85: The Magic of the Mind
Chirpy looks around at the farm and paths, “Wow, this place is far out.”
“Yeah it’s great, isn’t it?” Mindy giggles, looking down at the foal.
“No, I meant it’s really far from anything. I can’t see city lights anywhere.” Chirpy says seriously.
Dust sighed, “Yep, there’s a small town a few miles from here. No big cities through.”
Chirpy giggles, “Seriously, we’re all the way out in Timbuktu here.”
“What!” Dust freezes and looks at the foal intently, Chirpy withers a bit under the glare from the larger pegasus.
“I said we are far out.” Chirpy responds, backing up to hide under Mindy a little.
“No, you said…” Dust blinks and sits down.
“Timbuktu?” Mindy asks, looking at Dust, confused.
“That’s where I heard of it… Stupid, stupid, how could I have forgotten 'bout that?” Dust says, thumping her hoof.
Mindy tilts her head, “What?”
Looking up at the clouds, Dust huffs, “Dash and I used to chat about it all the time. The lost city of Timbucktu, there are a lot of human cities that are similar in name to pony cities. Timbucktu was a city that fell about a thousand years ago.”
“Ok.” Mindy blinks, looking even more confused.
“Timbucktu was known as the jewel of the sky. A massive trade center for all flying species, it dwarfed Pegasopolous. Even Cloudsdale is just a village in comparison.” Dust says, looking down at the little foal.
“Dash and I used to wonder if a few survivors made their way to the crystal empire. It was populated by sparkly eyed pegasi.” Dust says, shaking her head.
“Sparkly eyed?” Mindy look at him, “What’s that mean?”
“Well, according to Daring Do, their eyes were gems, their wing span was longer than a normal pegasus, and they were led by a powerful Pegasus named King Orion, its his crown that Queen Chrysalis has worn since his defeat.” Dust shakes her head vigorously, “That’s why her eyes looked so familiar.”
“Hah! I knew I didn’t mess the spell up that badly.” Mindy says proudly.
“No you did something totally impossible, you turned him into a type of pony that hasn’t been seen in over a thousand years.” Dust says firmly, “How?”
“Umm, I have no idea. I guess I’m just that good.” Mindy says and sticks her nose in the air.
***
Folding her wings against her side, the purple mare looks at Lt. Sanders, “You know why I was asked to speak with you?”
“Not really.” Sanders says as he lies in bed, looking up at the ceiling.
“The nurse is worried about you. She and the doctors thought you could use some counseling.” She says softly adjusting her glasses.
“I’ve been behaving for them.” Sanders says softly, looking at the holes or dots in the tile ceiling.
“That’s the thing,” The mare chuckles, “That has the nurse so worried. You’re behaving, eating when your told, not resisting or trying to do things for yourself, you are just laying here.” With a sigh the pegasus mare looks at her dark blue mane and blows it so it’s out of her glasses.
“They said I’m supposed to rest, so I am.” Motioning to his side, “I even have a clicker to make the pain go away if I need it.”
“Does it go away?” The pegasus asks.
“No… it just makes me forget about it. And maybe that’s best, just forgetting about it.” Sanders says softly.
“You’ve had not one, but two major life changing experiences. The crash, and then being a pony. It’s not unexpected for you to be stressed or depressed.” The pegasus says.
“You couldn’t understand.” Sanders said looking away towards the bathroom for a moment.
Fluffing her wings, the pegasus tilts her head slowly, “Then explain it to me, maybe I will be able to.”
“Every time I look into the mirror now; I see her face looking back at me. I feel her as part of me. I have her cutie mark. It’s like, I was always meant to be her. But I know that’s not true. I’m not one of Discord’s cursed. I’m not a real pony.” Sanders sighs, “When I look at myself I simply don’t feel right though. I don’t feel like I belong. I don’t feel like I match… who I really am inside.”
Sighting softly, she shakes her head, “That’s something a lot of ponies, and even some humans, feel at times. It is hard to understand and even harder to deal with.”
“I never thought about it or would have thought about it, but since the change its all I think about, and now it’s almost like part of me is lost. Trapped. Locked away, and I can’t be who I really want to be inside. And it hurts. And isn’t that what the meds are for, to make me forget about or not feel the pain?”
