The Starlight Broadcast

by ponyfhtagn

Pt.1 - Chapter 4

The Ponyville streets were still spotted with debris the next morning. Leaves, twigs, litter, broken glass, dirt and dust. Some windows were still boarded up. It was as if there had been an unscheduled storm and nopony had bothered to clean it up yet. It sure was taking a while to get things back to normal.

“Do I have to wear this?” Spike asked as they were sneaking out the back door.

Rarity had made just the cutest little fluffy white dog costume for him, complete with jewel studded collar. Spike had other adjectives in mind for the costume.

“It’s embarrassing,” Spike grumbled.

“Well we don’t exactly have dragons just wandering around Ponyville,” Rarity answered, adjusting her stylish sunglasses and her fashionable trench coat. “We have to go incognito. Why else do you think I’m wearing this fem-mystique ensemble?”

Spike blinked. “Even as a filly you’re still saying words I don’t understand.”

“Pardon?”

“Uh—I mean. It sure does look great on you.”

“Oh, I know.” Rarity twirled. “I modelled it after the adventures of Shadow Spade. Mother says the books are too advanced for me but I don’t see what all the fuss is about. I think they’re quite debonair.”

“Ah… It all makes sense,” Spike deadpanned. “But I still don’t see why I have to be a dog.”

“Hush Spike, or ponies will get suspicious.”

Spike looked her up and down in her over-the-top spy coat and shades. “If you say so.” He fetched out the list of names and handed it to her. “Where should we start looking?”

“Well…” Rarity said cautiously, taking up the list with her magic. “I know it’s rather gauche, but… we could start with the, um… the casualties list.”

Spike gaped at her.

“Oh, darling, no. I don’t mean to—That is, it’s just—” Rarity flustered a few moments more. “Well, you’ve got this Rainbow Dash as being in Flight Camp. And this Fluttershy. You say she fell off the cloudlayer?”

“It wasn’t like that!” Spike insisted. “She was rescued by butterflies!”

Rarity blinked at him. “…butterflies.”

Spike grumbled and reached for the paper.

“No, I’m sorry,” Rarity said sincerely, holding the paper away. “I just… I didn’t want you to get your hopes up.”

Spike pawed at the ground, sullenly. “I suppose we should… check.”

Rarity swallowed. “Oh dear. I’ve taken all the fun out of this, haven’t I?”

“This isn’t fun, Rarity. It’s the fate of Equestria.” Spike huffed and trotted off down the street.

“Look, mama!” some little filly exclaimed. “That puppy is walking on two legs!”

Rarity rushed up and hurried Spike to get down properly.

The parent of the loud filly turned to look.

Rarity grinned. “Haha, ohhh. Such imagination, us little ones.”

Spike panted happily and scratched his ear with his hind leg.

The mother quirked an eyebrow and carried on walking down the street.

Rarity and Spike both heaved a sigh of relief.

“Alright,” Spike whispered. “Where do we find the casualties list?”

“It’ll be on a noticeboard down at the post office. Let’s try to be careful.”

Spike nodded, and together they trotted off to find it.

The post office turned out to be rather crowded. There was a tangible grief to the room as ponies bustled to check the casualties list themselves, or to send letters to loved ones, or perhaps hoping against hope that maybe today there was a letter in reply.

Rarity tried to navigate around the legs of the older ponies, with poor Spike scurrying along behind her, dodging careless hooves and tail swipes.

“Oh, we’ll never get there like this,” Rarity pouted.

Just then she felt two forelegs wrapping around her and lifting her up. Rarity grabbed for Spike and pulled him in close as they were lifted above the crowd.

Rarity looked up at the blonde mane and odd yellow eyes of the kind young pegasus.

“Oh…” Rarity whispered.

“Hi. Sorry. I should have asked,” the grey pegasus said. “But you looked like you needed some help. My name’s Derpy, and I work here, so...”

“You work here?” Rarity asked.

The pegasus was maybe only a few years older than herself.

“Well, I help out really,” the pegasus said. “And they need all the help they can get right now. So. What can I do for you?”

“Oh. The casualties board, please,” Rarity said.

