"There are few other options." The ground beneath Luna was trembling. "It is time to go." She turned in place. "Get on."
It was not every day he was bade to hop up onto royalty. Magic royalty. Magic alien royalty. Such was the life he had. He athletically sprang up onto her. "What are the odds the demon will be anywhere we can find her after this is done?"
"Somewhere between none and a hundred percent, depending on if she thinks it's advantageous to her to be found by you." Her magic kept the cardinal held securely as she stepped to the edge and beyond, falling only a moment before her wings caught the wind and she began to soar away from the broken ship.
On the other ship, Rainbow had been staring at the other ship. She saw Luna take off, Laud on her back. "That's it!" She took off, accelerating faster and faster, the air pushing back at her as she forced more of it out of the way. "C'mon!"
Rainbow hues filled the sky before Celestia's bleary eyes. She was shaking on her hooves, fatigued to exhaustion. She did what she could, which was to just... let go. She collapsed to the ground in an ungainly pile, lathered with sweat as she heaved for breath.
Her servants were on her in an instant, collecting her onto a large pillow, asking too many questions, and working to gently cool her down to a more normal temperature, instead of being a little sun herself, her body radiating heat in all directions. She didn't answer them, she couldn't. She wanted to pass out, but the pounding of her blood in her ears prevented it, and she just watched the world through squinted eyes.
She could see the ship, the not-sun, fall from the sky, slowly at first, but faster and faster by the instant, falling apart as it went, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces as wind buffeted into it, ripping it apart from the inside and out. She couldn't remember exactly where that strange alien thing had been over, but they would be pelted by pieces. Her stopping it had reduced how much of it would burn up coming in, saving the inhabitants, and dooming whatever was under it.
It was over un-claimed land... she hoped. She tried to remember, but everything felt so distant right at that moment. She was just tired. Sleep, that would have been lovely.
Bon Bon followed the falling ship, tracing it with a hoof to the telescope, helping it move along with its speed. She forced her side up, which pushed the other end down. "Where are you...?"
There, a sparse place, littered with trees. A railway line curled through it gently. She clenched her teeth. "Uh--" It impacted, a bright light as it tore itself up on impact, new fires igniting, but hard to see behind all the smoke and debris. It was entirely silent, her telescope not giving sound, just sight. She kept focused on the spot, waiting for the smoke to clear. "C'mon, please?"
The universe did not obey the soft wishes of the mother to be. The smoke changed in character, becoming rising blackness instead of a great cloud of dust. She could see enough. The rail line was demolished, the entire area peppered in pits and burning metal. "Those trains are off schedule," she sighed, but she saw no actual trains. No creature had been hurt. Rails could be fixed...
It could have been so much worse, in the end. "Now where is she?" She pulled herself upright and sank to her haunches, one hoof over her occupied belly, and none of her spouses in sight. "You saved the world." Heroics were done, hugs were in order, and maybe a warm bath with a nice scented shampoo... That sounded lovely right about then. "Well, when you can't trust others, do it yourself." She rose to all fours and began trotting off, feeling certain that things were as handled as they could be for the moment.
She was going to take the most sinful bath she could.
"Nnmm?"
Lyra rubbed the waking cheek of Starlight. "We're right here."
"How are you feeling?" asked Twilight, though she wasn't watching, her eyes locked on where the other ship had come down, smoke rising over the horizon.
"No." It took a moment for Starlight to realize that was not a proper answer. "I feel horrible." She sat up slowly with Lyra's help, reaching up a hoof to rub next to her throbbing horn. "Remind me not to try that again."
"It flew!" Lyra was bouncing in place, excitement taking the place of worry almost instantly. "Your thing, our thing. It flew, right up!" She pointed up into the sky, beyond it. "We did it!"
Twilight glanced over at that, a faint smile on her face. "A pity it didn't land."
Starlight's mostly-closed eyes snapped wide open. "Are they alright? Who was flying it? Where's Laud?!"
Lyra suddenly grabbed Starlight, hugging her tight. "I dunno! There was a big bam, rainbows! Pretty sure the Wonderbolts were up there." She pointed up. "The humans went up too, in the other ship."
That was when Starlight realized they were not next to a ship as they had been when she went down. "Oh... So... everycreature's alright?"
With a low roar that grew louder, a human ship came in for a landing. Flying the colors of the church, Gregor's vessel touched down relatively smoothly, smoke wafting out as it settled. A ramp extended out and down and the doors opened promptly.
Pegasi exploded out of the open, Wonderbolts in every direction. Rainbow Dash landed in front of Twilight. "Hey! I get to add 'human rescuer' to my long list of accomplishments." She chuckled with pride, buffing her chest. "Yeah, we flew some tight circles to get them all out of there."
"Where is Laud?" asked Twilight in an even tone, her eyes on the exit of the ship. Humans were coming out, but no Laud was in sight.
