Date: 02/06/2406 16:47
Our arrival at the base of the mountain revealed to us that Celestia had done as asked and gotten everything into a full swing of motion. Just about the entire town was working now and carts upon carts of ore was being brought out and deposited into the refinery for processing. A handful of black ships, changeling ships, had set down just outside of town and with the help from the Scarlet Hive changelings was being loaded up with materials.
Rising back up to aim for Ponyville, similarly large black ships were set up outside the town though nothing was currently going on with them. A look below showed that a large crowd had amassed at the entrance to the launch pads with changelings on one side and ponies on the other with a single purple pony in the middle, facing a small group of three or four ponies facing off against Twilight.
“This looks like a problem…” Luna sighed over the radio and I agreed. If nothing was moving, then no progress was being made. Seemed like Luna and I should go down there and investigate. Bringing the ship around behind the group and landing off out of the way, Luna, Vinyl and I disembarked once the ship had been powered down.
Approaching the group gave way to sounds of yelling and protests, with most ponies facing off against the changelings up at arms with signs and what not. I couldn’t make out most of it, but it seemed that the changeling arrival had been met with hostilities.
“Silence!” Luna declared, her voice projected out over the crowd with the incredible volume. The entire assembly drew silent all at once and split down the middle to allow for the three of us strangers to arrive and introduce ourselves. With all the ponies bowing to Luna, I lead the three of us towards Twilight who looked relieved to see us.
“What’s going on down here?” I demanded in irritation, looking over everypony and the line of changelings silently waiting to be of use.
“Oh, finally!” Twilight wailed and nearly threw herself at our feet to welcome us. “The changelings arrived and started making demands to get everyone loaded onto their ships to be taken away for safety! I’ve been trying to get the town to cooperate but they’re all too afraid of the Changelings and are trying to drive them away.” Twilight explained once she gathered herself and composed. I turned to the changelings and gave them thanks for their assistance and peaceful natures despite everything before turning back to the gathered townsponies.
“Ladies and Gentlestallions!” I began, my voice amplified by the speakers of my suit. “The Scarlet Hive is here under my request! They have come to begin wide scale evacuations to a base on the moon where you’ll all be placed into cryo-stasis until we arrive on the new planet! Your cooperation here is greatly appreciated!”
“You don’t know what the changelings have done to us! How can you so blatantly rely on them if you’ve never suffered at their hooves?” A female demanded from the back, drawing exclamations from the other protestors.
“As I understand it, you suffered at the hooves of the Emerald Hive, not the Scarlet Hive.” I reminded of everypony, quieting some though the rest remained shouting protests. “At this point, it’s not a choice about who we work with, it’s about how we get off this planet and right now, the Scarlet Hive is the only one who have interstellar capable ships.”
“How do we know that they aren’t just going to put us all away and feed from us? Or how do we know that we’ll even be put on the ships in the first place?” the same protesting female demanded, exclamations of encouragement coming from the background.
“If it helps…” One of the leading changelings behind us stepped forward calmly but stayed back far enough to not be perceived as a threat. “Our hive has evolved beyond the petty need of love like the Emerald Hive. We have found other ways to survive, ways that nourish us significantly better than feeding off the love of ponies.”
“And how can we trust you?”
“They have been living in space away from all pony contact for the last two months. How else would they have survived?” I offered with a helpful shrug, the changeling giving me an appreciative nod to the back of my head. “Besides, I’m the only one who knows where we’d be going.”
“Your point being?” Luna turned to me in confusion.
“My point being that not even the Changelings are going anywhere without me. And I’m not going anywhere without the Equestrians.” I announced, earning confirming nods from the black and red creatures behind me. All forms of protest seemed to have calmed down as they processed this information. “You ponies are supposed to be all about love and tolerance, that’s the vibe I’ve gotten from you all over my stay here. So tell me, where is the love and tolerance for the Hive trying to save your lives?”
“Okay fine, but they didn’t even tell us what we’re supposed to be doing in the first place by getting on their ship.” the leader gave a moderate sigh and sat down, leading the rest around and behind her to do the same. “What I’m gathering is that we’re supposed to just uproot ourselves and all of a sudden leave the planet? We have lives down here! Family who’ll be staying behind to continue the work!”
“Let me tell you all something that only the government and myself knows about. I’m trusting you all not to panic about this, but here goes…” I announced, with Luna staring at me with worry. I placed a hand on her back reassuringly and continued. “This planet only has a couple more months before it dies. I don’t know the exact details of how it will die, but all I know is that in less that two months, everyone here on this planet will be dead.” Increasingly worrying mutterings began to list through the assembled. “Before meeting with the Scarlet Hive on the moon, I was convinced that I could only save at most fourteen hundred bodies. That includes seventy two different races. There would have only been at most fifty ponies on the ship out of here.
“By meeting with the Scarlet hive, I have since had my logic corrected and we aim to save over twenty-four thousand of each race. Your questioning the Hive’s resolve to actually save you, here it is: they’re making room in their moon base to store tens of thousands of every species on this planet while the rest of us build more and larger ships. They won’t even be on the same ship as all of you when all's said and done, every species will have their own colony ship.”
A hush fell over the crowd as ponies shared in a town-wide telepathic conversation that left me out before a collective sigh was breathed through the lips of everypony here.
“So, what do we have to do?” The leader requested, standing with the ponies behind her in resignation of their fates.
“Load up on the ships. I’m heading back up to the Moon in order to get the cryo-stasis technology going so that when you all arrive, you’ll all be placed immediately into cryo-stasis where you will stay until we reach the new planet. Once you get on these ships,” I turned a shoulder to thumb backwards to the massive crafts behind me. “You will never see this planet again, so I suggest you make your peace and start packing things you want to take with you to the new world.” I announced and began to turn back to the craft that Luna and I had shown up in. Luna and Vinyl both followed after me and boarded with my assistance before I crawled up to the cockpit.
