A Rather Large Adventure

by BradyBunch

Chapter Forty-three: Flight, Fight, and a Crash Landing

After a quick but uncomfortable transit on a nearly empty bus to the private airport on the fringes of the Canterlot suburbs, the entire massive party stepped off the bus, opened the unlocked gate, and raced across the tarmac to the hangar, far away and glinting grey in the moonlight.

“So who’s your contact?” Firestorm asked the other Rarity as they ran.

“Oh, just a client I helped out some time ago,” the other Rarity said casually. “And he just so happens to be very, very rich.”

“I’m very, very rich,” Firestorm protested.

“Do you own a private airport?”

“No,” he admitted. “But that’s because I don’t need an airport! I can just use my wings to get wherever I want because I can fly!” He flapped his arms up and down like a bird.

“I dare you to do it now,” Pinkie Pie said as she ran alongside him.

“I would!” Firestorm said emphatically. “If I could!”

“But you just said you did,” Pinkie protested.

“I’m not going to jump and flop on the pavement to prove your point!” Firestorm angrily said. “Get me a mattress or something and I would flop on the ground gladly!”

Waiting for them in front of the grey hangar was a large white helicopter standing out against the black night, the propeller blades already spinning and the engine already warmed. The door on the pilot side swung open, and out stepped a man in a white suit and thin monocle. His hair was droopy and his eyes had bags under them, but upon seeing Rarity’s group, his face split into a wide grin.

“Fancy Pants!” the other Rarity called when she was close enough. “It’s so good to see you follow up with me!”

“Anything for you coming through for me in a pinch at my wedding last year,” Fancy Pants said over the roar of the helicopter blades. “I still have the suit you made for me when my own got ruined the night before.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you remembered! I really needed this favor of you!”

Fancy Pants smiled, crunching the flesh around his monocle. Then he spotted the Rarity from Equestria behind her, and his face dropped so comically his monocle hung away from his face. “Um, Miss Rarity? Why is-” He put the monocle back in place and sighed. “Why are there two of you?”

“T’would take too long to explain right now,” came a voice that rose above the noisy helicopter blade. The pale blue knight in grey armor stepped forward, alongside both Rarities. “We thank thee, sir, for providing us with this. Would it be possible, we would repay thee doubly. Thou art a true helpmeet to us.”

“Stop being such a fancy-pants!” Pinkie Pie chided him from the side, giggling.

“A fancy pants? I wasn't trying to be a-Ooohhh.” The knight looked at the ground. “Oh, I see what you did there.”

One by one the entire assembly crowded into the helicopter, and the last girl to enter, Sunset Shimmer, slammed the door and locked it. Fancy Pants entered, sparing one confused glance over his shoulder at the doubles of all the girls, shook his head, muttering something about the martinis he drank before going to bed, and sat in the pilot seat of his private helicopter. After five minutes, the chopper lifted up in the air and soared away.

After the chopper disappeared, the airport was still. The tarmac was empty, the lights were off, and the night air was silent save for the chorus of night bugs. All was quiet. All was calm.

Ten minutes later, a bus came to the airport entrance and screeched softly to a halt, innocent and careful in its advance.

The bus doors opened and out stomped three horribly deformed black humanoids, carrying bloodstained blades and maces. Inside the hijacked bus were the bodies of passengers and their driver, slumped in their seats like they were sleeping, but soaked on their chests and necks with their own blood.

“Stupid vehicle,” one of them spat. “Hard to control.”

“It’s good practice for what we’re about to attempt,” another pointed out maliciously. He slurped up the blood in between the creases on his mace.

“It’s a miracle the other bus isn't facing the same problems this one is,” the first one continued.

“The only issue was with your driving. The others will arrive at the observatory soon enough without issue. I know you won’t be piloting, for a fact.” The third one was malicious, even for a Nox.

The Nox with the mace finished getting the wet blood out of his mace and pointed at the unlocked and open gate. “Now get inside the bay and begin looking for something we can take. I’ll take care of the bus.”

The third Nox nodded and motioned for his other comrade to follow him, and both of them ran into the airport from the bus stop just outside its borders.

The remaining Nox went inside the bus, leaned to the dashboard, and released the brake holding the bus in place. As the bus began to roll away down the road, the remaining Nox jumped off the bus and watched the bus roll down the road at an angle until it came entirely off the road and collided head-on into a telephone pole. The bus’s front engine exploded on impact, and the telephone pole slowly cracked out loud as it keeled over and smashed on the ground. Deep twanging noises came as the telephone cables snapped and bent downward.

If anyone tried to investigate, they would assume that it was only an accident.

The Nox who had stayed behind unslung his crossbow from his back and loaded a special crossbow bolt into it--a bolt with the tip of a Black Blade--and turned around and raced over to where his companions had entered the private hangar.

Twenty minutes later, a small jet emerged from the hangar and turned on the tarmac to the takeoff strip. Only a short time later, the jet was off the ground and racing northward in pursuit of the helicopter.

---

The sound of the helicopter blades thumped so loudly in his ears that Freedom Fighter could not continue listening to the music Vinyl Scratch had given him. He had tried to at first, but he couldn't hear the intricate mix between the mesmerizing rise and fall of the cello and the deep thunder of dubstep. So he took the cheap headphones off and sat in silence.

Everybody else was either silent or trying to sleep on the fancy white couches. They had been in the air for about an hour.

It’s too bad we can’t listen, really. I actually liked that music.

Freedom Fighter turned his head in surprise. ‘You do?’

It reminds me of how you're never going to see Vinyl Scratch again.

‘Oh.’ Freedom Fighter rolled his eyes. ‘I knew there was an underlying reason in there somewhere.’

Don't shrug me off. I have an actual point here.

‘What do we need to discuss that you don't get?’ he thought miserably, slumping in his seat.

