All good things must come to an end, and tonight was just such a night. For the past eight weeks, Major Hal Sleet, his wife Raven Blacklight, their children Black Onyx and Kaleidoscope, and their housemate and good friend Wordsmythe had been touring Australia, with the aid of their new friend Flashpoint. Teleporting was so much faster than taking a train or ship. The family had readily accepted Flashpoint’s offer to take them back to the Colorado Territories, at least as far as Santijuana. They intended to make a family trip out of the excursion, riding the train from Santijuana through Yuma, Blythe, Havasu, and Riviera before going to Vegas, continuing to Salt Lake City, to add some more destinations to Flashpoint’s list of sure targets for teleportation. The ARRRS had few contacts in the North American continent, and the squad is taking the opportunity to get some.
This night, Machspeed and Flashpoint took the visiting family into Brisbane to one of their favorite restaurants, leaving Black Onyx and Kaleidoscope in the charge of their daughter Starstruck, to give the parents (and uncle) one night alone with adult companionship. At the last minute, Amelia and Sunbeam asked to join the party, which was accepted by all involved.
The meal, as usual for Brantlee’s, was excellent, and the seven ponies were relaxing with after-dinner drinks when Amelia asked a question. “It’s obvious that the three of you get along well. Were you friends before the Event?”
“Hal and I have been best friends for almost twenty years before the Event. Still are now, mostly.” Raven said with a slight menacing edge in her voice, which all knew was in fun, not menace.
“While I knew Hal for about ten years, mostly online, but once every year or so, I would make the drive out from Texas to where Hal lived in Scottsdale. Made a good change from caring for my parents.” Wordsmythe contributed. “I’m glad they will Return healthy, if they have not already.”
“Have you been able to find out?” Sunbeam asked.
“No, not really,” the orange earth pony said with a sigh. “My part of Texas is not exactly the big city. More of a small one.”
“Then, what brought you out to be with Hal and Raven?” Machspeed asked.
A glance went around the three visiting ponies before Wordsmythe went on. “Hal, or Chuck Corso, as he was known then, had called me a week before, saying I should get my backside out there as soon as possible…”
# # #
Carl Jones’ pickup truck pulled into the driveway of Chuck Corso’s house in northern Scottsdale, Arizona at about five in the morning. A fifteen-hour drive had left him tired, as it usually did, but he was still wondering why Chuck was so insistent he get out there. The front door opened and Chuck came out.
“Let’s get into my car and head to Einstein’s. Janet’s sleeping now, and I don’t want to wake her up just yet.” Chuck said.
“Okay, Chuck. I can do with a couple of bagels. Just what’s going on?” One thing Carl liked about going to Arizona is the bagel shops. The nearest one to where he lived in Texas was a couple of hundred miles away.
Chuck and Carl got into Chuck’s Chevy Impala. As Chuck turned the key, he said to Carl, “You know Janet moved in with me ever since Brian went into the VA home. We got some news last week. Not good news.” Chuck said.
“What’s happening? The Red Heifer take a turn for the worse?” Carl asked, using his nickname for Brian, someone he did not like very much.
“Worse than that. Janet’s kidneys are failing rapidly. Doctors estimate she has maybe a year left, probably less. She’s to start dialysis next month. A transplant is out of the question, due to her other issues.” Chuck said as he made the left onto Thunderbird Road, heading for the Einstein’s on 40th street.
“So, why you ask me to drop everything and come out here?’
“Starting this weekend, I’m taking several days off from work. We’re going to fly to Vegas, and I’m going to ask Janet to marry me. I want you there as my Best Man. You willing?”
Carl sat there in surprise. “You’re going to marry Janet? I thought you were a confirmed bachelor!”
“I am. Janet has been my best friend now for years, and I want to see her happy. If marrying her and keeping her happy for the rest of her life is what it will take, then, I will do it. She deserves no less.” Chuck said as they pulled into the bagel shop parking lot.
“You really do love her, don’t you?”
“I have for almost twenty years, but I would never get in her way. First, she was married to Ogron, then she left him and went with the Red Heifer. Now that he’s in the hospital with dementia, it’s up to me. I’ve rented a Cessna 182 and we’re going to fly to Vegas after close of business Friday night, coming back Wednesday morning.”
