18. Token
[Token]
Lucas helped Kate to her feet. Lacking proper balance, she wobbled in place, her head spinning in all directions. Side to side. Forward and back. In and out. Adjustments did not come easy. It was like waking up after being struck in the head, which is exactly what happened... for a second time. The first time hitting her head back on the boat came as a surprise. This time, even more so. Funny as it were, she had not gotten the chance to feel the full effects of her earlier injury.
Now that she was back in her own body, the discomfort and dizziness doubled over.
Using Lucas' shoulders as support, she tried standing vertically, but achieved with little success. She tripped over her own feet, having to relearn how to walk on two legs. Walking comfortably on all fours for the last few hours gave her a new sense of balance, overlapping her human instinct of bipedalism.
To experience what it's like to be an equine of fantasy; with exaggerated proportions, pink fur covered body, large violet eyes, horn and wings, flowing curls of purple and gold, and, most of all, the ability to speak.
It turns out that even though all of these characteristics were far from anatomically accurate to real Earth-bound ponies, it perfectly described the whole of Princess Cadence. From horn the hoof, her features bloomed in the sunlight glow. It's a shame she never got the opportunity to experience the stamina of an equine, like running through the open fields as would a horse and to feel the wind blow past her mane, the grass squishing beneath her hooves.
Although, hailing from a far off land of pure imagination and sparkling castles, it's no wonder how a being like her would reflect the very opposite of such. The very essence of Cadence was represented though her looks more than it did her endurance. The epitome of nearly all female fantasies, to be princess of a majestic kingdom and hold true to a legacy to a royal bloodline.
What a life it seems, but to rule a great nation was not her own. That honor is to be returned to the Princess of Love, the harbinger of love's powerful magic, the bringer of heart's spark of harmony.
The only thing missing, of course, were her royal adornments and crown. Made of solid gold embellished with the finest of amethyst, they completed her image as the Princess of Love, along with the lovely mark on her flank. Though, for Kate, they did get a little heavy, and slightly bothersome. It was probably a mistake to take them off in the first place. Those were not to be left behind.
Kate's thoughts trailed. Her stares were followed by rapid blinking to wipe away the ragged wrinkly look on her face. Not to say she has wrinkles, but a day without care and maintenance brought unwanted cracks of age. At twenty-seven, no woman would ever be caught dead with such a senile complexion.
She shook her head numerous times when the severe headache overcame her, but as it slowly died down and her thoughts became more clear, her mind fell on Cadence once again. In fact, within the fog that clouded her thoughts, she couldn't keep her mind off of the Princess. It's as if a part—a key part—of her personality had transferred with her, making its way into her subconscious.
That, in a way, made her a thief of sorts, stealing the identity of Cadence.
She only wondered if it worked both ways.
Resurfacing memories—through magic nonetheless—and close friendships, Cadence was one of a kind, even if she didn't see it that way herself. The way she showed her devotion to keeping her friend Twilight in close comfort, the way she worked to learn through the eyes of human experience, and the way she changed her heart to recognize the fear of loss. These were attributes of a great leader in every regard. How could Cadence see herself any less?
Did something happen in her days as alicorn princess that made her doubt her value, made her grow weak through a hidden guilt that tore her from the inside, and made her forget who she really was? For the answer, she had to look into her past as find the point of decline.
Though, that road may be more treacherous that once believed.
To travel there and back again, down into the deepest portion of Cadence's inner being against her will, served as a window into two worlds. When subjected to the last piece of the puzzle, the last forgotten memory, she saw through the eyes of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but because she could see nothing but white vapor, a passive haze, a crawling dark; she witnessed something else entirely. Something that no one—not even royalty—should ever have to bear. Ever.
That something was a thought. An idea, formed by the darkness, disguised as love. Although not an axiom of evil, but an impure and incomplete notion. A qualm. An offense. An emotion that ran deep withing each chamber of her heart, growing in desperation for escape to be buried six feet under. Simply put, Cadence felt at a loss of worth.
Wha—huh?
That doesn't make any sense. How can this be? This goes against all that was previously conceived about Princess Cadence. Why does this negativity flow? Why is it allowed to flow, slowly decaying her spirit to a crisp and leave her bones like glass? At what point did all this happen? Was there something missing?