We’re never going to talk with Vinyl for a long time. All we have is her music. But you can only listen to the same music so many times before you begin to want to stop it.

‘Even if that happens, do you think I’ll throw away the tape because I've listened to all of the music on it? Idiot.’

She’s not with you right now. The other two guys have their girlfriends with them at all times in all places. And meanwhile, the girl you think is hot is waiting for you, all the way back in Equestria.

‘She’s not one of the Ten Souls. It would be absolutely stupid if she happened to be one of them.’

But you’re the only one losing somepony you care about back home.

‘You idiot. What about the girl’s families? Their siblings and fathers and mothers? And their extended friends?’

At least they have those. The Noxxa took away everything from you. Not Applejack, or Rarity, or Starlight Glimmer or Twilight or Noble Blade. They took everything away from you. And now that you found a friend--an actual, full-of-potential friend--you have to leave her behind, in exchange for going along on this stupid quest. Why is it that we must be the ones who always give up everything?

‘Are you whining? Are you complaining?’

I know your thoughts better than anyone else.

‘We’re the same pony. Duh.’

I know, right?

‘So I don’t care about what you have to offer me. Everything you have to offer me’s in my subconscious.’

You've wondered about this before. It’s always you who gives up literally everything to serve other ponies you don’t even know. Your tribe, your destiny, your Cutie Mark, your skin, your tongue, your arm, your public decency. Need I go on?

‘Yeah.’ Freedom Fighter shifted uncomfortably on his seat. ‘Yeah, I know what you mean. So?’

So why you? What is it that’s so special about you?

‘Well…’ Freedom Fighter paused here. The other voice waited patiently for him to finish. Finally, Freedom Fighter slumped back in his seat. ‘Well, somepony’s gotta be the Element of Sacrifice.’

So there’s nothing special about you after all. I knew it.

‘No, wait. Don't take it like that. You really think-’

You're taking upon yourself the Element of Sacrifice because someone’s gotta do it? Stupidest excuse I've ever heard.

‘I didn't have a choice in this! You think I wanted to do this?’

Nopony else did either. Why can’t they ever give something up for a change? Why can't they experience what you and I have to deal with? How it hurts to move your body in the wrong way because of the scars and having to deal with annoying voices in your head?

‘Gee. How terrible that must be. Hearing voices in your head that you don’t want there. How am I ever supposed to relate to that oddly specific qualification?’

You and me both, kid.

‘Don’t start calling me kid. I’ll rip out your vocal cords.’

What vocal cords?

‘Oh, right.’ Freedom Fighter adopted a pensive look under his mask and shifted his eyes from side to side. ‘Forgot about that…’

Get into the restroom, the voice abruptly said.

‘Why? I don't need to pee.’

You killed twenty-two. Time to keep track.

Freedom Fighter clutched his suddenly shaking right arm with his strong mechanical left. ‘I promised my friends I wouldn't.’

You didn't promise yourself. You didn't promise me. Now get into the restroom.

‘No. You can't control me.’

Do it. Now.

Freedom Fighter stood up and trudged to the back of the luxurious helicopter, where a white door was waiting. He opened the door, stepped inside, closed it, and locked it.

There was a mirror over the sink that Freedom Fighter looked into, leaning his hands on the marble countertop. His eyes were the same scarlet color he remembered. The same loop of red around the black pupil.

You have to do this. You promised yourself you would.

‘I promised the others I wouldn't!’

Your first and foremost duty is to yourself. Roll up your sleeve.

Freedom Fighter undid the straps holding his glove to his sleeve, pulled it off, laid it aside, and took off the small dagger on his right forearm. Laying it aside, he drew the dagger from its sheath.

It was a Black Blade. Taken off the corpse of a particularly stubborn pony two years ago when he went to Saddle Arabia. Short, smooth, and thin, it felt cold just looking at it.

Freedom Fighter scrunched up his sleeve to his elbow. His pale yellow skin was marred by dozens of small black nicks in the form of tally marks. Freedom Fighter looked upon it wistfully.

Put the blade to your skin.

‘No. No, I can't do that. This is wrong. Wrong.’

Not if I make it so it’s right. You want to feel this pain. You need it to put things in perspective. Put the knife blade to your skin, or I will do it for you.

‘You can't make me do anything.’

Can’t I?

‘I hold dominion over you. You think you can force my hand?’

Only if you don't do it yourself. Do it. Now.

Freedom Fighter put the black knife tip to his skin on an empty spot of skin, and it felt like ice had touched him there. He hadn't broken the skin yet, but with the slightest pressure, he could.

What are you waiting for?

‘What would Twilight say?’

“I understand, Freedom Fighter. You had a bad day, and this is the way you take your mind off matters. Go ahead and do this. I have no right to intrude on your personal life like this. That’s not what friends do.”

‘Like forcing me to put a knife blade to my arm?’

What’s the difference between now and a few weeks back? I thought you were okay with reminding yourself of what really matters.

‘Slicing up my arm like a block of wood isn't what really matters.’

It isn't that much. Just small nicks. Press the blade in. Do it. Do it, Freedom Fighter, before I decide for you.

‘No!’

It’s right here. You might as well do it.

‘I have a reason not to.’

Tell me this all-important reason.

‘You know what my reason is? Twilight.’ Freedom Fighter breathed heavily, making his arm inflate and deflate with each breath. The knife blade was dangerously close to breaking the skin. ‘She’ll be sad.’

Twilight doesn't matter to you.

‘But I matter to her!’

And the other voice was silent.

‘And I matter to the Guardians. And the other girls here. And to Vinyl Scratch. What would she say if she found out I was doing this?’

Don’t you dare bring Vinyl Scratch into this, the voice in his head snarled at him. She won’t find out. We will never show her this, because she’ll never be with us, and she will never see us without our black skin, naked like a scaled fish, because we are not meant to be together.

‘You keep on telling yourself that.’

