//------------------------------// // Voice // Story: These Final Words // by Scorch215 //------------------------------// The night after Twilight had listened to the alien transmission, sleep had been difficult to catch. Her mind raced with thought on what the message could mean and what could have happened. She had realized that the United States was a country and that the names the message had said were either cities or sections of the country. But the thought of what could have caused an emergency in so many places where the alien government would tell its people to seek shelter... She couldn’t come up with any solid theory that made sense to her. The only idea she could think of was something like when Tirek was destroying Equestria but the message had made no mention of something like that and she thought they would have. When she did finally fall asleep, her dreams were filled with images of alien ponies huddled together in caves and other underground shelters as Tirek rampaged across Equestria after draining the land of its magic. The next morning, she had gone and fetched her friends so they could listen to the message and maybe help her come up with some theories on what could have happened. Pinkie Pie, of course, had been the most enthusiastic about it, as she wanted to hear what aliens sounded like. Rainbow Dash had thought the idea of aliens was awesome while Rarity and Applejack were just curious and Fluttershy simply hoped the aliens were friendly. Twilight hadn’t told any of them what the message had said; she didn’t want it to affect what they thought while listening. Once they were settled, she started to adjust the dials again looking for the signal. After a few minutes of only static, Rainbow Dash sighed. “Come on Twilight, I thought you said you picked up a message from aliens. What’s taking so long?” She said, crossing her hooves over her chest as he hovered in the middle of the small room. “Darling, Twilight probably needs to find the message again.” Rarity told the flying mare. “Or she just dreamed about picking up aliens.” Rainbow said with a bored tone. “Listen, sugarcube, if Twi said she heard an alien message, then Ah believe her.” Applejack said. “Twi knows the difference between a dream and what’s real.” “I wonder what sort of parties aliens like to have.” Pinkie Pie mused as she bounced around the room. “Maybe they stopped sending the message?” Fluttershy suggested. “No, I don’t think they would have.” Twilight as she turned a dial. The static changed slightly and she smiled. She could hear a voice behind the static and she slowly adjusted another dial and… I repeat, this is Captain Jared Graceland to command. Please respond, Command. Twilight blinked. This was a different voice than yesterday and it seemed to not be a recording. Command, please respond. We have one-hundred and fifty civilians in need of medical attention. We have evaced to a safe zone fifty-six klicks south of the Seattle hot zone. I repeat, we have one-hundred and fifty civilians in need of medical attention. Command, do you copy? Twilight blinked again and looked back at her friends, who were all staring at the radio wide eyed; even Rainbow Dash had landed. “Um…Twilight, what is happening…?” Fluttershy asked. “I…I don’t know, this isn’t the message I heard yesterday.” She looked at the radio as the captain continued to speak: Command, someone respond! Where the hell is everyone? This is Captain Graceland to Command, respond! We are in need of medical supplies, we have injured. We need help here, dammit! Someone fucking respond! Twilight flinched as the captain was starting to lose his temper with the fact his command wasn’t responding to him. Dammit, we have women and children here Command! In desperate need of medical assistance. Fucking respond! Twilight reached a hoof out and turned off the radio. She had heard enough and wasn’t sure she wanted to hear more about the Captain’s situation and the fact whoever he was trying to talk to wasn’t responding for some reason. She turned and looked back at her friends and saw Fluttershy had retreated into her mane, her bottom lip quivering, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack just stared wide eyed. Rarity looked both offended and concerned at the same time and Pinkie’s mane had lost some of its poof as she stared sadly at the radio. “I…I don’t know what’s going on. That wasn’t what I heard yesterday. Yesterday’s message was some tones and a recorded message talking about an emergency being declared and that ponies should seek shelter.“ Twilight said. She was shaking slightly as she thought about what the Captain had said. He was trying to get aid from whoever was in charge. Ponies who hadn’t responded to him despite the dire situation he was clearly in. “Do….do you think they are going to be okay?” Fluttershy asked quietly. Twilight looked at her. “I…I don’t know.” Twilight said. She didn’t know what a woman was but she definitely knew what children were. And she could guess that the Captain was part of the aliens’ military, possibly the National Guard yesterday’s message had mentioned. She couldn’t help but imagine ponies cowering in some kind of cave while hurt and surrounded by their military that is supposed to help them, but is unable to do so because they’re in the same situation as the rest of them. “I….I think that’s enough listening to alien radio signals….” Twilight said. Her friends nodded and without a word, the group slowly left the small room.