> Bermuda Beginnings
>  by ScarFox9700
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Introduction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived a race of beautiful ponies; ranging from Earth Ponies, to Unicorns, and even Pegasai. They were all ruled over by the lovely Princess Celestia. They also all lived in peace and harmony without any war, for the past 945 years. After the whole "Nightmare Moon Incident" had ended, all of the ponies of the land went back to living their lives as normal. Normally, without knowing that one day in the not too distant future, their lives were going to be changed forever. 

In December of the Earth-Year 1945, a strange creature that stood on two legs crashed landed inside the Everfree Forest inside a giant, blue, metal machine of sorts. At first, he was received with fear and suspicion, but after he proved that he was harmless, they all grew to love him very much. The creature's name was Charles Taylor, and he was a lieutenant in the US Navy during, and just after the Second World War. 

His life in Equestria was one of great intrigue. I mean, how many people, or ponies even, would ever expect an 86 year old human, and 6 barely teenaged ponies to save all of Equestria? I know, it sounds crazy. But they really did it. How did they do it you ask? Well then, to answer that question, let's dive right into Taylor's story, starting all the way back, At Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on December 5th, 1945......
> Chapter 1: An Earthly Beginning
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How would one best describe Lieutenant Charles Taylor? Well, most would call him reckless, daring, and flying, "By the seat of his pants!" However, others would describe him as a capable officer, and one of the best fliers that the Navy had ever seen Post-WW2. Although Taylor had been a pilot all throughout his career with the Navy, he was best known as an instructor for new recruits. His primary plane that he both flew, and trained others with, was the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber. 

This particular time, Taylor flew with a group of 7 planes. The group was called Flight 19. On that particular day, Taylor was leading them on a routing air patrol in the area around Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was a rather overcast December 5th, and there was a chance of storms in the area. Taylor briefed his squadron about this, and they all seemed to be ready. Ready that is, except for one man. Taylor's radio-gunner had unexpectedly fallen ill. There was no time to find a replacement, so the Squadron had no choice but to leave him with the medical staff at the airbase. 

Their mission seemed to be going well. They made their torpedo drops on time, and the mission seemed to be going according to the plan that Taylor had drawn up for them the previous day. According to plan that is, until the somewhat expected winter storm that was forecasted  earlier decided to blow up out of nowhere. It caught the hapless lieutenant almost unawares. He immediately radioed their base to inform them about the situation. 

"Oh boy, this could be bad, I'm going to radio HQ about this." Taylor's right hand trembled a bit as he grabbed for his radio controls. "Lauderdale Base, this is Blue 1. We're caught in a storm out here, and it could get really nasty really fast. Requesting advice on how to proceed, over." 

Taylor was rather concerned for the lives of the rest of his squadron. He began to silently pray that they would all make it safely back to base. Finally, a reply came. 

"Blue 1, this is Lauderdale Base. What is your current position? over." 


"Lauderdale Base, we're about 250 miles North by Northwest of the nearest safe landing zone. Should we try to return to base, or should we try and find a spot on another base to land? Over." 

A reply came, but due to poor radio connection, it was rather garbled.

"Blue........You should.......on channel........Ware of B.....da Tr....gle! DO.......CEED!!!! I say again, ..........PROCEED!!!!!!" 

What the lieutenant did not catch in this message was that the base had been trying to warn him to not to try and cross the infamous "Bermuda Triangle" in that kind of weather, but to instead try and find a way around the storm before they ran out of fuel. 

"What did the base say to do Lieutenant?" One of his wingmen asked. 

"I think that they said that we should fly right through the Triangle and make it back to base before we run out of gas!" Taylor radioed back. 

"But sir!" His torpedoman protested, his voice beginning to show his true fear, "That place is cursed! We'll never make it out of there alive!" Just think about what could be lurking in there in this kind of weather!" 

Lt. Taylor was getting rather annoyed with the torpedoman's carrying on about the Triangle. He had always been rather paranoid, and had always been scared by stories he'd heard about those who ventured inside the region, and had never been seen, or heard from again. Taylor knew that his torpedoman's paranoia came from his service in the Pacific War, but it still bothered him nonetheless. It became especially bothersome now that he had the lives of his entire squadron riding on his shoulders.

"Look Ensign James", Taylor groaned, "I'm getting rather tired of your carrying on about the Triangle. It's just a couple of flaws in the Earth's magnetic field playing around with our radios and compasses. Absolutely nothing to be afraid of. However", he continued, his knuckles beginning to turn white from gripping the control stick, "If we don't get moving through there very soon, we'll all be sleeping in Davy Jones's locker if we run out of gas!" 

And so, while being out of contact with their base, and options being rather minimal, and with rain continuing to beat against the somewhat aging planes as they flew along, Taylor made the fateful decision to fly through the Bermuda Triangle to try and make it back to their base in Fort Laderdale. 

(This however is also where the story gets rather complicated. Theories about what happened to Flight 19 are abound, but here's the story of what happened based on what Lt. Taylor himself said later.)
> Chapter 2: Storm of Fate? Or Date with Destiny?
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After Taylor gave the order for his squadron to turn, the planes continued to be battered by the storm, and were starting to run rather short on fuel. 

At about 6:55pm Florida time, Flight 19 reached the outskirts of the Triangle. 

"Stay in formation!" Taylor warned. "If we lose anybody in here, they're most likely gone for good! And I DO NOT want to be the one to have to explain what happened if anyone dies here! Does everyone copy that?" 

"Yes Sir!" 

"Will do Lieutenant, we'll stay right with you!" 

Taylor knew the extreme danger that they were now facing. Winter storms were nothing to sneeze at, and Taylor, as well as several of his wingmen from other squadrons had lost comrades to them before. And although the TBF Avenger was a stout plane, even it had it's limits. They simply weren't designed to be battered by a practical hurricane for extended periods of time. This was beginning to show on the other planes. 

"Blue 1, this is Blue 3, how much farther is it to base?, over?" 

"I'm not sure Blue 3. According to the map, it should only be about another 100 miles. I would give you an exact reading, but my compass is acting weird." 

"Well, I certainly hope that we make landfall soon, this storm is really starting to take a toll on my plane." 

Taylor knew this to be true, as while this conversation between him and Blue 3 was happening, Ensign James was reporting minor cracks beginning to form in the fuselage.

"It's not much better over here Blue 3. Ensign James is reporting minor cracks in the fuselage. We have to keep going though. Like I said before, We should only have about another 100 miles to go!" 

"Sir, yes sir!" 

At about 7:02pm, really weird things began to happen. It began with flashes of white light light in the sky. At first, Taylor thought that these were just lightning bolts, but soon after, these flashes evolved into patches of light, that revealed what appeared to be patches of green grass! Taylor was very confused. 

"Patches of grass in the sky, how is that even possible?!" He radioed to the rest of his squadron. "Please tell me that I'm not the only one seeing the patches of green grass in the clouds!" 

"Well Lieutenant, I can't say for sure if I'm seeing patches of grass, but I'm definitely seeing weird shapes. Any idea what that could be?"

"Negative Blue 3. But keep your eyes peeled."

"Sir, yes sir." 

From where he was seated lower in the plane, Ensign James saw the patches as well. His paranoid fear did begin to give way to curiosity though. 

"Any idea on what those patches could be Taylor?" 

"I have no idea Ensign. It could just be our minds playing tricks on us with the lightning flashes, but who knows? This is the 'Bermuda Triangle' after all. Anything is possible, I suppose." 

At the mention of, "Bermuda Triangle", James's fear returned. However, instead of staying where he was, he decided to move to a spot where he could see better. He climbed up into the gunner's compartment at the rear turret, where if me moved around, he would have an almost 180 degree view. However, all he could see was rain, clouds, lightning, and of course Blues 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. 

Taylor heard James moving around. "Hey! What are you doing back there?" 

"I just moved into the gunner's seat so that I could get a better view." 

"Well, please just pick a place and stay there! I really don't need you constantly moving around. Plus, when we hit turbulence, this plane really gets jerked around a lot. If you weren't strapped in your seat, you would probably get your skull cracked open if you were to fall down. Get the picture?" 

James pictured himself in the situation that Taylor had just described, and it gave him the chills. "Yep, clear as window glass Lieutenant." 

"OK, good. Also, try and keep a close eye on the rest of the squadron. I still have them on the radio, but if we lose that, I'll need you to spot for me. Do you think that you would be able to do that?" 

"Sure thing Taylor." 

And with that, Ensign James settled into his new role. However, as he sat there in the rear turret, looking all around him, his mind began to play on his paranoia again. He began to see things that weren't really there. He wanted to move back down,  but Taylor had told him to stay put. He wanted to tell Taylor about what he was seeing, but he knew that most of it was just his imagination running wild. 

"Why do I have to have these problems?" The ensign thought to himself. "If only I hadn't been sent to the pacific. Then maybe it wouldn't be so bad." James thought back to his time in the Pacific War. He had been involved with Iwo Jima, and Okinawa at the end of the war, and both of those encounters had left him scarred for life. He continued to watch like Taylor had asked him to, but his mind continued to take a downward spiral.

Flight 19 had continued to fly on, getting battered by the storm. Each passing minute caused their fuel gauges to drop ever so much lower. Each passing minute made their making it home less and less likely. All of them knew the dangers of running out of fuel in the middle of a storm like this, and the chances of being rescued were slim to none. However, they trusted Taylor's judgement. He had been their instructor since the beginning, and, (They hoped!) He knew what he was doing. However, their dropping fuel gauges, coupled with their possibly being lost, on top of the weird patches in the sky that they kept seeing, really began to mess with their heads as well. 

What they didn't know though, was that those patches of grass were only the beginning. Things were about to get worse. Much, much worse. When it was all said and done, one of the crew of Flight 19 would soon find themselves in a whole new world.
> Chapter 3: Out from a Storm, and into a Whole New World
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What is known to history is that by the time the clocks read 7:30pm, all signs of life from Flight 19 had vanished, and the base was forced to assume the worst. A search plane was sent out to find the missing planes, but it never returned to base either. However, unlike the 7 TBF Avengers, it was later found that this plane had blown up in midair due to ignited gas fumes on board. Wreckage was later found by a fishing boat, but sadly, all of the plane's crew had perished. 

Meanwhile, back in the past at about 7:20pm, Taylor saw something up ahead of him, and he radioed back to the pilots of the other planes that he believed land was in sight. 

"We're gonna make it boys! Just hang on a little bit longer, we'll make it. I'm sure of it!" 

He was so sure of himself. History would give him 19 very good reasons for why he shouldn't have been; the deaths of many of his squad mates. 

Anyway, what Taylor couldn't see because of the storm was that what was up ahead of him was not actually land at all, but instead, it was a potentially deadly malfunctioning experiment in quantum physics of sorts. Back then, they called it "A doorway to another world". Today, we call it simply, "a portal". 

A weird, purplish energy began to surround the seven planes, causing them to begin to shudder rather violently. Two of them went down almost instantly due to the turbulence, as well as the lack of fuel, and they, as well as their 3-man crews, were lost forever to the sea. The remaining planes began to get sucked towards the center of the strange mass of purplish energy. Of the remaining 5 planes, only two would make it through, and of those two, only Taylor would survive the traumatic crash landing in a whole new world. 

As their plane began to lose control, Taylor's torpedoman, Ensign James, couldn't take it anymore. 

"I can't take it anymore Taylor! I'm bugging out!" 

"Say again Ensign, I couldn't hear you. Please repeat, over." 

Instead of a reply, Taylor suddenly became aware of the sound of the lower door of the plane opening, the sound of something making a hasty exit, and then the door slamming shut again. 

"Ensign, what was that? What's going on down there?" 

No reply.

"Ensign, answer me, what's going on? What did you do?!?!" 

Still no answer. Taylor then put two and two together, and realized that Ensign James had most likely grabbed a parachute, opened the rear door, and jumped out. The door then closed by itself due to the force of the storm. A confirmation of a parachute was received by Taylor from Blue 3. 

"So he decided to take his chances with the sea did he?" Taylor thought, "Well, he was a fool. He'll never survive down there, and it's all my fault." 

Taylor then spotted the crews of Blue 4 and Blue 7 bailing out as well. Out of them all, only Blue 3, and Blue 5, remained with Taylor (Blue 1). Blue 2 and Blue 6 crashed and burned, and Blue 4 and Blue 7 bailed out. Taylor was now alone in his plane, as Ensign James had jumped out, and his radio-gunner was too sick for action. Taylor had no further time to dwell on this though. His life was about to take a whole new course, starting right then. 





Once his plane vanished inside the mass, Blue 3 and Blue 5 tried to follow, but Blue 5 flew to pieces, causing the crew to fall to their deaths in the ocean far below, and Blue 3 caught fire, and became nothing more than a fireball. Taylor saw none of this though, as his mind was too focused elsewhere. 

Taylor barely had the words to describe the inside of the portal. "It was like a bright, white light, mixed with interesting shades of purple and Blue. At first, I thought that I was dead, and entering Heaven, but oh no. God wasn't done with me yet!" 





Once he was through the portal, the Engine of Blue 1 began to sputter, indicating that it was out of gas. As Taylor was figuring this out, he suddenly found himself out of the storm, and plummeting down towards the ground at a very high rate of speed. He did his best to bring the plane under control, and he did manage to sort of land it, but the crash-landing tore the TBF Avenger to pieces. Eventually, it skidded to a stop in the dirt, and began to smoke slowly. There was no danger of a fire, as there no longer was any fuel, but now the question was, just how hurt was Taylor? And what could happen to him next?
> Chapter 4: A New Visitor, and a Hospital Trip for Him
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Well, it can be said that his arrival in this new world didn't go unnoticed by the local population, and many of them began to make their way over to the spot where, a "giant blue bird with strange markings" had just crashed outside of a large forest, known to the locals as the "Everfree Forest", which is the name that also defined it on a map. 

Most of them just stared wide-eyed at the "thing" in front of them, wondering what it was. It was like no bird any of them had ever seen. It seemed to be made out of some sort of metal, with odd markings of a white star on its wings and body. It was seemingly painted all in blue, a dark shade of which, none of them had ever seen before in their world. 

Suddenly, from out of the crowd, a few brave souls who had the courage, (and quite possibly a death wish!) went up close to get a better look at the thing. It was throwing off sparks, one of its wings was torn off, and it was ripped up, dented in, and just plain smashed open in many places due to the crash. 

"It seems to me", one of them remarked, "That this thing isn't really a bird at all, but rather a large machine of some sort!" 

And indeed, upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the "thing", was not a living creature, but in fact was a large metal craft of some sort, possibly even meant for flight, and that it has had some sort of accident. The top of the machine had been made of glass, but most of it had gotten broken during the crash. There was also a large brown lump inside.

"Hey!" Another of them cried, "There's some kind of creature in this thing, but I think it's dead!" 

After making this announcement. he made a rather dumb decision; he poked at the creature with a stick! After a few pokes with no response, he turned back to the others to announce that it really was dead, but then it moved! Moved, and made a faint groaning noise, almost like a groan of pain. 

At this, the entire group ran off and hid! Peering out from their hiding places, they saw the creature trying to get out of his craft. His movements were jerky and irregular, possibly suggesting injury. Finally, after a long struggle, he crawled out, and collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, and moaning in pain. 

The crowd gasped when they realized that this creature was unlike any pony that they had ever seen. It had 4 long, spindly limbs, a muscular body, a round head with a brown mane, and it was wrapped up in wool and leather. None of the group knew if the creature was dangerous or not, so they decided that it was best if they hung back, and see what the creature did next. One of them however, a nurse named Redheart, and a local animal caretaker, known as Miss Flutters, crept back out of hiding, and began to creep towards the now motionless creature. 

"Hey, what are you doing?!" One of the males in the group hissed at the two females, "Get away from there! It could only be faking its injuries to draw us in close!" 

"I don't think that it even knows we're here." Redheart answered. "Plus, it's visibly bleeding, and suffering from pain. I can't just leave it in distress like this, I'm a nurse, I have to help it!"

Once they reached the creature, Miss Flutters was the first to point out that the creature was unconscious. 

"I don't think that it can hurt anypony right now", she whispered, it's out cold. Assuming that it is still alive of course." 

Up close, Redheart noted that at the end of the creature's upper limbs, the creature had two odd appendages, almost like gryphon claws; not like a hoof at all. After touching the creature's head, she felt around it's neck for a pulse. Finally, she found one. 

"It's still alive", she announced to the rest of the group. "However, it is hurt, and needs immediate medical attention!" 

Against their better judgement, those standing by helped Redheart and Miss Flutters pick up the creature, wrap it up in blankets, and get it onto a cart for transport to the local hospital, both for its health needs, and so that it could be examined. After all, it needed to be examined to determine what it was, where it came from, whether or not it was intelligent, whether or not it was sentient, and most importantly, whether or not it was dangerous.
> Chapter 5: Hospital Exams, a Cute Nurse, and an Urgent Message
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little while later, the creature was delivered safely to the hospital, and at the insistence of Nurse Redheart, was moved to the ward that she oversaw. Sadly, once they got the creature to the ward, the hospital staff realized that none of the beds were quite large enough to hold him. To compensate for this, they put two mattresses together, and made him a sort of bed on the floor. 

Then, while Nurse Redheart began to administer medical aid to stabilize any damage, other doctors and nurses began to examine the creature. They found it to be about 5'8" tall, and weigh about 158lbs. Standing up fully, the creature would stand about a foot taller than they would, and they also discovered that it stood on two legs instead of four! The medical staff also found out just what was lurking underneath the wool and leather that the creature was wearing. 

Upon close examination, they found that it had very little fur or hair at all, and was instead covered in a fleshy skin. They also found that it was a male of about 25 years of age, and that its teeth were not made for tearing flesh, but rather for breaking food down into smaller pieces that could be swallowed. He had two lungs, a heart, was a warm-blooded mammal, had blue eyes, and could quite possible even grip objects with his odd appendages attached to his upper limbs. 

"Oh dear", one of the doctors mumbled after examining a sample of the creature's stomach contents. 

"What?" Redheart asked. She had stopped all of the creature's bleeding, and found no broken bones, or internal injuries. Instead, he had a series of cuts and bruises, as well as a minor concussion. 

"It seems that our friend here eats more than just veggies and cake." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well", the doctor continued, "I mean that he has consumed what appears to be cooked pork, an egg, a drink that appears to be a variant of coffee, sunflower seeds, some bread and lettuce, as well as chunks of something that I couldn't identify, however, although if I had to guess, I would say that it appears to be chocolate. This creature is an omnivore; it can eat both plants and meat, as well as other organic substances." 

"Hmm", cooked pork", Redheart mused. "It may not be able to eat meat raw. Does this mean that it could be sentient?" 

The doctor shrugged. "We won't know for sure until we've completed our scans of the creature's brain, but it is possible I suppose." 





After looking over the scans once they were complete, the doctor found that the creature's brain was very similar to an equine's brain, and that it was rather large. So large in fact, that it took up almost all of the space inside of the creature's skull. The scan also revealed that the creature had an IQ of 120, so not only was it highly intelligent, but it was also most likely very smart as well. 

"So it is a sentient being after all. I just hope that we can communicate with him when he wakes up." 

"Good point", Redheart replied, stooping down to wipe some sweat off of the creature's forehead again. "He is stable though", she continued, "So he could be coming around any time now." 

Then, as if the creature had heard her, he began to groan, and he reached up an appendage to touch his face. His eyes were still closed, and he seemed to be mumbling faintly. 

Redheart put a hoof over his appendage, and spoke softly to him. "Shh, easy now", she whispered. "You've had quite a day with your accident. You're very lucky to still be here!" 

"Hmm", the creature sighed, before moving his appendage slightly to touch Redheart's hoof. "Wh...wha..t? What, happened?" He asked faintly. 

Gasps of shock filled the room. "He speaks our language!!!" 

The doctor was struggling to find the right words. "He, he is, more like us than I thought!" 

"You had a nasty accident." Redheart whispered to her patient, "You're ok now, I'm here to take good care of you." 

"Thanks", he whispered before opening his eyes for the first time. What he saw when he did, was quite beyond him!

He was looking up at a white-furred pony mare with a pink mane and tail, big, baby-blue eyes, a sweet smile, a nurse's cap, as well as soft, gentle hooves. 

"WHOA!!!!" He recoiled a bit, before the pain of his recent injuries arrested him, and he fell back down on the mattresses again. 

"Who are you? Where am I? And above all, why do I hurt so much?" 

Redheart giggled. "What's the matter?" She asked smiling, "Haven't you ever seen a pony before?" 

"Yes, yes I have, but they looked nothing like any of you! And where am I?" 

"You're in the hospital silly!" 

"Yeah, I know that!" He tried to smile. "But what country am I in? I don't think I'm in America anymore, or anywhere on Earth for that matter." 

"You're in Equestria!" Redheart answered proudly. "A magical land of ponies, Gryphons, Minotaurs, Dragons, and other wonderful creatures!" 

"Wow", the creature mumbled, "I must either be dead, or dreaming, I can't decide which." 

Redheart leaned in, and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Still convinced that you're dreaming?" She giggled. 

"Um, nope. I'm not dreaming. This really is real. You're not in pain when you're dead, and this is WAY to vivid to be a dream, so yes, I guess that this all really is real." He then took a quick look around at his surroundings. "Um, why am I practically on the floor?" 

"There weren't any beds big enough to put you in, so we had to improvise." The doctor answered. 

"I'm Nurse Redheart by the way" Redheart continued after the creature nodded at the doctor, "But you can call me 'Nurse'. What's your name?" 

"It's Taylor". He answered, "Lt. Charles Taylor. But you can just call me 'Taylor'. 

Taylor stretched for a moment. "So, um, can I stand up and walk yet Doc? Or better yet, how bad off am I?" 

"Well, you seem to be very healthy for a....a....um, what are you exactly?" 

""Um, I'm a human", Taylor replied. "And I hail from the country of America, on the planet Earth. I also still don't fully know how I got here." 

"Earth", the doctor mused, "I think I have heard of it. A terrible place filled with violence, death, war, and tyranny."

"Quite correct, I'm afraid." Taylor shook his head sadly. "We humans just wrapped up the worst war in our entire history, and the scars from it will still linger on for years, I'm afraid." 

Taylor looked like he was about to cry. Redheart sat down on the mattresses next to him, and leaned in close to comfort him. 

"Shh", she said softly, "The war is over. You're beyond it now. I'll be here for you." 

"You will?" 

She nodded. "Of course. I'm the nurse taking care of you. It's my job to be there for you." 

"I'd really like that", Taylor sighed happily. Then he looked back up at the doctor. "So doctor", he asked the unicorn with the brown mane and tail, lab coat, stethoscope, and spectacles, "Am I able to walk yet, or am I still stuck here in bed?" 

"Well, you seem to be alright, thanks to Miss Redheart, but you'll be kept here a while longer, just to be sure. However, if you feel like you're well enough to stand up and walk, you may attempt it. However, please try not to overdo it!" 

With that, Taylor stretched for a bit, then he pulled back the covers, and moved over to the left side of the mattresses as he sat with his legs out in front of him, ready to give it a go. He still had his pants and underwear on, but he was both shirtless, and barefoot. Then, with Redheart by his side, he made it to his feet, and began to move around the room a little. 

"If you think that you're ok for now, I'll leave you in the care of Miss Redheart. I'll check back in later." 

He and the other doctors and nurses then left, and just after he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door, the doctor turned to his nurse assistant. 

"I still don't think that I completely trust him. We need to inform the princess about him immediately! We'll let her decide what to do with him." 

(Yes, Celestia is the sole ruler, as Luna is still on the moon, with about 60 years left until she returned as Nightmare Moon.)

"Yes Doctor", the nurse then left to inform a messenger about their peculiar new visitor.
> Chapter 6: A Cute Couple, the Message Arrives, a Sent Reply, and a Passed out Doctor!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back inside Taylor's room, Taylor was still remastering the art of walking with Redheart's help. He had one arm around her neck/upper back, and her fur met his skin all along his arm, and side. 

"Your fur is very soft". Taylor blushed, even as he said this. After all, he was a human, and she was a pony mare. Redheart didn't seem to mind.

"You, you really think so?" She giggled slightly. 

"Yeah", Taylor replied. He leaned over a bit closer, and gently scratched her behind one of her ears. "You're so warm and furry, I could almost fall asleep cuddling something as soft as you." 

He sat back down on his mattresses again, and Redheart sat down next to him. She was blushing even more deeply than before. Truth be told, in all of her adult life, she'd never really been complemented by another male before, stallion or otherwise. 

She wrapped her pink tail around his back, and leaned in close. "T-Th-thanks", she whispered. "I-I, um, I think you're cute!" 

She then turned away from Taylor, completely embarrassed, and thinking that she had come on way too strongly. She was surprised when, a few moments later, he touched her chin gently, and turned her head back facing him. He then pulled her into a hug. 

"It's ok", he whispered softly to her, "I think that you're beautiful as well." 

Taylor then lay back down on his mattresses again, however, before he could say anything else, Redheart lay down on top of him!

Taylor was at a loss for words. "So, um, I-I take it that you, um, w-want to sleep in here with me tonight?" He asked curiously.

Redheart merely leaned forwards, and kissed him gently on the mouth. Then she rolled off of him, and cuddled up next to him. Taylor wrapped his arms around her, and held her close. 

"I love you", Reheart whispered as she fell asleep in Taylor's warm embrace. 

He kissed her forehead gently. "I love you too", he whispered while petting her mane. 

"Wow", Taylor thought as he drifted off to sleep, A really cute pony mare who finds me attractive? Why didn't I find this place sooner?! I hope that the rest of the guys get here soon, I know that they'll have a blast!" 

And with that, Taylor fell asleep, blissfully unaware that his wingmen were never coming to Equestria; they were dead. In fact, he himself had been declared dead back on Earth.





After Flight 19 disappeared, and the plane sent to look for them had apparently blown up, the base commander in Fort Lauderdale had to face the fact that the crews were not coming home. They were lost at sea, and their bodies were probably never going to be recovered. Even though it was getting late, the commander made the phone calls that every senior officer dreads having to make; the calls to family informing them that their loved one had been killed. 

Out of them all, Taylor's mother still stubbornly held out hope that her son was still alive. 

"There's no way that my Charlie's dead. If anyone could find their way out of a situation like that nasty storm, in a plane with no fuel, he could!" Her story was confirmed by Taylor's radio gunner who, being too ill to fly, was now considered the only survivor of Flight 19. He agreed with Taylor's mother, and they both continued to hope beyond hope, praying for some news of Flight 19. As time went on, and nothing came to light, they became very discouraged. Sadly, both of them would go to their graves, never knowing that her son Taylor was indeed still alive and well; trapped in another world, trying to adjust to having colorful ponies as his friends and neighbors, of whom, 90% were female. It would prove to be a very stange adjustment indeed!





Meanwhile, high up in the Canterlot Mountains, Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne in Canterlot Castle, still pondering why her experiment to use magic to see into another world had gone so awry. 

"I don't understand it" She thought to herself, "Starswirl himself said long ago that the spell was foolproof, but all I saw were rainy skies, and a dark, stormy ocean. What kind of a weird planet is that?" 

As she was considering these geological/meteorological features more closely, a guard suddenly interrupted her thoughts. 

"My Princess!" He called out as he raced through the doors of the throne room, and up to the base of the throne where Celestia sat. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you this evening, but this urgent message just arrived from the head doctor of the Ponyville General Hospital. It was marked 'URGENT' and the messenger who delivered it stated that it requires your immediate attention!" 

Celestia was very surprised. Nothing interesting ever happened in Ponyville. What had happened that had the head doctor all tied up in knots? 

She then took the message from the guard with her magic. "Thank you, my subject." 

The guard then stood at attention while Celestia read the letter. 

"Your Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Canterlot", the letter began, 

"It has to be noted that earlier this afternoon, a giant blue metal machine fell from the sky, and crashed to the ground outside of the Everfree Forest. A few brave souls went to investigate, and they found that the damaged craft contained a lone occupant; a strange, bipedal creature from another planet called Earth. He was found injured, and is currently being cared for here by our hospital staff. The male creature, (called a 'human') seems to be/have been a soldier in his home country, called 'America'. He is rather hard to describe unless you see him in person, but he stands on two legs, has very little fur, mostly flesh, and he has a brown mane, blue eyes, and is a warm-blooded mammal of about 25 years of age.

It must also be brought to royal attention", the letter continued, "That the human is sentient, as well as highly intelligent, having an IQ of 120. He also speaks our language fluently, most likely suggesting that we share the same native tongue. I am however concerned about this creature's arrival", the doctor warned. "His purpose here is still unknown, and I personally do not trust him. Since neither I, nor my staff, know what to do with him, I therefore inquire of you for advice on how to proceed with this matter. I will anxiously be awaiting your reply. 

Your Faithful Servant, 
Doctor Stables, Head of the Ponyville General Hospital"

Celestia sat back on her throne with a look of more than a little mild shock on her face. 

"So it did work after all", She thought to herself, "Just not in the way that I was expecting!" 

She then wrote a reply to the doctor. 

"My faithful Doctor", she wrote, 

"This human creature that you have brought to your hospital for treatment was brought to Equestria accidentally during an experiment conducted earlier this afternoon here in Canterlot. The purpose of this experiment was to explore this 'Earth' via a magic portal, but it only revealed a dark ocean during a thunderstorm, with no land in sight. The human's craft must have gotten sucked inside the portal unseen at some point, and crashed not long afterwards where you found him. It is in my full interest for me to meet this creature. Bring him before me tomorrow afternoon, and I will decide for myself what his intentions are, and whether or not he will live among us, or return from whence he came. Please bring him before me tomorrow at exactly 4:00 sharp. I will be awaiting his arrival with great anticipation.

Your Princess in Canterlot,
Celestia." 

After Celestia was done writing the letter, she gave it back to the guard, who left to give it to the messenger, who in turn left to go give it back to the doctor. Once this was complete, Celestia summoned one of her servants. 

"Fair servant?" 

"Yes, My princess?" The maid asked. 

"We will be having a very special guest at the castle tomorrow, and I would like accommodations made up for him, as well as the Head Doctor of the Ponyville General Hospital, and two or three other medical staff. Also, please inform the castle cooks and serving staff to prepare a banquet in the banqueting hall for our guests's dinner." 

"Yes Ma'am!" 

The maid turned to leave, but she turned back for a moment longer. 

"Um, if I may ask, my princess, who is coming tomorrow, and why does he need a full medical entourage?" 

"Our guest has traveled a great distance from another world to get here, and was injured upon his arrival. He's here thanks to an experiment that I performed earlier this afternoon." 

With that, the maid nodded, and went off to fulfill the princess's wishes, while Celestia made her own preparations for her meeting the next afternoon.





Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, the hospital's day shift was ending. The hospital worked round the clock, but it was often very quiet at night. The head doctor was sitting in his office. 

"It's outrageous!" He muttered angrily to himself. "Having a creature like that here in MY hospital, and sleeping with a nurse! It's simply ludicrous!" 

(A bit earlier that evening, the doctor was making his rounds, and his last stop was the room where Taylor was staying under Redheart's care. He was rather scared about opening the door, fearing that he might find Redheart dead on the floor, and Taylor standing over her lifeless body, or any number of other nightmarish scenarios. When he finally did open the door, he could only gasp in horror, as the scene in front of him, was worse than he could have possibly imagined!

Taylor was sleeping on his mattresses, his jacket and shirt were folded neatly in a small pile, and his shoes and socks were in front of them. Taylor was underneath his blankets, sound asleep, seemingly sleeping very comfortably. But what the doctor had found so disturbing though was Redheart's methods of "patient comforting". She was asleep on the same mattresses, her forelegs were wrapped around Taylor, and his arms were wrapped around her. Redheart's head was snuggled against Taylor's chest, and her tail was partially wrapped around him as well. On the night table next to the bed, the doctor saw Redheart's nurse's cap, as well as the ties that she used to keep her mane in a bun most of the time. 

Her mane was currently free, hanging down her neck. Both of the makeshift bed's occupants were smiling in their sleep, and after looking at them for a minute or two, the doctor closed the door again, and trudged back to his office.) 

He was still muttering when there was a knock on his door. 

"Come in." 

The door opened, and the messenger walked in. He was red in the face, and completely out of breath. Instead of talking, he handed the doctor Celestia's letter. 

"Is this the Princess's reply?" 

The messenger could only nod. The doctor then took the note, and read it. 

"WHAT?!?!?!?!" He almost shrieked. "THE PRINCESS WANTS TO MEET WITH HIM IN CANTERLOT TOMORROW AFTERNOON?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Wh-wh-what.....who....? Oh Celestia my nerves......Nurse?!" He stammered into his intercom, "Please bring me a sample of formaldehyde. I think I'm going to........" 

The doctor then fainted. The messenger went over to him, and smacked him in the face with his wings, but there was no response from the doctor. A few moments later however, the doctor's nurse assistant, Nurse Starlight, walked in with the requested sample. After reviving the doctor, he climbed back into his chair. 

"Nurse Starlight?" he asked her.

"Yes doctor?" 

"Pack your bags. We're going to be leaving on the 12:00 train to Canterlot tomorrow afternoon. Bring everything that you'll need, (and everything that I'll need!) for the next two days or so. 

"What, why?" Nurse Starlight was very confused. 

"The Princess has asked me to present the human to her tomorrow at precisely 4:00. So he goes, I go, you go, and hmm..." the doctor pondered. "And I suppose that we'll need one more nurse to come along as well to help monitor his condition." 

"What about Miss Redheart? She seems well suited for the role, and I'm sure that Mr. Taylor would love to have her along."

Against his better judgement, the doctor agreed to bring Redheart along to help monitor Taylor's condition. 

"What about me sir?" 

The doctor had forgotten about the messenger.

"You need to go home and relax for a while. You've more than earned your pay for today." 

"Thank you sir, I will!" 

After the messenger left, and Nurse Starlight went to go pack the necessary items, the doctor spent the rest of his waking hours that night gathering together all of the medical files that he and his staff had gathered together on Taylor earlier that day, and packed them up for the trip to Canterlot. 

He was still very uncertain about the whole affair. While he still didn't completely trust Taylor, or approved of his relationship with Redheart, he did feel a sense of pride. 

"My whole family will be very proud of me", he mused. "Generations of doctors, all favored by high society, and now I get to present a new species to Princess Celestia herself! This will surely ensure that my legacy will live on for generations to come!" 

The doctor went to bed that night, wondering what the next day would bring.
> Chapter 7: Waking up, Making New Friends, and Getting Ready
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, by about 8:00am, the sun was streaming in through the window of Taylor's room. For a moment, he thought that he was back on Earth, but when he looked down at the pony mare next to him, then he remembered. 

"Oh yeah, I'm now in 'Equestria'. I crash-landed here yesterday, and have been here ever since." 

Redheart began to stir as Taylor moved around a bit, and she kissed him good morning. Taylor looked her over.

"You look really cute with 'bedhead'." He blushed.

"Not as cute as you cuddling me in your sleep!" She giggled in reply. 

After Taylor got up, he went over to the mirrored sink against the far side of his room. After bringing the water to the right temperature, he washed his face, put his hair back into place, and making use of the toothbrush and toothpaste that he was provided with, he brushed his teeth. 

Then, after putting his shirt back on, Redheart let him lean on her, and they made their way out to the main hallway, to mingle with the rest of the ponies who were in that ward at the time. Of course, by the time word reached all of them that Taylor had been brought to the hospital the previous day, anypony who was able gathered in the hallway, waiting to catch a glimpse of the new creature that walked on two legs. 

When Taylor walked down the hallway at Redheart's side, they all stared at him with wide-eyed wonder. Taylor stared back for a moment. 

"Um.....hello." He said shyly. 

Then many smiled, and after he sat down to breakfast in the cafeteria, he was swamped with questions; everything from his name, to where he came from, what he was, and how he got to Equestria. Taylor smiled. He surmised that ponies were naturally curious, and he was all too happy to answer their questions; it helped him to remember it all better. 

As he was eating, Dr. Stables and his nurse assistant came over to him. 

"Mr. Taylor?"

"Yes Doctor?" 