What does Vinyl Scratch mean to you, for Faust’s sake! You met her only a few days ago! Does she matter to you or does she not?

‘She matters to me when I’m weak.’

Since when were you ever weak? Are you hearing yourself?

‘I can’t hear myself. I’m not talking.’

Touche.

‘I’ll hold off on this. You won’t win this round.’ He slammed the Black Blade into its sheath and shoved the sleeve back to his wrist.

But I-

‘Oh, shut up. I’ll knee you in the balls next time you talk.’

I don't have any balls.

‘Ha! You don’t have the balls!’

Neither do you.

‘I had the balls to shut you up!’ Freedom Fighter triumphantly thought as he put his glove back on and snapped the glove to his sleeve. No skin now showed.

Sometimes I really hate you.

‘The feeling’s mutual.’

But we’re stuck with each other. Might as well make the most of it.

A pounding came from the door of the restroom. “Are ya done in there yet?” came a southern accent. “Mother Nature’s callin’ me with a bullhorn!”

Shoot. Gotta go. Freedom Fighter scrabbled at the doorknob and opened it to reveal Applejack crossing her knees. Freedom Fighter held up a hand by way of apology and strode past her into the main helicopter chamber.

He sat down heavily and slumped back against his seat. His free fingers fiddled with the foot-and-a-half long folded staves at his hips.

It was one of the first times he had won a victory over himself recently. Freedom Fighter felt his stomach settle gently, and his head stop aching. Putting his hands behind his head, he leaned back contentedly and closed his eyes.

---

Noble Blade was situated right next to Flash Sentry, who rightfully appeared apprehensive of him, and it made Noble stiff in his seat. Neither of them had attempted conversation yet.

The wide cut on his forehead was stinging a little, but it wasn't anything Noble hadn't experienced before. His joints felt sore and limp, but he knew the feeling as intimately as he was with Fluttershy. His fingers were stiff in his gauntlets, his toes too big for his armored shoes, but Noble didn't mind.

Noble decided to try to break the ice first. “How are you holding up?” he asked gently, laying a gauntlet on his shoulder.

Flash shoved his hand off and looked at the ground like there was a movie playing at his feet.

Noble, disappointed, put his hand back in his lap. “Sorry.”

They sat in silence for a little longer.

“I didn't ask for this.”

Noble Blade looked up. “For what?”

“For this trip. For those monsters that destroyed Pinkie’s home. For you coming into this world. All of this.”

“It couldn’t be helped.”

“I know that,” Flash griped. “I still don’t like it.”

“I don’t like it either.” Noble knew it was a pointless statement to make, and he cringed as he said it.

Flash continued as if he hadn't said anything, though. “But the thing is... you can actually do something about it all. You can fight. And the girls can all hold up well on their own as well. But me?” Flash clenched both his fists against each other. “I’ve just been a victim. I always have nothing to give. I always get possessed by the sirens, or by evil from Sunset, or I get trapped. And now there’s another thing that’s come along, and it’s just…” Flash breathed deeply, in and out, in and out. “I just want to stay away from Equestrian evil forever. But then you and the rest of the girls all came through the portal and dragged a big army behind you.”

“I know,” Noble said sympathetically. “I wanted to stay in Equestria, truth be told.”

“But you had to go here anyway?”

“Yes.”

“I hate how this isn't even the first time I've had to deal with evil from your world,” Flash recalled, shifting in his seat. “Dealing with sirens and dimensions and demons and magic and stuff is all just overwhelming. I want to have it stop. All I want to do is live a normal life.”

“If I was there with you when those things happened, I would have helped.”

“That’s all over now. Now we’ve got a massive army of... disgusting things that are trying to kill us all!”

“Not if you don’t let them,” Noble said softly.

Flash looked confused by his whisper. “What do you mean?”

Noble looked at him with all seriousness. “I don't want to ask this of a high schooler. No one should start at this age. But I need to ask. Are you willing to fight?”

“Fight?” Flash looked nervous.

“For your life,” Noble gravely said. “And for the lives of others. You may even lose your own life to save those you love. Are you up for this? To step in front of the victim and raise your weapon in defiance?”

Flash tapped his foot and twisted his lips in deep contemplation. Noble could almost see the cogs turning behind his head as he knitted his eyebrows together and stroked his little blue goatee.

For a while, for a long, long while, Flash thought. Noble patiently waited for him.

Flash finally looked to the side to gaze at Noble Blade. “Evil from Equestria has been a big part of my recent life,” Flash repeated. He took a deep breath. “If you’re really asking me if I could end that evil... I’d do anything to make sure it doesn’t influence my life anymore.”

Noble smiled warmly. “Then would you like training?”

“Training?” Flash asked flatly.

“The most recent kind of evil to hit Equestria is an army. Training in combat is a necessary evil.”

“If this army of... what’s it called…”

“Noxxa.”

“If these Noxxa come after us again, I need to be ready to help stop them.” Flash ran a hand through his bright blue hair. “I owe it to the girls. They’ve done so much for me that it wouldn't feel right by continuing being a bum.”

“You’re a bum?”

“Depends on who you ask. Which is... everybody, now that I think about it.”

“Even Twilight?”

“The one that was originally a pony, or the one that had a demon inside her she managed to control?” Flash dryly asked.

“You know something?” Noble asked, clapping him on the back. “You would make a good Guardian of the Sun.”

“Is that what you three guys call yourself?”

“Yes. It’s ostentatious but effective.”

“But I can’t be as good at curb-stomping as you,” Flash protested. “I just want to be normal, not a super soldier.”

“Which makes you above average. The prideful and lazy ponies that want to be glorified above everypony else are a coin a dozen, but…” He leaned forward, still looking to the side. “The people that want to be normal are hard to find.”

“You’re not normal. You’re a soldier, and a pretty good one at that.”

“I became a soldier to improve myself,” Noble said.

“Do you want to fight?”