Derpy nodded. She carefully flew the two of them over to the notice board where the list was posted.

“Move aside, please,” Derpy said, very politely. “Thankyou. Thankyou.”

She held Rarity up, and Rarity held up Spike, and together they scanned the list of names.

“Oh gosh, I feel so awful,” Rarity said. “And I don’t know any of these ponies.”

Spike’s eyes continued scanning down the list.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Derpy suggested.

“Yes. Quite right,” Rarity nodded. “But still…”

“Yeah, I know,” Derpy said. “Most of them were from Flight Camp. It’s kind of… scary. You know, I would have been there too except… well, I never got accepted.”

Rarity smiled sadly at her.

Spike suddenly let out a whoop of laughter.

Derpy looked at him strangely.

“Ahhaha, my dog,” Rarity said. “Quite an exotic breed, isn’t he?”

“Can I put you guys down now?” Derpy asked. “I’m getting kind of tired.”

“Of course,” Rarity said, looking at Spike. “I think we’re done here.”

Derpy kindly few them back to the post office entrance and placed them in the street.

“Thankyou so much,” Rarity said. She reached into her coat pocket and took out a small shiny gem. “Here. Please. I insist.”

“Wow,” Derpy said. “Thanks. That’s so generous.”

Spike watched as Rarity passed over the gem.

“You two be safe,” Derpy said, waving goodbye. “And watch out for litter!”

“We will!” Rarity called, trotting along with Spike in tow.

Once they were a little way down the street Spike spoke up. “You took your costumes apart.”

Rarity shrugged. “It’s not like they were doing anything useful just crammed in that box.”

Spike sighed. “I guess…”

“Cheer up,” Rarity said. “I take it from your reaction that you didn’t recognise anypony on the list then?”

Spike grinned and shook his head. “They’re alive, Rarity. And they’re out there somewhere, waiting for us to find them.”

“It’s so strange, but I’ve never been more relieved in my life.” Rarity smiled and took out Spike’s list again. “Now. Where shall we find them?”

“We should probably start with Applejack. She lives right here in Ponyville,” Spike said.

Rarity’s eyes were scanning the paper. She suddenly gasped and cooed. “Oo! Casnterlot! I’ve always, always, always wanted to go!”

“It’s pretty far away,” Spike said. “We should start with—”

“Oh, but wait—” Rarity said. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t reach this Twilight Sparkle?”

“No. It’s complicated,” Spike said. “That’s the other Twilight. Remember, there was a magic spell—”

“Spike, I’m trying but it’s still a bit confusing.”

“That’s aright.” Spike nodded. “We can go there later. But right now let’s go find Applejack. Do you know her yet? Maybe from school?”

“Apple…jack…” Rarity tilted her head. “You’ve written here she’s from the Apple Farm? Well, that would explain it. I don’t really associate with farm ponies.”

Spike blinked at her. “Well I know you and AJ don’t always get along, but sometimes you seem like really good friends. It’s your differences that bring you closer together.”

Rarity hmm’d on this for a moment. “Well, I suppose if I can be friends with a dragon then a farm pony should be no trouble.”

“That’s the spirit,” Spike said. “…I think.”

But when they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres they found it was a bigger mess than even the streets of Ponyville.

“What happened here?” Spike asked, looking around at the devastation.

Trees were stripped bare of leaves and fruit, which had then been scattered all about the grounds. Some trees in distant fields were uprooted either partly or entirely. Even the roof of the barn had blown off.

“Sweet Celestia, just look at the place,” Rarity exclaimed as they walked.

“Eh-hem,” a stallion’s voice interrupted.

Rarity twitched and looked to her right where a young red stallion, still slightly lanky, was sifting through the scattered debris for any apple that was still good enough to sell. He didn’t look up from his work. Merely found another apple, inspected it, and tosses it away.

“Terribly sorry, um…” Rarity approached.

“Big Mac,” he said, and carried on working.

His voice was at that stage where it fluctuated between deep and high. He was probably just awkward and shy, that’s all. And busy.

“Yesss… well.” Rarity cleared her throat. “We are here to see Applejack.”

Big Mac twitched at the mention of her name, and accidentally crushed an apple between his hooves. He finally looked at her.