"You need to pack your bags, clean your clothes, shave, bathe, and make yourself presentable. You too Miss Redheart. But not together!!!!" 

"Whatever gave you that thought Doctor?" Taylor was visibly disturbed. 

"I was just making sure." 

"Well, sure thing Doc, but why do I need to do this?" Taylor was curious.

"Because we have to be on the train to Canterlot by noon, and get to the castle in time to meet Princess Celestia at precisely 4:00." 

"P-p-princess?!?!?!" Taylor was shocked.

"I see that you need a crash-course lesson in Equestrian history, protocol, and way of life. As you clean yourself up and pack your bags, Miss Redheart, and my assistant here, Nurse Starlight, will instruct you." 

Taylor had finished eating at this point, and stood up. "I'll learn as fast as I can sir, and I'll be the best Earth ambassador that I can be." 

"That's good to hear. Now then, the clock is ticking, so you'd better hop to it!" 

"You got it Doc!"

The first order of business was for Taylor to get his pilot's uniform cleaned, pressed, ironed, and deodorized. This took some doing, as the laundry at the hospital paled in comparison to the one at the base in Fort Lauderdale. Nevertheless, the staff followed the clothes's cleaning instructions to the letter, and while that was happening, Taylor was in a bathtub, being scrubbed down by the two nurses, all the while trying to take in all that they had to say.

".......And Princess Celestia has been the princess of Equestria for more than 1,000 years now." Redheart was saying.

"Are Alicorn's immortal?" Taylor asked. 

"Not quite", Nurse Starlight answered, "They can however live up to 5,000 standard years, and then they pass on their powers to their successor. Celestia's mother, Princess Faust, passed her powers to her, just as her mother, Princess Stardust, passer her powers to her."

Suddenly, Taylor had a major epiphany. The legend said that the first ruler of Equestria was created by what the ponies called "The Master of the Universe". He created her, along with hundreds of other animals and creatures to live in a beautiful garden. This garden was created not long after the dawn of time, and there was no evil in the world back then. The gardeners were a bipedal creature and his mate, who had the special favor of the Master. This made the princess jealous. 

The Master said to her, "Be content with your lot, for you will be the mother of a new race. A race that will one day live in peace and harmony with Humanity. History will remember you well, but beware!" He warned, "A misstep will bring a terrible suffering to your children, and only a descendant of the Man who has my favor, as well as the favor of my Son, will be able to stop it."

The young mare was very perplexed, but she didn't complain anymore. She then joined in with the rest of the creatures singing praises to the Master, also called 'The Creator'. 

To make a long story short though, paradise didn't last. An evil snake came to the garden. The princess had the chance to warn the Man's mate, the Woman, or the creature's presence, but because she still felt a twinge of jealousy, she did not. This was the beginning of the terrible misstep that the Creator had warned her about. 

The snake told the Woman to eat of a special fruit that the Creator had warned her not to touch, lest she would die. She ate it, her mate ate it, and the princess ate what the pair didn't. Now, Sin had entered the world, and everything suffered as a result. 

The world was split into two; The Humans ruled part of it, now called "Earth", and the ponies, gryphons, dragons, and other such mythical creatures ruled the rest of it, with the princess, Stardust, as their ruler. Stardust ruled her new nation, called "Equestria", with a steady, but sometimes cruel rule. 

Because she had eaten of the fruit as well, The Creator told her that she would now live longer than her subjects, but at the terrible cost of losing those that she loved to Death, and that she would live on without them. She would die eventually, but not before she had a daughter that would inherit her terrible curse next. The curse was then passed to Princess Faust, and from her, down to Celestia, and her sister, Princess Luna. It remained unknown where the curse would go from there.

Taylor sat back in shock once the words of his great epiphany sank in. The two nurses stared wide-eyed at the human, and wondered if he knew what he had just said. They needn't have wondered, for in that moment, Taylor had another epiphany. 

"So if my calculations are correct, Equestria has always been ruled by a princess who lives in Canterlot, and if that princess always outlives everyone else, then that means", Taylor mused, "That Celestia's grandmother was the first ruler of Equestria, and since legend says that she lived in a beautiful garden before it got cursed, the aftermath of which brought her to Equestria, then that means that her grandmother was created by God Himself, and she lived in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve when God created Earth!"

Once Taylor had finished having his second epiphany, he looked up at the two nurses. He saw the looks on their faces, and he had more questions about what he had seen in his head, but he didn't dare ask. Instead, he decided to change the subject. 

He asked instead about what he should expect when he arrived at the castle. He tried to keep listening to Redheart, but she just kept droning on and on about how beautiful Canterlot City was. 

"Oh boy, will she ever stop?" Taylor thought to himself. The sun wasn't even fully up yet, and he knew that already, he was going to have a long day ahead of him.
> Chapter 8: From the Hospital, back to the Crash site, and on to Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, after listening to Redheart until he thought that his head would explode, Taylor finally had enough. He then promptly stood up in the bathtub he was in, wrapped a towel around himself, and after drying himself off, he then went over to the bathroom sink to shave his face. 

After the two nurses had gotten over their shock at Taylor's actions, Redheart took her bath, and did her best to fix her bedhead, and after she was done, Starlight did the same. Finally, by about 11:00, Taylor was dressed in his pilot's uniform, Redheart was done getting ready, all of the necessary essentials had been packed, and Nurse Starlight had all of the luggage sent down to the train station where the doctor would be waiting for them. Just before they left though, Taylor made one last request. 

"Um, before we go to the train station, is there time to go back to my plane's crash site before we leave?" 

"Why would you want to go back there?" Starlight asked. 

"I would like to be able to grab a few personal belongings that I had with me, as well as to really assess the damage." 

"I guess so", Starlight replied, looking up at the clock, "But we'll have to leave right now. Remember, we have to meet the Doctor at the train station at exactly 11:50." 

Taylor nodded, and after grabbing a small cardboard box that he was provided with, he asked to be shown the way. Once the trio was out of the hospital, and out onto the streets of Ponyville, it was just like before; ponies stopped, stared, waved, shrank back, and just plain smiled at the new creature in their midst. Taylor waved back, and said hello and good morning to as many as he could. 

"He's very polite", one of them, a mare named Mara Heartstrings, (future grandmother of Lyra Heartstrings) commented.

"He certainly is", another agreed. (History remembers her as the grandmother of Ditzy "Derpy" Doo.) 

A few of them also followed the trio out to the crash site. 

"There you are old girl" Taylor said when he saw the wreck that used to be his TBF Avenger. When he saw the full extent of the damage however, he was very sad. One of the wings was broken off, the glass canopy was shattered, the propeller was absolutely trashed, and the body was bent in, dented, scratched, and even just plain holed in numerous places as well. 

He touched the side of the plane gently, then he climbed up onto the still attached wing, and after reaching the cockpit, he began to look around inside for the objects that he was looking for, and once he'd found them, he began to place them inside his cardboard box. He grabbed a map, his helmet and flight goggles, his life jacket, a parachute, his compass, a small pencil, a picture of his mother, a small fire extinguisher, as well as his little pocket Bible. 

While Taylor was busy with the cockpit, Redheart notices that the front of the plane had the number 01 on it, as well as some other kind of artwork on it as well.

"Hey Taylor, what's this on the nose?" 

Taylor looked where she was pointing. "Oh, that's just the plane's number, 01, as well as a painting of a sitting wolf."

"What's it mean though?" 

"It just means that my plane, 'Blue 1' was the lead plane in the squadron, and I always felt like a bit of a lone wolf, so when it came time to choose nose art, I just decided to go with a wolf." 

Redheart nodded. "Oh, that makes sense, I guess." 

Once he was done, Taylor climbed down from the plane. He then requested of the ponies standing around that they leave the plane alone for the time being, as well as doing their best to protect it from both the elements, as well as from vandals. A few unicorns were able to create a small magic force field to protect it from the elements, and a few others agreed to stand guard from a distance until Taylor returned from Canterlot. 

"Goodbye old girl", Taylor whispered, patting the painting of the wolf on the nose, "You've served me well through the war years, and you deserve a rest, so rest now, and these nice unicorns will take care of you until I return." 

Taylor then left the plane in the care of the ponies, and he and the two nurses then quickly made their way to the train station. A few minutes later, they arrived, and walked over to where the Doctor was standing with their luggage. 

"Oh there you all are, what took all of you so long?" 

"Well, we all had to finish getting ready, and Taylor wanted to go back to his plane before we arrived so that he could retrieve a few things, but we made it here by 11:50, just like you asked us to." 

The doctor then looked up at the station clock. Sure enough, the time did read 11:50 on the dot. "Well, you're here at any rate, now then, let's just hope that the train is on time. I do not want to be late!" 

While they were waiting, Taylor asked Redheart a few more questions. 

"So, are trains the most advanced form of transportation that you have in this world?"

"Yes", Redheart replied." 

"Well, on Earth we have trains like this as well, but we also have vehicles called 'automobiles' that move along the ground. We also have airplanes. The one that I have was built for military purposes, but many others were made to carry people and cargo." 

A whistle then sounded in the distance. The doctor then looked up at the station clock again. Noting the time to be exactly 11:59, he then turned to the others. 

"Well, here comes our train. This should get us to Canterlot by 3:00, and that should give us ample time to settle in, and get ourselves ready for our meeting with the princess at 4:00." 

Once the train pulled into the station, Taylor did his best to help the conductor get all of the bags and other luggage for not only his group, but everypony else's as well, onto the train. He worked as fast as he could, but it was hard for him, as he could only carry two bags at a time. Eventually though, everything was loaded, and by 12:05, the train was ready to leave. Everypony, and Taylor, were all in their seats, and at the conductor's signal, the engineer blew the whistle, and the train pulled out of the station. 

"Don't worry mares and gentlecolts" The conductor assured them, "We started a few minutes late, but we'll soon make up for lost time. We will arrive in Canterlot by exactly 3:00 on the dot, or my name isn't All Aboard!" 

Taylor looked at the conductor. He was a very young-looking Earth-pony stallion, with blue fur, golden eyes, and a black mane and tail. He looked so young, that Taylor wondered if he was even old enough to be a conductor. "Maybe he's a trainee or something, or maybe he's just older than he looks", he thought. At any rate, Taylor could see that he knew his job well, and he saw a bright future for the young stallion. 

The train ride to Canterlot was very uneventful, but Taylor had a hard time trying to take in all of the scenery. It was so new and unfamiliar, but at the same time, so incredibly beautiful and tranquil, that he was almost overwhelmed. 

Redheart saw the look on his face. "Taking in all of the beauty?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. This all reflects the beauty of God's creation so perfectly, and this whole world just reflects the work of His hands." 

Redheart then asked Taylor a very serious question. "So I take it, given that you mention him so much, that you worshiped the Creator back on Earth?" 

Taylor sighed. "I guess so. After what I saw in the aftermath of the Second World War though, my faith in God was badly shaken. I've been praying though that He would show me a way through the fog of doubt, and I guess that my prayers were answered.

Taylor and Redheart spent the rest of the trip talking about this, as well as events from their previous lives, both on Earth, and in Ponyville. 

Later, at exactly 3:00pm, the train arrived in Canterlot. 

"See mares and gentlecolts, what did I tell you? Arriving in Canterlot at exactly 3:00 on the dot. You're welcome!" 

Once the train had finished pulling into the station, Taylor once again helped to unload everypony's luggage, and once he was done with that, the Doctor hired a porter, who pulled a cart with all of their belongings inside of it. Before long, they were all walking through the streets of Canterlot. Taylor marveled at its beauty.

"I still can't believe that the architects and engineers who designed this place were actually able to design and build a metropolis of this size on the side of a mountain! And not only that, but they made it both remarkably stable, and incredibly beautiful as well. How did they do it?" Taylor was trying to picture Canterlot under construction in his head. 

"Well" the doctor answered, "Nopony knows for sure, but according to existing archive records, the unicorns who did were some of the smartest ponies in Equestrian history. They built it for the first princess, and it's been a thriving city; a center for art, science, culture, and beautiful libraries ever since." 

Taylor was stunned. "Wow, you ponies are the most remarkable species I've ever seen. If only the equines back on Earth could do even a fraction of this!" 

"Yes, and I've been meaning to ask you about that", the doctor continued, "What are the ponies on Earth like?" 

"Well", Taylor answered slowly, "They look kind of like you, except that they only have fur that's brown, golden, grey, roan, black, tan, or a combination of the above colors. They're also somewhat smaller than you" (Taylor could look the doctor in the eye, and he was 5'8"), "They can't talk, and they don't have wings and horns either. However, they are very smart, and they help us humans with our work around our farms, and others are even ridden by humans, both for pleasure, and sometimes for competitions." 

The conversation continued along these lines all the way to the gates of the castle. Once they arrived at the gates, the guards stopped them, and asked that they state who they were, and what their business was. the doctor did all of the talking. 

"I am Doctor Stables, Head Doctor of the Ponyville General Hospital. This is my assistant, Nurse Starlight, behind me is Nurse Redheart, and next to her, is Mr. Charles Taylor, the human that Princess Celestia requested that I bring before her today." 

When they looked at Taylor, the guard's eyes nearly popped out of their heads! They had never seen a creature quite like Taylor, and they didn't quite know what to make of him either. Taylor saluted them however, and they did salute back. 

For security reasons, the guards did search through all of their luggage. They were all quite baffled however when the looked through Taylor's cardboard box, as they had no clue what most of what its contents was. Taylor had to tell them what everything was, what it was for, and most importantly, if it could be dangerous. When one of them looked at the fire extinguisher, he almost triggered it, but fortunately for him, Taylor stopped him in the nick of time! 

After the examinations were complete, the castle porters took the luggage, loaded it onto another cart, and pulled it along behind them. Taylor was absolutely awed when he stepped over the threshold, and found himself in the main hall of the castle. Taylor whistled softly. 

"What was that for?" Redheart asked him. 

"Hmm? Oh, that was just a whistle of awe. I just can't get over this decor. It's a masterpiece so perfect, that it would make Rembrandt, Vangogh, DaVinci, and Michelangelo jealous!" Noting the looks of puzzlement of those around him, Taylor added, "Famous painters, artists, and sculptors in Earth's history." 

Once they had all been shown to their quarters in the castle's East Wing, there was still about 30 minutes until they were due to meet the princess. Taylor stepped out onto his balcony and took in the view. 

"Like it?" a voice behind him asked.

Taylor turned around, and to his delight, Nurse Redheart was standing behind him. 

"It's incredible",  he admitted, "But what's that though?" He asked, pointing to what appeared to be a massive cloud, with liquid rainbow spectrum flowing over its edges, in addition to what appeared to be buildings made of clouds as well. 

"Oh, that's Cloudsdale, the central city of the Pegasai. A very beautiful city, I'm told." 

"An entire city in the clouds, made out of clouds?! Man! I wish those architects and engineers who designed and built these places could come to Earth! Just imagine what they might accomplish!" 

Redheart laughed quietly at Taylor's shock. "Yeah, no kidding, I would like to see what they could create as well." 

And so, with that, the two of them continued talking about this, until their last 30 minute window was up, and they were due to meet the princess.
> Chapter 9: Meeting a Princess, and Time Spent Together
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All too soon though, the 30 remaining minutes were up, and it was time to go meet the princess. Taylor checked his uniform one last time, and then he and Redheart, joined moments later by the Doctor and Nurse Starlight, all made their way to the throne room. The entire way, they were escorted by guards, so as to provide security. Taylor was still awed by the guard's uniforms. 

"Is, is that bronze that your armor is made out of?" He asked the closest guard, a whitish-gray unicorn with blue eyes, and a blue mane and tail.

"No, it's not bronze, our armor is made out of gold." 

Taylor was stunned. "Gold?! Real gold?"

The guard nodded. "That's what I said, didn't I?" 

Now Taylor was both stunned, and confused. "But, why gold? It's heavy, and it's not the strongest metal ever. Why don't you guys use iron, or even something like steel?" 

The guard shrugged. "I don't know, but I agree with you completely. However, this golden armor is just our traditional, ceremonial armor. In the event of a real conflict, we bring out the real armor." 

"Oh, and what does that look like?" 

"Um, well, to be perfectly honest, I actually have no idea. We haven't had any wars in almost 1,000 years. Supposedly, it's in some military storeroom here in Canterlot, but who knows if that's even true." 

Taylor couldn't even fully wrap his head around that. "Earth civilizations have trouble going even a few WEEKS without a serious conflict", Taylor thought, but 1,000 years?!?!?! That's insane! And with no real armor and weapons readily available, any real conflict would most likely be an absolute disaster." 

Taylor didn't want to sound crazy, so he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. Instead, he asked the guard, "Um, I don't believe I caught your name." 

"Oh, its Armor. Strong-arm "Tinker" Armor. Royal Guard Captain." 

"Charles Taylor. United States Navy Lieutenant." 

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." 

They both shook, well, Armor extended his hoof, and Taylor took it, and shook it as best he could. After this introduction was over, the group continued walking, Taylor and Redheart continued their conversation about Cloudsdale. 

"Cloudsdale is also the home of Equestria's weather factory. It's where teams of pegasai work hard to take the rainbow spectrum, and turn it into the clouds that produce our weather. 

Taylor was perplexed. "So you mean to tell me that weather doesn't just fall from the sky naturally, depending on the season? It's actually created in a factory?" 

"No to your first question, and yes to your second one. It's all created at the weather factory."

"One more quick question though, where does all of that rainbow spectrum actually come from?" 

Redheart thought for a moment. "Well", she said slowly, "I actually don't know; it's a very closely guarded secret. However, a friend of mine who works at the factory, Buttercup, told me that it's created in some kind of labs or something in a building located higher up in the clouds, and sent down to the main factory through a series of pipes and flumes." 

Taylor though about that. "Huh, must be a pretty important secret if it's actually made in a separate building. I wonder....."

Before Taylor could think on this any more, the guards suddenly stopped. 

"We're here." One of them announced.

They then stepped in front of two massive arched doors, and opened them for the group. Once the doors were open, all of them stepped aside to let the group pass. The doctor entered first, followed by Nurse Starlight, then Taylor, with Nurse Redheart by his side. 

The throne room was almost like a really long, and incredibly high cathedral. There were marble columns, a high vaulted ceiling, perfectly pristine white walls, and beautiful stained glass windows. The entire length of the hallway was also with guards placed at various intervals as well. 

"Come forwards, my subjects." A voice from the far side of the room beckoned. 

Taylor looked to see where the voice was coming from. At the very end of the long throne room, he saw a small flight of about 6 steps with crystal clear fountains on both sides. At the base of the steps, stood two guards. At the top though, there was a golden throne, with red upholstery, as well as an image of a sun. 

What really held Taylor's attention though, was the pony seated seated on the throne; a beautiful, white-furred mare. She looked like a unicorn, but she had wings as well. "She really is an Alicorn", Taylor thought to himself.

Taylor also saw that she had purplish-pink eyes, 4 golden horse shoes on her hooves, a golden breastplate on her chest inlaid with stones, and a golden tiara on her head. Most fascinating of all though, was her mane and tail. They were both green, blue, and pink, and were constantly waving, almost as though they were being moved by invisible fingers. 

All the while Taylor was taking in the beauty of the princess, the group was moving towards the throne. Once they came almost to the first step, close to the two guards, the doctor stopped, and the rest of the group did likewise. All of them then knelt down out of respect, waiting for the command to rise. Taylor also removed his flight hat, and held it in his hands. 

"You may arise, my subjects." As they did so, the Princess then arose, and came down to steps to greet her new visitors. 

"So", she said, looking first at the doctor, then directly at Taylor, "You are the creature from Earth who has come to Equestria, are you not?" 

"Um, y-yes Ma'am." 

Celestia smiled. "What is your name, my sweet?" 

"I am Lieutenant Charles Taylor Ma'am, but you can just call me 'Taylor', Ma'am, that is, if you wish." 

Celestia smiled again. "Well then, welcome Mr. Taylor, welcome. I am Princess Celestia, and this, is the magical land of Equestria, my kingdom. Please" she gestured with her hoof, "Walk with me." 

Taylor then walked beside her, while the doctor and the two nurses walked behind just a bit. After leaving the throne room, Celestia led the way out to her private garden. Once they were there though, she asked all three of the medical staff to leave for a bit, as she wished to speak to Taylor in private. 

All of them were a least a little bit disappointed, especially the doctor, but they didn't dare argue with their princess, so they all scooted off back towards the main hall, where they returned to their quarters. 

Once they were gone though, Taylor was now feeling especially nervous. He had never met anyone more important than a commodore, or a rear admiral, not even the president; to say nothing of a princess! Celestia noticed his uneasiness. 

"What's wrong Dear? You seem like your going to faint." 

Celestia then sat down on a cushion, and Taylor sat down on the grass in front of her. 

"Oh, um, it's nothing, Princess Celestia", Taylor sighed, "It's just that, well, I'm still really having a hard time believing that all of this isn't just a dream, or that I'm dead. I still don't know how I got here, but most of all, I've never talked to a princess before." 

"Celestia giggled softly at his statements. "Well, I can certainly understand you being nervous, but yet", here her smile vanished, "There is something that you should know about how you got here." 

Taylor was confused. "What do you mean Princess?" 

Celestia sighed. "It's all my fault that you're here, and that you crash-landed."

"What? What do you mean?" 

"I mean, that for several years now, I've been trying to see if other worlds existed, and if so, were they suitable for exploration by ponykind, and even, if we could bring a member of the population here. For a long time, we had no luck. All worlds that we did find were either uninhabitable, had life that was incredibly hostile, or non-sentient. Then, just when all seemed lost, I suddenly had a breakthrough. At some point last year, I was able to locate a planet that had incredible potential. It had an oxygen atmosphere, good sunlight, and it also seemed to be teeming with life. However, there also seemed to be a war going on as well. I did try elsewhere yesterday afternoon, but all that was revealed to me was a dark ocean, in the middle of a storm." 

"That was most likely the Atlantic Ocean", Taylor pointed out, right inside an area known as the 'Bermuda Triangle'. I saw your portal open, and I thought that it was land so my squadron and I attempted to fly through towards it, but I guess that I was wrong. And where you saw the war, that was most likely one of the battlefields of the Second World War; the most destructive war in world history. It has ended, but the memories will live on forever." 

Celestia looked at him with great sadness. "As awful as that already sounds, there is something else that I have to tell you."

"What?"

"Your comrades, the ones that you flew with, well", Celestia had tears forming in her eyes, "They're not coming home." 

"Wh-what? What do you mean by that?" Taylor hoped that it meant that they were back on Earth, and had been rescued, but he had a sinking feeling that this wasn't the case. 

"Four of them crashed trying to follow you, one more made it to the portal before flying to pieces, and one final plane did make it through, only to burst into flames. The whole plane burned up before it could crash. I'm afraid that......that......you, are the only survivor." Celestia then broke down crying, and Taylor was not too far behind her. 

Taylor wondered if what he was about to do was appropriate or not, but he couldn't stand to see the beautiful princess in front of him like this, so he leaned forwards, and gently pulled her into a hug. 

"Shh, it's ok Princess", he whispered, fighting to hold back his own tears, I forgive you. What happened was not your fault. It was, just an accident."

"B-b-but I c-created the p-portal that k-killed your c-comrades!" 

"Maybe, but if you hadn't created that portal, all of us would surely have been lost to the sea, but because you did, I survived, but....." Taylor then began crying as well, "I wish to God that it didn't have to be like this! I lived, but all of my squad-mates died!" 

For the longest time, neither of them said anything; they just kept gently holding the other while they cried. Eventually though, Celestia leaned in close, and kissed Taylor gently on the cheek. 

"Thank you, My Sunshine", she whispered. "This is just what I needed to feel better. Sadly, due to it's extreme instability, I did have to destroy the portal leading to Earth, so it appears that you will have to stay here in Equestria for a while." 

"That, would actually be very nice, nice that is, if I didn't have to leave my mother behind though; she's the only family that I have left." Taylor then realized that he had put her picture in his jacket pocket. "Here's what she looks like." He pulled out the picture, and showed it to Celestia.

"She looks like a very sweet soul, and I feel more than awful that you have to say goodbye to her from here, instead of Earth, but the portal was sealed after I closed it due to a lightning strike. It may not be able to be opened ever again." 

Taylor began to cry softly again, and Celestia comforted him while he did so. 

"I feel so embarrassed", he whispered. "People my age have no business to be crying at all, let alone in front of a princess."

"I disagree. Everypony needs a good cry now and again, even me. Sadness is a perfectly normal emotion, so you shouldn't be afraid to let it out."

Taylor nodded, but he didn't say anything. He just continued to hug the beautiful princess in front of him.
> Chapter 10: Curiosity, and Just (Air)plane Problems
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the somewhat long period of sadness finally ended, and Celestia had recomposed herself, her curiosity came forwards again, and she began to ask Taylor about his life on Earth, why he was flying in that kind of weather at all, what it was like flying through a portal, and how he was treated after his arrival. Taylor was all too happy to answer her questions. 

"Well, when we began out flight, the sky was only overcast, the storm hadn't started yet. We didn't think that it would prove to be any problems, so when it really did turn nasty, it really caught us off guard. And once I was inside the portal, all I could see was a bright white light, with shades of blue and purple thrown in as well. However, it's very hard to describe, as I've never seen anything like it, and so that put me into a state of shock." 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, that would make sense I suppose, with that being such a whole new experience for you. But tell me, what were your first moments in Equestria like?" 

"Well, the worst of it after the storm was my crash-landing. The plane already had run out of fuel, and it was plunging towards the ground at a very high rate of speed. I did manage to slow down somewhat, but the crash was still pretty bad. I hit the ground outside of the Everfree Forest,  and the plane got severely damaged. I got thrown against the control console, and cut and bruised from that, as well as from the glass that fell on me when the cockpit canopy shattered. I was cut, bruised, bleeding, and overall, I felt like I had just been hit by a train." 

"My word!" Celestia exclaimed, that must have been awful; you not knowing if you were going to live or die, terrified and alone! I just thank the Creator that he spared you!" 

"I know", Taylor said softly, "Me too. Anyway, when I crashed, I thought that I was still back on Earth. I was almost certain that I had made it back to Florida, but my first thoughts were to get out of the plane, just in case it exploded due to built of gas fumes. I crawled out, collapsed on the ground, and I guess I passed out. When I woke up, I thought that I was on Earth, but when I looked up and saw Nurse Redheart looking back at me, I recoiled in shock!" 

Celestia laughed softly at this. Taylor smiled as well, and then he continued his story.

" After I regained my composure, I learned where I was, how badly I was hurt, (which was thankfully minimal) and how I'd been found. Nurse Redheart took very good care of me that night, and when I woke up the next morning, she helped me out to breakfast, and I got to meet some of the other ponies in the hospital. They were very interested in meeting me."

"Yes, I bet they were. It's not every day that someone like you just falls out of the sky. In fact, I don't think that it's ever happened, at least, not during my lifetime anyway." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, it certainly is very unusual. Anyway, while I was eating, Dr. Stables came and told me that I was to be brought here to meet you. After we all got ready, I asked to be taken back to the my plane so that I could retrieve a few items, and so that I could really assess the damage. I then put what I wanted into a cardboard box that I'd brought with me, and just before I left for the train station, I told the ponies in Ponyville to guard the plane until I returned." 

"That was nice of you Dear, but it wasn't necessary." 

Taylor looked at her curiously. "What do you mean Princess Celestia?"

"Just 'Princess' will do, my sweet, but in answer to your question, while you were on your way here, I sent my best engineers down to Ponyville, and they packed up your plane, as well as any pieces that fell or broke off, put it on the train after yours, and once it arrived, it was moved to a storage area here in the castle. It is being examined, although, that might go slightly better is you were there to help, both to see if it could possibly be put back together again, and if it could, to maybe help make it fly again." 

Taylor was absolutely beside himself with shock. "Are you serious?!?! My plane is here?!?!" 

Celestia nodded. Taylor had no clue what to say. Finally he said, "Thank you, Princess. You didn't have to do any of this."

"It was my pleasure, my sweet. I've always been interested in other worlds, and your Earth has always held my attention. It will be very nice to have you around, Mr. Taylor. I hope that you enjoy your stay here in Equestria."

"Thank you again Princess! Could you please show me where my plane is, so that I can see how the examinations are coming?" 

Celstia nodded. "Certainly. I actually want to see it closer myself. I only got a few quick glimpses of it when it was being moved to that storage area." 

They both left the garden, and made their way down to the castle's basement where the plane was being kept. 

"Um, why was it put down here?" 

"It was put here, because this was the only space large enough to hold it, and where it could be examined, and possibly repaired." 

Once they reached the room, Storage Room A113, Celestia entered, and Taylor followed close behind her. Taylor gasped when he saw how big the room was. It was almost as large as a military aircraft hangar! The plane was located in the center of the room, propped up with wooden blocks. The parts that had broken off, (like the left wing and parts of the fuselage) were being examined on workbenches close by. There were about 20 ponies in the room in total, and all of them seemed wholly mystified and baffled by the machine in front of them. They couldn't seem to make heads or tails of it, and one of them even made the potentially fatal mistake of looking down the barrel of the rear machine gun! Luckily for him though, the gun was not loaded, as Flight 19 had been on a training mission Stateside, which didn't require any live rounds. They all stood to attention when Celestia entered. 

"At ease, my engineers. I have brought you the pilot of this craft. He's here to assist you in your efforts. If it all goes as I hope it should, this plane may be all repaired soon, and may even be back in the air again. Anyway," Celestia stepped back a bit, "Ok Mr. Taylor, impress me with your knowledge and fix-it skills." 

Taylor first examined the engine to make sure that no further fluids were leaking out. Then, once he was convinced that nothing was leaking, he got down, and crawled underneath the right side, and back to examine the wheels. They were still folded into their flight positions, but they appeared to be still intact. 

"I'm going to need a few of you to help me. These wheels and their support structures seem to be intact, so I need you to help me lower them down into their landing positions." 

"Yes sir." 

With their help, Taylor was able to manually crank down the rear wheel, as well as the right main wheel. (The left main wheel was attached to the left wing, which was still sitting on a workbench). Once the wheels were cranked down, it was found that they were still able to hold the plane's weight. Now, Taylor's first real job could begin; seeing if the left wing could be reattached to the main body, and if so, how. He didn't know if the ponies even had any welding equipment. As he was trying to figure this out, some of the engineers were asking him questions. 

"What is this thing, and what's it used for?" 

"Well, this machine is called an 'airplane'. It was designed for combat, so as to be able to take on an enemy from the air. This particular model, the TBF Avenger Torpedo-Bomber, proved to be an excellent combat plane, and did prove its worth during the Pacific War." 

"What does 'TBF' stand for?" 

"Now that I really don't know. I'm pretty sure that's it's both its designation, as well as the name of the manufacturer, but don't quote me on that." 

"What's a 'torpedo-bomber'?" 

"A torpedo is a type of underwater weapon. It was made to propel itself towards a target, hit the target, and then explode on impact. 'bomber' simply means that this plane could be used to drop bombs, which are a high-explosive weapon. 'Torpedo-bomber' simply means that it can drop both bombs, and torpedoes." 

As Taylor continued to answer the engineers's questions, he discovered that the wing had broken off where where it would have folded against the body, so that the plane could be stored/moved on an aircraft carrier. It could maybe be bolted back on, but it would also have to be fused back to the main body as well. 

"Ok, now I'm going to need the wing brought over to the main body. I'm also going to need 16 strong bolts, some clamps, metal cables to replace control cables that have snapped, a heat source to reattach some electrical wires, as well as a bigger heat source to fuse the wing back onto the body." 

The engineers quickly scurried off to get Taylor his supplies. Once he had them, with help, Taylor first took apart parts of the wing and fuselage on the left side, and fully removed the damaged control cables. Then, once they were removed, they were replaced with the new ones. Once the new cables were securely fastened down, the parts of the wing and the inside of the fuselage that were previously removed, were put back into place, and bolted down securely. Now came the first critical step, bolting the base of the wing to the edge of the fuselage. 

With the wing being held in place by a winch, and the rest of the plane being supported by both its wheels, as well as wooden blocks to provide balance, the two pieces were brought together again, and bolted securely together. Now came the tricky part, the fusing of the metal. 

"Um, you guys wouldn't happen to have any kind of welding equipment here in Equestria, would you?" 

"You mean something like this?" One of the engineers held up a metal torch with a wire tip. "It's used to fuse metal together during construction." 

Taylor looked at it. "Yes, this will do very nicely." 

Before they started welding though, the left wheel was cranked back down as well, and once the blocks were removed, Blue 01 was standing all on her own once again. 

"Well, that's something good. Now let's finish the job, and do some welding." 

Once they all had gloves, and safety goggles, Taylor turned the torch on, and by the time he turned it off a few minutes later, the wing was as securely attached to the body as it had been the day that the plane was made. Once that was all done, Taylor and the engineers stood back to admire their work. 

"Well done guys, this was a fine piece of work. I couldn't have done it without your help." 

"You're welcome Mr. Taylor." 

"Yes, that was a very fine job, all of you. This plane is well on it's way to being repaired." 

Taylor nodded. "Thank you Princess. Now then, let's see what else we can do, shall we?" 

The others nodded, and they all got back to work. 





By the time that work was stopped for the day, the plane was more than well on its way to looking like it was supposed to. All of its repairable parts had been reattached, including the left wing, all of the internal wiring had been completed, all of the holes on the fuselage had been patched up, all of the glass was cleaned out of the cockpit, and all of the damage to the engine had been stabilized as well. However, there was still much work to be done. The propeller was going to have to be completely re-fabricated from scratch, there wasn't any glass on hand to repair the cockpit canopy, the body, wings, and tail were still scratched, chipped, dented, bent, and warped in places, sometimes severely. There also wan't any fuel or oil for the engine. 

"Well everyone, or everypony, whichever you prefer, all of you did some great work today. This plane is well on her way to maybe flying again, or at the very least, as close to that as possible. Again, great job, and I hope to see all of you again very soon." 

"Thank you, and goodbye for now Mr. Taylor." 

"Goodbye." 

After they finished putting their tools away, the plane was covered with tarps, all of them left the storage room, and it was securely locked up again. Taylor then left with Celestia, and the engineers went to report back to their superiors as well. 

Also by the end of it, in addition to all of the questions that he'd already been asked, Taylor was also asked, why his plane was painted blue, what its star markings meant, how high it could fly, how fast it could go, how many crew it had, and what the wolf art on the nose, as well as the numbers '01' meant. Once work was over, Taylor was all questioned out.

"Man", he thought to himself as he walked with Celestia, "I knew that ponies were curious, but that many questions? I mean, I know that new technology can be confusing, but still, that was pretty intense! I just hope that the next round of work will go smoother than that." 

And with that, he and Celestia went back up into the main castle to rejoin the rest of the group for dinner in the banquet hall.
> Chapter 11: Dinner, Small-Talk, and Masculine Stupidity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Taylor had washed all of the grease oil, rust, as well as minor burn marks, and changed back into his pilot's uniform, he walked with Celestia up to dinner in the banquet hall. The doctor and the two nurses were already up there, and they stood up when Celestia entered. 

"Where were you all afternoon, Mr. Taylor?" Redheart asked.

"Hmm? Oh, I was in the castle basement trying to help Celestia's engineers to put my plane back together."

"What?! Your plane is here?! But, how?!" 

"Well, after we left for Canterlot, Celestia told me that she had her best ponies for the job come to Ponyville, package it up, and bring it to Canterlot so that it could be studied, and possibly even repaired." 

Redheart was very curious now. 

"So what do you think, can it be repaired?" 

Taylor shrugged. "I still don't know for sure. We will repair it as best we can, but whether or not it will be able to fly again still remains to be seen. The propeller is mangled beyond repair, the engine still needs work, the glass cockpit canopy will have to be replaced, the bodywork is a body-shop's worst nightmare, and I don't have any gasoline or oil for it." 

"Um, what's gasoline?" 

Taylor was rather surprised that Nurse Starlight would take an interest in the plane, but he answered her question nevertheless.

"Gasoline is a combustible fuel that most vehicles on Earth use to power their engines. Along with motor oil, t's the lifeblood of an airplane, that's for sure!" 

