//------------------------------// // X - Conflict of Interest // Story: Wanderlost // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// One of the sleek black helicopters began to descend. Twilight observed closely as the vehicle approached touchdown. Unlike the helicopters back home, this one was larger and completely sealed with no way to see who was inside, though Twilight could easily imagine a dozen ponies fitting inside the sealed area. While most of the Equi had backed away as it descended, a certain pegasus did quite the opposite. “Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow Dash yelled, charging the helicopter with intent to smash. “Rainbow!” Twilight yelled, tugging at her friend with her telekinesis. Rainbow’s charge quickly became a nose dive, the pegasus crashing into the crystal ground with an impressive force. “Ow,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “We can’t just charge into things without information,” Twilight chided. “Please, let’s see what they want before we retaliate.” “But they tried to kill us! They shot us down!” “That remains to be seen,” Celestia said, her frown deepening. The Equi stared transfixed as the helicopter achieved touchdown. The left side of the craft hissed open, the sound barely audible over the roar of the craft’s dying engine. Two individuals stepped out, both female. One was tall, black, and wearing a very official looking black dress with numerous symbols. The other was teal, short, and adorned with a simple shirt and big glasses. The black one walked forward with a confident expression, the other nervously following behind. Celestia stared straight at them, taking a step forward to make it obvious she was the one they were supposed to talk to. “Celestia,” She said, pointing to herself. The teal one gulped, muttering something to the black one, who nodded slowly. “Waise,” She said, pointing at herself. She then introduced her companion as “Arlowe.” Celestia bowed. “Waise… Arlowe… Well met.” Waise responded with what Celestia presumed was a formality. “Why are you here?” Celestia queried, pointing at them and exaggerating her questioning expression. They only had body language to go off of right now, after all. Arlowe muttered something to Waise. Once again she nodded, looking Celestia straight in the eyes. Then she pointed at Lem. Lem realized he was being pointed at and let out a yelp of fear. He seemed terrified of Waise. He shook his head rapidly. Twilight frowned. “It doesn’t look like he wants to go with you.” Waise didn’t falter, saying something directly to Lem. Lem didn’t say anything back, only shaking his head. Waise pressed the issue only to cause Lem to yell something back at her. Waise’s left eye twitched, and she turned to Celestia. She forcefully pointed her black finger at Lem, and then back at herself. “She certainly wants him to go with her…” Luna observed. “We take no sides,” Celestia announced. “We will neither return him or protect him.” Celestia stepped back, waiting to see what the alien beings would do. Waise turned to Arlowe, who shrugged and muttered a few more things. Waise nodded and took a step towards Lem. Lem bolted away, running into the wide-open doorway of the Ark. Waise let out a harsh breath before turning a full 180° and marching back into the helicopter. Arlowe scurried after her like a scared dog to its master. The blades begun to spin rapidly once again and the helicopter took off into the sky once more. Twilight turned to Celestia, unsure. Celestia sighed. “No Twilight, I do not know what is coming. Your guess is as good as mine.” “I’ll go watch Lem,” Starlight offered. “Make sure he doesn’t mess with anything.” Celestia nodded in confirmation, and Starlight instantly teleported into the Ark. She saw Lem walking the halls, looking at the technology around him in awe. The few ponies inside the Ark looked at him warily. “Don’t worry,” Starlight called. “I’m watching him.” At this the others stopped acting nervous about Lem and instead looked on with a cautious curiosity. Lem glanced behind himself and saw Starlight, seemingly unsurprised by her presence. He seemed much more interested in the ship itself than the inhabitants. He ran his plastic-like fingers along the walls, looking closely at the screens, and walking with an ever-growing smirk on his face. Starlight followed him around until he walked up to a control console. He reached out a finger to touch it - Starlight quickly wrapped his arm in her telekinesis and gently held it back. She shook her head to inform him not to touch the console. He stared right at her for the first time, transfixed on her horn that had been glowing moments before. He began speaking rapidly in