“What would you tell a pony who’s feeling like that after their change?” The pegasus asks, looking at Sanders.
“I’d tell them to give it time, to give it a chance. They have just gotten back their true form and to give it a chance, give it some time, it might just grow on them. But this is like getting my true form, and loosing it again.” He shakes his head and closes his eyes.
Fluffing her wings softly the pegasus nods, “Like somepony deciding after their change to go right through the mirror and come back?”
“At the same time I know, they are real ponies. For me, it was just a spell. Its not like I…” sighing he looks at the morphine button.
“It’s not like you’re a real pony? It’s not like you deserve to be treated like one?” She says softly to him.
Nodding slowly, “Yeah, I just feel so…lost.”
“A lesson I learned a long time ago, in a different life, is that the word ‘real’ never does anypony any favors. There’s no such thing as a ‘real’ pony, or a ‘real’ human, or a ‘real’ anything. We are who we are, and who you feel you are determines who and what you are as much as your shape or your cutie mark.” The pegasus sighs, looking into Sanders’ eyes with her own forest green orbs. “Coming to accept who you are inside is so important. Embracing yourself with honesty, love, and kindness will do more for you than anything that anyone else could do for you… and especially more than that button in your hand.”
She sighs again, “You’ve had a lot happen to you, in such a very short time. I’d suggest giving yourself time to heal and come to terms with things, don’t hide from it, don’t run from it but think about it. Give yourself a chance to heal emotionally. Then we can look at where to go from there.”
***
“Jet Stream, where are you?” Comes over her earpiece.
Rolling to the left as she pulls up off the updrafts. The wind is hitting the sides of the mountain and pushing up against her wings as she flies, “Umm, let me check. 44.95 by negative 122.36ish, why?”
“You’re in Oregon?!!?” White Lighting says in shock, “How did you get all the way up there!”
“The hell?” Jet Streams back wings and looks around. “I’ve just been flying around for the last well, day or so, I didn’t realize I came this far.”
“Well umm, you were Equestria’s endurance and distance flyer. Damn it. I was hoping it was a transponder glitch.” White Lightning says.
“I’ll start heading back now sis, sorry about this.” Streams said and turns.
“No, don’t be and you’re right where we need you.” Lightning’s sigh comes over the coms. “Head over to Portland international, Squawk 1277, keep altitude to four thousand feet. You’ll see a Coast Guard C-130 waiting for you.”
“Waiting? What’s going on and… why me?” Streams says with a half whine.
“Sis, there was a bad fire in Venetie, Alaska. Their Pharmacy and Clinic were destroyed.” Lightning sighs again, “Because of bad weather, ice fog, and snow squalls, the charter companies haven’t been able to fly in even emergency medical supplies. Insulin, and other medicine are needed. The guard is going to fly you above the squalls. From there you can bring down the medicine.”
“You’re sending me against windigoes? Gee thanks.” Streams says, changing her squawk code. “I’ll be at the airport soon.”
“Thanks, sis.”
***
Cookie giggles, looking sideways at Sea Swirl. “Now you’re getting it.”
“I had trouble using chopsticks as a human, but this is fun. Whose idea was this?” Sea Swirl asks, looking at the other unicorns.
Ballad, Sugarberry and Cipher giggle, and in stereo they nod, “Velvet’s.”
“Figured she tries to get us to use magic in everything we do huh?” Sea Swirl says, lifting a tempura tofu ball.
“So tell me,” Fleur says, lifting up some noodles, “How are you liking being your unicorn self again?”
Looking around the living room, Sea Swirl smiles as brightly as she can. “It’s natural, you don’t think about it after a bit.”
“Well there is some things I still notice.” Cookie says with a huff.
Giggling, Cipher looks over, “Yep but that’s because you changed more than some.”
“Would you give it up, though?” Ballad asks, “Would you want to give it up and go back to human?”
Everypony looks at each other.
Slowly they all agree, “No.”
“Settled then, no mirror for us unless we are planning on staying in Equestria.” Fleur says with a firm nod.
“Well I’m not going back without my songbird.” Ballad giggles.
Sugarberry nods, “I need my Henry, and maybe someday he’ll chose to go back to being a unicorn.”
