• Published 19th Aug 2013
  • 8,743 Views, 230 Comments

Fallen Equestria; Shattered Silence - Endless Nightmares



War breaks out, Celestia and Luna are pushed to the edge..and finally use one final solution.

  • ...
39
 230
 8,743

Lessons for a princess, Part Two of Three.

Chapter 4; Lessons for a Princess part two

Luna squees in delight, watching out the canopy as the jet rockets through the sky; faster than she or any pony has ever gone in Equestrias vast history. Approaching in the distance rather quickly now, is the Ever free Forrest. She grins, amazed at how fast the aircraft is arriving. The aircraft slows down significantly, and begins to glide at a gentle pace when the canards open. She looks around more at the town of Ponyville coming into view.

"Is this the place, princess?" Talon calls out over the radio, circling wide over the small town. He looks at his clusters before him, glancing at the altimeter and radar; a pilots habit. He searches for possible hostiles, knowing full well he likely isn't the biggest thing in the sky on this planet.

Luna nods, a grin plastered upon her lips. "Yes, this is it! You're doing great!" She looks around at the ground from her seat, enjoying every second of the flight. It's when she heard Talon over the radio again she pulls her attention away.

"I can see a structure in the woods up ahead...Looks like some kind of ruins. Want me to fly over?" He says, continuing his circle over Ponyville. Down below he can see some of the locals waving excitedly from what he thinks is a school house. He tips the wing and rights the aircraft, doing a nod to the excited filly's below.

Luna thinks quietly for a moment, and nods. She licks her lips and turns her gaze ahead, looking at the clusters before her. "Yes, that's my old castle...I haven't been there in a few years..Can we go there?" She speaks into the mouthpiece.

Talon changes course and throttles up again to a cruising speed, flying over the forest now. They remain in flight for several minutes, the castle in the distance coming into view. An alarm begins to sound over the radio. "Alert. Alert. Low fuel. Alert. Alert. Low fuel" The computer chimes. The pilot looks at his panel and changes screens, looking at the fuel status. The aircraft begins to shudder and lurches forward in a downward pitch. The port engine has just flamed out. The aircraft violently shudders again.

"We have to land! We're out of fuel!!" He yells out, fighting to keep the aircraft aloft. He can hear the alicorn beginning to panic, her screams as the plane violently pitches and rolls as it struggles to stay airborne. He spots a clearing ahead near the castle, with a dilapidated bridge and path, ending near a massive canyon. He judges the distance of it and makes the call. The starboard engine flames out.

"Mayday mayday! We are going down! Engine two is out!" He shouts, the computers alarms now screaming in the background. Sirens and chirps are heard as the aircraft sways in the air, the wingtips rocking high and low as he fights to keep airborne. He lowers the landing gear quickly. A trail of smoke is left behind the warbird as it descends out of power.

The alicorns mind is reeling as she screams, scared out of her mind now. She can't focus enough to use her magic, being rattled against the insides of the canopy glass and cockpit. She smacks her head against the glass hard, cracking it. She's out cold.

The aircraft pitches and yaws faster and harder as he comes lower to the ground. First the rear wheels touch, then the nose landing gear on the rough, uneven stone path. He quickly deploys the flaps and air speed brake, then pitches the canards downward to create more drag. After a bumpy ride for less than a minute, the aircraft skids to a halt near the edge of the cliff, its tail section hanging slightly over the edge. The engines wind down and the computer powers down. Talon looks around and opens the canopy, standing up in his seat after unbuckling and checks on his passenger.

Luna is bleeding above her left eyebrow from the force of the impact, but now awake, dazed and disoriented. She shakes her head slowly and puts a hoof to her temple, feeling a headache coming on. "Ow.....what happened?" She asks slowly, pulling back her hoof and seeing the blood.

