Princess Celestia worried for three days. She waited for the report back from the doctor. As she waited, a combined report of two missing ponies arrived. The situation was deteriorating. The citizens of Ponyville were starting to panic. Many were moving away. But a new break had appeared: a pony that had attended the School of Advanced Mathematics. He had discovered there was a pattern to the disappearances. Each time somepony disappeared, it was a certain distance and angle away from the last one. The next time, her guards would be waiting, and watching.
****************************************************************************************
Keppler had his lead vest on. His mask and helmet was ready. His men were prepared. This would be his team's first excursion since the botched attempt. He went over the last excursion in his mind.
It started off normally enough for a trans-dimensional trip. Die Glocke started up, and before the radiation began to be generated, he and his team entered through the hatch on the device. They buckled in. There was a mind-jolting rocking of the whole device, and then the feeling of vertigo. This lasted for about thirty seconds. Then it stopped. They sat in the seats for the designated one minute. They then unbuckled and grabbed their weapons. Keppler climbed out and checked the clearing they had landed in. His men climbed out after him.
"Okay. Just find one of the horned ones, and we bring it back alive. Ja?"
They moved through the forest, clearing various obstacles. After about an hour, they saw one of the flying ones overhead. Johann lifted his MP-44. Keppler grabbed his comrade's rifle and shook his head. They kept moving. As they were moving along, they heard voices in the distance. They found the source. Three of the flying creatures were hovering in a clearing, talking. Keppler told his men his plan. They could capture three of the fliers. That would make the colonel happy. Keppler went back to watching the creatures.
"So what do you think we're looking for?" said the red one.
"I don't know, Cloudy." This came from the yellow one.
"Thunder, how about we split up. We can cover more ground."
The one called Thunder immediately tensed. "No, BAD idea. Guys, if we split up, then whatever it is that's kidnapping everypony will be able to get us one at a time!"
Keppler's eyebrow raised. He made his face neutral, then stepped out. All conversation between the three immediately ceased as they looked at this strange creature who had suddenly appeared from the forest.
"Hello, my name is Keppler. Who are you?" He put a friendly tone in his voice.
They looked at him with worry. One began to back up.
"No, please. My friend is hurt very badly. I need your help. Please."
They looked at him, then nodded. He made his way back to the forest. As they slowly flew in after him, Johann and Peter jumped up and drew bags over the creatures' heads. Keppler got the yellow one under a bag. They brought them back to Die Glocke. But as they were getting close, the one he had bucked him in the stomach. She jumped free, and while she was trying to get the bag off of her head, he jumped for her. She dropped right as he did. He landed on her. He cringed as she cried out and he heard a muffled crunch. He knew immediately what happened. He stood slowly. She sat on the ground, the bag lying in the grass. Her eyes were puffy as she looked up at him.
"Wh...why?"
He blinked away a tear, took out his Walther, and put her out of her misery. The other creatures panicked. Keppler's comrades shoved them into the storage area in Die Glocke. A tear ran down Keppler's cheek. They weren't supposed to kill these things. They were completely harmless. His job was only to retrieve subjects for study. He wasn't responsible for them after that. But this...this was just against the laws of this place. These things weren't supposed to be killed in such a way.
He climbed back into Die Glocke's transport chamber. Johann hit the lever, and the machine turned on. As the jolt started, he remembered something. The grass. They were supposed to remove the grass.
****************************************************************************************
Johann hit the lever. The machine jolted, and then the familiar vertigo hit like a wave of water. They sat, then when they reached their destination, they waited one minute. Then they exited. The moved about forty feet before they ran into something. Keppler put his hand out. He touched an invisible wall. He backed up in shock, and ran into another wall. He realized he couldn't hear anything. He put his hands out. He was completely enclosed by this invisible box. He looked over at his men, and saw that they were likewise trapped. He drew back and smashed the stock of his rifle into the wall. All it accomplished was to put a fracture in the wood of the rifle. He saw that there was no use. He sat down on the grass. He looked over at Johann. Johann brought up his rifle and fired. The bullet completely vanished. Then Johann's jaw dropped. Keppler followed his stare. Then he stared himself. A larger version of the creatures they had been finding was approaching from the forest, flanked by multiple of the regular sized ones. It came closer. Its mouth opened, and Keppler heard a female's voice, but stronger and nobler than the females they had encountered.
"Who are you, and why have you been taking my subjects?"
Keppler just sat dumbfounded. She must be queen.
"M'am, my friends and I are just mere explorers, and-"
"Lies. I know what you did to Thunder Wind."
This put serious strain on Keppler. He had had multiple nightmares about that, about putting the pistol to that creature's head. He regretted ever making the mistake that broke its wing.
"I know you killed her after breaking her wing."
He sat in silence, and an unbidden tear rolled down the same cheek as the last one. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Johann stood up and shouted something at the ruler. She turned.
"Silence, you obnoxious foal." She turned back to Keppler. "Why have you come?"
Keppler just sat there for a moment to collect his wits. He then responded, "To find subjects to study. We thought maybe we could find something to save our land."
Her eyebrow raised slightly. "And you thought that by taking my ponies from their homes, you could find a way to save your land? I don't think you know what you're doing."
"What?"
"You are only doing what you're told. You know nothing of what happens to my little ponies, do you?"
"I am assured-"
"You don't. Now. I want you to leave. Drop your weapons on the grass, get back in your machine, and leave. Then I want you to bring my subjects back to me....as many as you can. Then I may forgive you of this sin."
Keppler nodded dumbly. Johann was shaking his head no and shouting something at her. Suddenly, he vanished. Peter tried to flinch away but was blocked by his containment.
Keppler turned and stared at the imprint in the grass, and the rifle lying there.
"Wh..where did he go?"
"Moon." She turned and walked away. He got up, and dropped his MP-44, and Peter did the same. They climbed back in Die Glocke. They jolted. Peter was in shock, and so was Keppler. Johann was gone, and they had been threatened with the same. Keppler began trying to figure out a plan.