“I worry about them at times. As well as the others.” Cipher says with a sigh, “I’ve done my best to keep tabs on them.”
“The others?” Sea Swirl asks.
“Some ponies chose to go through the gate and come back as humans. They kept their cutie marks though.” Cipher says, “That magic stays with them, so they are living as humans, but still guided by pony magic and instincts.”
Looking back at her own cutie mark Sea Swirl cringes. “So even going through and coming back doesn’t change who we are, who we were meant to be.”
“Nope, I’ve seen the stress it puts on the Rangers, and they live with ponies every day. So I worry about those who don’t.” Cipher murmurs, “Or worse, those who fight their cutie marks.”
“Yeah, I can see a whole lot of counseling and meds in some futures.” Cookie says, “Even with me, losing my magic would be…”
“Hard to live with again.” Fleur says, nodding.
“Ponies forever!” Sea Swirl says and leans forward, holding her neck and horn out.
One by one each of the girls cross horns, “Ponies forever.”
As the last horn crosses, a bright flash fills the room.
***
Blaze plants his head square against Lightning Dusts tail and pushes.
“Why?” Dust protests loudly.
“Because we are having a meeting, and your room isn’t big enough.” Blaze says firmly.
Looking over her shoulder Dust huffs, “But I’m sore, and why do you want me there?”
“Because you’re a pegasus, because you’re involved, and because we want your input.” Blaze says and flips Dust tail over wings onto a small fluffy cloud.
“Well that was less than dignified.” Dust says with a huff, “I do outrank you.”
“Instructors and medical officers can still order even flag officers around, and I’m a Wonderbolt trainer.” Blaze says and starts pushing the cloud.
Once up in the air a bit, Blaze looks at the other clouds. White Lightning had hers done up with a couch on it showing off a bit, and Fleetfoot…
“Hey, that was my cloud, why didn’t you get your own.” Blaze growls, looking at the mare.
“Pregnant mare, I claimed it.” Fleetfoot says, looking innocent.
Groaning, Blaze shoots up and get himself another cloud, bringing it down for himself. “Mares sometimes.” He grumbles.
Fleetfoot huffs and stretches out, “Stallions, not understanding a pregnant mare’s needs. Or priority.”
“You know, I’d buy that, Fleetfoot, if you didn’t whine every time I tell you, you’re not on intercept duty.” White Lightning says, eliciting a giggle from the others.
“So what’s this about, Blaze?” Fleetfoot asks, looking up.
“Mindy’s screwed up spell. I got a call from the hospital. Sanders is suffering pretty badly. He’s lost his apatite, lacks energy, lacks enthusiasm. He’s lost his humor; he's became photosensitive, he’s not even resisting the nurse anymore.” Blaze says, crossing his forelegs.
Dust sighs. “He became a sparkle eyed pegasus.”
“Those exist?” White Lighting says sharply, perking her ears.
“Apparently,” Fleetfoot says, shaking her head. “His colors and cutie match a pony but its not one Discord cursed.”
Blinking Blaze looked over, “How do you know Discord didn’t curse him or her?”
“This is where things get confusing, the pony is from one of the other series prior to FIM, so Faust had no input on it. She’s also mentioned in the comics, but from like from a thousand years before Discord’s curse.” Fleetfoot goes on.
“Yep, okay, so…not sure what happened with the spell then.” Dust says, shaking her head. “Do we have a name?”
“Masquerade!” I yell from he ground. A moment later I’m met by four pegasi peeking over clouds down at me.
“Velvet?” Blaze yells down at me.
“Oh, one sec. I’ll be up in a moment.” Closing my eyes, I light my horn and let the magic surge.
“Wait!” Blaze yells.
Dust blinked, “Don’t!” is all she’s able to get out.
One flash of sparkles and I’m standing on the sofa beside White Lightning.
Instantly, Fleetfoot spreads her wings, getting ready to jump. Blaze is already in the air hovering, his eyes slowly narrowing.
Blinking I prance on the sofa cloud, and in a sing song voice, I cheerfully say, “Cloud walking spell.”
“Velvet, have I ever told you I hate you sometimes.” Blaze says and settles back on the cloud.