“Yes. But only to protect and serve those I love, and to become the highest I can be. If it was possible, I would make it so we wouldn’t need to fight for anything.” He exhaled and put his head back against the seat. “And the only way to do that is to continually fight against evil. It’s a terrible loop.”

Flash looked down at the ground again. “What can you teach me?”

Noble sat up straighter at those words. There was a shine in his eyes and a smile on his face. “Where would you like to start?”

---

“So, Sunset, what do you think of this?”

“Twilight, I think I get the message. There’s evil brewing up in Equestria as usual.”

“Scorpan said it himself; our imminent destruction is sure if Solaris and Marshal Malice aren’t stopped.”

“Marshal Malice?” Sunset asked, putting her chin in her hands and resting her elbows on her knees. “Who’s that?”

“He’s…” Twilight faltered; she was about to explain that he had been the one who had tortured and enslaved Freedom Fighter. What she eventually said was, “He’s the commander of the armies of Tartarus. They’ve established an independent nation just south of Saddle Arabia, and it’s gaining enough strength that they’re ready to make a full-on assault in a matter of months. Maybe weeks.”

“That’s not good.” Sunset cleared her throat. “I hope you destroy them when you get back.”

“Yeah... that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Sunset glanced at Twilight. Her shirt was still torn at the abdomen and collarbone, and dirt smudged her face. Sunset let her eyes focus on those details, then turned away. “You want to bring me back.”

“You guessed it.” Twilight’s tone was resigned.

“I’m not going back, Twilight.”

“This isn't where you belong. You belong in Equestria, with your friends and family.”

“My family is already here,” Sunset replied. “It’s my friends.”

Twilight didn't say anything at first. Then she said, “You have a duty to protect your home, Sunset.”

“I also have a duty to protect my friends,” Sunset pointed out.

“Sunset, I don't want to force you, but Equestria is in danger. We need your help.”

“This dimension is also in danger. I’ll stay here, where Princess Celestia doesn’t have to worry about me or the citizens here.” Sunset’s tone grew hesitant near the end.

“Sunset, I think I know what this is really about.”

Sunset scoffed softly and drummed her fingers on her knee. “How’d you guess?”

“Princess Celestia would be overjoyed to see you!” Twilight insisted.

“But I won’t be overjoyed to present myself to her.”

“Celestia is willing to forgive,” Twilight said emphatically. “What would make it awful to stand in front of her? Are you scared that you’ll be punished?”

“Twilight, I’m not that petty. I know that Celestia is eager to forgive my actions in the past. What I won’t be happy about is…” Sunset licked her lips. “Is remembering everything I’ve done. Remembering all of my crimes against Equestria while I’m standing in front of her, who knows everything I’ve done!” She bounced her leg uncontrollably. “And knowing that Celestia has the capacity to forgive me, but that I don’t!”

“What’s making it so hard to forgive yourself?”

“What--no, no, it’s not that. Um…” She snapped her fingers several times, searching for the right words. “It’s... I know I should forgive myself--I know I’ve improved. But I still remember just how awful I was before you came into my life. It’s impossible for me to remember that part of me and not feel guilty about what I’ve done.” Sunset folded her arms against her chest and looked away.

Twilight laid her hand on her shoulder. “I know all about guilt in front of Princess Celestia. When I tried to create a friendship problem for me to solve, Celestia had to interfere. And I felt so guilty about it in front of her. But when I remember it, almost five years later, I don’t feel guilt, or shame. I just think, 'That’s not the pony I am today.' I became better; I know I became better. So that part of me has no influence on who I am today.”

Sunset was paying rapt attention.

“We need a pony like you now, Sunset.” Twilight stared into Sunset’s sea-green eyes. “A pony.”

Sunset blinked hard. Then she swiveled away. “I’ve got nothing waiting for me in Equestria,” Sunset said. “If Celestia has already forgiven me, then I can stay here.”

“But Sunset-”

“This place is my home,” Sunset affirmed with a fist to her breastbone. “If what you say is true, then I’ve let my past die. Equestria was my past. I’ve moved on, and this is the new me.”

Twilight sadly gazed at her. Then she sighed and moved her hair behind her back. “What if I moved on from you, Sunset?” she whispered. “What if I cut you out of my life?”

Sunset didn't answer. She only looked away and pressed her lips together as she twiddled her thumbs.

Neither of them spoke again for a while.

---

“We’re getting close,” Fancy Pants called back to them after a little bit of time had passed. “The observatory is just dead ahead.”

Starlight Glimmer pressed her nose against the window glass. There, only a little bit ahead, was the small dark shape of a half-sphere on top of a hill, past the tall buildings of the Canterlot urban area. They were still flying above blinking lights, but the multicolored lights were fewer in number and more sporadic. At this rate, they’d be at the observatory in no time.

“I’ve never been above a city before,” Pinkie Pie marveled as she pressed her entire face against the window glass to stare at the city’s skyline.

“The problem you have is gettin’ high enough to get a view like this,” Applejack said, refusing to look out the window. “Ah don’ like bein’ in this metal thing. It feels unnatural.”

“I don’t like getting high,” Fluttershy whispered loud enough for everyone else to hear. “Whenever I look at the ground when I’m high, I feel really dizzy.”

“You want to know what I’m high on? I’m high on life!” the other Pinkie Pie declared, spreading out her arms like a bird.

“And we’re also high on tv show ratings,” Pinkie added nonchalantly.

“What do you mean, tv show?” Rarity asked Pinkie Pie shrewdly.

“Oh, don’t think about it too much,” Pinkie said with a wave of her hand.

“What a great view,” Rainbow breathed. She sighed wistfully. “If I had wings, I would fly over it."

“I can fly,” the other Rainbow Dash bragged to her counterpart.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, with a deadpan expression. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure that can’t happen.”

