//------------------------------//
// Chapter 34 
// Story: Those Distant Sisters 
// by Rettro 
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I have no idea what’s going on. What else is new . Sunspot chased behind her marefriend, jumping between scattered buildings and stones as they approached the airstrip just outside of town. The strip had been built alongside the length of the mountain ridge Canterlot was built into so that planes taking off and landing could all travel in the same direction without facing a cliff or a wall. This meant of course that Evanescence wanted to jump down onto the airfield from the cliff to one side. Sunspot was too busy running to argue with her out loud, but the celestial and lunar guards posted at the road into the strip made her point quite valid. As she reached the edge of the ridge overlooking the runway, Sunspot fell on her belly next to Evanescence. 

“Jeeze, hon, I didn’t even have to say ‘race ya’ for you to kick my flank all the way up here…” Sunspot panted between words, eventually pushing her head over the ridge to look out below. Five rather large transport planes were being inspected on the runway below by a group of scientists. They were moving from the first plane to the second, leaving the others completely unguarded. 

“You guys have made some monster engines for these. I guess you just don’t have the technology yet to make them much smaller. It’s not a bad thing, means you can get bigger birds in the air. They’ll just be really slow.” Evanescence was looking at the planes with one hoof over her eyes, blocking out the sun. “Five planes. Maybe 80 ponies can fit in each. That does not add up to 700 survivors.” She sighed, putting her snout in the dirt and pushing up a tiny puff of brown. “If the government is fighting against them, 400 may be optimistic.” 

Sunspot put a hoof over Evanescence’s shoulders, watching the scientists below as they poked and prodded panels and wires in the second plane. She looked around, making note of any place that looked like they could get down the cliff easily. She could feel Evanescence breathing under her hoof, quietly blowing loose dirt around the cliff’s edge. She seemed sad, but she wasn’t crying. Atta girl… Strong as an ox and soft as a vixen. You deserve to save her, and I’m gonna help. The scientists continued to poke and prod at things too far away to see, occasionally with a puff of magic or solid thump with a hoof. They were very methodical, exorcizing the same maneuvers on every panel of a plane’s underbelly. Four, five, six times on each side as the guards paced predictable paths across the main access road, ready to turn back any pony that wandered up. 

“Let’s go.” Evanescence got to her hooves, leaving Sunspot somewhat confused next to her. 

“Wait, what’s the plan? You’ve been staring at dirt for ten minutes, how could you possibly have come up with something to get down there?” Sunspot got to her hooves as she spoke, being careful of the edge standing less than a step away. Evanescence closed her eyes.

“Close the blinds. Lock the door. Shut out the mailmare even. When the world’s gone, that’s when it’s easiest to think.” She opened her eyes, smiling slightly at Sunspot. “There’s a set of outcroppings just over by that shed at the bottom. If we hop down, we can land behind the shed then sneak into one of the planes they’ve already inspected. They’re in a hurry, so they won’t check the same plane twice.” Sunspot was surprised, but the plan was sound. “Did you really expect me to be near you this long without learning anything? It’s been a month, Sunspot. If I was that kind of mare I could be getting an anniversary gift out of you.”

Evanescence started towards the cliff’s edge she planned to jump, leaving Sunspot to carefully follow her tracks. They leapt less than a story at a time, careful to pick spots large enough that if they were to slip they wouldn’t fall the rest of the way. Twice on the way they had tried to hide from the wandering eyes of the guards by flattening themselves against the ground as far from the edge as they could manage. They never heard any voices calling to them, so they assumed they had not been spotted. They pressed downward, approaching the apparently derelict shed that would soon serve as their hiding spot and launch platform for the next phase of their plan. As soon as they put hooves on the ground, Sunspot heard a voice.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t shake the feeling we’re being watched. Can you check around the strip again?” The voice was not answered, but two sets of heavy hoofbeats began in their direction. Sunspot pushed Evanescence into a pile of scrap metal behind the shed. It didn’t cover her completely, but the steel gray of her coat blended in. 

“They’re coming, and they probably won’t stop snooping around until they find somepony. Call this your anniversary gift.” Evanescence tried to protest, but Sunspot pushed her head down, hiding her azure locks under a sheet of rusted metal. “Don’t give me that ‘I’m not that kind of mare’ bit again. You have to do this… I just have to make sure you don’t fail on this side of the ocean.” Her harsh whisper was drowned out by a call from behind.