Fleetfoot giggles, “I should have guessed.”
“You should have guessed? I have a feeling she’s got me with that trick before.” Blaze says with a huff.
“Her names Masquerade, why the spell turned Sanders into her I don’t know, I didn’t think the spell could clone a pony.” I say, shaking my head. “But I might be able to turn her into a pony permanently using the gate.”
Dust sighs, “Oh so he only has to sufferer another two years of this?”
“Nope, I’ve been reading a lot of Star Swirl's notes. And I can make this work with the gate closed, per-se. Who wants to hear magical technobabble?” I ask cheerfully.
“Oh god, a Twilight Sparkle level explanation?” Blaze moans and covers his muzzle.
Taking a deep breath, I smile, “By temporarily charging the gate, I can create a dimensional tunneling effect. Thereby opening the event horizon without actually establishing a connection to Equestria. As Sanders enters the event horizon and the magic will turn him into pony form, however because there’s no connection the gate will throw him back out. By altering the magic involved on the reintegration process, I can prevent him from returning to human form on exiting our side of the portal.”
Exhaling heavily, I look at the others.
“And you read that in a book?” Fleetfoot asks, blinking rather blankly.
“Most of it, some of it I put together from notes, others, well its never been tried before and might void the warranty.” I say with a smile.
“And that, folks, is why the Twilight family is nuts!” White Lightning says, pointing a wing at me.
“So he’ll be a pegasus?” Dust asks quizzically, tilting her head.
“He’ll likely come out looking like he did before, a sparkle eyed pegasus. The cutie mark and magic therein will likely guide the form.” I say with a hopeful smile.
“So all we have to do, is get him to the gate complex.” Blaze says cheerfully.
***
“You spend hours in the sky apparently, and this bothers you?” The loadmaster shakes his head. looking at the little pink pony.
Grumbling, Jet Stream shook her head, “Flying on your own. Floating on a cloud, heck living in a cloud house is one thing. You’re moving with the air. Flying inside an aluminium can, the plane just bulls its way through rather then going with the flow.”
“So what’s that got to do with disliking it?” The loadmaster says, snacking on a Hooah bar.
“You know what? Ever hear of the movie, the Perfect Storm?” Jet Stream says, perking.
“Yeah why?”
“Ok think about watching that, with the sound just slightly out of sync with the show, now picture the chair you’re in rocking with the show, but just slightly out of sync. Your eyes tell you the ships starting to tilt but you don’t feel anything for the first second… then your eyes tell you its tilting the other way but you’re still feeling it rock in the old direction before it changes.” Jet Stream huffs, then urps.
Leaning over, the load master holds open a bag for the little pony. “An air sick pegasus. This has got to be a first.”
Wiping her muzzle with her foreleg, Streams looks up at the loadmaster.
“So why are you here then?” The loadmaster says.
“Simple, because you can’t land, and para-dropped supplies would never be seen again.” Jetstream says and sighs, “And I was the closest flyer with bad weather training on hand.”
“So what’s the gear for then?” The load master asks, looking at the duffle bag.
“Flight suit, to help keep me warm. Goggles to keep snow and such out of my eyes, goggles also have Google Glass so I can get GPS and map data. Just basic things. I’ll be flying almost blind by the sounds of it.” Jetstream says looking out the window, “But at least I’ll be flying.”
“Saddle bags are loaded with thirty pounds of medicine. Different types they need. While they are supposed to be shatter proof, try not to push things to hard.” The loadmaster says and starts strapping the bag onto Streams.
“How long?” Streams asks, looking at the rear door.
Giving the straps a tug and checking the balance, the loadmaster nods, “About fifteen more minutes till drop.”
***
“Lt. Sanders.”
Sanders looks over from his bed, “Yes?”
The doctor shakes his head, “You need to get up, they want you to get some simulator time.”
“First, you don’t want me out of bed, now you want me out?” Sighing Sanders pulls the covers over him a bit. “I still hurt.”
“Well, in this case, it’s an order, you need to report to the training labs.” The doctor says, “The nurse will be here in a few minutes to help you.”
“Morphine?” Sanders asks.
“Not today.” The doctor said, “You are getting some Tylenol. You are physically okay after your time as a pony. You need to be up and about now.” Heading out of the room the doctor closes the door.
