//------------------------------//
// 4. Preparations 
// Story: LOST Little Ponies: Pilot 
// by Perceptive Key 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 4
Preparations


The fluffy, pure white, and wind-sculpted clouds raced past the windows of the plane. In truth, it was the plane racing by, but the optical illusion produced the effect that those within the vessel were stationary. Twilight gazed out the window with a distant expression, deep in thought. The small form of Spike sat to her right, curled up in a small blanket provided by the flight attendant. Twilight looked back at herself and examined her dress, noticing that it was wrinkled from her position shifting. The flight was fine, other than the fact that the seats could use some work. Twilight turned away from the splendorous view outside her small window to the stylized interior of the plane. The ship was rather large, allowing over three hundred seats for passengers, as well as a cargo hold in the bottom of the plane. She and her friends had been able to reserve a row of their own, allowing them to talk freely without having to leave their seats or strain their necks.

"T-Twilight?" a timid, and shaky voice came from her right. Fluttershy was shaking in her seat, though her own companion hadn't noticed, as Rainbow Dash was, predictably, slumbering deeply. The poor pegasus was quite anxious about flying, and it had been a fear that her friends had been trying to help her overcome for quite some time, now. Progress was slow, but she was steadily improving.

Twilight looked at her frightened friend. "What's wrong Fluttershy?" she asked.

"W-were we f-falling?" she asked fearfully, her voice just above a whisper.

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. What had made her think that? "What do you mean?"

Fluttershy swallowed in a manner which Rarity would consider 'uncouth,' with a loud gulp resounding from her throat. "It's just that... I felt a shudder."

Oh, Twilight thought. "It was just turbulence," she replied reassuringly. "Nothing to be afraid of."

"T-turbulence?" Fluttershy questioned, tilting her own head.

"It's caused by the mixing of hot or cool air currents," Twilight explained, "as well as winds of different speeds and conflicting directions acting against each other. The resulting clash of these factors causes air turbulence. While the plane flies through, it basically slices through the multiple air currents and the fuselage shudders slightly."

Fluttershy leaned in, engrossed in the wealth of newfound knowledge. "How do you know all of this?" she asked in disbelief.

"I talked with the control crews before we left. Being Princess Celestia's personal student has its advantages," Twilight laughed.

"I suppose it does," Fluttershy remarked with a small giggle of her own. The plane shuddered slightly and Fluttershy whimpered, remembering what she had previously been afraid of.

"Mares and gentlestallions, the pilot has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign, a flight attendant informed over the intercom. "Could you please return to your seats, until further notice."

Twilight quickly fastened the restraint on Spike's seat, securing it well.

Twilight gave her friend a smile. "It's alright, Fluttershy. I'll be with you until we get home," she said.

Suddenly, the floor seemed to drop out from under them, slamming some unrestrained ponies and baggage into the roof of the ship. Fluttershy cried out and Spike and Rainbow Dash awoke with a jolt. They began to tilt downward, speeding forward at a rapid pace.

"What's happening?!" Fluttershy whimpered.

Oxygen masks promptly dropped from the ceiling with a hiss. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, and the rest of their friends grabbed at them and hastily pulled it over their muzzles. Spike reached for one, but the tiny dragon was just too short. Twilight noticed his trouble and quickly grasped one and brought it over Spike's snout. Twilight reached for her own, the continually increasing force of gravity hindering her progress, slightly. She grabbed hold of it and wrapped it around her own muzzle, breathing deeply.

The fuselage shook again, more forcefully than before, and Twilight's vision grew black...


< - - - - - > = < - - - - - >


Twilight stood on the edge of the fallen wing, staring out into the jungle and over the treetops, thinking about the previous night's events. What exactly happened last night? What was that... thing? Was it some kind of animal? A dragon, perhaps? She wasn't the only one with these thoughts, though. Many of the other passengers were also inventing their own theories as to what had transpired the past night.

"What do you think it was?" asked someone.

"Do you suppose it was an animal?"

"Like what?" another questioned.

"I don't know. A monkey, maybe?"

"Monkey Island? Really?" someone commented, mockingly.

"I'd say it was a dragon, or something," someone voiced.

"I didn't see any fire, though."

"Where are you from?"

"Brayton. You?"

"Manehattan," they replied.

Twilight hardly listened to the rest of the traditional socialization and kept her gaze directed at the jungle. She now found the expanse of dark green foliage to be quite threatening in light of the recent events.

"Um, Twilight?"

She turned around at the mention of her name, finding Rainbow Dash a couple hoofsteps away. "Oh, hello, Rainbow," Twilight acknowledged. "Are you ready to go?"