“Sure can!” the other Rainbow assured her. “If I use this little necklace around my neck, I can. I’ve sprouted wings before, I’m telling you!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Rainbow said, waving her hands. “You can turn into a pegasus?”

“More like a beta version of a pegasus,” the other Rarity clarified. “We all have some sort of power or other.”

“When did this turn into the Power Ponies?” Spike commented, crawling out from a corner of the luxurious chopper. He and the other Spike were napping in that corner of the helicopter.

“It’s not the Power Ponies, Spike,” Twilight chided him gently. “They all just got magical geodes from Camp Everfree.”

“Well, if you've got freaky magical powers, then what are they?” Pinkie Pie asked, pulling her face away from the window with an audible suction sound until it popped off. Her face wiggled loosely off her head, then she twisted her facial features until they resembled a normal face.

“I can blow things up with sprinkles!” the other Pinkie Pie said excitedly.

Freedom Fighter whistled impressively from his spot on a couch and sat up straighter.

“I can create magical shields,” the other Rarity spoke up.

“Well, Ah know that Ah git a lot stronger.”

“I can talk to animals,” came a meek voice, as the other Fluttershy was looking up at Noble Blade’s face and soaking up the details of his face, then she abruptly turned her gaze toward the ground when Noble turned his attention to her.

“And I can go super duper fast!” Rainbow finished. “And we all get little ears and tails and wings and stuff when we display the true power of our element!”

“Ew!” Firestorm yelled from the other end of the room. “That ain’t natural!”

“It’s natural for us!” the other Twilight defended.

“We’ve got another jet in our airspace behind us,” Fancy Pants called back. “It’s small and fast, though, so it’ll go away soon.”

“Natural.” Firestorm got up out of his seat and strode over to the main assembly. “Getting another pair of ears on the top of your head and growing a ponytail out of your butt is natural?”

“It happens whenever we represent what our Elements stand fer,” the other Applejack affirmed stoically. “It’s all here with us. Connected by the one true power--the magic of friendship.”

The other Applejack began to shine with a pale orange color, and levitated off the ground. As she did this she closed her eyes and a pair of pony ears appeared on her head, along with a long tail coming out of her behind.

The people from Equestria and Flash Sentry all looked on in amazement as the other Applejack’s power of honesty manifested itself.

The other Applejack finally settled on the ground and opened her eyes. “Magic is just always natural whenever we use the power o’ friendship,” she finished.

Several wows and oohs and ahhs let themselves out of the mouths of the girls from Equestria.

“You’re a compulsive liar,” Firestorm said when she was done.

The other Applejack twitched her pony ears in surprise. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Say that again. Say. That. Again, Ah dare ya. Ah double dare ya.”

“If, whenever you represented the Elements you stood for, you turned into weird pony-human hybrids,” Firestorm said casually, “then you must be lying through your teeth every other time you opened up your mouth. If you were truly being honest all the time, you would be turning into a pony hybrid all over the place.”

The other Applejack angrily pointed a finger upward and opened her mouth. After a few moments, however, of having nothing to say, the other Applejack simply closed her mouth. An expression of absolute shock was present on her face.

“So, what does this bode for the rest of your friends?” he asked, folding his arms behind his back. “Nothing good, I’m afraid. Every time Fluttershy gives compliments and doesn’t pony up, it means she does it sarcastically, Pinkie Pie fakes her laughter whenever she laughs and doesn't turn into some anthropomorphic weirdo, Rarity, whenever a purple Slinky tail doesn't spring out of her booty, sells her dresses begrudgingly, and Rainbow Dash is a secretive traitor whenever she’s around her friends and not getting wings and a tail.”

“You’re thinking too hard into this,” Sunset Shimmer insisted, waving a hand to signal him to stop.

“He’s actually got a good point,” Noble defended. “This magic you counterparts have seems to pick and choose when it works and when it doesn’t.”

“That’s because... well, we believe somepony else is controlling their magic by keeping it in check for when it really matters,” Twilight said to Noble. “Star Swirl the Bearded.”

“Star Swirl is-” Noble started in shock.

A small hole tore open in the hull of the chopper, and something thin and wooden embedded itself into the bottom of the floor near Noble’s foot.

Some of the girls screamed. The men flinched in their spots.

“What was that?” Fancy Pants called from the pilothouse. “I felt a jolt!”

Flash bent down and pulled the object out of the floor. It was a long wooden shaft, with a sinister barbed tip that exuded a temperature cold enough to cause frostbite. The tip was long, and blacker than the deepest abyss.

“Where’d that come from?” Fluttershy shakingly asked.

“Stay down,” Firestorm told everyone, crouching down. “Someone’s trying to snipe at us.”

“Who? The Noxxa?” Rarity asked, stooping down until she was on her knees. “How would they do that?”

Another hole appeared in the hull near the back, and the arrow sank halfway down the shaft into the back of the seat Rarity’s head had been near only moments ago. Rarity shrieked and cowered on the floor.

“The jet,” Sunset whispered. “They’re in the jet!”

“What?” Twilight asked.

“The jet! Behind us! That Fancy Pants was talking about only a minute before!” Sunset ran over to the window and pressed her nose against it. Outside, a small jet, with small wings and a sharp nose, was circling around to the other side of their own slow-moving helicopter. The jet looked predatory and dark against the lights of the city beneath them and the stars above them.

“We can’t outrun it!” the other Fluttershy whimpered. “We’re all going to die here!”

“Not if we have anything to say about it!” the other Rainbow Dash declared. “We’ll fight ‘em off!”

“They’re in another plane!” the other Applejack pointed out as she stooped down. “And we ain’t got any long-range weapons on us, either!”

There came several snapping sounds, and Freedom Fighter was suddenly holding a buzzing yellow bow, with his fingers gripping the edges of the yellow string.

“Good job!” Noble called to him. “How are you going to fire it?”