These were question for which she knew not the answers, nor where to find them. Cadence had long locked that information away with a secret incantation to keep it from herself. Perhaps, as to save herself from future pain, it was the right choice. Kate knew exactly what it felt like to live with past burdens, but because she is human, the burdens remained in hind sight when looked upon. They linger in the shadow of the past. Always and forever.
The only power to vanquish a heavy heart was to let it go.
Let it go.
Three words. Three powerful words that shape the future along and keeps it moving. Words defining of an individual and exonerating to another.
If only Kate could bring herself to speak those words would things change at that moment, only then would things look brighter for the Princess. Things would look brighter for everyone. However, to maintain high respects for Cadence's privacy, she elected not to. She just hoped that her most moral of human traits infused with the alicorn's own to provide light when she needed it.
Putting the issue of Cadence personal indignities aside, the issue of inter-dimensional travel remained unresolved.
If the ponies could not find a way to return home, to be trapped in the world of humans, the world could change. They'd be treated as a gods—no—pantheons. The evidence of divinity would transform man, some turning to guidance and salvation, others not so much. Though this might sound like a good thing, humanity was far from ready for that kind of prospect. Some would be afraid, some even angry. With the existence of creatures of myth, there will be those who would seek to control its power. There were always people who craved the will of gods.
Kate would not let than happen.
Not while she had anything to say about it.
Perhaps she was in desperate need of catharsis.
For her sake.
For the sake of her friends.
For the sake of all.
…
“Kate?” A deep voice echoed in her ear. “You alright? Come on, snap out of it.”
She rubbed her eyes, wiping away the awkward visage that painted her face. “Yeah?”
“You've been staring at Cadence this whole time,” said Lucas. “Something seems different about you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you were kinda creeping her out,” Stanley commented. “You were creeping me out, too. It's probably because you just went through hell and back, twice. I'm impressed you've made it this far.”
Lucas held the woman up by her left arm as the other half on her body gave in to the will of gravity. He couldn't hold her up any longer. He led her over to the brown couch chair and gently set her down. Her body sank into the cushions as if drunk and leaned her head as far back as the head rest behind her would take, wincing in sharp pain. She could settle for some real rest for once.
“Is there something you're not telling us?” Lucas coughed up. “Like what is really going on and how they're supposed to get home?” He decided to be a little more aggressive now that Kate was back to normal. Well... almost normal. “Come on, tell us what you know. I know you know that we know that they can't return home unless there's more to that spell that almost killed you for a second time. We don't have much time.”
“I'd say seven minutes,” Rainbow Dash confirmed based on an educated guess. With a couple flicks of the ear from a distant thunder only detectable by pegasi senses, she corrected herself. “Make that five.”
“Please, Kate, we need your help. We can't do this without you.”
As Lucas tried to choke the answer out of Kate, Cadence trotted from behind.
“I'm afraid your friend is right.” She eyes the woman closely. “I do believe there is more to the spell than you think. It gave me the necessary boost in magical output, enough to transport us back to where we came, but there it will only work under a certain conditions. I must know where it is we must travel if we are to depart this world and safely return to ours.”
“You mean, you don't know?”
“No, but I do know who does. Surely the mysterious spell cast by the Crystal Heart shared its secrets among the both of us. It gave back our lives and little more.”
This time, Twilight waddled up to the trio, drawn in by the conversation.
“Is that what happened?” the studious unicorn questioned. “This was all by the power of the Crystal Heart?”
“Of course, Twilight. And I have you to thank for it. If you have not forged the symbol of love out of...um...”
“My glass apple,” Lucas clarified for her.
“Yes, his apple, then none of this would have been possible. Since you sculpted the Heart using magic, it left a small residue of your magical signature which allowed it to grow over a short amount of time, eventually creating a new and true heart, thus replicating the magic that was used to undo the spell you cast on us. I believe it did more than just return us to normal.”
“A true heart? So the Crystal Heart not only hold the power of love, but it can manifest out of any type of magic if the spellcaster is connected to the Crystal through love?
Cadence smiled. “Exactly.”
“How did you figure that out?” Stanley said, mildly grimacing. Twilight's expression was more positive and quite thrilled.
“I thought it was rather obvious really,” the Princess grinned nervously.
“Well, it still doesn't make any sense. But what do I care huh? The clock is ticking.” Stanley glanced at the antique clock face engraved in the wall near the hallway. “Three minutes.”