"Actually..." her friend started, "... there's a small problem."

Twilight instantly grew nervous. "What kind of problem?" she asked anxiously.

"Well..."

"You don't remember where it is, do you?" Twilight predicted. Rainbow gave a sheepish grin, eliciting a loud groan from Twilight. "Just... fly over the treetops until you spot anything resembling wreckage."

Rainbow hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, "I'm... not going to risk getting killed by some strange whatever it was that was in the jungle last night. It could be a bit too dangerous."

Twilight cocked her head in surprise. "Since when are you afraid of danger?" Really? Rainbow Dash, Ponyville's notoriously lazy, yet efficient when need be, overconfident braggart, was saying that something was 'too dangerous?' Twilight thought.

"It's just that... I'm still, uh, a bit disoriented from the crash. Uh, yeah," Rainbow said. Her tone registered hints of uncertainty that Twilight easily noticed.

"Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "You're acting suspicious."

"Shouldn't we see if anypony else knows where to find the wreckage?" Rainbow said, changing the subject.

Twilight was, once again, taken aback by the sudden dodge. "You're right," she replied, setting the discussion aside for later. "Let's ask around." The pair of them made their way along the beach, questioning ponies about what they believed to be the location of the cockpit. They approached a light brown stallion with a pure-blue mane sitting in the sand who Twilight recognized as the one who helped lead Rarity away from the crash. He was currently sorting through a blue suitcase, the shade matching his mane perfectly.

"Excuse me?" Twilight tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around, "Yeah?"

"Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle and this is my friend, Rainbow Dash," she indicated the mare next to her. "And you are?"

"Pen Scratch," he replied. "You were the mare who was helping everypony, earlier, right?"

"Yes, I was," she said. "Also, I'd like to thank you for helping my friend, the one who was by the engine."

"It wasn't a problem," Pen Scratch gave a small smile.

"Also, we were wondering if you may have seen any smoke coming from the jungle at all. We think that it may be the plane's cockpit."

He shook his head, returning his attention to his luggage. "Sorry. I didn't really see any sort of smoke other than the engines, here on the beach."

"Oh, thank you, anyway." Twilight and Rainbow turned around to ask someone else.

"You could try asking that weird stallion, over by the engine, though."

Twilight and Rainbow turned back around. "Weird stallion?" the former asked Pen.

"Yeah," he pointed to a lime green unicorn stallion who looked to be rummaging through the plane's damaged engine, his head hidden within the metal cylinder. "I heard him mumbling some stuff about velocity, distance traveled, among other things."

"He looks weird," Rainbow commented.

Twilight spun to face her friend. "Rainbow Dash?! We haven't even met him, yet!"

The cyan pegasus held up a hoof in defense, "Sheesh, Twi. Alright."

Twilight turned back to Pen and gave him a small smile. "Thanks for your help."

"Once again, not a problem," he replied. Pen Scratch zipped up his luggage and grabbed it in his teeth, heading up the beach where many other ponies were gathered.

"Well," Twilight started, "we may as well ask him," she pointed to the stallion examining the engine. Rainbow Dash gave her a 'you've got to be joking' look. "Oh, come on!" Twilight pestered teasingly.

Her feathered friend huffed. "Alright. He still looks weird, though."

Twilight and Rainbow Dash trotted across the sand, approaching the lime-colored pony. He had a green and grey combination mane and tail, with a black streak running vertically through both, and his cutie mark consisted of a black diamond with a golden lightning bolt imposed upon it. As they neared, the pair of them could hear him talking about energy currents and circulation.

"The power is threaded through the induction motors which induce the, well, ignition," the stallion mumbled in frustration. "Where are those reserves?"

Twilight assumed that he was referring to the engine's internal schematics and the magical containment systems. "The reserve tubes are located behind the thermal regulators," she voiced.

The stallion didn't even turn, "Ah, yes! Of course." He reached into the turbine and, with a grunt on effort, extracted a large, metal cylinder. "Excellent," he said, placing it on the sandy floor next to him. "Who just said that about reserve tubes and regulators?" he looked out among the passengers, though only seeing two mares, one pegasus and on unicorn, before him.

Twilight raised her hoof, "That would be me."

"Ah!" his eyes brightened, two yellowed irises that occupied each of his sockets, "So you know about the internal workings of these propulsory machinations, madam?"

"It's Twilight Sparkle, and yes. I learned about their designs before leaving Sydneigh," she explained. "I was quite fascinated by the use of sustained, anti-dirigible flight. The most impressive feat had to be the magic storage for emergency activation."

