Those Distant Sisters

by Rettro

Chapter 10

Resonance continued through the Everfree, blind to the creatures around her and indignant to the constant blathering of the ponies behind her. They were just like her sister; they didn’t understand the bond that two ponies could share over music. Sure Sonority wasn’t a professional musician, but his talent was sound itself so what else could he do? That colt was amazing in every way. In fact, Resonance was sure they would find him sitting in the middle of his own make-shift campsite, probably even interrupt him cooking wild flowers and get to stay for a midnight snack before heading back to town. Or, as mounting evidence would suggest, he could be hanging from a tree by his parachute.

Resonance made a half-circle about the pony hanging before her as he split his time between spastically pulling at parachute chord and hanging limp, defeated. After one such bout, he finally bothered to look down his muzzle at the mare before him.

“Oh laugh it up Ress. Big colt stuck in a tree. Wanna help me out?” Sonority stared irately at his wife for a moment before actually realizing who he was talking to. “Ress! You’re alive! I mean, I got the distress signal but after seeing why you crashed first hoof I almost didn’t think…” Sonority was silenced by a hoof jammed halfway down his throat as Resonance lifted him from his harness and dropped him down barely a foot to the forest floor.

“I understand you’re excited to see me, but you should know my sister can handle any sort of mechanical failure. She is the best non-military pilot in Hearth. I’m a little more concerned about what took you down. Same spot, that’s a little suspicious isn’t it?” Resonance removed her hoof from her husband’s jaw, allowing him to respond.

“Ress, I was shot down. There’s something in this forest. Something like…” This time Sonority was interrupted by something resembling a monstrous pink cannonball, knocking him to the ground.

“Oh my gosh you’re from Hearth just like the sisters? I bet you do all sorts of funny stuff like them too, have you ever jumped around and blamed stuff on fire? I wonder what you’re special talent is? Huh, what is it? Circles? Is your special talent circles? No, that’s silly, even I wouldn’t come up with that. What gave you such a silly idea, that your special talent is circles?” The creature resting atop Sonority finally took a moment to catch its breath and allow for response. Sonority simply stared dumbfounded, trying to catch up to the conversation.

“You’ll have to excuse Pinkie Pie. She can be a little… excitable… around new ponies.” Twilight said, stepping towards the entangled duo and less than subtly pushing Pinkie Pie off the new arrival. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. We’ve been caring for your wife and her sister since they arrived. I must say, I’m quite excited to learn more about your culture, it seems so different to what we have here in Equestria.” Seemingly enjoying the slower change of pace, Sonority volunteered some information.

“Oh, um… Where to begin… Well, that one…” Sonority said, gesturing towards Pinkie Pie who sat grinning like a madmare where Twilight had deposited her “… she wanted to know about my cutie mark. I guess we can start there.” Looking closely, Twilight could see that the colt’s cutie mark was of three stacked gold-rimmed white plates. “Those rings represent sound waves. Technically I’m a sonic engineer, but I make my living flying for Hearth’s Core Air Force.”

“I thought you all were supposed to have jobs depending on what your special talents were?” Twilight asked, inquisitively.

“Well typically yes, but a sonic engineer isn’t exactly a job that’s required year-round. I mean, it’s not every day someone looks at something and thinks ‘oh this could be more sonic!” Sonority chuckled at his own joke before continuing. “Honestly I just work with sound systems - speakers, microphones, stuff like that. It’s not a lot to…” Once again, Sonority was interrupted by an outburst from Pinkie Pie.

“Hey, can I try on your hat? It looks so shiney-rific and cool!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing around the surprised colt.

“I’m not wearing a hat. Am I?” Sonority felt all around his head with his forehooves. “Horn, Cochlear, nope, no hat.” Pinkie bounded up to his side, poking at the metallic instrument on the side of the colt’s head.

“This silly! How do you get it to stay like that, doesn’t it fall off?”

“That’s not a hat, that’s a Cochlear implant. I’m deaf.” No sooner did the word’s leave his muzzle than the group of Ponyvillians around him erupt with sound. Most gasped, shocked. Fluttershy dove behind Rarity, hiding from nopony knows what, and Pinkie Pie jumped ever so slightly higher than usual, and began…

“Oh my gosh! How can you hear me if you’re deaf? Can you read my muzzle? I bet you can!” Pinkie threw her hooves up, covering her mouth. “La la la la la! You can’t understand a word I’m saying! Hey guys, how can a sound engie-whatsit be deaf? Do you think that’s why he flies planes instead?” Pinkie quickly found herself pulled to the ground by a strong yank on her tail.

“I can hear every word you’re saying lady. I’m deaf, that doesn’t mean I can’t hear.” Sonority stared angrily at the confused pink mare, who only offered a short ‘yuh-huh’ in response. “Anypony whose born deaf can be fitted with a Cochlear implant as soon as they’re near the age to earn their cutie mark, when their head is done growing. Everypony knows that, everypony can hear. Science.” Sonority ranted, punctuating the last word with a tap on Pinkie’s chest. “Now, if you don’t mind, we have slightly more important things to worry about.” Sonority stood on all fours, grabbing the saddlebag from his abandoned chair and taking a few confident strides towards the deepest part of the Everfree. Resonance fell quickly into line behind him, as if she had been doing it every day of her life. “Something just took down two Hearth aircraft, and if what I heard is any indication, its been doing it for years and does not intend to stop any time soon.”

On that ominous note, the military colt lead eight mares deeper into the Everfree than any of them had ever traveled before.