“Okay okay, um...” As Lucas tried to hurry things along, thinking of several scenarios in his head at the speed of light, his brain became overloaded with panic, temporarily shutting systems down. A cold cringe distorted his features and washed his face of all patience. He snapped his fingertips rapidly to start up again, gritting his teeth together. “So where is this place we have to go to?”
“Only Ms. Park knows of the location,” Cadence formally replied.
“Ms. Park?” Kate bit her lip as she a light frown wrinkled her expression. She gulped arduously. “I haven't been called that since...since my parents died.”
“Oh no, I'm sorry.” The pink alicorn grimaced apologetically at her pronounced intrusion. “I didn't mean to—“
“No it's alright, don't fret. It's not your fault, it's just didn't expect you to say it like that. It's nice to hear someone call me that again. Thanks.”
“Can you guys hurry it up!?” Rainbow rudely interrupted, and for the right reason. “This is no time for a boring chat!” A pause gave the pegasus just enough time to remind the group of what was coming. “Two minutes.”
With the active countdown alternating between Stanley and Rainbow Dash—whom seemed to be the most alert of the six— but as far as time goes, a lot can happen in two minutes. Even though Kate rested in the chair for a couple minutes, it was more than enough to regain the strength she needed to move. She quickly lifted out of the chair and brushed herself off. She turned to Lucas.
“Get your bag, we have to leave. You too Stanley.”
Before anyone could ask why, she lightly shoved the fisherman out of her way and exited the room with haste. Lucas could tell she was scared by the apparent fright in her voice. It wasn't quite clear what she was scared of other than the Coastguard discovering a false alarm and colorful ponies. It was now that he was certain that Kate was withholding valuable information from them. The rest of the group were victims of not knowing what would happen next.
As the clock approached five in the afternoon, they were almost out of time until all hell would break loose. The ponies and humans were dwindling with hope. Hope that hung by an impossibly thin thread. For every second they did nothing to do something about their crumbling situation was every second closer to the end.
Lucas was shaking, terrified of what's to come. He wished that when he woke up that morning that the night before was just a bad dream. A sort of nightmare that was nothing but his brain making up stories to scare him in the night. But it wasn't a dream. It was real. And worse yet, it did not happen by mere coincidence. All this time, he felt drawn by an innate power. One that too some effort to control, telling him to move on. He knew this feeling. Kate used to talk about it all the time.
It was empathy. An emotion so strong that, it was not exclusive to humans. Rainbow Dash—a light-blue pegasus pony with a mane striped with all the colors of the visible spectrum—had proved that to him. She proved it to Stanley. Whatever confided sentiment they shared to purify broken relations and undo major misunderstandings, he didn't want to know. It would be better kept between them and them alone.
Now he wondered: Why now? Why, when in the middle of a inescapable crisis, would it choose to reveal its full effects? It was like Lucas' heart and mind were working together, trying to shake him of a terrible guilt. A guilt known only to him. A guilt he hoped to amend with time. Time long overdue. Over the years, Lucas did not take his feelings seriously, nor did he take them lightly. He was somewhere midfield. He thought that if maybe he waited until the right time came, everything would improve on its own.
He was never more pleased to be wrong in all his life.
With amber and ashes, the silence thickened.
Taking advantage of the noiseless air, he did as Kate said and put his backpack on. He made his way towards the lobby and came to a halt at the front door. It was so quiet, in fact, that he could hear very faintly the crashing of waves beyond the grass field ahead of him. Normally he couldn't hear the ocean, but without the moaning of coastal winds, they were as clear as the sky.
There was only one sound he cared for. Lucas listened for the roar of an airplane engine.
…
Nothing.
Not a chirp. Not a cricket. Not even a whisper.
For a few seconds, all was serene, until a screech hit him in the back of the head. Turing around, could hear Kate's voice as she had returned from wherever it is she went.
To those who watched her enter, the woman was carrying a little extra other than a pair of shoes, her favorite leather jacket, and a scarf. In her arms were four gold slippers, a necklace, and gem encrusted crown, reflecting yellow rays like a disco ball around the room. She dropped them by Cadence's hooves.
