HUMAN World

by Razalon The Lizardman

The Miracle of Flight 413

A pin could’ve been heard dropping throughout the cabin. The only audible noise was the distant rumble of the plane’s engines outside. Whereas not a minute before, the cabin was filled with panicked mutters and breathing through the oxygen masks, now only a deafening silence permeated the cabin.

The four ponies peered over their seats, craning their heads to check all throughout the cabin. All the other passengers were slumped forward in their seats, their oxygen masks still strapped to their faces, passed out from oxygen deprivation. The ponies themselves, even, could feel the effects of the lack of oxygen taking a toll on them. Panting, they got out of their seats and converged in the aisle. All the while they talked, they gasped between their words for whatever little air remained in the depressurized cabin.

“Something’s wrong,” Twilight said, looking down the aisle toward the cockpit. “The pilot should’ve done something to bring back oxygen, or, at the very least, said something about the situation.”

“What do you think could’ve happened?” Rarity asked, leaning against the nearest seat to support herself in her tired, air-deprived state. “The pilot certainly sounded confident all would be well before we took off.”

“Whatever happened,” Rainbow said, struggling to stand upright, “we need to do something, and fast.”

“Mmmmmphh,” Pinkie said through her closed mouth, while her friends cursed their inability to hold their breath as long as the party mare.

“Right,” Twilight said with a nod. She turned down the aisle toward the cockpit. “We need to fix this problem if we want any chance of landing safely.”

Her friends all nodded in agreement.

“Alright, everyone, follow me,” Twilight said as she began walking down the aisle. She used her magic to grab ahold of a free oxygen mask over a vacant seat. “Be conservative with what little air is left up for grabs.” Again, everyone nodded.

The group began making their way down the aisle. One by one, with every free oxygen mask they passed, they each took a huge gulp of air, relishing in the much-needed relief and holding their breath until they reached the next mask.

They continued all the way down the aisle. Upon reaching the cockpit door, Twilight gave it a good hard few knocks. “Hello!” she called.

Silence.

“Mister captain, sir! Answer me!”

More silence.

Twilight looked back to her friends, and the sight of their urgent expressions told her she was wasting time. Lighting her horn, she cast a teleportation spell on all of them, bringing the group into the cockpit just behind the seats. After shaking the resulting dizziness away, the group looked forward to see what was wrong.

The co-pilot was strapped in his seat, head slumped forward akin to the passengers, and just as unconscious from the looks of it. The pilot was splayed on the floor between the ponies, similarly unconscious, stomach down with one hand reaching forward toward the door, as if he’d attempted to escape before passing out.

“Oh dear,” Rarity said while holding a hoof to her chest. “What might have happened in here?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said. She took a moment to survey the cockpit, trying to figure out based on a glance what all the dials and instruments might do. One thing she recognized very quickly, however, was the comm device wrapped around the co-pilot’s head.

Using her magic, she levitated the comm device off and over to her. Muffled voices could be heard from the speakers, which became clear once she placed it on her head.

”Flight 413, why are you still in your holding pattern?”

Twilight quirked an eyebrow. Holding pattern?

”Flight 413, do you hear me?”

“Is something wrong, Twilight?” Rarity asked, stepping towards the alicorn.

“What are the people on the ground saying?” Pinkie followed up.

”Flight 413, what is–”

“I hear you loud and clear,” Twilight interrupted. Her friends watched, rapt with attention, struggling to hold their breath as their only method of retrieving more air was preoccupied with attempting communication with the humans. “Is this… Air Traffic Control?”

A few moments of silence followed, the only sound to be heard from the mic being faint white noise. When at last the voice came back, it wasn’t with the neutral professionalism of someone well-versed at the task of directing pilots from the ground, but rather, the casualness of someone realizing such a manner was unnecessary in speaking with passengers, but still knew to keep a calm and level tone.

”Flight 413, who am I speaking to?”

Twilight gave her friends a reassuring smile, to which they returned with their own relieved ones, before giving her reply.

“My name is Twila; I’m a passenger on board.” Her breaths became desperate as the lack of air began taking its toll on her, as it did her friends. “Me and my friends managed to break into the cockpit. The pilot and co-pilot are out cold, as are all the other passengers. How do we get the oxygen back on?”

A short silence followed. Twilight took the opportunity to unlock and open the cockpit door with her magic. Her friends wasted no time in rushing out, all too eager to retrieve some more oxygen. A part of Twilight wanted to follow after them, as the lack of air was starting to make her head feel woozy, but the part that knew she needed to stay and listen was stronger.

Her friends came back into the cockpit just as a response came from the headset. It was a new voice, but carried the same sense of measured calm as the previous one.

”Do you see a panel near the right side of the control column, just above the co-pilot’s seat. It’ll have three settings: automatic, alternative, and manual. Can you confirm which setting it’s set to?”

Twilight looked all along the control column, quickly spotting a panel with a switch matching the given description. The dial was set to ‘Man’.

“I see it, and it looks like it’s set to Manual.” More deep breaths. “Do I need to change the setting or something? Tell me quickly, because I’m running out of breathable air fast.”