Starlight thought about this for a moment. "Well, we do have plenty of oil, both for cooking, and for our machines, but I don't think that we have any 'gasoline'." 

"Hmm. Well then, I guess that we'll just have to try and distill some then. Moonshine might be sufficient enough to be a base element. Does anypony know where I might find any of that here in Equestria?" 

The doctor looked at him with a look of deep concern. "The only place around here that you'll find anything like moonshine would be Sweet Apple Acres." 

Taylor was curious. "Sweet Apple Acres? What's that? Is it a farm?" 

"It's an apple tree farm outside of Ponyville", the doctor spat. "It's run by the Apple Family, one of the largest families in Equestria for that matter." 

"They sound so nice, but it sounds like you don't like them very much. Why is that?" Taylor was confused.

"Because", the doctor spat again, "They're nothing but a bunch of inbred, rednecked hillbillies, and they're a disgrace to our community! Sure, they provide our towns and cities with the best apples that you've ever seen, but at the cost of teaching our colts and fillies that it's ok to have foals with their brothers and sisters!" 

"Now doctor!" Starlight interjected, "There is absolutely no proof to back up ANY of your accusations. The Apples are just a large family who have more down-home, home-style values than those of higher society. Family always comes first for them. Plus, only one branch of the family lives on Sweet Apple Acres, the rest live in Manehattan, and other towns and cities across Equestria. I've been down to Sweet Apple Acres many times. All of them are the nicest folk that you'll ever meet. They're so polite and kind, friendly, and they give great deals to long-time customers." 

Redheart turned to Taylor while this whole argument was going on. "What do you think Taylor?" 

"I think that the Apples all sound like very nice folk. I'd like to see Sweet Apple Acres for myself when I get back to Ponyville. Maybe they could help me with my fuel problem." 

All while this conversation/argument was going on, Celestia was standing off to the side, listening to what was being said. Finally, she decided that enough was enough, and with that, she strode up to her seat at the table, and using her magic, she picked up a spoon, and used it to tap on a glass to get everypony's and Taylor's attention.The argument immediately stopped, and all eyes were on the princess, waiting to see what she had to say.

"Well, now that I have you all's attention, I would like to ask all of you a simple question, Who's hungry and ready to eat?" 

Taylor and the medical staff looked at each other, then back at their princess. 

"We all are!" Taylor answered for the group. 

"Excellent!" Celestia then clapped her hooves. "Head Waiter?"

A unicorn with a black waiter's uniform stepped forwards. "Yes my princess?" 

"Please bring out the food for our guests." 

"As you wish, my princess." 

He then clapped his hooves, and a few moments later, 6 ponies all dressed in chef uniforms appeared, pushing carts with covered silver platters on them. 

"It all smells so good", Taylor commented, "And I bet that it tastes even better!" 

"I bet that it does too!" Redheart was just as excited as Taylor was.

A few moments later, once all of the chefs were at their posts, several other waiters appeared, and they set out all of the chargers, napkins, plates, silverware, and glasses, as well as candelabrum, candles, and baskets for bread. Once that was complete, they stepped back, and the chefs then came forwards, and set all of the trays on the table. While everything was being set up, Taylor said a quick blessing for the food. 

Once he was finished, and at Celestia's command, the lids were lifted off of the trays and platters, and everypony and Taylor gasped in delight. It was certainly a feast to behold. There were soups, cheeses, bowls of mashed potatoes, green beans, fresh corn, steamed carrots, bread pudding, other puddings, cakes, other dishes that Taylor had never see before, and of course, several bottles of various fine wines. 

To Taylor's slight surprise, there were no meats, nor any other such proteins. "Because ponies are herbivores, and as such, they can't eat meat, or it would kill them." Taylor thought to himself. 

There were so many dishes to choose from that Taylor and the two nurses hardly knew where to start! Only the doctor seemed to be used to eating a banquet like that. 





Dinner passed with your usual amount of small talk and light conversations. Towards the end of the meal however, Taylor suddenly rose, and tapped his glass for attention. Everypony looked at him curiously, wondering what he was going to say. Once the whole table was quiet, and all eyes were on him, Taylor took a deep breath, and then he spoke.

"Your Majesty, Head Doctor, Assistant Nurses", he began, "I would just like to say, thank you. Thank you to you, Miss Redheart, for finding me, and taking care of me when I first arrived here. Thank you to you, Dr. Stables, for allowing me to stay in your hospital to be studied, as well as cared for. Thank you to you, Nurse Starlight, for assisting the doctor in everything that he does. And last, but certainly not least, I would like to extend my greatest thanks to you, Princess Celestia, for not only bringing me to Equestria, thereby saving my life, but also for transporting my plane to Canterlot, calling me here to Canterlot so that I could meet you, but most of all," he continued, Thank you for allowing me to stay here in your incredible realm." He then raised his glass. "A toast, to the good health of all of you, to the prosperity of Equestria, and most of all, a toast to the God who made all of this possible!" 

"Cheers!" They all cried as they clinked their glasses together in unison. 





After dinner was over, Taylor and Redheart were standing just outside of the banquet hall, talking a bit, when they were suddenly joined by a guard. 

"Hello Mr. Taylor." 

Taylor saw that it was the guard that he talked to earlier, Tinker Armor. "Hello Tinker, and you can just call me Taylor. So what brings you over here?" 

"Oh, well, I just got off duty a few minutes ago, and I wanted to come back and find you to see how you were doing. So how are you doing? Is everything going ok for you?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, everything is going just fine. I really think that I'm going to enjoy life here in Equestria." 

"And weren't you some kind of soldier yourself, or something?" 

"Yes, I was in the Navy. I was a Naval Aviator, or rather, a pilot. I flew fighter planes, and later trained and instructed others in their use as well." 

Tinker gave him a funny look. "Huh, so a navy-pony huh? Well then, let me be the first to tell you, us Royal Guards are superior to all of you 'tin can sailors', and 'flyboys' in every way!" 

Taylor cocked his head to the side. "Is that a challenge I smell Tinker?" 

He smirked. "I dunno, you tell me Flyboy!" 

Taylor closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he was smirking as well. "Oh, it's so on, 'Goldie'! Anything that you can do, I can match you, and more!" 

Tinker laughed. "You?! A human navy pilot, versus a Royal Guard stallion? You'd better be ready for an ass-whooping that you'd never forget! So a competition it is then?" 

"Only if you're ready to lose!" 

They then agreed to a series of contests to prove who was the best. These included strength tests, speed runs, war-trivia, and of course, the old soldier favorite, arm wrestling. A few other off-duty guards decided to join in on the fun as well. Then, with Celestia as the judge, and with the doctor and two nurses on standby in case anypony or Taylor got hurt, they all got down to business. 

First, the speed runs. Taylor really should have thought that through better. There was just no way that a human could outrun a pony. He placed last, although not by a lot. 

"Ok Tinker, you've won this round, but watch yourself, cuz I'm coming!" 

Next up, came the strength tests. This should have been another easy victory for Tinker and his 4 guards. However, Taylor was a lot stronger than he looked. They were able to move heavier loads, but Taylor was able to move his load farther, and in a shorter span of time. The contest was declared a victory for Taylor.

"I'll give this to you, Flyboy, you're gonna be harder to beat than I thought. You're pretty good for a human." 

Taylor smiled. "Thanks Goldie, you're not so bad yourself." 

Next up, war trivia. Since Taylor was completely green in this, he was given a war manual to look through to find the answers. A few questions about the US Navy were even asked as well. Overall, it ended in a tie. 

Now all that was left, was the manliest, or stallionliest, contest of them all, armwrestling, or hoofwrestling. A wooden crate was set down in the middle of the hallway, with smaller boxes to act as seats. This contest was certainly a sight to behold! Somehow, Taylor was able to beat all of the stallions he faced. One after the other, they came, sat down, and got beat. Over and over again, Taylor showed them who the real boss was. However, Taylor was really starting to run out of steam. Finally, it was just him, against the cream of the crop, Captain Tinker Armor. (Yes, the future grandfather of Shining Armor. And, called "Tinker" for always tinkering with his armor to improve it.)

This was it, the final round. The best of the best pitted against each other. The honor and dignity of the US Navy, and the greatness of America, Earth, and the entire Human Race, rested squarely on Taylor's shoulders. The honor of the Royal Guards, and the greatness of Equestria, and the Pony-Race, rested solely on Tinker's. They both took their positions on the opposite sides of the wooden crate. 

"You ready to finally be beaten Taylor?" 

"Not if I can help it Tinker. But even if I do lose, I lost to the best, and plus, second place isn't all that bad." 

"Yeah, but it would be nice to be number one, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, and that's why we're here, isn't it? To prove who's the best?" 

"Yeah, so let's get to it!" 

Tinker then wrapped his hoof around Taylor's hand, and Taylor gripped his hoof with his hand as hard as he could. 

"Come on Taylor, you can do it!" Redheart cheered.

"You've got this Captain Armor! You show that human who's boss!" 

"Ready to go Tinker?" Taylor asked

"Only if you're ready to lose Taylor!" Tinker replied smugly. 

At Celestia's signal, they both went at it like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. They were both visibly straining, sweating, panting, grunting, groaning, and even slightly cussing as they tried to slam their opponent's hoof/hand onto the crate. 10 minutes went by, and still no winner had been decided. by 15 minutes, everypony was still cheering for the contestants, but unfortunately, nopony was paying attention to the structural integrity of the crate that the match was taking place on. it was strong and good when the match started, but as time wore on, with human and stallions sweating and straining on top of it, it began to severely weaken. The longer the matches wore on, the weaker it became. by the time that it got to Taylor vs. Tinker, the crate had several large cracks in it, was sagging on top, and was drenched in sweat. 

Finally, after almost 20 minutes of Tinker vs. Taylor, the crate had all it could take, and after emitting a series of cracks and groans, it collapsed completely. Both contenders fell to the right, and both Taylor and Tinker fell onto the marble floor. Their limbs were still locked together, and both of them were so exhausted, that neither of them had the strength to finish the match. 

"Let's.......*pant, pant*......call....*gasp*......it a....*pant*......tie." 

Taylor had just enough breath in his lungs to give a reply. "Yeah.....*pant*.....let's,,,,,*pant*....do that." 

Once he had a bit more breath back, Tinker asked, "So, um, Taylor? Does this mean that we can be friends now? I mean, you are a human, and I'm a stallion, but we can still be friends, right?" 

Taylor nodded. "Sure. It would be nice to have a guy friend in a world full of mares. If that's what you want, then I'll be your friend, sure." 

And that made it official. Tinker and Taylor, the beginning of a life-long friendship. Of course, the night was still young. There was still much more to do before going to bed.
> Chapter 12: Aftermath of Stupidity, Grand Tours, Epiphanies, and More Medical Attention
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Both Tinker and Taylor were able, they both tried to sit up again. They both managed to do so, but unfortunately, there was one small problem. Due to the heavy straining that both of them had done to their arm muscles, all of them locked up completely! They couldn't pull their limbs apart, and it hurt them to try. After trying for a few minutes without success, Taylor slumped back to the floor. 

"MEDIC!!!!!" He cried. 

"Um, no medics here, but would two nurses be enough?" Redheart asked. 

"Sure", Tinker groaned, "Just see if you can get us apart." 

"We'll try our best." Starlight tried to be optimistic. 

With that, both of the nurses got down, and examined the entangled limbs in question. 

"Yeah, your limbs are locked up pretty tight. Starlight and I'll have to work really hard to massage them enough to get your guys apart." 

"Just do what must be done, although if you could, please try to hurry, it is rather painful being stuck like this." 

"We'll try Mr. Taylor." 

And with that, Starlight got to work on Tinker's foreleg, while Redheart got to work on Taylor's arm. 

"You really had him dead to rights out there Champ" Redheart laughed. If that crate hadn't broken, I'm sure that you would have won!" 

"Thanks Miss Redheart", Taylor sighed, "You're the best." 

"I know, and you always know just what to say to make me smile." 

While this was happening, Tinker and Starlight were also having a conversation of their own. 

"Wow, for a stallion, you sure have some nice muscles!" 

"You, you really think so?" 

"Yep!" Starlight giggled. "And if that crate hadn't broken, then maybe you really would have beaten Mr. Taylor." 

TInker sighed. "Maybe. Or maybe we both would have passed out from exhaustion. I've seen strong in my time, but Taylor is something else. For a human, he really knows how to hold on to the end." 

"Yeah, Humans really are amazing. And just think, if you guys hadn't done that hoof-wrestling contest, we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now." 

"Yeah, you're right, we wouldn't. Humans really are amazing! They do things that get you introduced to cute mares!" 

(Yes, it really is crazy if you think about it. Twilight Sparkle owes her existence to Tinker and Taylor's stupidity. They fought, got hurt, Starlight helped Tinker, things happened, Nightlight was born, he met Velvet, things happened, and Twilight was born. Coincidence? I don't think so......) 





Eventually, after about 15 minutes of massaging, the two nurses finally managed to get the fighter's limbs apart. 

"AUGH!!!!!" They both cried.

"OW, OW, OW!!!!!! Pins and Needles!" Taylor yelped as he shook his arm, trying to get the blood flowing again. 

"No Kidding!!!!" TInker agreed. 

It was another close to 5 minutes before they both finally settled down. Once they had, it was time for Tinker to report back to the barracks. 

"Well, tonight was fun, but I've got to get going." 

"Aww, do you have to go already?" Starlight was sad. 

"Yeah, I'm afraid so. I'm going to have to be back to the barracks for the evening roll call." 

"But we will see you tomorrow, right Tinker?" Taylor asked. 

"Most likely. I'll see you around Taylor." 

"See you around Tinker." 

And with that, Tinker and the rest of the guards left to go back to their barracks. After they'd left, Celestia offered to give Taylor, the doctor, and the two nurses a tour of the castle before nightfall. 

"Sure", Taylor agreed. "I've been needing a break from all of the strenuous contests that I just took part in!" 

Celestia nodded, and then began the tour. It began in the castle's main hall, and worked it's way around the entire castle, as well as the gardens and grounds. From Taylor's perspective, it was mostly just long lectures and stories about the history of the architecture, or a point of interest in particular. Every now and gain though, Celestia would stop at a point of interest that really held Taylor's attention. 

"Whoa, what's that?" Taylor asked, pointing to a weird looking statue in one of the castle's gardens. The statue seemed to be some kind of serpent, bit it's arms, legs, and horns were all wonky, and seemed to be from a vast array of creatures forced together into one.

"That's Discord." Celestia looked at the statue with disgust. "He was the god of Chaos, and was a constant pest during my mother's reign. He tried to take the throne from her, but was stopped time and time again. After my mother passed, and her rule was handed over to me, Discord tried once again to steal the throne. Finally, to ensure that he would never interfere with my family's reign again, I fought Discord in one final epic duel, and I defeated him once and for all. I then encased him in stone, and there he still stands today, just waiting to cause more chaos and mischief." 

Taylor was surprised. "Wait, you mean to tell me that he's still alive in there, even after all these years?!" 

"Yes Dear", Celestia turned away, shaking her head, "He really is still alive in there. Frozen in time." 

"Wowsers." 

As Taylor turned away to leave, a piece of the statue's pedestal suddenly fell off. "Uh oh, that's not good." Taylor then picked the piece up, and went to see if it could be reattached. He still didn't believe that Discord really was still alive inside. 

"I wonder....." 

Taylor then reached up his hand, and knocked on one of Discord's legs. However, aside from the sound of his knuckles on stone, there was no response. 

"Just as I thought", he remarked, "Just a creepy looking statue, nothing more." 

After setting the piece back into place, Taylor then went to rejoin the group, completely unaware of what he had just done. Because he had tapped Discord on the leg, he accidentally caused the leg to start cracking! The crack was hardly noticeable at the time, being only about the size of a human hair, but give it a number of decades, and another generation, Discord would be free to bring chaos to Equestria once more.





Once Taylor was back with the group, the final stop on the tour was a massive hallway full of stained glass windows.

"Holy Toledo!" Taylor stared in absolute awe. "This is the entire history of Equestia displayed out in windows!" 

The tour started at the most recent addition, the Banishment of Nightmare Moon, and worked its way back to the first window. Taylor saw Celestia's coronation, the birth of Princess Luna, the origins of Discord, the banishment of Tirek to Tartarus, and the assimilation of his brother into Equestrian society. He gazed in awe at Celestia's mother, Princess Faust, in all of her splendor, and shuddered at the war with Fate that almost completely destroyed Equestria. Finally, he came to the reign of Princess Stardust. He saw the building of Canterlot Castle, the first inhabitants of Cloudsdale, and the joining of the three Pony tribes on the first Hearth's Warming Eve. He then looked wonderingly at the window where she first arrived in Equestria.

"But how did she get to Equestria?" Taylor thought to himself. Taylor then skipped a few windows to get to the oldest one of all, and what he saw, shocked him so badly, that it remained permanently burned into his memory, and give him chills every time he thought about it. 

"Are you alright Mr. Taylor?" She noticed that he suddenly got very pale. 

All of a sudden, the memories of his earlier epiphany came flooding back to him. As he looked from one window to the next, wide-eyed, sweating, and getting paler by the minute, both Redheart and Starlight rushed to his side. He saw the Garden of Eden in all of it's glory before the Fall of Man. Adam and Eve were there, with Stardust standing off to the side. Overhead was a bright white cloud that Celestia said represented the Creator. 

Taylor then looked at the next window. He saw Adam and Even standing next to a tree that had a snake in it. It appeared that they had eaten of the fruit of the tree, and were fleeing in terror. The snake appeared to be laughing. Stardust was here too, and she was eating the fruit that they had dropped on the ground. 

The next window was the Creator dishing out punishments for those who had eaten the fruit, as well as for the snake, who now looked more like an Evil Entity. The next window showed the splitting of Earth and Equestria, and all of the corruption and wickedness that followed. The Creator watched all of this with great sadness. He was sorry that he had ever created the World in the first place. 

The final windows depicted a massive flood that wiped out all life on Earth, except for a select few who were on board a massive boat. On the Equestrian side of this flood, the final connections between the two worlds snapped forever, and they became fully separate from one another. As time wore on, both worlds forgot that the other even existed. The very last window of all was the first day of Stardust's reign, and the Creator giving her His blessing. 

After witnessing all of this on the level that he had, Taylor suddenly fell unconscious into the forelegs of the two nurses. He was deathly pale, and was sweating and shaking very badly. 

"We need to get him back to his quarters, I can take care of him from there!" Red heart said worriedly. 

"Very good Miss Redheart!" Celestia then clapped her hooves, and a servant came running. 

"Yes, my Princess?" 

Please assist this good doctor and these two nurses in getting Mr. Taylor back to his quarters. He's had quite a shock, and needs to be revived." 

The servant nodded. "Yes, my Princess." 

He got on one side of Taylor, and with the doctor on the other side, they were able to get Taylor onto their backs, and carry him back to his room. Celestia and the two nurses were right behind them. 

"I can't believe that this just happened", Starlight whispered. 

"Me neither", Redheart agreed. "He saw the windows, and he must have remembered his earlier epiphany. After he put all of the pieces together, it proved to be too much for him, and he blacked out." 

"I just hope that he's going to be ok", Celestia said softly. 

"I'm pretty sure that he will be", Redheart reassured her. It was shock mostly. He simply got overwhelmed, and fainted. It should be very easy to revive him." 

With that, they continued on their journey to get Taylor back to his room, wondering the whole way on whether or not he was going to be ok.
> Chapter 13: Recovery, Questions, and Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Taylor was back in his room, the doctor and the servant laid him down on the bed. 

"Can the two of you take care of him from here?" the doctor asked. 

"Yes Doctor", Starlight answered. 

After the doctor and the servant left the room, Redheart sat on the bed, looking over Taylor. She then dipped a rag in cold water, and after wringing it out a bit, she placed it over his forehead. "What happened out there Starlight?" Redheart was still very worried for Taylor. 

"Well, when he saw those windows depicting the beginning of Equestrian history, he must have remembered the epiphany that he had earlier today. Once everything became clear to him, the truth was so overwhelming that he blacked out. He should be coming around again in a few minutes though", Starlight continued, "As his condition isn't very serious at all." 

Then, as if on cue, Taylor did regain consciousness. 

"Easy Taylor" Redheart cautioned, "You gave us a real scare back there. You're ok now." She smiled at him, and stroked his hair gently with her hoof. 

"All thanks to you two, I'm sure." He sighed, before sitting up on the bed. Taylor then looked at the two nurses. "Um, there is one question that I've been really dying to know the answer to, but I've been too scared to ask, just in case I might offend any ponies." 

"What is your question?" Redheart asked. 

"You can't offend us", Starlight added. "We're nurses, we can handle anything. So go ahead, ask away." 

"Ok", Taylor took a deep breath. "Those, um, pictures, that I've seen on all of the......the.....um, well.......flanks.......of all the ponies I've seen, what are they, and how do you get them?" 

Taylor then immediately closed his eyes, and waited for their anger to be vented in his direction. Instead of angry words though, only a few muffled giggles met his question. Taylor then opened his eyes, and saw both of the nurses smiling at him.

"You mean our 'cutie-marks'?" Redheart asked giggling. 

"Um, I guess so. What are they?" 

Redheart looked back for a moment at her own cutie-mark; a red cross with 4 pink hearts surrounding it, then back at Taylor. "A cutie-mark tells all of Equestria what our special talent is. Mine is nursing patients." 

"And mine is assisting medical staff", Starlight added, showing Taylor her cutie-mark; a piece of paper, with a stethoscope in front of it. 

"Oh, well I guess that makes sense, but how do you get them? Are ponies born with them?"

"No, no." Starlight answered. "All foals are born without them, and they earn them when they're a young colt or filly." 

"How do they earn them though?" Taylor was still rather confused. 

"Well, whenever a colt or filly figures out what their special talent is, (usually involving a lot of trial and error!) their flanks glow pure white for a moment, and when the glow dissipates, a mark of their special talent is revealed, and it remains with them for the rest of their lives." 

"Hmm. It's all becoming much more clear now. However, I still have a few more questions. Can two ponies have the same mark?" 

"It does happen, but it tends to be about as rare as a Pegasus with four wings. Usually a mark is placed on a pony of one generation, then a generation goes by, then the mark shows up again. However, like I said, there are those rare exceptions. Take Miss Redheart here for example. Her cutie-mark is the same as her mother, her grandmother, great-grandmother, and so on." 

"For real?" Taylor asked. 

"Yep!" Redheart smiled. 

"But is it possible for the same mark to appear on two ponies of the same generation?" 

Starlight shook her head. "As far as i know, that's never happened ever, in the entire history of Equestria." I've heard whispers that it has happened, but there has never been any documented proof." 

"Hmm," Taylor thought to himself, "A cutie-mark on two ponies of the same generation. Never happened before, but yet, that doesn't mean it couldn't happen." 

Starlight sighed. "I still think that you would have a better chance of seeing a Sonic Rainboom in your lifetime than ever seeing the same mark twice." 

"Um, what's a 'Sonic Rainboom'?" 

Starlight sighed. "A Sonic Rainboom is simply an old mare's tale. It's supposed to be a feat that only one in 200 trillion Pegasai can do. It's supposed to be a bright flash of rainbow-colored light, followed by a deafening boom." 

"So, like an atomic bomb going off?" 

"Um, what's that?" 

"Oh yeah, you guys have probably never heard of those. It's an Earth weapon of untold power." 

Starlight shook her head. "Oh, um, no, we don't have any 'atomic bombs'. Anyway, no Pegasai in recorded history has ever been able to pull one off. That's why I think that it's just a made up story." 

Taylor was still intrigued. "Well, you never know though. Just because it hasn't ever happened in recorded history doesn't mean that it won't happen sometime in the future." 

"I guess so, Mr. Taylor", Starlight was still unconvinced, But I'll believe it when I see it though." 

(History would record that Taylor, Redheart, and Starlight all would still be alive when about 47 years later, a young female Pegasus was attending Summer Flight Camp in Cloudsdale. She had gotten into an argument with three bullies who were bothering another young pegasus, the granddaughter of Flutters, the animal caretaker who helped Nurse Redheart find Taylor. Long story short, the result of that race was the very first Sonic Rainboom ever. The course of Equestrian history changed forever, as did the lives of 5 other young fillies as well. About a decade after this, another rainboom was performed, this time by........

*Massive ink splotches suddenly appear on the page* The author looks over his notes, and frowns. "Should I tell this part yet?" He thinks to himself. "No, definitely not. Too much spoilers too soon. My story will be told soon enough. This story is Taylor's time to shine. He charged me to write about his life before he died, so by golly, I'll write about his life!" *The author quickly gets back to work*





"Maybe it's not true, but still though", Taylor was completely lost in thought at this point, "Wouldn't it be amazing if that really happened in our lifetime?" 

"I'd say that it would be." Redheart was as enthusiastic as Taylor, but also about as skeptical as Starlight. "But I'm sure that if it was possible, somepony would have already performed it by now." 

"That may be true", Taylor interjected, "But Equestria has been around for how long, 6,000 years or so, and it's just now that a Human shows up. You all said that there was no life on other worlds, and that Humans were just a myth. However, a few of you, including Princess Celestia, still held out hope that it was possible, and that Humans were indeed real. Look at the results of that; I'm here, and my being here proved all skeptics wrong." 

"He does have a good point Starlight." Redheart put in. "Maybe it could still happen one day." 

"I still say that I'll believe it when I see it." 

At this point, the clock next to Taylor's bed read 8:00pm, and it was about time for Celestia to lower the sun, and raise the moon. Redheart was beginning to explain this to Taylor, but just then, a servant knocked on the door, and entered the room.

"Um, I hope that I'm not intruding, but Princess Celestia sent me to inquire if Mr. Taylor is feeling better, and if he is, if he would be interested in watching her lower the sun, and raise the moon?" 

"Sure thing." Taylor was still very curious on how that worked. 

As Taylor and the two nurses walked up to the balcony where Celestia performed the daily feat, Redheart continued to explain the whole thing to him. 

"So, Celestia raises the sun and moon every dusk and dawn, and then lowers them as well?" 

"Yes. Each and every day for the past 1,000 years to be exact." 

"Um, you said 'for the past 1,000 years'. What happened before that?" 

Redheart looked at Starlight nervously, then she spoke. "Um, I don't know if it's our place to tell you that Mr. Taylor. It's an extremely touchy, controversial subject." 

Taylor thought about that for a moment. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he closed it, and just shook his head. He stayed lost in thought until they reached the highest tower of the castle. Celestia was waiting for them when they arrived. 

"I'm so glad that you're feeling better Mr. Taylor, and that you could make it up here." 

"Thank you, Princess, and it was my pleasure. I'd love to see how the solar and Lunar cycles work here." 

Celestia smiled. "Then it would be my pleasure to show you, Mr. Taylor. Just step back a bit please." 

Taylor stepped back, and watched in awe as the scene in front of him played out. Celestia then stepped up to the railing of the tower's balcony, and as Taylor watched, her horn had a golden aura surrounding it, and then the sun suddenly fully set. Once that was complete, the moon then rose to it's place in the sky, followed by a whole series of stars.

"Wowzers Bzowzers!" 

"Perk your interest, Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor nodded. "This is amazing! An incredible feat of science and tradition if you ask me." 

Celestia nodded. "I'm glad that you take such an interest in our culture, and ways of life Mr. Taylor." 

"Thank you Princess, and you;re welcome." Taylor looked up at the moon. It looked like Earth's moon, but the craters were different.

"Does Earth have any moons Mr. Taylor?" Celestia asked. 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, Earth has one moon, and it looks almost exactly like yours, except that the craters on the surface are different." 

Taylor then studied the moon for a bit longer. He then noticed that some of the craters seemed to come together and form the side profile of a unicorn, complete with one white, glowing eye. 

"What is that?" He asked, pointing to the pattern on the moon. 

"Did he just ask about that?" Starlight groaned.

"He did." Redheart stared at Taylor wide-eyed, before she gulped. 

Taylor was confused, but when he saw Celestia turn around to look at the two nurses, before turning to look at him with a look of pained anger on her face, Taylor suddenly turned rather pale. 

"You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, Princess", Starlight said gently. 

"Peace, my subject. Mr. Taylor asked a very specific question, and if he is going to live among us, then he has to know the truth." 

"Did.....did I say something, wrong?" 

"No, My Sweet, you've said nothing wrong. It's just that, the story is very hard for me to tell, but if you are brave, then I will tell it." 

Taylor nodded slowly. "I'm ready, Princess." 

Celestia sighed, and then she began her tale. 

"Many centuries ago, way back when my mother passed her powers to me, I had a sister who received Alicorn powers from her as well. Her name was Luna, and she was the Princess of the Night. I would raise the sun in the morning, and then she would raise the moon in the evening. We were very close, and did everything together. Lulu was my whole world." Celestia had tears forming in her eyes. 

"What happened though? Somehow I get the awful feeling that this story doesn't end well." 

Celestia shook her head. "No, My Sweet, I'm afraid that it doesn't. The thing was, while all of our subjects accepted me as their ruler, and gave me my dues, they often forgot my sister, and didn't giver her her dues. This made Luna very jealous of me, and she became very isolated, and distant from everypony. As time went on, her jealousy and anger worsened, and I began to fear the worst for her. Finally, one night, almost 1,060 years ago, my worst fears were realized." 

Taylor couldn't say anything, as he was frozen where he stood. He instead motioned for Celestia to continue.

"My sister had enough of languishing in the wings, forever living in my shadow, so on that night, she snapped. She decided then that she was going to rise up, and take Equestria for herself. She drew on massive amounts of dark magic to give herself a new form, and she called herself....." 

"Nightmare Moon" Taylor whispered quietly. 

Celestia was surprised. "Yes, that's right, how did you know?" 

"When I had my epiphany back in the hall with all of the glass windows, I saw you defeat her. I wondered why you called her 'sister'. Now I know." 

"Quite correct, I'm afraid." Celestia was close to tears now. "Nightmare Moon is a product of the curse placed on my family by the Creator for Stardust's disobedience in eating that fruit. Now look what's happened! I had to fight my own little sister in order to stop her destructive wrath, and when I defeated her, I banished her to the moon. That's why you see that pattern on the surface; that's the magic that keeps her trapped up there." 

Celestia was close to crying now. Taylor then hugged her to comfort her. "Shh, it's ok now though, she can't hurt anypony up there. And maybe now that she's had the time to think about what she did, and maybe she'll be better when she returns." 

"A nice thought Mr Taylor, but sadly,  a wrong one. Luna and Nightmare Moon are two separate entities trapped in the same body. Nightmare Moon must be defeated in order for my sister Luna to be free again." 

Taylor stood there hugging Celestia in silence. "How long, before she does return?" Taylor whispered.

"I banished her to the moon for 1,000 years, but that time is almost up I'm afraid. She only has about 55 years left until she returns." 

"God help us all if she's still evil when she does." 

Celestia nodded quietly. She then turned to Starlight and Redheart. "Go, leave us for the time being." She ordered. 

The two nurses nodded. 

"I'll be downstairs in my room if you need me Taylor." 

"Ok Miss Redheart." 

Taylor then turned back to Celestia, unaware that at that very moment, he was being watched. Watched by a creature full of hatred; a creature who did not like his presence in Equestria one bit. The figure was not actually in Equestria though, she was trapped in her prison on the moon, but that didn't stop her from hating though. 

The figure had a mixture of black and navy blue fur, her mane was a mass of flowing blue and purple, as was her tail. She wore a dark metal helmet that had a slot for her horn to come out. Her hooves were covered by horseshoes of the same metal as her helmet, and she had a breastplate covering her chest. Her cutie-mark was a white crescent moon; the same pattern also appeared on her breastplate. 

She was Nightmare Moon. Once sister to Princess Celestia, and the one-time conqueror of Equestria. She had been trapped on the moon for 945 years, and she had only 55 years left until she was free. 

"Just you wait Knave!" She growled at Taylor, "I will return, and when I do, you will only serve me, as I will rule all of Equestria! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! (more maniacal laughter). Just you wait, Earth Creature. You think that Celestia has power, just wait until you see me! Soon, Earth Creature, very, very, soon."
> Chapter 14: One Bad Decision, Always Leads to More
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back in Equestria, Taylor was completely unaware of the hatred that he had earned from Nightmare Moon, and he continued to enjoy his evening with Celestia. He was still hugging her, but then he decided to do something very drastic; something that if it went awry, could get him jailed or exiled at best, and executed at worst. His better judgement also told him not to do it, but his heart said not to leave the beautiful pony princess in front of him without comfort,so he went with his heart, and prayed that it would all come out right. 

Wordlessly, Taylor reached out one of his hands, and pulled part of Celestia's mane to the side. Then, he leaned in close, and kissed her on the cheek. Taylor then immediately braced himself for the punishment that he knew was sure to follow, but it never came. Instead, Celestia pulled back from him for a moment, and held her hoof to the spot where he had just kissed her, and she stared at him for a few moments, saying nothing. 

"I'm so, so sorry Princess!" Taylor quickly apologized, "I shouldn't have.....DWOOF!!!" 

While Taylor was apologizing, in one fluid motion, Celestia pulled him close, wrapped her hooves around the sides and back of his head, and kissed him with a passion. 

Taylor's apology was cut short, and he finished with an "Mmmm", as he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed back. Here we was, Lieutenant Charles Taylor, a new human arrival from the planet Earth, kissing the Princess of Equestria, the highest authority in the land, and she didn't seem to be offended in the least by his daring act; indeed, it seemed to be the cue that she was waiting for. 

A good bit later, they broke their kiss with a soft, wet, smack.

"Thank you, My Sunshine", Celestia whispered. "You were the greatest thing that ever happened to me, aside from my dear sister being born." 

Taylor was too dumbfounded to speak. Finally, he whispered, "You're welcome Princess." 

After lingering where she was for a few moments longer, Celestia turned to leave the balcony. "Shall we go now?" 

Taylor nodded. "If that is your wish, Princess, then let's go." 

She started walking, and Taylor moved to walk beside her. She wrapped her left wing around Taylor, holding him close. Taylor wrapped his right around her back, and they kept walking. 

"Um, if you don't mind my asking Princess, where are we going?" 

Celestia smiled. "You'll see." 

Their first stop was to see how Redheart, Starlight, and the doctor were doing. Starlight was asleep in the room that she shared with Redheart, the doctor was reading in his room, and Redheart had fallen asleep on Taylor's bed! 

"Goodnight Doctor." 

"Hmm? Oh. Goodnight Princess Celestia. And goodnight to you too Mr. Taylor." 

"Goodnight doctor." 

After whispering goodnight to Starlight, Taylor then left Celestia for a moment to say goodnight to Redheart. He pet her mane gently as he leaned over her. 

"*smooch* Goodnight Miss Redheart." She smiled in her sleep, and then Taylor pulled a blanket over her to keep her warm. After Taylor left the room, he closed the door, and continued walking down the hallway with Celestia, towards the castle's East Wing. 

When Celestia finally did stop, Taylor saw that they were outside of a large doorway that had a picture of a sun on it, almost identical to Celestia's cutie-mark. Outside of the room stood two guards, with several more standing on the other side of the hallway. Because Taylor was so focused on Celestia, he failed to notice that one of the guards behind him was Tinker. Tinker saw Taylor, but because protocol stated that he couldn't do anything but blink and breathe, he said nothing. 

"I wonder what Taylor's doing down here", he thought to himself, "I thought that he went to bed ages ago." Tinker continued to watch as the scene in front of him played out. 

The two guards at the door let Celestia through, but they barred Taylor's way when he tried to follow her. 

Halt! Nopony but Celestia is allowed past us!" 

"At ease Lieutenant." Celestia ordered when she saw what the trouble was. "I ordered him to accompany me." 

"As you wish, My Princess." 

The guards let Taylor pass, and when he was inside and Celestia had shut the door behind him, he gasped in awe. He was standing in front of a large fireplace that had a fire burning in it. Flanking the fireplace, were huge shelved filled with books, from the carpeted floor, all the way up to the vaulted ceiling. The rest of the room was filled with other relics from the past. Taylor wondered whether this was a library or a study, but when he saw the pillows and blankets on the rug in front of the fireplace, he realized that he was standing in the middle of Celestia's bedroom!