“We almost forgot about those,” she said smiling as the pink pony swiftly slipped into her shoes. “Stanley,” she called to her chief navigator, who was in the process of reorganizing the contents of his bag at the foot of the lobby door. Using the deliberate pause, she grabbed a pad and pen from a nearby desk drawer and wrote down a series of numbers. “I need you to punch in these numbers in your GPS.”
Kate tossed the pad to him. He caught it mid-flight and read the note.
“What for?” he questioned, brows furrowing.
“That's where we have to go.”
Kate neglected to clarify because she knew that he knew what the numbers meant.
“You mean to say, you know of the location we must travel to?” Cadence chimed, her features brimming with delight. She looked at Twilight who showed the same reaction.
“That's what I said,” Kate responded almost nonchalantly. “But we need to get out of here now. Let's go.” She then noticed the absence of a key individual. “Where's Lucas?”
“Here!” the man shouted from the lobby. He poked his head through the door. “What's going on?”
“We're getting out of here,” Kate stated. “Grab anything you need. We're won't be coming back for a while.” As she finished her demands, she started packing her own bag she brought from her private room on the second floor. Just a few important papers and documents and she was good to go.
“We already have everything we need,” Stanley announced, leaning against a window behind him. “We're waiting on you.”
Kate paused and looked up at her two employees. They reassured her with their heads held high and hands on the straps wrapped over their shoulders. In fact, she was the only one unprepared. The ponies didn't need to carry anything and her fellow shipmates cared little for anything they'd leave behind. She hurried with the last two binders of shipping manifests and threw the bag over her back.
“Okay, now all we need to do is—“
*Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump*
*WHOOSH*
Kate was cut off by a sudden booming thunder that flew right above the roof of the building, making the group look up at the ceiling. The deep thumping moved east but remained loud and choppy.
*crack* *crack*
*Smash*
It was then that all four windows of the lounge gave in from the stress of previous onslaught and exploded into white dust. Each particle acted as a projectile from the difference in air pressure on both sides of the window pane. Several shards blew inwards, raining down on Stanley from the right side, pelting him from head to toe.
All the fragments either hit his clothes or flat first, but one relatively large piece slashed into Stanley jeans and slicing his dominant leg, forcing a yelp from unsuspecting human.
“Argh!” Stanley clenched the wound, collapsing to his knees. Blood oozed from his pants and dripped into the carpet with a stain of crimson dark. With every beat of his heart, a sharp sting burned like a bullet to his right leg. Despite the pain, Stanley held on strong, rising to his feet like nothing happened, all while stiffing fluctuating grunts.
His cry went unheard, his friends busy shielding themselves from the same swarm of flying glass. The thumping pulses were much louder now that the sound slipped through the broken windows. A strong wind blew through the front door, making a mess of countless papers swirling into a wild vortex. Lucas used his strength to close the lobby door to reduce the rushing air flow.
Twilight started to panic.
“What is that!?”
“That's no airplane!” Lucas yelled over the noise of the helicopter's spinning blades pushing the air in circles. He peeked out through the window curtains. Their fears had arrived. “They're here!”
“What do we do now!?” Rainbow wailed. “We're trapped!”
Several books from shelves began to tip over and the glass on the floor rattled against each other from the constant vibrations of the aircraft outside. Lucas watched it hover a dozen meters in the air before is slowly descended to the ground. When it came into to full view, it read in bold black letters:
Coastguard, Eastern Division, ZK-H6
The nation's flag was also painted onto the metal just above the tail rotor and the symbol of the organization on the door. When the door slid open, Lucas retreated back and closed the blinds.
The thrashing winds outside slowly abated, diminishing with each breath, barely enough to reduce speech to normal volume.
“Is there a way we can sneak by them through a back entrance?” Cadence asked. Although her voice was far from normal, it displayed brief signs of panic just like her lavender friend.
“We have a back door,” Kate replied. “two actually, but we have no trees or bushes for cover. The station is surrounded by nothing but grass. They'll see us from any angle.”
They were running out of options real fast. Across from the woman, a light went off in the cerulean pegasus' head.
“How about we cause a distraction?” Rainbow suggested. “Make them look somewhere else while we escape.”
“The Coastguard aren't easily fooled.” Lucas pointed out. “Plus we can't risk one of us getting caught for the sake us all. It's too dangerous, and reckless.” That last word made Dash cringe, but decided not to respond any further than a growl. The man shrugged. “Any more more bright ideas?”
