//------------------------------//
// Chapter Eight (Part One) 
// Story: Star Trek: Equestrian Rescue 
// by Blake Skies 
//------------------------------//


Chapter Eight: Dinner and the War of the Worlds


“Admiral Sir, transmission from the planet.” The Transporter chief told Blaze, “The Princess and her party are ready for beam up.”
“Okay let’s see them up, energize.” Blaze ordered.
The transporter came to life, and soon the Princess’s party materialized on the pad. Much like the ponies that had previously beamed up, the party was a bit disorientated. The quartet consisted of Princess Celestia and her Sister Luna, as well as two new comers Blaze wasn’t familiar with. “Princess Celestia, welcome aboard the Evans.” Blaze greeted.
“Oh, yes thank you Admiral. My apologies, I don’t think any of us were expecting…”
“To have your molecules scattered and then reformed like that, yes we get that all the time.” Blaze answered, being a little amused to see the two princesses stumble like that. However he quickly composed himself, “Don’t worry, we managed to put everything back the way we found it. This is my first officer Captain Sul’Vin.” 
“Greetings your highness.” Sul’Vin introduced.
“Hello sir, this is my Sister Princess Luna.” Celestia, having recomposed herself, introduced.
The dark navy alicron nodded, “Greetings Admiral, Captain, tis an honor for us to be here.” 
“And this is my Niece Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire and her husband Shining Armor.” Celestia introduced.
“Welcome aboard the Evans.” Blaze introduced, “Well once you four get yourselves situated Sul’Vin and I will escort you for a guided tour of the ship and the up to the banquet.”
“That will be most grateful thank you.” Princess Celestia thanked.
Just then Sul’Vin beckoned for Blaze to join him outside the transporter room. “Admiral, I do have to point out a certain problem with giving them a proper tour of the ship.” Sul’Vin said.
Blaze looked a little confused for a second, “And what would that be?”
“They all won’t fit into one turbolift sir,” Sul’Vin pointed out in a matter of fact tone.
Blaze was about to protest before he took a good look at the Princess’s party. It was then it hit him, “Oh crap! The weight and size restrictions.”
Sul’Vin nodded, “Exactly sir.”
Blaze grimaced, “I completely forgot about that.” After brief pause, the two of them pondered what to do. When they came to a conclusion, Blaze was the one who spoke it, “We’ll have to split them up into teams of two.”
“That would be a very logical thing to do sir.” Sul’Vin agreed.
“Good we’ll make that work.” Blaze nodded. 
Without another word, the two officers went back inside to inform the party.

After a lengthy tour of the vessel, both Blaze and Sul’Vin lead their groups into Tavern-557. The massive mess hall had been opened up to allow full occupancy. Usually, the Tavern could hold up to around three hundred of the crew members daily. But that was with the massive wall that separated the dining area from the couches and with the raised poker table section. However the designers of the Advanced Vanguard class had the foresight to make all those parts removable to allow for more space. 
The crew only used this feature when they hosted large banquets. Such as they were today. Most of the area held small tables that could fit six comfortably. The poker table was removed to allow for a large table for the Admiral and his guests. And in the former lounge area was replaced with a stage that held a full orchestra and band combined with an electric piano, two guitars, and a set of drums. Above the performers was a massive screen that was built into the wall. 
Much of the ship’s crew was present at the banquet, while most of the ponies from Ponyville, Canterlot, and a few from the Crystal Empire were in attendance. In total, the room was filled to optimum capacity while the night watch crew shifts took over daily ship functions. And by the time the Princesses party arrived, the place was pretty lively. Most of the ponies had managed to get themselves dressed up in very well designed evening gowns that Blaze guessed the white unicorn named Rarity designed. For the crew, all were wearing formal attire.
“I must say Admiral, you and your crew know how to put on a banquet.” Shining Armor said, sounding very impressed.
“Certainly, I think Pinkie Pie might have some competition.” Princess Cadence smiled.
“Hey!” Shouted Pinkie from her seat with the rest of the Elements, “They’re still not as good as a Pinkie Pie Party!”
Blaze couldn’t help but snicker, “Oh don’t worry we got some good pointers last night. Though I do thank your complements. If you’ll follow me, we’ll head over to our table.”