Talon breathes a sigh of relief and looks around, seeing the castle a few hundred yards away. He turns again and sees the vast expanse of the canyon just behind them, and huffs out in absolute relief. "We ran out of fuel...and we just had a very soft crash landing." He states flatly. He jumps out of the cockpit and begins checking over the aircraft, looking for damage.

He sees some of the paint has been scraped off and a few dents and dings from rocks and the broken cobblestone path, but nothing major. The bird may still be flyable. "Great...just...fucking...great." He says as he takes off his helmet and throws it back into the cockpit. "Luna...we are stuck like chuck now."

Princess luna climbs out of the cockpit and bounds off the nose of the downed plane to the ground. Smoke is still rising out of the engines behind it, and she winces as she lands next to the pilot. Using her magic, she seals her small cut and heals herself, then notes the aircrafts proximity to the canyon. Her eyes go wide and she levitates the aircraft, pulling it away from the edge and setting it in a safer area. Her magic powers down now. "I am uncertain of who this chuck is...but it would appear that his situation is most unfavorable as well.." She says slowly, looking around. "And Tia says I don't get enough excitement or get out enough..Humph!" She says with a bit of arrogance. She turns to Talon and opens her wings, then closes them quickly as she feels pain from smacking them too hard against the cockpit walls. "Ooh...ouch!" She winces. "Looks like flying out of here isn't possible either..."

Talon kicks the ground angrily, a cloud of dust in its wake. "Shit!! How could I not check the fuel before we left!" He pauses, then turns to Luna. "You...you don't happen to have a spell for jet fuel do you?"

Luna shakes her head. "I don't think so, but I can try once I recover a bit..we need to get to shelter quickly soon though...the Sun will be setting shortly, and this isn't a place to be outside at night in..." her eyes shift around, scanning for possible threats.

"We'll go to that structure over there. Can you carry the bird that way so it's not out in the open?" He responds, seeing there are more than enough open spaces in its decaying walls for the aircraft to fit, even with the wings wide open like they are.

Luna alights her horn again and grasps the aircraft once more in her levitation spell. She lifts it effortlessly and walks next to her companion, the warbird floating lazily behind her. The aircraft tips slightly, its port canard tip scraping against the ground with a screech. She halts, lifts the aircraft higher and continues again. Once they reach the castle, she sets the warbird in the old and decaying courtyard, next to the broken fountain. It comes to a rest gently on its landing gear. The pilot uses rocks nearby to chalk the wheels, so it will not roll away. He looks around the decaying castle grounds, his hands on his hips. He lifts an arm and runs his fingers through his helmet hair, and whistles. "So this used to be your home huh? I'll bet the cooling costs were a bitch." He jokes.

Luna tilts her head, following him in stride. "I am not sure what you mean by that..." She says as she sits on her haunches next to him, looking around. She turns her gaze upwards when she feels a familiar presence, and smiles. "Fear not, we'll be assisted soon." She states cheerfully.

"How do you know? Did your space pony sense just tell you that?" He raises an eyebrow, looking at her with a mocking grin.

Luna rolls her eyes. "Neigh, we are being watched by mine sister as we speak. I could feel her gaze upon us just a moment ago." She motions with her hoof to the setting sun. She smiles with contentment. "It feels like she is calmed and relieved. I do not sense anger..."


* * * * *



Celestias magic glow fades from her horn and she opens her eyes. She smiles lightly, and huffs quietly. "They're ok...though it looks like the machine seems to have malfunctioned. I could see smoke rising from its tail section." She says quietly.

"Where are they now, princess? Is Luna safe? Did he hurt her?" Twilight asks with concern. "Is she a hostage?! Is the human going to eat her?!?!" She adds quickly, now excitedly worried.

"My little pony's, calm down!" Celestia says in her calm regal voice. "I sense Luna is confused, and no longer afraid. I do not believe they are in any danger, and I know she trusts him implicitly. If he was going to harm her, he would have already attempted to do so with the amount of chances she has given him....and I don't believe we're on his diet plan as a food source. He seems very content with the palaces cooking thus far...though I did notice he does have some sharp teeth, indicating he could possibly be a meat eater...." She trails off.