As if directed at her, Twilight thought hard for a second. The rapid pulses of the strange machine outside continued to stir a gale all over the place, creating a current close to that of a raging storm. A storm brewing from the center of a said machine. A storm like that of— ...wait...a storm? Hmm... Storm...rain. Rain...water. Water...ocean. Ocean...ocean...ocean...
Of course! She barked in her thoughts. That's it! All this time thinking of a solution to their home problem and the perfect idea had slipped her mind. It just so happened to be the last option they've got.
Twilight glanced at her friends who were ready to give up on hope of getting out of this circus. Fortunately for them, she was aggressive enough to take her ideas at full speed under stressful conditions.
“Take my hoof,” she said, stretching a foreleg at Lucas.
“What?”
Twilight sat on her haunches and reached out with another leg to grip Cadence's own left.
“Trust me. I know what I'm doing.”
The captain looked down at the unicorn's tiny hoof. He stared at it for longer than necessary, watching the artificial breeze sway her lavender fur every which way. He tried to guess what her plan was like some sort of game, but he found the she was dead serious. He didn't have to ask nor did he have the time to.
He exchanged wary looks at each of the ponies, then at Kate. They were each holding hands and hooves, waiting for him to join them. The last to connect the line was Stanley, whom limped slowly around the large sofa, wincing with every other step. Why is he limping?
The answer could be anything, but because there was no time to worry, it was a minor detail of least importance. Reluctantly, Lucas wrapped his fingers firmly around Twilight's hoof. It was a soft touch, silky and pure. Similar to that of Cadence's fur coat, but more smooth and kempt, having experienced less disruption like jumbled spells or solid walls.
To successfully abscond was no easy task. He wasn't sure how her plan would play out, but there was no other way but to agree to trust unicorn. What's she gonna do? Freeze time? Reverse it? Turn them invisible? Those ideas sound both cool and dangerous. He'd just have to wait and find out. Besides, he'd be accompanied by Stanley and Kate, the only two people on Earth he cared about. Their smiles reminded him of a simple thought; they were in this together.
It just took a collection of courage to take a deep breath to filter out the anxious substance of suspense.
Soon enough, shallow thuds echoed from the lobby, pounding away at the door from the other side. The guardsmen were right outside the lounge now, knocking eagerly to enter, shouting muffled words.
Each of their heart's pounded faster and faster. As the bangs escalated into shouts and the wind moved more violent, a distinct ringing sound traveled through each human and pony. It was more of a sharp vibration and high-frequency pitch rather than the loud chime of metal bells. Lucas had to close his eyes to attenuate the fire and fear of the guardsmen bursting through to door in the event Twilight's plan failed. It became increasing difficult to concentrate, or think of anything really. His skin tingled, hairs raising above goosebumps, and eyes filling with white. The sensation felt close to being burned alive, every nerve and neuron in his body suspended in a weightless void of wasted space.
*Poof*
That was all that could be heard.
Everything went silent for a nanosecond until an ambient noise sang softly in his ears. The mosquito ring was gone, but there was also no presence of loud eruptions of fumes and flames and smoke and heat and explosions of light and dark and death and destruction and—
—the list goes on.
The apex of the fire pinching his brain died enough for thoughts to flow freely again, and in seconds time, the bright light had vanished. Lucas cracked his eyes open to find his vision a green blur and layered with a natural coating of misty dew. Once he blinked, the familiar substance formed into tears, dripping down his temples to tickle his ears. Neither of joy nor of pain, but of protection against the foreign air that rubbed against his frail corneas.
By the time his hearing came back online, the voices of Stanley and Kate bounced around in his head, talking to him, whispering to him. Whether they were imaginative or not, they provided the warmth he needed to moved his arms comfortably again. Just please let this not be the afterlife. He didn't believe in that stuff anyways.
Accumulating his new found strength, he grazed his hands over the material of a damp, prickly surface, its texture overtly familiar. A new scent fill the air that flared his nostrils and riled his tongue to bear the salty taste in his mouth. His better judgment finally fell upon the realization of a sudden shift in location.
A fine green bed of grass.
But where?
Lucas concealed a cough and grunted under his slurred speech, finding it hard to heed the words through a short hiccup. One thing he didn't account for were the side effects of whatever freaky magic spell plagued him. Hopefully such a sickness left less of a mark than the real traumatic calamity of ALS he was already learning to accept.