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Rainbow pointed up into the sky. "He was getting a ride from Luna. I offered him a ride, but he was too busy being a hero."
Twilight sagged, breath escaping her. "Thank Celestia."
"Luna."
Twilight gave Rainbow a withering look. "Thank Luna... I trust they should both be back soon?"
"They didn't tell me." Rainbow shrugged softly. "Anyway, emergency in the bag! Gonna debrief with the Wonderbolts." And off she streaked back towards the other pegasi.
Twilight huffed softly at the lack of information. "Starlight, let's get you home. I don't think ... there's not much more we can do here. I should write a letter..." She closed in, Lyra taking the other side. They nestled in close before they all vanished, carried off in Twilight's magic back to the safety of her castle.
Luna descended in slow circles. "We should go to the hospital," she advised as they went. "The sooner he is in their trained hooves, the better."
A human doctor would be even better, but Laud failed to think of where to find one of those nearby, so... "Yes." He pointed at least. Even in the air, he could see the cross and hearts that made up the sugary sweet pony symbol of healing. "There." He glanced aside to the floating form of the cardinal, still very unconscious, still, dead? He hoped not... "You're not wrong. The sooner we act, the better his odds."
"Verily." Luna accelerated her descent, but only slightly. "I do not wish to disturb him. Even teleporting feels unwise."
'Even' teleporting. Laud had to smile a little at that. Was it truly such a tiny thing to ponies? Would he ever get entirely used to that way of thinking, of magic being a tiny nothing, like a lighter perhaps? They were coming in fast, soaring in at Ponyville's hospital.
"Assistance is required," boomed out Luna's voice. Her horn hadn't glowed any differently. It was not magic, or just an innate thing? Regardless, ponies began to emerge, at first nurses, their little caps easily enough spotted. Doctors filtered out afterwards, gawking at Luna and Laud coming for a landing with their floating patient.
Doctor Horse closed in first. "Your Highness. How can I help you today?"
Luna tossed her head at the floating and still form. "This human requires immediate emergency care. He may have suffered severe internal injuries the likes of which I cannot enumerate. Treat him with the utmost care, as if he were mine sister."
Laud was caught in a funny place. Ponies used magic, a lot. Did they have healing magic? Would they use it on the holy man? Should he ask? If they did, what then? Would it be right to tell them to go ahead, or to not do so... In no direction did he turn and find an easy answer. Let him live, he decided sullenly. The cardinal could castigate him after the fact, if he still drew breath to do so. It was his job to make a safe delivery, and getting in the way would hardly serve that.
The cardinal was already being carried away on a gurney, a swarm of medical professionals going with. Luna's words had apparently gotten them into high gear, and they were taking him away out of sight. Luna was looking back at him. "I see your mind is heavy with thought, as is mine. I hope they are successful... Despite our differences, I did not wish death on him."
Laud felt a smile creeping on. "Were you not ready to smite them as an angry pagan god, to wipe them clear from your sky, for the safety of your people?"
"I was," she admitted quickly, though a faint blush revealed her admission of mistake. "But I did not... We clashed, violently, and long." She inclined her head. "But sometimes, that is just what is needed to see the true nature of who you are at odds with. I do not agree with that human... but he does not deserve death." She turned away from the hospital, entire body swiveling to face Twilight's castle instead. "We can do no further." A thought struck her. "Ah, I stand corrected. The others, they would want to know what we have done."
"Yes." He was already looking towards the landing pad, a ship having clearly recently landed on it. "Let's tell them their leader is in good care."
"Let's." And she took off, bearing the human into the sky. "I admit, I expected more uncertainty in soaring in the air." She swiveled an ear back at him. "You don't accept basic magic, but flying you're alright with?"
"I was a pilot by profession," he reminded. "Until I ended up here. You are, at worst, an especially smooth-riding small ship."
She laughed at that, a musical sound, devoid of the tension of the day. "I am uncertain if I am to take that as a compliment or insult. If you find this pleasing, you should ask your wife to partake of your desires. She is capable of flight, you realize."
"I am aware." He was not blind to the fact that Twilight had wings, but... "Asking a royal to carry you around is a bit uncouth, even if they are a spouse."
"And yet, you ride me." She gave an equine snort. "I see how little you value my propriety."
"It was an emergency," he huffed, looking a bit sheepish at the accusation. "You can set me down if you like. My legs can suffice now that we aren't on a ship about to slam into the ground."
"A better time for a walk, to be certain." But she did not land to let him off. She instead finished the flight to the church ship, landing right on its deck among its crew. "We are back." Her collar faithfully repeated it in English.
Laud would be the one explaining what exactly happened to their cardinal. But the battle was over, and all that could be brought safely to the ground had been.
It could have gone far worse.