Freedom Fighter looked around him at the enclosed space of the luxury helicopter. After he confirmed reluctantly that there was no spot to fire at the jet from inside the chopper, he shrugged in defeat and held his bow limply at his side.

Another jolt rocked the place as another arrow struck the helicopter. No holes appeared in the side, but the chopper began to list to the right. The arrow had apparently struck a helicopter blade or an air flap or something else keeping the aircraft afloat.

The other Rarity took initiative. Outstretching her arm while clutching her necklace and grunting, little balls of blue energy condensed in her palms. The inside of the helicopter walls glowed a pale blue as octagonal shields began to line the helicopter.

While some of the girls commended her vocally and with small cheers, Freedom Fighter was prying at the edge of a large window with his fingers.

“Are you trying to get a clear shot?” Firestorm asked him, coming over while still crouching.

Freedom Fighter’s response was a ridiculously mimed expression of stupidity through his mask. Given that he did it with only his eyes, it was commendable on how emotive he was.

“Okay, okay, it was a stupid question. Do you want my help or not?”

Freedom Fighter tugged at the window pane some more, but could only open it a small way down. Then he stopped and punched through the glass with all the force he could muster. Glass blew out and shot away from the empty window pane, and wind roared inside.

“You’re paying for that broken window!” the other Twilight had to shout over the sudden wind.

Freedom Fighter didn’t acknowledge her. He instead drew his bow back and took aim at the jet that was coming alongside them. He released the bow just as a small projectile fired out of an open window of the jet.

The heavy yellow bolt struck the jet just above the cockpit, and smoke poured out of the head wound. The projectile from the jet also struck the helicopter’s cockpit, and a shatter could be heard. The sound of a wet squelch also came out of the cockpit, and then a thump.

The helicopter slanted deeply as the impact hit, sending everyone stumbling and slipping. The jet circled back, disappearing from view.

“Check on Fancy Pants!” the other Twilight ordered, clutching Spike close to her chest.

Firestorm took the initiative. He ran up the slanting ramp of the helicopter and threw open the door to the cockpit, and the body of Fancy Pants drooped across the doorway, still held in place by his seatbelt.

The other girls shrieked. A long shaft was embedded in his neck, and blood was coating and spreading across his white suit like a juice spill.

“Oh, my stars!” the other Rarity gasped. She began to stutter. “Fancy, n-no! No!”

Firestorm didn’t waste any time. He drew one of his knives, reached into the cockpit, and cut the seatbelt off his body. Setting the body aside, he sheathed the knife and pulled himself into the pilot’s seat.

“What are you doing?” the other Rarity bawled at him. “Get out of there! You can’t do anything for him now!”

“Yeah!” Firestorm yelled, swiveling his head at her. “I’m gonna pilot this thing now, okay? Okay, good to see you agree.” He flexed his fingers and stared at the console in befuddlement.

“Do you know how to fly a helicopter?” the other Twilight asked, putting her head over Firestorm’s shoulder.

“Um…” Firestorm flipped a couple of switches, and a few warning lights turned on and started to beep. “Well, I know how to fly,” he said sheepishly.

“You’re not a pegasus anymore!” Twilight yelled from the back of the chopper. “This is different!”

“It should be easy enough,” Firestorm pointed out, scanning the console with a confused expression. “All you have to do is not touch the ground. As long as you're in the air, you're fine.” He twisted the joystick, and the helicopter suddenly jerked to its proper position, sending everyone standing up flying onto the floor of the chopper. Several bangs, yells, and clatters could be heard, and there came an inexplicable sound of a mewling cat.

“Well, thanks, Firestorm!” Starlight screamed from the back. Her voice sounded smushed.

“I know, right?” Firestorm called back, both of his shaking hands on the joystick. “Everyone alright back there?”

Before either could respond, another crash rocked the helicopter, sending everyone tumbling. The other Twilight stumbled from hanging over Firestorm’s head and collapsed to the floor.

“That wasn't me!” Firestorm cried, bouncing so hard in his seat his head ricocheted off the roof and then slamming back in his seat. “I didn't even do anything yet!”

“I know!” Rainbow yelled at him over the cacophony. “The other jet hit us with their wing!”

“Wonderful!” Sunset cried out. “Could this day get any better?”

“Challenge accepted!” Firestorm answered her, pulling goggles out of his pocket and snapping them on his head.

“Wait, what?!”

Firestorm swerved down as the jet came around like a circling shark. The jet missed with feet to spare, and the chopper wobbled crazily in the air.

“We need to take another shot at it!” Noble yelled above the din. “Freedom! Get ready! We don’t know where the aircraft will pop up next!”

Firestorm could hear the little familiar noises attributed to his magical weapons as Freedom Fighter drew back his bow again and aimed it out the broken window.

Then a shadow passed over Firestorm in the cockpit, and he craned his head up. Right over him was the triangular head of the jet.

Firestorm sighed. “Aw, poop.”

The jet dipped its bow, and it pounded on top of the cockpit, crinkling the roof like a soda can until it touched the top of Firestorm’s skull. The helicopter lurched down as the nose pounded on it, and the tips of the helicopter blades snapped off as they impacted against the underbelly of the jet. The helicopter began to spin out of control, throwing Firestorm nearly out of his chair.

Firestorm looked back once more into the main area as Freedom Fighter aimed upward at the roof of the chopper with his bow, and let loose his buzzing yellow arrow.

The arrow went through the roof of the chopper and into the underbelly of the jet above them, and an explosion came between them. The pressure atop of them relaxed instantly. Firestorm glanced out of the bent and twisted window to his side, and saw a massive white jet, elaborate and smooth, plunge off not ten feet away from his face and spiral to the earth. The head of the jet was aflame and smoking. Firestorm followed the trail of the spinning jet until it descended too low for him to see.

“Lucky for you, he’s an excellent shot!” came Starlight Glimmer’s voice from the back.

