//------------------------------// // 39: Oncoming Storms // Story: The Jolly Rogers // by lockheed //------------------------------// ~~~~~ 05:05 Hours February 16, 1988 Emerald Aerodrome, Crystal Empire ~~~~~ I gently pushed the two middle throttles forward and rolled another seventy feet or so before pressing on the brakes and stopping the bomber again. The tail of the bomber ahead of us was just a silhouette in the foggy night and I had to strain my eyes to make sure we didn't collide with them. After around ten minutes of moving and then braking, we were third from takeoff. We sat and the bomber rumbled as another bomber rolled down the runway on takeoff. As we sat there, there was a brilliant orange flash in the sky that was followed by a boom reminiscent of a thunderclap. Coal and I both ducked but quickly recovered and looked over in time to see the glow of burning wreckage falling to earth. There was silence before a call from the tower came over the radio. "Continue takeoff sequence." Coal and I both looked at each other but said nothing before looking back out the window. Eventually it was our turn and I pushed the throttles forward. Our bomber raced down the runway, the wings flirting with the thought of lift as we skipped across the pavement. Finally, the bomber lifted off and we hurriedly raised the landing gear. As we started to climb up with the rest of the squadron, there was a loud bang and a pop that drew my attention towards the left wing. "We've got a fire!" I shouted and immediately I set about shutting down the burning inboard engine. After cutting the engine mixture, feathering the prop, and hitting the engine's fire extinguisher; we let the nose drop and stated banking back towards the airfield. Just as I thought we were in the clear, Coal hit the intercom button as he leaned forward. "Looks like left outboard is running hot!" He said while leaning over to look out my side window. Looking out with him, I saw a couple large holes in the side of the cowling. "Look's like the inboard threw some shit when she blew up." I stated as I surveyed the situation we now faced. After thinking it over and casting a couple glances out the front window, I hit the intercom again. "All crew to crash land positions!" As I adjusted my hands to better grip the wheel, I caught a glimpse of Powder Keg and Windsock climbing up to join Scratchy against the bulkhead. We shut down the left outboard engine and I smacked Coal's shoulder with the back of my hand before pointing out the front window. "Let's try and set her down in that pasture." I said as a snow covered field loomed through the fog and dark. Coal nodded in agreement and I looked back at the three stallions sitting against the bulkhead. Powder Keg's one full ear and the small stub of the other one was folded back as he looked up and mumbled a prayer to himself. Windsock and Scratchy both sat silently and stared ahead, neither one seeming to blink. We neared the ground and Coal and I pulled back on the controls to level ourselves out. The nose lifted a bit and the bomber's tail gently began to drag through the snow. Pulling back on the mixture controls for the last two engines, I heard them cough and then die as the nose settled onto the ground. A cloud of snow flew up from the touchdown and I had already unstrapped myself from my seat before the plane had stopped sliding. I slid open the side window of the cockpit and squeezed out of it, my flight suit not helping me as it kept snagging on my way out. "What the fuck happened?!" A voice shouted and I looked to my left to see Sharpshooter galloping away from the tail of the bomber with the others not far behind him. My heavy flying boots slammed against the snow covered ground as I tried to run as far from the bomber as I could. Approaching a wooden fence that bordered the pasture, I placed my hands on the top and swung myself over the fence. I stopped to catch my breath and turned around to look at the bomber that now began to smoke again. Another look around found that all of the crew had made it out safe. Now there was only one more problem. "Where in Tartarus is the base?" Powder Keg asked as we looked around at our surroundings. We could only see trees in every direction around us and I suddenly longed for the heat that came from the close quarters of the bomber. The sky was beginning to get a blue glow on the horizon and we finally gathered our bearings from that. "I think we can find our way back to base from here if I can get to my maps in the bomber." Powder Keg said as we looked at the sky and then back to the bomber. More smoke was coming from the damaged engines and I shook my head. "We got lucky once. I'm not risking anybody going back in there." I replied as I looked back around at the trees. "If we all walk in one direction then we'll eventually hit a road. From there we follow the road to a house or town and get a ride from there." With one more glance at the bomber, I saw the familiar sight of fuel leaking from the wing as the engines let out an angry hiss from the heat. "We better decide on a direction now cause I don't care to be around when that bomber finally goes up with all those bombs on board." As if we had all decided in our heads, we started walking