Fading Suns: A New World

by David Silver

115 - By the Light

Celestia's tongue poked just a little free of the side of her snout. Not the most dignified appearance, but she was not focused on that fact, instead on the great ship she was holding aloft. It was smaller than their sun by some measure, but it was, somehow, heavier. It was closer. Maybe it was the closeness?

She was meant to move distant celestial objects, it was her literal destiny to do. That ship, in the sky, was not that. Her efforts blended between her cutie-mark enhanced and honed far-grabbing ability and more mundane unicorn magic, creating a situation where she could feel her stamina being tested. "Just pretend it's a little metal sun," she whispered to herself. She was sure she could have thrown the normal sun around like it was nothing.

But it wasn't a sun. It didn't even imitate one anymore, not being on fire.

A low roar echoed over her, and she smiled. At last, her trusty backup. The Wonderbolts had arrived. They had proven a bit less than ideal at monster fighting and military applications in recent years, but their aerial stunts... "Just what we need."

Spitfire raced at the head of the wing of her peers, Rainbow Dash among them. "We've got a rescue mission," she shouted as a reminder. "Our job is simple." There hadn't been time to go over the plan. They had focused on mobilizing. Soarin' wasn't even in uniform, the dope. She rolled her eyes at the thought.

Still, they were there, and they needed bodies, not uniforms, to win the day. "We are not medics. Take any human that isn't hurt and wants a ride. They can't understand us, but they don't want to be on that thing. Offer them a chance and hope they take it. If they don't, move to the next one. Time is against us!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" they all shouted with crisp salutes.

Rainbow advanced, accelerating so hard she exploded in rainbow hues as if to inform the world of the Wonderbolts' arrival on the scene. "Anypony home?" She zoomed along the hull of the strange metal thing, looking for a way in. She knocked as she went, clopping in hopes of finding an entrance.

A church priest saw the rainbows out a window, pointing with marvel at it. Their peers muttered and whispered. What did it mean? A good portent, or entirely the opposite?

"Ah ha!" Rainbow found a part where the hull had failed, crumpled with the ship's abrupt stop. She wiggled inside, popping out next to several startled humans. "Stop being tied up. Need a hoof?" They were all strapped to their chairs. Had they become stuck in the crash? "Let's get out of here!" But they couldn't understand her.

---

"We have company," noted Chrysalis as she landed on that armrest that had become a temporary throne for the time being. "The Rainbow one, and I bet her friends are with her, the other flying ones."

Laud reached for a buckle, starting to undo himself. "Truly?" He grabbed for the ship comms, shouting in human, "Time to go. The ponies are here to give us aid. Follow them." Could a pegasus carry a human? He honestly didn't know, but it was also not the time to look those gift horses in their mouths.

The ship comms did not light up. They were broken. He cursed foully, which got some of the other churchfellows' attention. He repeated, loudly, shouting the order, "Go with the ponies, they're here to help, pass it on!"

Chrysalis landed on his shoulder as he rose to his feet. "I'm with you."

"Lucky me. What did you find, in your scan?"

"Most of them are fine. A few look hurt. I don't know how hurt humans get. What am I, a doctor? They look hurt." She shook her head. "Really, this is not using my talents properly."

Elsewhere, doors were forced open, only for them to fall free, plummeting down into the void. The humans responsible backed away in terror at the sign of just how badly damaged their ship was. The opening brought more ponies, Wonderbolts swarming in, speaking their strange equine tongue and presenting their backs.

It took a brave priest to start things, sliding up onto Fleetfoot. She saluted with a wing at Spitfire, then threw herself back into the void, carrying the screaming human down towards the ground. Spitfire nodded at the two and turned to another human, pointing at her back with a wing. "Time to go."

Neither understood what the other said, but the meaning became clear.

Before more than five had been evacuated to the sky, the ground beneath them began to rumble. Laud arrived at the scene, his heavy footfalls giving the warning before he came into view. "The other church ship has arrived," he shouted in human, to the cheers of the others.

Swapping to pony, he looked to the Wonderbolts still there. "Change of plan. Fly them to the other ship." He pointed in its vague direction. "They can't come in too close or we could crash together."

Rainbow had been behind Laud, striding up. "You got it. Let's go and save some creatures!" The other Wonderbolts cheered in solidarity. The basic plan was unchanged, but they flew towards the other ship instead of down to the ground, allowing for far more rapid trips and more people being saved by the minute than they could have otherwise.

Rainbow turned towards Laud. "Hey, you want a lift?" She wiggled her back end. "Twilight will be really miffed if I don't save her stallion."

"I will wait." He held up a hand. "This is my mission, and I'm the only one here that can speak both our language and yours."

"Brave. I like it." She grinned with appreciation even as she went to fetch another, more willing, human to ferry to the church ship.

The ground beneath them lurched with the scream of agonized metal. Part of the ship came free, tumbling away from the rest of the mass as gravity played its role and carried it towards the ground at a rapid clip. "Remain calm," shouted Laud. "Your fellow clergy and the locals have come to our aid. Accept their help and you will live to see another day."

The church members lost what little hesitation they had remaining, accepting rides to safety whenever offered.

A new voice joined, over a loudspeaker. Father Gregor was speaking a fervent prayer, one generally saved for endurance and calm during the most trying of times. He spoke calmly, yet passionately, and spirits buoyed by them. Their faith was still there, and they had been reminded to keep it close to heart. Many of them began to pray along with him, joining in the liturgy, though there was no magic in it, save for the light that grew in their chests, and sometimes, that was magic enough.

