Reposter's Note: Being a member of the Canadian Forces Reserves, and an aspiring pilot, I have to say my pet peeve about this chapter. AN Airman First Class would NEVER fly an A-10, only officers are pilots. However, I believe the author wanted to keep Moore in charge, which is why the pilot was demoted. Also, a Sergeant is never saluted. Of course, as a reposter, not in my place to change the story...
Moore observed the wreckage. Behind him, Barns and Hans had their weapons trained on the plane. No reason not to be too careful. Moore carefully moved forward, gun forward. The glass of the cockpit was cracked, with several holes where the glass should have been. He crouched down and, and put his gun to his side, placing his hands on the cockpit. He feels it a bit, and tries to find the weakest spot. When he finds it, he brings back his fist and gives it a solid punch. The glass shatters, and a gun is put to his face. The barrel smacks into his face, causing a quick shock of pain. He freezes, trying to remain calm. The barrel of the gun is small, a handgun for certain.
"Star..." He hears a weak voice say. It's feminine, so Moore knows that it's a woman piloting the plane. Carefully, he pushes the gun away, giving his countersign. He motions to Adams to help him lift the cockpit. The Specialist rushes over as the ponies watch in confusion. Moore brings his hands underneath the front of the cockpit and looks over to Adams. His arms are similarly underneath the right side of the cockpit. He nods. Moore grits his teeth and begins to lift with all his might, as does Adams. The cockpit moves up a few inches, but doesn't give way. He stops and takes a quick breath, then motions to continue. Despite their effort they are unable to lift the cockpit alone. Rainbow Dash and her squad fly towards the cockpit and begin to assist, as do three other Task Force squads.
"Ok, everyone! Together!' Moore shouts as he lifts once more. The troops comply and try to open it. Finally, it gives way. Inside, lays a pilot, breathing heavily with blood coming from her lower stomach and head. Moore leans in close and checks her pulse.
"No need for that... I'm still alive..." Moore took his finger away, and observed the pilot. She had on an oxygen mask, as was expected of a pilot. She probably wouldn't need it down on the ground. Slowly, he removes the mask and observes the insignia on her shoulder. It was two stripes moving towards a circle, which contained a single star. Moore was unfamiliar with this rank, he had never seen it in the army. Then again, this trooper was probably from the air force.
"What is that?" He hears Rainbow ask. He turns to her.
"Another human. Difference is this one's female." He says in response. Turning back to the pilot, he see her squinting at Rainbow.
"What... What is... that..." She asks, her breath is heavy, and uneven. She's in no condition to just stay here, so Moore orders Barns and Hans to come get her. Barns lifts her out of the cockpit while Hans makes sure she can balance herself between the two. Moore looks back to the jet, the front is completely destroyed, and part of the wing is on fire. From the looks of it, gasoline is leaking out of it, indicating damage to the gas tank, possibly even the engine. It would take a miracle to get it into the air again. Several of the ponies check it out, trying to see what it does, but Moore tells them to help with the pilot.
"Let's get her some medical treatment ASAP." Moore says.
...
3 Hours Later...
Moore speaks to the nurse for a while before the doctor comes to tell him she's woken up. Moore nods and thanks the nurse, as well as the doctor. He motions over to Twilight, who had recently been told about what had happened. Since she was the brains of the group, as well as being less intimidating as the Princess while still knowing almost everything about this place, Moore figured she'd be the best to help explain everything to pilot. The unicorn nods and gets up, walking with Moore through the hallways. When they reach her room, they find her doing pushups. She had blonde hair that came down to her shoulders, which rose and fell in sync with her movements. Moore chuckled.
"Getting back into gear already?" He asks as he folds his arms. The pilot glares at him with green eyes for a moment before she squints. She walks closer to him, observing his face, causing Moore to back away uneasily. Stepping back, she kneels down and grabs Twilight's horn, pulling her towards her. Twilight gives a quick shout of pain, which makes the pilot jump. Moore smiles.
"I know. Freaked me out when I heard them talk too." He said. The pilot stares wide eyed at Twilight, who rubs her horn to try to get the pain out of her head. The pilot eventually snaps out of her trance, and seems to recognize Moore.
"Staff Sergeant John Moore right? From the Rangers?" She asks. Moore's eyes shoot open, and he looks to Twilight. She is amazed as well, and stares at him. Moore looks back to the pilot, who has her arms crossed, waiting for a response.
"Yes... Who would you be?" He asks. The pilot salutes.
"Jessica Newell, Airman First Class of the US Air Force." Moore raises his hand and motions it in a "at ease" motion. Newell relaxes and places her arm to her side. He has a few questions, but they have to wait.
"Let's start with the basics, you're in Equestria now." Newell squints and pushes her ear forward, trying to make sure she heard him right. Moore nods and explains how the world is shared amongst many, and there is no single dominant species. Newell nods and looks over to Twilight.
"Unicorn right?" She asks. Twilight nods and closes her eyes, smiling.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, star pupil of Princess Celestia." Twilight says.
"Who?" Newell asks.
"Princess Celestia. She's the ruler of Equestria. She rules with kindness, care, and love. Princess Luna, her sister, rules along side her. Princess Celestia controls the day, while Princess Luna controls the night." Twilight explains. Newell nods and rubs her chin, trying to take this all in. Over the next couple of hours, Moore and Twilight answer questions that Jessica has about the world. And she had plenty. When she had finished, Moore felt the need to ask her his questions.
"Newell, before we go, I have to ask you a few things. First, how did you know who I was?"
"Easy. Ever since you disappeared your story's been spreading like wildfire." She said as she looked around for her gear. Moore sat and nodded.
"How did you get here? Were you blasted by aliens?"
"In a way. We eliminated the enemy anti-air systems a few days ago, so they've been using their transporter as a substitute. When we learned about that, we installed EMP emitters in case we got hit. We still didn't know where they got sent, but we figured it was better to subjecting them to the alien's torture."
"So we're wining?"
"More like a stalemate at this point. We recovered Moscow, and the Russians joined the fight, but the aliens have China under siege." She said as she found her combat gloves. Just then, the door busted open and Spike burst in. He was panting heavily, and sweat was pouring from his brow. Newell stared at the dragon with confusion.
"Dragon. Young one. He's basically Twilight's little brother." Moore explained. Spike gave a loud exhale and raised his hand.
"Twilight... I... have..." A green flame erupted from his mouth, forming a letter. He dropped to the ground from exhaustion as Twilight took the letter and opened it. She inspected it and read as Moore kneeled down to see what it said.
Dear Twilight Sparkle, My most Faithful Student,
I have noticed another flash near Mareami. A report from the front lines has stated that another human has been brought to Equestria. I would much like to meet this soldier, and ask them of serving along side our human defenders. Take your time, I want the soldier to be okay, if not, make sure they get treated.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia.
Moore stood and turned to Newell, who stood with her arms crossed and eyebrow raised. He looked to Twilight, who nodded. Moore turned back to her and stared at her.
"Looks like you just got an invitation to meet the Princess Airman."