While Taylor was still busy studying the interior decor, Celestia stuck her head outside of the room again, and whispered to the guards outside. 

"Now remember, I do not wish to be disturbed tonight. I have a very special guest that I need to *giggle* 'entertain'!" Celestia then shut the door again, and locked it with her magic.

From his post outside, Tinker watched with growing unease. "Poor Taylor. He has no idea what's about to happen to him. I just hope that he'll be ok. I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen to him; he is my friend after all." Tinker continued to watch, and listen, as well as pray for Taylor. 

Meanwhile, back inside the room, just after Celestia locked the door, she turned back to where Taylor was, and she saw that he was looking at the pillows and blankets in front of the fireplace, as if he were trying to figure out what they were for.

"Is, is this your room?" 

Celestia nodded. "Do you like it?" 

"Oh yes. This place is like a library, study, and museum, all rolled together into one. It's incredible!" 

"I'm glad that you think so." Celestia began moving over to where Taylor was standing. 

"Um, why am I here again Princess?" He was starting to get the very bad feeling that Celestia had more than chatting on her mind. (In his mind, Taylor was technically single, so even if the worst happened, he wouldn't be cheating on anyone. But still, it was one thing to kiss a mare, it was another thing entirely to rut one.) 

Once Celestia stood in front of Taylor, she asked for help with taking her horseshoes off.

"Certainly Princess." 

Although they were heavier than they looked, Taylor managed to take them off, and set them on the floor. 

"Um, where do you want me to set them, Princess?" 

"Just put them over there." Celestia pointed to the right of the fireplace. There was a sort of rug on the second shelf from the bottom instead of books, and Taylor could see where the horseshoes would be set. Once he turned around again, Celestia had also removed her golden breastplate and tiara, allowing her mane to flow freely. After setting those on the self as well, Celestia sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace that served as her bed. 

Taylor glanced over at the clock on the wall, and saw that the time was 11:06pm. Then Celestia bid him to come over to where she was sitting, and keep her company. Now Taylor understood why he was there, (or so he thought!) his job was to be the princess's cuddle-toy for that evening.

"You can take off your leather jacket now Mr. Taylor. It's nice and cozy in here." 

Taylor took off his jacket, as well as his shoes and socks, and set them in front of the same bookcase where he had set Celestia's things. For whatever reason, Taylor was not really thinking straight, and he asked a question that Fate would give him a really good reason to regret later. 

"So, I take it that ponies in this world don't really wear clothes, or do they?" 

Celestia nodded. "We do, but only for special occasions like the annual Gala, or for a coronation, but other than that, none of us, not even the royalty, really wear any clothes." She then looked at Taylor with a sultry look in her eyes. "And for the record Mr. Taylor, you don't have to wear any clothes either." 

Taylor shrank back in shock at what he had just heard. (Side note: Taylor came from a generation known as "The Greatest Generation." They had these strange things called "morals" and "virtues", which are concepts completely foreign to my generation, the Millennials. One of these virtues had a very strict policy against nudity. Taylor was well aware of this, hence the reason it took him by surprise when he heard Celestia's suggestion.) 

A few moments passed, and Taylor was still in a state of shock. Celestia saw the look on his face, and smiled. "You don't ever not wear clothes back on Earth, do you?" 

Taylor shook his head. With the exception of bathing, and maybe swimming, we Humans pretty much wear clothes at all times." 

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you didn't have to wear clothes though?" 

Taylor thought for a moment. He really didn't like where this conversation was going at all, but he really didn't want to offend the princess, so he answered truthfully. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I've never really thought about it before, so I don't know what I'd think about it." 

Then Celestia dropped the bomb. "Would you like to start now then, just to see what it would be like?" 

Taylor couldn't speak. 

"Would you like me to show you then?" 

"Wh-w-what? How do you....?" 

Instead of answering though, Celestia used her magic on Taylor. He still couldn't speak, but he was praying very hard that nothing was was happening. When he finally did gather the courage to look down at what was happening, he almost fainted from shock! Celestia had removed his uniform, and the rest of his clothes, folded them neatly, and placed them with his jacket, shoes, and socks. 


When it was all said and done, Taylor was standing in front of Celestia, as bare as she was, and he automatically hunched over, and tried to cover himself. Celestia put a hoof to his chin, and eased his head up until his eyes met hers. 

"It's ok", she whispered. "You have a beautiful body. You don't have to be ashamed of it." 

"How can you possibly say that?" Taylor was still confused. "I'm a human, and you're a mare. How can I look good, especially after being injured several times during the Second World War?" 

Celestia smiled. "You're body may be a bit different from what myself and my subjects are used to, but it's still who you are as an individual, so that's why you should have no reason to be ashamed of it." 

Taylor pondered this for a moment. "I guess so", he answered slowly, "But it still feels so weird all the same." 

"Well, if you want to, you can wear your clothes in public, but when you're alone, or with me, then you should try to get used to not wearing them." 

"How can I possibly make a transition like that?" Taylor's mind was still reeling with turmoil. On the one hand, he really couldn't make heads or tails of this whole affair, but on the other hand, he did secretly begin to wonder what it would be like. 

Celestia shook her head smiling. "You really are a shy one, aren't you?" 

Taylor nodded. 

"Well, the best way to make a transition like this is to do it with somepony else." 

Taylor was still very confused, so Celestia showed him. "Like this." She got up a bit, and pulled Taylor into a hug. 

Taylor didn't know how to react to this, but he did hug back. Neither of them had anything held back from the other, so bare skin met bare fur, mane, and tail.

"There", Celestia beamed after the hug ended, "That wasn't so bad, was it?" 

Taylor was about to say no, but then he looked down, and realized that he was rock hard. "SHEETROCKS!!!!!" Taylor cried as he moved to cover himself. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry Princess! I don't know what came over me! Please forgive me!" 

Celestia only giggled. "You don't have to be ashamed of that either Dear. It's a perfectly normal reaction for a stallion when they see a beautiful mare. It's natural biology. I can't be mad at something your body does naturally, so you don't have to hide it." 

"If I didn't still have a headache from my epiphany earlier, then I would swear that I was dreaming right now!" Taylor thought to himself. "And she said that she can't be mad at something my body does naturally. So does that mean that if I had to fart, I could just let it go?" Taylor mentally laughed at his own question, but out of respect for Celestia, he didn't dare ask it. However, Taylor was about to have more on his mind than farting however, as things took a very intimate turn.

Celestia then laid back down on her bed-rug, and she bid Taylor to lie beside her. He complied, but he was starting to get rather upset about this. 

"This is ludicrous!" He thought, "Why am I letting this continue?!" He had no answer to this, but then, he had an even scarier, and even sadder thought. "What about Miss Redheart? If she ever found out about this, I know that she would hate me. She's becoming more than just a friend to me, and I want to stay pure for her." Taylor meant to say this to himself, but he also said it loud enough for Celestia to hear. 

"I could see where you would have a cause for concern for that Dear, but you need not too. It is the duty of a subject to serve their princess, and since I'm asking you to serve me tonight, I'm sure that Miss Redheart would understand." 

Celestia's words were reassuring, but Taylor still felt like he was betraying Nurse Redheart. This whole thing was so strange and foreign to him. Celestia then pulled the blankets over both of them, and Taylor then snuggled close to her. She snuggled back, and for a reason that Taylor still has yet to understand, his snuggling session got very cloppy very fast. 

He had his arms around Celestia, and was giving her a belly-rub. "Mmm", she purred, "That feels so good." 

Taylor rubbed lower, and he must have been very unfamiliar with mare anatomy. His hands were on fur, but then, he suddenly touched two fleshy mounds. It took his brain a few moments to compute what he was touching, but when it told him, he recoiled in fright! He had just felt up her breasts! 





"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!" The author looks up from Taylor's notes that he had been given, penned by Taylor himself. "This is WAY too graphic! Why would Mr. Taylor want me to write this?!" The author then looks at the top of the notes. In big, bold letters, the phrase, "WARNING!!!! Omit this next section from final draft!" Can clearly be seen.

"Whoops! Mr. Taylor didn't want me to write about this!" The author then sees about a dozen or so more pages covering what happened between Taylor and Celestia. He reads them over quietly, then, he takes them, puts them inside a file folder, and stuffs them inside one of his filing cabinets. 

"There, no more of that!" The author then sits back down, and gets back to writing. "No more slip-ups Mr. Taylor, I promise. Roger charged me to write your biography, as well as his, and his cousin Rommel's so that's what I'm going to do!" 

The Author then get's back to work.





After seeing Taylor's severe distress, Celestia allowed him to return to Redheart at close to 1am. Taylor left her room, and ran as fast as he could back to his room. Tinker watched him go. 

"Oh gosh, what did she do to him?! If she just made a grown human male cry, I shudder to think of what happened in there. I just wish that I had a chance to make it right again." 

Unknown to Tinker, he would soon have the chance to do just that.





Once Taylor was back in his room, he let himself back in, and closed the door gently behind him. He then went over to his bed, and after removing his jacket, shoes, socks, and shirt, as well as placing the contents of his pockets on his night-stand, he then crawled into bed next to Redheart. 

She woke up when he crawled in, and smiled while purring deeply. 

"Hey Sweetheart", she cooed, "What time is it?" 

Taylor looked at the clock on his nightstand. "Hello Cutie, and it's almost 1:15am." 

Redheart then snuggled close to Taylor. "I really missed you Taylor. It was so lonely here without you. I'm just glad that you're back." 

"Me too Sweetheart." 

Redheart then kissed Taylor gently on the mouth. Taylor kissed back, and just like the previous night at the hospital, they both wrapped their limbs around the other, and snuggled up close. A few minutes later, they were both almost asleep. 

"Miss Redheart?" Taylor whispered.

"Yes Mr. Taylor?" She mumbled.

"I, um, I love you, so, so much. Never forget that." 

Redheart smiled, then she kissed Taylor on the nose, followed by a gentle love-lick. "I love you too, Mr. Taylor. I never thought that any stallion would ever be able to love a girl like me, but I guess that I was wrong." 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, and I never thought that I would ever find love either. But then I met you, and I think that all of that changed." 

Taylor was too tired to even finish that thought, and even if he had, Redheart was already asleep.
> Chapter 15: Loads of Regrets, Road to Redemption (Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Just a heads up. Massive dose of Christianity incoming. If this offends you, please skip this chapter. If not, then please enjoy.) 

Meanwhile though, while these two lovers were happily asleep, all was not well. While Taylor and Redheart were sleeping soundly below her, Celestia was trying to sleep as well, but she was still haunted by her previous actions. 

"Why did I do that? All Taylor was trying to do was comfort me while I cried, and then I go and pull a stunt like that! Why? Now he will probably hate me forevermore." 

While Celestia was contemplating this though, she was also haunted by the words of several prophesies regarding Equestria's future. One of them warned that one day, Celestia's and Luna's powers, as well as the curse that would come with them, would be passed to another mare by the end of the next generation. 

"Another Alicorn, doomed to live practically forever? Poor young mare. Poor, poor, whoever she will be. And by the end of the next generation too. I pray to the Heavens that this does not come to be." 

Another stated that when Nightmare Moon did return, she would not be defeated by Celestia this time, but instead by "Six, untrained fillies, as well as an elderly being from another world. All will become the next bearers of the Elements of Harmony." 

The final prophesy though, really unnerved Celestia. This one warned that at some point down the road, another human would come to Equestria, but he wouldn't be fully human. Instead, he would be a sort of hybrid! The prophesy failed to state exactly what this hybrid would do, but it's description made it sound like a science experiment gone wrong.

Celestia shook her head. "I really don't like these at all, especially this last one, known as the 'Hybrid' Prophesy. It all sounds so awful." As the Princess of the Land, she feared for the future of her nation, as well as for the lives of her subjects. 

"These are just prophesies", she tried to reassure herself, "Those mentioned here are the last ones that you would ever suspect to be heroes, and the date on the first one is too specific." However, Celestia then remembered one remarkable aspect of God. 

"He always seems to have a knack for picking the least likely of heroes to save the day, or the most unlikely of situations to further His Glory." 

Seeking a source of comfort, Celestia had started reading the old 'Holy Book' that her mother had passed to her; both for comfort, and because she wanted to know more about God, and His role in the affairs of Earth. She wanted to ask Taylor some questions about all of this, but she didn't know where to start. 

She already knew off the bat about the Story of God, and His role in early history, but she wanted to know more, so she kept reading. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Celestia knew that it was almost 3:00 in the morning, but she went to her door, and stuck her head out. 

"Guards?" 

"Um, Yes my Princess?" 

"Would one of you be willing to go and wake up Mr. Taylor for me?" 

"Well, sure Princess, but why?" 

Celestia seemed to be on the brink of tears. "I need him! I want him to show me the way! To tell me the real story!" 

The guards all looked at each other, incredibly confused. One of them however spoke up. 

"I'll do it Princess." That guard was Tinker. 

"You will, Captain Tinker?" 

"Yes Ma'am." 

Celestia nodded. "Go then, and please hurry!" 

Tinker nodded, and left immediately to go find Taylor. 





Taylor was sound asleep when all of a sudden, he awoke when someone, or rather somepony, shaking him.

"Huh, what?" Taylor then found himself face to face with Tinker. "Tinker? What are you doing in here? It's late. What is it? What's going on?" Taylor knew that something was up. 

"What's going on Sweetheart?" Redheart had woken up as well, and she was concerned too.

"I'm not sure Miss Redheart. One minute I was sleeping, and the next, Tinker here was shaking me awake." 

Redheart looked at Tinker. "Seriously though what do you want?" 

"Um, Her Majesty has requested Taylor's presence in the Library immediately." 

Redheart looked at the clock on Taylor's nightstand. "It's almost 3:00 in the morning. Can this wait?" She was upset that her snuggle time had been interrupted.

"I'm afraid that it can't Miss Redheart. The Princess seemed extremely upset about something, and she sent me to come get Mr. Taylor." 

Reluctantly, Taylor got up, and after brushing off his pants,  and pulling on a robe and slippers that really didn't fit him at all, he went up with Tinker to see what Celestia wanted.

"How bad is it Tinker?" Taylor asked as they walked.

It's pretty bad. From what it sounded like, she was concerned with these prophesies that she was reading, and so for comfort, she started reading some old book that her mother gave her. After reading that for a while, she said that she needed help, and told me to come get you."

Taylor was both concerned and confused at the same time. "What book was it, do you remember?" 

Tinker thought for a moment. "I think that it was one that looks like it was very important to her. It did say 'Holy Book' on it, I think." 

"Um, wow, that sounds almost like a Bible. If it was, then maybe it's like the Equestrian version of it. But if that's the case,  what was she so upset about?" 

"She said something about wanting to make it all right again, but that she didn't know how." 

By this point, the two of them had reached the door to Celestia's room, and Tinker knocked. 

"Y-yes?" Came a voice from inside. It almost sounded like Celestia was sobbing.

"Um, I've brought Mr. Taylor, just like you requested." 

"Just, j-just send h-him in." 

Tinker opened the door, and Taylor then found himself once more inside Celestia's room. She turned around when he entered, and her face was streaked with tears. 

"I came as fast as I could Princess!" Taylor was shocked when he saw her condition. "Now can you please tell me what's wrong?" ("And maybe appologize for you behavior earlier?!" Taylor thought) 

Celestia then looked at him with tears in her eyes, she asked Taylor a question that not only made him freeze up like he was dead, but it made all of the Angels of Heaven rejoice, and the Demons of Hell scream in rage and agony. 

"Mr. Taylor, how can I and my subjects be made right with God the Creator?" She sobbed.

Taylor had to hold onto a shelf, he was so shaky. He kept opening his mouth, but no sounds came out. Then, he felt a power in him that he never felt before. It wasn't coming from him, so he knew that it had to come from God. 

He answered slowly, "There's absolutely nothing that you can do on your own to be made right with God", he explained. "After the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, Sin and Evil came into the world, and I'm sure that you've seen all of the results of that." 

Celestia nodded, and then asked, "If I can't do anything to earn God's favor, is it out of reach because of our sin?" 

Taylor shook his head. "No. God knew that He would have to create a plan to save the world from Sin. This plan would require a sacrifice of a perfect individual; someone who never sinned. Since there has never been a perfect creature since the Fall, God knew that He would have to live among Humanity for a time, before having to suffer and die a hideous death before our punishments for our Sin could be removed." 

"Who? Who was this perfect sacrifice?" 

"God sent His Only Son, Jesus Christ, to Earth about 2,000 years ago. According to the Bible, he was born in a barn, and laid inside a manger." 

"Wait. He was born in a BARN, and laid in a MANGER?!?!?!?!" 

Taylor laughed softly. "Yes, as bizarre as this may seem, it's true." Taylor then pointed to the account in the Gospel of Matthew. "All throughout His time on Earth, Christ taught about God, as well as the Way to Salvation." 

"What's.....What's the way to Salvation?" Celestia asked, still sobbing slightly. 

"I'm getting to that. Jesus Himself said that 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light; No one comes to the Father except through Me.' That's the way to Salvation. All you have to do is to put your Faith and Trust in Jesus, and that's it." 

Celestia was still confused. "That's it!?!?! That sounds WAY too easy!" 

"Yep, that's all there is to it. Just put your Faith in Christ." 

"Is that the whole story though? What about the Sin, and the punishment for that?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, there's much more to this. I know that you're going to want to hear the full story, so I suggest that you make yourself comfortable, and hold on, this is going to be a story that will change your life forever." 

Celestia sat down on her pillows, and once Taylor was seated in front of her, he began his tale....
> Chapter 15: Loads of Regrets, Road to Redemption (Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taylor then took a deep breath. "The Bible says that the wages for Sin is Death. Those who sin are following in the footsteps of Adam, the first Human, and they deserve God's punishment for what they have done. But That's why Christ came to Earth; to take that punishment, from Adam, all the way down to the last believer in Christ, (known as 'Christians') on Earth, all on Himself, so that we can escape God's Wrath, and spend eternity with Him in Heaven when we die." 

Celestia was staring at him with wide eyes. "He, he took it all on Himself?" 

Taylor nodded.

"But, how?" 

Taylor sighed before he continued. "Well, like I said before, He had to die a hideous death. First, He was sentenced to be whipped; whipped with a whip that had bits of metal, rocks, and even bones in it to rip His flesh off. The beating was so brutal, that He was no longer even recognizable as a Human anymore. Then, He was publicly mocked, as well as forced to carry a heavy crossbeam up to the place where He was to die." Taylor was almost crying now as well. "Do, do I continue, Princess?" 

She nodded. "As disturbing as this story is, I must know how to be made right with God, so please continue, if you are able." 

Taylor then took a few deep breaths, and after wiping away a few tears, he continued. "Once he and the soldiers guarding him arrived at the sight of the execution, on a hill outside of the Earth city of Jerusalem, known as 'Golgotha', or, 'Place of a Skull', they took the piece of wood that Jesus had been carrying, attached it to.....to a...... larger, piece of wood in a T shape configuration. Once......that was done, they.....laid Christ down on it, and, they......they......." 

Taylor was sobbing now. Celestia held him close to her until he was strong enough to continue the story. After a good few minutes, Taylor sat back down on the floor in front of Celestia, and continued. 

".....They drove, metal spikes through His wrists and ankles!" He finished mournfully. 

Celestia was horrified. "What?! How could they do that?! Jesus was innocent!" 

"Aye, that he was. Jesus knew the death that was in store for Him, so before He was executed, He prayed to God His Father that if there was any other way that He would not have to die, that for it to be done. Deep down though, Jesus knew that His death was the only way that Man could be made right with God again. In the end, he did His Father's will." 

Celestia still wanted to know more, so Taylor did continue, although he was still sobbing slightly. 

"After they nailed Christ to the cross, the soldiers who were executing Him hoisted the cross vertically, and Christ was condemned to hang there until He was dead."

"I....I can't even imagine this anymore." 

"I know", Taylor whispered. "I can't either. As Jesus was hanging there though, many people came by to mock him. 'If you are the Son of God' they railed, 'come down from the cross!' 'Save yourself!' Others cried. 'He could save others from Death, but He couldn't save himself!'" 

"But I take it that Jesus didn't listen to them though?" 

Taylor nodded. "He actually prayed for the crowd saying, ' Father, forgive them. They know not what they do!' There were also two other men, robbers and traitors, who were also crucified with Him as well, one on His right, and one on His left." 

"And how did they take it?" 

"Well, one of them railed at Him like many in the crowd did. 'If you're the Son of God, save yourself and us!' One of them cried. The other criminal though, although he did revile Jesus at first like the others did, eventually had a change of heart. He turned to the other criminal. 'Do you not fear God?' He asked. 'Are we not both under the same condemnation as He? We both deserve our punishments, but this man is innocent!' He then turned to Jesus. 'Lord, remember me when you come into your Father's Kingdom!' Jesus said to him, 'Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.' 

"Wait, so the criminal who had the change of heart confessed his Sin to Christ, and went to Heaven when he died?" 

Taylor smiled through his tears. "Yes. As wretched and vile as he was, when he confessed his sins, and put his faith in Jesus, He forgave him of his sins, and said that when he would die that day, he would be with Him in Paradise; Heaven." 

Celestia's curiosity kept her asking questions. "What happened next though?" 

"Well, by this time, it was about 3:00pm, and for Supernatural Reasons, the sky suddenly became as black as night. Then, Jesus cried out, 'Father, into Thy Hands, I commit my Spirit. It is finished!' And then, he died." 

"That's.... that's how Jesus died?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes. In Death, Jesus had taken the full punishment for Sin fully onto himself. He paid the full price for our Sin. Now, we could come to God again through Jesus Christ. God's ultimate rescue plan was complete. Now it was time for the effects of this new redemption to be felt." 

Celestia was puzzled. "Um, effects? What effects?" 

"Well, for starters, after Christ died, there suddenly came an earthquake." 

"An Earthquake? Did God do that?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, to both questions. The ground shook, rocks broke into pieces, the curtains of the Temple in Jerusalem, (which were about the thickness of four encyclopedia volumes) ripped in half from top to bottom all by themselves, and even the occupants of several nearby tombs were brought back to life!" 

Celestia was somewhat skeptical of this claim. "Are you serious about this, or are you pulling on my hoof?" 

Taylor shook his head. "No look, it says so, right here." Taylor pointed to the scripture in Matthew. "The Bible was inspired by God, and since God is incapable of lying, every single word written in the Bible is Absolute Truth." 

"By my Grandmother's beard! So it is! The dead really did come back to life! This story is incredible!' 

Taylor nodded. "Yep, it sure is. Anyway, the leader of the soldiers, a centurion, cried out when he saw what was happening. 'Surely this man was the Son of God!' 

"For real?!" 

"Yes. It's really incredible when you think about it. That captain didn't even believe in God!" 

"And now he's crying that the man he'd just had killed was God's Son? That really is incredible!" Celestia finished.

"You can say that again. Anyway, after Jesus died, a wealthy man named Joseph, from the town of Arimathea, went to the leaders who had had Jesus killed, and requested the body so that it could be buried properly. The request was granted, and he had Jesus buried in his own new tomb. A huge rock was rolled into place to close the tomb, and guards were placed outside the tomb to guard it." 

"Um, I still don't see how this plays into the plan for Salvation. Jesus is dead. How can we be with Him in Heaven?" 

Taylor smiled. "Because although the world would have you believe that this is the end of the story, it isn't." 

"It's not?" 

"Nope, not by a long shot! Although all of the Demons of Hell were rejoicing, thinking that the World was now theirs forever, and all of Heaven was weeping, God was still fully in control, and everything was still going according to the rest of His plan. Three days later, the unthinkable, impossible, and unimaginable happened." 

Celestia was dying of suspense. "What? What happened?" 

"The most glorious story in all of Scripture, which will be rivaled only by Christ's Second Coming at the end of time."

"Christ's Second Coming?" Celestia interrupted, "What's that?" 

"I'll explain that in a minute. It ties into this story, but it comes afterwards just a bit." 

"Oh, ok. Well then by all means, please continue Mr. Taylor." 

"Ok. Well, the guards were standing at their posts early that morning, when all of a sudden, an Angel of God appeared right in front of them!" 

"Um, what's an Angel? You keep mentioning them, but what are they?" 

"Angels are God's warrior's and messengers. They do His bidding, and praise Him in Heaven. This Angel was sent to deal with the soldiers. The Bible doesn't say exactly how, but it does say that they were so scared that, 'They became like dead men'. Basically, they passed out from sheer fear, or the Angel made them pass out." 

Celestia didn't want to interrupt Taylor, so she just let him keep talking, while she quietly listened.

Once the guards had been dealt with, the Angel then rolled the stone away from the tomb! Sometime after this, three women, Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James and John, two of Jesus's Followers, went to visit the tomb. When they arrived though, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, and that the tomb was empty! 

Then, when they looked up, they saw two Angels sitting on top of the stone! The angels told them that Jesus had risen from the dead, and that they were to tell his Followers in Jerusalem. Of course, none of them believed the women, but when a group of them were sitting in the upper room of a house, with the doors and windows all locked, Jesus suddenly appeared among them! 

All of them were terrified, thinking Him to be a ghost! Jesus told them not to be afraid, and then he showed them the nail marks on his hands and feet. Then, they knew Him to really be Jesus, and they rejoiced." 

"Again, I can't even imagine this. One minute, your Master is dead, and the next, he appears in your midst?! He really did rise again from the grave. No amount of magic could ever do that. Only by the power of God!" 

Taylor agreed. "Yes, but one of Jesus's followers, a man named Thomas, wasn't with the others when this happened. They all tried to tell him that Jesus had risen from the grave, and that they had seen him, but he didn't believe them. 'Unless I see the nail marks on him, then I will not believe!' He said." 

"What happened to Thomas? Did he ever believe in the end?" 

"Yes, but it took an encounter with Jesus to convince him. One day, sometime after this, Jesus's followers were all back in that room, all doors and windows locked, and this time, Thomas was with them as well. Suddenly, Jesus appeared among them again. 'Thomas, come put your hands on my wrists. Know this and believe!' Jesus told him. Thomas fell down on his knees and cried, 'My Lord and My God!' He believed that it was all real now!" 

"Is this the end of the story?" 

Taylor shook his head again. "Again, not quite. Jesus stayed on Earth for about a month after He had risen from the dead. He was seen by many during this time, once by over 500 people at the same time!" 

"Wow. That must have been really something. I really wish now that my mother could have witnessed all of this, as it did happen during her reign over Equestria." 

"Yeah, that would have been really amazing. After Jesus had been with his Followers for about a month, Jesus led them to a hill outside of Jerusalem. 'The time has come for me to return to My Father', He told them. Then, he gave them the Great Commission." 

"What's the Great Commission?" 

"It was Jesus's last command for His Followers, and for every Christian since. He said, 'Go therefore, out into all the nations of the World, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And I will be with you always, from now, until the end of the ages.' Then, as they watched, Jesus ascended into Heaven. 

After he disappeared into the clouds, an Angel appeared to them. 'Jesus has left to return to God', he told them. "But you will see Him return in the same way that he has left you.' And this concludes that story, which brings us back to the question that you asked earlier about the Second Coming. Do you still want that answered?" 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, Yes I would." 

"Ok then. At the end of time, all of those who follow Christ will be taken by Jesus up to Heaven, to spare them from the wrath that is to come. I'll spare you the details, both because it's incredibly difficult to explain, and there is heavy symbolic language as well. In a nutshell, God will finally destroy Sin once and for all, and then destroy the entire universe, and remake it to be perfect again. Before this though, all of the wicked people who won't come to Christ must be destroyed. This will be the final battle ever fought on Earth, called the Battle of Armageddon. 

Just prior to this, Christ will return, and lead God's armies against the armies of the world. Christ will win, and everything as we know it gets destroyed, so that it can be made perfect. All of this is written down in the Book of Revelation, which is the last book of the Bible." 

Taylor then looked up to make sure that Celestia was still following all of this. She looked up from Taylor's Bible, which she had turned to Revelation. She nodded, and then asked Taylor if he could pray for her, as well as all of her subjects, so that they could come to know Christ as well, and escape God's punishment for sin. 

Taylor looked at her with tears in his eyes, and a smile on his face. "Princess Celestia, nothing would make me happier in all the world than to do that right now." He then took her hooves gently into his hands, and after she bowed her head, he bowed his head, and prayed, "Dear God, I know that you haven't heard from me in a while, but I now know that it's high time that I started praying to you again. I see now that the reason that you spared me from Death and brought me here was so that I could spread the Gospel. 

I also now lift Princess Celestia up to you, as well as all of her subjects. I pray that you would work on their hearts, and bring them back to Your Kingdom. The Princess saw the wrath that comes to those who sin against you, and she asked me to show her Your plan for Salvation. I pray to you now that you give me the wisdom and guidance to to teach them your Word, and to help them along on their journey down the path that leads to the Land of Glory.

Names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life long before the foundations of the Earth, or Equestria, were laid, and I pray that the names of those in this land are in there as well." Taylor then opened his eyes to look at Celestia. "Um Princess, do you have anything to add?" 

She nodded. "Yes. I would like to say that, Lord, please forgive me for what I did to Mr. Taylor earlier this evening. What I did was so wrong on so many levels, and I would like to bring that before you now, to lay at the feet of Your Son Jesus, to take instead of me. I would also like to ask for forgiveness for all of the impure thoughts that I had about Mr. Taylor before I committed these acts." Celestia then nodded to Taylor to continue. 

"Yes. Thank you Princess. And Yes, I do forgive you, and so does God." Taylor then finished praying. "Show us the way from here Lord; we are in Your Hands. Please be with us in everything that we do, from now, until the end of the Ages. In Your Name I pray, Amen." 

After Taylor had finished his prayer, Celestia cried, and he held her close while he cried as well.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt, but um, is there any room in here for one more?" 

They both looked up, and there in front of them, stood Tinker. He was holding his helmet in one hoof, and he had tears in his eyes as well. "I heard what you guys were talking about in here, and I felt compelled to join you. May I?" 

Taylor nodded. "Heaven's Joy knows no bounds when a sinner recognizes his need for forgiveness, and comes to ask how he may be made right with God again." 

Both he and Celestia let Tinker into their group hug. 

After a few moments, Celestia spoke. "Thank you, My Sunshine", she whispered to Taylor. 

"For what?" 

"For not only showing us the way to Salvation, but also for fulfilling a prophesy that was given to my grandmother from God when she first came to Equestria." 

Taylor was curious. "What prophesy was that?" 

"God told her that her actions would bring a terrible suffering to her children, and that only a descendant of the Man Adam, who had both the favor of Him, as well as His Son, would be able to stop it. For a long time, I always thought that the suffering would be caused by a monster of some sort, but now that I've heard everything that you've told me, Now His message is perfectly clear. It was our Sin and rebellion that was causing the suffering. God then sent you to us to teach us about the way to Salvation,  and how we can be made right with Him, so that we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven." 

Celestia smiled at Taylor through her tears. "You have the favor of God, and His Son, Jesus Christ, and you showed us the errors of our ways. By all of that, you fulfilled the phrophesy." 

Taylor didn't say anything, but then again, he didn't need to; with his smile and tears, his face spoke volumes.
> Chapter 16: Public Announcements, Just (Air)Plane work, and a Planning a Trip to the Farm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After this brief, but extremely powerful moment was over, Taylor pointed out that the time was almost 6:00am. 

"Oh Goodness, it's almost 6:00am! We've practically been up all night!" 

Celestia looked at the clock as well. "Oh my! It is indeed! I must get to raising the sun so that the day can begin!" 

The hug ended, and while Celestia went to raise the sun, Taylor stayed back with Tinker. He suddenly snickered a bit.

Taylor looked at him. "What was that for?" 

"I like your pants, but maybe you should stop buying from thrift stores!" 

Now Taylor was really confused. "What? What are you talking about?" 

He pointed to Taylor's robe and slippers. "Because it looks like those were 'half off'!" 

Tinker then proceeded to start laughing. Taylor then looked down at his robe and slippers, and realized why Tinker was laughing. Because of his hurry to get to the Princess earlier that evening, Taylor didn't realize that his robe and slippers were made for a stallion, not a human. The robe's sleeves ended just past his elbows, and if he hadn't been wearing a shirt underneath,  his midriff would have been showing as well. His feet were also hanging off the backs of the slippers as well. 

"Come on, knock it off Tinker! It's not that funny! I put these on in such a hurry as you really needed me to come and see what Celestia wanted. These were what was provided for me, however, I see now that yes indeed, they will have to be properly tailored to fit me. I do like these styles though, so I think I'll just take this robe and slippers to have them redone." 

By this point, the moon had been lowered, and the sun was now raised. As Celestia walked back into the room, she heard the last part of Taylor's statement, and saw why Tinker had been laughing. 

"Oh dear! Yes, I can see now that clothing meant for stallions cannot fit a human off-the-shelf. However, yes, if you do like that robe and slippers, I can send them to be refitted, provided of course that you come along to give the tailor your measurements." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, I think that I can find time today to do that." However, as he was thinking about that, another thought struck him. "Um, Princess, I just thought of something. Now that you and Tinker know about the punishments for Sin, how do we tell the rest of Equestria about it?" 

Celestia thought about that for a moment. "Well", she said slowly, "I have given messages to all of my subjects at once before using a special spell, so I guess that I'll just do it the same way again." She then looked out towards the balcony again. "And now that the sun has been raised, I guess that we'd better hop to it!" 

Celestia then led the way out to the balcony, accompanied by Taylor, Tinker, and one other guard, Night Sword. He wanted to turn his life around, and after hearing what Celestia and Taylor had been talking about for hours, decided to give his life to Christ as well, especially after hearing that God really did want everyone, and everypony to return to Him in Heaven when they died. (He would have gone with Tinker when he entered Celestia's room, but he didn't have the courage at the time. After thinking it over though, his conscience, as well as the Holy Spirit, told him to go for it, and so he did.) 

After taking a deep breath, Celestia used that same spell to summon all of her subjects. Many of them who were able, (and close enough!) made their way outside of the castle to hear what their princess had to say. Those who were unable, (or too far away) were still going to be able to hear Celestia, thanks to her spell. Once she had given the signal, and everypony in the land had quieted down, Celestia started. 

"My Dear Subjects", she began, "It has come to my attention that an ancient prophesy that was made to my grandmother has finally been fulfilled!" 

The crowd began to whisper among themselves, and Celestia continued.

"It has been fulfilled, by Lieutenant Charles Taylor, the human who arrived in Equestria just two short days ago. How has he fulfilled a prophesy you ask? Well, he has just shown me the way that we are all to avoid a terrible punishment." 

"What punishment is that?" The crowd asked. "A monster?! Discord's return?! A parasprite infestation?! A Caribou invasion?!" 

Celestia shook her head. "That's what I originally believed the prophesy to be warning of as well. However, last night, the Creator showed me a glimpse of what lies in store for those who rebel against Him. I saw no way to avoid His judgement,  and I cried out in despair. In that hour of need, he sent Mr. Taylor to me, and through him, He showed me that we must repent of our sin of rebellion, and turn back to Him!" 

"Um, how do we do that, Princess Celestia?" 

"We do that by putting our faith, and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, and repent of our Sin! After Mr. Taylor revealed this to be true to me, he prayed that God would work on our hearts, and show us that we were in trouble." Here though, Celestia paused. "And for the record, does any of this even make sense to any of you?" 

In answer to Celestia's question, there came the sound of applause and cheering from the audience, followed by shouts of praise to the Creator, who had just revealed that He had not abandoned them after almost 4,500 years of supposed silence after all. 

Taylor then looked out over the crowd, and up towards the front, he spotted Redheart and Starlight, as well as the doctor. The two nurses were cheering him on, but the doctor just shook his head. Taylor couldn't really read out what the doctor was thinking, but he did get the feeling that it might not be positive. 

"Rejection of the Light is to be expected everywhere in society", he thought, "But it's just that much worse when you actually witness it in person." 