Lifting his covers, Sanders looks at the mark on his hip, the three colored masks. “Why did you have to stay? Why do you have to remind me? Why?”
Opening the door, the nurse walks in, looking at Sanders, “Come on, let’s get you up.”
“Why did it have to feel so natural, so right?” Sanders says, getting up slowly, “Now I’m also wishing that I hadn’t been changed.”
“Did you have fun while you were?” The nurse says, helping him get dressed.
Sanders shakes his head, “It started as fun, then became more. Now I can still feel the callings, still feel the need, but all I can do is look up at the sky and know I can only fly with a machine. What’s worse though… I still feel like I’m trapped in a body that isn’t my own.”
“It will pass. You just have get moving.” The nurse says, “There is a tactical waiting for you, to drive you to the training center. The policy is to get you flying again as soon as possible after a crash.”
Walking slowly, Sanders gets into the car. The drive to the training center only takes about ten minutes. All Sanders can do, though, is sit and look out the window. Nellis Air Force base is almost all human personell, but there is still the occasional pony walking around. His mind wanders to those who had gone though the gate and came back. How much of a draw did their cutie marks have on them now?
The training building is pretty simple. Little more than a box building. It is labelled Mission Training Center, with several different flight simulators inside, from F-15s, F-16s, and F-22s. Up to the large scale simulators for the 767. While the cockpit layouts for large aircraft change from plane to plane, the simulators are often used more for crew training and familiarity with flying big aircraft.
Sanders, though, is heading for the FS1000, simulators. Those are made to train pilots in the Gulfstream series planes, everything from the five hundred through the seven hundred. They are actually based on a six-fifty cockpit however.
“Lieutenant, good to see you up and mobile.” A Major says as he smiles, “You’ll be paired with flying officer Mills today.”
Nodding, Sanders walks over and sits down in the right hand seat. Looking at the controls he sighs. He knows all the controls; he had just been flying these less than a week ago. Just a week? It had just been a week since he had saved that families’ lives. For a moment, he wonders how they are doing, if they are safe and happy. Laying somewhere on a cloud, laughing.
“Hi there, I’m Flying Officer Andrew Mills. Great to meet you.” The officer is hardly out of his teens. Pretty average looking in all aspects, red hair, clean shaven. Typical young pilot. Sanders wonders for a moment why he was getting VIP Shuttle training rather than fighter or attack.
“Lieutenant Sanders.” Looking back at the yoke, Sanders pushes it once with one finger.
“Ready to get started?” Mills asks.
“Yeh.. just…just a sec.” Reaching into his pocket Sanders pulls out the pink ribbon, he looks at it for a long time, then he carefully ties it in a bow around the control column.
“What’s that for?” Mills asks curiously.
“A girl needs her tail ribbon.” Sanders mumbles.
***
Dr. Ray noses his way into the big master bedroom, “Dust. I need to talk to you.”
Lightning Dust shifts in her bed a bit, her wings tight to her sides, she smiles wanly at the former veterinarian, “Hi Ray.”
He steps in fully, his magic closing the door behind him, he walks slowly to the bed, “I really have to talk to you, its important.”
She just looks at him expectantly until he continues, “Well, when it comes to Lt. Sanders and his plane crash. I’ve talked to a few ponies in town, and we found the ponies that caused the wreck.”
Dust throws the heavy comforter off the bed and flips her body off the mattress. She winces as she lands on the hardwood floor, the look on her face makes him take a step forward, only to be waved off by the turquoise pegasus, she trots towards the door, “Where are they? Take me to them,” She growls.
His magic opens the door and he leads her out of her house, he opens the door to her company truck sitting in the driveway, she gets in the passenger seat as he settles in behind the wheel, his horn glows as the engine fires up, the clutch depresses, and the shifter moves to reverse. He gooses the accelerator, and the big diesel pickup powers down the road. They make it to the farm in about ten minutes driving, he keeps an eye on Dust during the trip. Her ears are down, she’s in obvious pain from her ordeal, but she is healing, and the sooner she’s able to fly again, the better.
