Applejack blows out the candle next to her bed as she settles in for the night. It was a long day bucking apples and she knows she'll be getting a good night's sleep.
Meanwhile, several kilometers above Sweet Apple Acres, a shuttle descends to the peaceful farm house. It was quiet enough to not disturb the Apple family.
Back in Applejack's room, a low hum interrupts her sleep. "What the?" She asks herself. She finds herself to be covered from head to hoof in a light blue aura.
The next thing she knew she was teleported to another area. It definitely was not anywhere near Sweet Apple Acres. Not only was she taken, but Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom were in the same room. "What the hay!" She yells out, looking around and sees what might be their abductors.
Applejack and her siblings stand in a triangle, facing the abductors. "AJ...?" Her sister asks with a tremble in her voice. The abductors are slender, bipedal with bluish gray skin, long, angular faces, no mouths and deep green eyes.
"We'll be alright, right Mac?" AJ said, hoping her brother will play along to help calm Apple Bloom.
"Yup." He responded.
The strange looking aliens pause and look at each other. They nod before raising their right hands in front of them, which had some kind of jewel embedded in it. The Apple siblings were rendered unconscious.
AJ awoke to find herself and her siblings in another room where they were restrained. One of the aliens approaches and looks at the monitoring device next to the orange mare. "What in tarnation do ya think yer doin'?" She futilely asks. The alien kept going about its business. She looks over to see Mac awake, but Apple Bloom was still under. "You alright, brother?" She asks. Mac nods.
"Yup." She smiles.
"Good. If they hurt any one of us, Ah won't be responsible for mah actions." She says.
Apple Bloom finally wakes up with a groan. "AJ... what's goin' on?" She asks with retained fear. "Ah have no idea, but so far we're all still in one piece."
Moments later, three more of the aliens enter the room and toward the tables the three ponies were laying on. Apple Bloom let out a quiet whimper as the three were leaving the room and began freaking out more as she realized they were splitting up. "AJ!" She yells.
"Be strong, Apple Bloom!" Her sister yells out. "We'll find ya!"
Applejack finds herself being moved into yet another room. This felt more like a prison cell than anything else. The alien loosens the restraints and floats the mare toward a corner of the room before leaving. It presses a button outside and a barrier appears, closing the room. AJ gallops to the door.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice said.
AJ ignored him and slammed into the door. The field gave a light shock to the pony and she stepped back. "What in tarnation?" She asked herself. "What kind of magic are they usin' here?" She grumbles.
"It's not magic." The voice said. She turns around and sees another strange creature, but this one was taller than the ones outside, had pink skin, a rounder face, dark hair and a matching beard. He looked like he'd been here for a while.
The mare cautiously approaches the new creature. "Name's Greg." He says, extending his hand. AJ flinches back. "Relax, I'm not going to bite." He says, getting a chuckle out of the mare and the shake was finalized.
"Ah'm Applejack." She says. "Who or... what... are they?" She asked.
"I wish I knew." Greg says, approaching the barrier and stands in front of it. "I've been locked up on this ship for so long that I gave up on keeping track, much less learn what they are." He adds, hearing a loud gulp come from his roommate.
"What do they want?"
Greg chuckles and turns to his cell mate. "I've been here long enough to know that they're just curious. This is a scientific vessel, and there are biologists and sociologists here." He explains.
"Bio-whatnow?" The mare asks.
"They study living things, and their purpose, as far as I can tell, is to see which different species are compatible with each other." He explains.
The mare let out a quick gasp. "As in... mating?" She asks with an audible gulp. Greg nods. This got the mare worried even more. "Ah gotta get outta here and save mah sister!" She yells, going for the door again.
Greg stops her. "It's too early, Applejack. Now tell me, is it just you and your sister?" He asks.
AJ shakes her head. "Mah brother's here too. Ah've got a photo of us under mah hat." She says.
Greg takes her hat off and grabs the picture. He shows the picture to AJ and points to Apple Bloom. "I take it that's your sister?" He asks. AJ nods and Greg examines the photo further. "If this photo is recent, I wouldn't worry about her." He explained further, somewhat calming down the distressed mare.
"What about these... socio-whatsits." She asks, getting another chuckle from Greg. "Hay!" She yells. "Ah may not be book smart, but Ah'm not stupid, either." She says with an annoyed tone.