Over at Twilight’s table, the seven ponies were settling in before the dinner and the show. They were all discussing their experiences with the ship. Most of them had already spoken of their day; it was now Applejack’s turn. “Ah’ll tell you this, the fruit they got growing on this ship is very good. Made me extremely jealous until Seren offered a good set of seeds.” Applejack smiled.
“Well while you were lounging about in the flora, I had the most wonderful time with the ship’s tailor. My goodness that Cardassian can make some of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen,” Rarity explained.
“Well that all sounds like a good time, but Trixie is very hungry.” Trixie said picked up a menu with her magic, “Now what do these humanoids have to eat?”
“Well, my research tells me that most of the humans on this ship are omnivores.” Twilight explained.
“Meaning what egg-head?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well unlike us ponies, they eat both plants and meat.” Twilight answered.
Not surprisingly, Fluttershy gasped in horror. “S…so…..that means that they….they….” she whimpered.
Twilight laughed, “Oh don’t worry Fluttershy, and most of the food on this ship is computer generated. Far from the real thing. I’m sure no animals on this ship are here for eating purposes.”
“And besides Fluttershy, I just found the vegetarian section of the menu for us!” Pinkie Pie said and showed the yellow Pegasus the section.
Fluttershy calmed down instantly and looked at the selection, “Oh this Vulcan plomeek soup looks good.”
Twilight got a chuckle out of Fluttershy’s turnaround. 

After the waiters came around and took the orders of most of the tables, a small bell caught everyone’s attention. The source was Quells, standing in front of the performers. She kept ringing the bell until the room quieted down. “Ahem, let me start by thanking you all for taking part in tonight’s occasion. Let me also thank our guests in attendance, the residents of Equestria as well as the Royal family for joining us.” Quells said.
This got a warm reception from the crowd.
After a moment of applause, Quells hushed the crowd, “Tonight for your entertainment pleasure the USS Evans’s Orchestra, band, and Tin Can sailors will perform a musical orientation of classic Earth novel. Mind you all that this performance was previously scheduled for today and Princess Celestia agreed with our Admiral that the show must go on.”
Another short applause. 
After waiting a moment Quells began again, “The story your about to listen to and see upon the big screen, was penned back in Earth’s late 19th century by one of the foremost writers of the realm of Science Fiction. It was later brought to life in the form you will see in Earth’s 1970’s by composer Jeff Wayne. What follows is a story of an invasion from a foreign world, a dying world, caused by a race that looked at Earth with eyes of envy and remorse. 
“And while this tale is fiction, it stands as moral point in many ways. For humans, it holds two meanings: never become content and so brash to think of yourselves as invulnerable, also that even in the most trying of times hope and faith will prevail.” Quells explained, “This story also stands as a warning to all empires. A warning to know your limits and accept them, for even the smallest detail can have disastrous outcomes. Because of these points, this novel stood the test of time and discovery and will. I and the crew of the Evans, present to you all now H. G. Well’s timeless classic: The War of the Worlds.” 
After a stirring applause, Quells left the stage. She then headed over to the Admirals table as the mess hall lights dimmed.
“Ooh a war story,” Rainbow Dash whispered, “I’d love to see how this one goes.”
“Ah bet it’s gonna be nothing more than sorrow and despair. They do mostly go like that.” Applejack shot back softly.
Their conversation stopped when the applause did. Another man, a Bolian, took the stage as well as the rest of the performers. The Bolian stood behind a pedestal near the far right of the stage, dressed in period Journalist’s attire. And when he spoke, his voice was deep, crisp, and firm. 
“No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space. No one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinized, as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets and yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely, they drew their plans against us.” He spoke.
After a brief pause, the violins began playing a menacing tune that caught all the ponies off guard. On the screen, a red planet appeared orbiting around the sun in sync with a blue/green world that was Earth. The camera zoomed in onto Earth and onto a sleepy town called Working.
Just as the camera reached the town, the horns and the electric piano joined the strings to create an orchestral pop sound. Following the menacing sound that had opened up, this almost space aged pop got most of the ponies’ heads bopping to the beat. The conductor in front waved his arms around to signal each performer’s part. Soon the guitars sang, as well as the flutes. 
On the screen, images of 3D people going about their daily lives were shown, including a spitting image of the journalist but with human like features.
The camera then headed up to an observatory where an astronomer was viewing the red planet through his telescope. Twilight was certainly impressed with the size of the telescope, it dwarfed her own. Just then the music reached its peak and then dropped for three electric tones at different pitches. When the music started again, the journalist began to speak. “At midnight on the twelfth of August, a huge mass of luminous gas erupted from Mars and sped towards Earth…” he said.
Sure enough on the screen, green puffs could be seen coming from the red planet. They were then followed by green missiles that hurtled towards Earth. After the journalist finished his part, the flutes began again along with the rest of the catchy tune.
“…And that's how it was for the next ten nights. A flare, spurting out from Mars, bright green, drawing a green mist behind it, a beautiful, but somehow disturbing sight. Ogilvy the astronomer assured me we were in no danger. He was convinced there could be no living thing on that remote forbidding planet.” The journalist continued.
Then a group of singers near the back sang in harmony, “’The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one’ he said, ‘The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one,’ but still they come.”
The Journalist began again. “Then came the night the first missile approached Earth. It was thought to be an ordinary falling star, but next day there was a huge crater in the middle of the Common, and Ogilvy came to examine what lay there: a cylinder, thirty yards across, glowing hot....” 
Twilight, Princess Celestia, and the rest looked on in awe at the images they were seeing. It wasn’t scary, even Fluttershy was impressed with the entertainment. But the sense that something bad was going to happen didn’t even enter the ponies minds for a moment.
“And with faint sounds of movement coming from within. Suddenly the top began moving; rotating, unscrewing, and Ogilvy feared there was a man inside, trying to escape. He rushed to the cylinder, but the intense heat stopped him before he could burn himself on the metal.” The Journalist finished.
The singers began again, “The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, he said. The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, but still they come! Yes the chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one" he said, The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, but still they come!"