At the confirmation of her statement, Celestia then went on to announce how Equestria must be kept on the Straight and Narrow Path. "We must set aside a day at the end of the week to be a day for praising the Creator. As Mr. Taylor has told me, this day on Earth is called 'Sunday'. We must also set up centers for his worship, as well as to instruct others." 

Taylor then added to the crowd that supplies should also be procured for the printing and distribution of Bibles for the population. This suggestion was met with enthusiasm from the crowd, most of whom had been taught about the Creator, and how he was the God who had given their first princess life. However, there were also those in the crowd who ridiculed, jeered and objected, but they were ultimately drowned out by those who were on fire for Christ. 

After they had been cheering for a bit, Taylor then asked for silence, and that they could bow their heads, so that he could say a prayer for them. They complied, and once it was silent, Taylor started. 

"Dear God", he prayed, "I lift before You now the citizens of this great nation of Equestria. They invite You back into their hearts, and they pray now that You show them the way through life. It will be a rough road, but it will be one that ultimately ends in the Land of Glory. I also pray that you give us the strength that it takes to make it there, and to give others who are not quite ready yet the knowledge to begin their journey as well. These prayers we lift up to You now, Our God, the Creator, and Giver of All, in Your Name I pray, amen!" 

The crowd erupted once more into cheering and praise, and Taylor thought that maybe, all was going to be right with the world again. He then raised his voice up to Heaven in praise as well, unaware of the burning hatred that he had just procured from two sources. One was Hell itself, and the other was from twisted monster still trapped in her prison on the moon. 

She watched all that was happening down on the surface, and she couldn't stand it. "I can't take this!" She screeched, "All of this praise, and to who?! The God who abandoned us! He sided with my sister, and banished me here!" 

She then turned her eyes up to Heaven. "Why did you do this to me?! I was meant to rule! You just shook your head, and crowned my sister instead. I HATE YOU!!!!!" 

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you Nightmare", a small voice deep inside told her. "Bad things happen to those who curse at God. Be content. In just 55 more years, you'll be free, and then you'll be back in action." 

"Shut up Luna!" Nightmare Moon growled at the voice. "You were just a pathetic excuse for a princess, and now you're worthless!" 

"Oh, I'm worthless, am I?", the voice laughed. "I don't need you to survive, but without me, YOU'RE nothing!" 

Nightmare Moon knew that Luna was right. She still shook her hoof at God, but she also got busy with plans on how she would torture Taylor for what he was doing, unaware that of what would REALLy happen to her, in just 55 short years. 





Back in Equestria Taylor felt the hatred for his actions, but he didn't want to say anything, as he didn't want to cause a panic. 

After the celebrations had ended, Taylor then went back to his room in the castle, and finally got some much needed rest. Aside from about an hour with Nurse Redheart, he had been awake for almost 25 hours. The time was 9:30 when his head hit the pillow, and he didn't wake up again until it was past 2:00 in the afternoon. 

While Taylor was asleep though, he had a very peculiar dream. In his dream, he saw that when Nightmare Moon finally did return, he was 88 years old, and that he defeated her with the help of 6 young fillies. He also dreamed that he would live long enough to see them become the next protectors of Equestria. The final sequence of his dream revealed to him that in his last few years of life, two more humans would find their way to Equestria; one of whom would become his successor after he had passed on.

When he woke up, he told Reheart about his dream, and she didn't really know what to make of it. 

"I don't know what to tell you Taylor. I'm just an ordinary nurse, not a dream specialist." 

"But do you think that it could mean anything? I mean, I've had plenty of dreams before, but none of them were like this one. This one was much more vivid, so much more, real." 

Redheart still didn't know what to say. "Again, I really don't know what to say Taylor. Maybe it does mean something though. I guess that you'll just have to find out in 55 years." 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, I guess that I will. Provided of course that I do live to be 88 years old, which is how old I was in my dream." 

Taylor was still so confused, but he decided to brush it aside for now, and first go with Celestia to a tailor to get his proper measurements, and then to round up the engineers again, so that they could work once again on his plane. 





After the measuring was complete, the tailor got to work on the robe, while a horseshoe maker got to work on the slippers. Taylor and the engineers got to work on the plane. Both he and the engineers spent the rest of the afternoon down in the castle's basement, continuing work on the plane. 

One of them had managed to collect some proper clear glass, which was melted down, and remolded to fit the slots for it on the cockpit canopy. Taylor meanwhile was busy with the engine. Using the parts that he had been provided, he managed to fix loose wires, damaged pieces, and torn hoses. Cracked pieces were removed, cleaned, welded together, and then bolted back into place. 

Once this was finally complete, he filled the engine with gear oil that was procured from the Equestrian Railway, courtesy of All Aboard, who was really appreciative of Taylor's help with loading all of the luggage onto the train. The engine now had all of the oil that it needed, but Taylor still didn't have anything to use to make gasoline with so that the engine could be restarted. 

By the end of that day, All of the mechanical work was finally done, as was all of the bodywork. There were no more holes, cracks, dents, bends, or metal distortions to be seen anywhere, the tires had all been repaired and re-inflated, the glass canopy was now brand now again, and the propeller was well on it's way to being re-fabricated as well. It was well on it's way to flying again, and Taylor and the engineers couldn't have been prouder of all of their hard work. 

All that remained to be done was to finish the propeller, prime the parts of the body that needed it for painting, apply the primer, and then, once that was done, paint the body, and of course, apply the decals. This would complete the plane's structural work, leaving only one thing to be done, find a way to make some gasoline.

"Well guys, once again, all of your hard work has put us so close to making this beauty ready to fly again. All that remains now is the propeller, paintwork, and of course, the gasoline." 

They all nodded. "You're welcome Mr. Taylor. It was our genuine pleasure to be able to help you with this project. We look forward to when we'll be able to work with you again on it." 

Taylor nodded, and they all got to work on closing the workshop down for the day. Once again, the plane was covered in protective tarps, as were the workbenches. The lights were turned off, and the door was then shut and locked securely. After saying goodbye, Taylor then went up to dinner.





At Dinner, Taylor told everyone about their progress with the plane. 

"It's really that close to flying again Mr. Taylor?" Celestia asked. 

"Yeah. All that remains now is to finish the new propeller, attach it to the plane, finish all of the painting and decal work, and of course, make some new gasoline, and restart the engine. However, therein lies the problem. You ponies don't have any gasoline on hand, so that means that we'll have to learn how to make some. Like I said before, Moonshine would be a good base element." 

Nurse Starlight then turned to Taylor. "Well Mr. Taylor, like I said before, your best bet for finding that would be at Sweet Apple Acres. I would even be willing to take you down there myself tomorrow, if you would like that." 

Taylor was slightly surprised. "You really would?" 

Starlight nodded. "Of course. Maybe we could even see if Miss Redheart would like to come along as well." 

Taylor thought that this was a great idea. "Would you like to come with us too Miss Redheart?" 

Redheart looked up from her plate, and over at Taylor and Starlight. "I'd love to come along!" She replied eagerly. "I've actually been wanting to see that place for myself for a while now, but I've never really gotten the chance to. Not until now anyway. I guess that I don't have to schedule a trip anymore!" 

Starlight nodded. "Well, I guess that it's settled then. Tomorrow morning, we leave for Ponyville, and head over to Sweet Apple Acres. Taylor can get his moonshine, and I can get some of their delicious apples!" 

"And I would like to see about getting some of their apple pie. I've heard that it was so good you would never want to eat apple pie from anywhere else!" Redheart was a huge fan of apple pie. 

"And I'll also be going to Ponyville tomorrow, as I must get back to the hospital. My services are once again needed there, as will you two's before long!" He added, pointing to Redheart and Starlight.  

They both looked at each other. They knew that this was true, but they were hoping to get maybe a few more days in Canterlot first. 

After dinner ended, Taylor went to chat with Tinker for a while, as did Starlight. She found herself becoming quite attracted to the young stallion, very much like Redheart was with Taylor. Eventually, they all parted ways and went to bed, dreaming of what the next day would bring.
> Chapter 17: Farm Trips, Proving Ground, and Medical Maladies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, at about 11:00am, Taylor, the two nurses, as well as the doctor, boarded the train at Canterlot Station bound for Ponyville. Once again, Taylor helped load all of the luggage onto the train, and All Aboard was the conductor of the train as well. Once the train was moving, he came back to say hello.

"Oh, hello again Mr. Taylor." 

"Hello All Aboard. It's nice to see you again." 

"Nice to see you too Mr. Taylor. I see that you're returning to Ponyville. Any particular reason?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes. Dr. Stables is returning to the Ponyville General Hospital, and myself, as well as Nurse Redheart and Nurse Starlight are headed to Sweet Apple Acres." 

"Sweet Apple Acres you say? Well then Mr. Taylor, I wish you good luck, and I hope that you're hungry, because there's always plenty of items to sample down there. I know that you'll really enjoy your trip." 

Taylor nodded. "Thank you All Aboard. We plan to." 

"Oh, and you can just call me 'Al'. That's what I'm known as to most ponies." 

"Ok then, Al, it was nice to talk to you." 

"The pleasure is all mine Mr. Taylor. I also hope that you will also be on one of the return trips to Canterlot?" 

"Yeah. We should be." 

Al nodded. "Ok then, well, enjoy yourselves folks, and we should be pulling into Ponyville Station at exactly 2:00 on the dot." 





Sure enough, at exactly 2:00pm, the train arrived at Ponyville Station. Once it came to a complete stop, Taylor helped unload all of the luggage, and once he was done with that, he and the two nurses saw the doctor back to the hospital, before heading over to Sweet Apple Acres. 

As it was, the citizens of Ponyville were very glad to see Taylor again. They all said hello, and he said hello back. 

"Gosh", Taylor sighed when he saw how warm the welcoming was, "This sure is a nice town to call home. All of the ponies here are so friendly." 

Redheart nodded. "Yes, it is a very tightly-knit community. You know everypony, and everypony knows you." 

"I will have to find a place to live eventually", Taylor mused, "Maybe I should look into investing in a house around here." 

Redheart looked at him and smiled. "There's no better place in all of Equestria as fine as right here in good old Ponyville." 

Taylor nodded. "It sure seems to be, Miss Redheart, it sure seems to be." 

This conversation continued along these lines all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres. 

"Well, here we are!' Starlight pointed to it. "Sweet Apple Acres!" 

Taylor whistled when he saw it. The farm itself sat in the middle of acres upon acres of apple trees, and aside from these, its other most prominent feature was a massive red barn. 

"Wow" Taylor was in awe. "You really weren't kidding when you said that this place was incredible Miss Starlight!" 

Starlight smiled. "I'm a nurse Mr. Taylor. I really don't kid around if I can help it. Oh, and if you think that the farm itself is incredible, just wait until you meet the family that runs it!"

"Yeah, I really can't wait." Taylor replied. 

Once the trio had made their way through the entrance arch, which was a large arbor covered with flowering bushes, and a big wooden sign with a cutout of an apple in the middle, they made their way over to where the produce was being sold. They got in line at the back, and waited patiently. As they waited, Taylor took another look at his surroundings.

"This place is so amazing! I think that it's......" *smack!* "What?! Hey, watch it!" 

A sudden slap from a pegasus's wings interrupted his thoughts. When he turned around to yell at the culprit, he was in for a surprise. Behind him, was a Pegasus mother with pink fur, and a blue mane and tail, as well as a young foal with blue fur, and a pinkish-purple mane and tail. 

"Rainbowshine!" Her mother, Firefly, scolded, "You need to apologize to the nice human since you hit him with your wings." She then turned to Taylor. "I'm very sorry, Mister, um........what's your name again?" 

"It's Taylor, Ma'am. Charles Taylor. But you can just call me Taylor." 

"Apologize to Mr. Taylor for hitting him Rainbowshine." 

"Um, I'm sorry for hitting you, Mr. Taylor." 

Taylor smiled. "That's quite alright, Miss Rainbowshine. You have some pretty strong wings there for a girl....er, um....foal, as young as you!" 

Rainbowshine giggled at his mistake, and Taylor suddenly had the feeling that she had an important part to play in the future of Equestria. He wasn't sure if she would do something, or if an offspring or descendant would, but he knew that she was special. 

(What Taylor didn't know at the time was that Rainbowshine would have a son named Bow Hothoof. And Bow Hothoof  would have a daughter named Rainbow. Rainbow Dash, to be exact. Yes, THAT Rainbow Dash! Of course, Taylor had no idea about this at the time.) (And why is this even being written down? These notes were given by Taylor sure, but Taylor was senile when he wrote it. It's only being left in at his insistence.) 

Once it was finally his turn, Taylor stepped up to the table where the produce was being sold, with Starlight and Redheart standing just behind him. The young mare looked up at Taylor, and all she could do was just stare at him with wide-eyes. she kept opening her mouth like she was going to say something, but no sounds were coming out. 

After several long moments of extremely awkward silence, it was finally broken.

"Hey! What's goin' on over there?" 

A young filly with green fur, a blonde mane done up in two braids, a blonde braided tail, golden eyes, and a cutie-mark of an apple pie came up to the table. 

"What's wrong Sis? Cat gotcha' tongue?" she giggled. Then, she saw Taylor. Her eyes got very wide, but unlike her sister, she spoke right up. "Are you that 'Human' critter who crashed here in that metal bird thing a couple days ago?" 

Taylor smiled. "Yes Ma'am, I am." 

That was all it took. She then went full-blown country on him. "Well howdy'a do there Mr. Human?" 

"Um, you can just call me Taylor, Ma'am. Everyone does." 

"Oh, well then, howdy'a do there Taylor?" 

"Pretty good, Ma'am, and yourself?" 

"Not too shabby. Oh, and you can call me Abby. Everypony does!" Abby then noticed her still dumbfounded sister. "What's wrong there Kristy? Cat still gotcha' tongue?" 

That did it. Her sister looked at her with an eye-roll. "How many times have I told you Abby, stop calling me 'Kristy'! My name is Kristine!" 

Abby giggled. "Way too many, if ya ask me! Yer gettin' way too proper fer yer own good!" 

"Please ignore my little sister", Kristy told Taylor, glaring at Abby, "She can be extremely forwards at times. That's what Ma says." 

This made Abby cross. "No she didn't! She told ya to stop bossin' me around!" 

"She did too!" 

"No she didn't Butthead!" 

"Abigail Smith-Apple! You take that back right this minute!" 

"No way!" 

Taylor was left listening as this argument between the sisters got completely out of hoof. He kept trying to intervene, but he didn't know what to say. Luckily for him though, Starlight did. She had been listening to this argument as well, and finally, she had enough.

"Alright Abby and Kristine!" She ordered. "I think that Mr. Taylor has heard quite enough of you two squabbling!" 

Abby turned to look at who had spoken up, and her eyes lit up when she saw Starlight.

"Starlight! I ain't seen ya in ages! How ya been doin'?" 

"Not too bad Abby, and you?" 

"Doin' pretty good." 

She and her sister then got down to business. 

"So then", Kristy began, "Now that we have our disagreements behind us, what can we do for you?" 

"Well", Starlight thought for a moment, "I would like 2 crates of apples, Nurse Redheart behind me would probably like a few of your apple pies, and Mr. Taylor here was looking to buy some of your moonshine. He was told that the best place to buy that was right here at Sweet Apple Acres. If you have any, that is." 

Abby cocked her head slightly to the side. "Moonshine ya say Taylor?" 

"Yes Miss Abby, that's right." 

"How old are ya, if ya don't mind mah askin'?" 

Taylor smiled. "I'm 26 years old, Miss Abby. Is that old enough to drink moonshine around here?" 

Abby nodded, and was probably about to continue, but Kristy cut her off. "You may be old enough there Mr. Taylor, but if you don't mind MY asking, what do you plan on doing with it?" 

Taylor looked at her curiously. "Well Miss Kristine, I was looking for a bit to sample, and if it was good enough, I was hoping to buy some to take back to Canterlot to use as a base element for gasoline." 

Now it was Kristy's turn to look at him curiously. "Um, what's 'gasoline'?" 

"It's a combustible fuel used in engines on Taylor's home-world of Earth. He needs to make more gasoline if he is to ever get his metal craft flying again." 

Taylor turned to see who had spoken, and to his quiet shock, he saw that it was Miss Redheart. She had been listening to the entire conversation, and she decided to speak up. 

"Quite correct miss Redheart." He then turned back to Kristy. "OK, so now that you know that I am old enough to drink, and you know what I want to do with the moonshine, can I please have a bit to sample, and if it's good, can I buy some for my plane?" 

"Um, plane? What's a 'plane'?" 

"Oh, um, well Miss Kristine, my plane is the metal craft that I used to get here in the first place." 

Kristy nodded. "oh, I see." 

"Now can I have some moonshine?" 

Kristy was about to reply, but then Abby cut her off. "Not so fast there Pardner!" She drawled. "First ya gotta show that yer a feller who can hold his liquor!" 

Taylor cocked his head. "Um, what do you mean by that Miss Abby?" He asked curiously. 

Abby laughed. "It means that ya gotta down a couple'er shots of it without hackin', pukin', or passin' out! Ya think ya can do it?" 

Taylor thought for a moment. "How many is 'a couple'?" 

Abby giggled again. "As many as it takes to prove that yer worthy of more than a sample!" 

Taylor shook his head. Then, after taking a deep breath, he took a moment to regroup with Starlight and Redheart.

"So, what do you guys think?" 

"I think that this is a really bad idea", Redheart put in. "Something like this could kill you if your body isn't used to that kind of alcohol in those kinds of quantities." 

"Miss Redheart's right", Starlight added. "I don't think that you should do this." 

Taylor looked at both of them. "I really appreciate your concern for my health and safety, but you need not worry about me." 

"What, why? The two nurses asked.

Taylor smiled. "Because I was the bar champion back at Ft. Lauderdale for a little more than a year straight. I know that I can handle a little moonshine, since whiskey and hard cider were used for those competitions." 

Redheart shook her head. "If you say so Taylor, but I still worry for you nonetheless." 

Taylor took her gently by the chin, and kissed her softly on the nose. "I know Miss Redheart." He said softly. He then went to accept the challenge from Abby. 

"I still worry for him though". Redheart shook her head sadly.

Starlight laughed softly. "I know. However, I think that the reason you're so worried about him is because you really like him!" 

Redheart blushed. "W-what?! D-don't be silly Starlight!" 

"I knew it! Ever since you laid eyes on him when you went over to see if you could help him that day, you loved him." 

"Yeah", Redheart sighed, "I do love him. But do you think that he loves me back?" 

Starlight just stared at her. "Are you kidding me?! Haven't you seen the way that he looks at you? You're the greatest things that ever happened to each other!" 

Redheart opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then she just shook her head. "In any case", she sighed, "We'd better get over there, just in case Taylor will require any 'medical attention'!" 

Starlight laughed, and they both made there way over to where Taylor and Abby were. Taylor was looking up at the tree, and Abby seemed to be laughing at him. 

(A few minutes earlier) 

"This farm is so amazing, but I have to ask you Miss Abby, how do you guys harvest these apples? I mean, you don't have hands like me, and I don't see any ladders anywhere." 

Abby burst out laughing. "WHAT?!?! Y'all need a LADDER to pick apples?! That's hilarious!!!" 

Taylor was rather flustered. "Well then, how do you harvest them?" 

"Simple. We just buck the trees!" 

"Um, you what now?"

Abby giggled. "Like this silly!" She then reared back, and kicked the tree with all of her might. For her efforts, she knocked a lot of apples off of the tree, and into several waiting baskets below. 

"Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense." 

Abby then walked over to another tree. "Now it's your turn. You buck a tree!" 

Taylor came over to look at the tree. He looked up at it, and Abby started laughing at him. 

(Back in the present) 

"Aww come on ya big baby! Just kick the tree!" 

Taylor tried, but because he kicked straight, nothing happened. Abby burst out laughing, and Taylor just lost it. He then braced his hands against the ground, arched his back, and brought his knees and legs as far forwards as he could. Then,  with a ferocious battle cry, he kicked backwards with all of his might. His boots slammed into the tree, and the force of the impact shook the tree so hard, that every single apple in it fell down into the apple buckets sitting below the tree.

Abby went from laughing, to mouth open in absolute shock in less than 3 seconds. "Holy, um, cow! That was, that was some pretty good work there Pardner. I'm, sorry that I laughed at ya. Yer almost as good as me! Heck, yer probably even better!" 

Taylor stood back up and brushed his hands off. "Aww shucks Miss Abby, it was just a surge of adrenaline. It happens to the best of us." 

Abby then walked away, and beckoned for Taylor to follow her. "Come on Taylor!" 

"Um, what for?" 

"Well, that tree bucking was just to test yer strength. Now it's time for the real challenge!" 

Taylor followed Abby, and once the two nurses had gotten over their shock at Taylor's strength, they did likewise. They both made their way over to where Taylor was standing in front of a large moonshine still. Abby was facing him, and on the ground in front of them, was a row of brown moonshine jugs. 

"Allrighty Taylor!" Abby looked at him smugly. "Are ya ready to prove that city-folk like y'all can't really hold any liquor?" 

Taylor nodded. "Only if you're ready to eat those words Miss Abby! I was born ready!" 

"Well then Mr. Smarty-pants, grab the first jug, and get to it!" 

Taylor complied, although once he got a good whiff of the moonshine, he did recoil a bit. 

"What'sa matter Taylor?" Abby smirked. "Too much fer ya?" 

"Oh no Miss Abby, it's just that it's been a bit since since I've had any moonshine. All of the bars around where I was serving back in Florida only had beer and whisky." 

"Well, are ya gonna do it, or not?" 

Taylor nodded, and while Abby continued to stare at him, smirking all the while, he steeled himself up, and took a drink. Redheart and Starlight both looked at him like he was going to explode, and Abby was just waiting for him to pass out. 

Taylor felt like he had just drunk a load of kerosene. He went a bit red in the face, but he didn't say anything, and he didn't faint. 

"A-a-apples!" He finally gasped. "T-tastes like apples!" 

"Do ya like it?" Abby asked. 

"It's great!" Taylor looked like he could throw up or pass out at any moment. "How do you give it that flavor?" 

Abby giggled. "Can't tell ya, it's a family secret!" 

Taylor nodded, and he then got back to drinking. 

The minutes began to tick by, and by the time that it was all said and done, Taylor had consumed nearly 3 full jugs of moonshine. He then stumbled around for a moment, fell over a bit, then he burped out a couple of spouts of flames, and then passed out. 

(He was close enough to the fire that was burning underneath the still that when his belches of alcohol fumes reached the flames, the vapors combusted, and he burped fire.) 

His body twitched violently for a few moments, then he went still. 

"Oh my Sweet Celestia!" Redheart ran over to Taylor's side. "That's done it!" 

"Is he still breathing?' Starlight asked. 

Redheart nodded. "Yeah, he's still breathing, but his blood-alcohol level is probably high enough to burn down Canterlot; city, castle, mountain, and all!" 

Abby shook her head, and put her hooves over her face. "Gosh, I'm awful sorry about all this." She apologized. "I had no idea that he would even last this long. I ain't never seen a feller last more than half a jug. Three jugs! A new Sweet Apple Acres record!" 

Redheart glared at her. "Well, if you hadn't challenged him like that, none of this would even have happened! Taylor's a male, so of course he wouldn't have backed down from a challenge!" 

"Yeah", Starlight put in. However, Mr. Taylor's health is of the utmost importance right now. We need to get him to the hospital, pronto!" 

Yeah, you're right, let's go!" 

Abby was still upset, but she was just as concerned for Taylor's health as Redheart and Starlight were. She helped the two nurses lift Taylor onto their shoulders, and with her carrying most of the weight, she assisted them in getting Taylor to the Ponyville General Hospital so that his condition could be fully examined.
> Chapter 18: Hasty Running, Nurse Treatments, and Final (Air)Plane Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Abby and the two nurses were rushing the still-unconscious Taylor to the hospital, none of them thought through how they were going to explain this to Dr. Stables. In fact, just before they parted ways, he had specifically said, "Now you two nurses take good care of Taylor, you hear?' They both nodded. Now here they were, less than 2 hours later, rushing him unconscious to the hospital, with most likely a severe case of alcohol poisoning. 

Sure enough, when they arrived at the hospital, they tried to sneak Taylor in through the Emergency Room Entrance. In their hurry, they simply placed him on a blanket on the floor, and began to drag him to an exam room. However, they were caught by none other than the doctor himself. As he was making his rounds through the emergency room, he suddenly spotted the two nurses and Abby racing through the halls dragging something behind them. 

"Hey! Slow down Redheart and Starlight! This is a hospital, not a racetrack!" The doctor then would have turned back to his work, but then he froze. "Wait a minute, what are Starlight and Redheart doing here? I thought that they were at Sweet Apple Acres!" Then he remembered that they were dragging something, and that both nurses looked visibly frightened. "And why were they dragging something? And why were they trying to sneak that thing in? And why did that look an awful lot like Mr. Taylor?" Then it all clicked. "OH SWEET CELESTIA!!!!! THEY KILLED HIM!!!!!" The doctor then tore through the hospital halls after the nurses, even if only to find out what had happened.





Meanwhile, unaware that they had been spotted, Redheart, Starlight, and Abby continued to drag Taylor on his back on that blanket through the hospital. Even though he was on a blanket, they were somewhat straining under Taylor's weight. 

"Boy, I'm sure glad that Ponyville has such a great hospital." 

"No kidding Starlight", Redheart answered, "And one so close to where we were. What better place in all of Equestria to treat the sick and injured than right here at Ponyville General?" 

"Ya both got that right!" Abby agreed.

Finally, after a few more minutes of running, the three of them managed to get Taylor to a room where he could be examined. Once they had closed the door, Starlight began to use her magic to examine the hapless pilot on the bed in front of her. 

"What do you think Starlight?", Redheart asked. "Will he be alright?" 

Starlight sighed. "Yeah, I think he'll be ok. However, we'll have to put together our special 'Coffee wake up solution', to wake him up, as well an another mixture to help purge all of that alcohol from his system." 

Redheart shook her head. "He'll definitely sober up in a hurry, but he'll probably be pretty sick when he does wake up." 

"Well, if he is sick, it's his own gosh-darn fault!" Starlight scoffed. "We both tried to warn him that taking that challenge was an incredibly stupid idea, but he didn't want to listen, did he?" 

"Ah'm still so, so sorry 'bout all of this," Abby sighed. "If Ah'd ain't been so haughty, none o' this ever would'a happened." 

"Darn right it wouldn't!" Redheart shot. "You should have known that since Taylor was a male, he wouldn't have backed down from a challenge like that! And moonshine?! No other form of alcohol is as toxic as that, ESPECIALLY in large quantities!" 

Abby looked like she was about to cry. Starlight went over to comfort her, while Redheart  quickly concocted, and administered, the dosages of both mixtures to her beloved patient. She then waited the 5 minutes required for it to work. 





Once the time was up, Taylor's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he sat up in the bed with a start, as well as a loud gasp. "GWAAAH!!!! What happened?! Did I win?! HA! I told ya I could do it Abby!" Taylor then fell backwards onto the bed, clearly having no idea that he had been unconscious for the past 45 minutes. 

Redheart looked down at him. "Um, Taylor?" 

"Yes sweetheart?" Taylor asked somewhat weakly. 

Redheart put a hoof over her face. "Can you please go for more than a few hours at a time without requiring medical attention for your actions?!" 

"Wait, what? I'm in the hospital, again?" 

Redheart nodded, and after examining his surroundings and found this to be true. After sighing deeply, Taylor then sat up again, reached out, and gently pulled Redheart into a hug. 

"I know that you hate me for my actions Miss Redheart, and I wouldn't blame you in the least for being upset. However, just remember that through it all, I love you." 

Redheart smiled. "No matter how hard I try, I just can't stay mad at you Taylor. I guess that it just shows how much chemistry we have together." 

"You're definitely right about that." Taylor agreed. 

He would have probably kissed Nurse Redheart, but she said that he could not until he stopped smelling like kerosene, and promised to her that he would only touch moonshine again if he was using it to make gasoline for his plane. Taylor agreed to this, and after he accepted the apologies from Miss Abby, and promised to return to Sweet Apple Acres sometime in the future, the two nurses helped Taylor get up, and they were just about to leave the room, when all of a sudden, the doctor burst through the door.

"GWAHH!!!! What happened?! How did he die?! SOMEPONY TALK TO ME!!!!!" 

Taylor looked at the doctor curiously. "Um, are you alright there Dr. Stables?" 

The doctor then saw that Taylor was alive and well. "What?!" I thought that you were dead Mr. Taylor!!!" 

"What? Ok, now I'm really confused. Could you please start this from the beginning?" 

The doctor then explained everything that he had seen. "And I thought that you were dead!" The doctor finished. 

Taylor then turned to the nurses. "Um, could either of you shed some light on this please?" 

"Yeah", Redheart sighed. "After you passed out from Abby's moonshine challenge, the three of us dragged you all the way to the hospital. Once we arrived, we tried to sneak you in without arousing too much suspicion, so we placed you on a blanket, and dragged you through the hospital. I guess that at some point, the doctor saw us, and he must have thought that you were dead." 

"Well, obviously I'm not dead, but still, I do appreciate you worrying about me Dr. Stables. It's nice to know that people, and ponies, really do care." 

The doctor nodded, but his nerves were too shot to say anything. After helping him back to his office so that he could recollect himself, Taylor and the two nurses made their way back to the Ponyville train station for the return trip to Canterlot. 

Once they were back at Canterlot station, and Taylor had once again helped to unload all of the luggage, he was stopped by a mail carrier. 

"Um, excuse me, but are you Mr. Taylor?" 

"Um, yes, yes I am." 

"Well, I have a few crates for you here." He pointed a hoof at the four crates behind him. 

"Oh, well um, thanks, I guess." 

After signing for the crates, Taylor went over to see what they were. 

"Strange", he muttered, "I don't remember ordering anything." 

As he was puzzling over the crates, he suddenly noticed a note attached to the sides of one of them. 

"Huh? What's this?" 

After pulling the note off of the crate, he began to read it. 

"Dear Mr. Taylor", the note read, "After witnessing what my sister Abby did to you, and learning that she caused you to be sent to the hospital, I decided to send you these crates of the moonshine that you requested earlier today, free of charge. We have a surplus of it on the farm right now, and since we do need to get rid of some of it, Ma suggested sending some of  it to you as an act of goodwill, (Read, Abby's reparations for damages done!) Anyway, I do hope that you decide to come back to Sweet Apple Acres some time in the near future. It would be so nice to see you again. 

Many thanks, and much love,
Kristy. 

P.S., Abby will be tied up to a leash in the barn on your next trip so that she won't cause any more trouble for you!" 

Taylor folded the note back up. "Wow", he murmured. "This was really nice of Kristy to send me this moonshine." 

"Who are the crates from Taylor?' Redheart asked. 

"They're from Kristy. It's the moonshine that I requested earlier. She sent it to me free of charge." 

"Aww, that was nice of her", Starlight put in, "Especially after what happened." 

"Yeah, it was", Taylor agreed.

He then had all of the crates placed on a cart, and arranged for them to be sent down to the workshop in the castle basement where the plane was. Soon after this, Taylor and the two nurses arrived back at the castle themselves. 

"Tomorrow, after the final work has been finished on the plane, the engineers and I will get to work to take the moonshine, and see if we can mix it with gear oil to be turned into gasoline." 

"Do you think that if it works, that the engine will run again?" 

Taylor shrugged. "It's possible, I suppose. But since moonshine is not an oil-based fuel, there is the chance that the engine could get so hot that it would explode." 

"EXPLODE?!?!?!" The nurses gasped. 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry", he reassured them, "We'll test it in small quantities first to see if this is even a feasible option for making gasoline." 

"Do what you like, but PLEASE, for the love of Celestia don't do anything that would require medical attention, and/or hospitalization!" Redheart was trying to be serious.

Taylor nodded, smiling. "If you say so, Miss Redheart. 

After he left the two nurses, Taylor then went down to the basement to see if the final phases of work were ready to be performed on the plane. Sure enough, he was in for a treat. Just moments before his arrival, the brand new propeller had just arrived from the Engineering Workshops in Canterlot. 

"Wow, now that's a brand new propeller!" 

And sure enough, it was. Made to the exact specifications of the original, it had three blades, was all black with yellow tips, and had a brand new nosecone as well.

"Ok then, let's get this beauty back onto the plane, shall we?" 

"Yes sir, Mr. Taylor!" 

With the help of a ceiling winch, the propeller was carefully lifted off of its wooden pallet. 

"We have to be extremely careful with this." One of the engineers warned. "One little slip-up could wipe out almost a week of hard work by the boys at the Engineering Workshops!" 

They all knew that he was right. As carefully as they could, they hoisted the propeller up to the right height. Then, once it was there, ladders were placed next to the plane, and Taylor and two other engineers climbed up to mount it on properly. Once it was securely attached to the propeller shaft, two of the unicorns in the group used their magic to spin the propeller manually for a few spins, just to make sure that it spun like it was supposed to. Sure enough, it did.

"That's a fine piece of work boys! Now all that's left to do is prime those spots on the body, paint them, and then apply the decals. How close are we to being able to do that?" 

"Well Mr. Taylor, we can do the priming tonight, however, that takes about 4 hours to fully dry properly. Once that's happened, then we can paint, which takes another 4-6 hours to fully dry. Then we can apply the decals." 

Taylor nodded. "well then, I would suggest that we do the priming now, then, after waiting the 4 hours, paint it, and then we leave it to dry overnight. Tomorrow, we can do the decals, as well as work on the fuel." 

They all agreed to this, and as carefully as they could, they rolled the plane away from the workbenches, and built a makeshift paint booth around it. They did this by first covering the floor with several layers of painting tarps, then putting up makeshift walls made from discarded wood, and covered with more painting tarps. Finally, after putting more tarps on top of the walls to make a sort of ceiling, they were ready to begin the work. 

However, before they could begin, they had to protect the areas of the plane that weren't going to be painted. Canvases were placed over the cockpit canopy, as well as the rear turret, the wheels were wrapped in newspapers, as was the propeller, and the exhaust ports were covered with tape. Once all of this was complete, it was time to apply the primer.

"Well, this should be interesting", Taylor thought. "I wonder how their painting will differ from how they do it back on Earth." 

When he saw their methods, Taylor was utterly shocked. If he was expecting them to use spray guns, or even aerosol cans, he was sorely disappointed. Instead, the engineers brought out painting specialists, who mixed together a grey liquid which they identified as primer, poured it into paint trays, and actually painted the plane's body by hand! Or rather, by hoof!

"So they paint all of this with brushes?! I guess that they don't have spray guns yet, and maybe they don't have aerosol cans either. However, they seem to be doing a remarkable job with it." 

After getting over his shock, Taylor then removed his leather jacket, picked up a brush, and asked to help. He did so, and about 30 minutes later, the plane was all primed, and ready for her 4 hours of drying. The gang all braked for dinner, and promised to come back afterwards to finish the job. 





Sure enough, 4 hours, a bunch of dinners, 2 hoof-ball games, some chatting time, and a couple of sodas later, they were all back at it again. This time, armed with paintbrushes, and trays full of sea-blue paint, they attacked the gray areas, painting them as blue as the rest of the plane's body. An hour or so later, everything was done. The painting now brought the work on the plane up to 98% complete. Now all that was left to finish that final 2% was to apply the decals, which would come from the local print shop. 

The painting area was covered in a magic force-field to protect it from dust, as well as anypony accidentally disturbing it. Taylor and the 8 engineers assigned to help him couldn't have been prouder. They even took a group photo with their portable camera in front of one of their work benches. Lt. Charles Taylor: Owner. Metal Work: Chief Engineer. Dusty Pile: Second Engineer. Oilcan: Machinist. Fly Windgust: Machinist. Royal Blue: Specialist. Blueprints: Lead designer. Inky Well:  Assistant Designer. And Squeaky Clean: Clean up and Mess Containment. All of them working on the plane, and all of them want to see it fly again. 

