Fading Suns: A New World

by David Silver

58 - We Come In

With a great rush of fire, Paul and his men were flung free of the planet, rushing on a vibrating ship towards their larger craft that awaited beyond the reach of the atmosphere of the strange world they were leaving. "Any positive ID?" he asked into his earpiece, his other hand grasping a handle for security despite sitting down.

The response came back full of static. The ship lurched, a voice speaking over the ship's intercom, "We are free of the atmosphere, expect a smooth ride." True to his word, the trip became far less bumpy with only the void of space to crash against. Paul could feel them still adjusting their velocity and accelerating towards the relative safety of their larger ship.

He tapped at his earpiece, hoping he had simply chosen a bad time. "Situation?"

"We have a positive on their flagship. They're flying church colors, Sir," came the tinny voice of a man quite far away. "Lost track of one of them."

"You lost an entire ship? Explain." If there were things in the way, that would make more sense. Hell, a good battle could result in things getting lost in the fuss, but neither were present, so far he knew.

"Cloaking technology?" posited the man without assurance. "It's not showing on the scanners. It was the smallest of the three, so it could have maneuvered anywhere by now."

Paul slammed his armrest with an angry grunt. "Tell me you have some good news."

"We're being hailed and it isn't an immediate demand to stand down. I have informed them that you will soon be here, Sir."

---

Luna squinted through the apparatus, peering into the sky as she swiveled it slowly left and right on its base. "They have to be out there..." The visitors, the invaders had to be there. She had been made perfectly aware of it. Damn her sister for not taking it seriously, and her infernal sun was keeping her from getting any good views of space. Though unintuitive, she could see distant stars with a telescope in the day, she just had to avoid looking in the direction of the big blocking sun, again much like her sister.

She smiled a little at the humor in her head, imagining Celestia's big round bottom hovering there in the sky instead of the sun. "It would be just as meddlesome..." she sighed out, continuing her hunt for the aliens. A great yawn forced her to pause, her jaw stretching with the motion. The day was not the time she was usually awake, but who could sleep, knowing what was going on?

"You should retire," came the professional female voice of Raven Inkwell, a clipboard hovering beside her. "I will accept responsibility for any project you feel can't wait."

Luna looked over her shoulder at the sudden intruder, rearing in surprise. "Oh! Raven... When did you arrive? It is no matter. Guarding the nation from nightmares is my duty, and these intruders from beyond the sky certainly qualify!"

"Be that as it may," argued Raven sternly. "You will be unable to launch an effective attack without proper rest." She tapped a quill against her clipboard. "Though I am not permitted to order you, Ma'am, I can request that you consider your health. You will be better able to continue this after some sleep."

Luna glanced back at her waiting telescope, then the proper little unicorn trying to send her to bed. "Were you speaking truth? Will you scan the sky for trouble and summon me immediately if you find any?"

"I will not," she said in a flat rejection, eyes even with Luna. "I will have other ponies, trained in the use of such devices, take up the task. I will gather several of them, to more completely scan the vastness of the sky. That I can do far better than trying to do it myself. For now, please, retire, Princess Luna. Your task is now mine, and I will see to its completion in your absence."

Luna slowly shook her tired head. Yes, more ponies could search better than just one, even if that one was a princess. "Tell them to look for any would-be stars that move too quickly, or that do not glow properly." She turned for the door, another yawn erupting from her. "Summon me immediately if anything is spotted. Oh. Avoid looking at the sun, we made that mistake once."

"I will inform them," Raven assured, her magic grabbing the door and gently opening it for the approaching Luna. "Sleep well."

---

Elsewhere, Zecora set up her supplies. She gently uncorked a vial, not that one, and a little pink heart escaped. It held the essence of the pony folk in all their flaws and strengths. She spat out the cork and grabbed the vial in her teeth, slowly pouring a little of the sparkling syrup-like fluid into a second vial that held the small sample of human essence Laud had given to her.

What he had produced was not the naked potential of his species. To get that would require significantly more effort and time. Still, it was enough for a reaction, that much Zecora felt certain of.

The two substances came into contact violently. Zecora was blown back onto her haunches, coughing as a column of smoke rose up from the vial, congealing into a cloud that hovered with almost a purpose.

Sounds echoed in her mind, like speech, but indecipherable. There were questions and statements in equal abundance, and she had no idea what any of them were. She couldn't even be certain that they were her own thoughts or some alien intruder. She shook her head quickly, freeing herself of the momentary daze.

Two glowing motes in the cloud peered at her as if they were eyes. The words faded in favor of impressions. She felt a long-ago presence, of a great shaping and seeding, with an entire world as the mother and an entire species as the father. A great returning. A step forward? A step back? Zecora shook her head slowly, trying to make sense of what she was 'hearing'.

She did not speak. Words felt so insufficient. The two lines were related, drawn apart. To bring them back together will produce change. Good? Bad? That was not given to her. The smoke was starting to fade, evaporating into the air, the motes that were eyes fading with it, leaving her dazed but with the knowledge she had sought.

She had seen more than this; flashes of indecipherable characters and long chains of... something. Beings that had seen so much they had to move on. She had touched infinity, and it left her shaking. She placed the stopper back in place on the vial of pony essence before crashing to her haunches.

"They should be told," she murmured to herself. "What could unfold." Focusing on that gave her an anchor. Yes, she would tell them what she saw. Everything else could wait. The fathomless echo that had touched her could be ignored for a time. She had a message to pass on.