"I never said you were. Sociologists study social behavioral patterns." He tells her, pointing to different cameras in the room. "They're watching us right now." He continues.
AJ shudders. "That ain't creepy or anything." She says. "Can Ah ask a question?" Greg nods. "How many...?" She begins, getting a smile from Greg.
"How many species have they tried to get me to mate with?" He asks for her. She nods with a blush. "To my surprise, none. However, they have put me in with several different females, and you wouldn't be the first quadruped I've met."
They hear a door sliding open in the back. "Applejack, let's move to the back of the room." She didn't want to, but he's been here longer and listens to him. Two of the aliens enter the room, one is carrying a platter of mixed vegetables for the pony, setting it on the ground and another carries a platter of mixed food for the other creature, passing it off to him. "Thank you." Greg says, bowing his head. The two head leave the room.
AJ looks at the platter in front of her, then up to Greg. "They're feeding us?" She asks.
Greg sits down in front of her platter and sets his on his lap. "They're not barbarians, Applejack. Go ahead, eat up." He says, putting a bit of his food in his mouth.
"Ah suppose." She says, picking at her food. "There's one thing buggin' me: how are we able to communicate? And don't tell me it's not magic." She says, getting another chuckle from Greg.
"It's not magic, Applejack. It's the room." He answers, swallowing the food in his mouth. "They have translators built into it, so what ever I say gets translated to your language and vice versa." He finishes, putting more food into his mouth.
AJ's eyes narrow. "Yer people are obviously more advanced than mine to come up with that theory." She conceded. "Ah still say it's magic."
Greg smiles. "Well, one's technology is another's magic." He says, sticking out his tongue at AJ. She giggles. "Now come on, eat up."
The two finish their meal, Greg stacks the platters on top of each other and slides them through a slot at the bottom of the door. "So... Greg." AJ says, poking her hoof at the floor. "What's yer species?" She asks.
"I'm human. Now, let me guess yours." He answers, examing the mare. "You look similar to the horses found on my planet. Much smaller body and larger eyes, though. I'll venture a guess and say you're a pony."
AJ smiles. "Wow. Ah think you'd like mah friend Twilight. You two are crazy smart." The two laugh, then AJ quickly sinks into depression.
"What's wrong?" Greg asks. AJ looks up at him, on the verge of tears. "Think mah brother and sister and Ah will see our world again?" She asks, knowing that her roommate has been there longer than he can count.
"If I said yes, I'd be lying, but there is a possibility." He says.
AJ's ears pop right up. "It's possible?"
The lights quickly go out and AJ yelps. "What happened to the lights?!" She asks.
"Stay calm, Applejack. It's just their way of saying it's time to sleep." After a few moments, some light returns, not enough to illuminate the entire room, but enough for AJ to see Greg.
"Ah guess it's time to hit the hay." She says with a yawn. Greg agreed with a yawn of his own. The two crawl into their respective cots.
AJ was still restless and trots over to Greg's bed. "Greg?" She asks, poking him with her hoof. He lets out a low groan. "Can Ah...?" She starts to ask, but stops herself. "Nevermind."
She begins to trot back to her bed, but Greg pats her on the back. "Go ahead, but don't expect any action." He slurs. AJ smiles and hops into the cot with him.
"Thank ya." She says, nuzzling against him.
"Don't mention it." He responds.
Applejack could not sleep at all and it felt like hours since the lights went out. Greg had an arm draped over her, not tight enough to keep her from going anywhere though, and she was comfortable with that. Her mind kept racing about what happened tonight and was worried about her brother and sister. Moreso for Apple Bloom than Big Macintosh.
She was at that point where she was almost asleep, that is until Greg started snoring. It wasn't loud or annoying, but more like the purr of a kitten. She thought it was adorable and lets out a soft giggle.
The lights activate, waking Applejack quickly and annoyingly. "Darn it!" She yells, waking up Greg.
"Is it morning already?" He asks with a quick yawn. AJ hops off the cot, letting Greg sit up and she stretches. Greg hears the field drop, the two look toward the door as it opens. A single alien enters the room, looks at them and beckons them to approach him.