“…It all seemed so safe and tranquil…”

After a stirring continuation of the Eve of War, the music shifted to a darker and more menacing tone of electronic hums. The guitars added by playing very deep bass notes. On the screen was a missive cylinder, unscrewing a part of its self very slowly. The sound was amplified and echoed throughout the hall. 
Soon the Journalist spoke again, “Next morning, a crowd gathered on the Common, hypnotized by the unscrewing of the cylinder. Two feet of shining screw projected when, suddenly, the lid fell off!”
There was a massive sound of metal hitting the ground that even made Rainbow Dash jump slightly. Trixie had to admit, she was enjoying the story. But she was a little concerned for Fluttershy. Thankfully Pinkie had that under control, “You know Fluttershy, if it gets too scary for you, I’ll escort you out.”
“No way,” Fluttershy whispered adamantly, “This story’s very good. I hope to see what squiggly thing comes out of that cylinder.”
“Trixie never pegged you as the horror fan Fluttershy,” Trixie whispered.
“Well…um…I like to read it, just not be in it.” Fluttershy said shyly.
Fluttershy’s wish came true. The Journalist explained the creature well, “Two luminous disc-like eyes appeared above the rim. A huge, rounded bulk, larger than a bear, rose up slowly, glistening like wet leather. Its lipless mouth quivered and slavered - and snake-like tentacles writhed as the clumsy body heaved and pulsated.” 
Exactly as described, a massive tentacle monster appeared out of the hole on the cylinder. But to even Blaze’s astonishment, no one left. He looked over at Princess Celestia, who eyes were glued onto the screen.
Just then, an electric guitar began playing a hollow tune.
After a moment of music, the journalist began to describe a horrifying event. The Martians revealed their insidious weapon, “A few young men crept closer to the pit. A tall funnel rose, then an invisible ray of heat leapt from man to man and there was a bright glare, as each was instantly turned to fire. Every tree and bush became a mass of flames at the touch of this savage, unearthly Heat Ray.” The guitars and some viola’s screamed an electric tune in sync with the heat ray’s fire.
“People clawed their way off the Common, and I ran too. I felt I was being toyed with, that when I was on the very verge of safety, this mysterious death would leap after me and strike me down. At last I reached Maybury Hill and in the dim coolness of my home I wrote an account for my newspaper before I sank into a restless, haunted sleep.” He explained.
After another round of music and notes that made even the crew cringe, the Journalist gave a rather shocking description of the towns take on the event. 
“Around me, the daily routine of life - working, eating, sleeping - was continuing serenely as it had for countless years. On Horsell Common, the Martians continued hammering and stirring, sleepless, indefatigable, at work upon the machines they were making. Now and again a light, like the beam of a warship's searchlight, swept the Common - and the Heat Ray was ready to follow. In the afternoon, a company of soldiers came through and deployed along the edge of the Common, to form a cordon.” He explained. 