“Ugh...grrgr, w-what hap- *hic* happened?” As Lucas sat up, the grass tugged on the grooves of his dry hair strands.
“Good to see you're in one piece, cousin,” Stanley said from somewhere in the vicinity. The captain then felt his cousin's arms pick him up off the cold soil, his bones aching up a sweat. A splash of fervent color slapped his vision as it returned to normal in no time.
The question of where was answered. Lucas witnessed the blue sky kissing the flat horizon of the sea off in the distance. The surrounding scenery punched him with all its might while evoking a startle from the man. This place, this one place, has seen its share of unlucky encounters and dire omissions.
The southern hill of change.
That's what he came to call it now.
Of course, every time he was up on this hill, he felt both enraged and reprieved simultaneously. No other place he knew could do that to him, not the station, not the boat, not even the house he grew up in near Auckland as a child. Right now, he couldn't think about those repercussions, for a more pressing issue was at hand.
He found Kate and the other three ponies laying on their stomachs, peeking over the top of the hill, overlooking the valley in which the fishing station was located. He quietly chuckled to himself. Their postures were like that of amateur spies from a revenge comedy flick. He might as well join in.
Lucas crawled on the grass next to Twilight. What he found in the distance was a lone helicopter sitting several meters from the front porch of the station. The rotors blades continued to slice the air and make the grass dance. A couple figures walked back and forth between the building and the orange craft.
For a few more seconds, it seemed like the guardsmen were relaxed for finding no one inside, but the very moment the began a conversation together, another chopper rose from the mountains on the opposite end of the valley. Each of them ducked below the crest of the hill.
“Okay, I think we better get moving,” insisted Lucas. “We don't want to be here any longer than we have to.”
A feminine gasp brought heads up, alerting the collective gaze of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Katherine Park, and now Lucas towards a Princess in shock. However, her look of horror was directed at one of the members of the group. Following her stare, they shared her daze when the sight of red seeped from Stanley's leg onto the grass.
“Oh no, w-hat h-have I done!?” Twilight shrieked, her ears dropping as low as possible. She covered her mouth with a hoof, unable to rectify her resilience. The guilt of fault loomed on her shoulders. She panicked internally. My teleportation spell was flawless! This shouldn't have happened. I must have miscalculated.
“Don't scream!” Stanley shot back at her, unaware of the surprise aimed at him. “They'll hear us.”
“B-but, you're leg!”
“What...this?” He pointed at the red stain on his mutilated jeans. “No, that wasn't your fault. It was the glass from the window when it exploded.”
Twilight let off some relief through a feeble sigh.
Lucas did the same. So that's why he was limping. Stanley sure has guts to ignore the pain. It sure looks like it hurts. The wound continued to secrete a large stream of blood and wouldn't let up. There was only one road this would lead if left unattended.
“Dude, this is serious, you need to stop the bleeding!”
“N-no it's o-okay. I-I c-can still walk.”
Stanley tried standing up, but fell immediate after pressure reigned on his injured limb. Similar to the disorientation of the teleportation spell, the navigator's head spun in circles, drowsy overcoming him. He fought to keep the dark at bay, the blood loss shoving his body down under.
“No no no, stay down and stay calm this is not good.” Lucas sprung into action. He clapped his hands above his face, the human slipping out of consciousness. “Okay, relax. Come on, stay awake for me.” He removed his jacket and tied it around Stanley's left leg to cut circulation to the gaping wound. At least he learned a thing or two about common medical emergencies like these from survival movies.
“AHH!” Stanley yelped in agony, now fully aware of the pain. “Not so tight!”
“No man, it needs to be tight.” The captain looped the last knots with the sleeves and pressed down on his cousin's thigh. “How can you ignore something so urgent? Are you that stupid? Actually don't answer that, we all know the answer.”
Stanley was in too much pain to give Lucas an arctic glare, sucking in the frigid air through his teeth, producing a broken whistle that got lost in the coastal draft and sang like a sorry tune. He pinched his facial muscles as tensely as possible, biting his pale lips till the pain subsided. It worked...for a while.
Kate held the young man's neck from bending too much to cause further impairment.
