puts a hoof on the crystals.

Izzy moves forward too, but Pipp hesitates.

“I can’t!” She says. She curls her mouth into a frown and glares at him with tearful eyes. “I don’t feel friendly right now, not with Hitch here!”

Hitch whips his head around. “Oh, can you stop being a foal?! Now is not the time!” He shouts.

This only serves to make Pipp angrier.

“Hitch! Pipp! Stop it now!” Sunny yells.

“Wait!” Zipp says as she lands next to Sunny and puts a hoof on her back.

“That’s the problem. We aren’t getting along!” She says, looking at the ponies individually.

“Well that wouldn’t have happened if one of my supposed friends didn’t sleep with my sister!” Pipp shouts as tears stream down her face.

“Enough!” You shout.

“Hey! HEY!” Sunny yells. She puts both forehooves in the air.

She points at Zipp. “Zipp, apologize!” She points at Pipp. “Pipp, try to understand her feelings.”

Zipp lowers her head. Hitch looks away awkwardly.

There’s another explosion outside. It hits close to the bulkhead and there’s a low groan as the ship’s frame strains from the shockwave.

This nudges Zipp and Pipp into action. Zipp raises her head.

“Pipp, I’m sorry. I should have told you I liked Hitch. I know you care about me and you’re upset because I didn’t tell you.”

Pipp takes a step forward. Her face scrunches up and she sniffles.

“I’ll own that. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d act like this. I tried to avoid it to protect my own feelings. That wasn’t right.” Zipp says.

Pipp wipes a tear away quickly and sits down in front of the crystals.

“Z-Zipp, you’re my big sister. You always will be. I just feel like we’ve grown so much apart lately...” Pipp says in a sorrowful tone.

“I’m not going anywhere, sis.” Zipp says.

They lean forward and hug each other. Sunny and Izzy smile warmly at this.

Hitch looks down and then looks over at Pipp as the hug ends.

“I’m sorry too, Pipp. I... I wasn’t trying to hurt you or your sister.” He says in a quiet, remorseful voice.

Pipp nods and shakily smiles.

With a collective sigh of relief, the ponies all lean in and put their hooves onto the crystals. You crouch down and put your hand in too. You watch and wait for the magic to start seeping out.

Yet it doesn’t.

There’s an awkward pause as Sunny looks to you. You look back, and instantly you understand. You and Sunny are at odds with each other. Now more so than ever. You’ve created dissonance in the group.

You look away, your mind reeling with the implication that you’ve doomed everyone. Sunny starts to say, “Wait. Wait! There’s still one more thing-”

She is interrupted as a huge explosion rocks the ship. A fireball engulfs the surveillance booth. A hideous squeal of metal rings out as bolts pop off the spot where the balloon frame connects to the pylon.

You watch as the balloon starts to buckle inward. The tattered canopy tears open as flames spread quickly over it. The ship begins to rumble and shake.

The ponies all scream. You let out a vile string of curses and put a hand on the wall to steady yourself. Alarms blare and red lights fill up the control panel as the ship begins to rapidly loose altitude. The balloon frame is simultaneously collapsing and being pulled away from the ship.

There’s a sinking feeling in your gut as you realize that this is the end. You grab onto the metal window frame and try and steady yourself. Cracks start to form in the reinforced glass.

Sunny jumps to the helm and unlocks the wheel. She fruitlessly tries to fight the ship as it lists to the side.

You turn to Izzy, who is screaming and holding on to her friends for dear life.

You manage to reach out to her and touch her foreleg. “Izzy!” You yell over the din of crashing metal. “Use your magic! Save us!”

The ship begins to tilt upward as it descends. Your body feels like it’s getting lighter. Izzy leans up at looks at you with wide, violet eyes.

“I can’t, Anon!” She yells.

“Yes you can! I believe in you! Please!!” You shout.

Izzy’s horn lights up a little. She looks around at all of her friends terrified and cowering on the floor, and her face twists as her emotions well up inside.

Her horn glows brighter. Sunny slams the throttle all the way forward as the ship points further up towards the sky. The thrust from the engines helps to slow the descent, but it won’t stay that way for long.

“You can do it, Izzy. I believe in you. I believe in you, Izzy.” You say, trying to sound encouraging.

Izzy shuts her eyes. Her horn glows so brightly that the bridge is flooded with lavender light. The wind is howling outside.

“DONT. HURT. MY...” Izzy shouts.

There’s a massive crunch as something gives way near the stern. The weight shifts and the ship begins to tumble end over end. You and the ponies are thrown into the air.

“FRIENDS!” Izzy shouts.

There’s a bright flash. The last thing you feel is your body pressed in from all sides by some fluffy mass. Then the ship hits the ground.