With heavy hooves, a flier arrived. But they were not a Wonderbolt. "Where is he?" demanded Luna, folding her wings.

"Where is who?" Laud moved to address the suddenly-arriving royalty. "Are you also here to help evacuate?"

"Yes, but a specific human." She turned to regard Laud fully. "Where is their leader? He is injured and in need of immediate assistance."

Laud suddenly grabbed the relaxed Chrysalis. "You didn't mention he was one of the injured!"

"You didn't ask," hissed Chrysalis in response. "How would I know him from anycreature else?"

Laud released her with a loud grunt. "This way." And he began to lead the way through the bent hallways. "This ship is coming apart." Silently, he blamed himself. The cardinal hadn' t been there, and he had forgotten. He had forgotten the cardinal! What a dereliction of duty.

"You know, if this whole thing goes down, I have wings." She buzzed her little insect wings in reminder, a cruel smirk on her face.

Luna swatted the little bug as she trotted. "Now is not the time for barbs. I will rescue that human."

"Besides, if we're caught this far in, even wings won't get you free before we meet the earth." Some small satisfaction, knowing Chrysalis was just as doomed as they were if they did not move with proper swiftness.

Luna's magic grabbed pinched metal that had shut the way up ahead, forcing it apart with loud squeals of objecting metal. She grimaced with the effort required, but a way was opened in a hurry so they could march past without delay. "My sister is working, but even she has limits. We must all vacate this place."

---

Celestia heaved for breath, one eye squinted shut, the other locked on the ship that shuddered faintly in her weakening magic. A straw poked her. "Oh..." A servant had brought over a cool drink and she had to smile. She had good help. She nursed on it, slowly, trying to balance its cooling effect and not to bring about painful reminders of just how hot she was running. It was a welcome reprieve.

She could imagine her little ponies, and the others, all working as quickly as they could. One rainbow to start, one rainbow to end. There had been no new rainboom, so it wasn't over. They needed her to hold it steady, to hold it high. Pieces of it were slipping between the trembling fingers of her magic. Fatigue was wearing away at her. Eventually, it would come down, with or without her consent.

It was her job to delay that as much as equinely possible. She loudly snorted, forcing more air to flow. She would not fail! She couldn't...

---

A rough cheer erupted through the church vessel, the intact one. Most of their members who had joined in the mission to join the battle had been returned to them. "But the cardinal," reminded one, and that good mood dimmed. The cardinal was on the crumbling ship, still unsecure.

The pegasi had slowed to a stop. There were no other crew awaiting rides.

Rainbow Dash scowled at them, clicking her tongue as she struggled for words. "We," she said in human, pointing at herself, then everycreature she could see. "We. We...." Shoot, what was the word. She was no linguist! "We... done?" Oh, the look of satisfaction on her face. She did a Human!

---

"There." Laud pointed to a closed door. It was immediately across from open sky. If the guards of the cardinal were still there, they had either already fled, or had been thrown out that hole into the void beyond. In either event, they would not help.

He hurried towards it, but the handle began to glow dark purple. Luna ripped it free with a strained cry, throwing the entire door through that hole to fall. "Is he in there? Do not move him."

Laud threw himself through the broken threshold. There, sagged in his chair, was the cardinal, unmoving. "Pancreator above... He's here." He closed in to examine the man that looked like he could be dead. His own shuttering breath and shaking fingers made it hard to check for signs of life, not that he actually wanted to touch the cardinal, as if even the lightest wind could finish the job. "I failed." It was his job to deliver that one person to the ground, that was it.

Luna burst around the corner, her magic sweeping over the man. "Undo his bindings, do nothing else."

Laud's shaking fingers found each buckle, clicking each free, unstrapping the cardinal step by step. "Are you a doctor?" A princess doctor? Well, not impossible... They were aliens.

"No, but I will be most gentle." She began to hover the man, still in the same position, as if just changing his coordinates and nothing else. "Come with me, dear rival. We have more duels of words to conduct."

It was time for them to go. They just had to make it back through the ship before the magic holding it in place gave out. The tremors beneath them gave none of them much confidence.

"See you on the ground." Chrysalis threw herself into the void, buzzing away in the sky.

Author's Note:

The ponies have arrived in a multi-pronged rescue effort. A good use of resources, I think?

Written early for patreons who got this ahead of everyone else. Want to get early chapters, or even your own story written? atreon!

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

The ships infused antidemonic blessings are whats causing the magic problems, both in holding it and not being able to teleport out or form a Power Shield and hold position when the ship drops, punching through it?

Good thing they went more Dash like, drop the bits of teh ship that are falling, even with assistance, to keep teh rest of the occupied section aloft longer?

[tsaukpaetra]

Hmm. Wonder if, as a whole, the ship could return to its disorganized status and not cause too much damage to the ground as well? Assuming they were halted above a populated area, one would hope...
What a way to jumpstart their personal first contacts!

[Reese]

"Soarin' wasn't even uniform, the dope"
"Soarin' wasn't even in uniform, the dope"?

""Sir, yes, sir!" they all shouted with crisp salutes."
Hm, interesting; I wonder what in the culture led to mares getting that too?
[checks transcript of Wonderbolts Academy] Actually, looks like it was "ma'am" in the show, so was this actually an error rather than a deliberate detail? Or am I missing something?

"mission, am I'm the only"
"mission, and I'm the only"?

"had slowed to a stop, there were no other"
"had slowed to a stop; there were no other"?

[David Silver]

10515102
Many fixes for tense times.

[keroko]

Let's hope the cardinal survives. Being saved by someone you accused of being a demon can be an eye opening experience.