AJ looks up at Greg who's standing up. "What's goin' on?" She asks.
Greg lets out another yawn. "Weekly socializing." He answers, looking at her. "You might be able to see your brother and sister." He says. AJ beams hearing this.
The two are escorted out of the room through a hallway with windows looking into space. AJ props herself up to look out, overjoyed to see her world. Greg looks out as well and looks over at AJ. "That's mah home!" She says optimistically, but Greg didn't understand her. She points to herself, then to the planet. Greg simply nods.
The two are finally escorted to a commons area. AJ was shocked to see how many different creatures there were. "Come on." Greg says. "Let's see if we can find 'em." She looks up at him and nods.
It doesn't take long before they ran into Apple Bloom on Big Macintosh's back. "AJ!" The big stallion yelled, galloping up to her and Greg. Apple Bloom hops off and the siblings give each other a hug.
"It's good to see y'all again." She said, overjoyed to be reunited with them. "Are ya alright, Apple Bloom?" She asks her little sister.
Apple Bloom nods. "Ah'm fine, AJ. Ah've had other kids keeping me company. One kinda looked like him." She says, pointing to Greg. "Except she's got pointy ears." She adds "What's yer name, mister?" She asks.
"I'm Greg. Your sister's roommate." He answers, looking over at an upset Big Macintosh, who was almost as tall as Greg.
"Nothin' funny happened between us, Mac. Ah'm sure you've got yerself an odd lookin' roommate too." AJ says, scolding her brother.
He nods. "Yup." Greg walks past the two.
"Come on. I'm sure you two have a lot of questions." Greg says.
The four approach an almost secluded area and sit down. "I'm sure the big question on all of your minds is 'will we go home'." He says.
Big Macintosh nods. "Yup."
Greg chuckles. "As we were coming here, Applejack looked outside, and if I'm right about her gestures, that's your homeworld." He says, looking at AJ, who nods. "It takes about a week before they leave a planet's orbit, so I figure we've got five days before we're stuck here." He explains.
Another alien walks by them. To Applejack and her siblings, it looked kind of like an upright Griffon, but instead of having lion parts, it was all bird.
"Greg!" He yells.
Greg stands up and shakes his talon. "Stor, it's good to see you again." He says. Stor nods. "Stor is an Avian and the one who got me comfortable living here." He adds, introducing him to the ponies. "Stor, I'd like you to meet Applejack and her siblings Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh."
Stor gives the three a hoofshake before sitting next to Greg. "What is with you lately, man?" He asks, jabbing Greg in the side. "First you had a Fellian, now a pony." He continued.
The ponies give Greg an inquisitive look. "What's a... 'Fellian', Greg?" Applejack asks. "A very intelligent race of cat people." He briefly described, then grumbles. "One that I'll never forget." He adds.
Stor bursts into laughter. "Yeah, me either." He said, trying to control his breathing. "I'll never forget the morning after she was put in your quarters." He continued, letting out a sigh of relief, but still lightly chuckling.
"Should Ah cover mah ears for this?" Apple Bloom asked her brother and sister. They both nod and Apple Bloom covers her ears.
"Let me guess..." Applejack begins, "she forced herself on ya." She finished.
Greg slowly nods. "Yeah... it was that time of the month for her." He says, shuddering. "She scarred me that night." He continued, turning his back to the ponies and lifting the back of his shirt. He wasn't kidding, there were a lot of scars on his back. He lowered his shirt and turned back around. At this point, Apple Bloom uncovered her ears.
"Lucky for you it ain't that time for me." Applejack says with a chuckle.
"Yup." Mac adds.
Several hours would pass and the group would eat lunch in the commons before everyone was escorted back to their quarters. Applejack and Greg enter their quarters. The barrier activates as Greg steps past it. AJ turns around and growls. "Why do they keep doin' that?!" She asks.
"Why do you think?" Greg asks rhetorically. She lets out a frustrated sigh.
"To prevent us from escapin'." She says with a frustrated tone. "Ah don't like bein' cooped up in here, and Ah imagin' you don't either." She adds.
"You're right." He admits. "But there's nothing we can do now." He adds, beckoning her to move closer to him and she does. Greg kneels down next to her. "We leave tomorrow morning." He whispers into her ear and her ears perk up. She nods.