After a heart gripping story of the first battle that went horrible for the English, the music picked up as a large shadow appeared over the Journalist and his Artilleryman friend. “Look…There they are!” The Artilleryman shouted. 
The view then spun around to show a massive three legged machine. It had big green eyes and looked almost like a silver fly with no wings. But the description given by the Journalist of these tripods was far more gut-wrenching, “Quickly, one after the other, four of the fighting machines appeared. Monstrous tripods, higher than the tallest steeple, striding over pine trees and smashing them. Walking engines of glistening metal. Each carried a huge funnel and I realized with horror that I'd seen this awful thing before.” He waited for a moment to let the music carry the drama. Then he began to speak again, “A fifth machine appeared on the far bank. It raised itself to full height, flourished the funnel high in the air - and the ghostly terrible Heat Ray struck the town. As it struck, all five fighting machines exulted, emitting deafening howls that roared like thunder.”
What came next scared everyone. A metallic cry unlike any heard before. It had power, size, emotion, and it reeked of pride and hatred. It carried through Twilight’s ears as it did to many others, and rattled around in her brains. It was the cry of the Martians. “Ulla! Ulla!”
An Electric guitar began to riff its way through the music. It trumpeted the Martians upon their attack on Working and the surrounding towns and forests as people ran. Another Martian cry. Then the music bean right where it left off. Another cry. More of the music. The effect was numbing to some, but to the ponies of Equestria, this was an amazing display of entertainment. 
The heat ray’s effects weren’t graphic visually. But the 3D images shown on the screen added to the realism of the story. It also conveyed the terror shown on the faces of the people and in the voice of the journalist. There was a sense that things were becoming hopeless.
The Journalist soon began after the music allowed him. “The six guns we had seen now fired simultaneously, decapitating a fighting machine. The Martian inside the hood was slain, splashed to the four winds, and the body, nothing now but an intricate device of metal, went whirling to destruction. As the other monsters advanced, people ran away blindly, the artilleryman among them, but I jumped into the water and hid until forced up to breathe. Now the guns spoke again, but this time the heat ray sent them to oblivion.”
“Ulla!”
“With a white flash, the Heat Ray swept across the river. Scalded, half-blinded and agonized, I staggered through leaping, hissing water towards the shore, I fell helplessly, in full view of the Martians, expecting nothing but death. The foot of a Martian came down close to my head, then lifted again, as the four Martians carried away the debris of their fallen comrade…. and I realized that by a miracle I had escaped.” The journalist continued. His onscreen counterpart looked as bad as the description. 
Fluttershy raised her hoofs to her mouth, but soon remembered the story wasn’t real. But the rest of the ponies at her table did not seem to grasp that so quickly, when they did another Martian cry shocked them all.

