Twilight Sparkle gasped when she saw dozens of tiny grey specks emerge from the metal behemoth overhead. The specks gradually grew bigger, one was larger than the others. After a minute, the other specks grew into small machines. One flew close enough for her to examine it. The thing was a small box with four discs attached to the corners. It was made mostly of a grey material. Twilight thought it might be a strange kind of plastic. On its underside hung a small yellow tank, with a grey tube leading out to a funnel shaped piece of metal on the front, or what Twilight assumed to be the front, as that was the direction it was flying. The machine sped over to a burning apple tree, and faced it for a moment, hovering. Twilight leaned forward in curiosity, then jumped back when it began to spray a thick grey liquid. Her eyes furrowed as she saw the liquid turn to a cloud like foam as it fell through the air, falling onto the flaming tree. There was a hissing sound, and the flames disappeared. The foam began to "melt" and trickled down the tree in grey rivulets. The watery liquid flowed into the grass, revealing a perfectly safe tree, albeit a little charred. Twilight was dumbstruck.
Her ears perked up when she heard soft sobbing behind her. She spun around and saw Applejack curled up on the ground. She had her face buried in her tail, which she was hugging and stroking. She kept mumbling something over and over, but Twilight couldn't make out what it was. Applejack hadn't yet noticed the machines extinguishing the fires. Twilight felt horrible, and rushed over to her distraught friend. She knelt down and extended a foreleg to hug her friend. At her touch, Applejack froze.
"Applejack, it's gonna be okay! Look!" Twilight patted her friend. Applejack did nothing. "Come on, AJ! They're putting out the fire!" Applejack laid still for a few moments, then shifted her head out of her hair. Her bloodshot eyes grew wide when she saw the huge metal leviathan hanging in the sky, then the machines whizzing through the air. Her look of amazement quickly changed to a look of horror.
"What they hey are they doin' to mah farm?" She yelled angrily. "They must be poisoning mah apple trees!" Applejack started to hyperventilate. Rarity stepped forward in quick response to the situation.
"Darling, there's no need to panic. See? They're putting out the fires!" Rarity gestured with a hoof. Applejack looked around and saw that yes, they were, in fact, putting out the fires.
"Sis! There are alien mutant robahts attackin' th' farm!" All five of the friends spun around to face the latest member of the group. Applejack quickly rushed to her sister.
"Applebloom! I'm so glad yer okay!" Applejack said as she hugged her.
"Sis," croaked applebloom, "Ahm glad too, but I won't be if ya keep crushin me!" Applejack gasped and quickly let go. The group sat there for a second, surrounded my machines and smoke, undisturbed for a few moments Pinkie giggled and everyone smiled. Even Fluttershy cracked a grin.
"Oh come on! Why didn't you ever hug me like that, Rarity?"
The group turned once again to see a suspiciously shaking bush. A blue aura enveloped the shrubbery, lifting a sheepishly grinning white coated filly out of the bush. Rarity rushed over to her sister, angrily brushing the twigs out of her mane.
"Sweetie Bell! I thought I told you to stay out the boutique!" She frowned menacingly. Sweetie bell cowered underneath her glare.
"I'm sorry! I was looking for Applebloom so we could find Scootaloo! I only wanted to help!" Rarity towered over her shaking sister, wearing a delightful glare on her face. However, it soon softened and she bent down to hug her sister.
"It's quite alright, Sweetie Bell. You just scared me a little, that's all." The pair of sisters hugged while the other pair watched, leaning against each other. Apple bloom suddenly gestured with a hoof.
"Hey! Sis! Isn't that that bay feller? And is that an... Alicorn!?" She cried out. The group turned and lo and behold, there was Bay and De'elt'a' looking into a hatch. Bay was leaning over the opening, his head deep on the pit. Bay yanked his head out of the hole, and a rainbow-hued mane followed it. Rainbow Dash climbed out of the pit and looked around, bewildered. Scootaloo soon followed.
"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie cried. "I've been looking all over for you!" By the time she had finished her sentence, she had arrived at a very confused Dash's side. Pinkie pulled her friend into a bear hug.
"Ah! Pinkie! That hurts!" Gasped Rainbow. "Ow!" Pinkie withdrew, only then noticing the bandages enveloping her friends abdomen.
"Oh," she said. "Sorry." The rest of the group arrived and rejoiced happily, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally reunited. Many hugs were given and many tears shed. The clearing of a throat silenced the ponies, who all looked at its creator.
Celestia stood over them, but no longer wore her seemingly permanent look of confidence.
"My little ponies," she began, " I'm afraid I have some very... troubling news."