“Where we going to stay at?”
“The MGM Grand. I have a suite reserved, and tickets to some shows. I know Janet wants you there as well. So, you willing?”
“You better believe I am! Janet is a friend of mine, too. If she’s not going to make it, I’m going to help her, too!” Carl said emphatically.
“Good. What bagels do you want? On me.” Chuck said as they went inside. Carl made his selections, Chuck ordered for himself and Janet, and they headed back to Chuck’s house, where Carl made use of the spare bedroom, and Chuck headed in to work at Carver Avionics.
# # #
“You truly are a good friend, to head out on a simple request to do so” Flashpoint said to Wordsmythe.
“Well, Hal and Raven are good friends. When Hal said to get out there as soon as possible, I jumped, because he does NOT act that way. Well, he didn’t.” Wordsmythe said.
“I was just a simple avionics technician, willing to live and let live, be who you are in exchange for letting me be me.” Hal said.
“That’s why we became best friends.” Raven chimed in with. “He never tried to change me, and I didn’t try to change him. We supported each other when we needed it.
“When I divorced Gregory, and moved in with Brian, he was there to give me strength. When Brian finally lost to dementia, Chuck offered to have me move in. He didn’t demand, he simply offered. When I said yes, his delight supported my sinking spirits.”
“That was very kind of you, Hal.” Machspeed said to the pegasus.
Hal shrugged his wings some. “I loved her from the minute we met. She was with my best friend, and I would not steal from him. I would not force myself on her, as much as I wanted to, because it would not have been right. Not since my first wife did I love anyone as much as I loved Janet.”
“What happened to her, if I may ask?” Amelia asked.
“She was killed in a traffic accident while I was out at sea on my first sub, the six twenty-four. I got a message four days before the ship pulled in to Holy Loch. I was given an option to be evaced off the Woody Wilson, but I said no. We were going to be back in Connecticut the next week, and she would still be dead.” Hal said sadly. “I was due for a shore rotation after that patrol, but I transferred to Charleston and served five patrols on the six fifty-six, the G.W. Carver, then going to shore duty at the Charleston navy base before discharging and heading home.”
“That was no picnic either.” Raven said. “Two months after coming home, his father died of a lung infection. Four months later, his mother died of cancer. He used some of the life insurance money to finish paying off the house, literally taking over his mother’s job at Carver Avionics, saw his one sister married and the other one graduate high school before they headed out for their own lives.”
“Keeping the house gave me the opportunity to have people over without censure. Paying it off saved on bills, too. Plus, I got paid well as a master avionics technician.” Hal added.
“How did you manage to be together when the Event hit?” Machspeed asked.
“I’m getting to that.” Wordsmythe said.
# # #
Before Chuck got off work that Friday afternoon, Janet fell ill and Carl rushed her to the hospital emergency room. Fortunately, the ailment was easily treated, but it wasn’t until after ten that night before Janet was released. It was shortly after midnight, Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 when the Cessna 182 took off from Scottsdale Airport, destination Henderson Executive Airport outside of Las Vegas.
The night was clear and the stars bright as they flew northwestward, Chuck following the few lights on US Highway 93 from Phoenix to Wickenburg, then north to the Interstate 40, over to Kingman and up to Vegas. “I’ve known you for over ten years, and we’ve been to Vegas together several times, but this is the first time we flew, instead of drove.” Carl said, looking out the window at the beam of light coming from the Luxor, the city still hidden beyond a mountain range.
“Haven’t had the need to before. Now, I don’t want to spend six hours doing something I can do in less than three.” Chuck said, glancing at Janet dozing in the back seat.
“It is faster, and a bit different. Too bad you can’t fly out to Texas to get me.”
“I’ll have to land once to refuel about a hundred or so miles from your place. Top off again there, then land again in Tucson to refuel. Believe me, with the price of avgas, driving is cheaper.” Chuck said as they crested the last mountain range before their destination, the lights of Vegas spread in the valley below. “Besides, you need your truck to get around while I’m at work.”