towards the rising sun. Now I only hoped that we wouldn't be too far from civilization. My knees were killing me. ~~~~~ 06:00 Hours February 16, 1988 Somewhere in the Crystal Empire ~~~~~ We all had been walking for what felt like ages. My feet and knees were begging for rest but the temperature only seemed to drop as we trudged onward. The sun now sat just above the horizon and I stole a glance down at my watch. "Fuck. We've only been walking for a half hour?" I asked as I looked back up at the sky. "I'm getting old. I sound like my grandpa." I complained to myself as we all stopped to take a short breather. As we all stood there, I could see a column of black smoke rising into the sky from the direction we had come. Just as I was about to sit down on the stump of a tree, Windsock raised a hoof and pointed. We followed his hoof towards what he was pointing at and saw the wonderful sight of a small village only about a quarter mile outside of the woods. With shouts of joy, we all took off running; any fatigue forgotten in that moment. Our boots kicked up snow as we all ran towards the village and from the edge of town we saw crystal ponies stop to see what all the shouting was about. With a smile, I attempted to skid to a stop in front of a white crystal mare but hit a slick patch and fell to the ground. I continued to slide and collided with the mare, her landing on my chest as a result. "Hi!" I said with joy a moment before we collided with the side of a house. Dazed, I shook the snow from my head and smiled at the mare who was clutching me as she shook with fear. "Sorry, Miss. Didn't mean for that to happen." I told her as I stood up yet she remained firmly attached to my chest. "Need help?" A stallion asked and I turned to see a stallion that had a green coat that looked like it was made of emerald. He approached and carefully began removing the white mare from my flight suit. "I do apologize for Pearl. She can be a bit jumpy around new folks." The stallion said as he finished peeling the frightened mare off of my leather flight suit. "I'm Emerald Stone by the way." He said as he set Pearl on her hooves and extended a hoof. I stuck my hand out and shook his hoof with a smile. "Lieutenant James Jones, Royal Equestrian Air Force." I replied as I looked at Emerald. Even his eyes were emerald green. With a quick glance around, I saw that the others had made themselves friendly with the townsponies. Powder Keg was already hitting on two mares with Windsock by his side. He wrapped a foreleg around Windsock's shoulders with a smile and one of the mares was clearly eyeing Windsock as her cheeks flushed every time she glanced at him. Looking back to Emerald, I smiled again as we looked to Pearl who now was calmed down and was looking down at the ground. She kicked lightly at the snow and I saw her glance over at the area where we had collided. There on the ground sat a basket that had some sort of flowers spilled out of it. "Oh, geez. I'm sorry Mrs. Pearl. I didn't mean to make you drop those." I said as I walked over to the basket and carefully placed the flowers inside. Carrying the basket over, I gave it to her with an apologetic smile. "Thank you." She mumbled in a voice that I could barely hear. A tremendous boom suddenly sounded through the air and Pearl yelped in surprise as she jumped to hide behind Emerald. I turned to look as a large cloud of black smoke drifted into the sky. "What was that?" Emerald asked as we watched the smoke. I chuckled with a guilty grin as I rubbed the back of my neck. "That was sorta, maybe our bomber." I replied and he looked up at me. "Where are you guys stationed at?" He asked as Pearl quietly emerged from behind him. She quietly began gathering up the flowers again as she picked up the basket. "Emerald Aerodrome." I told him as I tuned my attention away from where the bomber was. He gave a light laugh and I raised an eyebrow as he began to trot away. Pearl and I followed him into the small village that couldn't have been home to more than a hundred ponies. "I was the main sponsor for that when they started construction. They even named it after me." Emerald said nonchalantly as we stopped at a small cabin not too far from the edge of town. He opened the door and we walked inside where the warmth of a wood burning stove wrapped itself around us. While my flight suit was able to keep me comfortable, I smiled at the thought of the heat that the stove was putting off. "Not to sound like an ass, but this is rather modest for somepony who can sponsor an aerodrome." I said as we sat down on benches at the small table in the middle of the room. Besides the main room, there were only two other rooms in the home. "We live modestly here. Most of these homes were around for decades before the Empire vanished and our home has been here since my great-grandfather built it." He said with a wave of his hoof around the home. "This town used to be a lot more prosperous though. Originally, one of the biggest gem mines in the Empire was outside of town. And then He came to power and now the mine is empty, all of her gems taken." Pearl looked down at the table with tears at the corners of her eyes but a green hoof gently placed itself under chin and lifted her head. She looked