This only makes Twilight's eyes widen with fear. She swallows hard. "Prin...princess! We have to go save Luna from him!"

Celestia chuckles lightly and covers her mouth with her hoof, then looks at Twilight in the eyes. "Gotcha." She laughs. "I have no doubt he won't put her in any kind of danger. I can feel Luna's affections for him, and right at this moment the word I'm feeling is 'safe', Twilight. I believe that my sister feels very safe and content, though we should send some pony to go and collect them soon. I'll leave them there until my sister contacts me...She needs this time alone, to explore herself as much as she explores her feelings and thoughts. This could prove to be beneficial to her."

Celestia says with a soft smile, her alicorn mischief dancing in her eyes. Always the master chess player, Celestia plans to eventually go and retrieve them in a few days, if not right away if she senses they're in any kind of danger. And if they are in danger...Morrigan help who or whatever is the guilty party. The wrath of the sun princess is nothing to trifle with.

"For now, we must hold a conference with Canterlot and all of our subjects, to reassure pony's everywhere the aircraft is a friend, and to welcome it, not to be afraid. I'm sure the courts are filled to the brim with pony's waiting to ask for me to banish it, or some foalish thing like that." Celestia stifles a chuckle as she heads to the throne room.





* * * * *




Talon reaches into the cockpit and retrieves the sub machine gun and the pistol, then checks the barrels for rounds. He cock's the pistol and holsters it, then places the machine guns strap around his shoulder. He grabs his satchel and turns back to Luna. "So you and your sister can communicate just like that? Through magic?" He asks.

"Yes, it's something all alicorns and unicorns can do. The connection is especially stronger through relatives or siblings. I have also heard pegasi and earth pony's can also commune on some level as well, even over vast distances." She comments, eyeing the guns Talon is now carrying. "What are those for?"

He checks the sights on the assault rifle and glances around the far off tree line, scanning for movement. "Standard issue military side arms. All pilots carry these in case our aircraft is shot down over enemy airspace." He answers, not looking at her. "We should get inside soon, I'll go in first and clear it, then you can follow." He says, looking at the structures entrance.

"Alright.." She gulps, looking also at the dark entrance. The sun is starting to set quickly, dusk approaching fast. 'He's so brave..' She thinks to herself, her cheeks becoming flushed and hot. She watches him run upto the castles main door, amazed at his movements. He moves, in her eyes, like an experienced assassin or soldier would.

He runs over to the first column, ducking behind it. He listens intently for sounds or movement, then peers around the corner, staring into the dark room. When he hears nothing, he turns his gun around and whips around the pillar, pointing the weapon forward. He activates the flashlight on the muzzle of the rifle, then steps in, taking aim.

He looks left, then right, then walks further in. After a few minutes of checking and finding nothing but some various rabbits, a small snake and a few spiders, he steps back outside and lowers the gun. He waves to the alicorn, motioning to come. She complies quickly, and gallops to his side. The two enter the building, and she casts a protection barrier over the detached structure, encompassing the aircraft and them within its magical dome.

"That should do it..." She pants softly, then turns to face him as the glow of her horn fades. "Now nothing will get in while we rest. If you excuse me though, I'm afraid it's come time for me to raise the moon." She says casually, catching her breath as she walks to the steps again. She glances back, looking to the pilot.

She blinks slowly, gazing at him. Her cheeks become hot again and she turns her attention back to the sky before her, watching the sun dip below the horizon; painting the sky in a beautiful orange and purple before fading to darkness. She spreads her wings slowly, outstretching them to their full expansion. She winces in pain from the tender wing, but presses on.

The next thing the pilot sees is amazing. He never in all of his years and travels imagined he would see something so beautiful take place, right before his eyes. The princess always claimed she raised the moon and her sister the sun, but he was always in the shower in her private washroom when she did so. So this is his first time actually seeing it happen. Disbelieving his eyes, he stares in wonder and awe of the regal and majestic alicorn before him.