Once again, Applejack found herself in Greg's cot. He didn't mind the company and AJ felt secure being with him. "Greg?" She calls, getting a quiet groan from him. "Who were ya before ya came here?" She asks.
"I used to be a writer." He answered. "I wasn't a big time one, but I had my fans." He continued.
"What kinda stories did you write?" She asked. "Adventure stories." He answered, flipping onto his back. "My girlfriend and I would go up to this cabin in the mountains when inspiration was running low." He continued.
AJ perked. "Ah didn't know ya had a girlfriend." She said. "Were ya both taken?"
Greg nods. "Yeah... unfortunately her roommate turned out to be a violent one."
AJ swallowed hard. "Wh-what happened to her?" She asked.
The question made Greg tense up. "She was... she was raped to death." He answered solemnly. AJ's heart sunk hearing this.
"And to her roommate?" She continued.
"Death by vacuum." He said, shaking his head. "Let's get to sleep." He finishes.
"Ah'm sorry, Greg." She says, using his arm as a pillow.
It was morning in Equestria and Twilight makes her way to Sweet Apple Acres, hoping to find Applejack somewhere bucking a tree. As she approaches the front gate, she examines the horizon, not seeing AJ, Big Macintosh or Apple Bloom.
She trots up to the house's front door and knocks. "Just a minute!" Granny Smith yelled out. Five minutes later, the door finally opens. Granny Smith adjusts her glasses before recognizing Twilight. "Ah, Twilight! Good mornin'." She says, greeting the Unicorn before letting her in.
"Have you seen Applejack?" Twilight asks. Granny Smith shakes her head.
"Nope." She responded. "I've been lookin' everywhere for those three. It's like they just up and left." She adds.
Twilight rubs her muzzle with her hoof and lets out a low hum. "I don't believe that they'd just leave without good reason or without telling anypony." She guesses. "But don't worry, Granny Smith. I'll go get the others and we'll help on the farm." She added.
Granny Smith smiles. "Thank ya, Twilight."
Twilight's first goal was Rainbow Dash, and as usual, she was napping on one of the clouds. "Rainbow!" She yells, startling the Pegasus.
Rainbow turns down and faces Twilight. "Oh hey, Twi! What are you up to?" She says, hovering down to the Unicorn.
"You haven't seen Applejack, have you?" Twilight asks.
Rainbow rubs the back of her neck. "I haven't actually. Not since the other day." She answers. "Why?"
Twilight trots away. "Follow me." She orders.
Twilight gathers the others and returns to Sweet Apple Acres. "Since AJ, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom are missing, I volunteered us to help take care of the farm." She says.
Rarity groans. "I just bathed this morning, Twilight." She whined.
Twilight glares at her. "You can bathe again later, Rarity." She calmly says. "Until AJ and the others return, we help Granny Smith on the farm." She continued.
Pinkie Pie bounces excitedly. "And when they do, we'll throw 'em a welcome home party!" She suggested.
"I'm not sure that would be the wisest idea, dear." Rarity says.
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash adds. "We don't even know why they left." She continued. "For all we know, they might be visiting relatives somewhere."
Twilight cocked her head. "Rainbow, they left in the middle of the night." She noted. "It was either stress related, or... something else." She finished, looking up.
Morning came quickly. Greg was facing toward Applejack with his free arm draped over her. Even though she had been with him for a couple of days, she knew she could trust him. The plan was simple: break out of the room; find Mac and Apple Bloom; escape using a shuttle. It was simple enough, but AJ couldn't help but feel bad for the others that were on board. Fortunately, Greg sympathized.
They heard the outer door open, their captor would be in the room at any moment, so they did their best to pretend they were still asleep. Greg could hear its footsteps get louder as it approached the cot. Once the footsteps stop, Greg and AJ open their eyes. "Now!" He yells.
AJ leaps off the cot and around the other side of the alien. It turns to face her, but AJ kicks it in the chest, sending it staggering back to Greg who catches it in a rear naked choke. The alien flails around, futilely trying to escape. Moments after securing the choke, it begins to stop moving. "Time to sleep." Greg whispers into its ear. Finally, the alien stops moving. Greg stands up and drops the alien onto his cot.