up to Emerald and he gave her a reassuring smile to tell her that it was alright. With a small smile, she set about getting a vase for the flowers. "If I may, what kind of flowers are these?" I asked as I looked at the silver flowers in the basket. "I would love to have some of these for my flower bed." I said and Pearl froze where she was standing. Her head turned and I saw a somewhat terrifying look in her eyes as she smiled. "Now you've done it." Emerald said as he grabbed a tin cup of water off the table and took a sip. "What'd I do?" I asked in a whisper as Pearl filled a vase full of water and then started to walk back to the table. "Pearl loves to garden. I think you just found a new best friend for your stay here." He said with a small chuckle and then got up to go into one of the rooms. Pearl set the vase on the table then sat down across from me with the smile still in place. "So, you like flowers?" ~~~~~ 18:00 Hours February 16, 1988 A Village in the Crystal Empire ~~~~~ I sat at the table and took a drink of water as Pearl continued to talk about her flower garden. I had enjoyed lunch with the wonderful couple who's hospitality had been extended after Emerald's phone call to the base. Apparently it would take a truck overnight to reach us due to a recent snowstorm and thankfully we had all found someone who would let us stay the night in their home. At the stove was Emerald who was busy cooking dinner for us. The smell of fish filled the room and I looked over at the cooking meat and then at the two ponies. "I don't mean to be rude, but do you guys typically eat meat? I know pegasi eat fish because my wife keeps some in the freezer but I didn't know crystal ponies did too." "Because of our remote location and only being about five miles from the coast, fish has been a staple of the town's food supply since its founding. Out her there's very little food during the winter months. Come spring and summer, we can get cabbages that weigh up to ten pounds from the amount of sunlight we get. But between is when we rely more on what we can get. Fish is one of those." Emerald said without looking away from the fish. Outside, it was already dark out and I sighed as I stood up. Unzipping my leather flight suit, I began stripping it and I was soon just in my regular uniform. Emerald turned to the table with the pan of fish and set it down. As he sat down on the bench next to Pearl, I noticed a fourth plate sitting next to mine. Just then the door flung open and the inrush of cold air chilled me to the bone. It slammed shut and I turned to see a blue/green crystal filly removing her wool coat and scarf. "Lieutenant, this is our daughter Turquoise. Turquoise, this is Lieutenant James Jones. He'll be staying the night with us." Emerald said to her and I saw her smile to me. I smiled back as she trotted over and sat down next to me. We passed around the pan and each took a piece of fish. It may have just been over a day, but I felt as though I was a part of that small family. ~~~~~ 01:20 Hours February 17, 1988 Turquoise's Bedroom ~~~~~ I sat up straight from the bedding I'd set up on the floor and looked around. I gasped for breath and my body was soaked in sweat. My eyes darted around the room, ensuring that the griffin fighters shooting us were just a nightmare. A small groan from next to me made me look over at the bed to see Turquoise roll over on her bed to face me. "Are you alright?" She asked with sleep still in her voice. "Yeah. Just a bad dream." I replied as I rubbed my face with the palms of my hands. "Would it help to talk about it?" She asked as she sat up but kept her blanket wrapped tightly around her. I smirked in the darkness at the question. If one can always find someone to give out kindness, it's kids. "Doubtful." I said but I heard her slide off of her bed and walk over to me. A warmth landed on my shoulder and I looked over to see that her blanket was wrapped around us. While a bit awkward to say the least, I wasn't about to push away the filly for fear of hurting her feelings. "What was it about?" She asked and I softly sighed as I had by now endured the dream enough to have it memorized. "The war." I said simply. "I have those too. In my nightmare the bombers come back. They scream whenever they attack." She said and I immediately realized that she meant the Stuka dive bombers with their Jericho trumpets. "Well, don't you worry your pretty little head about those bombers. They're never going to come back. Alright?" I said and she nodded. She looked up to me and I gave her a reassuring smile. "You promise?" "I promise. Now, better get back to bed. Don't want to be tired tomorrow now do we?" I told her as I gently shooed her back to bed. She climbed back onto her bed and wrapped herself in the blanket like she was a little pony burrito. She rolled over to face the wall and I quietly laid down and covered myself back up with the wool blanket. Not long after, I fell into a peaceful sleep. ~~~~~ 10:00 Hours February 17, 1988 The Crystal Empire ~~~~~ I stood in front of Pearl, Emerald, and Turquoise in my leather flight suit and smiled to them. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. For now anyways. I'll be sure to come and visit you folks again in the future. Maybe bring my family up and we can all have a nice lunch together." I said and they all nodded at the idea; Turquoise especially. Turning to look at the waiting truck, I saw everyone was sitting in the back and I chuckled at Windsock as he waved to the mare from the night from before; his face having a love struck expression to it and lipstick stains all over. Powder Keg grinned and I realized that he had finally managed to set Windsock up with a mare. Shaking the hooves of the three ponies in front of me, I said one more goodbye and hurried over for the truck. Climbing into the back, I waved for the driver to take off for our base. Before I dropped the canvas flap over the back of the truck, I gave one final wave to the wonderful family that had hosted me. They waved back and I dropped the flap with a smile on my face. ~~~~~ 20:15 Hours February 18, 1988 Emerald Aerodrome, Crystal Empire ~~~~~ Snow crunched under my shoes as more of it drifted lazily from the sky. Along side me strolled Franz and Charlie. Franz had said that his visit was one of having no work at the Ponyville airfield while Charlie had managed a three day leave and simply wished to visit the Empire. We discussed how things were going back at home, the war, weather, new airplanes; the basic bullshit that happens when three pilots like ourselves got together. As we talked though, I remembered an encounter that I recalled had happened before. "Hey, Franz." He looked over to me and raised an eyebrow. "You remember Micheal's dad, right?" Franz nodded as we entered the officer's club. On the wall behind the bar were portraits of Equestrian actresses and models in various pin up poses. We all sat down at the bar and the bartender looked over to us. I held up three fingers and he set about pouring three drinks. A couple moments later, the three drinks were set in front of us and he trotted away to give us privacy. With no prying ears, I told Franz and Charlie about the 109 escort that we had out of Germaney. "It might be him." Charlie said as he took a sip of his drink. "If he's anything like his son, it just could be him." Franz nodded in agreement and took a sip of his drink in thought. "Your friend John works in intelligence. Maybe he would know if that group is stationed there." Franz suggested and I felt disappointed in myself for not think of that. Reaching over the bar, I grabbed the phone and picked up the receiver. After a few connections from different operators, I finally had Canterlot on the line. "Canterlot military switchboard, how may I direct your call?" A mare's voice asked as I looked at one of the pictures of Fleur de Les on the wall. "Connect me with Central Intelligence, please." I said as I raised my glass up towards my lips. "And who is this calling?" "James Jones." I replied just before taking a sip of the whiskey in my glass. "Can I have your verification code please?" The mare asked while I set my glass down on the oak bar. "Verification code is Nightmare." I said and there was a silence as she patched me through to John. After a few moments, John answered the phone. "Hello?" "Hey, John. It's James. I was hoping I could get some info from you." I told him while glancing around to make sure no one was listening in. "I was hoping you could tell me what fighter group is in the vicinity of Hoofburg, Germaney." "Sure. Let me check my files here real quick." I could hear some shuffling of papers from his end of the line and a "ah ha!" as he found the one he was looking for. "Now, the group in that area is JG. 13 under the command of a Colonel Joshua Harper." John said as he read from the file. "Is he any relation to Micheal Harper?" I asked in a hushed tone. "He's his father. Why?" John asked and I quickly decided to end the conversation. "No reason. Thanks, John." Setting the receiver down with a small click, I looked over to Franz and Charlie. "Well he's definitely Micheal's dad. Maybe he remembered me from Zebrica?" I suggested as I took another sip of my drink. Franz and Charlie shrugged their shoulders in response. "Oh well. That's one mystery solved. Also, when you guys get back to Ponyville," I pulled a small book out of my jacket pocket "can one of you give this to Harts Fire?" Sliding the book over to them, I made sure they could see the title; The Life of a Crystal Knight. "I liked it very much. I know he likes to read so I figured someone else may as well enjoy it too." "What's it about?" Franz asked as he picked up the white book to look over its covers. "A knight in the royal court before and during the reign of Sombra. Kind of romancey in spots but a good amount of action and whatnot." I said as I slid my empty glass away from me. "Basically, he grows up in a farming family but joins the Crystal Empire's Royal Guard against his father's wishes. He gets a commission and is knighted by Luna and Sombra after their ascension to the throne. He winds up on the royal court and meets a beautiful young mare. They get married and all that sappy bullshit and it goes all the way up until the war and vanish of the Empire." Franz nodded in approval as he set the book down on the bar. "So, now that we're all finished with our drinks, who wants to go spend a night on the town?" ~~~~~ 01:54 Hours February 