//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Trending // Story: Ponyville, USA // by Rox //------------------------------// - MSNBC - "We are being told that within the next few hours a limited media group will be permitted beyond the barricades for a special news broadcast, where it is rumored that the apparent magistrate of the alien visitors will be introduced to the public. An unprecedented moment that will be sure to go down in history as-" - FOX - "- in response to questions about the correspondent's safety, officials have repeatedly affirmed that the risk is minimal at most. However numbers are being kept small as a precaution -" - BBC - "Rumors that the President will be there to meet the visitors are just that, rumors. It is expected that the White House will make a statement immediately following, in which many in London are hoping will include how the US intends to share any potential discoveries with the world -" - ABC - "- it is expected that Governor Looper, as well as Secretary Grant, will be in attendance. It is believed that this is in response to the massive public outcry demanding some answers, at the very least being shown who or what has arrived in the country unannounced. I strongly encourage our viewers to stay tuned as we will bring live coverage -" - Applejack - Gathering bushels of apples was the most relaxing thing Applejack had done in several days. Not that it was particularly easy for anypony, but rather it was more comforting. It was the most normal thing she had worked on since they had been zapped into this world. Applejack didn't let it on, deciding that pouting would be a waste of energy and time, but she really didn't like being here. She wanted nothing more than to be back home, and she was far from alone in that sentiment. She casually bucked a tree full of golden delicious, knocking a portion of them cleanly into the bucket she balanced on her back. The good news was the soil hadn't thus far turned out any worse for her trees, and her orchards were as full and lively as ever. Applejack strapped the bucket to a pack with another one on the other side, and started walking towards the path for home. Granny Smith had thought it'd be a good idea to make some special treats to sell today, thinking that a delicious distraction would help everypony forget the situation for a minute, and Applejack agreed. Nothing like a fresh apple fritter, or apple tart, to brighten your day. The south orchards were the nearest to the barricades. Applejack had been watching them out of the corner of her eye ever since she had walked down that way. Not much happened. The humans mostly just stood around much like the Royal Guards did in Equestria, though at the moment there seemed to be a slowly gathering crowd. Applejack paused for a moment when she reached the path, taking advantage of the clear view. She had a small part of her that wanted to go and meet them like she always did with travelers. With her farm forming the entire southern and a good portion of the western outskirts of Ponyville, ponies coming to Ponyville on hoof often met a member of the Apple family before anypony else. Applejack had even begun to sort of pride herself on it. But her past experience with Guards told her that they were not likely in the mode for conversation, so Applejack continued on her path back to the farm. She passed by Big Mac, who was setting up the frying pots, and ambled in through the kitchen door. She dropped the Apples onto the counter where Granny Smith was skillfully cutting them up. Satisfied everything was well in hoof, Applejack walked back out the door to gather more ingredients from the cellar. She had to put on the brakes to avoid running into her sister, who skidded out of the barn carrying several tools, barely avoiding a collision with one another. "Sorry Applejack!" Applebloom said, spitting out the hammer she held in her mouth. "Where are you off to in such a hurry with all them tools?" Applejack asked, though she did have a wild guess. "Crusader's business!" Scootaloo buzzed out of the barn, her scooter towing a wagon full of many more supplies. Including most of the spare lumber, which made Applejack a little more than nervous. Last time they did that it involved fireworks, a catapult, and several damaged buildings. Including, ironically, the hardware store. "I'm afraid to ask, but what are ya plannin' this time?" asked Applejack with a hint of dread. "Well, we got an idea from Anne!" Sweetie Belle added as she walked out, carrying four *gulp* wheels, and tossing them into the wagon. "Don't worry, Pinkie's helpin' out!" Applebloom said quickly, reading her sister's concerned expression. "And Rainbow Dash!" added Scootaloo. Why does that not make me feel any better? "Gotta go! They're waitin' fer us!" Appleboom exclaimed. Before Applejack could protest, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle hopped onto the pile in the wagon and Scootaloo sped them off. At the top of the rise, Applejack could see her two friends, plus the human, who was only barely taller than them, waiting for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Maybe I'm worryin' for nothin' thought Applejack, trying to convince herself that this wasn't