words she didn’t understand, though she sensed fear. As he spoke, she got a good look at the device on his forehead for the first time. It was a strange round piece of glass fitted to him with a headband. She ignored the device and focused again on his fear at her telekinesis. “Why does that scare you?” Since he obviously didn’t understand her she lit her horn and lifted a screwdriver from across the room to her. He jumped back in fear, only adding to her confusion. “Okay, I won’t use it…” She said, dropping the screwdriver and holding it in her front hoof instead. His fear vanished to be replaced with fascination. He slowly leaned in, looking at her hoof closely, opening and closing his hand off to the side. “Er… Hi,” Starlight said. She pointed the screwdriver at herself. “Starlight.” He wasn’t really listening. He raised a finger and poked her outstretched hoof. “O...kay?” She said. He stood up, shrugged, said a few unintelligible things, and walked through a large set of doors. The sight of the stasis bay made him stop in his tracks. The thousands upon thousands of frozen Equi - or, to him, aliens of all shapes and sizes - made his mind stop functioning for several moments. Starlight trotted up alongside him. “I know you can’t understand me, but… This is the entire reason we are… were out there. Looking for a new home. This was the first place we found that would work.” She looked at all the frozen Equi. “We released many to crew the Ark… But there are still many trapped.” She walked up to the closest pod. It was somepony she knew - a brown stallion with an hourglass for a cutie mark. “This was a friend of mine…” She said. “He was a genius. He helped build this Ark. We… We owe him and his family a home.” She looked down, a tear dropping to the ground. “Sorry.” Lem had a strange combination of emotions on his face - there was sadness, pity, fear, concern, and confusion. Starlight smiled at him. “I get that feeling Lem. Hey, want to know where I go to sort out confusion?” He shrugged and said something. She did catch ‘Starlight’ though. “Oh right. Just follow me.” She gestured with her hoof and led him to the Lobby. His jaw dropped upon seeing the Tree of Harmony. His mind couldn’t comprehend the majesty of the being before him. Starlight sensed a feeling of amusement fill the area, coupled with some relief. She smirked. “Tree of Harmony,” She pointed. “Say hello.” Lem nodded slowly. “Tree of Harmony.” He said. Starlight tore her gaze away from the Tree to examine the many screens displaying the various video feeds coming from the planet. Several dozen of them now showed images of the Tree of Harmony. “...What?” She asked aloud, turning to the pony in charge of the screens at the moment. Sunset twitched. “They’re spying on us somehow and I have no idea how.” A light bulb went off in Starlight’s head. She turned to Lem and pointed at his forehead. “...I think that device is a camera.” Before Sunset could respond they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Trixie in full wizard cloak. “CAMERA!?” She squee’d. “The Great and Powerful Trixie must perform!” “Trixie…” Starlight said, her friend not listening at all. “Hocus pocus, little fiddle…” She chanted, taking off her hat and reaching into it. “I present to you, a rabbit!” She pulled and out came… Her own tail. “What.” Trixie said, turning to look at her now tail-less rear. “Discord I swear if you-” Lem cut Trixie off by starting to giggle. Starlight and Sunset slowly began to join in as well. Trixie rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t that funny.” Starlight pointed a hoof at the screens. On many of them was now an image of Trixie looking back at her rear while holding her tail. The expression was priceless and many of the natives on the screens were very amused. “Oh,” Trixie said. She facehooved. “I’ve gone and made a fool of myself!” Starlight continued her giggling. “Well… This has just given me an idea,” She smirked. “We can ‘talk’ to all of them through this video feed coming from one of their own people.” “But… spy?” Sunset countered. “He’s not being very stealthy for a spy. And we don’t have anything to hide.” Well, not much. “Let him stay. Let’s see what this new world thinks of us.” ~~~ Waise rammed her fist into the desk. The aliens had discovered the camera and were using it. “Why did you have to make this needlessly complicated Lem? Why?” She threw her pen into a wall. “Argh! Now everyone’s getting everything! What kind of sorry excuse for security is this operation?” “He’s not part of our operation ma’am-” “Arlowe, I know that. Which is why this situation is such a pile of crap.” She gritted her teeth. “We need to control these Equi and that Celestia…”