//------------------------------// // I: Calm Seas Overhead // Story: Wonderbirds: Beneath the Abyss // by 8_Bit //------------------------------// "Uh... say that again, 'One?" "You heard me, 'Two, it's the Navy. The sun-spangled, rooting shooting Equestrian Navy. I'm circling them now, I can see an aircraft carrier and two destroyers." Applejack turned back in her seat to look to the bench behind her, where Fluttershy could only glance back with a raised eyebrow and shrug of her wings. "The distress call from Deepsea Echo only came through to Wonderbird Five about fifteen minutes ago," she mused. "Base from 'One, Base from 'One," Rainbow Dash's voice spoke in both of their earpieces. "This lab, they got military funding or something? Any reason there'd be a fleet of warships above it?" "Negative, 'One. And I can check with my naval sources, but I don't think there's any exercises planned in that area today," came Twilight Sparkle's voice in reply. "And I've already checked the transponder signals from those ships, they're the real deal." "But how'd they get there so darn fast?" Applejack asked, tapping her hooves on the control yoke. "That trench is hundreds 'a miles offshore. They could never make trails that fast, they must'a already been sailin' nearby." "I really hope that's a coincidence," Rainbow Dash replied. "They're trying to hail me, I think they want me to land on their carrier." "We managed to tick the Navy off yet? 'Ah swear they threatened to shoot me down before." "Nah, you're thinking of the Marines, 'Two." "Well if they ain't already plannin' on shootin', ah reckon we best keep 'em on terms that are good and peaceful like." "Sounds good to me, 'Two, they're directing me to a helipad on the stern. What's your ETA?" "Not too much longer," Applejack said as she cast an eye over her instruments. "'bout twenty minutes, ah reckon." "Copy that, I'm gonna see what I can find out down there. Over and out." Turbulence jostled the ship as Applejack adjusted her course. Specks of green on the blue horizon indicated they'd reached the Mareiana Islands. Only a short flight south-west of Harmony Island, the crescent-shaped archipelago comprised of the summits of a dozen undersea volcanoes. Their flight would take them past the islands, off the starboard side of Wonderbird Two, out to sea off the southernmost tip of the chain. The shifting of tectonic plates over millions of years had formed a geological wonder, where the Pintocific Plate met the Mareiana Plate and was thrust downwards. Over time this had formed the nearby islands, and the constant shifting accounted for the volcanic activity that was common in the area. Applejack had already been to rescues in the area several times since she joined Equestrial Rescue. She never had a dull visit to Mareiana. She'd evacuated small villages, conducted search and rescue operations, and even redirected the occasional lava flow. But this time they were bound for the trench far out to sea, and instead it would be Fluttershy taking the reins of the mission. Her aquanaut training had been extensive, Applejack had no doubt, but the Mareiana Trench was seven miles deep. It was another world down there. She couldn't help but be apprehensive. After all, she was responsible for transporting Fluttershy from their base to the danger zone. Almost like if anything went wrong, she'd be partly to blame. "You'd better get back there and start preparin' her," she said, not taking her eyes off the horizon. "We'll be there soon and we'd best be droppin' you in the water fast, we ain't got the time to waste." "Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, rising to her hooves. "You don't want to hear from Rainbow Dash first?" "Darn right 'ah don't! Get ourselves all tied up with bureaucracy? Nuh-uh, way 'ah see it is we're here to do a job, save some ponies in trouble. If'n the Navy wanna take issue, they can do so when we're back in the dry." "Fine by me," Fluttershy said, stretching her wings as she headed for the door. "I'll be on comms still, in case she does call in." "Oh she'll be al'rite," Applejack laughed. "Bunch'a overcompensated sailors with a fondness for big guns, they won't know what hit 'em." Sunshine bore down on the deck of the ESS Seaquestria, the light breeze doing nothing to dispel the incredible tropical heat. Already a cacophony of jet engines and mechanical noises, the deck of the immense carrier now came alive with the sound of thundering hooves as many of the assembled crew migrated to the stern helipad. Everypony who wasn’t pre-occupied was keen to get a good look. The deck crew was only able to watch their peers assembling, all of them in hopes of a close up view of a legendary Wonderbird. They were all in awe of the new arrival. It stood out, that much was certain. Wonderbird One’s engines whined down to silence as Rainbow Dash ran through a quick landing checklist, paying no mind to the gathering crowd outside the polarised glass of the cockpit. The navy-blue rocket dwarfed the various jets lined up on the deck, and had barely fit onto the available space at the stern of the carrier. It was