10. Scene – Cloudsdale Guardhouse
(Princess Celestia kept her promise. She personally visits the extraordinary prisoners in one of her crowning cities. She has been warned what powerful weapons they have, namely the helicopter. She has established that she would try to encounter the prisoners unyieldingly and with stiffness, to show them that, while being lighter armed, it was still her empire they were in. They could serve a very powerful foe, notorious enough to attack Cloudsdale, of all cities. The ancient guard captain meets her as she lands on her chariot and flies the last few dozen metres to the guardshouse)
·Captain: *bows head* Your Highness, the prisoners are already awaitig you.
·Celestia: *surprised by the prisoners’ forestalling* Oh, are they? What have they said?
·Captain: They said they are humans, and wish to talk to “superior officer”. They probably meant someone like me, but I didn’t want to talk to them.
·Celestia: Are they behaving revoltingly?
·Captain: Not exactly. But they are quite impudent for someone who had just been incarcerated. They probably think a lot of themselves.
·Celestia: I will have to take them roughly, won’t I? Where did they come from?
·Captain: That would be favourable, Your Highness. But from what I overheard, they came from a place called “Austria”. It seems to be not too far away.
·Celestia: *thinking* Hmmm, Austria, they say? Have they ever mentioned the words “Roman” or “Empire” as well?
·Captain: No, actually, nothing I would know of. *halts* Your highness, do you know that place they talked about?
·Celestia: *strangely evasive* Yes, Captain. I even remember some of their tongue. But it has been a long time, too. It were different times then. I hope that humans have changed since then.
·Captain: So you have indeed dealt with humans before, Your Highness? Were they dastardly then?
·Celestia: Yes, Captain. As I said, those were different times.
·Captain: Of course, Your Highness.
(Both land at the porch of the guardhouse with their heads held high. Rainbow, Derpy, and the two Guard-Pegasi, being happy about her arrival, make a big bow. Derpy nearly crushes her head through the cloud floor when trying to keep a look up at Celestia. She smiles and nods respectfully. Kinsman and Locon look at her speechlessly, unable to keep their eyes from her strange mane and giant wings. Rainbow starts eagerly)
·Rainbow: Welcome to Cloudsdale, Princess Celestia. It’s great that you’re here. I was getting finished with those two thugs…
·Celestia: Thank you, Rainbow. I have heard that you have done great deeds today.
·Rainbow: *modestly* Well yeah, that is maybe kinda true…
·Derpy: *motorising her mouth* Oh yeah, it’s totally true your majesty! You should have seen that hurricane! It was big and round and gray, and Rainbow was like totally going around at super speed…
·Locon: *nudges Kisnman and hisses* I think *points at the proud Rainbow* that moll over there caused that bloody hurricane!
·Kinsman: Shut it, Mallard!
·Celestia: *smiles acknowledgingly* Why, of course, Derpy Doo. You have certainly witnessed something magnificent.
(Then, she turns to the two airmen, recollecting her knowledge of the old ‘tongue’. Kinsman and Locon listen in suspense)
·Celestia: Ich bin Zelestia, eine Prinzessin des equestrischen Reichs. Sprecht, ihr Landsknecht. Wer befehlet euch? In welcher Absicht ward ihr in diese Ländereien gekommen?
·Kinsman: *who speaks not a single word German* We…
·Celestia: *persistent* Antwortet mir, oder ihr werdet eure übrigen Tage in Ketten verbringen. Die Schändung Wolkenthals bleibt gewiß nicht ungestraft.
·Rainbow: *whispering in Celestia’s ear* Princess Celestia, uh, I think they understand our language as well.
·Celestia: *thankfully* So they do? Thank you Rainbow. *back to the airmen* So, you speak my language?
·Kinsman: *quickly and clearly* Yes… *thinks of a way to address her* M’am.
·Celestia: *gruff* What do you have to say for yourselves?
·Locon: Nothing,… marm. *gets kicked by Kinsman*
·Kinsman: *standing up* Your majesty, this whole affair was… a tragic messup.
·Celestia: What do you mean with “messup”. Speak clearly, it may be your only chance.