After wrapping everything up, cleaning up the messes, putting everything away, and closing down the workshop again, they all went to bed, wondering what the next day would bring. They would finish the painting, put on the decals, but most of all, they would attempt to make gasoline.
> Chapter 19: Final Inspections, and the Shock of a Lifetime
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early the next morning, Taylor and the 8 engineers found themselves once again down in that basement workshop. Armed with the decals, their first task was to attach them to the plane. These included new American Star Insignias, as well as a few small ones, such as one warning individuals not to step on the ailerons. 

In about 30 minutes, these new decals were complete, and all of them stood back one last time to admire their work. In front of them stood a freshly restored TBF Avenger Torpedo Bomber, as good as the day that it was made. Blue 1 was it's name, and it's pilot was Lt. Charles Taylor. However, as all of them were admiring their hard work, they were suddenly interrupted.

"Holy Cow! It's all done now?!"

"Whoa! so that's what it looked like before it crashed Taylor?" 

All of them turned around, and there, standing inside the workshop with them, was Nurse Redheart, Nurse Starlight, and Princess Celestia. 

"Well done, all of you." Celestia commended, "This has been a fine restoration job. This aircraft, even if it never will fly again, will prove to be an amazing engineering marvel. All of you have my greatest thanks." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, but the real ones that you should be thanking are these engineers. They're the ones who made this whole thing happened. I just directed the work." 

"Yes, but you helped us out every step of the way. You showed us how to do everything, and it was such an honor to help you out." 

Taylor smiled. "As it was my honor to work with all of you every step of the way." 

Celestia thought for a moment. "I hoof-picked all of you to be the engineers for this project, and since all of you will be forever remembered for helping Mr. Taylor, I think that I will call you, 'The Airplane 8'. Do all of you like that?"

They all nodded. "Yes Princess!" 

While this conversation was happening, Redheart and Starlight were looking at the plane.

"Hey Taylor?" 

"Yes Miss Redheart?" 

"Could you please show us how all of this works? I kinda would like to see what the inside of this plane looks like." 

"Certainly." Taylor then made his way over to the plane. "This plane had space for three crew members; a pilot, a torpedoman/radioman, and a gunner. I was the pilot, Ensign James was my torpedoman, and my gunner was Sergeant Cole. He didn't fly with us that day, as he had unexpectedly fallen ill. James bailed out before we reached the portal." 

Both of the nurses saw that they were about to tread on painful ground for Taylor, so they quickly changed the subject. 

"Can we see the inside though?" 

"Sure." Taylor then led the way over to the rear access door, and opened it up. "You guys can look, however, the interior space is rather cramped, and it was made for humans, not ponies, so it's up to you if you do come in, but I wouldn't advise it." 

The two nurses did look in. What they saw really did awe them. They could see a small seat, with some radio equipment next to it.

"I see the equipment that looks like it might be the radio, but what's the stuff next to it?" 

"That's the torpedo launch equipment. James would look through this black thing here, which has a target indicator on the end of it, and once we're over the target, he would launch the torpedo." 

"And farther forwards, is that the turret where the gunner sat?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes. That's where Cole would have sat. However, during my last flight, James sat up there to do some spotting for me." 

As Taylor was still pointing out the features of the aircraft's interior, there suddenly came another interruption.

"MY PRINCESS!!!!!!" A messenger suddenly burst into the workshop. He was completely out of breath, and looked like he was about to collapse. 

"What is it, my servant?" What's wrong?" 

All he could do was hand Celestia the message that he had been carrying. Celestia saw that not only was it marked "Urgent!" but that it also came from Doctor Stables, Head Doctor of the Ponyville General Hospital. 

"Just like the message I recieved when Taylor arrived." Celestia thought. "I wonder what's happened?" Celestia opened the  message and read it.

"What's going on Princess?" Taylor asked as he and the nurses made their way over to her.

"Um, Taylor, you might want to sit down before I tell you this." 

Taylor was very confused. "What do you mean, Princess?" 

Celestia showed him the message. 

"Your Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Canterlot", the letter began,

"I write to you once more on a matter of extreme importance. Just moments ago, a massive shadow passed over the hospital. I got up from my desk to see what it was, and just as I did, something crashed into the side of the building, the sound of breaking glass was heard, and then something fell to the ground. 

When my staff and I went to investigate, we found two broken windows, and a large, white lump in the remains of a flower bed. When one of the nurses tried to move the lump, it moved! We then realized that it was some kind of sheet, and so we removed it, and underneath, we got the shock of our lives! IT WAS ANOTHER HUMAN! Yes, you read that right!

He is dressed much like Mr. Taylor, and has reddish hair, and blue eyes. He was unconscious when we found him, and was suffering from a number of cuts from when he collided with the hospital. We are currently taking care of him, but we need you and Mr. Taylor to come back to Ponyville immediately!

Your Faithful Doctor, 
Dr. Stables, Head of the Ponyville General Hospital." 

When Taylor read those words, he literally fainted! Luckily, the two nurses caught him before he landed on the cold, hard concrete floor of the workshop. However, they were just as shocked as he was. 

"Another human?!" Redheart cried.

"How is that even possible?!" Starlight added. 

Celestia was unsure. "I don't know. From what Mr. Taylor has told me, two of the planes crashed immediately, and two more crews bailed out of their planes. I saw one more plane fly to pieces, and another burn up before crashing. Whoever this other human is, he must be from Taylor's crew." 

"But who? Who is he?" 

Celestia shrugged. "I don't know. Only Mr. Taylor could tell us that." 

A few moments later, Taylor did revive somewhat. 

"Are you ok Taylor?" Redheart asked. 

Taylor nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I, just, don't even know what to say right now. One of my crew members is alive! He survived too! But how? It's been almost 4 days since I arrived here! How is he even still alive?! And most importantly, who is he?" 

Redheart shrugged. "I don't know Taylor, but what I do know is that we must get down to Ponyville right now!" 

Celestia handed something to the messenger. "Here. This should help you a bit." The messenger saw that it was a cupful of water. He drank it gratefully. "Thank you, my Princess." 

"You're welcome. Now then, to Ponyville, as fast as lightning!" 

Celestia made ready to leave. Taylor was confused. "Um, don't we have to take the train Princess?" 

Celestia shook her head. "Not this time. This time I can get us all there instantly." 

"How?" 

"Like this!" Celestia's horn glowed yellow, and then, a bright flash of white light engulfed everypony in the workshop, and in the blink of an eye, they all vanished! Moments later, they all found themselves in Ponyville, just outside of the hospital. Celestia saw Taylor, Redheart, and Starlight, like she planned, but then she saw something unplanned. Behind them stood the messenger, as well as the 8 engineers. 

"Whoops. I guess I slightly miscalculated that teleport jump." 

"What? 'teleport'? What's that?" Taylor asked. 

"Teleportation is a magic spell that allows it's users to move from one place to another almost instantly. It's a rather difficult spell to master, but Alicorns can use it, as can unicorns. And the user can also bring others with them, if they so choose." 

Taylor nodded, but then looked at the hospital. "Yeah, that does make sense Princess, but shouldn't we be finding the doctor? We need to see him right away!" 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, My Dear, you're right!" 

As quickly as they could, all of them went inside of the hospital. Once they were inside, Redheart and Starlight went up to the front desk, with Taylor and Celestia right behind them. 

The nurse on duty looked very surprised when she saw them. "Redheart, Starlight, you're back!" 

Redheart nodded. "Yes, we are. Now then, could you please tell us where this new human is? We need to see him right away." 

The nurse saw Taylor and Celestia standing behind them. "Yes, he was taken to room 114. Dr. Stables and a few other staff are taking care of him there." 

Redheart thought for a moment. "Room 114? That's the same room where Taylor was taken care of when he was brought here 4 days ago!" 

The nurse nodded. "Yes. He was moved in there, because as with Mr. Taylor, he was too tall to fit in a normal bed." 

Redheart nodded again, and as quickly as they could, Redheart, Starlight, Taylor, and Celestia all made their way to Room 114. The messenger and the 8 engineers, decided to stay in the lobby waiting room, as there were too many of them. However, they constantly waited for any updates on the situation.





A few minutes later, they all arrived outside the door of Room 114. Redheart went up to the door, and knocked on it gently. 

"Dr. Stables? Are you in there?" 

"Who is it?" A voice from inside asked. 

"It's Nurse Redheart Sir. I'm here with Nurse Starlight, Mr. Taylor, and Princess Celestia, just like you asked." 

There was the sound of hooves on the floor, and a few moments later, the doctor opened the door, and peaked out into the hall. He looked first at Redheart, then to Starlight, Taylor, and finally Celestia. 

"Oh, well, I'm glad that all of you could get here so quickly." 

"How bad off is he Doctor?" Taylor asked.

"Well, his cuts and bruises are slightly worse than yours, due to his impact with the hospital building. He also managed to crack several of his ribs after his landing, as the windows that he collided with were up on the second floor. A few of his cuts were severe enough as to require stitches, and he is unconscious, but it does appear that he is going to be ok." 

"Any idea who he is Doc?" 

The doctor shook his head. "I was hoping that you could tell us that Mr. Taylor." 

The doctor then opened the door, and let them all in. Once they were all inside, it did take a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room. When Taylor could fully see though, he quietly gasped in shock! On the floor, was a sort of bed made from two mattresses put together. On the bed was the human in question. He had reddish-brown hair, and somewhat pale skin. Two nurses were still tending to his injuries. Once Taylor reached his bedside, he knelt down to get a better look at him. When he did though, he gasped in shock! 

"W-wh-wha...? How....?"

"Who is he Taylor?" Redheart asked.

"I-it's, it's James!"

"WHAT?! Ensign James?! Your torpedoman?!" 

"Yes. The very same." Taylor whispered. "Ensign William "Worrying Will" James. My torpedoman/radioman. I thought for sure that he was dead!" 

"Well, obviously, somehow he survived!" 

While Taylor and Redheart were in shock, Starlight and Celestia looked over James's records. 

"Hmm. Height, 5'7". Weight: 152lbs. Reddish-brown hair, with blue eyes. Age: About 20. Injuries: Serious lacerations on face, head, and arms, due to impact with windows. 3 cracked ribs due to fall from a height of two stories. Minor concussion, plus a few other cuts and bruises." 

"I just still wonder how he survived", Celestia whispered. "I swore that Taylor was the only survivor. Plus, I even sealed the portal not long after Taylor entered." 

"Well, maybe he made it partway through before you sealed the portal up." 

Maybe", Celestia whispered. 





Once Taylor had recollected himself again, he examined a few items that were sitting on a table off to the side. "Hey Doc, what are these?" 

The doctor looked. "Oh, those are things that we found on him when we brought him in. And that white sheet-thing that he got caught in is leaning next to the table." 

Taylor examined it. It was indeed a white sheet-like object, and it was attached to a sort of backpack. "This thing is his parachute. It's what he used when he bailed out of my plane. Maybe he crashed into the hospital, and when he hit those windows, his parachute completely deflated, and he fell to the ground." 

The doctor nodded. "That's a very high possibility Mr. Taylor. However, I don't think that we'll know for sure until he wakes up." 

"And how close do you think that he is to waking up?" 

The doctor shrugged. "It's hard to say Mr. Taylor. You were here for about 2 hours before you woke up, however, your injuries were a lot less severe." 

Taylor nodded, and then turned to face the wall. After a few moments, he turned back to the doctor again. "I think that when he does finally wake up, I think that it would be best that he sees me first, as the shock of seeing a talking pony could really do some harm to him; physically, mentally, or both." 

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I do believe that you're right Taylor." 

As they were still talking about this, there suddenly came a groan from the bed.

"Doctor", one of the nurses looked up, "I think that he's waking up!" 

Taylor and the doctor looked. Sure enough, Ensign James did indeed appear to be waking up.

"Ok everypony, just like we did with Taylor, let him wake up, although unlike Taylor, we'll let him see Taylor first, and have him introduce the whole 'talking pony concept." 

Everypony nodded, and Taylor knelt down next to James's bed. Sure enough, a few moments later, James's regained consciousness.

"Wh-wha....? Where.....am I?' He mumbled faintly. 

"Ensign? Ensign? James, can you hear me?" Taylor asked. 

"T-T-Taylor? Is, that.....you?" Moments after this, James opened his eyes. At first, he had no clue where he was. All he could see was his commanding officer, Taylor, bending over him. 

"Yes James, it's me. I'm right here. You're going to be ok. You had a nasty accident, but you'll be ok." 

"Where am I? Back at Fort Lauderdale?" 

"Um..." Taylor really wasn't sure what to say. "Well, I can say that you're in the hospital, however......well, I know that this is going to be hard for you to swallow, but um.......we're not on Earth anymore." 

James looked confused. "What? What do you......." Then he looked behind Taylor. He saw what appeared to be a doctor and several nurses, but they were all ponies! "WHAT?!?!?!?! What are those things!?!?!?!" 

"Those, are Ponies James. You're in the Ponyville General Hospital, here in Ponyville. Oh, and let me be the first to welcome you to the Magical Land of Equestria. You're new home." 

James didn't know how to take that. "No, no, no! None of this is real! I have to be dead. I died in the Triangle, and now I'm in Hell!" 

Taylor shook his head. "That's what I thought too James, but no, all of this is real. I crashed here 4 days ago, and was taken to this very hospital, to this very room, and yes, to the very bed that you're lying on right now." 

James looked back to the bed, and then to Taylor, but he didn't say anything. He shook his head. "Ok, so I'm in a strange world inhabited by ponies who wear clothes. Can any of this get any stranger?" 

As if in answer to his question, one of the nurses asked, "So, is he ok with all of this Mr. Taylor, or is he going to freak out like you did?" 

That did it, James's nerves were gone. "WHAT?!?!?! DID THAT PONY JUST TALK?!?!?!?!?!" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes. Yes she did James. They all talk in this world. I know that you're probably going to freak out, but please don't. You have absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Nopony means you any harm. We're all just so glad that you're ok." 

It was then that James asked the question. "So, is it just you and me, or is anyone else here too?" 

Taylor shook his head sadly. "No James, it's just us. Everyone else went down back on Earth. However, that begs the question, how did you get here? I crashed landed 4 days ago. How did you get here? Most importantly though, how did you even stay alive for that long?" 

James sighed. "Well, I'll tell you everything that I remember. Back when we were still on Earth, my nerves got worse and worse. My Shell-shock kept coming back, and I knew that I was going to die. I couldn't take it anymore, so I exited the turret, grabbed my parachute, opened the door, and bugged out. 

Unfortunately though, I opened my parachute too soon. It got snagged on the left elevator. So there I was, caught in a potential death trap, just dangling behind the plane as you dragged me along. I was soaking wet in seconds, and still convinced that I was going to die." 

"Snagged on the left elevator? Well, that might explain why my controls suddenly got stiff for a while. What happened next?"

"Well, Behind the plane, one by one, I saw our comrades either crash, bail out, get smashed into pieces, or like Blue 3, burst into flames. Moments after this, I was suddenly surrounded by a blinding white flash, I felt my parachute come loose from the plane, and then nothing. I must have passed out, and  I didn't wake up until just now." 

Taylor nodded. "Ok, now all of this is starting to make sense. That blinding white flash of light was the inside of the portal, or doorway, that we got here by. It was closed just after we entered, and I guess that while I flew through and crash landed, you must have just been hanging there in your parachute, drifting through the portal." 

"Eventually, he must have exited the portal, flew for ways, and then crashed into the second floor of the hospital. His parachute device must have deflated, and he fell to the ground, where my staff and I found him a few moments later." The doctor finished. 

Taylor looked back at James. "Does any of this make sense to you at all?" 

James nodded. "Yeah, I was dragged through the doorway, I came loose, lost consciousness, drifted for a while, came out somewhere, hit the hospital, my parachute deflated, and I crashed to the ground. I'm also extremely lucky to be alive, especially after all that's happened." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, you certainly are." 

And with that, Taylor sat down on a nearby chair, as he prepared to help James adjust to this new world.
> Chapter 20: Building Things, Making Fuel, and Painful Lessons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(WARNING: Chapter contains some minor language. You have been warned!) 

For the longest time, Ensign James said nothing. He continued to just lie on his bed, and seemingly keep trying to convince himself that he wasn't dead or dreaming, and that all of what he was experiencing was indeed real. Every now and again, he would ask Taylor a question, and Taylor would answer. 

"So, how long have you been here again?" 

"Um, I crash-landed here about 4 days ago." 

"And how badly hurt were you?" 

"Not too bad. Just some minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises. No broken bones or internal bleeding. I also suffered from a minor concussion from hitting my head against the control panel in front of me." 

"And what happened to the plane? Is it a total wreck?" 

Taylor shook his head. "Actually, it isn't. Well, not anymore at least. It was pretty badly damaged during my crash-landing, however, after bringing it to Canterlot, which is Equestria's capital city, under the direction of Princess Celestia, she helped me organize a team of 8 engineers, who assisted me with restoring Blue 1. We're almost done. All that's left to do now is to just see if we can make some more fuel." 

James looked at him, confused. "Um, 'Princess Celestia'? Who's she?" 

"She's me, dear." 

James looked towards the back of the room, and sure enough, a tall mare with white fur, a long, flowing mane and tail, and magenta eyes looked at him, smiling. 

"I am Princess Celestia, ruler of the land of Equestria." 

"So it was you who helped with Taylor's plane reconstruction?"

She nodded. "Yes, yes it was. I gathered together the best engineers I could find, and together, the 9 of them have so far succeeded in putting the plane back together again" 

James lay back on his bed a bit. "This is going to take some serious getting used to", he said quietly. "You don't mind if I rest for a while Taylor, do you?" 

Taylor shook his head. "No, I don't mind at all. With the injuries that you had, you need your rest." Taylor got up from his chair. "I'll check back in with you later." 

"Ok, goodnight Taylor." 

"Goodnight James." 

With that, James went to sleep, and Taylor, and Celestia left the room. Redheart and Starlight decided to stay behind for a while longer to help. 

"We'll be back in Canterlot later on tonight Mr. Taylor." Redheart told him. 

Taylor nodded. "Ok. I'll see both you, and Miss Starlight later." 

"Goodbye Mr. Taylor." 

Goodbye Miss Redheart, and Miss Starlight." 

Leaving the two nurses to their work, Celestia and Taylor walked back downstairs to see if the messenger and the 8 engineers were still there. Sure enough, they all were, and they all looked at them anxiously.

"So, what happened up there?" They all asked.

"Well", Taylor answered slowly, "The human is Ensign William James. He was my toredoman/radio operator on my final flight." 

"What?! How did he get here?" 

"He bailed out sometime before my plane reached the portal, but his parachute snagged on the left rear stabilizer. He got dragged along behind the plane until sometime after I entered the portal, then his parachute detached, and I guess that he floated free. For the next few days, he was drifting unconscious through the portal, until this morning. He exited the portal, drifted for a bit, all while still unconscious, crashed into the hospital, broke two windows, then fell to the ground, causing a concussion, as well as 3 cracked ribs. A fair amount of broken glass also fell on him, causing a number of serious cuts. He was then found, and taken into the hospital to the same room where I'd been taken." 

"How serious is his condition?" 

"It isn't too serious. Aside from the rather serious cuts, cracked ribs, and minor concussion, he seems to be only suffering from shock. He went back to sleep, and is being taken care of by the hospital staff." 

The messenger nodded. "Ok, well I'm glad that he's ok. I'm going to head back to my duty station now." He then exited the waiting room, and walked down a hallway to his office.

The enginners looked at each other, and then back at Taylor. "So, I'm guessing that we should head back to Canterlot, and finish the plane work, and then begin to see if we can make fuel?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, assuming that Princess Celestia can teleport us all back there. If not, then I guess that we just take the train." 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, I can teleport us all back to Canterlot." 

Once they were all ready, Celestia performed the teleportation spell, and moments later, all of them were back in Canterlot. 

"We'll all be back down in our basement workshop Princess. Just call us if you need anything." 

Celestia nodded. "Ok then, I'll leave all of you to it." 

With that, Celestia left to do her work as a princess, and Taylor and the "Airplane 8" went back to the basement workshop. This time though, they were joined by a few other engineers. These engineers not only knew all about combustible fuels and how they worked, but also all about magic, (as they were unicorns), and possibly had the knowledge to put both of these fields together to help create the first batch of gasoline in Equestrian history. 

"So, do all of you think that it would be possible to create a fuel based on these requirements here?" Taylor asked, showing them a schematic of what was required to make gasoline. 

The group leader shrugged. "I'm not sure. What exactly were all of you planning on using for a base element?" 

"Well, we were planning on using moonshine, as well as......" 

"WHAT?!?!?!?! Moonshine?!?!?!?! Why in Equestria would you use that?!?!?!?!" 

Taylor took a deep breath. "Well, as I was about to say just before I was rudely interrupted, the original plan was to use moonshine for a base element, as by itself it can be used as a temporary combustible fuel in some engines. However, without oil, combustion cannot be sustained without severely damaging the engine. Our solution to this problem was to mix the moonshine with a mixture of cooking oil, as well as gear oil. Theoretically, when the oils would be mixed with the moonshine, they will mix together to form a combustible fuel that would be able to sustain combustion." 

The engineers put their hooves over their faces. "Well, now I see why Celestia sent us down here to help you. Without us, you would all probably kill yourselves." 

The 8 original engineers were rather upset. "I beg your pardon!" Metal Work interrupted, "I will have you know that all of my engineers are the most capable in our fields in all of Equestria!" 

"And far be it from me to criticize your intelligence. I'm sure that all of you are the best in your fields. However, your fields involve mechanical engineering, not chemical engineering, which is our profession. And while we may have been in shock at first, now that we see your plan laid out, let me be the first to tell you that you are on the right track, however, the oils won't properly mix with the moonshine by themselves." 

Taylor looked at them. "They won't?" 

"No. Everything will have to be distilled, and then refined if we are to make this 'gasoline' that your plane requires." 

"And how do we do that?" 

The lead chemical engineer pointed to the Airplane 8. "That's where all of you come in. We're going to need a distilling and refining system built, and we're going to need all of you to build it for us." 

He handed Taylor a set of blueprints. Taylor looked it over. To him, as well as the others, the machines that they were to build looked like a jungle of pipes, connected to a series of vats, with a few pumps thrown in as well.

"Um, you do know where we're going to get all of the parts for these machines, right?" 

The lead chemical engineer, Dr. Beaker, nodded, and pointed to a series of crates behind him. "Right there. Just unload the crates, and build the machines. While you're all doing that, my team and I will be hard at work on figuring out the rest. If all goes well, by the end of the day today, we should have a good supply of gasoline for you to use in your plane Mr. Taylor, as well as more for you to be able to use in the future." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, that sounds good. Alright everypony!" He said, turning to the Airplane 8, "Let's get to it!" 

They all cheered, and began to pull the crates apart, pull out the pieces inside, and begin to assemble them. For the next couple of hours, the workshop was fully abuzz with activity. Hammers were hammering, screws were being turned, bolts were being tightened, wrenches were turning, parts were being put together, minor welding was going on, holes were being drilled, saws were sawing wood, and everypony, and Taylor, was extremely busy. 

Meanwhile, while all of them were hard at work building the machines, Dr. Beaker and the chemical engineers were hard at work on the details of the fuel, and how everything was going to be mixed together. It took some doing, but they were trained professionals. They were simply taking existing elements, and bringing them all together to form a new element. 





Once everything was all put together, it was time to bring in the moonshine, oils, and a mixture of kerosene, and distill and refine them. This is where things got rather complicated, and dangerous. Since nothing like this had ever been attempted before in the history of Equestria, there were bound to be problems. 

"Hey Taylor?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Is that pipe supposed to be leaking?" 

Taylor looked. "Um, no. No it isn't." 

Unfortunately, a leaking pipe was soon to become the least of their worries. The contents of the pipe was dripping onto a pump system, and that pump started to smoke. 

"Uh oh, that don't look good. We'd better fix that before....." 

Taylor never got the chance to finish that thought. Just before he did, the dripping liquid burst into flames! 

"SHIT!!!!!!" 

Taylor and another engineer quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher, and hosed the burning mess down. Unfortunately, there was another problem. 

"Shit! The pipe's still leaking! It's just like a stream of fire! QUICK, SOMEPONY SHUT OFF THE PIPE'S VALVE!!!!!!" 

One of the engineers did so, and once the pipe had drained dry a few seconds later, the fire was quickly brought under control.

"Damn", Taylor muttered, "That was way too close." He looked up at the others. "If we're not more careful, this whole project could go up in flames, literally!" 

They all nodded, and an immediate check to look the entire system over for leaks was begun. About 30 minutes later, the check was complete. 

"Ok, check complete. No other leaks were found." 

Taylor put his hand over his face. 

"Oh boy", he muttered, "I get the feeling that this is going to be a VERY long day!" 





Sure enough, Taylor was right. From that first leaking pipe onward, it was just one mishap after another. More pipes burst, chemicals didn't mix right, more fires started, things were leaking, it was not a pretty picture. The hours passed, until finally, they began to get somewhere.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Taylor?" 

"Yes Dr. Beaker?" 

"I've figured out the last of the chemical formulas now. Now that you all have worked out all of the bugs with the distilling and refining machines, it should only be a matter of time now before the gasoline starts to be produced." 

Taylor walked over to where Dr. Beaker was standing. At the far end of the machines, a coiled hose that ended in a nozzle was being directed downwards into a metal container peviously used to hold quantities of fruit juice. A number of other containers sat nearby. They had once been used to hold fruit juice, now they were being used as Equestria's first gas cans. 

All while this was happening, the machines whirred. Pumps moved liquids around, pistons pumped, gears turned, belts moved, and steam hissed occasionally. All of the gauges showed pressure to be within normal levels. Eventually, a beeping sound was heard from the machine. 

"What's that, is something wrong?" Taylor was very concerned. 

Dr. Beaker shook his head. "I could see how you would think so Mr. Taylor, but I can assure you that this is not the case." 

"Well, then what does it mean?" 

"It means that the first batch of fuel is ready to be put into a container for testing!" 

Sure enough, with his magic, Dr. Beaker used the nozzle on the end of the hose to direct the first stream of fuel into a container. It was a clearish-yellow in color, and it was definitely giving off vapors. 

Taylor looked at it. "Yep", he said after sniffing it, "That's gasoline all right. Or at least a close variant of it." 

Upon testing, the gasoline did indeed burst into flames, and upon further testing, it performed well in a testing engine. 

"Very nice", Taylor complemented, "Now all we have to do is collect the rest of the gasoline into those metal containers, until we have enough to put into the fuel tank of the plane." 

"And then what do you plan on doing with it?" Dr. Beaker asked. 

"Well, I plan on putting the fuel into storage until such a time that it's needed again." 

Dr. Beaker cocked his head to the side a bit. "Eh, maybe I should have specified. I mean, what are you planning on doing with your craft once you have put the fuel into it." 

Taylor nodded. "Oh. I see what you mean. I plan on doing what we set out to do from the very beginning, see if we can't get my plane to fly again." 

"And do you think that it will Mr. Taylor?"

Taylor shrugged. "Only time will tell Dr. Beaker, but if all of my calculations are correct, then yes, I do believe that it will." 

With that, Dr. Beaker nodded, and then all of them got back to work on collecting the new gasoline.
> Chapter 21: Final Test, Great Success, and Celebrations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, after nearly 3 additional hours of work, on top of the exhausting day that all of them had had in that workshop, by 4:45pm, they finally had enough fuel to put into the plane. 

"Where does this fuel go in the plane anyway Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor walked over to the plane, and opened the engine compartment. "It's right here." He pointed to the fuel intake. "We just pour it down this tube here as gently as we can, so as to avoid spilling, which could lead to an engine fire later on." 

The others nodded. "Yeah, after what happened earlier with the machines, we definitely don't need another fire!" 

With the aide of ladders, they grabbed the first couple cans of fuel, and after hoisting them up the ladder, using a special funnel, the fuel was poured into the fuel tank. This was repeated with the next round of cans, followed by a third. By the fourth round, everypony was wondering how much more fuel it was going to take. 

"How much fuel can these things hold Mr. Taylor?" 

"Oh, about 325 gallons."

"325 GALLONS?!" 

Taylor nodded. "Yep, 145 in the fuselage tank, which is what we're filling now, and each wing has a 90 gallon tank as well. However, for the sake of this being our first test, as well as our currently limited supplies, we'll just stick with the fuselage tank for now, and even then, we probably won't fill it up all the way." 

Everypony breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew! You really had us worried for a bit there Mr. Taylor. For a minute there, I thought that we were going to have to come up with 325 gallons of gasoline!" 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, only about 145 gallons for now. If everything goes well, then maybe some day we'll fill all of the tanks all of the way, but that day is not today." 

Everypony nodded, and the refueling continued. 





About a half hour later, the last of the fuel supply had been loaded into the plane's fuselage fuel tank. 

"We've finished loading up all of the fuel Mr. Taylor. We don't have any more on hoof right now." 

Taylor began to look over his old pre-flight checklist. "Ok, that should be good for now. Let's just close everything back up tight." 

With Taylor's oversight, the filling funnel was removed, and the fuel cap was securely screwed back into place. Then Taylor closed back up the engine compartment, and after climbing back down the ladder, it and the two other ladders were folded up and removed, and for the first time, Taylor's TBF Avenger, FT-28, also known as Blue 01, was fully restored, fully filled with oil, and fully fueled. She was as pristine as the day she was made, and Taylor was very proud of everypony. 

"I know that I've said this before, but i'm going to say it again. Nice job everypony. This was truly a team effort, and without all of you all's hard work, none of this would even be possible. So once again, I offer you my greatest thanks." 

All of the engineer's smiled. "You're welcome Mr. Taylor. Now the question remains, when are you going to actually fire up the engine, and see if whether or not all of our hard work is going to pay off?" 

"I was actually just about to do that right now." 

Once the plane's wheels were securely held in place by wheel chocks, Taylor climbed up onto the wing, and back up to the cockpit. Once he was there, he slid the brand new glass canopy back, and climbed back inside. 

"Feels so weird to see everything like this", he thought to himself, "I'm just so used to seeing everything a bit on the worn out side. Heck, I don't even know if the Navy even knows what the words 'brand new' even mean!" 

Once he was ready, Taylor set the plane's brakes, and made ready to restart the engine. 

"Um, how much fuel is in the tank Mr. Taylor?" 

"Hold on, let me check." Taylor tapped on the fuel gauge a few times, just to be sure that everything was ok, and it was holding steady. "Ok, it shows that we have about 3/4 of a tank. That should be more than plenty for a test run, and maybe even enough for an actual flight!" 

"But would that even be possible, Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor shrugged. "Sadly, I don't know. That's why we just have to take this one step at a time." 

"Are you ready to restart the engine though?" 

Taylor nodded. "Affirmative. However, I am going to ask everypony to please stand the customary 50 feet away from the plane as it's engine is starting up, as I don't want anypony to get hurt. Plus, I honestly have no idea what's going to happen when I try and restart the engine. It could fail to start, it could run like it's supposed to, it could just cough smoke, or it could even explode!" 

"EXPLODE?!?!?!" 

Taylor nodded gravely. "Yeah, sadly that is a very real possibility, however, I've never actually seen that happen, even during testing, except on engines that were in really poor condition. However, our engine is in pristine condition, so we shouldn't have anything to worry about. I hope."

The others all looked at each other nervously, but none of them said anything. Taylor then began to run through his pre-flight checklist. 

"Ok, let's see, pre-flight examinations, complete. Cockpit inspections" , he looked over all of his instruments, just to make sure that they were working. "Complete. Fuel transfer switch, on. Throttle closed, turbos off, wing-flaps, down." he pulled a lever. "Oil pressure, stable. Fuel check, 3/4 of a tank, holding steady. De-icers, off...." The checklist went on for a good few minutes. 

The engineers were starting to grow impatient. "What's taking so long up there?" 

"I'm just trying to complete my pre-flight checklist." 

"Well, you're taking far too long!" 

Taylor looked out of the cockpit, and shot them all a glare. "I'm trying to complete all of the instrument and safety checks to ensure that everything is ok to proceed. Or would you rather that I just wing it now, and if anything goes wrong, all of our hard work goes up in flames, or somepony dies. It's your choice." 

"Ok, yeah, we see what you're saying Taylor. You're the pilot here, plus, you're technically the one in charge. You're just trying to ensure our safety. We can respect that." 

Taylor nodded. "Sure thing. And I am almost done with my checks, and then we can get this show on the road." 

Finally, a few minutes later, he was finally ready. "Ok everypony, this is it. All of our hard work over the past couple of days has come down to this moment. In just a few more seconds, I'm going to pull the starter switch. When I do, that will determine if our efforts were in vain or not. Is everypony clear?" 

"Affirmative Mr. Taylor, we're all clear! And we're recording all of this for future use." 

Taylor was surprised. "What, you're recording all of this? How?" Taylor then spotted the film cameras that both Metal Work, and Dr. Beaker were holding. 

"Yep, the cameras are rolling, and we only have a limited supply of film, so try and keep this brief please Mr. Taylor." 

Taylor nodded. "Sure thing. Ok Everypony, engine starting up!" 

With that, Taylor pulled back the starting switch. At first, nothing seemed to be happening. When Taylor pushed the knob back in, and pulled it out again, the engine began to sputter, and cough smoke. 

"Come on, c'mon old girl", Taylor pleaded, don't quit on me now!" 

The engine kept sputtering, and the propeller began to spin slowly. "Come on!" Taylor then added a little bit more gas, as well as some extra spark. Then suddenly, after he pushed the knob back in, and pulled it back out once more, the engine finally caught, and the propeller whirled again as the engine roared to life once more.

"YAHOO! WE DID IT EVERYPONY!!!!!" Taylor yelled over the roar of the engine.

After a few more tests, one of which involving throttling the engine up to take-off speed, Taylor shut the engine down again, and climbed back out of the cockpit. As he was doing so, the engineers were still celebrating. 

"Wowee! We really did it!" The Airplane 8 cried, "We made the plane run again! We really are the best in our field!" 

"Just as myself and my team are the best chemical engineers in our field, as we made the fuel for the plane." 

Once Taylor was back on the ground again, he then turned to the rest of the engineers. "Ok then everypony, now that we've tested everything as well as it can be tested, now we just need to conduct the final test; the test to see if the plane really can fly." 

Metal work looked at his watch. "Yes, but sadly, the time is now close to 7:00pm. It's going to be dark soon, so maybe we should schedule this test for another time?" 

Taylor nodded sadly. "Alas, this is going to have to be the case, but don't worry everypony!" He added when he saw their dejected looks. "Tomorrow morning should be as good a time as any. Plus, I'm going to need a bit more time to talk with Princess Celestia about this, and make final arrangements for a suitable testing site to be secured for this final test." 

"Ok then, I guess that we'll meet back here tomorrow morning. I guess that now we should clean everything up again for the day." 

And that's precicely what they all did. Just like the previous times, they put away all of their tools, swept the floors, cleaned up any spills, and covered everything with tarps. Unlike the previous times though, this time, they also had to secure the fuel making machines, as well as the chemicals, oils, and moonshine involved with making it. Once this was all complete, the plane was encased in a magic shield, and after the lights were turned off, the doors to the workshop were once again closed, and locked securely. 

"Well, I guess that this is it for now, goodnight everypony." 

"Goodnight Mr. Taylor." 

And with that, they all went their separate ways for the night. Sure enough, at dinner that night, Taylor told Celestia, Redheart, and Starlight that the final tests had been completed, and that the plane really did work. 

"What?! The plane works?!" Redheart looked like she was trying to be happy for Taylor, but in reality, she was terrified for his safety. 

Taylor nodded. "Yep, we just completed the final checks this evening. Now all that's left to do is find a large, flat field to see if I can get the plane up to takeoff speed, to see if it really can fly for real." 

"The only fields around here that would most likely suit your needs Mr. Taylor, would be back in Ponyville. Would one of those work for you?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, I remember that Ponyville has a number of fields outside of town limits. I'm sure that one of them would work just fine for the test." 

After dinner, all of them went to bed, just wondering what the next day would bring.





Back in his hospital room, as he slept that night, Ensign James had the strangest dream. In his dream, he was back with Taylor in the plane, and the gunner, Sergeant Cole, was there as well. They were completing a mission, when all of a sudden, the plane came under attack. Weird, black, bug-like creatures with blue eyes were attacking the plane! 