Dash's skill for landing on a bit that had brought it down safely. Satisfied that her craft was secure and wouldn’t slide around or take off of its own accord, she donned a full face helmet and rose from her seat. Given her years of active service in the Wonderbolts, she was a well known face. Her mane was even more distinctive. Measures had to be taken for security. Their uniforms were full body, covering them from neck to hoof. They even had sleeves to accommodate for their tails. Each uniform was pale blue, with accents running up their sleeves colour coded to each of their respective Wonderbird. Rainbow Dash’s uniform, in this case, had accents of a dark blue. Her helmet was identically coloured, and had a visor of solid black. It looked like a strange in-between of an astronaut helmet and a fighter pilot helmet, but it offered her unimpeded peripheral vision and was light as a feather. The uniforms had been a long collaboration between Twilight Sparkle and Rarity. The fabric was light, waterproof and almost unbreakable. It would keep its wearer warm in cold weather, and cool in warm weather. Integrated bio-circuitry would track their vital signs, and for the most part could compensate for extreme changes in pressure and temperature. The helmets had their own on-board oxygen supply, and when worn would work in tandem with the suit to keep its wearer healthy in all kinds of environments. Rainbow Dash was grateful for all the work that had gone into her outfit as she stepped off of Wonderbird One’s access ladder and onto the deck of the Seaquestria. Everypony gathered around her looked weather-worn, and there wasn't a single uniform free of sweat patches. All she could feel was a pleasant coolness, like she'd had a sip of a refreshing cider after a long workout. Dash stepped away from her craft towards the crowd, as a pink pegasus mare stepped forward to meet her in the middle. The mare saluted with her wing. “Equestrial Rescue, it’s good to see you here,” she said. “I’m Captain Jetstream, commanding officer of this ship.” “Pleasure, Captain,” Dash replied, bringing her hoof to her head with a salute of her own. “Your crew, they always sit and gawk whenever you get a new arrival?” “Well, your craft alone puts my entire fleet to shame,” Jetstream said with a smirk. She turned to address the crowd. “Alright everypony, back to your stations, we’re on a mission here!” Distinct groans erupted among the crowd as they turned tail and went back to their various jobs. The vast majority headed back to the ‘island’, the large tower rising from one side of the deck that housed the ship’s bridge and the flight control tower. Everypony else descended through hatches in the deck down into the lower levels of the ship. The dispersing crowd gave way for another pony, a pegasus stallion with a navy blue coat to step forward. “This is North Star,” Jetstream explained as the new arrival also offered Dash a salute. “Air Officer, runs the flight deck.” “Captain of the ship, commander of the flight deck. Two highest ranking ponies on board,” Dash said, watching with interest as, at that moment, a jet took flight from the bow of ship. Its engines screamed and faded as it chased the horizon. “So I take it you two are the ones to talk to for an explanation on what the hay this ship is doing here?” Lights flickered on as Fluttershy stepped into the cavernous space, the door sealing itself behind her with a hiss. Wonderbird Two was a huge machine, designed in two parts. The primary superstructure contained the cockpit, wings and propulsion. It functioned as a frame, surrounding a central system of interchangeable cargo containers. These containers were often referred to by the infomal nickname of 'pods'. Each numbered pod contained different rescue equipment suited to a different scenario. As part of Wonderbird Two's launch sequence, a line of pods would roll along beneath the ship until the correct one aligned into position for loading. Then when ready, Applejack would lower the entire ship into place around the pod, securing it ready for flight. For this rescue, Fluttershy found herself inside pod number four. The room juddered in the turbulence as she began her pre-launch inspection by doing a full walkaround. She circled the machine housed in the pod. Her machine. Wonderbird Four, the smallest of the Equestrial Rescue fleet, but by no means any less important. It was, after all, their primary method of underwater rescue. It was only small by comparison, a yellow submarine the size of a large semi truck cab. A pointed dorsal fin reached upwards towards the ceiling of the pod, bearing the number four on either side. Two more fins of equal length jutted out either side of the craft, like aircraft wings. Once in the water these would lower into their operating position at equal distances from each other. When configured during operation, the machine looked like a three-pointed star with a fat tube at the centre. A tinted glass canopy offered Fluttershy good views in every direction. A glass floor underneath the control seat extended the visibility downwards, and a series of onboard