“Well, now, we’re going to crash!” Twilight cried out, her voice shaking as the helicopter bounced her around. The centripetal motion was making her latch on to anything nearby.

“Lucky for you, I’m an excellent pilot!” Firestorm retorted, bouncing in his seat as they descended from the sky. Their view was spinning, and Firestorm was fighting the controls as best he could.

“Flying this thing is irrelevant!” Rarity yelled, coming into the cockpit and holding herself upright with a hand. “The trick here is landing, which, ah…” She laughed nervously as the aircraft spun around more, dropping like a stone. “Which this doesn't seem to be able to do, at the moment!”

“So strap yourself in!” Firestorm snapped, wrestling with the joystick.

“Firestorm!” Rarity shrieked, pointing at the stick. It was at the very edge and was about to be pulled out.

Firestorm paid her no attention and tugged harder at the joystick, roaring with the effort. Then the joystick snapped off, Firestorm bashed his head on the back of his seat, and he let out a vile oath that made Rarity recoil in aghast horror and stumble out of the cockpit.

“What was that?” Noble called from the main bay.

Firestorm looked at the broken joystick in his hand. Wires were bouncing in coils out of the bottom. Firestorm then pulled his face in a grimace. “We’re in trouble,” he called back.

“As if we weren't already?!” Rainbow yelled out to him in response.

Everyone by now was grasping tightly onto anything they could reach. Everyone was, except for Fluttershy, who was lying on the floor, sliding and slipping back and forth as the chopper changed direction woozily. Fluttershy was screaming and scrabbling at the floor, then she was thrown flat against the side of the helicopter doors, rattling and about to open.

Fluttershy was losing energy quickly, and was gripping her fingertips against anything nearby. Her breaths came short and hard, and her bodily functions seemed to shut down completely in the terrible danger whirling all around them.

And suddenly a hand was gripping hers and had pulled her away from the rattling doors and the sharp metal, and she felt herself be pressed against the chest of a young man with a familiar smell. The danger was gone, and her exhaustion rushed over her.

“I’ve got you,” Noble said in her ear above the terrible din.

Another jolt threw him back-first against a wall, and Fluttershy felt him absorb all the impact and bounce in his fold. He was still embracing her around the front as if nothing else in the world mattered.

The end seemed uncertain of when to come. Nopony knew just how high up they were, but it was high enough.

The spinning ground was now visible through the window. It was approaching at the speed of a freight train.

The other Twilight cried aloud with sudden effort as she outstretched her hands.

And the helicopter suddenly began to slow down, and then abruptly halted in the air, throwing everyone forward. Pinkie Pie smashed her face into the back of a seat, and Noble Blade fell to the floor and bashed his head on the hard metal, still protecting Fluttershy from opening her head on the same surface. Rainbow Dash grabbed the other Fluttershy tightly and collapsed into the wall on the left, and Twilight fell to her stomach and opened up the skin on her chin. Twilight lifted her head up to see what had caused the sudden halt.

It was the other Twilight. Squeezing her eyes behind her square glasses, balls of violet magic were pulsating in her palms. She was standing upright, feet firmly planted on the floor, and all around her the helicopter’s walls and ceiling and floor were encased in purple energy.

“Way to go, girl!” Applejack commended her, still digging her fingernails into the seat of a torn chair.

The other Twilight didn’t respond. Instead she grunted, and with herculean effort, the helicopter began to rise.

“Woah, woah, woah!” came Firestorm from the cockpit. “What’s going on?”

The other Twilight was grappling with herself, fighting for both the power and the restraint to lift it. Groaning, the motionless chopper propelled itself forward under her power.

The other Twilight dropped to her knees and pulsed out more magic. The enclosed space they were in went faster and sailed upward.

“I don’t know... how much longer... I can do this!” she whispered between her teeth.

“We need to land!” Noble yelled, standing up and supporting Fluttershy. “Now!”

The other Rarity checked out the window and looked down. The ground was less than fifty feet below them, and the observatory was almost directly in front of them, dark and looming and filling up the window space.

“Drop the magic!” Rarity cried again, and outstretched her hand again. Blue hexagonal shields spidered across the surface of the helicopter sides. “Brace yourselves!”

Everyone held on to their support tighter.

The other Twilight dropped her magic and her hands hit the floor hard.

The helicopter dropped yet again, and this time, it was only a few seconds before another jolt hit the bottom of the aircraft, bouncing all of them in the air and denting the bottom of the helicopter like the floor was made of water. Plates of metal burst from their proper place and scattered across the floor and away from the downed aircraft. A side door was squeezed so hard so suddenly that it popped off and flew away. The whole thing tilted to the right, and the twisted remnants of the helicopter blades chopped into the earth until they at last snapped off as well.

Everyone huddled down as long as the crash continued. After half a minute, the chopper ceased movement and lay still, and after another half minute, everyone stood up.

“Who’s okay?” Noble called out, finally releasing Fluttershy. “Everyone alive? Sound off!”

Everyone made little groans of pain or discomfort at that bit of news. Both Rarities were fussing over their now-jagged hair and were patting the other’s into place. Both Rainbows were straightening their knees or cricking their necks. Everyone else was rubbing their heads or necks.

“Is anyone dead?” Flash asked, hoisting up the torn and battered Twilight and holding her close to his chest.

Nobody was, although many open cuts abounded on knees or cheeks or arms. None of them were deep enough to warrant serious medical concern, but blood had been shed on everyone to some degree. The one who had the least was Fluttershy, who had been cushioned by her knight protector so that she only had several deep blue bruises on her shoulder and forehead.

“Firestorm!” Rainbow called to the cockpit entry, which was now so smushed together that it looked welded from side to side. “Firestorm, I swear, if you’re pretending to be dead in there again, I am going to lose it!”

“Don’t worry,” came the pained voice from the mashed cockpit. Relief overcame Rainbow Dash to where she fell to her knees. The voice continued: “I’m alive. Seat belts save lives.”