Turning back with a second thought, “Oh! And don’t bother packing your wealth! You won’t need it for quite some time after landing!” And with that, I flipped into the seat and got things fired up.
“Why did you tell them not to bring their wealth? I hope you’re not planning on continuing this socialist/communistic society after we’ve established our colony.” Luna demanded through the intercom sounding quite put off from the announcement.
“Luna, you have to understand that for quite a few generations after touchdown, the colonies are not going to have the luxury of commerce. It’s going to be a lot more of trading resources for resources, there won’t be need for money until everyone is established and a surplus has developed. I’m also very hesitant of bringing along nobility lines, I don’t like the concept of nobility in the slightest.” I explained and aimed the nose of the ship towards Ponyville to drop off Vinyl. “I’m so used to living in a democratic government that even this diarchy that you equestrians have irks me a little.”
“I hope you’re not planning on abolishing the rule of my sister and I?” Luna sounded and looked to be growing a bit irritated with my declarations.
“Not at all. It’s your planet, it’s your government and your species. I’m not at liberty to suddenly change everything that you’ve had established for thousands of years.” Shaking my head lightly, I set us down in front of Twilight’s castle just long enough for Vinyl to disembark and for Luna to shift up to her navigator’s seat.
Taking off again, I let the craft tear through the skies at a leisurely pace in order to allow for more time spent with my girlfriend. “So I’m probably going to be spending a good couple days on the moon, building those cryo-stasis units with the Scarlet Hive. I’ll have to come back down in a couple days for personal resources and to see you again.” I announced as Canterlot Mountain came into view and Canterlot City rotated in as we drew near from the backside.
“Plenty of time for me to plan our first night together, then. I already miss you.” Luna smirked through the camera, staring at the camera thereby staring at me.
“I haven’t even landed yet, let alone said my good-bye.” I retorted lightheartedly. “Don’t worry, I’m not letting you go without a hug.”
“I would prefer a kiss…” Luna sighed and glanced away from the camera and to the instrument panel. “But I suppose since you can’t take your helmet off, a firm hug will have to suffice.”
“I really would prefer a kiss as well, perhaps next time we’re in a safe environment, okay?” I offered in return and earned an appreciative smile from the woman behind me. Taking the chance to set us down in the courtyard, I powered the ship down to idling in order to haul myself out of the craft and land on the ground long enough to pull Luna into a heartfelt embrace around the neck.
“I shall dream of you often while you’re gone.” Luna told me in a low whisper, placing her forehead against my helmet with her horn resting just against the top of the glass. “I know you’ll dream of me, I’ll make sure of it.”
Smiling, “I don’t think I’ll need the help, but I appreciate the reinforcement.” I pulled away reluctantly and began the climb back up onto the ship before turning to give Luna one last wave before my departure.
Hovering high above the courtyard below, I fired up the hydrogen thrusters and twisted the ship to aim for the moon. Checking all the hydrogen tank levels and finding them full, figuring they had been loaded up before Luna and I had even gotten back planetside, I pushed full throttle into the atmo thrusters and fired off like a bullet.
With the G-forces keeping me pressed into the cockpit seat, I watched the airspeed counter before rotating upwards and fired the largest of the hydrogen thrusters. The sudden burst nearly forced me unconscious yet I held on and kept the ship aimed almost straight upwards, the altimeter rising excessively quickly. Soon I broke the atmosphere and shut off the jet engines to switch out for ion.
***
“It’s remarkable how that small ship is capable of reaching orbit, isn’t it?” Celestia sighed and in doing so, announced her presence to her sister. Both alicorns stared up at the massive exhaust trail the craft had left behind, showing off it’s path of travel for all to see. “It takes us magic to reach space, yet he’s managed to accomplish it with technology.”
“It makes one wonder how our world would have fared if we hadn’t had the luxury of magic.” Luna agreed with a nod before returning to ground to address her sister. “How goes the fight?”
“It goes on…” Celestia groaned and turned with her sister to aim back for the cooler castle interior. “With Equestria’s history with changelings, no pony wants to rely on the Scarlet Hive to get us off planet. I’ve been in numerous meetings with delegations who all want the Changelings to surrender their ships to our control.”
“You’ve reminded them that other than our Pilot, the Changelings are the only ones who’ve successfully achieved space travel, let alone knows how to pilot those craft, yes?” Luna inquired in attempts to be helpful.
“Repeatedly, yet they swear that our engineers are more than capable of deciphering out how to fly them and with the Wonderbolts being trained to fly the New Moon by the Pilot, they’re more confident than ever that we wouldn’t have a problem if the Scarlet Hive just… disappeared with the rest of the Changelings.” Celestia grumbled back, her mane flowing ahead and beginning to irritate her as it began to drift into her face. Blowing it out of the way again, Celestia hung her head low in irritation.
“Ponies will be getting more and more anxious as Armageddon draws ever nearer.” Luna added to the irritated mood in the air, looking back on the events around the Smoky Mountain town. “The Pilot and I had happened across such troublemakers back at the mining town. He had quite a few words to say regarding the matter, only some of which I actually remember.”
“I am sure that whatever he’d said was beautiful and poetic in the translation.” Celestia smirked and gave her sister a light shoulder nudge. “Come on, I’ve got Court to get back to and you’ve got to start convincing ponies to accept the Scarlet Hive.”
“Very well… I was going to go prepare for my boyfriend’s return, but I suppose I’ll have to actually do princessy things…” Luna groaned in jest but gave a quick smirk when the elder alicorn raised an eyebrow. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”