cameras filled every other blind spot. Fluttershy paced around the submarine, running her hooves across the control surfaces and taking the time to check for cracks in the hull. She checked the water intakes and the thruster exhausts for any loose debris. A display on her wrist-mounted computer told her the main computer on-board the submarine was running its own system checks. It beeped at her when it was ready to check the exterior lights. She watched as powerful halogen spotlights switched themselves on and off at the bow, and red beacons began to flash at the tips of each of the control fins. Her wrist computer beeped again, requesting her approval. Fluttershy tapped at it, confirming that she was happy with her exterior checks, and told it to continue its program. A gentle hum filled the pod as Fluttershy made her way over to a small storage locker, finishing her circle and grabbing her helmet. Wonderbird Four’s turbines were beginning their start up sequence, a sign that the pre-launch checklist was almost complete. The turbines would only start when the life-support systems checks had cleared, a signal to Fluttershy that it was safe to board. As if on cue the whole room seemed to give a gentle lurch downwards, a very similar feeling to being stood in an elevator as it starts to descend. They had to be on final approach now. She flicked hair out of her eyes as she pulled the helmet on. In her younger years, her mane had been far longer, often dragging along the floor. But this had been an impossible style to maintain as an operative for Equestrial Rescue. It was a trip hazard, it could be prone to snagging on any obstacles she encountered, and crucially it was too long for her helmet to fit and maintain an airtight seal with her uniform. Fluttershy now wore her mane short, and when off-duty had taken to styling it in a spiky, windswept manner. “Running through final checks now,” she said as she made her way to the airlock hatch on the side of the submarine. It hissed open as she approached. “Exterior check is good, system checks are green and life support is a-okay. She will be ready for launch in a few minutes.” “Copy that, ‘Four,” Applejack replied. “'Ah can see the carrier just off in the distance, they sent us some feller in a jet to escort us in, mighty formal of ‘em if you ask me.” “And ‘One hasn’t called in yet. At least, I haven’t heard her call in anything yet.” “Me neither, 'ah had a look at the video feed from her helmet, she’s talking to a pair ‘a ponies that mus’ be in charge there. She sure as sugar don’t seem to be under arrest, and they ain’t sending missiles our way so 'ah’m gonna go by the assumption that it ain’t in their plans fer today. And if we ain’t what they’re interested in…” “They must be going after the crew of the laboratory,” Fluttershy concluded. She sat down in Wonderbird Four’s control seat, tightening her seatbelt as she felt the whole ship bank to the left around her. “Are we there yet?” “Sure are, jus’ having a circle to see what 'ah can see. Lookin’ like the escape pods that made it out are startin’ to surface, 'ah can see them getting craned onto the carrier.” “Okay, that’s good.” Fluttershy said, as the console screens flickered into life. The control switches on her overhead panel all glowed with a green backlight. “Systems checks are complete, docking clamps armed for release. All go for pod deployment.” “Copy that, ‘Four, lemme find you a nice spot fer droppin’ down.” Fluttershy braced herself again as the bank angle changed, swapping from left to right as Applejack brought Wonderbird Two around into a better position. To launch Wonderbird Four was always a nerve-wracking process. But Fluttershy couldn’t deny that after every launch, she managed to see the fun side of it. “We are in position for the drop, is the payload ready?” Applejack asked as they levelled off again. “Releasing the docking clamps now, payload is ready,” Fluttershy confirmed. ”Bombs away, sugarcube.” Suppressing a squeal, Fluttershy clamped her eyes shut as a great falling sensation came over her. She braced herself against her restraints as she fell for what seemed like an eternity. And then with a great thundering boom it stopped, a complex suspension system in the floor of the pod cushioning the impact for its inhabitants. It was odd being inside the pod when this happened, without any windows there was no visual sign that anything had occurred. The only sign of change was a rhythmic back and forth rocking of the room, in contrast to the constant rumble of Wonderbird Two’s engines. Then sunlight pierced its way into the pod as the massive door in front of Wonderbird Four began to swing open, lowering itself down to the sea and becoming a ramp. As it opened the view in front of the pod became clearer, and Fluttershy caught of glimpse of Wonderbird Two hovering nearby. It was almost comical to see it flying around without the pod, a massive gaping hole in its belly. Hence Twilight had designed it with plenty of rescue equipment aboard even without the pod. Below it, Fluttershy saw the Seaquestria. From her low position in the water, the aircraft