Greg raised the barrier and destroyed the control before the two leave the room and race down the hallway. At this point, neither of them could understand each other. In this phase, Applejack would search for Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom while Greg secured a shuttle and at this point, alarms were sounding, alerting everyone to their escape.
Applejack searched room by room, releasing abductees as she went, recruiting them to help her find her siblings. The next room she entered was Stor's. His roommate was what looked like to her an upright deer. "Stor?" She calls.
The two look over. "Applejack!" He yells. AJ lowers the barrier. "He finally did it, I see."
AJ smiles and nods. "Yup. Ah still need to find Mac and Apple Bloom." She says.
Stor and his roommate look at each other and nod. "We'll help." Stor's roommate says.
"You stay with Applejack, I'll go find Greg." Stor says to his roommate.
Greg ran into a group of five security guards. He'd see them all the time when going to the commons area, but this is the first time he would actually fight them. He knew they didn't have the psychic enhancing gems attached to their hands like the scientists did, so he wouldn't have to worry about them rendering him unconscious right away, but they did have stun batons.
The first guard rushes him, but Greg proved to be more agile, dodging its strikes. As it swings its arm back, Greg slams his foot into its chest, knocking it down. Greg takes its baton and knocks it out with it. Another guard was right behind him. Greg passes the baton from one hand to the other, turning around, zapping the second guard and taking its baton. Two down, three to go.
The last three were much easier to take care of after Greg started dual wielding the batons. After he finishes the last guard, he hears a whistle behind him. He turns around to see Stor, picking up a pair of batons for himself. He points to Greg then draws a circle on the side of his head. Greg laughs. The path to the shuttle bay would be a resistant one, but Stor and Greg would eventually make it there.
Applejack enters another room, this time she finds Big Macintosh. "Mac! Ah'm glad yer alright." She says, galloping up to her brother and hugging him.
"Yup." He responds simply. Mac's roommate was a larger version of one that Apple Bloom mentioned the other day.
"Are ya ready to get off this thing?" AJ asked.
"I am." The woman responded.
The four leave the room and are quite surprised about the number of people that were running around, attacking security guards. "Sweet Celestia!" She yells out.
"Applejack?!" She heard a familiar voice call. It was Apple Bloom. The filly saw her brother and sister and they gallop up to her, with Stor and Mac's roommates with them. Apple Bloom wasn't alone, and the girl she was with runs up to Mac's roommate. The ponies guess that she's either the girl's mother, or her sister and the group continues. This time, to find Greg and Stor.
Applejack and the others find Stor and Greg in a room adjacent to the shuttle bay. "Alright, I've done my calculations." He tells Stor. "I can guess that we can fit up to fifteen people in one of these shuttles." He continues.
Applejack trots up beside Greg. "So we're gettin' outta here then." She says hopefully.
Greg nods. "I also found a program that will activate the translation system not only throughout the whole ship, but in the shuttles as well." He says.
Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom approach the two. Apple Bloom hops up onto her brother's back and whistles. "Those are a lot of ships." She observed.
"Yup." Mac agreed.
Greg is still working on the terminal. "I figure that we can get everyone off... minus the scientists and security guards of course."
Applejack looked horrified. "Yer not plannin' on abandonin' them, are ya?"
Greg grumbles. "Considering what they've done to all of us, I was planning on sending them a message." He says, turning the chair around, standing up and walking out of the room.
Applejack and Stor follow Greg to the hall. "Stor, you and Applejack round everyone up and get them ready to leave." He orders, walking away from them.
Applejack catches up to him. "And what's this message yer gonna send?" She asks.
"I'm going to blow up the ship." He said flatly. Applejack stops in her tracks, shocked that this creature would do such a thing.
Stor walks up beside her. "Is he really gonna to do it?" She asks.
"I'm afraid so, Applejack." He answered. "Considering what he's been through, I'm surprised he hasn't done anything sooner." He added.
AJ nods. "Yeah... he told me about what happened to his girlfriend." She says.
Stor nods. "Yes. That was a truly messed up day." He concludes, walking past her to catch up to Greg.
Applejack reenters the control room. "Let's get this started!" She yells.
