//------------------------------// // Chapter 31 // Story: Friendship Abroad // by Starscribe //------------------------------// The human airship had been impressive in its own way, even if it became incredibly frustrating as soon as the engines actually turned on. But Ocellus kept her mouth closed and didn’t complain during the flight. Compared to her friends, she was fantastically lucky. At least she didn’t have to spend the entire trip strapped into one place for fear that walking around would unbalance the whole thing. Equestria might not know how to make airships stay as warm inside, they might not know how to make them out of metal, or work without the huge balloons or lift stones. But even so, she’d take a Solar Navy ship over the constant roar of the rotors overhead any day. “If you look to your right, you’ll see the flotilla. We’re coming in for landing approach now, so this is the last chance you’ll get to see it from above.” That was the pilot, better at making conversation with his passengers than plenty of the human military people Ocellus had met in the last week. “That big one there is the HMS Queen Elizabeth, largest aircraft carrier ever built for the royal navy. Best pub on the water too, if you get a chance to visit.” “I think the Equestrians might be too young to drink,” said Miss Norington, the strange woman that had been sent to supervise the humans. Ocellus didn’t really like her—everything she said seemed calculated, like she was trying to change their thinking without their realizing. Even she had caught herself answering questions she never would’ve dreamed of answering to anyone else. Ocellus leaned forward just a little, so she could see out the window. Even from the air, the incredible scope of these human machines made her feel suddenly small. It looked like the humans had built a metal city in the sea, even bigger and mightier than anything the Storm King had kept in his fleet. Would’ve been good friends to have back then. He couldn’t have held half the world for ransom. Except that thought led to an obvious conclusion. What if they’re better liars about their intentions than we think? How is Equestria supposed to fight enemies like this? “I’m probably the oldest one on this airship,” Smolder said. Her headset fit the best of any of them, aside from Ocellus. Probably because the human one just had to move out of the way of her headfins and it could still work. “Dragons age slow. Like, unbearably slow when you’re growing up. But they all say you wish it had been slower once you get there.” “That part sounds familiar,” Agent Smith said. But Ocellus wasn’t listening anymore. She squeezed David’s hand a little tighter, watching as they closed in on the biggest ship of all. So large that a dozen Hippogriff Coursers could’ve lined up in front of it without even crossing half its length. “How do you get so much metal to float?” One of the reasons that she enjoyed David’s company so much—apart from how he felt about her, obviously—was his willingness to answer questions that would’ve annoyed all the other humans. He would sit for hours and explain things to her, even more than once. What was more, he enjoyed it too. He wasn’t humoring her, he wasn’t taking pity, or trying to get anything out of it. He just liked being with her. “Buoyancy,” he said. “I, uh… I don’t know a whole lot about the maths. I just know that if you push down more water than the weight of the ship, you float. Otherwise, you sink. A ship like this goes down really deep into the water. It’s called the… draft! That’s it. There’s almost as much you can’t see from above as the parts you can.” He squeezed her hand, then noticed Helen looking their way and abruptly let go. All his affection for her changed in an instant into fear for how she would respond, if only she knew. It’s okay. He isn’t embarrassed about me. He’s worried for his friend’s feelings. Ocellus still wasn’t sure exactly how it was that humans could read each other’s emotions. Sometimes the answer to that seemed to be poorly. There was a sudden jolt, and the roar of the engines overhead settled down. The huge metal things on the top of the helicopter (that David had told her about during the flight, of course) sounded like they were slowing to a stop. She watched her friends rise, removing their headsets. “I have, uh… one request,” Smith said. “For you, Miss Ocellus. If you wouldn’t mind appearing as your natural self for the cameras. There’s no reason to confuse them all with two of the same child. Her life is going to be complicated enough by this whole situation as it is. There isn’t a shred of doubt in my mind that everything happening today is being watched by every human on this planet. This is our generation’s moon landing. Smile for the history books, eh?” Ocellus rose from her seat, walking some distance away before she reluctantly gave up her human disguise. Each time she felt that wave of shock and fear from the humans—some of them, anyway. None of the children were afraid of her anymore, even Helen. “We don’t have to do anything, though, right?” Marie asked, adjusting her newly-recreated dress with one nervous hand. “The queen wrote the treaty, not us. We aren’t even here to sign anything.” “The queen didn’t write the treaty, dear,” Miss Norington said. Even the humans had removed their headsets now. “But her Majesty will be signing it, yes. While the three of you… the nine of you won’t be asked to perform any diplomatic tasks, there are reporters here from both sides of the border. I know some of them have requested an interview. You’ll be allowed to tell them anything you wish, except the, uh… details regarding you, Marie. Knowing there is a process that might be used to alter humans against their will would damage the goodwill between our nations.” “Before you ask,” Smith said matter-of-factly. “I have absolutely no idea how our counterparts with more legs do things, but everything on our side is being screened. Anything specific you say about Armitage or anything hinting about what happened to Miss Evans will be censored. Other than that…” He shrugged. “I won’t be coaching you. Certainly not instructing you to lie.” “Just by omission,” David muttered, sour darkness swirling in his mind. Impotent anger—though not very strong. Ocellus tasted his indecision gradually solidify into begrudging obedience. “Wouldn’t it be good to tell them that Ocellus saved her life?” “Maybe one day,” Miss Norington said. “I know it must be upsetting not to be able to tell your whole story. But this day is for lots of people, not just us. Not even just Britain. Smarter people than all of us get to make these decisions. I’m sure whichever of you writes a book first will get very rich.” Without warning, Helen and David both pointed at Marie. “She needs the money,” Helen said. “Hell, I’ll help. But she can print it. Then maybe you can spot me a cone every now and then, stead’a the other way around.” “Sure,” Marie muttered. “If there’s time. I… really want to go to Equestria after this. For the ‘cure.’ Or… whatever. Is that still happening?” “That isn’t for me to say,” Smith said again, unhelpfully. “But what I can tell you is what’s about to happen. There are about a hundred cameras outside that ramp. Everyone is getting in position. Exit in whatever order you want, then cross to your delegation. The signing ceremony happened a few minutes ago—one of the first items on that list was an official exchange of prisoners. You’ll remain with your delegation for a few hours… and whatever happens is way above my salary. But it’s been a pleasure getting to know you all.” He nodded politely to Ocellus, who happened to be the closest. “I doubt I’ll ever get involved in this mess again. I’m sorry things got tense during our first meeting. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad we could keep things civil. It would’ve been a right shame if our first contact with an alien species went bloody.” “Thanks,” Smolder said, answering before Ocellus could even open her mouth. “I guess you guys weren’t the worst in the world.” Then she spun, facing the children in their seats. “Don’t you guys even think about saying goodbye. We owe some hospitality on our side. Flying lessons for you, Marie. I’m sure you’ll be great on those wings.” Someone knocked on the side door, and a soldier in a fancy uniform stepped inside. “The press corps are ready,” he said, mostly to Agent Smith. Though he tried to keep his eyes front, Ocellus could feel his attention wandering back into the room. He was as curious as anyone outside about what was in here. “Alright.” Smith stepped forward, resting his hand on a large button on the wall. “I won’t be joining you all, so good luck. Remember, join your delegations. And do watch your step, if you’re unfamiliar with sea travel. I’m told the swells can be a bit unpleasant given the disruption to the local currents. He smacked the big red button, and the ramp went down. On an intellectual level, Ocellus had felt some idea of just how many minds were outside. She knew it was a big group, knew that there would be many eyes on them. But she hadn’t imagined anything like this. The deck of the Queen Elizabeth was even more massive as she stepped out onto it, near the back of her group. Thousands of creatures were gathered not far away, separated only by a little velvet divider. Lights began to flash in their direction, like the flashbulbs sometimes used in Equestria. Only instead of going off once and then smoking, these just kept flashing. Over and over, so that she had to look away from the incredible number of people. They were shouting questions, too. “How long have you been in the UK? Did you hurt anyone? Is it true that a child was injured? Were you invaders? Did you think you could stay hidden?” So many questions that they turned to white-noise in Ocellus’s mind. She focused her attention briefly, and with a small effort of will banished all of them. Poor Marie had no training in crowds, however. She looked like she was about to fall over, so overwhelmed with the number of people. “It’s okay, Marie. Take a deep breath. Ignore them. It’s okay.” “It doesn’t feel okay,” she replied, sounding sick. “I can’t even hear my own brain anymore.” “Hold onto your friends. Focus on them. That will help.” Ocellus would’ve given her a little of that help herself, but she wouldn’t be transforming in front of all these people. They’d been told to just walk to their sides. Now it was finally time to cooperate. On the other side of the boat were the familiar, Equestrian creatures. There was no physical line drawn, but she could make out the point quite clearly where humans ended and ponies began. Even though they were far less numerous, their side still seemed more packed. Space that provided standing room for many humans forced ponies to stand close together. Many of them were Royal Guard, though there were some reporters near the front. Their own flashbulbs were so weak by comparison that she hadn’t even noticed them going off. Both sides are crowded so close they almost make it to the edge. I hope nobody falls off into the ocean. While the human ships were mostly seagoing, all the Equestrian ships Ocellus could see hovered overhead. Equestria had sent its biggest zeppelins, including the Solaris, its gold-plated metallic struts glittering in the sunlight. They didn’t have far to go. They walked a hundred feet or so, to where two groups stood separated from the reporters by more velvet dividers. Princess Celestia and Twilight were there, along with Starlight Glimmer of all ponies. And on the other—she had no idea who the humans were. An incredibly old woman, looking remarkably spry for her years, a handful of others who weren’t so nice-looking. Both sides had a few soldiers, though they were the ceremonial kind. The human weapons were all white, and didn’t look like they could be used. The Royal Guard carried their solid gold spears, without any practical application whatsoever. “We’ll talk soon,” she whispered to David, before separating with the others to their side. Silence gradually descended on the gathering, broken only by the occasional crashing of waves against the huge ship, and the wind whistling through the metal building beside them. Despite the warning, Ocellus barely noticed the ship’s rocking. If it was doing that, she couldn’t tell. The human spoke first. She had the assistance of a strong-looking man as she stepped up to a wooden podium, holding her stable the whole time. As she watched, Ocellus realized the incredible force of attention on this woman. It’s like Celestia. Maybe she’s the one who moves the sun in this world. “People of the United Kingdom. Friends the world over, welcome. We are here today to commemorate…”