“…is everything alright?” Rarity prompted.

“E’yup,” he said, wiping his hooves off on the ground.

Rarity and Spike exchanged worried glances.

“…so. Um. Applejack?” Rarity tried again.

Big Mac carried on working. “Not here.”

“Oh,” said Rarity. “Then—”

“Manehatten.”

“Ah. Oh dear. Do you know when she’ll—”

“Nope.”

Silence hung. Big Mac polished off an apple and tossed it into the bucket. Rarity and Spike noticed how depressingly empty the bucket was.

“Say…” Rarity began. “Forgive me if I’m over stepping, but did the Starburst Event—”

“E-yup,” Big Mac cut her off sharply.

Rarity coughed again. “I can see how that could be a bit of trouble for—”

“Somethin’ you want?” Big Mac interrupted. He still wasn’t looking up.

Rarity reached into her coat and again pulled out a gemstone. This one was bigger and brighter. She pulled out two, in fact.

“Here,” she said.

Big Mac didn’t turn around.

Rarity stepped closer and held them up with her magic. “Please. Take them.”

Big Mac didn’t turn. Didn’t move.

“I… I knew Applejack from school,” Rarity began. “I guess you could say weren’t exactly friends, but she always seemed… strong. Like the kind of sister who would always be there for you, no matter what.”

Big Mac didn’t turn, but his shoulders heaved slightly.

Rarity looked away as she spoke. “I just wanted to help. Sometimes I wish I could be that strong. That I… Well, after what happened to… to your parents. I—”

Big Mac suddenly turned and pulled Rarity and the fluffy Spike into a big hug. He was sobbing quite a lot for a self-conscious young stallion, but that was okay. He was also quite strong for his age and the hug became kind of suffocating, but that was okay, too.

After a moment or so he set them down again and wiped at his face.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Rarity took his hoof and placed the gems there for him. “It’s okay.”

She nodded to Spike and the two of them started to leave.

Big Mac cleared his throat again. “If… If you wanna visit her. It’s the children’s hospital on Orchard Street.”

Rarity and Spike stared back. Partly alarmed at the news, but also aware that Big Mac had probably never said so many words to strangers in his life. And never about something so personal.

Rarity nodded. “Thankyou.”

Big Mac returned the nod, glancing away. Then he put the gems in his apple bucket and carried on working. Picking up another apple, checking it, tossing it aside.

From the family house Spike thought he could hear a little baby foal crying; probably just waking up from her mid-morning nap.

“Wow,” Rarity said. “Manehatten.”

“You’ve always wanted to go, right?” Spike tried to cheer her up.

“Suddenly I don’t care so much about what I want,” Rarity said soberly.

Spike kicked a fallen stick from their path. “I thought she would have been back by now. But I guess something must have happened during the blast.”

“Gosh, I hope she’ll recover. What do you think could have happened to her, so far away from the Event?”

“You were there, Rarity,” Spike said. “Not there there, in Flight Camp. But even from where you were standing—”

Rarity’s horn sparked with a few bursts of blue light. “Oh—stop it!” She touched a hoof to her horn. “I’m not in danger anymore,” she told it. “But yes, Spike, I see your point. And just to think: Flight Camp was only a shape in the distance to us.”

They walked in silence for a bit.

“Is there anything else we can do in Ponyville?” Rarity asked.

Spike thought about it. “I suppose we could look for a big magical stone table. I haven’t seen it yet, but I don’t actually know when it’s supposed to appear.”

“A big magical stone table? Daring, I think you left that part out of your story.”

“It’s part of the castle I lived in.”

“Then where’s the rest of the castle?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t even know where the table is,” Spike shrugged.

“Honestly, Spike. How does one lose an entire castle,” Rarity teased.

Spike laughed, but he was cut off by the sound of his stomach growling.

“Hm. We should get lunch,” Rarity said. “I know I would enjoy a nice meal. Would you like to eat some gems or should I use them to pay for something larger?”

Spike smiled sadly at her. Then shook his head and made an effort to perk up more authentically. “Sure. As long as it’s not dog food.”

And they both laughed.