“Didn’t you slash the seat-”

“Yeah, but I got bumped over to the copilot seat during that bit of minor turbulence.”

“That was minor turbulence? And what’s major turbulence?” Rainbow asked the smushed metal barrier.

“When you fly through a cloud. Duh.” There came a scoff from the twisted barrier. “Out of everyone here, I thought you knew this better, Rainbow.”

“Hold on in there, Firestorm. We’ll get you out,” Flash called to him.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Firestorm asked in evident confusion.

Flash recoiled but didn’t say anything.

As Freedom Fighter rose from the rubble and swished the dust off him in cloudy puffs, Noble Blade pointed at him. “Get us out of here,” Noble ordered.

Freedom Fighter nodded, jutted out three yellow claws from his left arm, raised it, and began to carve through the steel above them like a can opener. Everyone else waited until he was done, and when he had sliced through enough, he motioned for everyone to follow him and leaped through the top with extraordinary agility.

Noble and Flash Sentry stooped down and motioned for Sunset Shimmer to step up. Sunset obeyed carefully, and the two young men gently lifted her up. Freedom Fighter reached for her with his right hand, and Sunset reached up and clasped it.

And all of a sudden, upon contact with his hand, Sunset’s eyes glowed completely white and she gasped aloud. Lasting only a few seconds, the white disappeared from her eyes as abruptly as it had appeared.

Freedom Fighter had yanked her out of the top of the slanted chopper by then, and had settled her on her feet outside on the metal. Sunset shook her head violently, then stared at Freedom Fighter with newfound awe, fear, and pity.

Freedom Fighter widened his eyes in remembrance of Sunset’s abilities, then stared at Sunset with utter distaste. Sunset had a shocked hand to her mouth, and her wide eyes showed clearly on top of her hand.

Finally, she took the hand away from her mouth and whispered, “I’m so sorry…”

What she was sorry for, no one could say. But Freedom Fighter dismissed her with an angry finger to the side, and Sunset soberly clambered down the broken side of the helicopter.

With Freedom Fighter up top, and Noble Blade and Flash Sentry helping boost people up, each girl was helped up and out of the helicopter. When all of them were out, Noble boosted up Flash, then climbed up the side of the tilted floor and came out of the top with help from Freedom Fighter.

They gently clambered down the side of the chopper and joined with the girls in looking up at the massive dome that filled their view. It was dark and oddly foreboding, and the night air did nothing to quell the goosebumps that rose on the group’s skins.

Noble wasted no time in watching it, though; he and Flash went to the front of the snapped helicopter. Noble partially drew his sword as they got near.

“Can I do it?” Flash asked him.

Noble gave him a confused look.

“I, uh…” Flash backed down. “Sorry, I just wanted-”

Noble drew it all the way, held the sword by the blade, and proffered him the hilt. “Two hands.”

Flash stared at the sword hilt, then smiled and held the sword with both hands. He lifted it and hefted it a few times, then gave an experimental swipe. “It weighs less than I thought it would,” he observed.

“Magic sword,” Noble briefly explained. “Rare metal. It was the official sword of the Captain of the Royal Guard before Shining Armor. One of the only swords that can withstand the blow of a Black Blade, this sword has been used in many a battle and has taken many a life.”

“Cool story, bro,” Flash commented sincerely, observing the priceless sheen of the blade in its groove. “Was this your dad’s?”

“It was,” Noble answered. “He gave me this set of arms and made me promise to be worthy of keeping this sword and this shield.”

“How's it working out?” Flash asked, swirling the sword near his head flamboyantly and almost cutting off a lock of hair. Flash looked surprised when that happened and he lowered the weapon.

“It’s a perpetual effort,” Noble phrased delicately. “Sometimes it can be overwhelming.”

“Sometimes you don't need to have the burden,” Flash agreed. He swished the blade some more, then pointed the sword at the broken helicopter cockpit. “So I just make a cut here?”

“Firestorm can't get his own sword out in that enclosed space. Free him.”

Flash brought the sword near his head and slashed with Noble’s sword at the cockpit, tearing apart metal framework and opening up a gash to peek inside. He repeated it five times, and on the sixth try, he stuck the blade in the dirt, panting. “That... takes effort,” he panted.

“You did enough,” Noble reassured him. “Now he can crawl out.”

Firestorm’s head wriggled out of the holes in the dented and collapsed cockpit, and his eyes looked up at Flash holding Noble Blade’s sword. He didn't say anything. To the contrary, he sighed, rolled his eyes, and wriggled out his arms. He used them to pull himself out of the cramped space, inch by inch, and when he was out, he shakily stood up and fell back against the helicopter.

“You don't like small spaces?” Flash guessed. “That’s gotta be bad.”

Firestorm snorted. “Duh.”

“You know, I noticed something,” Flash said, giving the sword back to Noble Blade, who sheathed it across his back, where his shield rested as well.

“What dija notice?” Firestorm asked.

Flash gestured at the mangled remains of the twisted helicopter he was leaning on. “For being an excellent pilot, that wasn't a very smooth landing.”

“Okay, you know what?” Firestorm snapped, though there was no malice behind the tone. “How about you pilot the helicopter next time?”

“Don’t go blaming this on me now.”

“I’ll blame it on Freedom Fighter instead. If he had just hit the jet right the first time, we wouldn't be in this mess!”

“Don't turn this into another Skyworld,” Noble admonished him.

Firestorm shut his mouth and looked at the ground.

“Come on, then,” Noble Blade said, and swirled his arm at the observatory like he had thrown an imaginary grenade at it. “Let’s go meet the greatest unicorn wizard in Equestrian history.”

And the three men strolled up to the back of the line of girls who had already begun walking up the hill.

Comments

[Super Ponyman]

Great chapter, Brady. I like how Freedom is starting to wrest control of his life from his mind.