Taylor began to fly in evasive patterns, while Cole fired the primary turret at the creatures, and he fired the lower tail gun. Taylor also fired the forward guns located in the wings, but whatever those things were, they kept coming. 

"Taylor, there's too many of them, what do we do?!" 

"We keep fighting! We have to make it back to Canterlot!" 

Then, things began to get really weird. As suddenly as the attack began, it was all over, and the plane was landed by Taylor inside of Canterlot. Once the plane came to a stop, and Taylor had shut off the engine, they were all greeted by Princess  Celestia. 

"Well done, Earth Creatures, you have saved us all. I offer you my greatest thanks. In fact, we ALL offer you our greatest thanks!" 

With that, Celestia stepped to the side, and from behind her, another alicorn appeared. She seemed to be a lot younger than Celestia, and she had pink fur, purple eyes, and a pink, purple, and yellow mane and tail. Her mane was tied into a ponytail, and she had a blue ribbon in her tail as well. 

"Who is she?" James thought, "I've never seen her before." 

Before James could think on this any further, he suddenly noticed the creature standing next to the pink Alicorn. He looked like a human, although he wore green coveralls, and black boots. On his head he had what appeared to be a British helmet from WW2, but that's not what had caught James's attention. The male figure had wings! They were cyan blue, his hair was rainbow colored, and he had a rainbow colored tail as well. He had his arm wrapped around the pink Alicorn, and it was pretty clear that they were either dating, engaged, or married, James couldn't tell which. 

Suddenly, from behind the two lovers, another figure appeared. This one was short, and wearing a long, black, hooded cloak. The figure appeared to be human, although James couldn't tell, or the creature's gender for that matter, although he believed it be female. All he could see of the figure was it's pale hands, and some reddish hair. 

Then, without warning, the figure pulled a knife, and made the move to lunge at the male figure with wings!

"Oh no, look out Human, LOOK OUT!" 

Suddenly, James woke up. He was covered in sweat, and breathing heavily. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He was still in his bed, and what he had just witnessed was nothing more than a dream. 

"Oh wow. What a bizarre dream!" He lay back down, and tried to go to sleep again. "What could that dream mean?" He thought. "I've never had a dream like that before. It was almost like.....like.....I was seeing a vision of the future, or something!" 

As he continued to lay there, James had so many questions. What were those black, bug like creatures? Who was the pink-furred Alicorn? Who was her human-ish lover? Who had tried to kill him, and why? These questions continued to play heavily on James's mind as he fell into an uneasy sleep.
> Chapter 22: Back to Ponyville, Dreams Take Flight, and......Cutie-Marks? (Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sure enough, the next morning, at about 8:00am, Taylor woke up. Snuggled up next to him like she had been since the very first night, was Nurse Redheart. Taylor didn't move, as he didn't want to wake her up yet, but he still admired her beauty. 

"Gosh, she's really cute when she's asleep", Taylor thought. Deep down inside, he had a feeling that perhaps maybe, just maybe, he and Redheart were ultimately destined for each other. "It's possible, I suppose", he thought to himself. "Now, I just wonder what the Equestrian customs on dating are. I'm fairly certain that she would say yes, but how would that go?" 

Taylor was uncertain, and he wasn't sure who to ask about it. He decided to put his thoughts on hold for the time being, because for the moment, he had to focus on his plane, and the test flight planned for that day. He began to make the move to get up, and that caused Redheart to stir. 

"Mmm, hey Honey", she whispered. "Good morning." 

"Good morning Sweetheart." 

"Hey, that's pronounced, 'Redheart'!" she giggled, punching Taylor playfully. 

"Hey, I'm sorry. I was just trying to be intimate. Geez!" Taylor tried to be stern, but failed miserably, "What's up with you?" 

Redheart rolled her eyes smiling. "Well, nothing, I guess. So is today the day that you're going to attempt flight again?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yep. It is." 

"Are you nervous?" 

"Uh huh. The first time doing anything is nerve-wracking, but the worst is doing something a second time after the first time ended in an accident that caused a lot of reconstruction. Now everything's untested, and there's still so much uncertainty." 

Taylor sat on the edge of the bed, and Redheart got up, and hugged him from behind. 

"Mmm, I know that it must be hard for you Taylor, but just remember," Here she began to rub Taylor's shoulders gently, as well as plant a few gentle kisses on his neck, "I'm always here for you, and I'll always love you." 

"Always?" Taylor whispered. 

"Yes, always. I know that it hasn't been very long for us yet, but ever since that very first day, I felt love. You were the first male to really notice me, stallion or otherwise, and I knew that you were special. It may take a bit more time, but give it a while, and you and I could be growing old together." 

Taylor thought about that. "Yeah, you may be on to something Miss Redheart. I guess that only time will tell, but I'm all for us being a thing if you are." 

Redheart sighed happily. "Nothing in all of Equestria would make me happier than to spend my life with you Taylor." 

Taylor turned his head, and maybe was about to kiss Redheart, but he was sadly interrupted. 

"Aww, that's so sweet!" 

Both of them immediately jerked their heads towards the door to Taylor's room, and to their shock, there stood Nurse Starlight!

"Starlight!" Redheart scolded, "How long have you been standing there?!" 

Starlight smirked. "Not too long. Just long enough to hear a beautiful heart to heart conversation though. And if you were wondering, yes, I think that you two would make the perfect couple." 

"You really think so?" Taylor asked.

Starlight nodded. "I know so, Mr. Taylor. Also, I was told by one of Princess Celestia's servants to come and see if you were awake, as she said that it was time to begin the moving of your plane to Ponyville." 

Taylor looked at the clock next to his bed. The time read 8:13am. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Just give me a chance to get ready, and I'll head down to the workshop." 

Redheart got up from the bed as well. "Yeah, and I do need to get ready as well. I'll meet you down at the workshop Taylor." 

Taylor nodded. "Ok Miss Redheart, see you then!" 





By about 9:00 or so, after Taylor was ready, and a light breakfast had been eaten, Taylor once again found himself inside of the Basement Workshop. He was accompanied by the Airplane 8, Redheart, Starlight, and Princess Celestia. In the middle of the room, stood the plane, all gassed up, and ready to go. 

"Um, Princess, I have a question." 

"What is it Mr. Taylor?"

"Um, how are we going to get this plane out of here? And for that matter, how did you even get it in here? The doors aren't big enough to fit it through, and I don't see any other way out." 

Celestia pointed to the back of the room. "It's difficult to see, but at the back, there are two doors that fold open to a service corridor. That's how it was brought down here, and that's how we'll get it out of here again." 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, but the first thing that we'll have to do is fold the wings against the body, so as to make the plane as narrow as possible for transport." 

"How do we do that?' Celestia asked.

"I'll show you." Taylor then climbed into the cockpit, and once everypony was clear, he flipped a few switches, and with an audible whirring sound, the plane's wings lifted straight up, and then folded back neatly against the body.

"That was pretty impressive Taylor", Redheart commented, "But quick question. You folded the wings in, but how are you going to get down now? And why do the wings fold up like that?" 

"First of all, I get down like I always do." Taylor then revealed that the part of the wing that the pilot walks on to get up to the cockpit was still accessible, as only part of the wings folds against the plane body. "And to answer your second question, the wings fold up like this so as to allow a number of these planes to be stored in a smaller space. It's a space saving method." 

Redheart nodded. "Oh, that makes sense." 

Once Taylor was back on the ground again, Celestia opened the doors at the back of the workshop, revealing the service tunnel behind it. 

"How do we move the plane now?" One of the engineers asked. 

"We roll it." Taylor answered. "Despite it's seemingly massive size, these things can be rolled along a flat, even surface easily enough. There's enough of us, plus enough unicorn magic, so we should be able to move it." 

Everypony nodded, and with the greatest of care, they all grabbed hold of either the fixed wings, (the part of the wings that don't fold up, but remain attached to the body) or the fuselage, and with care, they began to roll the plane forwards. After a lot of pushing, the all finally managed to get the plane out of the service tunnel, through another sort of hallway, and out into the castle courtyard. Here they all took a quick breather as they contemplated how they were going to get it to the railway station for transport to Ponyville. 

As they were all standing there though, the plane began to attract quite a crowd. Everypony from castle staff, to tourists, to even a few guards; all of them came to see the plane up close. 

"Whoa, what is this thing?" Somepony asked. 

"Is it some kind of new prototype, or invention?" 

"It's neither of those things", Taylor answered. "This, is my TBF Avenger aircraft, designation TF-28. Also called 'Blue 1'. It was the plane that I flew in to get here. Only now, instead of being a wreck, it has just recently been fully restored to flying condition once more." 

"So it can fly again?" 

"That I'm not sure on. However, in the fields of Ponyville today, I'm going to be performing a flight test to see if this plane really can fly." 

"Today?! In Ponyville?! When?!" 

Taylor nodded. "Yep. In Ponyville. And as soon as we can get it down there, I guess." 

The crowd then thinned a bit as Ponies began to flock to get to the train station. 

Celestia began to get slightly annoyed with the crowds. "Well, I certainly appreciate the enthusiasm from everypony, but if we can't get this plane to the train station, then no flight test will be taking place at all!" She then looked around for the nearest guard. "Guard?" 

"Yes, My Princess?" 

"Who's company are you a part of?" 

"I'm a member of Iron Company, led by Captain Strong Armor." 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, well please go tell Captain Armor, that his, and his company's assistance is needed here immediately with crowd control, as well as soon to be needed in Ponyville." 

The guard was surprised. "Why, what's going on?" 

Celestia pointed to the plane, and all of the ponies crowding around it.

"Yes, I'll go get Captain Armor, and the rest of my company immediately!" 





"All right folks, you all need to move along!" Tinker ordered, "There's nothing more to see here! If you want to see more, then you'll have to go to Ponyville!" 

While Tinker and Iron Company directed traffic and provided security, Taylor and the engineers began to roll the plane away from the castle, and through the streets of Canterlot. As they continued to roll it along, ponies still lined the streets on both sides, watching in awe. 

Finally, after pushing for nearly an hour, they finally arrived at the Canterlot Train Station. Sure enough, the train was waiting for them, along with two surprises for Taylor. The first came in the form of All Aboard.

"Hey, Taylor!" 

"Hey, All Aboard! It's nice to see you!" 

"And nice to see you too Mr. Taylor. Let me guess, this is your metal craft, and you need to get to Ponyville for a test flight?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?" 

All Aboard smiled. "Princess Celestia told me. She said to expect a large crowd, as well as you, and your metal craft. And I know what you must be thinking. 'But my plane is so big! It won't fit in a coach! How am I ever going to get it to Ponyville?' Well, luckily for you, I have the solution!" 

He pointed towards the back of the train, and there, just in front of the caboose, was a large gondola freight car.

"Whoa, where did that come from?" 

All aboard smiled. "Well, from time to time we do have to haul freight, and we have to be ready to haul anything, big or small, but this will be the first time in Equestrian Railway history that we've ever carried a machine from another planet!" 

Taylor smiled. "Well then Al, I'm glad that Blue 1 will be the first other-worldly machine carried by a train here in Equestria. And I'm also glad that you're the train's conductor today. I mean, just think of the story that you'll be able to tell your kids and grand-kids some day!" 

All Aboard smiled. "Yeah, you're right Mr. Taylor! Anyway, we do have a schedule to keep, so if everypony could get everything loaded up, then we can get you all to Ponyville as fast as possible! All aboard!" 

With help from the engineers who were unicorns, as well as several unicorns in Iron Company, including Tinker himself, Taylor's plane was gently picked up, and moved over to the gondola car before being gently lowered onto it. Once it was sitting securely on the car, cables were procured, and the plane was tied down tightly to the car. After a few quick tests to make sure that everything was still stable, they were ready to go.

"Next stop, Ponyville! All aboard!" 

Taylor and a few of the guards helped get all of the luggage on board the train, and once Princess Celestia, the two nurses, the Airplane 8, Iron Company, Taylor, and everypony else who was going to Ponyville was in their seats, the train ride began.
> Chapter 22: Back to Ponyville, Dreams Take Flight, and......Cutie-Marks? (Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later, the train arrived in Ponyville. Once it had pulled into the station, it was the same process as before, except in reverse this time. Now the plane was unstrapped from the gondola car, moved with magic until it was off of the train, and Taylor left it under the protection of Iron Company, he helped unload all of the luggage from the train. Then, once that was complete, with Iron Company providing security and directing traffic, and Princess Celestia and the two nurses walking behind, Taylor and the Airplane 8 began to move the plane from the station platform, and through the streets of Ponyville. 

This time though, in addition to the crowds, there were also a number of reporters and journalists as well. They had caught wind of what was happening, and they all hurried to Ponyville as fast as they could. 

"This is history in the making!" One of them was saying. "The first Human in Equestria is about to embark on the first flight in a powered vehicle!" 

As he was pushing, Taylor looked at the reporter. "So, you mean to tell me that Equestria doesn't even have airships, zeppelins, or other means of flight besides wings?" 

The reporter shook her head. "No, we do have balloons, as well as airships and zeppelins, however, they are not powered, at least, not yet. Work is currently underway to help remedy this problem. Maybe your flight today will show the skeptics of powered flight that they are wrong." 

Taylor nodded. "Maybe you're right, provided of course that this plane really will fly." 

As they kept moving, they had to pass the hospital. As they did, in the midst of patients waving from the windows, Taylor spotted Ensign James. He was being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse, but because of the crowd, he didn't see Taylor, and didn't hear Taylor shouting. 

"Hmm, well, he probably can't hear me because of the crowd. Hopefully he's coming to wish me luck on my flight." 

Eventually, after rolling the plane through town, on the outskirts, Taylor spotted a large field. It was lush, green, and very long. Possibly long enough to serve as a makeshift runway. Taylor stopped to examine it. 

"Why did you stop Mr. Taylor?" One of the engineers asked. 

"That field", Taylor pointed to it. "It looks to be just what I'm looking for." He then turned to the crowd. "Um, excuse me, but does anypony know who owns that field over there?" He pointed to it. "It looks long enough to use in the flight test." 

"Yes, my family owns it." 

Taylor turned to see who had spoken. He spotted a somewhat aging, brown Earth Pony stallion wearing overalls, and a farmer's hat. 

"Hello, my name is Stinkin' Rich. I own that field over there. And I must say that it is a pleasure to finally be able to meet you, Mr. Taylor." He shook Taylor's hand. 

"Likewise, I'm sure, Mr. Rich. Anyway, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to allow me to use your field to attempt to fly my aircraft." 

Stinkin' Rich cocked his head to the side. "What exactly do you mean by 'use my field to attempt to fly your aircraft'?" 

"I just mean that in order for my plane to fly, I need a flat stretch of ground that it can roll on to gain speed. No real harm will come to your field, I can assure you." 

Stinkin' Rich thought about that. "Well", he said at last, I recon I let you use my field, provided of course that you buy some of my zap apple jam." 

"Zap Apple Jam? What's that?" 

Stinkin' Rich smiled. "Probably the best jam anywhere in Ponyville. I sell the first batch, and the Apple Family sells the rest. I still have a few jars left." 

Taylor nodded. "You've got yourself a deal Mr. Rich. I'll be sure to pick up some of your jam before I'm done here. Now then", he turned to the crowd, let's get ready for that flight test, shall we?" 

The crowd cheered, as the plane was moved into the field. Once the plane was turned facing away from the crowd, Taylor climbed up, and flipped the switches that lowered the wings back down to their proper positions. Once that was complete, Taylor climbed back down to talk with Redheart, Starlight, and Celestia before he took off. As he was walking towards them, he saw Ensign James in his wheelchair. 

"Well, it's nice to see you here James. Are you coming along for the ride?" 

James shot him a glare and a half. "I wouldn't fly in that metal death-trap again if it would save my life! Plus, I'm still trying to recover from my injuries! Maybe some other day, but not today!" 

Taylor nodded. "Ok, if you say so James, it's your call. But if you stay here, I'm going to need somepony to monitor the radio." 

"Radio? What radio?" 

"This radio." One of the engineers presented James with some radio equipment. It was the rough equivalent of what was used on Earth with the Navy, and very close to what James had used before.

"Ok, sure thing Taylor! I'll just be right here, manning the radio!" 

Taylor smiled. "That's good to hear James. Now then, this is optional, but my plane can hold another two individuals besides myself. There's space for a turret gunner, as well as a torpedoman. James has declined wanting to come along, but if anypony wants to, (preferably an adult!) They can come along for this test flight, provided of course they know the risks that they take!" 

At Taylor's suggestion, Ponies at first seemed interested, but when they heard from Taylor the dangers, all of them declined. Well, almost all of them. 

"I'll fly with you Taylor." 

Taylor turned and saw Tinker. "What? You will? Are you sure that you really want to do that Tinker?" 

Tinker nodded. Sure. Even though I am a unicorn, it has always been my lifelong dream to fly. I'll come with you." 

"And so will I!" 

"But Mr. Rich, why?" 

He smirked. "I have to. I have to make sure that you'll actually fulfill your end of the deal, and buy some of my jam! I know that you're probably an honest fellow, but one can never be too sure!" 

Taylor shrugged. "Well, if both of you are sure that this is what you really want to do, I guess that you can come along. Now then, the question remains; who wants the torpedoman seat, and who wants the turret?" 

Tinker looked at Taylor. "I guess that I could take the turret gunner's spot. That is, if Mr. Rich doesn't want it." 

Stinkin' Rich shook his head. "It's all yours Captain Armor, I don't want it. I just want to come along for the ride. I don't have to see everything." 

Taylor nodded. "Ok, that settles it I guess." Taylor then turned to Celestia and the two nurses. "Well, wish me luck with this you guys." 

Be careful Mr. Taylor, and you too Tinker!" 

They both nodded. "We will Miss Starlight." 

"Good luck on your flight boys!" 

"Thank you, Princess Celestia!" 

"Come back to me safe and sound Taylor", Redheart was nervous for him. 

"You got it Miss Redheart." 

She placed one of her hooves on his shoulder. "If you do, and if you were interested in us beginning dating, then it shall begin!' 

Taylor hugged her. "That would be so nice Miss Redheart. You've got yourself a deal!" 

After he, Tinker, and Stinkin' Rich walked back to the plane, they of course posed for photographs that would be in the next day's paper under the title, "Dreams Take Flight! Amazing Aircraft Test in Ponyville!" There were even a few film cameras recording the event, as well as it being broadcasted on the radio. 

Once the trio was all back at the plane, Taylor opened the lower door. "And this is where you two will be sitting." He pointed out both the torpedoman's seat, as well as the seat for the turret gunner. "And please be careful when you boys climb inside. As I told the two nurses, this plane was built for humans, not ponies." 

They both nodded. "Sure thing Taylor." 

"Tinker, you'll climb in first, and up to the gunner's seat, and strap in. Then, once he's ready, you'll climb in Mr. Rich, and sit right here." He pointed to the seat just inside the plane. 

They both nodded. "Ok Taylor." 

With help, Tinker climbed inside the plane, and once he was up in the gunner's seat, he tried to figure out how to buckle himself in. "Yeah, you were right Taylor, these planes were meant for humans, not Ponies! But you sure have a great view from back here!" 

Taylor climbed in and helped him strap in. He then helped Stinkin' Rich into his seat, and buckled him in as well. 

"Are both of you guys comfortable?" 

"Roger that Taylor!" Tinker called. 

"Yes Mr. Taylor," Stinin Rich added. 

"Any questions before I close this hatch?" 

"Um yes. Seeing that we are cut off from you in the cockpit, how do we communicate with you?" 

Taylor picked up the headset that was hanging on the wall, and handed it to him. "With these. These are radio headsets that will allow us to communicate with each other while in flight." He showed both him and Tinker how to use them. "Do you guys understand?" 

They both nodded. 

"Ok good." Taylor climbed back out, but just before he shut the door, he stopped. "Oh, and one other thing. Feel free to look all you want, but please try not to touch anything besides the seats, seatbelts, radio headsets, and handles. Everything in here is extremely complex, and if you were to touch the wrong thing, it could damage something." 

"We won't touch anything Taylor." Stinkin Rich reassured him. 

"Ok, good." Taylor then closed the door, and headed back up the plane to the wings, so that he could climb into the cockpit. 

"Are you nervous Mr. Rich?" Tinker asked.

He nodded. "Yes, I'm really starting to wonder what I've gotten myself into by agreeing to do this." 

Tinker shrugged. "I'm sure that it'll be fine. After all, I don't think that Taylor would have brought us along if he knew that it wasn't safe." 

"I certainly hope that you know what you're talking about Captain Armor. Not only for my sake, but for yours as well." 





Meanwhile, Taylor had finished closing the door, and he made his way back to the wings, and once he's climbed up onto them again, he climbed up to the cockpit. Once he was there, he waved to the crowd one final time, before he sat down in his seat. The first thing that he did was flip the switches that turned the radio on. 

"Ok, this is Taylor from the cockpit. Do you guys hear me back there?" 

"This is Tinker in the turret, I read you loud and clear Taylor!" 

"And this is Stinkin' Rich in the tropedoman's seat. I also read you loud and clear." 

"Ok, that's good, now I'll just check with the external radio." He switched frequencies. "Central Radio, Central Radio, This is Lt. Charles Taylor onboard TBF Avenger TF-28, also known as Blue 1. Do you copy, over?" 

"Blue 1, this is Ensign James from Central Radio. I read you loud and clear, as do those close to me, and those ponies with microphones who are recording this for both their records, as well as their radio audiences." 

"Affirmative CR." He switched frequencies so that everypony in the plane could hear what was said outside, and vice versa. "Ok boys did you hear that? This entire flight is being recorded live on the air. This one's for the history books, so watch your language!" 

"Roger that Taylor!" 

"Affirmative Mr. Taylor." 

"Ok CR, I'm beginning my preflight checklist. This should take a few minutes, over." 

"Roger that Blue 1. Take all the time that you need." 





After a few minutes of flipping switches, checking gauges, and making sure that everything was ready, Taylor radioed James again. "Ok CR, my preflight checklist is complete. Are we clear for engine startup, over?" 

"Affirmative Blue 1. The area is clear. Fire up when ready." 

"Copy that CR." Taylor then radioed the back of the plane. "I'm starting up the engine, are you guys ready?" 

They both gave the affirmative. 

"Ok, Standby, Engine starting up!" 

Taylor then flipped the startup switches, and then pulled the ignition knob. Unlike the previous time the night before, the engine roared to life after only spinning for a few rotations.

"CrR, we have engine startup. Are we clear to proceed to taxiing, over?" 

"After a few moments of silence, the reply came. "Affirmative Blue 1. The crowd has gotten back behind the line that Iron Company has drawn up, and everypony is eagerly awaiting the outcome of this test, over." 

Taylor smiled. "Well, tell them that their patience is about to be rewarded. Here we go!" Taylor then closed the cockpit canopy, and fully strapped himself into his seat as well. He then pulled on his flight helmet, and once that was ready, he radioed back, "Brakes coming off!" 

He then moved the plane forwards a bit, and then he turned to the right. After going forwards, he turned left. Then, after completing a full 360 degree circle, he then moved the plane back to the edge of the field, and turned it into the wind again.

"What are you doing Taylor?" Tinker asked. "Why aren't we flying yet?" 

"I'm just completing our taxiing tests. These were just tests to make sure that the plane could move fine on the ground. Now that those are complete, it's time to attempt a take-off. Hang on!" Taylor then called James one last time. "CR, This is Blue 1 again. We've completed all of our taxiing maneuvers. Are we now cleared for takeoff, over?" 

After a few moments of silence, a reply came. "Affirmative Blue 1. You are cleared for takeoff!" 

"Roger that CR!" 

Taylor then applied the brakes, and after revving the engine up to takeoff speed, he released the brakes, and the plane began to race off down the field. Taylor had pulled back on his control stick, but the plane just didn't seem to want to lift off of the ground. He could feel it trying, but there didn't seem to be enough power to get airborne again. 

Come on!" Taylor growled, "Come on! Don't fail me now old girl!" 

Then, just as the plane passed the point of no return, (the spot of the field where it was either take off now, or crash) The plane's wheels suddenly left the ground, and for the first time since the crash, Blue 1 was, (rather shakily!) back in the air!

"YAHOOO!!!!! WE DID IT!" Taylor cried. "WE'RE FLYING AGAIN!!!!!" 

"YAHOOO!!!!!!" Tinker cried.

"Um, yeah, great Job Mr. Taylor, we're actually flying!" 

The crowd on the ground was also beside themselves about Taylor's success. 

"Well folks, that's history in the making for you. Just moments ago, Lt. Taylor, Capt. Armor, and Mr. Rich just successfully flew the first powered flight vehicle in Equestrian history. They will now be forever remembered in the history books. Let's just hope that they can land safely back on the ground! This is Newsflash, reporting for Ponyville Radio 112!" 





Meanwhile, back up in the sky, Taylor and Co. were having the time of their lives. After banking to the right, Taylor then began to fly North, over Ponyville. He leveled out at about 1,000ft., and let the others enjoy the view down below. 

"Wow, this is so amazing Mr. Taylor. I never thought that I would ever get to see Ponyville from the air." 

"Then it was my pleasure to be the one to show you, Mr. Rich." 

"I can't get over this either Taylor", Tinker was saying. "Flying is so cool! No wonder the Pegasai love it so much! This is friggin amazing!" 

Yeah, no kidding." Taylor agreed. "I always felt so free when I was flying. It's such a liberating experience to be able to fly." 

They continued to circle around Ponyville for a while longer, but unfortunately, their flight was about to be cut short. One of the ailerons on the left wing, the same wing that had snapped off when Taylor crash landed, suddenly came loose, and began to bang around. 

"Hey Taylor, I'm starting to hear a loud banging noise back here. What's going on?" 

"I'm not sure Mr. Rich, however, my wing controls are starting to get a little stiff." Taylor then looked behind him on both sides. Sure enough, he spotted the loose aileron. "Uh oh, that doesn't look good." 

"What? What doesn't look good?!" 

"One of the ailerons on the left wing has come loose." 

"And how serious is that Taylor?" Tinker asked. 

"It's not the end of the world, however, we should probably land before that tears off, and possibly drags something important with it." Taylor then radioed James. "Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is Blue 1, we've got a small situation up here, and we're going to have to cut this flight short." 

"This is CR, what's going on Blue 1, over?" 

"CR, one of the ailerons on the left wing has broken loose, and is banging around. I'm going to land before the damage gets any worse. Over." 

"Can you make it back to the field, over." 

"Affirmative CR. Our Eta is less than 2 minutes, over." 

"Affirmative Blue 1. And you're cleared to land when you get here." 

"Copy that CR." 

Sure enough, about 2 minutes later, the field came into sight. "OK boys, this is it. Hold on tight, I'm going to land this plane." 

"And we're going to be ok, right Mr. Taylor?" 

"Affirmative Mr. Rich. It was just a broken aileron. Nothing too serious. I'm an expert pilot, so, if we exclude the Flight 19 'incident' that resulted in my arrival here, we should be just fine." 

Stinkin Rich nodded, and he and Tinker kept quiet for the duration of the landing. Sure enough, just like Taylor had previously predicted, the landing went off without a hitch. Once the wheels were down, they made contact with the grassy field, and aside from a few bumps and jolts, when Taylor applied the brakes, the plane slowly came to a complete stop. 

Once the plane was stopped, Taylor shut off the engine. Then, after opening the cockpit hatch, he took a quick look at his watch. His flight had begun at 1:11pm, and had ended at 1:20pm. A grand total of almost 10 minutes. "Well, it was only 10 minutes, but still, that's better than nothing I guess." 

For some weird reason, Taylor began to feel a weird sensation on his thighs. It was not pain per-say, but it was somewhat unsettling. "Huh. I wonder what's going on with me?" He wondered about this for a few moments, but then he remembered the aileron. "Yeah, I should probably go have a look at that." 

He then unbuckled his seatblets, and after removing his flight helmet, he climbed out of the plane, and once he was back on the ground, he was able to fully assess the damage. The busted aileron was still on the plane, but Taylor saw that it was going to have to be repaired/replaced. 

"Crap!" Taylor mumbled to himself, "That's torn it. Now I'll have to ship the whole darn thing BACK to Canterlot, have the aileron repaired, then have it sent BACK to Ponyville just to see if it works!" 

While Taylor was still muttering about this, he opened the rear door to the plane, climbed inside, and after unstrapping Stinkin' Rich, he helped him out of the plane, before doing the same for Tinker. Once they were all back outside of the plane again, Redheart and Nurse Starlight ran up to them to see if they were hurt. 

Taylor and the other two took a brief check. 

"Nope", Taylor said after looking himself over, "I'm fine, but the plane's got a busted aileron that'll have to be fixed before it can fly again." Taylor then put his hands on his hips. "However, I have this weird, tingly feeling on my thighs though." 

"Does it hurt?" Redheart asked. 

"Not as to be pain, per-say, but it does feel weird." 

"Do you want me to take a look at it?" 

Taylor nodded. "Sure, I guess." 

Once the test was declared over, and the crowd had begun to disperse, Taylor lay down on the grass underneath the left wing, and let Redheart examine him. (Most ponies had left at this point, save for a few major fans, a handful of reporters, Iron Company, Celestia, and of course Tinker, Stinkin' Rich, Ensign James.) 

"So it's your thighs that feel weird Taylor?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, it's like a weird, tingly feeling." 

At Redheart's command, and with Nurse Starlight, Tinker, and Stinkin' Rich deliberately standing in such a way as to be blocking the view, Taylor pulled his pants down, and let Redheart look at his thighs. (And yes, he was still wearing his underwear!) 

"Oh my!" 

"What? Do you see something?" Taylor asked. 

Redheart just looked at him with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Looks like somepony finally got their Cutie-Mark!" 

"WHAT?!?!?!" Taylor was shocked, and demanded proof. 

Once he'd turned enough to look at his thighs, he just stared in shock. On both of his upper thighs, close to his rump, as clear as day, was the same US Navy Insignia that was on both the body and wings of his plane. 

"How is this even possible?!" Taylor cried. "Humans don't get these!!!" 

"Never?" Redheart asked. 

"No, never!" 

Redheart smiled. "Well then, congratulations on being the first!" 

All Taylor could do was lay back down on the grass, and try not to faint. He was so shocked by this recent development, on top of his achieving flight accomplishment. 

"Oh boy", he murmured, "What have I gotten myself into this time?!"
> Chapter 23: Coming to Terms, Long Term Options, and the Last Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Taylor had finished getting over his severe shock at just becoming the first human in history to ever get a cutie-mark, he pulled his pants back up, and crawled back out from underneath the wing. Once he was standing up again, he looked at the others who were still present.

"So, what do we do now?" 

Redheart and Starlight looked at each other. 

"Well", Redheart said at last, "I guess we head back to Canterlot to spend our last night before returning to work at the hospital again." 

Taylor looked down at the grass. He knew that this day was coming, but now that it was upon him, he felt very sad. 

"Well", he said slowly, "I guess this is going to mean that I'll have to find a house of my own to live in. That'll definitely take some doing." 

Redheart put her hoof on his shoulder. "Not if you come and live with Starlight and I." 

Taylor looked at them. "Are, are you both being serious right now?" 

They both nodded. "Yes. We have a spare guest room that you can stay in." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, that should do very nicely. Plus, my being a human with technical skills should make finding me a job somewhat easy. Maybe this could work out." 

The two nurses began making arrangements for this, and Taylor turned back to Stinkin' Rich. "Well Mr. Rich, I guess now would be as good of a time as any to buy a few jars of you zap apple jam now. Unfortunately, all I have on me is $3.75 in American currency. Now, I'm not a money expert, but I'm going to guess that American currency doesn't have any value here." 

Stinkin' Rich nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid that you have gotten that right Mr. Taylor." 

"Well then, what do you guys use for currency? Maybe we could figure out the exchange rate." 

Stinkin' Rich reached into a pocket on his overalls. "We use Bits. It's a gold coin." 

Taylor looked at it, as did Celestia. After a whole lot of calculating, which got officials from the Ponyville Bank involved, it was eventually determined that one Bit roughly equaled $1.33 in American currency. 

"And how much is a jar of jam Mr. Rich?"

"Um, it's 2 bits per jar." 

Taylor did the math in his head. "Well then, with these rates, I'll by one jar of zap apple jam, and it'll cost me $2.66, which'll leave me with $1.09, which I'll keep as keepsakes, since that'll be the last American currency that I have." 

As the exchange was being done by the bank tellers, Stinkin' Rich asked, "Um, if you don't mind my askin' what is American currency called?" 

"Oh, well we use both pocket change, and paper money, with the paper money being back up by the Federal Government's gold reserves. The smallest coin we use is called a penny, and it's worth one cent. It also takes 100 cents to make a dollar, which is the smallest paper bill in circulation. After pennies, you have nickles, which are worth five cents, then dimes at 10 cents, and quarters, which are worth 25 cents. There are also silver dollars, which are worth one dollar in paper money. Then for bills, there are 1$ bills, 2$ bills, 5$ bills, $10 bills, $20 bills, $50 bills, $100 bills, and even $500, and $1,000 bills." 

Taylor then looked back at Stinkin' Rich. "Um, does any of this make any sense to you at all?" 

To Taylor's surprise, he nodded. "Yes, actually it does. I am a business pony, money is my job." 

After Taylor had been given his Bits, he gave them to Stinkin' Rich, who in turn gave him a jar of zap apple jam. 

"It was a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Taylor. We'll have to do this again some time!" He tipped his hat to Taylor. 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, we just might. Anyway, thank you again for the jam, and I guess that I'll see you around Mr. Rich." 

"Yes, I hope that you will. Goodbye Mr. Taylor." 

"Goodbye Mr. Rich." 

He then left to return to his business, and Taylor and Celestia returned to retrieve the plane. To their surprise, when they returned, Iron Company had already pushed it back to the train station, and were waiting with it alongside the Airplane 8. Taylor then folded the wings back up, and they all waited for the train to Canterlot. 

As they were waiting, Taylor walked with Ensign James back to the hospital. 

"That was an amazing flight Mr. Taylor. Oh, and congrats on your butt-picture, or whatever it's called." 

Taylor groaned. "It's called a 'Cutie-mark' James, not a 'butt-picture'. And thanks, I guess." 

"Yeah, now I kinda wish that I went with you. Maybe I would have gotten a Cutie-mark too." 

Taylor shrugged. "It's possible, I suppose. However, I do know that one day, you'll probably get yours too. What it'll look like, God only knows, but I feel fairly confident that you'll get yours." 

James sighed. "Yeah, maybe. I just wish that I was out of this hospital. I almost feel well enough to walk, but the staff won't let me yet." 

"Well, you had three cracked ribs, large and deep cuts, plus a concussion. Those are all considered rather serious James. A few more days of recovery should be in order first." 

"Yeah, I guess that you're right Taylor." 

Once they reached James's room, Taylor said goodnight. "Goodnight James, I'll be back to see you in the morning." 

"I guess so. Let's just hope that I don't have another dream like I did last night." 

Taylor looked at him curiously. "What do you mean James?" 

"I mean that last night, I had the strangest dream of my life. It began with us in Blue 1, only this time, Cole was with us as well. We were flying along, when all of a sudden, we were attacked by these black, bug-like creatures....." James then explained his whole dream to Taylor. "....And that's how it ended. I don't know what any of it means." 

Taylor looked at him with a worried expression on his face. "I don't know what to think now either James, because, truth be told, I had almost the exact same dream!" 

"What? Are you for real?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, except, that my dream had a different ending. I saw the pink Alicorn, as well as the figure standing next to her, but in my dream, standing on his other side, was a yellow-furred mare with orange eyes, and a mane and tail that were flame colored! Standing just behind them I saw a she-wolf that stood on two legs, a girl with reddish hair, and green eyes, and a unicorn stallion with white fur, blue eyes, and a blue mane and tail. To me, they all seemed like a big, happy family, however, that was the catch." 

"What do you mean Taylor?" 

"I mean that I think that they were all in some kind of polygamous union, or something." 

"What?! Why do you say that?!" 