Soon they are crunching down the scoria road heading into the farm proper, he parks in front of the farmhouse. Dust settles herself onto a low sofa in the main living room as he walks upstairs, he returns quickly with three pegasi, two young foals and a mare.
Dr. Ray stands there for a long time, Dust glaring at the three ponies sitting there, they are obviously ruffled by the expression on the former Wonderbolt’s face, as evident by their shifting wings and flicking ears, she glances at Dr. Ray for a moment, then it dawns on him, “I’ll just…go.” He says softly as he heads back towards the kitchen.
As the door closes, Dust continues looking at the ponies, she watches the shifting hooves, and the flicking ears, finally the mare speaks up, “We were scared, Lightning Dust.”
Dust looks at the two foals, “I could almost excuse you two… because you are foals. But then I have to remember, you were twenty-five years as humans before you became those foals again. You should know better.”
The two foals droop, their tails clamping to their backsides as they back up a little bit, Dust directs her attention on Blueberry, “But you…what the buck were you thinking?”
Blueberry’s ears flatten and she scoots away a little herself, from the anger being directed at her.
Dust growls, “One human died, one human is recovering in the hospital, because you didn’t pay attention to the world around you. You are fliers, you have wings.” Her voice starts rising.
“But they are humans…”
“Because they are humans?” Dust screeches, “You were human, all three of you were human before you turned back into ponies. What if one of them was waiting for their twenty-fifth birthday to become ponies themselves?” Dust has leaped up, her injured wings flared aggressively, her voice like that of a weather manager calling out orders in the middle of a tornado. The trio of pegasi backing towards the wall as she continues, “Thank Celestia that wasn’t the case this time, but you didn’t even stay to witness the carnage you wrought. And now a human is dead. Because of your actions!”
Blueberry looks at the two foals, “But what if we had stopped? They could have shot us, or captured us?”
Dust flutters her wings, capturing is a bit of a sore subject for her, “While that is a legitimate risk, this is about what the right thing to do is. Your thoughtlessness caused the wreck, the most decent thing you could have done is help. We are ponies, we help those who need it. And Lt. Sanders certainly was in need. He bellied the plane because he refused to be responsible for your deaths. And you bucking featherbrains just flew away, as though nothing happened!”
The filly, Peach Pebble, starts to cry silently, tears rolling down her face, “I’m so sorry. I had heard about your place, where ponies were safe. I had them come with me.” She stumbles to a stop as Dust directs the glare at her, she sniffles and continues, “We should have stopped, but we were afraid.”
Dust snorts, “We are all afraid!” She starts pacing before the ponies, “This change has been horrible for all of us. But remember, Discord is the one who did it to us, not anypony else. Most of the humans have been accommodating, they’ve been helpful. In the case of Lt. Sanders, he’s been flying ponies all over the world, to help other ponies. Some humans are very bad, but most are good. I have human members of my family, they will stay human, but they are staying with me, because we love each other. Until the portal opens up, we need to get along with the humans. There are a lot of them, and not nearly as many of us. We need to lay low, and not make ourselves targets.” She again flicks her wings, “Trust me, being in the cross hairs of humans up to no good is a very bad thing.”
Blueberry moves over and nuzzles the filly, then she nuzzles the colt, who sat there, trembling. Then she looks at Dust, “Can we tell this Lt. Sanders how sorry we are?”
Dust looks at her for a long time, her ears flicking, finally she sighs, “Yeah, I think that can be arranged.”
***
“I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”
Sunny Daze sits panting, hoof over her heart looking up at the pegasus.
“I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” Drill Bit says, “Ambrosia just wanted me to come see what you were doing.”
“Its fine, I just heard horses and I’m taking a look.” Sunny says and sighs.
“Horses?” The confusion in Drill’s voice is obvious, “Why are you interested in horses?”
“Well first off, they are nice looking animals. I’ve always liked horses. That aside though, we get thought of as ponies, horses, and such, so now, if I hear horses I check to see there’s no ponies there. And in this case its important to do so.” Sunny says, turning and standing on her hind legs and looking over the hedges.
“Why?”
“Because that…is a slaughter house. They are killing horses there. And if any ponies are forced in there, I want to know.” Sunny says sternly.
“Oh, hang on I’ll check.” Drill says as he leaps into the air.