She burst free of her house, kicking the door shut behind herself as she set out in an almost blind gallop. She avoided the more dangerous points, sticking to the trail even if it was not the shortest path to the town. Even in her rush, she tried not to tempt the forest around her to get to the town faster.

---

After such a long day, Laud was looking forward to retiring. Much had happened. Things had been settled and thrown off balance in what felt like an equal furor. His bed would not betray him, that much he felt confident about. He turned the corner, approaching his room, and he saw the way was not clear.

Lyra stood beside the door, glancing around nervously. The moment he came into view, she raised a hoof and waved it wildly in his direction. "There you are! It's time."

Laud's approach did not slow. He would not show fear. What was he scared of?! "What is it time for, besides sleep?"

"Well, that, sure," she allowed. "But it's also time to sleep with a pony, me." She reared up onto two legs and bowed, one hoof waving towards the door. "I mean, we're married. So... uh... we can... you know, be together...?"

Laud felt some tension fleeing as he got the idea. "You want to sleep beside me."

"Yeah! That's what I said." Her horn glowed, throwing the door open into the bedroom. "Husband and wife. I want to... spend some time, you know, just talking, getting to know each other, maybe snuggling a little?"

"Does Bon Bon know where you are?" he asked, moving through the door she opened as he did so. "She will grow worried for you if not. You know she cares for you."

"You don't need to remind me of that." She fell to all fours and trotted inside, a leg kicking out to close the door behind them both. "She practically cares for me more than my mom, probably more, since she's actually here and my mom got to check out of that business when I left Canterlot." She flashed a bright smile. "Don't worry though, she knows I'm alright."

Laud sank down on his bed, sitting on it as he worked off his shoes. "Does she know you are here, specifically? Married or not, I am not so blind as to ignore that she still does not trust me. She respects me, as a warrior."

"Yeah yeah, that's a big compliment coming from her," argued Lyra with a wobble of a hoof. She hopped up onto the bed, bouncing on it lightly. "So, are you a squirmer, or a roller, or do you spread out like a starfish?"

It took Laud a precious moment to realize she was speaking of his sleeping habits. "I prefer to sleep on my side. I am not prone to movement, though there are few men that can claim to never make motions in the night. I do not snore. You?"

"Like a saw," she admitted, coloring in her cheeks. "I'll wait for you to be asleep first before I nod off so I won't bother you so much." She stopped bouncing, sinking a little into the mattress. "I like to curl up too... It feels nice. Need any help undressing?"

"I have that under control." Laud peeled free his socks and then his shirt, becoming increasingly exposed to the curious staring of his new equine wife. "Tell me, since you have the least political reasons for this, what do you find attractive in a human?" He shrugged softly. "I know, from a human perspective, what makes a man or a woman an ideal partner. You are not one."

Lyra flipped her ears back. "It's... not physical? I mean, maybe that's a little bit of a lie. You're strong and capable and I like that..." She trailed a hoof along the mattress slowly. "It's part of what drew me to Bon Bon. She's... so together, you know? She knows how to move."

She sank down when he finally did. She curled up beside him, touching, but not hugging. "You're a good kind of noble... The kind I was hoping for. The kind that wants to do good things with their title, not just show it off like it means anything on its own."

"With power comes responsibility." Laud turned the small knob on a lantern, darkening it and plunging the room into gloominess. "One is not a Hawkwood without accepting that fact completely. Every noble's actions impact not just themselves but the countless others that depend on them. It is a grand privilege and a crushing weight that a true Hawkwood bears without complaint."

He tensed with the feeling of a hoof. She was curling up on him quite intimately, hugging close, her breath on his back. "Tell me more about what it is to be a Hawkwood," she breathed out in a whisper.

Author's Note:

Laud is not likely to get tons of rest tonight, nor are other ponies or humans it seems.

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Comments

[Crystal Treasure]

Well, they showed up sooner than I thought they would.

[Jacktank10]

This going to go south quickly

[Neece]

Oh the church. I wonder if that will become "quickly! Hit them with the moon!"

[Booster Spice]

The ponies might be under House Hawkwood, but the rest of the Heretics are going to be under Charcoal.

The Church is going to hate that Laud made a pact with Faust?

[Reese]

"stopper back on place on the vial of pony essence before"
"stopper back in place on the vial of pony essence before"?

"I mean, maybe that's a little of a lie."
"I mean, maybe that's a little bit of a lie."?

"Every noble's actions impacts not just themselves"
"Every noble's actions impact not just themselves"?

"nor or other ponies or humans it seems."
"nor are other ponies or humans it seems."?

[David Silver]

9110378
Fixed!

[tsaukpaetra]

Is it fortuitous that Luna can let her paranoia rest during this pivotal moment? You only get one chance at first impressions, and displaying offense without provocation is a good way to sour relations.
So a secret mission has already been initiated. Let's hope they're... Delayed.
Laud gets snuggles! Best relaxation activity, even if not necessarily restful.
Keep going! ;)

[Cross Lament]

9110348
I still think Luna ought to stuff the moon in the gate like a stopper.

[keroko]

Ah. The Church. Joy. Let's hope the Hawkwood promise of protection will be enough to stave of cataclysm.

[cyberlord4444]

Well then, I'd wager that last ship held inquisition forces. Make sure to expect them, it limits their effectiveness.

[StormDancer]

"Yeah yeah, that's a big compliment coming from her," ...

[David Silver]

9112089
Fixed.

[Wurgel]

Someone likes his cliffhangers, i see.

Does he know you are here, specifically?

considering it is Bon Bon he is talking about, i guess it should be she.