The five surrounding Stanley did as much as they could to provide first aid. Cadence and Twilight used their magic to stitch the large gash on his skin, using loose thread from his own shirt to seal the exposed flesh. Rainbow Dash managed to whip a sufficient amount of water from a cloud she coalesced from the aquatic moisture in the atmosphere to clean the rosy stains off his bare skin. Kate supported his spine with her arms, holding him up to ease the aching pain that had traveled to his chest. Lucas put pressure directly on the wound.
As the muffled drumming of the second helicopter grew in rhythm, the captain rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.
“Where are we supposed to go from here, Kate?”
“We take the boat out to sea.”
Lucas looked at her with disbelief.
“Are you serious?” She nodded emphatically. “Are you really seri— and how do you propose we do that? Do you not see what happened to it?” The man's slender fingers pointed at the fishing vessel on the beach not two hundred meters from their present location.
It sat motionless as waves of white hugged the stern half of the boat as the bow cut into the sand below. A red flag with the insignia of the stars and the British Red Ensign fluttered calmly in the sun. Although the exterior was completely intact and hull unscathed, there was no telling the mechanical conditions of the engine, whether it worked at all anymore.
Kate pondered for a seconds, coming to terms with how sure Lucas was in the critical status of her boat. This couldn't get any better, their options run dry at last. That is, until Cadence ventured with a polished remark.
“I think I can help with that.”
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Huh. You know, they might have been able to hide the ponies and pretend that Stanley's bleeding leg was the emergency they used the beacon for. Then after all that was taken care of they could have helped the ponies get home on their own time.
I'm sorry but is the idea of just staying and explaining that they accidently switched on the beacon too confusing or am I just being too optimistic about this Coastguard?
Why didn't they call the Coastguard and just say that the beacon was accidently activated before they actually got there. That would make more sense than doing nothing and letting the Coastguard waste money on sending a helicopter.
Um.... sorry but I can't take any of this seriously.... All you gota do is tell them it was a accident. At the very most you will be paying a $500 fine.... (or was it $1,500?)
Why the hell are they acting the way they are? Just answer the door... It's not like they will be arrested... and running will only make things worse considering they know its the people who live at that house now....
Sorry but this was pretty realistic before this, now its taken a huge swerve into the ridiculous.
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You're ALL right, I have no legitimate arguments to justify what is going on and why the story has taken a shameful turn of near insanity. I've been going through so many different scenarios in my head on what works and what doesn't while being hit with writers block. No surprise there. But as it shows, you found a better way to structure the fic than I could. I did the best with what I had to work with (with was a convoluted mess of contradictory details), and as it turns out, it may have not been the best decision to go this far with the characters. I tend to model events and actions from what I know about human behavior and my own personal experiences, although I don't know if I should anymore. I am somewhat aware of the deviation from realism (if it was ever realistic to begin with), and it frightens me to have to say that some (if not most people) won't consider finishing it with me. That's okay. I will finish the story and try to wrap it up more fairly for the characters than the hell they've been through already. I'm still new to the writing experience.
I will say, for my sake, that the reason for the human characters' flight response derives from their apprehension of authority. I apologize if that sounds irrelevant or hypocritical, which will hurt my non-existent credibility.
I'll just keep going.
I understand the confusion.
Ah, quit all your whining!! The author writes the how they want it to come out. It's a good story and you lot are just bringing it down.
3122295
I see two super easy ways you can make this happen without changing very much....
1. Have it happen as it would in reality: They either get a warning or a fine (jail time is only for repeat offenders who do it on purpose) but while they are getting written up one of the ponies accidentally does something stupid (probably rainbow dash) and gets themselves seen or such... there, simple as can be....
2. One or more of them has a outstanding warrant for something or another.....
3122409
How about a combination of options 1 and 2, with a dash of secret option 3.
Anything goes.
3122448
You know, the warrant option would have been cool to do when cadence was still in the womans body.... would have been entertaining seeing her going through the process not knowing what the hell was going on. Meet human prison! Probably no where as nice as equestrian prison. But oh well.... it's probably way to big of a swerve, though that's a pretty good idea for a story I just gave myself.
3122295>>3122448
They were panicking. People do stupid things when they are panicking.
As readers, we can be far more objective than the characters.
I'm not saying I don't understand why they did what they did, I was just pointing out that it was not the most reasonable course of action. Their actions were stupid, yes, but it makes sense why they did them.