“No wait…” groaning, Sunny covers her muzzle. “Males… why are they always running off without thinking?”
Flying back, Drill lands looking at Sunny, “What? And no, no ponies.”
“Ok, because flying off like that, and getting spotted. We’d have had to act right away, without a plan.” Sunny says. “Sometimes stealth is the way to go.”
“Sorry, I just… kind of like… flying.”
***
The rear door of the C-130 drops down, “Drop in thirty seconds.” The loadmaster yells. “Are you sure you can fly in this?”
Looking down, Jetstream shakes her head, “Nope, not a chance, but I’ll fall with style, at least.” She turns to him with a quavering smile.
As the light turns from red to green, Jetstream spreads her wings. Instantly getting caught in the air wash, she is sucked out of the aircraft and into the darkness. Below her are the stars and moon, above her is the clouds and storm.
Shaking her head quickly, she knows that isn’t right. It only takes her a second to right herself before she dives into the clouds. To say visibility is limited is an understatement. All she can see is white snow, without her pegasus senses and her goggles providing her altitude and GPS information, she’d be totally lost.
Spiralling down, she finds herself being blown in different directions at times. It’s getting harder and harder to get back to the GPS mark of the town center. Town, if you can call it that. The entire town, not including the airfield, covers an area of five hundred by two hundred meters. With visibility as it is, she could easily fly past it without even knowing it.
The temperature is down near negative forty, Celsius or Fahrenheit? At that point, it really doesn’t matter. A human would freeze to death quickly in this weather without protection. Pegasi, though, tend to do better in cold weather, provided of course they have enough food. Add to that her flight suit, and she’s still cold, but in no danger as long as she can get in and out quickly enough.
Watching her altimeter click down, she works hard, constantly changing her course and trying to stay with the winds. Her greatest fear isn’t the weather itself though. She knows down at ground level there are trees everywhere. No visibility, and this kind of wind. she could easily be thrown into one. And a pegasus with a broken wing is as good as dead in this environment.
“Why am I even here? Why am I doing this?” Streams mumbles as she fights through another crosswind. “I’m no hero. I’m not some great Wonderbolt, element bearer, or even a royal guard.”
The only answer she gets is the howl of the winds, a cry, a sound, that reminding her of the Windegos. The howl lets her know she is getting closer to the ground. Doing her best to slow down, she starts fighting the wind so if she does hit a tree, it would be softly.
“I’m just a pony that likes to fly. But this isn’t flying, this is fighting. Fighting the winds, fighting the weather, fighting to help people.” A gust catches her, flipping her sideways a bit. She turns and powers her way down though the snow. “Then why couldn’t I say no? Why couldn’t I say I couldn’t do it? Why didn’t I back out?”
A sudden drop off of the wind sends her face first into a large tree. A large evergreen of some kind, but at least its branches are somewhat soft. Panting a little bit, she looks around, trying to get her bearings. She is close to the town, but again in this weather close means nothing. Working her way down the tree, she feels the snow on the ground finally.
“Ok, now to find the Co-op store.” Turning, she uses her GPS, she doesn’t like it, its error range is further than she can see. It’s all she has, though. Keeping her wings tight to her side she works her way through the snow. Flying only in short jumps, she needs to keep her wings tight to her side as much as she can to retain warmth. She tries only to fly if she finds herself sinking too deep into the snowpack.
Turning off her GPS she leans forward, through the snow she sees a light. The GPS had told her she was close, and the light has confirmed it. Working her way through the snow she sees the store, they have several lights turned on outside, probably to make them easier to see. The Co-op is where they are housing the makeshift clinic until a new building could be built. That, though, takes flying in more supplies.
Leaning forward she stops just inches from the door knob. “Okay, no, that would be so stupid. Opening a metal door knob with your mouth, you’d be stuck there for a long time while they try to warm it up.”
Rearing up, she spreads her wings for balance and knocks on the door. Using one foreleg to stabilize herself against the wall, she knocks again.
“Medical Delivery!” Streams calls out. “Can you open the door please?”
The Co-op worker opens the door, shielding her eyes from the snow and wind. Blinking a few times, all she sees was the silhouette of a figure back lit by the outdoor lights. Wing spread wide, halo of light. Stepping backwards she falls to the ground on her rear… “An Angel.”