She pumps her wings, lifting herself into the air slowly, then throws up her forehooves as she seemingly pushes the moon into the sky. The moonlight giving her a pale white aura on her sleek silhouette. 'Damn...if only they designed aircraft like her...' He thinks silently as he watches in awe. The princess lands softly on the ground after a few moments, still facing away from him. The moonlight trickles between her feathers, illuminating her visage and casting a shadow on him. She turns her graceful neck and looks at him with her profile, her jade eyes seemingly glowing softly.



http://mekamaned.deviantart.com/


Luna stands frozen in her spot, looking at the pilot in the moon light. Her face feels hot after she figures out the pilot was watching her, just as she always hoped he would do someday. She blushes deeply, smiling softly. As she gazes upon him, she feels a warm dampness between her hind legs, and a small drip of warmth on her inner thigh to her hock. This causes her to blush more, as she flicks her tail to try and hide the dampness. She walks slowly to the pilot, lowering her wings to her sides and folding them even slower than normal. "I'm finished..." She yawns, then returns her half lidded gaze to him. "We...we should go inside now. It gets cold here at night if I remember correctly.."

Talon nods, remaining in place until the alicorn takes her place beside him. As she passes by him, she brushes close, the feathers of her wings glancing his hand and his side. He can feel the heat emanating from her. 'Looks like she pushed herself...lifting the bird probably took a lot out of her.' He thinks, following the alicorn into the room once more. He looks around, using the guns flashlight to search the room. He finds an old curtain that looks ancient hanging near a window. Not far from it in the corner is a still intact stained glass window, depicting two alicorns. One dark blue with a light blue flowing mane, and one white with a pink flowing mane. Behind them is a sun and a moon.

He walks to the curtain hanging down on the broken rod, and rips it down. He lowers his gun and lets go, the rifle coming to rest at his side. "We'll use this so we don't have to lay on the floor. Might keep some small insects and other crawlies off of us." He says, looking at the faded and torn fabric in his arms. It's heavy, and feels like it's made of twine, like a potato sack back on Earth. He walks to a nearby corner near the stained glass window and lays it out. He pulls out his boot knife and cuts off a large portion, ties the bottom of it into a knot, and makes a sack from it. He walks around the room, finding broken areas of the floor and pulling the grass growing in them, filling up the makeshift pillow until its full.

"What are you doing?" Luna asks as she watches the pilot walking about the room. She lays down on her belly ontop of the fabric. She tilts her head, watching him intently. She has her regalia off now, and lays her head on her front hooves.

"Making you a pillow, ma'am. I'll stay awake and keep first watch to protect you." He finishes packing his makeshift pillow, and ties the open end off. He walks over to her and sets the pillow down, then takes a seat next to her, his rifle firmly held in his grip. He shuts off the flashlight, moonlight now flowing into the room.

"Oh...Thank you.." She sniffs the pillow, then levitates it to her and rests her head on it. She eyes the pilot half lidded, watching him. She scoots closer and licks her lips, breathing deep and taking in his scent. It's intoxicating to her, still the same sweetness from the first night, still a mixture of the fuel and exhaust on his flight suit..and smoke? She sighs softly, thinking of the mixture. She feels the area of her hind legs getting damp and hot again, it's almost unbearable to her. She lifts her head and is about to speak, when her stomach rumbles loudly.

"Hungry again, huh girl?" He says thoughtlessly, catching himself as he finishes his sentence. 'Shit!....dumbass, she's a princess, not your pet!' He thinks as he facepalms. "I mean Princess...you're hungry I take it?" He asks, not daring to look at her.

She wilts, hearing his tone. She doesn't want to be seen as a pet, but to him she doesn't want to be a princess either! She appears crestfallen. What she wants, is so much more. "Yes...I am very hungry. I skipped breakfast with Tia this morning so I could catch you in the hangar.." She says softly, looking to the ground. She looks back up when the pilot has a small container of apple slices open, and a piece of an apple in his outstretched hand.