·Kinsman: *nervously* We were not at fault…
·Celestia: *skeptically* You weren’t?
·Kinsman: *continuing* …and neither were your men… Pegasi. They were only doing their duty…
·Celestia: Which is to protect the cities and towns of Equestria against all dangers. *sternly* I ask you again, why were you a danger?
·Kinsman: We were acting under orders of our superiors to fulfill a… transport assignment. Forgive us, but this information is classified.
·Celestia: What happened above Cloudsdale? I was told that you decided to fight against guards.
·Kinsman: We were not fighting, we were definding our aircraft.
·Celestia: What ‘aircraft’? What do you mean?
·Kinsman: Our Chinook 47, which is a helicopter. It is a machine that allows us to fly.
·Celestia: So it seems. What else do you use the machine for?
·Kinsman: *bites his lip* As a military purpose vehicle… it is used for transport persons and equimpent…
·Celestia: And fighting?
·Kinsman: It… it has weapons on board, yes. But… we did not use them… seeing that we had little knowledge on how to fight… Pegasi.
·Celestia: Then why did you try to do so? What have Pegasi ever done to you? And how come to have the audacity to do it near one of our cities?
·Kinsman: *desperately, avoiding eye contact* We had no intention to fight, we were trying to scare them away. We used flares, not rockets! We had to eject the aircraft and got stranded on the roofs of this… town! We were unaware that we would encounter this place in the first place, it was only a stroke of bad navigational luck…
·Celestia: *turning to Rainbow and the Captain* Is this true?
·Captain: Mostly. But about their intentions, I don’t know. What should we do with them, Your Highness?
·Celestia: *thinks* Well, it looks rather grim for your prisoners if we cannot deduce what really happened today. *she closes her eyes* But I am trying to be fair, so I will doubt the humans no more than your Pegasi’s reports. *she opens her eyes and inhales* Still, you should them them here until we are certain. If they actually came here with fiendish intentions, it would of course be best to keep them. But from my own experience, we cannot rely on the humans saying the complete truth…
·Locon: *having enough of the ambiguous situation; he snaps, completely out of desperation* Bollocks! I don’t believe it… *hysterically, to Celestia* Listen, I don’t know who or what you are, what you do or what you believe, but I only know we are not at fault! We don’t know what else to tell you! We are being held here without rhyme, without reason, and you even have the audacity to present servicemen as criminals or wild animals or some crap like that?!
Do you even know you you deal with? This the Royal Australian Air Force, one of the best fighting forces in the world! Do you really think we won’t be missed? Do you really think they would let us sit here until kingdom come?! No, they’ll come for us, and then they’ll come for you! Give ‘em 10 hours, and they will locate this little LSD nightmare and they will find us! Then, they will take care of anyone who does not respect the customs of war!
So why don’t you just let us go, and make it easier for yourself and your colony and your bunch of savage grunts. You have no right to keep us, and you know it! We will make short work of your pathet…
·Celestia: *in an exceptionally tempramental, loud and authoritative tone* SILENCE!
(Everyone in the room takes a shocked step back; never had they seen Celestia this disgruntled. Also, she had never been talked to in such a way. Her stare says that it is personal, though nobody knows in what way)
·Celestia: *she approaches the marble floor, keeping a deadly gaze on Locon* I have tried to be reasonable. I have tried to talk sense. I have tried to judge fairly. I was foolish enough to believe that humans have changed! That they are not the same, hoarding thieves and conquerors anymore. I thought 1271 or 1513 would have taught me a lesson! Make myself prepare for your nature.
But now I see that nothing has changed. You are back to your old, lying ways, deceiving and garnering wherever you go, keeping secrets from benevolents and then stabbing in the back. And when you fail, then you immediately rely on the courtesy and gullibility of others, only to await the right moment and stab them again. Claiming to obey their own laws… customs of war, and expect the others to to the same.
You insult me, with both your pathetic expectations of ponies and Pegasi alike and your forlorn confidence on brute force, as you just demonstrated yourself. Air Force, indeed. It has taken you another six hundred years for a new in-run, but this time I shall say, no more! I will personally put your ravaging rabble to an end, for the sake of the innocents you have on your consciences.