19, 1988 The Rose Gentlecolt Club, Crystal Empire ~~~~~ Charlie, Franz, and I all stumbled our way out of the front door of the club and into the cobblestone streets of town. The streetlights along the road were dark, as they would be for most of the war, and I found it difficult to find our way; though the alcohol in my system may not have been helping at the time. As we stumbled along, I could hear a song playing on a radio in a store front and I began to sing along as I remembered it fondly from my time in Zebrica. "Resting in a billet just behind the line Even tho' we're parted your lips are close to mine" Franz and Charlie heard the song as well and joined in as we all drunkenly stumbled along the street Charlie and I's voices mingled with the German sang by the radio and Franz. "Hebt mich wie im Traume Your sweet face seems to haunt my dreams Wie einst Lili Marleen My own Lili Marlene" The song ended as snow started drifting down on us and from where we stood on that dark, empty street; it seemed as though we were the only living creatures on the planet. What I didn't realize was that despite the incoming weather, the mission for that day hadn't been scrubbed and I would be taking off in only four hours. ~~~~~ 08:50 Hours February 19, 1988 The Skies Over the Griffin Empire ~~~~~ I took a swig of black coffee from one of four thermoses I'd brought along to try and sober up. While my takeoff had been somewhat wobbly, I showed that even while drunk I could fly a plane. Looking back, it wasn't the best idea to do so but hindsight is always 20/20. Around us flew other bombers that consisted of our group and several others that were on their way to Gryphus. "Remember boys, call out any fighters you see." Coal said over the intercom and I looked out the window as my head pounded like a kettle drum from my prior stupidity. Below us passed farm fields and I looked up to see a single engine fighter coming our way. It's big, fat radial engine was most obvious to me and I felt my heart leap into my throat. "190 at ten o'clock level!" I shouted and Scratchy's turret quickly swung around to face the incoming fighter. But just as the gunners were about to fire, the fighter banked left and flashed a star and bars under its wing. "Stand down, he's friendly." Came my order as I feared that in their excitement, some of the gunners may not have realized he was actually a P-47 Thunderbolt. A couple seconds later there were more Thunderbolts appearing from above us. Some of them I noticed weren't equipped with the regular eight .50 calibers but four 20mm cannons in their place. "Heavy hitters." I said and Coal leaned over to look at the heavily armed fighters. "They certainly are." Coal said as he watched a Thunderbolt flying a few dozen yards from us. He leaned back and went back to his instruments. We fell back into the routine of just looking out the windows and waiting to get jumped by fighters and flak. Ever since the loss of Blueblood, we had all grown quiet on our rides to and from the target despite attempts to strike up conversation by the replacement crew members. We only seemed to talk when it was to call out fighters or something else related to the mission. Just as I was about to click on the intercom to remind the crew to keep their eyes peeled despite the friendly fighters, tracers ripped past the bomber and a second later they were followed by an Me-109 that roared over the left wing and climbed up to begin another pass on us. With a sigh, I adjusted my oxygen mask before gripping the control yoke harder. "Welp, here we go." ~~~~~ 13:45 Hours February 19, 1988 Emerald Aerodrome ~~~~~ I dropped down to the concrete with a thud from my boots. From the nose hatch dropped Powder Keg and Windsock as I removed my flight helmet and wiped back my sweaty hair with a shaking hand. Looking up at the new B-17G, I let a thin smile cross my lips before turning to the crew chief as he trotted up to me. "We brought her back as best we could, Chief." I told him as his eyes darted to the fin where two lines of bullet holes sat running down from the top of the rudder towards the waist guns. "Like I said, as best we could." "That's an easy fix. At least you didn't bring her back looking like the first one." He said, his backhanded compliment making me nod in agreement. "Alright. You go ahead and head over to debriefing and we'll get to work." The pudgy Sergeant First Class said as he adjusted the ball cap that sat atop his head and covered his short mane. I headed over towards the debriefing shack but stopped when the sound of a damaged bomber filled the air. Turning, I saw a bomber with an engine out on the left wing and only one wheel down coming in to land. The wail of sirens sounded throughout the base and I saw dozens of ponies stop what they were doing to watch the show. It seemed that there was always one after each mission. Just when it seemed that the bomber was going to make it, the left wing dropped and the bomber began to head for the ground sideways. The ailerons were all the way over for a right bank, the bomber didn't recover and the wingtip hit the ground. The nose of the bomber was sent towards the ground and the mammoth aircraft cartwheeled twice before being completely engulfed in a