“You do have a point there, Chuck.”
“Wake up Janet while I call the airport, Carl. She will want to see this.” Chuck said, putting on the combination headset and microphone.
Carl reached into the back seat and gently shook Janet. “Hey, Birdie, wake up. We’re almost there.”
Janet snorted and opened her eyes. “Wow… that’s some sight! What time is it?” she asked.
Carl checked his watch. “Just coming on three. We’ll be landing in a few minutes. Chuck wanted you to see this.”
“I’m glad you woke me up. This is some sight.” Janet said as she picked up her phone and started taking some pictures as Chuck verified getting on final approach for landing.
Chuck landed the plane and taxied to a tie-down spot. The clock on the dash clicked over to 3:14 am, Saturday May 23rd, 2015. As Janet filmed video of the lights, especially the bright beacon of Luxor, the dark of night suddenly changed to the light of day, the sun just over the mountain range to the east.
All three people screamed in surprise, because they quickly discovered they were no longer people, but horses of some sort. Janet found herself a lustrous black unicorn, with a purple horn, hooves and mane. Carl found himself a burly dark red horse with a rusty orange mane, while Chuck was slate gray with a mane of several different colors, blue, red, orange, yellow and green. His shirt bulged oddly at the back, too.
Chuck shouted something distinctly profane in Italian, his headset slipping some on his head. “What in hell happened?”
“It has to be some sort of magic, Chuck. Good magic. I have not felt this good in years!” Janet said from the back seat, sounding elated.
“Well, maybe this magic could help us open the doors, because I can’t get a grip on it.” Carl grumbled.
“I think we have another problem. We’re not in Vegas anymore.” Chuck said, waving a hoof around. Outside the plane was a vast stretch of desert terrain, with no sign of the airport that was there seconds before.
“Yes, we are, Chuck. Look this way.” Carl said.
Everyone looked in the direction Carl indicated, to see the Stratosphere Tower glittering brightly in the morning sunlight a few miles away. “Where did everything go?” Janet wondered.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to try the radio. My back aches.” Chuck grumbled, fighting to get the microphone switch pressed without a thumb.
“Henderson Control, this is Two Juliet Mike, do you copy?” No response came to Chuck’s ears. “Henderson Control, this is Two Juliet Mike, do you hear me?”
“Isn’t there an emergency frequency you can dial in to the radio, Chuck?” Carl asked.
“There is. I just hope I can throw the switches to change things.”
“I got my pocket tool kit, Chuck. Maybe I can work the pliers with my mouth, or both hooves.”
“Worth a try. Or better yet, a pen or something. I need to change frequencies. I got one in my shirt pocket. Can you reach it?” Chuck asked, leaning over to his right.
Carl leaned to his left, twisting his head to grab the pen. When he did, Chuck indicated the radio selector. “Keep pushing that until I say stop.” Clumsily, Carl managed the feat. “Okay, my turn.”
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is Two Juliet Mike calling anyone who is listening. Something weird has happened, and I am unable to operate the plane. Send help, please.” Chuck said into the mic.
“Two Juliet Mike, this is Nellis Operations. What is your location and status?” came a woman’s voice over Chuck’s headset.
“Nellis Operations, Two Juliet Mike. We had just landed at Henderson Executive Airport when everything changed, including the three of us.” Chuck reported.
“Okay, Two Juliet Mike. Just stay put and somepony will be down there in just a few minutes. Keep calm and don’t panic, okay? You’re in good hooves now.” said the voice on the radio.
“Somepony? Good hooves? I don’t understand.” Chuck said, getting more confused by the second.
“You will, Two Juliet Mike. I’ve called for the Dust Devils. They will be there soon. Is your engine still running? I hear a roar in the background.”
“Nellis Operations, Two Juliet Mike. Yes, it is. We had just landed, and had taxied to a tie down spot when everything changed.”
“Well, when help arrives, shut off the engine. You can get a lot of money for your fuel and your plane. Where did you take off from, and what plane do you have?”
“We took off from Scottsdale Airport a little before midnight. Two Juliet Mike is a Cessna 182. Tanks should be about half full. Get a lot of money? What do you mean?” Chuck asked.
