//------------------------------//
// Chapter 18 
// Story: Those Distant Sisters 
// by Rettro 
//------------------------------//

Several ponies lounged around a small café, none daring to go inside. Hearth’s warming stone foundation often made any building with a professional kitchen unbearable in the summer. One bright coated unicorn colt sat on the periphery of the site, trying in vain to read his newspaper as the sun reflected his lime colored coat against the page. Another pony approached him from behind, clearing her throat to get his attention. 

“Well, that was fast.” Covenant Truth dropped his paper unceremoniously on the table and turned about in his seat, expecting to see a waitress with his lunch. He was greeted instead by a young mare wearing a ringed flame pendant – the official symbol of the hearth’s core military. His expression quickly turned sour as he threw his front hooves into the air. “It’s my day off, can I just have lunch in peace?” The mare smirked and shook her head, offering him a similar pendant – and a radio. 

“Good afternoon, sir.” A static laden voice appeared over the radio as Covenant Truth dawned his on-duty pendant shooed away the real waitress whom had just appeared with a daffodil on rye sandwich. “Don’t bother checking the radio sir, we are being patched through the main system. I imagine the signal’s still pretty poor though.” I hate it when they do that, Covenant thought as he closed the back panel of the radio. Recognizing the voice through the static, he responded. 

“Sonority… I should have you court marshaled just for making me work today. Where in the flame’s name have you been hiding these past few days? Don’t tell me HQ sent you out on some op without my permission.” The colt put on a good clip heading towards his office, recognizing that he was clear across town. He knew the answer, having read the report of Sonority leaving to chase after his wife, but wanted to hear what excuse the rogue officer would come up with. 

“No sir, I left to rescue my wife. Found her too” Sonority’s voice calmly replied.

“Not even a joke? What’s going on out there Sonority? How did you manage to pick up your wife in the fighter jet you stole, by the way?” Covenant trotted briskly along, trying to emphasize the trouble Sonority was in across the magically floating radio. 

“Yeeeeeeeah… I may have crashed that jet, sir.” Covenant missed a step, nearly falling flat on his face and launching the radio a few lengths in front of him. Again lifting it with his magic, he tried to restrain his anger with his response. 

“I was not kidding about that court martial soldier. You had better have a damn good reason for stealing and destroying a damn expensive fighter jet.” Silence reigned for a moment before Covenant thought of something else to add. “How are you contacting me? I doubt you’re in Hearth with this poor a connection. Did you land on an island?”

“More of a continent. Quite a bit larger and more populated than Hearth too. Oh, and some of the ponies here can fly.” A moment later Covenant awoke, absent mindedly munching on the dirt that filled his muzzle after his missed lunch and second, less successful, attempt to keep his footing after shocking news. “Sir, are you still there?” the disembodied voice of Sonority rang into Covenant’s head, forcing him to lift the radio and grunt in response. “I probably shouldn’t mention how the mare of the moon lives here too. Nice lady. Her sister was a little curt though.”

“Alright, joke’s over. Where are you really, soldier?” Covenant laughed to himself, hoping that the ‘I crashed’ part was a joke too. A different voice came over the radio.

“This is no joke, Mr. Truth. My princesses and all my fellow ponies are quite real, quite capable of flight in the case of the pegasus, and more importantly – quite eager to meet you.” Covenant sighed, not recognizing the voice as that of Sonority or either of the first craft’s two-mare crew. 

“I suppose I must entertain you’re claims, Sonority. If this is all some sham, I reserve the right to shoot you myself.” Covenant again began trotting towards the command center when another errant thought entered his mind. “Why did you crash?”

“Third party interference. It’s been handled, you’re safe to approach. We’ll have a strip made for you, but given that these ponies never had any need for aircraft… Why don’t you nab one of the HC-382s, the ones with the big treaded tires?” Covenant agreed, listening carefully to the flight path instructions Sonority gave him. He turned the radio off, preparing to settle into his new role as ambassador. Or surprised birthday colt – that’s possible right? A surprise party? My birthday is only two months off after all.