//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: Lunar Diplomacy 
// by Verathuum 
//------------------------------//

	“What is that?” Luna asked Jolterix pointing at the crater, even though she knew he couldn't see her.
“That’s one of the craters from the 201 Planet Fall,” he answered knowing what she was talking about, “Here, I might still have something to help you understand.” He put the Vogel on autopilot and he began fumbling through a display on his disc. After a few minutes he said, “Alright, it’s pretty rough, but this is my helmet feed on what happened during the impacts.”
Luna’s visor turned black and a video began playing in her helmet with sound. The first thing she saw was a view of the jungle from a plane not unlike the Vogel as she could see part of Jolterix’s hand on the throttle control and the dashboard. The camera quickly turned from the dashboard into the sky. A large glowing object trailing smoke approached the ground quickly. The video followed the asteroid as it collided with the ground about five miles away; a large flash from the explosion and fire with another craft similar to the Vogel about a hundred feet closer to the blast. A large black cloud of dust arose from the impact and the trees could be seen bending over from the blast. Suddenly, the plane in front of the camera flipped over and Jolterix’s plane quickly did so as well. There was an extremely loud blast, but it was kept at a certain point, and distorted by the helmet speakers. The video stumbled and went out of focus before stopping entirely.
“I bet it was scary, actually being there,” Luna said when it was over.
“It was, there’s another one I want to show you,” Jolterix said, “It originally came from Tennerac.”
Luna’s helmet went dark again and a new video began playing. It began with a view of a massive cannon just above the camera, most likely the Mesa Gun. When the camera turned to face the horizon, there was another cannon identical to the first one, but farther away. It was positioned in a different direction. Suddenly, there was a glow in the sky that seemed to be completely stationary. Someone in the video called, “Hold your ears!” and there was a series of extremely loud bangs. Vapor trails extended towards the glow from the canon and it appeared that a second sun was formed. When the explosion was over, the glow was gone, indicating the asteroid fragment had been destroyed.
“But if you destroyed the meteor here, then what crashed in the jungle?” Luna asked.
“That was just one fragment of the asteroid,” Jolterix said, “The asteroid broke apart when it hit the atmosphere, something we didn't expect. “Here, there’s one final video I want to show you. It was the helmet feed from a friend of mine.”
Once again, Luna’s helmet went dark and the camera began in a city like Chukxil or Ker, and there was a glow over the horizon: the setting or rising sun. In the sky, another faint light appeared and it grew bigger, trailing smoke. It flew quickly over the camera and a few seconds later there was a loud bang: the sonic boom. Glass could be heard shattering and the camera lost focus for a few seconds. When the image came back, the camera man was yelling some Florian profanities as glass shards were falling from buildings and smashing into the streets, some hitting people. There was a second explosion and the camera turned. A massive cloud of dust arose in the distance, and the buildings began bending and cracking as well as people suddenly igniting as the blast approached. As it passed, the camera cut out and the video was over.
“I’m sorry,” Luna said feeling like it was her fault. Had she not been trapped on the moon, she might have been able to help prevent it. But then again, why would she have? She didn't know Auflorsung even really existed until a few days ago, and it was clear the impacts were of no threat to Equestria. 
“It’s amazing, isn't it?” he asked her when they hit sixty thousand feet. The sky was black and the sun was strong, and the horizon was lit up by the atmosphere and the curve of Equus was very apparent.
“It is,” Luna said trying to take her mind off the horrible videos she had seen.
“Don’t drop your helmet,” Jolterix warned her,” Up here there’s almost no air and you’d suffocate pretty fast.”
“Oh, thanks,” Luna said when she was beginning to ponder just that. The flight lasted about an hour, and they were soon near the Equestrian coast. Jolterix cut the throttle and the Vogel dropped quickly towards the ground at a rate of about three thousand feet per minute. The craft soon reached a couple thousand feet and Jolterix collapsed it back into the baton. He quickly maneuvered himself to grab Luna and he deployed his wings, slowing their descent. They landed on the sandy beach of Equestria with a soft thud. Jolterix stood up and pulled Luna to her feet as well.
“This is as far as I can take you,” he said, “Otherwise, I’m afraid Equestria might see it as a hostile act and try to declare war on us. We don’t want you guys having to fight a two-front war and being incinerated by a few Mesa Shells.
“I know,” Luna said with sadness still in her voice. She suddenly felt Jolterix’s lips on her forehead and looked up at him with a surprised look.
“That’s how Florians say goodbye,” he said quickly realizing Equestrians didn't share the same tradition. 
Luna smiled at him and kissed his forehead then hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Well it was nothing,” Jolterix replied as he was unsure exactly what she was referring to, whether it was that he saved her life from the jyptolok, taking her to see the Florian cities, or what exactly. He let go but held her sides and looked her in the eye, “This isn't the last you’ll see if me,” he said. He let go of her and split his baton, but his Vogel didn't appear. Instead, his light sail formed and he took off into the skies.
“Is he going to stay here?” Luna wondered to herself knowing Jolterix wouldn't fly all that way back in a light sail. She then noticed the light sail disappear and Jolterix fall slightly before his Vogel materialized around him. It rushed towards the ocean then turned tightly back into the skies, its wake disturbing seawater as it passed low over the ocean. Its engines lit up and it sped into the skies, disappearing into the overcasting cloud layer, draped in mach cones. “That thing is so loud,” Luna thought after hearing it speed away and the sonic boom it created. She sighed and looked inland to Equestria and teleported herself back to the castle.