Blaze looked down on the rest of the ponies and crew. War of the Worlds was going over much better than he had hoped. They all were enjoying the story very well. A point Quells made very clear, “Looks like you struck gold hun.” 
Blaze didn’t answer.
A church bell rang in the background; on the screen were a massive crowd of people moving as one down a road. The on screen journalist was among them. after the bell tolled twice, he began again, “For three days I fought my way along roads packed with refugees, the homeless, burdened with boxes and bundles containing their valuables. All that was of value to me was in London. By the time I reached their little red brick house, Carrie and her father were gone.”
An acoustic guitar started to play, a new song took over. One of the Tin Can sailors started to sing. “The summer sun is fading as the year grows old, and darker days are drawing near, the winter winds will be much colder, now you're not here.” The drums took over a good beat as he began again, “I watch the birds fly south across the autumn sky, and one by one they disappear, I wish that I was flying with them, now you're not here.”
The touching song brought a tear to Twilights eye.
“Like the sun through the trees you came to love me, like a leaf on a breeze you blew away.” He sang, “Through autumn's golden gown we used to kick our way, you always loved this time of year, those fallen leaves lie undisturbed now, ‘cause you're not here, ‘cause you're not here, 'cause you're not here.”
The music began to swell again. On the screen, it showed people walking into a massive city area. The peace was then shattered by a scream and displays of fire. The Journalist began to speak again, “Fire suddenly leapt from house to house, the population panicked and ran and I was swept along with them, aimless and lost without Carrie. Finally I headed eastward for the ocean, and my only hope of survival: A boat out of England.”
Tripods suddenly appeared on the screen, destroying everything in their path as the song and music began again. Buildings were being knocked over by the tripods legs and feet, people were being incarnated in the streets by the heat ray. All the while the massive exodus took the 3D journalist through the streets and towards a boat.
Then he began to speak again, “Never before in the history of the world had such a mass of human beings moved and suffered together. This was no disciplined march, it was a stampede, without order and without a goal, six million people, unarmed and unprovisioned, driving headlong. It was the beginning of the rout of civilization, of the massacre of mankind.” 
Just as more music played, the shot showed the Journalist inches from boarding the ship, “A vast crowd buffeted me toward the already packed steamer. I looked up enviously at those safely on board - straight into the eyes of my beloved Carrie! At sight of me she began to fight her way along the packed deck to the gangplank. At that very moment it was raised, and I caught a last glimpse of her despairing face as the crowd swept me away from her.”
That last line tugged at both Twilight’s and Trixie’s hearts and subconsciously they took each other’s hooves. 
“Ulla!” cried the Martians.
The steamer began to move out towards sea. But as they got halfway out to see, the tripods moved towards them. just then a massive black object slid out of the mist, and a stirring heroic tune began to be played. This got many in the audience hopes up and the Journalist began to describe the scene, “The steamer began to move slowly away but on the landward horizon appeared the silhouette of a fighting machine. Another came, and another, striding over hills and plunging far out to sea and blocking the exit of the steamer. Between them lay the silent, grey Ironclad "Thunder Child". Slowly it moved towards shore; then, with a deafening roar and whoosh of spray, it swung about and drove at full speed towards the waiting Martians.”
On the ship’s bow was the name Thunder Child. It moved slowly at first but then gathered speed as it began its attack towards the Martians. The singers described what was next. 
“Moving swiftly through the waters, cannons blazing as she came… brought a mighty metal war lord crashing down in sheets of flame!” They sang, “Sensing victory was nearing, thinking fortune must have smiled People started cheering, ‘Come on Thunder Child!’ ‘Come on Thunder Child!’"
The cheer was echoed by many in the room. Even Pinkie began chanting it. There was no doubt to that point; the ponies had gotten into the story. But hope suddenly died. A Tripod lined up its heat ray on the Thunder Child’s bow and fired. The main turret melted and then a massive explosion forced the Torpedo ram to a stop. The Journalist said it best when he said, “…Instantly, the others raised their Heat Rays, and melted the Thunder Child's valiant heart.”
The singers began to sing the ships death song, “Smashing ropes and smashing timbers flashing Heat Rays pierced the deck, dashing hopes for our deliverance as we watched the sinking wreck. With the smoke of battle clearing, over graves in waves defiled… Slowly disappearing… Farewell Thunder Child! Farewell Thunder Child! Farewell Thunder…Child!”
It seemed that nothing was going to stop the Martian invasion now. And the Journalist knew it. “The leaden sky was lit by green flashes, cylinder following cylinder, and no one and nothing was left now to fight them. The Earth belonged to the Martians.”
Just then a massive, combined cry roared. It was the cry of victory that sent chills down everyone’s spines. The music had built it up so well. And now it carried the cry. Victory was to the Martians as more green cylinders shot threw the sky. 
The screen slowly faded to black, followed by a massive applause by everyone as the word “Intermission” appeared.