carrier was unfathomably huge. The flight deck sat upon two hulls in a catamaran structure that dwarfed her own submarine. Even Wonderbird Two looked small compared to it. For a moment a thought crossed her mind: what could be so important that the Navy would send a ship this big to a rescue mission? There was something else going on here for sure. As the pod door dipped into the gentle waves, an orange beacon on the ceiling of the pod began to flash. The door was locked into position. Fluttershy flicked a switch off to one side of her control console, and then felt herself begin to lean forwards. The submarine was sat on a track built into the floor of the pod, which was raising up from the rear to meet with the same angle as the open door. Once locked into place, it would provide a single, constant incline that Wonderbird Four would descend along into the water. A second beacon on the ceiling, a green one, began flashing to confirm that the ramp had aligned and was ready for launch. “Wonderbird Four is go,” Fluttershy declared as she pushed her control stick forward. The yellow submarine jolted forward, turbines whining as it made short work of the small distance from pod to water. It hit the surface and, with a whir and a splash, dove beneath the waves. Rainbow Dash examined the 3D model projected onto the table in front of her. The Deepsea Echo laboratory resembled some kind of insect, interconnected spherical modules lined up one after another, with long spindly legs protruding from every third sphere. The design allowed the lab to walk across difficult terrain on the ocean floor, and navigate around larger obstacles. Each sphere had two small cylindrical protrusions on either side, which Jetstream had explained were the escape pods. "And there's no chance of remotely manoeuvring the lab into shallower waters?" Dash asked. North Star shook his head. "Part of the emergency shutdown disables forward movement. That way the structure doesn't walk itself off a cliff while ponies are still evacuating. There's a manual override switch, but that's located in the main control room at the front of the lab. The emergency shutdown would have activated the moment the earthquake hit." "We've been tracking the lab's movements for a week now," Jetstream explained, glancing out the window at Wonderbird Two hovering nearby, which was lowering a line of cable down into the water. "The reason for that is classified." "Yeah, classified, you've said that already." Dash said, rolling her eyes to herself, knowing the visor on her helmet kept the action unseen. "Can you tell me when they last surfaced?" "A month ago, but their operational permit requires them to surface weekly." "So you're just here chasing them because they missed a rendezvous or two?" Jetstream narrowed her eyes. "I'd elaborate if I could, but that's part of it, yes." Glancing around, Rainbow Dash took note of the ponies around her. After landing, Jetstream and North Star had led her up to the ship's bridge. The three of them had watched the arrival of Wonderbird Two, the subsequent pod deployment, and the launching of Wonderbird Four. "Look, we're here to help," Dash said, looking between Jetstream and North Star. "There are ponies down there who will die if my team decided to pack up and go on home. Danger is part of our job, it's a risk we accept. But if there's something else going on, something that adds another element of danger to this, I think we've earned the right to know what it is." North Star looked to Jetstream. Her face remained stoic, but her eyes seemed unfocused and distant, her ears folded backwards in a telltale sign of uncertainty. She seemed to be considering Dash's words. "Let me make a call to my superiors," she said finally. "Wait here for a sec, okay?" She trotted away to a small office at the rear of the bridge, closing the door behind her. North Star managed a sympathetic smile, then walked away. Rainbow Dash found herself alone at the table still displaying the 3D projection of the lab. She gave a subdued sigh as her tail twitched in agitation. "'Two, 'Four," she spoke into her microphone. "Gimme an update." "'Four's descendin' with the tow line right now, sugarcube." Applejack's voice chimed back. "At safe descent speed, I should see the laboratory in about ten minutes," Fluttershy added. "Good, just... go careful, 'Four. There's something they're not telling us here." Dash said, starting to pace back and forth. "I keep thinking the same," came the reply, with a distinct note of concern. "This is a big operation for a simple search and rescue." "The captain just admitted they've been tailing the lab for a week. Says that the lab's supposed to surface weekly but it's been a month now with no show. I don't like this. The official story here is that they abandoned ship because of an earthquake. That's what the laboratory crew called in, and that's what they're telling me here. I think there's more to the story." "Is there anything we can do?" "Not at the moment. The Captain keeps saying that everything is classified, she's making a call to her bosses at the moment to see if she