“Hey, you! Airfield’s closed, what are you doing back here?” Sunspot kicked the pile her accomplice was hiding in, forcing her to stay perfectly still or be seen. 

“Just doing a bit of scrap hunting. What’s with all the guards all of a sudden?” The two continued talking – more of an argument really – as Sunspot was led from the airstrip. Evanescence sat as quiet as she could as one by one the sources of sound around her dropped off. When things were finally quiet, she carefully shook off the debris around her and peeked out toward the runway. The group of inspectors had moved to the final plane, and ponies wearing heavy jackets and headsets were walking out from a nearby building, one to each plane. Evanescence watched as the pilot of the second plane shifted nervously, sticking to the crowd as long as possible before splitting toward her craft. She decided to try to stow away on that plane, sure that the pilot would be so concerned with flying that they wouldn’t notice her sitting in the back. 

Between sweeps of seemingly random crew and scientists, Evanescence crept into the cargo hold of the second plane. She found a spot just behind the cockpit where she could hide behind a crate of supplies until they were on the ground again. She could hear the pilot clearly, and just make out the voice on the other side of the open radio as the fleet prepared to take off. 

“Everypony, this is a very important mission. We would not have chosen you if we did not believe you were able to succeed.” The calm, airy voice of Princess Celestia whispered into the cramped space. It was then replaced by the crisper voice of Princess Luna. 

“You will be flying to the nation of Hearth, a previously unknown land across the sea. We have received information on its exact whereabouts from recent visitors, who are now in desperate need of our assistance. You are to head to Hearth, land in a potentially hostile area, pick up as many friendly ponies as you can hold, and return to Equestria. We have no reason to believe you will be followed as the ponies we are trying to save are no longer desired in their own land.” Luna’s voice broke slightly towards the end of her brief. She knew all too well what it meant to not be wanted. Several other smaller voices appeared over the radio, slowly counting up to the mare shaking in the cockpit Evanescence shared. 

“This is Equestria four, engines primed and final checks passed. Ready for takeoff.” Her voice was surprisingly solid, but she broke spirit as soon as her hoof was off the transmit button. “Earth ponies are not meant to fly. I should be on the ground. I am not a pegasus…” The mare muttered to herself nervously, shifting her heavy jacket from shoulder to shoulder. “They picked us for a reason. Act under pressure, think fast, adapt. You’ve done this sort of thing before. Nopony needs to know just how scared you are.” 

At first Evanescence wanted to jump out and comfort the mare. Flying wasn’t an easy thing for somepony who wasn’t born to do it. Her nervous ranting wore on as the massive engines came to life and the craft taxied into position. She continued as the call went out for Equestria one to launch, then Equestria two, then Equestria three. By the time they were cleared to take off, Evanescence was more ready to throttle the other mare than comfort her. 

“Equestria four, in position. Beginning ascent.” The mare held her breath during the transmission, letting out a huge breath as soon as the channel closed. She continued to rant as the engines roared, pulling the craft shakily into the air. It was definitely a first generation aircraft, but had all the technical knowledge Evanescence herself could give to the Equestrian government. The plane began for the horizon, shaking and jumping as the plane rammed into minor pockets of turbulent air. Each rumble brought another slew of paranoid raving from the mare in the pilot’s seat. 

“Enough!” Evanescence wasn’t prepared to hear such a loud sound. She hadn’t consciously decided to yell, but once her voice filled the cabin there was no turning back. “The plane practically flies itself once you’re off the ground, just avoid the rough air and enjoy the ride for once!” She crawled out from her hiding spot, closing the gap between her and the scared mare up front. “If you really don’t think you can handle this, then step aside and man the radio. I can fly. I was born for it, I’ve done it all my life. You clearly aren’t ready.” The two were inches apart when Evanescence finally stopped. She was afraid the mare might do something drastic – pull a weapon or throw her out mid-flight. Instead, the mare silently slipped from her chair, dragging the radio microphone with her to a new seat on the floor. Evanescence took the pilot’s seat and familiarized herself with the controls. 

The rest of the flight was smooth and markedly quieter.