"I uh...I Meant to give you these for lunch." He says, looking away from her. He's focused on the door, fixed on the darkness and the tree line in the distance.

Lunas eyes light up and become watery and teary. 'He's kind..sweet..gentle...brave...what more could a mare want?! I have to tell him how I feel...I just hope he feels the same!' She thinks inwardly, slowly nibbling one of the slices in his hand. As she's eating, she watches him, accidentally getting too close to one of his fingers..she bites down.

He doesn't move. He doesn't even flinch when she sank her teeth into him. What catches her taste buds next, leaves her in horror. She can taste something metallic... 'Bl...blood?!' Her mind screams. She leaps back in absolute fear of what he may do, while trying to not swallow the droplets of his blood in her mouth. She looks down at his hand, it's trickling blood onto the cold dusty floor. Her eyes go wide in terror as he turns his head to her.

He looks down at his hand, then back up to Luna. He looks down again, seeing the crimson flow of blood falling freely to the floor. "Luna...That hurt." He said slowly, looking at his hand. He turns on the flashlight again and looks at it, seeing a portion of his skin on his pinkie and ring finger was missing, blood flowing freely from it. He wipes off the blood on his pant leg then holds his hand out again. "If you could patch that, I'd be grateful." He says calmly, returning his gaze back to the door.

She is about to cry and beg for forgiveness as his gaze locks onto hers, until she hears his tone and words. He speaks softly, with no hostility in his voice at all. There isn't any hint of malice, no vengeance, no wrath! Just him calmly asking her to heal him! She nods her head furiously and closes her eyes, lighting her horn. Magic encompasses it, and she touches her horn tip to his hand, healing the damage. The blood stops flowing now. She swallows her mouthful hard, realizing her mistake.

She also swallowed his blood. The thought makes her queasy, knowing that she just drank blood! From a human no less! She stares intently at his now healed hand, the blood from the earlier wound still on it, and likely on her horn. His hand is still outstretched. She shudders and suddenly faints.



* * * * *



Luna awakens a few minutes later to Talon standing over her, a look of concern on his face. he's shaking her gently. His voice sounds muffled at first, then clears. "...You ok Luna?" he says. He's cleaned the blood off of his hand, and also wiped her horn down too to get the remaining blood off of it. He couldn't get the grooves clean, so there is some dried flecks in them.

She opens her eyes, her pupils small with fright. She rolls back onto her belly and looks up at him, then back to his hand. She sees the blood is gone now and his hand clean. "I'm...I'm.." She stutters, tears welling up in her eyes. What happens next catches her completely off guard.

He drops down to her quickly, falling to his knees. He wraps his arms around her, embracing her neck. Her muzzle is on his shoulder and he strokes her mane and neck. "It's ok...I know you didn't mean too.." he says, trying to calm her down.

She pulls away, tears in her eyes and flowing freely down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry!" She cries frantically, looking him in the eyes. His features are soft, and he's smiling sweetly.

"Nothing to be sorry for Luna. It was an accident. See? I'm fine now." He holds up his hand and flexes it. "Believe me...if that's the worst that is going to happen today then I'm pretty luc--"

He's cut off when Luna lunges forward, pressing her muzzle against his lips in a kiss. She presses hard, her eyes closed tightly. Tears still come out and flow down as she forces the kiss. She stays like this when she notices he isn't resisting. She pulls away after a moment, breathless and blushing.

"Well!" He says, surprised. "I...I can't say I seen that coming." He says flatly, looking at the alicorn blushing furiously in front of him. "I'm guessing you feel better now?" He says slowly, looking into her eyes. It's then the unexpected happens.