going to end in a trip to the hospital for somepony. After all, humans seem pretty handy when it comes to buildin' things. Who knows, it might be the safest thing they've done all year. "Hey, Applejack!" A voice from above drew her attention away from the fillies for a moment. There, the white and somewhat candy colored pegasus Blossomforth was waving to her as she descended to a soft landing nearby. "Howdy do, Blossomforth?" Applejack greeted warmly. "I'm pretty good," Blossomforth replied conversationally, stretching her wings a little. "Nice day today." Applejack gave a small 'Mmhm' of agreement before asking, "Say, ya out for a mornin' cruise?" "Princess Twilight actually asked if I'd come find you," said Blossomforth. "Is everythin' alright?" Applejack’s tone showed a small amount of concern. "I think so," assured Blossomforth. "She just said that she wanted to see you about something going on soon." "Ok. Thanks, Blossom." Applejack peeked in the kitchen and told Granny Smith she was heading out to town, and strolled off in that direction. As she crested the rise, Rainbow Dash flew lazily down from a nearby hill and came up beside her. "Aren't you s'posed to be with my sister?" Applejack asked, her concern once again switched to the subject. "Thunderlane just told me that Twilight wanted me to come back for something," explained Rainbow Dash, her tone very neutral. That's Rainbow: Always willing to help, but not necessarily with enthusiasm. "Besides, they'll be fine," continued Rainbow Dash, pulling a small loop in the sky to come back even with Applejack. "Pinkie Pie's got 'em." "You were napping weren't ya," said Applejack, half teasing and half serious. "No! Well, yeah, a little… But I was listening," defended Rainbow. "All they were doing was making a soapbox something or other. Tell ya, humans think some of the weirdest things are fun. I mean, what's so fun about soap?" - Twilight - "I thought 'the media' was like a council or something!" Twilight exclaimed again as they walked towards the town hall. "Why couldn't they have told me that it meant introduce yourself to the whole human world?" "Hey! Take a deep breath!" Asher went down on one knee so he could look her straight in the eye, stopping her in her tracks. "It'll do nobody any good if you're panickin'!" That's funny. His accent gets stronger when he raises his voice. The analytical thought served to calm her down at least a little. She tried to conceal that her knees were shaking as Asher stood back up. "Twilight, you'll be fine, you always are," Rarity comforted. The white unicorn had shown up not long after Asher had enlightened her as to what the human officials had asked her to do, a welcome relief. She had even gone out to find ponies to go tell the rest of their friends. She didn't know if they would be able to stand next to her in front of the "media," but just having them nearby would be a boon to her confidence. As if on cue with her thoughts, Rainbow Dash and Applejack trotted around a corner and Fluttershy appeared from another side road. "What's up, Twi?" Applejack asked as they joined the entourage. Twilight explained what was going on, with Asher adding what she didn't understand. Her friends were understandably surprised that they could do that, though for different reasons. Fluttershy, for example, looked downright terrified at the idea, while others.... "So you mean everyone on the entire planet will be able to see us?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "That's awesome!" "Not if you're the one talking!" snapped Twilight, the stress cracking her voice. "You might be working yourself up a little too much," said Asher. "You won't actually be seeing them all. I bet no more than a dozen people will be actually there." "And we'll be there to do whatever ya need," added Applejack, giving Twilight a sideways hug as they walked. All of them flashed smiles at her, even a still frightened looking Fluttershy. "Where's Pinkie Pie?" asked Twilight. "She's still with Anne and the Crusaders," shrugged Rainbow Dash. "They'll be back soon I'm sure." "Oh," was all Asher responded. It was hard to tell what he thought of that, but Twilight decided not to worry about it too much. Pinkie Pie was a little crazy, but she'd never let anypony get hurt, especially fillies. There was a buzz of activity around the town hall. Several humans were setting up what Twilight assumed were cameras, by their shape, though they were nothing like any camera she had ever seen before. There was also a plethora of other poles and gadgets that she couldn't even guess at. All were directed at a row of chairs and a podium including a microphone. A couple of humans very smartly dressed, a contradiction to the others dressed a lot more like Asher and the uniformed soldiers standing like sentinels, noticed her and started walking in their direction. She noticed how they had all straightened up and continued to walk in a stiff manner, a habit Twilight realized was shared in Equestria whenever somepony was paying respect to royalty or a delegate. She recognized all three of them, one being the Governor, another being the General, and the last being the woman who still wore the same, very serious expression. "Your Highness," Governor Looper said, bowing his head slightly and smiling broadly. And I thought getting used to ponies calling me that would take a while. Twilight returned a small bow of her own, which her friends copied. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Asher smiled a little bit as they did so, making her wonder what was so funny, but she shoved the question from her mind. She had more important things to focus on. The Governor briefly explained what the plan was. Twilight was relieved to hear it would be short, and that most of the talking would be done by the Governor himself and the Secretary, apparently the woman, while she would only speak for the last minute or so. All they wanted was a brief introduction of sorts. Another set of humans got the Governor's attention, and all three of them turned and left the ponies. "Wow, who's the lady, Ash?" Rainbow Dash asked, casually jumping into her usual hover. "I don't think she likes you much." Asher exhaled a long breath before answering, with some level of chagrin on his face, "Oh.... just the Secretary of Defense." - Asher - He hadn't recognized the woman whose ire he had invoked the first time they met, but the news had informed him of the identity of his detractor. He only half understood why she had taken such a disliking to him. Even the General, whom he had expected to be grilled by, had been relatively passive towards him thus far. All he did know is that he was going to watch his step. It would do him no good to be in even more trouble with a member of the President's cabinet. Soon, the producers and camera people were signaling that they were just about ready to begin. Asher headed for the sidelines, glad that he wasn't in Twilight's position, and also glad because he was drastically under-dressed to warrant being referred to in any official manner. Twilight leaped up onto a seat that one producer directed her to and seated herself as best she could. The chair seat was smaller than the ones in the Burgess kitchen, so it looked like a little bit more difficult to situate herself. The tan colored Mayor also walked up from behind and found herself a spot on Twilight's right. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity made their way to the sidelines, but when Rainbow Dash tried to she was stopped short, a purple aura freezing her tail in midair. "Nope, Dash you're with me," said Twilight. The pegasus didn't look the least bit disappointed. In fact, Asher would dare say cautiously thrilled as she somersaulted with a little flourish and landed on the chair to the left. That's also when Asher noticed with glee that a handful of the news crew had seen the short exchange. Their slack jaws were the biggest giveaway. "Were on in 10!" one producer called out from his position behind the cameras, this managed to snap them out of their stupors. Governor Looper, looking pleased as punch, took his place at the podium as the man counted down his fingers until he gave the thumbs up. "Good Morning, America. I stand here today with the great honor of sharing with the people of the United States and the people of the world what may be the greatest moment in human history. An answer to one of our deepest questions about our place in the universe has been given..." Looper went on for the next five minutes filled with rhetoric and a lot of flowery language, mostly saying how this moment will go down in history and dropping hints of the peaceful intent and the great possibility for learning that had presented itself. The Governor had asked that the cameras remain on him until Twilight would be introduced in order to build the suspense. Thereby, he was milking it for all it was worth, and all things considered Asher didn't blame him. Although, he could just hear the annoyed complaints of people watching this just wanting him to get on with it and show them what they wanted to see. "...and it is with now with great pleasure I give you the Representative that leads our esteemed visitors, and I shall invite her to introduce herself. The cameras all swiveled in unison to settle on the three ponies. Asher felt the butterflies in his own stomach, so he couldn't imagine what they were feeling. Luckily, all three seemed far more poised than he was. Why am I surprised? Two are politicians and Rainbow Dash is just about the opposite of shy. Twilight slid off of her seat and spread her wings in a wide, reminding Asher of a very familiar image of his own country. The way the eagle's wings are spread on the seal. Mayor Mare followed suit as did Rainbow Dash, the latter of which was smiling very confidently. "Hello," Twilight began, looking straight at the camera without blinking. "My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle. Myself, and the citizens of Ponyville, are from the land of Equestria. We are grateful to the Governor , and the people of this nation, who have received us with nothing but warmth and hospitality. We feel we have seen only the best." Asher saw Twilight flick a small glance in his direction before continuing on, "I am sorry if our first attempt to contact you was misunderstood. Rainbow Dash meant no harm, and once again I appeal for your help as we try to find a way home. Thank you." With