The path to the engineering section was more crowded than Greg anticipated. They didn't think that one of their guests would be brazen enough to inspire the rest to escape the ship, let alone try to blow it up. Greg found himself to be outnumbered by nineteen more security guards. They'd try to subdue him in groups of four, but with his agility and dual batons, he took out two groups before the groups' numbers grew.
This is when Stor finally catches up, helping him to take out the rest of the security guards. "I told you to help Applejack and the others." He told the bird man, who scoffed.
"I thought you could use the help." Stor responds. "I'll head back once we get to engineering." Little did they realize that said section was right around the corner.
Greg opens the section's door and they see the reactor, which to Greg's surprise was powered by kinetic energy provided by a trio of rings circling it. The room itself was teeming with scientists. "Ah hell..." Greg said quietly before the two enter. "Careful they don't use their gems." He advised, knocking out two scientists.
"Noted." Stor responds, taking out three.
Applejack and the others' roommates stand back as the aliens' "guests" race past them toward the shuttle bay, led by Big Macintosh. "Ah never did get yer names."
The two glance at the crowd before returning their attention to her. "I am Gwen." The deer lady says.
"I'm Jessa." The other one says.
"Ah'm sure you two know mah name already, but Ah'm Applejack." She says, keeping an eye on the group passing them.
"We should probably head back to the shuttle bay." Gwen suggested. Jessa and AJ agree and take off.
The aliens' numbers seemed to dwindle as the trip back to the shuttle bay wasn't as eventful as it had last been. "Alright, everyone!" A large man yells out. "Let's quickly get inside the shuttles!" He continued, turning to Applejack, Gwen and Jessa. "I wonder if Stor and Greg are alright?"
The two had finally taken out the scientists and approach a terminal. "This is the part where you head back to the shuttle bay." Greg says.
"I've got wings, Greg. I can take you back as fast as I can if I went alone." Stor shot back.
Greg wasn't going to argue as he muddled through the systems to find the reactor's settings. "Ah! There it is!" Greg exclaims before turning up the speed on the rings.
Stor sees them spinning faster and faster. "What's the idea?" He asks.
"I'll let you know once we get outta here." Greg answers. Stor picks him up and flies to the shuttle bay.
It took no time to return to the shuttle bay. Stor lands and sets Greg down. "Okay, here's what I'm hoping is going to happen." He begins, walking toward AJ and her siblings. "I'm hoping that the centripical force of the rings' speed will overload the energy reserves in the power cells."
Stor laughs. "Setting up one hell of a chain reaction." He says.
Applejack gallops up to Greg and Stor. "Everyone's ready to go. We're waitin' on you two."
Gwen steps up to them and nods. "Yes, but two ships still need pilots." She said.
"I guess this is goodbye." Greg says, shaking Stor's talon.
"I hope to see you again, Greg." Stor said optimistically.
Gwen went with Stor to his shuttle, leaving Applejack, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom to ride their own. With just the four of them in it, it was quite comfortable. "Are ya sure ya can fly this thing?" She asks as Greg sits down at the navigation.
"I'd be lying if I said anything but no." He answered, buckling himself in. "I'd do the same if I were you." He says to Applejack before knocking on the ceiling. "You two better buckle in as well, this is gonna be a bumpy ride!"
Greg's shuttle was the last to leave and after it does, he receives a transmission from Stor's. "Thanks to you downloading their ship's nav records, we can get these people back home." He says. Greg nods. "Do you think you'll return to your world after dropping them off?" Stor continued.
Greg shrugs. "I don't think I'll be able to take off once I land." He admits. "You focus on getting everyone back to their planets."
Stor nods. "Godspeed, Greg." He says before cutting the transmission.
The shuttle starts rocking. "What the hay was that?!" AJ asks.
"That might've been debris from the ship." Greg answers. "It did blow up, remember?" He continued.
The shuttle begins shaking up even more, but not as bad as the impact from the debris. "What's going on?!" Apple Bloom asks.
"It's alright, we're just reentering your planet's atmosphere." Greg answered.
Applejack points to a lightly populated area in front of them. "That's gotta be Ponyville." She says. "Fluttershy's cottage is just outside the town, near the Everfree Forest." She continued, pointing to a lake near her friend's home.