Shaking her head, Streams pulls the release cords on the saddle bags and drops them on the ground in front of the worker, “Here you go, should do you for a couple of weeks.”
“Th..thank you…”
Turning, Streams shoots upwards again. Flying up she doesn’t need to actually see, per-se. All she needs to do is go up till she breaks through the cloud ceiling, from there she can find the transport aircraft and land there for the flight home.
“I wonder if I can get a Dash Party sized pizza. I’m starved.” Streams says.
***
“So what’s the plan.” The man asks quietly.
“We target her where she’s weakest, the foals.”
“The foals?” Blinking, he tilts his head.
“Yes, Feather and the two white ones. Kidnap them… and she will charge to their defense.”
“Then what?” The man inquires, licking his lips with a smile.
Grinning softly, “We capture her and show her where she really belongs. Then you can do whatever with the rest, sell them, kill them, whatever is easier.”
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First off, as editor, I've seriously enjoyed the Lt Sanders arc in this story. Everything you've done with this character has been amazing, Kitsy. Second, the enduring trials if the earth ponies heading north to the US, their interactions with each other have been wonderful. And also, just all the detail you pour into the stories. Always thoroughly enjoyable. You've kept this quality over 400k words, and I know you've got a lot to go. So from me, as a reader and editor. Keep up the awesome job.
Gorram it Nightlight
What is this picture in the Author's Notes? I don't know what this picture means.
I eagerly await for the ext chapter. Now we know what happened to the other pilot and have other questions. Did something like Discord happen to Timbucktu. That's a question how and why did Lt Sanders turn into a pony that hasn't been seen for centuries. I won't say extinct because we don't know that
7313287
That's Pizza Sunrise.
Poor Streams receives her just reward.
Keep up the Amazing work!
7313287 she asked for a Dash sized pizza.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/2/28/563393__safe_solo_rainbow+dash_animated_screencap_eating_pinkie+pride_spoiler-colon-s04e12_nom_pizza.gif
Dash's pizza's are HUGE
7313301
I think it was in Dust's story. She theorised (and had confirmed by Discord) that Discord had taken other ponies from throughout time to live as humans. This was done with a method similar to, but not the same as, the Five Score curse.
I've spoilered it because Dust's theory is conceived after the current time of this story.
their is really so much I want to say about how good this story is and it is super good.
and I am even a bit surprised no one is trying to work out how Masquerade came to be on earth.
but as I made a pinkie promise to Kitsy-can and sparky brony about when I help I will never give out spoilers.
but I just have to tell somepony.
Masquerade
Why do I understand this in someway? I shouldn't be able to understand this at all.
7314111
it is pinkie sense.
7314012 not necessarily Kitsy hasn't confirmed of denied it. It's mostly logical assuming Discord was around long before he took power or he's been playing around with time
7314354
Kitsy-chan is part of it, but because it relates more closely to Lightning Dust, I would first rely on Sparky Brony's word.
7314012 Yeah, Dust in the Wind finished ages ago, and since this is in the same 'verse as that one, there's a lot of incidental spoilers.
7326668 aye
7335984 Said the only few countries that use them.
The rest of the world and ALL scientists said otherwise.
Military in countries that use imperial system use both. Especially in campaigns that have them work with other countries.
7336785 Its not a civilian airport, its also not a really well marked airport. downside of not having google maps on you at all times... many of these single and twin runway airports especially military... are not really seen until you either get highup... or really close to them. hence a pegasus can fly across a landing field without knowing
7336841 I have passed small airports where it's just a control tower and hangers. That have a known look and Blueberry should know that. heck since she is so fearful at the time she should be more observant then normal.
*****
P.S. Finally (pant) i finally caught up with it all. (pant) I will now faint.
7339481 Around here we have several small airports. and some fo them you don't know are there till the plane flies over you...
its funny in this airports case... 1km out from it, forest, 2km out, houses, 3km out apartment buildings and shopping malls. Blueberry didn't check because she couldn't see it till she was up past 400 feet and at that point... she was already in the ILS Approach corridor.
It's quite interesting seeing the right-soul-wrong-body argument from the other direction.