can give us any information that we'd need to know." "Did she say if they managed to get back in contact with the damaged escape pod? I've been trying to call them but they aren't answering." "It's all hearsay right now. They think the comms on the trapped pod were damaged in the quake, weakening the signal. But the ascending pods were able to relay it so Wonderbird Five could pick it up. Either their radio died afterwards, or the other pods rose up and out of range. We're just guessing at this point." "Okay. I'm going to call base, see if they've got a plan for me, tell me if you come up with anything." "Copy that, 'Four. Good luck," Rainbow Dash said, resting on her haunches as Fluttershy's line went quiet. "Hey 'One, yer on the bridge, right?" Applejack asked. "Yeah, why?" "Go take a peek outside, they're haulin' the last of them escape pods onto the deck now." Obliging, Rainbow Dash trotted towards an open doorway that led onto a small balcony overlooking the flight deck. Wonderbird Two was still hovering nearby with a long cable lowering from its hull into the water below. As it unspooled, Fluttershy would be manoeuvring Wonderbird Four deeper and deeper with the end of the cable held in the submarine's grappling claw. True to Applejack's statement, the escape pods that had been successfully launched were grouped together to one side of the flight deck. Some ponies were still climbing out of them. In a normal rescue effort, Rainbow Dash would have expected anypony exiting the pods to be swiftly escorted inside the ship. Medical checkup, warm soup and a blanket, all the usual stuff. So she was surprised to see that a large number of ponies, presumably all of the ones who had successfully evacuated the lab, had been seated in a long line along the deck. As she leant forward, she watched as a pony climbed out of an escape pod, only to be swiftly shackled by their front hooves and escorted down to the end of the line. There they were forced into a sitting position, where another set of shackles was attached to their rear hooves. "You seein' this as well, 'One?" "Yeah I am. Those ponies are under arrest." Wonderbird Four descended swiftly, one of its retractable claws extended and holding tightly to one end of the cable being unspooled from Wonderbird Two. With a combination of the three point harness keeping her in her seat, and the seat itself mounted on a pivoting arm, the submarine was able to dive at a near vertical angle in relative comfort for Fluttershy. The view outside her window had long since succumbed to the inky blackness of an aquatic world deprived of sunlight, though every now and then a bioluminescent creature zoomed past. It was primarily her love for animals that had persuaded Fluttershy to accept the role Twilight had chosen for her. The ocean was the home to so many creatures, known and unknown, and her fascination had won out. The chance to observe them in their habitat was too good to pass up. Much of her time off duty was spent cataloguing the flora and fauna in the reefs around Harmony Island, but she'd spent far less time in water this deep. She shook her head as another distant glow passed by, and turned her attention back to the task at hoof. "Base from 'Four, I should sight the Deepsea Echo in eight minutes," Fluttershy said, her hooves easing the controls in a gentle swaying motion, ensuring the cable didn't snag on Wonderbird Four's fins. "Do we have a plan?" "I think we just about do, 'Four," Twilight Sparkle's voice replied, as a screen came to life on Fluttershy's control console. "Can you see the schematic I've sent over to you?" "Got it," Fluttershy said as her screen showed her a cross section of the lab. She tilted her head slightly as the resemblance of the lab to some kind of crustacean danced across her mind. "Okay, in short: we can't just pull the malfunctioning escape pod loose, as at that depth we risk compromising the integrity of the hull. Since the laboratory was built in compliance with Pintocific structural regulations, the escape pods use a universal docking seal, compatible with the airlock aboard Wonderbird Four." "So I can attach to any of the airlocks used by a departed escape pod?" "Precisely," Twilight exclaimed. "The floatation systems on the pod seem to have malfunctioned as well when the docking clamps failed to release, which is why we're using Wonderbird Two's rescue line. What you'll need to do is attach it to the escape pod, then dock with the vacant airlock on that module of the lab. Get inside and give me a manual uplink to the onboard computer, I should be able to force the clamps open. Then 'Two just has to reel it in, and we should be a-okay." "Easy peasy," Fluttershy said. "I hope." "We've been listening in on your transmissions," Twilight added. "'Five and I agree, there's something suspicious about this situation, and you should absolutely proceed with caution. We have no concrete information as of yet, 'Five is currently trying to access the operational permit for Deepsea Echo, in case she can uncover anything more specific. Since it's a military operation we can't go pressing too much