that, Twilight folded her wings but did not sit down, instead looking to Governor Looper. He nodded and once again stepped to the podium. He gave a few short sentences about how the State of Colorado will provide all the support they can and more rhetoric about inter-species cooperation before he finally signed off. Asher wished he could watch the anchors sort it all out, and wished even more that he had the internet. Things were about to get really interesting. "Hi!" Asher flinched and half spun around as Pinkie Pie greeted them in her usual way minus any tackle hugging. The pink pony happily bounced over to her friends to find out what had happened as Asher turned his attention to his sister walking down the street talking animatedly with the "Crusaders." "Yeah! And when we hit that bump!" Scootaloo was saying. "We got some sweet airtime!" Anne finished. She was grinning from ear to ear, but as she got closer Asher noticed that she was covered in dirt and even some leaves. She was also limping ever so slightly from a pretty large raspberry injury on her knee. The three little ponies were also covered in dirt and who knows what else, though injuries weren't plainly obvious on their coats. "Anne! What the heck did you do?" Asher exclaimed. "We built a soapbox car!" Scootaloo answered. "Though it didn't go so well," Sweetie Belle said, dusting some sticks out of her mane. "We crashed," said Anne way too happily. Asher looked at her critically for a moment. "Anne, when did you even learn what a soapbox car is let alone build one?" "Well, I guessed," said Anne. "Applebloom and Scootaloo are really good at building stuff, so they put it together." "I don't know what yer talkin' about," said Applebloom. "It fell apart at the end there." "Yeah, but we almost made it!" Scootaloo added excitedly. "I'm guessing that's what all the dust and blood is about," said Asher. "You know soapbox cars are usually meant for the road not off roading, right?" Anne looked genuinely stymied for a second, "Really?" "Yeah," snipped Asher, nodding with a touch of sarcasm. "That makes a lot more sense," said Sweetie Belle. "The rocks and trees made it really hard to steer." "What the hay did they do?" Applejack had come up, and had obviously noticed the messy state of the young ones. "Crashed a soapbox car," said Asher. "A soapbox car? Rainbow Dash!" Applejack called out. The pegasus pretended not to hear, pretending to be super engrossed in the conversation with Twilight and the others. "C'mon, Anne," Asher said as Applejack shook her head and looked over own her sister and friends. "Let's go get a bandage on that knee. You know, most girls your age are playing with dolls or something like that." "Most girls my age don't have my brothers," she answered slyly. "Touche." "Anne! You'll visit again soon, right?" Scootaloo called out as they walked away. "We have more crusading to do!" "You bet!" Anne called back. Asher waved at Twilight "Just what are they crusading for?" Asher asked as they made their way through the town. "Cutie marks!" Anne said back. Asher raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't press for more. Besides, he wanted to go and turn on the news as soon as possible. Though there was much left that was still uncertain, Asher felt like a burden had been taken off his shoulders. Secrets were done with, and he wanted to enjoy every second of it. Things were looking up. - Kempten, Germany - Several hours later the transmission from America, it was still circling the globe nonstop, being translated into almost every language and the stunning images being seen by everyone who lived within 30 miles of a TV or computer. This idyllic German city was no different, the ancient town having been abuzz during the last hours of the day. Though at this point in the evening, most people were now in bed. The shops were closed and the streetlamps offered only dim light that fell on the white buildings all around. For a town of 70,000, it was blissfully peaceful. However, a person still awake at this late hour, perhaps still surfing the internet or enjoying a late night read, may have heard the strangest cacophony of sounds. At first it would have been easy to mistake it for the wind, though anyone consciously listening may have found the rhythmic pulsing strange. Not everyone would have heard the brilliant crash of glass and wood being splintered, only those nearest to the middle of town. They couldn't have known right away that it was Gebhard Moeslang, the local jewelry store, that had been the unlucky recipient of the carnage. But absolutely everyone, young and old, heard the un-earthly roar that raged through the air, sending chills and fear down the spine of all who heard it. A few brave souls ran into the streets, searching for the source. Immediately they raised the alarm, as obvious flames were billowing in part of town. Firefighters rushed to the scene to find much of the block ablaze and the jewelry store completely destroyed and ransacked, while the street was torn up like it had been bombed. There was no obvious cause to the view of most. But to a handful of stunned citizens, who would spend much of the next days trying to convince people of the truth, they knew that what had caused