"Well, unicorn magic is one of the greatest sources of renewable, natural energy on this planet. I'm Professor Plazmatic Spectrum, by the way. Though, I'd prefer it if you just called me Plaz," the stallion introduced himself, offering his hoof, which Twilight accepted with a brief shake. He then seemed to notice Rainbow for the first time. "And who's your friend?" he inquired, reaching out his hoof in a similar motion.

"Rainbow Dash," the pegasus answered, taking his gesture with slight hesitation. "Choose whichever of the two you like."

"Duly noted," he smiled. "Do either of you require anything?"

"Um, yes," Twilight replied with a slight nod. "Somepony overheard you describing velocity, trajectory, and distance, and we were wondering if you knew the approximate location of the front end of the plane."

Plaz appeared thoughtful for a moment, his mouth moving rapidly and noiselessly as he calculated. "Ah! I probably could."

"Perfect!"

Plaz pointed off into the jungle, "It appears that our section of the fuselage didn't seem to collide with any trees just before landing on the beach. And, judging by the drag marks in the sand," he gestured to a small, sandy valley that stretched from the plane to near the jungle, "I can assume that our impact was slowed dramatically, since, if we had hit the beach directly, well... Let's say that we would be a little wet."

"Can you just tell us what we want," Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"Rainbow!" Twilight turned in surprise.

"No, no," Plaz held up a hoof, "it's fine. I sometimes get carried away and start talking on and on-"

"I think we get it," Rainbow interrupted, again.

Twilight shot her a dirty look, and the pegasus avoided eye contact. "I'm sorry about her," she apologized, "she's better, once you get to know her."

"One could hope," Plaz nodded politely.

"But," Twilight continued, "do you think you know where the plane's cockpit may have landed?"

"It couldn't have landed more than three miles going south," he indicated with his hoof, pointing out towards the jungle. "The landing must have ripped the steel like paper, but that would have slowed our velocity significantly. With this taken into account, the metal holding us together had to have been weakened considerably, and tumbling through the jungle is the only scenario I can come up with for that."

Twilight absorbed the information carefully, listening to each word. So, the cockpit had to be about three miles in, maybe less. They could easily reach it in about an hour, though it could take longer if there were any major obstacles, like felled trees or unexpected land walls. "Thank you for your help," Twilight said.

"Not a problem," Plaz replied. He returned his attention back to the cylinder that he had proctored from the engine, tracking the loose wires back through the machine.

"Well, that was strange," Rainbow said once they were out of earshot.

"What's gotten into you?" Twilight reprimanded. "You're better than that!" Rainbow didn't answer. Twilight sighed, "Alright, then, let's go get that transceiver." The pair began to walk into the jungle, following the general direction that Plaz pointed out to them. They pushed through the thick leaves and brush ahead of them, leaving the beach behind. Twilight and Rainbow walked through the jungle, passing over the occasional rock and ducking beneath the scattered vines. They trudged through, Twilight's mental compass leading them onward.

"This isn't how I planned on spending my vacation," Twilight commented, slipping between two trees.

Rainbow followed her through the two trunks, "I hear ya."

Suddenly, they found themselves in a small, bamboo forest, the stalks towering above them in all of their pale majesty.

*Crack!*

Twilight and Rainbow spun around at the sharp noise. "What was that?" the former asked nervously.

"I have no i-" Dash was cut short as the form of Plaz stumbled through a clump of stalks.

"Ouch! Who put that root there?!" he complained. Twilight and Rainbow could only blink in surprise.

"Plaz? What are you doing here," Twilight inquired curiously.

The green unicorn brushed some bits of dirt off of his coat, "I wanted to be sure that you followed the direction and didn't stray. That, and I felt like tagging along. I wasn't the only one, though."

"Ah! Oh, wait, that's a branch," another voice said from behind the bamboo curtain. Seconds later, a brown-coated, copper-maned stallion fell through, landing on his stomach in front of them. "Ow. Hi," he smiled weakly up at the ponies around him.

"Who are you?" Rainbow questioned.

"I'm, uh, Bronze Shield," he answered, returning to his hooves. "I was, um, wondering if you guys needed some help with... whatever you're... doing."

Plaz and Rainbow both looked to Twilight, but she just shrugged. "We're going to get the plane's transceiver to call for help. You can come along if you want," Twilight shrugged.

"And you can be attacked first," Rainbow added. Twilight jabbed her sharply in the side. "Ouch! Geez, Twi! It was just a joke!"

"Joking about death isn't a very wise idea, at the moment," she reprimanded. Twilight turned back in the designated direction, "Let's just go. The faster we get there, the less time we have to spend in this jungle."