harder. If you want to hold back until we know more, we'll all support your decision. Fluttershy considered this for a few seconds. "We don't know how long, or even if we'll be given any more information. When you're underwater, every moment counts, and I don't think we should waste any. I'm going to carry on." Applejack watched the commotion from Wonderbird Two's cockpit, glancing down at the controls every few seconds to make sure the rescue line was unspooling correctly, and that the ship was maintaining its hovering position. Even from this distance it was fairly easy to discern who was who in the crowd of ponies: the white jumpsuits were the detained ponies who had escaped the laboratory, while the crew of the flight deck could be discerned by their beige uniforms. The sole exception to the two groups was a lone figure clad in blue, in the centre of the group. It looked like Rainbow Dash was stood in-between an ongoing argument. After the two of them had realised that the laboratory escapees were being arrested, she had disappeared back onto the bridge of the ship and emerged back on the flight deck shortly after. Applejack had watched her run over to the assembled group of ponies, positioning herself between the officers on the flight deck and their assembled prisoners. Because Rainbow Dash wasn't transmitting on her radio, Applejack was forced to watch on from a distance, unsure of what exactly was transpiring below her. Two more figures emerged from the same doorway that Rainbow Dash had exited onto the flight deck, and had charged over to join in the fray, another two beige-clad figures in a crowd facing a lone blue. To Rainbow Dash's credit, it didn't seem to dissuade her resolve, and she stood her ground. Whatever she was saying to the assembled ponies, she seemed to feel the need to stamp her front hooves a few times to make her point. The smaller of the two ponies who had followed Rainbow Dash from the bridge answered with a stamp of both front hooves, before gesturing wildly towards the stern of the ship, where Wonderbird One sat. Rainbow Dash stood motionless for a few seconds, then turned on the spot and stiffly started marching down the line of detained white-clad ponies, bound for her rocket. "Hey 'Two," came her raspy voice in Applejack's earpiece. "I got bad news fo- WHOAH!" In alarm, Applejack rose to her hooves. As Rainbow Dash had passed the last figure in the line of the laboratory ponies, the pony had sprung to his hooves and tackled her to the ground. It happened so quickly that Dash hadn't any chance of reacting or defending herself. Two of the beige uniformed ponies stood nearby were quick to respond, dragging the crazed figure off of Rainbow Dash. The blue figure rose on unsteady legs, and continued her retreat back to Wonderbird One. She walked at a quicker pace, taking a glance back over her shoulders as the white dressed pony flailed wildly against his captors' restraint. "Whut in the hay? You 'kay there, 'One?" "Y-yeah, I'm o-okay," Dash replied, not even trying to hide the quiver in her voice. She didn't elaborate. Instead, she made short work of the distance left between her and her ship. Applejack watched as she scurried up the flight ladder, and after a few tense seconds, the ladder retracted and the downward-facing jets on Wonderbird One's fuselage roared into life. The rocket lifted into the air, away from the Seaquestria and settled into a hovering position a few hundred feet away from it. "Ho-kay, sorry about that," came Rainbow Dash's voice again into Applejack's earpiece, the quiver no longer as noticeable. "As I was saying: bad news for diplomacy, they kicked me off the ship." "Whut happened?" "Well, I saw those ponies being treated like prisoners, when they could be sick or hurt after getting out of that lab. I went down there to try and... err... politely explain that they might need medical attention, and putting them in cuffs and leaving them out in the tropical sun might not be good for them." "Politely?" "Yeah." "In them exact words?" "...okay maybe not those words exactly, but that was the gist of what I was trying to say." "An' 'ah take it the commandin' officers didn't take kindly to that?" "Eehhhh, they called it 'insubordination' and told me to get my ship off their flight deck before they pushed it off and threw me in the brig." "Outstandin', 'One. Well done, that's another military service that we ain't gonna stay on friendly terms with." "Look, I'm sorry okay. But those ponies from the lab looked rough. Like, really shaken up." "Is'n that why that feller jumped at you?" For a few moments, Rainbow Dash didn't reply. The dull roar of Wonderbird Two's engines, normally a quiet sound in the background, seemed amplified as the time Applejack awaited an answer dragged on and on. Finally, Rainbow Dash said "He was saying that he saw something down there." "Somethin'? Whut kinda somethin'?" "I don't know. He said it came out of the darkness and attacked them. And just as they pulled him off me he was screaming. He said..." Applejack waited a few seconds, then asked "Said whut?" "...he said it was their fault."