the unusual destruction was straight out of the most terrifying of legends. - Celestia - Canterlot Castle - It didn't matter how many times she looked, just the sight was enough to put the Princess into a state of disbelief, a place of mind she did not often experience. Living for over a millennium had a way a sapping the surprises out of life, but this was beyond anything she had ever seen. The landscape was stripped bare of everything, even the grass, leaving a horrifying scar on the otherwise picturesque setting. It was all that remained of what was once Ponyville. All they had to go on was a cryptic description given by the lone witness, the zebra Zecora who had watched from her Everfree home. Celestia hadn't been this heartbroken since the early days of her reign when an entire town was lost to a volcano. She took the protection of her subjects very personally, but this one stung even more. She had lost her dearest student and close friend in the mysterious disaster. "My sister." Luna glided gracefully and landed with practiced ease next to Celestia, wearing a thoughtful expression filled with concern. "I have just received word from the scouts. Another storm was spotted," Luna said darkly. "Another one!? But how is that possible?" Celestia exclaimed. "I don't know, sister, but it has already passed. We have lost another village." Celestia was about to ask where when, through all the shock, swirling emotions, and pain, a memory surfaced. A voice she hadn't heard for herself since before the birth of Equestria now echoed in her ears. A warning given on the darkest of days. Celestia looked at Luna, and the two alicorns realized that both had suddenly come to the same conclusion. "Celestia, you don't suppose...." "Yes, I do," she answered. Celestia turned to look at the brown earth in the distance. Many emotions ran over them both as memories continued to flood through their minds. But the most prevalent of all feelings was fear. A fear deep rooted in nightmarish stories that Celestia and Luna hadn't heard since they were small. She could only hope that the saviors of those stories were real, and that they were ready. - Just North of Lake Chelan, Washington - Tony Beddingfield loved coming here. It was such a good fishing spot for one. Behind him, McAlester Mountain and Reynolds Peak loomed majestically in the fading sunlight as the peaks surrounding them started to surrender to the shadows. The summer evening was shaping up to be a perfect one, the skies were clear save for a couple of poofy cottonball ones in the distance, the breeze was gentle, and the only sounds were of the bugs and the river rushing into the lake. Plus, out here he didn't have to bombarded by constant questions about "Did you hear about the aliens?" or "Have you seen the video of the ponies?" Frankly, he couldn't care less. He cast his line once again and sat down in the old camp chair, grabbing another cold one from his cooler, totally content with just watching the bobber float in the river's current. Thus Tony was taken by total surprise when just minutes later the wind kicked up out of nowhere, blowing his cap straight off. Cursing a little, he got up, bracing against the sudden wind as he retrieved it before it ended up in the lake. He cursed again when he realized he had just left his fishing pole leaning up against the chair, and his beer on the arm of the chair, he turned just in time to see both tumble to the hard, stony ground. As he went to retrieve them he finally saw the cause of his annoyance. The clouds may have been idyllic just a moment ago, but there was the darkest storm cloud he had ever seen running low against the mountains just a mile or so to the north. Whatever. Fishing in the rain was supposedly better anyway. There was no rain yet, so he hunkered down and watched as the quick moving cloud slammed into the range, lightning flashing like he had never seen before. The thunder was nearly continuous, rolling just like the sound of a bowling ball. He watched in fascination, taking sips from his beer as he did so like he was watching a Discovery Channel special. Then, the strangest thing happened. The black cloud suddenly stopped flashing lightning, and began to spread out. It turned white as it did so, and it continued dissipating until finally the evening skies were clear once more. Even the wind died down to its previous calm pace. Tony craned his head back, looking all around at the weather, which now appeared as if there hadn't been a storm brewing at all. Except for the rainbow framed against the mountainside. The fisherman shook his head and blinked furiously. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. The mountain, the freaking mountain, was missing it's top. It looked like it had been flattened, and that there was a rainbow running straight down from the new plateau. In fact, there were several. Some even appeared to run down from the white clouds hanging near the mountains, behaving just like waterfalls in a spectacular display. It was at that moment that Tony Beddingfield quit drinking, a moment he commemorated by kicking his cooler full of cans into the river and casting his line again, trying not to look at what had suddenly happened to Rainbow Mountain.