*she closes her eyes, and slowly pants out her adrenaline and anger; she turns to the perplexed Captain and Rainbow* Captain, please summon your best Pegasi and let them come to Canterlot Castle. Rainbow Dash, please accompany me right away, you might be needed afterwards as well. Oh, and Captain; I wish that the prisoners are to be kept here until further notice. They are not to be released anywhere outside.
·Captain: *uneasily* Yes, Your Highness…
·Rainbow *perpelexedly* Sure, Princess Celestia…
(They mutely dart confused glances at each other behind Celestia’s back, and then look at Kinsman and Locon. The former sits huddled against the wall, nervously massaging his nasal bone, and the latter rests on his knees, in the same position in which he attempted to confront Celestia. She, on the other hand, slowly trods out of the building. Rainbow looks one last time at the airmen, and then follows her sovereign in a quick gallop. The Captain stays behind, giving his guards concurring looks. Rainbow sees Celestia’s discomfiture, and brings up the courage to ask her)
·Rainbow: Princess Celestia, please… is it okay if I ask you what happened?
·Celestia: *timidly* Rainbow Dash, I salute your concern, but that will have to wait. I hope you understand.
·Rainbow: *pulls out quickly* Yes, Princess.
(Suddenly, another Guard lands on the porch outside the Guardhouse. He is quick to address Celestia)
·Guard: Your Highness, I brought a message from Princess Luna.
·Celestia: Really. What does she say?
·Guard: Princess Luna passes word that a group of legates from a far away country wish to speak to you and her. They say it is of critical importance.
(Kinsman overhears the little talk from inside the cell. He perplexes at the mentioning of “legates”)
·Kinsman: *to Locon* “Legates”?
·Locon: *confusedly* What?
·Celestia: *to the guard* Tell Princess Luna that I am on my way, but that the emissaries may have to wait in favor of a much more urgent matter.
·Guard: Yes, Your Highness! *he quickly pulls into the air and flies off*
·Kinsman: *stands up slowly* “Legates”? *adds one and one together; reacts with shock* Legates? Oh, no. Finch, Hartfield, no… No. No. No!
(He storms to the outmost corner of his cell, careful not to tread over the edge. Alertedly, the Guard Pegasi swing around to drive him back. Only now has he realised that those “legates” are the same he and his crew had transported here earlier. He tries to shout to Celestia, to warn her)
·Kinsman: Ma’am, no! Wait! Please! Those legates! Those legates are ours! The-
·Guard: *ramming Kinsman in the stomach* Silence! Be quiet!
·Kinsman: *straightening up again* Your Highness! Your Highness! Listen to me! Finch! Donathan Finch! Lucas Hartfield! Donathan Finch and Lucas Hartfield! They are the dip-
·Guard: *together with his comrade, they restrain him to the marble ground* Quiet, I said! Shut it!
·Kinsman: *keeping to shout* No! This is important! This is vital! They are ours! They came to talk! They came for you! Your Highness!
(At the Guardhouse’s exit, Rainbow tries to point out Kinsman’s persistence)
·Rainbow: Princess Celestia, the human wants to say something. He says its important.
·Celestia: *re-assuming her stern stance* No, it wasn’t. If it were, he would have said so earlier. It is too late, now. Come with me, Rainbow Dash.
·Rainbow: But Princess…
·Celestia: No. Now come to the chariot.
(Celestia and Rainbow climb onto the Chariot again. Kinsman, on the other hand, gets shoved back into the walled corner of his cell. He is panting from nervousness, and can only watch the Princess taking off behind his two guards’ heads. He looks over to Locon, who holds his head in the same terrible realisation)
·Kinsman: *slowly, through his teeth* You… bogan bastard! *he lunges at Locon and punches him across the jaw* You killed us all!
(Before Kinsman can deck him a second time, a Guard knocks him down with his armoured hooves from behind, causing to drop flat on the floor. Locon catatonically fingers his own wounded mouth, but dares not to react in any way. He knew that the droppings had hit the fan, and that it was all his fault)