“Some time has elapsed since you landed, Two Juliet Mike. Like about thirty-two hundred years.”
“Thirty. Two. Hundred. YEARS?” Chuck squeaked, getting the attention of Carl and Janet.
“That’s right. The Dust Devils will be there in a moment. They rescue ponies like you. You’ll be well taken care of. They’re good at what they do.” Nellis Control said as a group of horses appeared about a hundred feet in front of the plane. After a brief pause, Chuck heard, “Shut your motor off now, please.”
“Finished with engines, aye.” Chuck said quietly, throttling back the engine and shutting down the plane. “Engines off.”
# # #
“Our first meeting with the Dust Devils was a bit anticlimactic.” Raven said with a small smile. “When Ace opened the doors and unbuckled the belts, both Chuck and Carl fell out and faceplanted in the sand. Imagine our surprise when Chuck’s wings came out from under his shirt.”
“Raven, not in front of us!” Hal and Wordsmythe chorused, with identical grimaces.
When the laughter died down, Raven went on. “We were taken to the retraining and re-education center, where we learned how to be ponies. I was the fastest through basic, then Carl, then Chuck. We decided to stay together, because we all cared for each other both before and after. Every ailment I had while human went away when I became a unicorn.”
“Other than the kidney failure, what did you have?” Sunbeam asked.
“Lupus, cancer once, scoliosis in my back, and a bad vertebra. I was in a wheelchair most of the time. Not anymore!” Raven said with a smile.
“It’s so good, seeing her move without pain. Same with me.” Hal said. “I was the oldest of the bunch of us. Some days, I felt every year. I’m glad my job did not put too much strain on me.”
“What did you do after indoctrination?” Machspeed asked, sipping his beer.
“We got an apartment together while we went to our species training. I went to Bummer, Hal to Poofta, and Wordsmythe to Creep. Hal found his talent for weather control there, I settled into magic design, and Wordy found he has a dab hoof in making things grow, be they plants or ideas.” Raven told the group.
The words led to confusion among the Australians. “Bummer?” Flashpoint asked.
Raven had the grace to look embarrassed. “Sorry. There are three main Returnee training schools in Las Vegas. Pegasus Flight Training Academy, the P.F.T.A., is referred to as ‘poofta’ by many. ‘Bummer’ is for the Brotherhood of Unicorns Magic Association, or B.U.M.A, and ‘Creep’ is the Center for Rehabilitation and Education of Earth Ponies. Whoever thought of those names centuries ago had to have been a Returnee.”
“I can see why.” Sunbeam said.
Amelia looked to Hal. “Is there a rule number six?”
Hal looked back at Amelia coolly. “There IS no rule number six!” he said. “We use that for unforeseen circumstances.”
“Like when your old boss in the NAS tried to overthrow his boss and take his place last year.” Wordsmythe said.
Hal grimaced a little and nodded. “Yeah. He tried to amp up a storm and take out the Stratosphere Tower. Lucky for all I was Duty Officer that day, and got wind of his plans early. Wordy’s girlfriend overheard something weeks before, she told him, and he told me. When everything fit together, I took steps to put the kibosh on his plans.”
“And spent a week in a body cast and a month in hospital after you busted that storm.” Raven said drily. “Sent me into labor two days early.”
“A week in a body cast? Must have been one rough landing.” Sunbeam said.
“The bolt was more powerful than I had expected. I could not have been more than fifty feet away from it. The thunderclap knocked me out and dislocated my wing shoulder. When I woke up, I could just barely level out. I didn’t notice, in the wind, rain and dark, just how low I was.”
“You damn near died, Hal. In fact, you DID die, but Green Mane managed to resuscitate you.” Raven said with a hint of bitterness. “If Ace didn’t have a fix on you, you would have been found on the sands, dead.”
Hal blushed some. “Well, my mother gave me a choice. I decided to stay here and raise my children. I wasn’t ready to leave you just yet. She was a pegasus, too, which confused me.”
“I thought your mother had died before the Event. How could she be a pegasus?” Flashpoint asked.