After the shuttle settles into the lake Greg crashed into, the rear hatch opens up and the four jump out. This event did not go unnoticed. Princesses Celestia and Luna as well as Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had arrived moments after the crash and help their friends and Greg out of the lake.
"Fair Applejack." Princess Luna said. "Where have you been?" She asks.
AJ points upward and the group sees the wreckage of the ship burning up in the atmosphere. "Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh and Ah were taken by aliens." She explained.
The princesses glare down at a relaxing Greg. "Was he one of them?" Celestia asks.
"Greg? Nah, he was one of the other... what'd he call it?" Applejack says, trying to remember the phrase he used. "Abductees?" She finishes. Twilight nods in agreement. "He and this other one named Stor helped us escape." She continues, looking over to Greg. He opens his eyes, smiles and gives them a thumbs up. "Unfortunately, he doesn't speak our language." She finishes. Celestia's horn glows, startling Greg. "Uh... Yer Majesty? What are ya doin'?" AJ asks.
Celestia places her horn on Greg's head for a brief moment. "There. Can you understand us now?" Celestia asks the newcomer.
"Yeah... I do." He says, standing up. "Then I suppose you all can understand me." He says, eliciting nods from everypony. "Excellent."
Celestia teleports the group to Twilight's library, not wanting to attract attention to Greg quite yet. "What do you plan to do for the time being?" Celestia asks.
"The sooner I can integrate into society, the better." He answers. "I'd like to be able to provide for myself while I stay." He adds. Everypony nods.
"That sounds reasonable." Twilight says. "Since we've never seen your kind before..." she adds cautiously, digging a hoof into the floor, "would you mind if I-?" She continued.
Greg nods. "You're interested in me and what my people are like." He said, finishing her question. "I understand. I've been wondering what kind of life was in the universe since I was a boy." He added. "I'll tell you everything you need to know about my people. In return, I'd like to see your world." He finished. They all nod.
Pinkie Pie bounces excitedly. "OOH! This calls for a party!" She yells out. The others glare at her. "What? Too early?" She asks. They nod. "How about I just get a cake from Sugarcube Corner?" She continued. They look at each other for a moment before nodding.
"That would be acceptable, Pinkie Pie." Luna says.
"I'll be back in a jiffy!" Pinkie Pie yells before hurrying out of the library.
The sun was setting and the Apple siblings return to their home. Granny Smith was waiting for them near the front door to the house. "Where the hay have you three been?" She asks quite rudely. "Y'all can't just run off like that." She adds.
The three laugh. "Oh, granny. Ya wouldn't believe me if I told ya. And you know Ah can't lie." Applejack says.
It was nice to be home for an Apple style dinner. The meals on the ship were meager in comparison. The siblings' thoughts keep returning to Greg, who was currently occupying Twilight's library. How quickly would he adjust to his new home? Would Stor return to take him back to his homeworld? These questions would have to be addressed another time. Right now, it's time to go to bed. They would look into the night sky to make sure there were no more surprises. Good night, Apple family.
Applejack and the others find Stor and Greg in a room adjacent to the shuttle bay. "Alright, I've done my calculations." He tells Stor. "I can guess that we can fit up to fifteen people in one of these shuttles." He continues.
Applejack trots up beside Greg. "So we're gettin' outta here then." She says hopefully.
Greg nods. "I also found a program that activated the translation system throughout the whole ship." He says.
Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom approach the two. Apple Bloom hops up onto her brother's back and whistles. "Those are a lot of ships." She observed.
"Yup." Mac agreed.
Greg is still working on the terminal. "I figure we can hold the guards and scientists in the rooms." He says. "We'll need two to navigate the ship back to everyone's worlds and another two to make sure the ship works properly." He continued, turning the chair and standing up.
"Does this mean we're goin' home?" Apple Bloom asks.
Greg nods. "Of the four, we'll need one of them to operate a shuttle to get you home." The Apple siblings nod.
Applejack trots up to a kneeling Greg and hugs him. "Thanks fer yer help, Greg."
Greg returns the hug and pats her on the back. "No problem, Applejack."