”Set the switch to Auto for now,” came the reply. Twilight wasted no time in using her magic to flip the dial to the instructed setting. ”There’s also four emergency oxygen canisters in the galley. You and your friends should use those until the plane pressurizes.”

“Thank you.” Twilight turned to her friends. “Search the galley for some air canisters,” she instructed.

“On it!” Rainbow said, and zipped through the cockpit door.

”Listen, Miss, this might sound scary at first, but we’re going to need you and your friends’ help in getting that plane down safely.” A heavy, exasperated sigh sounded through the speaker. ”Can you do this, Miss?”

Twilight took a few moments to steel her resolve before replying. She barely knew how to fly with her own wings. Taking control of a several ton metal machine and making it land safely to the ground was something nopony could be expected to do. Heck, nopony could ever expect to even be asked such a question. But getting back on the ground was the only way of getting out of the comic’s world, which left her no choice but to accept the challenge.

“I will,” Twilight said, doing her best to sound more confident than she was. “Tell me what to do and I’ll follow your instructions.”

”Thank you, Miss.” There was silence for a few moments before the first voice spoke again. ”Okay, there’s a checklist for arrival procedure. We’ll list off what you need to do and, if you follow it to a T, you should be able to safely land that plane. Did you get that?”

Twilight paused. Then she smiled. “Loud and clear, Mister.” And she rubbed her hooves together in delight. Checklist!

---

“Finally, we’re here,” Applejack said, stepping off the train onto the platform.

“So… tired…” Spike followed after her, stretching his arms while yawning.

“That was a pleasant ride,” Fluttershy said sweetly, bringing up the rear, her bag balanced on her back.

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Define ‘pleasant’.”

“Where to now, Spike?” Applejack asked. Looking around, the platform was, understandably, barren of ponies. The only source of life aside from the three friends was the distant chirping of crickets, as well as the train’s huffing and puffing funnel. Beyond the platform, Canterlot, in all its centuries-old, cobblestone and pointed spire glory, could be seen. That such a place would harbor a comic book store was ironic, the more Applejack thought about it.

“I think…” Spike trailed off, tapping his chin and scrunching his face in thought. “I’m pretty sure the House of Enchanted Comics was across from the stadium.”

“Good a place as any to look, Ah s’pose.” Applejack turned and began heading out of the station, Spike and Fluttershy following right behind.

---

The more Twilight listened to Air Traffic Control’s instructions for landing the plane, the more her fear of flying evaporated and was replaced with her natural intellectual curiosity and studious glee. The controllers would explain to her what all the levers and buttons on the dashboard did, and she’d jot down notes in her mental notepad while preparing the plane for descent as per their instructions.

Flying the plane had gone from being a scary chore to a great learning experience. True, this was a fictional aircraft, but she was fascinated by all the complexities and procedures and talent one needed to pilot it, far more than real life airships. While it was almost certainly out of the realm of possibility, if HUMAN-like aircraft became a reality, whether through breakthroughs in arcane science or an alien invasion, she decided piloting would be a cool side interest to get into.

”...And you should be lined up with the runway now, Miss,” the Air Traffic Controller said, finishing off his last set of instructions. ”Can you confirm this via visual?”

Twilight looked out the window in front of her. Sure enough, two columns of lights dotted the landscape a little ways ahead, directly ahead of the plane.

“Affirmative, sir,” she replied through the mouthpiece of her oxygen canister.

”Begin your descent now, then.”

“Will do, sir.”

Twilight began using her magic on the appropriate instruments just as Rainbow Dash entered the cockpit, wearing her matching oxygen canister.

“Is everything going okay?” She asked, coming up behind her friend. “Rarity and Pinkie are getting anxious.”

Twilight turned to her, smiling. “We’ll be in Raleigh soon enough,” she said, sweetly.

Rainbow nodded. “Anything we can do to help?”

Twilight was about to say she was fine, but a sudden thought occurred to her. “Actually, bring the others in. We need to talk.”

Rainbow nodded, and left to fetch their friends.

”Is everything alright, Miss Twila?”

“Everything’s fine,” Twilight confirmed.

She continued programming the plane’s descent even as her friends entered the cockpit, wearing their own oxygen canisters, despite the cabin pressurization having returned to normal. They watched Twilight work at the controls, waiting for her to speak to them. The speed and ease at which she was using the plane’s controls impressed them greatly. As big an egghead as Twilight was, to be able to so quickly and efficiently control a machine as enormous and complex as a HUMAN plane was almost surreal.

She truly was the HUMAN world’s goddess.

“Okay, I’m good to go,” Twilight said into the headset. A muffled reply could be heard in response before she took off the device and turned to face her friends with a wistful smile. “How’re you girls holding up?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Pretty good.”

“I’ve been better,” Rarity followed with a small huff

“Is this holding up enough?” Pinkie asked as she held the mobile device up in the air.

Everypony rolled their eyes. “Sure, Pinkie,” Twilight said.

“Will we land safely, Twilight dear?” Rarity asked, a small frown creasing her face. “Everything’s under control?”