fireball that continued to roll for a couple hundred yards. After a few moments, everyone resumed what they had been doing and I let out a sigh. It's horrible to say, but I didn't really feel anything after just seeing ten ponies die a fiery death. The air war would make someone like that. Every mission meant seeing someone you knew die either from flak, fighters, or a crash. Reaching into my pocket, I grabbed a cigarette and started to walk away for the debriefing hut. ~~~~~ 14:00 Hours March 17, 1988 Emerald Aerodrome ~~~~~ I was showered in champagne as I dropped down from the nose hatch and I let out a shout of victory as I raised my hands in the air. Cigars were passed around to all the original crew members as we had just completed our twenty fifth mission and our tour of duty with the Eighth Royal Equestrian Air Force. As we all celebrated with booze and our cigars, the crew chief held up a camera and we all stopped dancing around long enough to get a picture together. As soon as the flashbulb had flashed and popped, we all started celebrating again as other crews converged on our hardstand to congratulate us. But while I was celebrating in the Crystal Empire, there was something stirring in Equestria. ~~~~~ Meanwhile In Canterlot ~~~~~ Fancy Pants walked into the foyer of one of the many mansions in Canterlot. But the owner of this particular mansion was no ordinary pony. He was a member of the Royal Court and a personal friend of Air Luna World Airways President Round Trip. Fancy, who was the Chairman of the Board for Trans Equestria Airlines, knew that he had not been called there for just a friendly visit. He walked with a limp towards the dining room. His face and body were still bruised from a recent air accident but he made certain not to wince when he saw an older stallion sitting at the table. His light blue coat was graying with age but his eyes still held a fire in them that showed his drive to get whatever he wanted. Iron Hoof looked up at him and gave him a polite smile which Fancy returned but made sure not to let his guard down around the old stallion. Fancy sat down at the table and they began to eat while conversing about the one thing they had in common, flying. Iron Hoof was becoming well known for his bill trying to create a Civil Aviation Board. Once they had finished the main course and dessert had been brought out, Iron Hoof looked over to Fancy Pants with the fire back in his eyes. "Now, I'm sure you've clearly figured out that I didn't call you here just for a nice lunch." Iron Hoof said as he placed his forehooves together on the table. "I'm not gonna beat around the bush so I'll just come right out and say it. You need to sell Trans Equestria to Air Luna." He told Fancy Pants as he leaned forward and looked closer at Fancy. "There's only enough room in Equestria for one international airline. Let it be Air Luna. Round Trip would give you a good price for it." Iron Hoof waited for Fancy Pants' response as he leaned back in his chair. Picking up his fork, Iron Hoof brought it down towards the dessert that had been placed in front of him before Fancy interrupted him. "You and your wife went on vacation to Mexicolt earlier this year, correct?" Fancy asked as he looked over at Iron Hoof with a look resembling a lion that had figured out how to take down an elephant. "That's right." Iron Hoof replied as he stabbed into the slice of cake with his fork and raised it up to his mouth. "And how did you get there?" Fancy Pants asked him as Iron Hoof started to eat the bite of cake. "We flew." Iron Hoof stated simply as he chewed the cake but then stopped suddenly as he seemed to realize where Fancy Pants was starting to go with that. Fancy Pants leaned in real close with anger in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to go to war with me, Iron?" "Fancy," Iron Hoof started "we just beat North Ponia and we're currently beating the Griffin and Changeling Empires. What the hell are you?" He inquired and a moment later Fancy Pants stood up as he levitated his brown fedora over from a hat rack. "Tell Round Trip I said thanks for the flowers in the hospital; and that he can kiss both sides of my ass." ~~~~~ 03:15 Hours March 20, 1988 Ponyville Aerdrome ~~~~~ The C-54 touched down on the runway, the tires letting out a breath of smoke and a chirp as they made contact. I looked out the window at the town of Ponyville. All was quiet as snow floated down on to Ponyville and I saw a car sitting over by the terminal building. The plane taxied up to the terminal and steps were pushed over to the tail door by two tired looking ground personnel. An inrush of frigid air swept through the plane and I was thankful for my olive colored, wool greatcoat as I followed two ponies out the back. I turned sideways to get through the door with my duffel bag and snow fell on me as I stopped atop the steps. There by the car stood Thunderstreak who waved to me and I waved back as I descended the steps. After months away, it was good to finally be back in Ponyville. Walking over to the car, I set my duffel bag on the hood and scooped up Thunderstreak into a hug. "Hello my little Buttercup." I said as I held her and she wrapped her forelegs around me as best she could. "Let's go home."