Greg, Stor and Applejack enter one of the rooms. Greg stands up straight and examines the aliens, forcing back a smile. "Ironic, isn't it?" He opens. "The very people you abduct eventually subdued their abductors." He adds, shaking his head. "I am not here to gloat. Instead, I just ask that you return us to our homes." Some of the aliens look at each other. "Now... which of you are as proficient piloting a shuttle as you are the ship itself?" He asks. Seven of the aliens step forward. "Next question, which of you seven are proficient in maintaining the ship?" None step back. Greg nods and turns around to face the others.
"I think we can handle three more." Stor says.
Greg turns around once more. "Three of you will be escorted to the bridge, three will be escorted to engineering and we will escort one of you to the shuttle bay." He concludes.
Greg and the Apples take one of the aliens to the shuttle. The alien takes the pilot's seat, Greg takes the co-pilot's seat and the rest sit in the back. The alien starts the shuttle and adjusts some settings before flying out of the hangar.
Greg steps back into the rear. "You're going home." He announces.
The Apple siblings smile hearing this. "What are we gonna tell the others?" Apple Bloom asks her sister, who shrugs.
"They probably won't believe a word of this, so we don't tell 'em anythin'." She answered.
Greg nods. "Probably the best decision." He agreed.
Minutes pass before the shuttle finally lands. The rear hatch opens and they're greeted by the sight of the Everfree Forest. "Uh... did we have to land here?" AJ asks.
Greg looks back to the alien who nods. "Yes. My apologies, Applejack." The alien telepathically tells the pony. "It is better if we do not attract ourselves." He continued.
Applejack nods. "In any case, thank ya again Greg." She says before exiting the craft.
Applejack and the others turn toward the shuttle. Greg waves at them as the door closes and the shuttle ascends and vanishes.
"AJ?" Apple Bloom calls. "Will we ever see him again?" She asks.
Applejack shakes her head. "Ah doubt it, sis. It would be nice to, though." She answered. "Let's go home." She continued.
Fluttershy's cottage wasn't far, so it was their first stop. They approach the house and AJ knocks on the door. Moments later, the timid Pegasus opens the door and gasps. "Applejack!" She yells, embracing her friend. "We were worried about you!"
Applejack chuckles. "Ah bet. Let's get into town and get the others."
Half an hour later, everypony gathered at Twilight's library. "It's good to have you back." Their hostess says, giving each a hug.
"Yup." Big Macintosh adds.
Applejack looks to her brother and sister. "Should we really tell 'em?" She asks.
"Ah really don't see why not." Apple Bloom responds.
They look to the others who were confused. "Come on, AJ! Spill it!" Rainbow Dash exclaims.
"Go on, dear. We know you can't lie." Rarity adds.
"Just to warn ya, the truth is often stranger than fiction." Applejack says before clearing her throat.
After finishing her story, Twilight and the others look at each other, baffled at what she had been through. Their meeting with life forms from the stars, especially Greg and how he incited a revolt against the ship's crew, freeing the captives with the help of Applejack and Stor.
Twilight's horn lights up. "Twi...? What are ya doin'?" Applejack asks as Twlight places her horn on AJ's head.
"I'm going to look at your memories." She explained. "This story is beyond incredible." She adds. After a few moments, Twilight steps back and powers down her horn. "It's... it's true." She says.
Applejack lets out a snort. "Rarity did say Ah couldn't lie." She says. Twilight was still in awe, as were the others.
After some time of silence, Apple Bloom clears her throat. "We oughta keep this between us." She suggests. "Ah don't think anypony else would believe a word of this." She continues.
Twilight nods. "I agree. As long as you three are home, nothing else matters." She says before Pinkie Pie started bouncing in her usual excitement.
"How about a welcome home party?" She asks.
The Apple siblings look at each other and nod. "That would be nice, Pinkie. Thank ya." AJ says.
The sun was setting and the Apple siblings return to their home. Granny Smith was waiting for them near the front door to the house. "Where the hay have you three been?" She asks quite rudely. "Y'all can't just run off like that." She adds.
The three laugh. "Oh, granny. Ya wouldn't believe me if I told ya. And ya know Ah can't lie."
It was nice to be home for a nice Apple style dinner. The meals on the ship were meager in comparison. The siblings' thoughts keep returning to Greg. Where was he? Will he return? In time, they would forget about him, but right now, it's time to go to bed. They would look into the night sky to make sure there were no more surprises. Good night, Apple family.