“Damned if I know. All I can report is what I saw. She shoved two of her wing feathers up my nose. That HURT!” Hal said before having a slug of beer.
“Near-death experiences don’t have to be logical. They just are.” Raven said.
“So, what did you wind up doing after you finished your secondary schools?” Sunbeam asked.
A glance bounced around the three visitors before Wordsmythe spoke. “The proceeds from the sale of the plane set us up in fine fashion. Hal bought a nice villa on a hillside near Lake Las Vegas, uphill from the town. I got a job at City Hall, working in the records department.
“Vegas keeps extensive records on Returnees, carefully interviewing them and getting data on who they were, what they were doing and so on, in case others of the group return, or, if residents, family members. I also got a side job writing articles for the Review-Journal, the local newspaper, and occasionally do newsreel features.”
“While I stayed on at BUMA, learning more about my magic. I got adept with telekinesis, and started working on other spells. I have five new ones to my credit so far, chasing ideas that I have had for a long time. I’m a Professor now at BUMA, on leave while touring with the family and kids.” Raven supplied.
“New spells are right, la bruja pendeja. I decided to follow a passion of mine, music. I had an extensive collection on my laptop, and sold many to Las Vegas Radio Services. I parlayed that into a job doing part-time on-air work, as well as doing technical repairs of the transmitters in the Strat Tower.
“I also tested well in Weather Control, serving in the Nassie’s Monsoon Control team my first year there, learning team methods, tactics, and how to use my weather control skills. I got my butt print when during that first summer, I managed to kill a storm cell with one of the bolts like you saw in Sydney. Let me tell you, Colonel Stormcloud was impressed, and repeatedly requested that I join Weather Control full time. But, I like working at Las Vegas Radio Two, playing music from the mid-fifties to the mid-eighties,” Hal explained.
“He went from a weekend gig to a full-time spot that first winter, and got the afternoon slot the following spring, mixing music with commentary and jabs at the community politicians and big shots, calling things as he saw them. His popularity has soared with the populace, and now he’s the number-one rated deejay in Vegas,” Wordsmythe explained.
“Then, how did you get conned into a months-long expedition to Australia?” Machspeed asked wonderingly.
“Two reasons. One, I have always wanted to see Australia, being a big fan of both footy and Paul Hogan. Two, Blue Blizzard asked. He rewrote the book on weather control procedures in the Vegas area,” Hal explained.
“He may not be able to READ it anymore, but yes, he wrote it.” Raven said, just a little snarkily.
“Hey, after I saved his bacon last year when Colonel Hard Ass decided to try a power play, and damn near destroyed the Stratosphere Tower in the process, he decided to make my commission in the Aeronautical Survey permanent, while sending me here to see if anyone else in near-similar environments to Vegas and the American West had other ideas on weather control,” Hal said before snorting some. “Looks like I have been the one bringing innovation here, rather than finding it.”
“I still think it was a good trip, Hal. I got a kick out of you hanging over the rail for three days on the freighter,” Wordsmythe said as Hal blushed some.
Raven added, “I don’t think I have ever seen that shade of green on a pony’s face before. I know the kids haven’t.”
Hal hid behind a mug as the others laughed. “So, I get seasick. It’s not unknown. Subs travel UNDER the waves, not THROUGH them.”
“But barfing for three days straight? That must be a record. You told me one time the Wilson was taking forty-five-degree rolls while going into Holy Loch, and you took it without problems,” Wordsmythe said, hiding (not very successfully) a smile.
“Yeah, but I wasn’t watching water moving the whole time. I was watching people flying through the berthing spaces. I’m just glad I had a bottom bunk.”
“While I’m glad we will be teleporting back. Thank you so very much for agreeing to do so, Flashpoint,” Raven said to her fellow unicorn.
“We have been wanting more and better contacts in North America. We don’t have many now.”
“Many?” Mach countered his wife. “We have one. The only reason why we have it is that we wanted to go to sea on our honeymoon. Not half a day after arriving in Santijuana, I get a call for a A320 heading out of Auckland. We handled that job, and never really thought of going back.”
“The time zones will be against us,” Amelia added. “what with the distances involved. What is early morning there will be late evening for us. We may not be able to scramble there fast enough to be effective.”