Luna looks up at him and folds her ears flat against her head, her face flushed and hot. "That...I'm.." She stutters. She finally steels her resolve, and looks at him with resolution. "I love you!" She says with shaking confidence. "I'm in love with you! Ever since the first night when you held me, and every day since! I love you, and I wish you to stay!" She rushes. 'Oh mother what have I done! He's going to run away or reject me!' She frantically screams in her mind.

"I know..." he says, looking away from her to the door. He changes his position and sits down next to her, not looking at her. "And...I'd be lying if I didn't say I felt the same." He sighs out the answer. He looks at the aircraft gleaming in the moonlight, and takes a breath.

Her ears perk up when she hears his response. She nuzzles his side, and rests her head in his lap. Her ears twitch as she feels his heartbeat in his chest through his flight suit.

"Did I ever tell you why I joined the navy?" He says. He looks down at his lap warmer and sees her shake her head a bit, then he digs through his satchel next to him and pulls out an old photograph. He shows it to her with the moonlight coming in the window. It's of him, his wife and his daughter standing in front of their personal aircraft, an SBD Dauntless. His wife is holding a sign that says 'First Flight' and he is holding his daughter. The wife kissing his cheek in the image, and his daughter with a warm smile on her face. The image is bent, somewhat torn and faded. "I was married once. I had a daughter." He says, while he lights up a smoke.

Luna's eyes go wide, and she lifts her head to look at him. His gaze is still fixed on the aircraft outside. "What? You were...married?" She asks in pure horror. Her heart begins to pound in her chest and she starts to sweat, nightmares running through her mind.

"Was." He takes a pull off of the cigarette and ex hails, still looking at the aircraft. "This picture was taken the day before they were killed." He sighs and takes another pull, then ex hails. "A group of some very bad men had stolen some passenger aircraft, and crashed them into the building she worked in. Our daughter was in the child care center there, and I was at work on a construction site. We built that Dauntless in the picture together." He says as he ex hails the smoke, then finally turns to face Luna. "I joined the Navy to have a chance to find and kill the bastards that did that. A lot of people died that day on my planet. And it got my country involved in a very long war. Politics had messed things up and made it longer than it should have been." He finishes.

"I'm...so Sorry for your loss..." Luna says quietly, sadness in her voice. "I...I never knew.."

"It's alright...it's not something I ever talk about." He responds. He points to the aircraft with the cigarette between his fingers. "That large missile in the back was for the man that murdered my family." He begins. "That, is what we call a nuclear bomb, princess. His men launched chemical weapons that did more killing, so my team was sent in to nuke his nation and kill everything. My wingman and I were on our way to go and pay that man a visit." He finishes.

"I don't...I don't blame you." Luna says in a haunted whisper, tears streaming down her face. She doesn't understand his point, but doesn't like where he's heading with this conversation either. She can already feel her heart beginning to break, and that familiar old black magic calling to her. She can feel it whispering to her mind, and her blood run cold Her eyes begin to flash from her soft jade color to her draconic eyes.

"My wing man...He Probably finished the mission. On my planet now people think I'm dead...and I have nothing to return to anyway now." He says quietly, and turns to her. He can see her shaking, and her head pointed down. He raises his hand and begins to stroke her head slowly, tracing his fingers through her mane. "I have nothing left there. No home, no friends, no family to come back to. Here on the other hand...or other hoof as you say...I have you. I have my aircraft, and I have something to fight for again." He blows out the last of the smoke and puts out his cigarette on the ground next to him, away from her. "And that something is worth dieing for. So yes Luna. I love you too..." he finishes, then adds "But I have to admit, dating a space pony is going to take some getting used to."

Her heart skips a beat as she looks at him, the darkness ebbing away in her. She opens her mouth wide and squeels with joy, nuzzling him hard and pushing him over. She wraps her wings around him and sighs contently, shifting her weight to not crush him under hers. With a happy sigh, she finally has her answer to her greatest question.

Author's Note:

Part Three coming soon, what do you folks think so far? Leave your comments below!

Image credit to Mekamaned of Deviant Art. His work is great, and you should really check it out as soon as you can!