//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Facing Reality // Story: Birds of a Feather // by All American //------------------------------// -Vinyl Scratch's house, Ponyville (Third person)- "This is Redhawk, mayday, mayday.-" the radio let out before cutting to static and then back to music Vinyl Scratch heard the radio but though it was just music. She continued to clean up around her house putting the interference out of her mind. She heard a knock at the door and set down what she was doing and walked over to it. She opened to the do to find Rainbow dash obviously looking panicked. "What's wrong Dash?" she asked in a soft voice "Did you see it?" Dash asked in a hurried voice "See what?" Vinyl asked thinking her friend was just playing a joke on her "A big black thing fell from the sky and landed in a field!" Dash exclaimed Suddenly the radio turned to static and the crackly voice came over it again sounding panicked "This is Redhawk, FUCKING MAYDAY!-" the radio cried before catching some static and returning to the music The two ponies looked at each other worryingly. -----Crash site, location unknown (Back to Ryan's point of view)------ "Son of a bitch!" I said removing my helmet whose visor cracked down the middle. My thoughts turned to the radio i turned to grab it. I snatched it up before realizing I had lost power. I turned the power switch off and saw the charge meter go to 1%. At least that was working. I opened the door and fell out, landing on my hands and knees, still dazed by what just happened. I climbed to my feet and checked myself. Other than whiplash, I was fine. I walked to the the front of the helicopter to check the damage. As my eyes adjusted I couldn't see what my helicopter had connected with. I looked up and saw a tree branch going through the co-pilot's window. 'Oh god!' my thought ran to in worry for my partner. I ran to the passenger side door and swung it open revealing the emergency kit's contents scattered through out the compartment. I would deal with that later. I walked into swung my head around the wall hiding the co-pilot from the passenger compartment. I couldn't describe what I saw. I found what had stopped the helicopter from receiving to much damage. Ivan had been killed on impact with the branch by impaling him in the chest. I muttered a prayer to a god I didn't believe in and removed the tree branch from his chest with a sickening wet squish-like noise. I tossed the branch out the window with my hands covered in the man's blood who was very much alive a few hours ago. I took off Ivan's helmet and and saw a look of horror on his face. To think that the last thing I said was an insult to the man hurt me deeply. I put my hand on his face an slid it down closing his eyes and grabbed his dog tags. It was the least I could do. I grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him into the passenger's compartment. I laid his corpse in the center of the compartment and grabbed a nearby cloth and covered him up. I then snagged his handgun and ammo and muttered another prayer. I grabbed a flare gun from the scattered contents of the emergency kit and check the barrel, empty. I check around the compartment and found a flare round under a nearby seat. I looked back at my friend and stared for a moment thinking that that could have been me. I hopped out of the door which I had left open and looked back at my friend and said "I'll make sure to bury you somewhere nice." I said as I held his dog tags in my hand I looked out at the environment. Last thing I remember was flying over the Gulf of Mexico and entering a storm. I wasn't anywhere near land! Even I I had made it to land, it would have either been an island or Florida and this land looked like neither. There was a forest to north, about 200ft ahead of the helicopter. I looked right and could see a large meadow with fireflies beginning to appear. This wasn't even close to the tropic, this looked the the american midwest, like where I was from. This wasn't important now. I walked back to the helicopter and search the emergency kit. I found what I was looking for; an emergency radio. I pressed the on switch and listen to static for a moment. I then pressed the call button and said in a calm and sober voice "This is Major Ryan Laney, call sign 'Redhawk'. If anyone can hear this; I have crashed and my co-pilot is dead. I have no idea where I am. It should be dark soon, so I am going to send a flare up at 10:00pm sharp, so keep your eyes to the sky. This is Major Ryan Laney, over and out." I walked back to the passenger door and sat down. I set the radio down and ran my fingers through my hair. I checked my watch; 9:36pm. -----Vinyl's house, Ponyville (Third person)----- Rainbow ran into the house and grabbed the radio, a device entirely of Vinyl's design. She heard a voice start to talk on the radio, a different one than before "This is Major Ryan Laney, call sign 'Redhawk'. If anyone can hear this; I have crashed and my co-pilot is dead. I have no idea where I am. It should be dark soon, so I am going to send a flare up at 10:00pm sharp, so keep your eyes to the sky. This is Major Ryan Laney, over and out." Dash looked at the radio for a second, puzzled. 'What's a flare?' she thought. She turned to Vinyl and asked "What time is it?!" frantically. Vinyl thought for a moment and said "About 9:40ish." she said. Dash blew past her and flew up in the sky about Ponyville, taking in all of the nearby horizon. She flew in place for about ten minutes diligently searching before she heard a 'Whoosh' followed by a red gleam of light to the northeast. She, the fastest flyer in all of Ponyville, set off as fast as she could in the direction of the light. -----Crash site, location unknown (First person- Ryan)----- I walked back to the helicopter and sat down on the floor again. Luckily, the helicopter is still operational. I climb up into the passenger compartment and I tossed the flare gun into the front left hand corner of the compartment. I turned back to Ivan's corpse and knelt beside it. I grab his hand and just held the position for a moment. "I'm sorry it turned out like this." I said holding Ivan's lifeless hand I can hear something outside the hull of the helicopter but for all intensive purposes, I'm in my own world. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I hear a female's voice call out. "This is Redhawk." I said "Glad to see someone made it to the party." I tucked Ivan's hand back under the cover and turn to face the open window. I don't see anyone, just the empty door. I walk to the door frame and look around. Nothing but the wind. "Hello?!" I yell out the side of the helicopter. Nothing. I walk out to the door and slide it shut. I turn to see the corpse still on the ground. "I'll find somewhere nice for you tomorrow." I turned away from the body and walked to the cockpit again I took a seat in the pilot's chair and checked the read out again. 15%. 'That was enough for a short trip, right?' I asked myself 'No, I'll set off in the morning.' I figured I would put on my helmet and looked down on the ground. I found it resting at my feet and bent down to retrieve it. As I returned to my seat, I cleared the dust from the inside of the helmet and put it on. As I returned my vision to the front window, I could see a pair of eyes watching me as they lowered from the roof of the aircraft. "Ugh... hello?" I call out to it As I said this the creature flew down onto the nose of the chopper. It was a light blue with a shade of purple for eyes I wasn't familiar with. The creature looked a lot like a pony from a farm down the road from where I was raised, although the creature had one distinct feature other that being light blue; it had wings. My mind immediately turned to think it was just an animal but something about the way it looked at me counteracted the feeling. I raised my hand and waved. The creature waved back. I was about to say hello when it said "Were you the one that called for help?"