“Still, it would be good to have you on call, in case Ace can’t get matters handled in time. We had a jet pancake at Nellis last spring. Definitely not fun. I saw the smoke plume from the studio.” Hal said, shivering some.
“That’s our job to do. I’m sure your folk have good skills, but we have Flashpoint.” Machspeed said.
Amelia jumped in with, “Not to mention the rest of the team.”
“If and when I can ever get to the same level of skill as Flashpoint, you just might have a rival in business,” Raven said, eyes twinkling and her horn sparkling a little.
“A rivalry I can live with, Raven. You’re picking up the teleport spell readily enough. It’s the scan portion that is giving you fits.”
“Yeah,” Raven snorted before sipping from her wine. “I’ve got your talents diagrammed out, it’s finding a way to make it mesh for me that is giving me hornaches.”
“You’ll get there. I’m sure of it.” Machspeed said before stealing a look at the clock. “If you’re wanting to be in Santijuana at nine in the morning, we’re going to have to leave at two a.m. here.”
“It’s seven p.m. now. I think we can all get a nap in, unless someone wound up Onyx and Kalie.” Wordsmythe said, finishing his beer.
“You’ve shown us your home, allow us to return the compliment,” Hal told his hosts.
“I’ve flown in to Las Vegas a few times, working for Qantas.” Amelia said.
Hal looked at Amelia. “It’s a lot different. The Old City is pretty much gone, the center of business having shifted to the shores of Lake Las Vegas, a bit to the east, not quite to Lake Mead. The only things still going in the Old City area are the Stratosphere Tower and Nellis Field,” he said quietly. “It’s a bit of a shock.”
“Before we go, I want to ask you a couple of questions,” Sunbeam said as Machspeed went to pay the bill.
“Go right on ahead, Beamer.” Raven said.
“When did you find out that Hal wanted to marry you, why did you change your names, and what happened to the overthrow attempt you mentioned?”
Raven handled the first part. “It was after we had all graduated the secondary schools. We had settled into the villa, we all started our jobs, and were getting back to a normal life. When Hal said he wanted to marry me, it was not much of a surprise. I knew how much he cared for me, and it just seemed the right thing to do. Besides, it helped me be able to control this wild stallion!”
Hal shot Raven a smoky Look as he answered the second part. “After graduating Basic, we all decided at once to change our names. I chose the one I did because of my weather-related abilities, Janet became Raven Blacklight, and Carl originally wanted Wordsmith, but that was already taken, so he chose Wordsmythe. We weren’t the same people as before the Event, so why keep the same names?”
Wordy handled the third part as Mach came back from paying the bill. “Mayor Good Deal was so grateful to Hal for saving the Stratosphere, he offered Hal command of the Weather Department.”
“I said that I would accept, if he would allow me to jam a lightning bolt so far up his ass he could pick his teeth with it!” Hal said to much laughter. “I told him that I wanted to stay just what I was, a radio deejay who put politicians in their places. He accepted that, and struck back at me later.”
“I can get you the newsreel of the dinner and roast the city put on for Hal after he recovered.” Wordy said with an evil grin.
“Oh, no, you won’t! I’ll have Archives burn every single print of that!” Hal protested, his ears turning reddish.
“Now, why would that be?” Amelia asked innocently.
“The roast was payback for all the heckling Hal has done to the movers and shakers of Las Vegas for the past five years. The Mayor did say when he visited Hal in the hospital that he would throw the first pie. He did. The first of about a hundred.” Raven said, trying not to laugh.
“You helped them with that hold pony spell you put on me! For two minutes, I could not move!”
Wordy laughed some more. “Not to mention being covered head to tail with pie filling. Took groomers half an hour to clean you up!”
“Oh, that HAD to have been a sight…” Machspeed said.
“I’ll get you a copy of the newsreel.” Wordy said. “One advantage to working both for the Records department AND the news service.”
“You do that, Wordy, and I’ll fly you out to Goodsprings and make you walk home!”
“You could not even lift me, Hal.”
“That’s beside the point!” Hal shouted to the other’s laughter as they left Brentlee’s.