Twilight nodded. “I’ve got a good grip on how this–” she gestured to the controls, “–all works, and I should be able to get us all down safely.” She clapped her hooves together as her eyes took on a sparkling gleam. “I had no idea flying a plane involved so many checklists!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “You had something you wanted to tell us, egghead?”

Twilight coughed into her hoof. “Right, sorry.” She gave her friends each a pointed look. “Once we land, there’s going to be a bunch of rescue workers and authorities coming inside. I’ll teleport us outside once we’re safe, where we’ll use the cover of darkness to get out of here and find a ride to continue onwards.”

Her friends all nodded. “Buckle yourselves in, girls.” Twilight turned back around and levitated the headset back over her head.

The three others turned and each took a seat in the cockpit, strapping themselves in. “Okay, don’t freak out, Rarity,” she muttered while clicking her strap in. “Twilight is the smartest mare you know. She’ll get us down fine and dandy...”

“Feeling nervous, Rares?” Rainbow asked from her spot in the co-pilot’s seat, turning around and giving Rarity a smirk.

Rarity huffed, but soon found herself looking downcast while biting her lip.

Rainbow harked out a laugh. “We’ve got the eggiest egghead at the controls of this hunk of flying metal, and you’re nervous we won’t land safely?" Another laugh. “Seriously, Rares?”

Rarity let out a shaky laugh. “Yes, I suppose you’re right, darling.” She took a deep, relaxing breath and settled into her seat. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Hey girls, check this out!” Pinkie said.

She reached over from her seat by a wall of instruments behind the co-pilot’s seat, brandishing the mobile device for Rarity and Rainbow to see. The screen showed a picture of Twilight with an insane-looking grin with a bunch of lovestruck-looking ponies, the three of them included, staring at her from the background.

Before her friends could object, Pinkie hit the Play button, letting the video play out in its entirety. By the time it ended, what little semblance of calm Rarity had gained dissipated, letting her previous paranoia take root once again, a fact made clear by her shaking hooves and sweat pouring from her brow.

Rainbow noticed this, and gently pushed the mobile device away. “That’s enough, Pinkie. Let’s not scare the crap outta her, okay?”

“Okie-Dokie-Lokie!” Pinkie chirped. Her prehensile mane snatched up the mobile device and stored it within its hairy confines. She turned to look out the side window, and smiled. “Hey, it looks like we’re about to land!”

Only a few moments later, the plane touched down and began speeding down the runway. Ahead was a cluster of flashing lights from various rescue vehicles, just a little down the runway off to the side. Twilight set the autobrake to the instructed setting and began pressing down on the brake pedals. The plane began to slow down, gradually decreasing in speed until eventually coming to a stop just shy of the closest taxiway.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to each of her friends. “Are you girls okay?” she asked, levitating the headset off again.

“Totally,” Rainbow answered with a nod.

“Super-dee-duper okay!” Pinkie chirped.

“I’ve been better,” Rarity groaned. “Might we get out of here now, Twilight dear?”

Twilight giggled. “Just gimme a second. Gotta go over some stuff with ATC.” She turned back to the controls and levitated the headset back over her head.

“Man, that was intense!” Rainbow said as she flew up in an excited burst. “I never would’ve guessed flying without wings could be just as exciting as flying with them.”

“Because you never tried out my gyrocopter, silly!” Pinkie said.

“Would you two please keep it down?” Rarity moaned. She clutched her head and slumped in her seat. “The last thing I need right now is noise.”

“What’s the matter, Rares?” Rainbow asked as she swooped down to her friend, giving her a mocking grin. “Flying too much for you?”

“Well that’s strange,” Pinkie cut in, “because I’m pretty sure it was Rarity that got those ginormous butterfly wings and almost showed you up at the Best Young Flier’s compet–”

Rainbow’s hoof silenced Pinkie, and she furrowed her gaze at the pink mare while a blush formed in her cheeks. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Oh, she’s quite right, Rainbow darling,” Rarity said with a smirk. “But no, it’s not the flying in particular that has me overwhelmed. This entire adventure has been quite exhausting, and now I’m feeling the brunt of it.” She sighed, and straightened up in her seat. “At least it’s almost over and we can leave this silly comic world like last time.”

Rainbow removed her hoof from Pinkie and crossed her arms, looking downcast. “Yeah, sure…”

“Okay girls,” Twilight spoke up, then turned to them with her horn lit. “Let’s get outta here!”

And in a flash of white light, they were all gone.

Author's Note:

Sorry for making you wait so long between updates. I should be able to devote more time to writing for this story now that my workload has shrunk considerably since last year.

I also apologize to any pilots who may be reading this, for all the inaccuracies I'm sure this chapter boasts.

Comments

[Inkspot]

It's k man, writting shouln't be forced, as long as you're enjoying yourself everything's fine! Spend your time how ya like, this chapter was really good btw, Looking forward for more.

[GMZ_Casper]

On the HUMAN’S side, the girls finally got through their midair crisis, and onward to their next destination. On the Equestia’s side, it seems they are not the only one who is on their next destination as Fluttershy and associates has finally arrived in Canterlot. Things are going to get very interesting when they reached where they are going...

C&Cs will be PM.