Taylor shrugged. "Call it a hunch, but I'm pretty sure that because of what I was seeing, they were in a polygamous  relationship." 

"What could all of this mean Taylor?" 

Taylor shrugged again. "Sadly, I don't know James. These could just be dreams, but two people, having almost the exact same dream? That makes me kinda suspicious." 

Now it was James's turn to look confused. "Suspicious of what Taylor?" 

"Suspicious that God may be showing us what's to come." 

James shook his head. "Oh goodness! If that's what's to come, sign me out!" 

"Yeah, I know what you mean James. I guess that we'll just have to keep our eyes open, and see what happens." 

James nodded, and after saying goodbye, Taylor left once again, and headed back to the train station. 





While Taylor was waiting for the train with the others, somepony walked up to him. 

"Um, excuse me, but um, are you Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor turned to see who had spoken to him. He saw a young stallion with blue fur, a grey mane and tail, golden eyes, a leather jacket with a white scarf, and a cutie-mark of a pilot's helmet with goggles. 

"Yes, I'm Mr. Taylor. Who might you be?" 

"Um, my name is Wind Rider. I live up in Cloudsdale, but I heard that you were coming to Ponyville to test your flying machine, so I decided to come watch you fly." 

"Oh, and did you enjoy the show?" 

Wind Rider nodded. "Oh, yes sir. I enjoyed it very much. So much in fact, that it got me thinking. Up in Cloudsdale, there's a great team of aerial stunt flyers called the Wonderbolts. They're the greatest flyers in all of Equestria, and my dream is to one day be able to join them. I'm a great flyer, but I don't know if I have what it takes to be the best. As you can see though, I can dress for the part, just like you!" He gestured to his jacket and scarf. "However, I would like your advice. From one flyer to another, do you think that I have what it takes to be a Wonderbolt?" 

Taylor looked down at the young stallion who reminded him so much of himself. "Well, young Wind Rider, I can't tell you what to do, or not to do, but I can tell you this. Don't ever give up on your dreams. Also, don't listen to your critics. Just because somepony tells you that you can't do something, doesn't mean that you really can't do it. Being the best means proving yourself, showing what your're really made up. And never, ever, no matter what give up without trying. You want my advice? Go for it. If you think that you have what it takes to be a Wonderbolt, go and prove it to them that you do. Even if you fail, you'll know that you tried." 

Wind Rider looked up at Taylor, and saluted. "Sir, yes sir! I'll look into trying to enlist right away!" 

Taylor nodded, smiling. "Yes, and I can tell, young Wind Rider, that you may be destined for great things one day." 

Just before Wind Rider left, Taylor also gave him a copy of a picture that was taken earlier that day of him in front of his TBF Avenger. He signed it, and also wrote on the back, "Never, ever give up on your dreams. If you think that you can, never stop trying until you succeed. Charles Taylor, 1945." 

Wind Rider would take that picture, frame it, and keep it close to him for the rest of his life. Even though his reputation was later ruined, he would always think back to what Taylor had told him. 

"I really did it, Mr. Taylor. You were right to believe in me. I just wish that I didn't disappoint you." 





Once they were all back in Canterlot, Taylor helped the Airplane 8 move the plane back down to the workshop, so that it could be worked on again. The 8 engineers sensed that something was making Taylor sad. 

"What's wrong Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor looked at them. "Well guys, as hard as it is for me to say this, I think that our time together may be coming to an end." 

"What? What do you mean?" 

Taylor sighed. "I mean that now that the plane is completely restored, and we have a way to make fuel for it, and I'm heading back to Ponyville tomorrow, this time to stay, I really don't see how you can continue being the 'Airplane 8'." 

They all saw the dejected look on Taylor's face. 

"That might be the case Mr. Taylor, if it wasn't for what Princess Celestia told us on the way back from Ponyville." 

Taylor looked at them curiously. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, it seems that a little birdie told us that somepony was very interested in having airships and zeppelins that could move under their own power." 

"Wait, so are you saying that....." 

"I'm saying that in a few months time, a workshop will be opening in Ponyville. The purpose of this workshop will to be to build and test new powered engine designs for these airships and zeppelins. The workshop headquarters will still be in Canterlot, but Princess Celestia told us that we're going to be the ones staffing the new workshop in Ponyville!" 

Taylor was so choked up, he didn't know what to say. Metal Work said it for him. "Princess Celestia also told us that we were going to need a leader. Somepony who would have very good knowledge of how these engines worked, and could work with us to build and test them." 

"Are you saying that.....?" 

"I'm saying that if you and Ensign James are in need of jobs, then the workshop's hiring!" 

"Yahoo! Sign me up! Oh, this is going to be so great! I'll have a job helping to build the future of Equestria! How could I ever say thank you?" 

The Airplane 8 looked at him, and smiled. "Your face is more than doing that Mr. Taylor. But I guess that a group hug would work fine too." 

Taylor smiled, and without much more adieu, they all hugged.

"Wow", Taylor remarked when they broke the hug, "You guys are quite the bunch of incredible coworkers. It was my genuine pleasure to help you restore my aircraft, and it will be my pleasure again to be able to work with you in Ponyville on the new engines." 

"Just as it was our pleasure to help you with that restoration Mr. Taylor. And we too look forwards to being able to work with you in Ponyville as well." 

A few minutes later, after securing the workshop once again, they all closed it up for the night, and went their separate ways, all vowing to return the next day, and hopefully fix the aileron before Taylor had to leave with Starlight and Redheart for Ponyville.





Once Taylor had made it back upstairs, he was met by Redheart. 

"Hey Taylor?" 

"Yes Miss Redheart?" 

"Um, I was wondering if you, um, well...." She was blushing. "Wondering if you would like to um.....take a walk with me, maybe?" 

Taylor looked at her. "Sure, if that's what you want Miss Redheart." 

A little while later, the two of them were walking through the streets of Canterlot, just taking in the sights, and to do their best to remember everything about it, as that night, marked their first date. This first date would lead to others, which would eventually lead to......

The author looks up from his writing. "No, I don't think that I should spoil this part yet. It's still a bit too early for that. Plus, I still have to tell the story of the couple of days or so." 

The author then gets back to work.
> Chapter 24: A Confession, Painful Repercussions, and Reflections
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All while Taylor was out for his walk with Redheart, something kept bothering him. Deep down, ever since that painful night with Celestia two days prior, something had been eating Taylor up on the inside. Redheart. Taylor knew that he was going to have to tell her what he did. 

"But I know that she'll hate me", he thought. "She'll never want to see me again. And we were just getting off the ground too." 

"Yes, but what'll happen if you don't tell her, and then she finds out later?" His conscience asked. "Won't that hurt her even more? This way, you come clean, clear the air now, and maybe this gets resolved quietly. If you just leave it though, then that's always been a recipe for disaster. I mean, just think about what EVERYPONY else would think if they found out!" 

Taylor knew that his conscience was right. "If she does hate me, then it's my own fault. I had every chance to stop that right then and there, but I didn't do it. I was a coward, and now it may cost me very dearly, Nevertheless, God's forgiven me, now I must seek Redheart's forgiveness, and take whatever's coming to me." 

Since they were still walking about in public, Taylor didn't dare risk anything. He decided to talk to Redheart when they got back to the castle. 





"Um, Miss Redheart?" He asked when they got back.

"Yes Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor sighed. "I, um, I really need to talk to you about something." 

She looked at him curiously. "What? What do you want to talk to me about?" 

Taylor didn't speak for a moment. "Can we go somewhere private? I don't really want to talk about it out here." 

"Um, sure, I guess. We could go back to your room." 

Taylor nodded. "Um, yeah, sure." 

Once they were there, Taylor asked Redheart to sit down, which she did on the bed. He then closed the door, and turned around to face her. 

Redheart saw how Taylor was reacting, and she began to be very concerned. "What's wrong Taylor?" She asked. 

Taylor continued to look at her, but he didn't say anything. 

"Taylor, I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." 

Taylor caved. He took a deep breath, summoned all of the courage that he could possibly muster, and then he spoke. 

"What, I need to tell you, is something awful that I did. You remember two nights ago? The same night Celestia summoned me to her room?"

"Yeah?" 

"Well, I.....I......." Taylor then collapsed, and broke down crying. He then told Redheart everything. From when he kissed Celestia, to the trip to her room, to everything that happened in there. Taylor didn't hold back any of the details. He had to get it all off of his chest. "....And the worst of it is, I had the audacity to return to you that same night, to cuddle with you, after all of that! I'm dead!" Taylor then went back to sobbing. 

Redheart didn't say a word. All while Taylor made his big confession, she never made a sound. Both of her hooves were over her mouth, and there were tears in her eyes, but she didn't say anything. 

Eventually, Taylor did manage to get a grip on himself enough to stop crying, but he didn't lift his head up off of the bed where he'd fallen face first onto it after telling Redheart everything. Eventually, he felt one of her hooves on his head, gently pulling him back up. Once he was off of the bed, he found himself looking into Redheart's eyes. She seemed to be crying, but what Taylor failed to realize, was that this was merely the calm before the storm. 

Before he could say anything, Redheart smacked him across the face with her hoof!" 

"OWW!!!" Taylor yelled. "Why did you do that?!" 

"That was for cheating on me!" She then smacked him again. "And THAT was for lying to me!" Another smack. "And THAT was for not telling me right then!" 

Taylor's face was now somewhat bruised, and a little bit of blood was even leaking from his nose. "Please, for the love of God Redheart, PLEASE DON'T HIT MY FACE ANY MORE!!!!!!" 

He definitely should have rephrased that. Moments after he said that, Redheart gave him a resounding, but not full-blown, kick to that one sensitive area between the legs. Taylor went down in an instant, crying, and sobbing for breath. 

"And THAT was for cuddling with me when you cheated on me!" 

Taylor maybe tried to get up again, but in her fury, Redheart kicked at him again, but this time, she missed. Instead of hitting one of his legs, she accidentally kicked him in the head! Taylor went down instantly.

Moments after she did this, Redheart realized her mistake. "Oh my Celestia! TAYLOR!!!!" She instantly got to his side. "TAYLOR, can you hear me?!?!" As she was feeling around his neck for a pulse, her hooves touched something wet and sticky. When she looked down at her hooves, she gasped in horror. It was blood! There was a pool of blood forming around the side of Taylor's head. 

Redheart could only scream in horror! Moments after she did, she blacked out. 





An unknown amount of time later, Redheart found herself being shaken awake. 

"Redheart? Redheart! Can you hear me? Wake up!" 

Redheart's eyes then snapped open. She then found herself looking into the eyes of Nurse Starlight. 

"Redheart? What happened in here?!" 

Redheart then sat up on the bed in a fright. She looked down at where Taylor was, and she saw that he'd been propped up against the wall next to the bed, and now had bandages over his head as well. 

"Wh-wh....at? How did......?" 

"You could probably start by telling me what happened in here." 

Redheart started crying. "It was horrible Starlight! One minute, Taylor and I are out on our walk. Then the next, we're back at the castle, and he tells me that he has to talk to me about something private. He then brings me in here, and shuts the door. He then tells me that he did something horrible....." Redheart then tells Starlight everything that Taylor had told her. "....And when he told me this, I snapped. After smacking him around for a bit, I kicked him in his stallion-package, sending him to the floor. I then tried to kick him again, but I missed, and hit him in the head! 

I panicked at what I had just done, and I tried to find a pulse. When I felt the blood, I saw it on my hooves, and when I realized that I had probably just killed Mr. Taylor, the first and only human in Equestria, the guilt, pain, and horror overwhelmed me, and I blacked out. Care to fill in any of the blanks?" 

Starlight nodded. "Um, yeah. Tinker and I were coming back from a walk as well, we both heard you scream, we came running, and after Tinker opened the door, we both gasped in shock. You were unconscious on the bed with blood on your hooves, and Taylor was on the floor with his head in a puddle of blood. All things considered, I genuinely thought that you'd murdered him, and then committed suicide. You can imagine our relief when I found you both to still be alive." 

"What did you do then?" 

"Well, after making sure that you didn't have any injuries, I then immediately turned my attention to Taylor. Thank the Creator that the wound on his head was only minor." 

"it, it...was?" 

Starlight nodded. "Yes. It was a glancing hit. You hit him just hard enough to knock him out, as well as draw blood. Tinker then propped him up against the wall, while I bandaged him up as best I could." 

"Um, you keep saying you and Tinker. Where is he?" 

Starlight then pointed a hoof, and when Redheart looked, she saw Tinker sitting on the floor next to Taylor, previously out of her range of vision. 

"Oh, I see. So, um, what happens now?" 

Starlight shrugged. "To be perfectly honest Redheart, I have no idea. He did cheat on you, sure, but you assaulted him, and somewhat severely at that. He could actually press charges against you if he wanted." 

Redheart buried her face into her hooves. "And he would have every right to do so if he chose to. Oh god, why? Why did I do that?" 

"You did it because I was a fool. And yes, I could press charges, but because it was my fault to begin with, I won't." 

Redheart looked over towards the voice. To her surprise, it was Taylor! He had regained consciousness, but he was still sitting next to Tinker against the wall.

"How.....how do you feel?" 

"Like a load of bricks was just dropped on my head. I mean, I knew that you Earth-ponies were strong, but man, I had no real idea until now." 

Redheart was still upset. "I broke my Ponycratic Oath!  I swore to never do any harm, but only good. But now I almost killed you Taylor!" 

"Yeah, you did. But like I said before, I deserved it. I cheated on you, and now I'm reaping what I sowed." 

"But you didn't deserve to get kicked in the head! I meant to only hit you a few times, and let it go at that. I didn't mean for this to happen!" 

Taylor sighed. "Well, I have a massive headache, as well as a lot to think about. However, before you say anything else, I have one more thing to say. The same night that that happened, I asked God to forgive me for what I did. Celestia also asked for God's forgiveness, as well as mine. I forgave her, and I'm pretty sure that God did too. However, that leaves one more stone to upturn. Do you forgive me for what I did to you?" 

For the longest time, Redheart stared at the floor, and said nothing. Finally, she said, "Before I answer that question, I need to ask you, do you forgive me for what I did to you?" 

Now it was Taylor's turn to look at the ground. "Well", he said at last, "I want to, and I know that I will, but I just......need some more time to think about this." 

Redheart nodded. "As do I. I think that we should talk about this again in the morning before we leave for Ponyville." 

"Yeah, I think that that would be good." 

Once this was done, and after both nurses made sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Taylor was ok, they both left him for the night under the watch of Tinker just in case. 

"But, don't you have duties to attend to?" Taylor asked him once they were alone. "You are a captain after all." 

Tinker shrugged. "I did, but I guess that when word reached my superiors about you needing somepony to monitor you, I guess that I was chosen. This might sound like a weak explanation, but it's true." He then showed Taylor the papers that he had been given showing that he was to watch over Taylor.

"Shouldn't I be in an infirmary for observation though?" Taylor asked. "That would make more sense that this." 

"Yeah, I think that you're right there too." 

Tinker then summoned the two nurses again, and with their help, he moved Taylor to the castle's infirmary for overnight observation. Since Starlight didn't have a shift at the Ponyville General Hospital the next day, she agreed to watch over Taylor, while Redheart went back to her room, although Tinker stayed with her as well. 

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to." 

Tinker sighed. "Yeah, but Taylor's my friend, and he just went on a physical trip to hell and back, on top of his mental trip there earlier. I have to stay." 

Starlight nodded, and together, the two of them kept a close eye on Taylor all through that night. They both knew that the odds of him being just fine were rather high, but it was better to be absolutely certain, than to take any unnecessary chances.
> Chapter 25: The Next Morning, A Growing Rift, Home to Ponyville, and a Non Octane Fireball
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Taylor woke up. He was still in his bed in the infirmary, and Starlight was still with him. His head still felt pretty sore, but overall, he felt ok. 

He looked over at Starlight. "Any word yet on how soon I'll be able to leave?" He asked.

Starlight nodded. "Yes. As it turns out, you haven't suffered from a concussion, and the laceration on your head isn't so deep as to require stitches. Overall, you seem to be ok, and once you have your things together, we'll leave for Ponyville on the next train." 

Taylor looked at her. "Yeah, I bet it'll be nice for you and Redheart to be home again." 

Starlight then gave him a sad look. "Um, actually, it'll just be you and me, Mr. Taylor." 

Taylor looked at her confused. "What? What do you mean?" 

She sighs. "I mean that she left for Ponyville on an earlier train." 

"Wait, so she didn't even say goodbye or anything?" 

"I'm afraid not Mr. Taylor. She just packed up, and left. She seemed to be crying as well." 

It was then that the memories of the previous night came flooding back to Taylor. "Oh no", he muttered, face buried in his hands, "I've really done it now. Now I've lost Miss Redheart forever." 

Starlight couldn't hear what Taylor was muttering, but she could guess. "It'll be ok Mr. Taylor. Just give her some time, and I'm sure that she'll come around again. I mean", She seemed to be struggling to come up with the right words. "You guys do have great chemistry, right?" 

Taylor looked up at her. "If you would have asked me that yesterday, I would have said yes. Now, who really knows." 

Taylor then looked up at the clock on the wall. Seeing that it was close to 10:00, he knew that he was going to have to hurry to pack up not only all of this things, but also his plane. He thought back to the previous night. Just before his walk with Redheart, he had gotten word from the Airplane 8 that they had managed to secure a lease on a workshop in Ponyville that would become their base of operations as they were trying to get off the ground. 

"And by sometime this afternoon, we'll all be in Ponyville, and I guess that my plane will be stored in the workshop for the time being." He thought to himself. "Long term, I know that we'll probably have to build a separate storage shed for it." 

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Taylor got out of his bed to begin the preparations.





About an hour or so later, with the help of the engineers, the plane was moved out of the workshop in the castle basement one final time. Once again, it was moved to the railway station, where it was to be strapped to the same gondola car from the previous day. Taylor had all of his things with him, as did Nurse Starlight. Both Tinker and Celestia were with them, so as to wish them well when they departed. 

As always the train arrived on time. The plane was loaded up and secured, and Taylor helped load everything else onto the train as well. Then, just before the train departed, he and Starlight said their goodbyes. 

"Goodbye Taylor", Tinker told him as they shook hands/hooves. "We sure had a lot of fun together. I'll admit, I never knew that humans could be so great at contests like that!" 

"Yeah", Taylor agreed, "Even though we kinda messed ourselves up, it sure was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime." 

"Yeah, we will. I'm sure going to miss you though Taylor." 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to miss you too Tinker. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure that we'll be seeing each other again soon, and even if we don't, I'll write to you." 

"Yeah, that would be nice." 

Taylor then said his goodbyes to Celestia, while Starlight said goodbye to Tinker. 

"I'm going to miss you so much Mr. Taylor." She whispered as she hugged him. 

"I know, I'm going to miss you too." 

"And once again, I'm so, so sorry for what happened." 

Taylor's expression darkened. "Yes, I certainly hope that you are. When I confessed to Miss Redheart, she slapped me around, and cut my head pretty badly." 

"I know! I never meant for that to happen." 

"Well it did, and now my closest female friend has left me, possibly forever. I hope that you can live with what you did." 

Taylor then left Celestia, and boarded the train. Once Tinker and Starlight were done saying goodbye, she boarded the train as well. A few moments later, the train began to move. Once it was out of sight, Tinker turned back to Celestia. 

"Shall we go now, my Princess?" 

Celestia nodded, but she seemed very sad. "Yes, let's go." 

"Um, is something wrong, Princess?" 

"It's just, that, my night with Taylor a few nights ago has brought me nothing but grief. He lost a close friend because of it, and now he may hate me just as much as I hate myself." 

Tinker knew that she was probably right, but he didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything as they walked back to the castle. 





Once the train arrived in Ponyville again, the plane was unloaded, and with help from a few porters, he moved it to it's new home, Drywood Workshops, located towards the edge of Ponyville. The building was a modest, two-story structure, that resembled an old barn. It was painted white, and even had two large barn doors at the front. Also there waiting for him were the rest of the Airplane 8. 

"Glad that you could join us Mr. Taylor." 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad that I could too. I think that this could work out very nicely for our new engineering workshops, at least, for the time being." 

With their help, Taylor moved the plane inside of the workshop, and when he did, he saw the interior for the first time. To his surprise, it bore a rather shocking resemblance to the workshop in the basement of Canterlot Castle. There were various workbenches, a concrete floor, racks and shelves for tools, large windows and skylights to provide light, overhead lights to provide light when it's dark, a large space in the middle for working on large projects, and several hoists. Also on the ground floor was the workshop's office, and even a small kitchen, The upper floors contained living quarters, as well as a bathroom. 

"Wow, is this a workshop, or a dorm building?" Taylor asked. "I'm very confused. 

"I think that it's both actually." Metal Work told him. "The ponies that we're leasing it from said that the previous company that used it had it built in such a way so as that those working here could work in shifts. Some would be working, while others would be eating and sleeping." 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, that would make sense I guess." 

After the plane was set up in a corner of the workshop, and the other members of the Airplane 8 began talking about how their new workshop was going to work towards making engines for airships and zeppelins, Taylor excused himself to go to the hospital, and check up on Ensign James. 





When he arrived, he found James in his room, sitting in a chair by the window, writing in his notebook. He looked up when he saw Taylor. 

"Oh, hello Taylor." 

"Hello James. How are you doing?" 

James shrugged. "I'm actually feeling almost normal again. I still have some pain from my ribs, as well as where I have stitches, but overall, I feel ok." 

"That's good to hear." 

"And how have you been doing?" 

"Oh, um...." Taylor was caught off guard by that question. "Well, we left Canterlot today, and while Starlight went back to the hospital, I went with those engineers who helped me get my plane flying again to our new workshop here in Ponyville. We're now trying to figure out how to create engines for airships and zeppelins." 

James could see that something was wrong with Taylor. "What's wrong Taylor?" 

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'?" 

"You know what I mean. I can tell that you're upset about something. What's bothering you?" 

Taylor didn't know what to say. On the one hand, he really didn't want to talk about it. On the other hand though, James was not only one of his friends, but also one of his comrades, and had flown with him many times. He decided to tell him. In a low voice, he told James everything. 

"....And so that's where I currently stand. Redheart probably hates my guts, and I wouldn't blame her. I have well and truly f@#ked up." 

When Taylor finished his story, all James could do was nod. "Um, yeah, I can certainly say that you did. Have you tried talking with Miss Redheart since last night?" 

Taylor shook his head. "No, I haven't. She left for Ponyville before Nurse Starlight and I did. I haven't seen her since last night. I'm going to give it some time though. Maybe she'll come to me first." 

James shrugged. "Yeah, maybe she will. Anyway, have you fixed that busted aileron on Blue 1 yet?" 

"Nope, not yet. I decided to come see you first." 

James nodded, but then he thought of another question. "Um, Taylor?" 

"Yeah James?" 

"I was just wondering, what exactly did you use for fuel for yesterday's flight?" 

"Oh, well the engineers and I, with help from a chemical engineer named Dr. Beaker and his team, we managed to mix together moonshine and gear oil, and create gasoline." 

James looked at him with deep concern. "Taylor, you need to stop using that stuff immediately!" 

Taylor looked at him, confused. "What, why?" 

"Because it's unstable! It has no octane in it! The fuel must have a high level of octane in it!" 

"Well yeah, but it worked already." 

"It worked ONCE, Taylor. Just because you flew with it for 10 minutes doesn't mean that it really worked. Plus, what if God caused that aileron to break to save you, Captain Tinker, and Mr. Rich from dying in a plane crash?" 

Taylor thought about that. "That's, possible, I suppose James. However, I did have a team of professionals helping me. They seemed convinced that it was going to work." 

"But were they though? Remember, things like combustible fuel are probably new to them. Chances are, none of you really knew what you were doing. Mark my words Taylor, ditch your knockoff gasoline, and start work on making proper, high-octane Avgas. If you don't and you continue to try and fly that plane with what you have, this could easily be our last conversation." 

Taylor knew that James was right. "Yeah, you're right James. Plus, even if it was working, the engine was probably getting damaged in the process. Plus, now that we have our own distilling and refining equipment, how hard could it be to make high-octane Avgas?" 

"Well, it all depends on your equipment." 

"And how did you come to be such an expert on this James?" 

James looked at Taylor. "Remember? I was going through that aviation mechanics course at Naval training?" 

Taylor nodded. "Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that. Also, what was the ratio of the fuel again?" 

James thought for a moment. "Um, it was 130/140, I think." 

"Could you jot some of that down for me so that I can show the others?" 

"Sure Taylor." James wrote it all down, and handed it to him. 

"Thanks James. Well, it's getting late, and I am due back at the workshop, so I guess that I'll see you later." 

"Ok, goodbye for now Taylor. I'll be sure to come by your new workshop when I get the chance. It sounds amazing." 

"It is, and goodbye James." 

"Goodbye". 

Taylor then returned to the workshop.





Later that afternoon, Taylor continued to think about Miss Redheart. 

"What are you thinking about Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor turned to see Dusty Pile. 

"Oh, um, nothing Dusty, just a personal matter. Nothing for you to concern yourself with." 

Dusty nodded. "Sure. Also, when are we going to fix that aileron on your plane?" 

Taylor looked over at his plane. "We will, just as soon as we test something first." 

Dusty was curious. "Test what?" 

"Well, a bit earlier, I went to the hospital to see Ensign James. While I was talking with him, he warned me that the moonshine-based fuel that we're currently using is dangerous." 

"What, dangerous? What did he mean?" 

"He meant that because it lacks octane, as well as a proper fuel/oil ratio, it could cause serious damage to the engine." 

"And, are we going to make new fuel for it?" 

Taylor nodded, but then he shook his head. "I think that we should, but I also think that we should do one final startup test first, just to see if any damage has been done to the engine." 

They agreed to the test, and after moving the plane out into the center of the room, the wheel chocks were set, and Taylor climbed up and set the brakes as well. 

"Standby, I'm running through my pre-flight checklists." A few minutes later, these were complete. "Ok, standby, I'm starting up the engine. Is everypony clear?" 

"Affirmative Mr. Taylor, we're all clear!" 

"Ok, standby, engine startup!" 

As usual, Taylor flicked everything on, but this time, when he pulled on the starting knob, nothing happened.

"Huh, that's strange. Nothing's happening." He tried several more times, but instead of starting right up, all the engine did was sputter. "This is really weird. It didn't do this last time." 

Taylor climbed back out of the cockpit, and once he'd grabbed a ladder, he climbed up to the engine compartment, and after opening it up, he began to look around inside.

"See anything Mr. Taylor?" 

"Negative Metal work. Everything seems to be in place, however, something smells like burning wires." 

"Should one of us climb up and try and start up the engine again?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, somepony can. I'll stay here and see if I can spot the problem." 

Metalwork, being the chief engineer, climbed up to the cockpit. Because he was a unicorn, he could simply grab the controls with his magic, and therefore didn't need to enter the cockpit. 

"Engine starting up!" 

"Hang on, let me put my goggles on first." Taylor then put on a pair of clear, machinist goggles, then he was ready. 

"Ok, engine starting up!" 

Metalwork then worked the controls with his magic, while Taylor watched the engine closely, trying to see what was wrong. Like before, the engine kept sputtering. 

"See anything yet Taylor?" 

"Nope, not yet." 

Eventually, the engine did start for a brief period, but then it began to cough smoke.

"Um, is this supposed to be happening Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor shook his head. "No, no it isn't." 

The engine then sputtered, and died. Taylor also began to smell fuel. 

"Oh great, now it smells like the engine's flooded!" 

"Flooded? How bad is that?" 

"Well, it's not the end of the world, but that will have to be fixed by running the engine." 

That flooded engine should have served as a warning sign, just like the sputtering, and coughing smoke before it, but Taylor failed to spot these signs. 

"We should probably try one more time to clear the engine. Just pull the starter switch again Metalwork." 

"Um, is that a good idea Mr. Taylor?" 

Taylor nodded. "It's just a flooded engine. It shouldn't take too long to fix." 

Metalwork agreed, and he pulled the switch again. This time though, something definitely seemed wrong. The engine began to make loud knocking sounds, as well as start to shudder violently. There was also smoke, and coughing sounds as well. 

"Um, this sounds pretty bad Taylor. Shouldn't we stop?" 

Just as he said this though, the engine finally seemed to catch.

"No, I think that it's clear now. Maybe it'll........" 

Taylor never got a chance to finish that sentence. Just before he could, the engine had had all it could take of the knockoff fuel that it had been forced to burn for a period of time, and with a violent blast, the engine exploded. A jet of flames shot out from the engine compartment, coming straight out of the open side, and even blasting open the other side. Since he was standing on a ladder right next to the open section of the compartment, from his waist up, Taylor was suddenly engulfed in a sheet of flames. 

A series of smaller explosions occurred just afterwards, and for a moment, the whole front of the plane disappeared into a fireball. The fireball then blew itself out, and the force knocked over the ladder that Taylor had been standing on, sending him crashing to the ground. 

The last thing that Taylor saw, besides the engine, was a blinding flash of white light, and then, absolutely nothing.
> Chapter 26: Fire-Ponies, Hospital, Trauma, and Horrifying Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The workshop was in chaos. There was thick black smoke everywhere, puddles of burning liquid, in addition to the damage caused by the engine explosion. The shock-wave shattered several windows, and sent more debris out into the streets of Ponyville. Worst of all though, were the bodies. Taylor and the Airplane 8 had all been present during the final engine test, so there were a total of 9 victims in various stages of injury. 

Taylor had been blasted off of his ladder, engulfed in a sheet of flames, and fell to the floor. Luckily, he landed onto a pile of lumber, which was going to be used to build more workbenches in the coming weeks, which did serve to break his fall. Unfortunately, this was about all of what the wood did for him. 

Luckily for everypony inside though, Ponyville residents saw the smoke, and immediately alerted the local fire brigade. They arrived in a few short minutes, and quickly went to work. 

"Ok, we need to get this workshop open!" The brigade leader, Captain Burner shouted, "We have visible smoke and flames, let's go!" 

While he shouted orders, some ponies grabbed tools, and began to pry open the workshop doors. Others began to pump water from their fire-wagon, and dump it onto the flames that they could see through the broken windows. 

"Any idea what happened here?" Burner asked. 

According to eyewitnesses, there had been some kind of explosion inside of the workshop, which had possibly been caused by exploding fuel. By this time, the workshop's main doors were opened, and the fire-ponies rushed inside. What they found horrified them. 

"Captain! We're going to need stretchers in here on the double! We've got multiple casualties, some with severe injuries!" 

"Right!" 

Several ponies ran to the Ponyville General Hospital to alert the staff there to the situation. When they returned a few minutes later, they were accompanied by several ponies pulling wagons with the Red Cross symbol on them. They were the ambulances. 

The medical ponies grabbed their stretchers, and raced inside the workshop. By this point, the fires were out, but there still was lingering smoke. The first pony that they came to was Blueprints. 

"Are you ok sir?" They asked. 

He nodded. "Yes, but I'm extremely shook up." 

"And how many ponies were in here?" 

"There were 9 of us. 8 ponies and Mr. Taylor." 

"MR. TAYLOR WAS IN HERE?!?!?!?! WHERE IS HE?!?!" 

Blueprints shrugged. "I don't know." 

He was helped outside, as was Squeaky, the only two completely uninjured during this whole debacle. Fly was found next. She had several severe burns on her limbs, as well as cuts from flying debris. That still left Oilcan, Dusty, Metalwork, Inky, Royal, and of course, Taylor. 

Dusty was the first to tell Captain Burner about what happened. "It was horrible. Taylor and Metalwork were the closest to the plane. When I first saw the engine catch fire, all I could do was turn away and hit the floor. I wasn't as near to the plane as some of us were. I was lucky to get away with just some severely singed fur. I don't think that others were so lucky." 

Sadly, he was right. Oilcan was covered in severe cuts, and still had fragments of broken glass in him. Inky was severely burned, and lost most of her mane and tail. Royal had been standing in front of the plane, so he wasn't directly hit by fire, but he was hit by the engine cowling, which broke both of his back legs, as well as his hips. That just left Taylor and Metalwork. 

Ponies began to gasp in horror as the stretchers bearing the injured were taken out. 

"How many casualties are there?" Burner asked. 

"9." Somepony answered. "There were 9 in the workshop when it happened. Two are completely uninjured, and a third only got singed. Another has cuts and glass fragments, another has severe burns, and a 7th has a broken hip, and two broken legs." 

"But what about the other two?" 

"We're still looking for them. One of them we were told by one of the uninjured is Chief Engineer Metalwork, and the other of course, is Mr. Taylor." 

Burner buried his face in his hooves. "Dear Faust", he muttered. "Why did this have to happen?" 

As he was still pondering this, there came more shouts from inside of the workshop. "Oh my Celestia! We need two more stretchers in here pronto!" 

Burner walked over to the edge of the workshop's doorway. "Did, did you find them?" 

"Yes, but I don't think that they're going to make it." Came the grave reply. 

Metalwork was pulled out first. Almost all of the fur on his head, and upper body had been burned off, and he had a broken leg and a skull fracture from colliding with the concrete floor. 

After him, came Taylor. As he was carried out, very few were even able to recognize him anymore. Almost his entire head, lower arms, hands, and parts of his torso were covered in second, and possibly third degree burns. His goggles that he had been wearing seemed to be fused to his face. 

"Oh Faust! Get all of them to the hospital now!" 

"Sir, yes sir!" 

The medical ponies then got Taylor, and all of the Airplane 8, with the exception of Blueprints and Squeaky, who were uninjured. Captain Burner and the fireponies continued to make sure that everything was safe, as well as begin to prepare statements for the incident. 



 

Once they arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, they were divided into groups, and sent to a ward, depending on how injured they were. Dusty, and Fly were sent to a recovery ward, since their wounds were minor. Inky was sent to the Trauma Ward, to the section that dealt with burns. Oilcan was sent directly to the OR, due to his glass injuries. Royal was also sent to the OR, as his broken bones would have to be operated on, so that they could properly be set back into place. 

Metalwork was also sent to the Trauma Ward because of his injuries, and Taylor? He was also taken to the ward, so that he could be evaluated. His life was on the line, as were the lives of the others who had been severely wounded.





"I need 30cc's of A+ blood now!" A nurse shouted. 

Taylor was lying on a table in a secondary operating room in the Trauma Ward, while the nurses on duty did everything they could to keep him stable. 

"I also need as much burn cream that can be given in one treatment, now!" 

"Yes Ma'am!" 

"How is he even still alive?" A nurse whispered as she worked. 

"I have no idea", another answered. 

"I do." A doctor said slowly. "His thick leather jacket acted as a barrier, as did the leather work-gloves that he was wearing." 

The nurses looked to where Taylor's jacket, and gloves were being removed from him as gently as possible, so as to be able to better access the wounds underneath.

"Also, according to another eyewitness, he also was knocked back by the flames, which also toppled the ladder that he was standing on. He was moving at the speed of the flames, and fell onto a pile of lumber, which broke his fall, and also one of his arms, and caused more than a little heavy bruising on his back." 

By this point, Taylor's jacket and shirt had been removed, as had his gloves, and while another nurse was injecting morphine into Taylor, a surgeon began the delicate process of removing his blast goggles from his face. The goggles had fused to his face, and everypony could tell that once they had removed them, what was underneath wasn't going to be pretty. 

"So, what do we need to do now?" One of the nurses asked. 

"We need to keep sterilizing his wounds, applying the burn cream, and wrapping them up in bandages. We must keep him alive! If he dies, it will all be on us, so let's move!" 



 

The hours began to tick by. Dusty and Fly had been released from the hospital, and were at home resting in the care of their families. Oilcan's surgeries were complete, all of the glass was removed, and he was stitched back together. He was then moved to the OR recovery ward, where he was currently resting. 

Inky's burns had been stabilized, and she was sleeping in the Trauma Ward. Royal's surgeries were almost complete, and it appeared that he was going to be making a full recovery. Metalwork's broken arm had been set, his burns were being tended to, and he was undergoing surgery to stabilize the damage caused by his skull fracture. 

A few hours after this, Taylor's injuries had all been stabilized, at least for the time being, and he was laid to rest in the Trauma Ward as well. 





At 1:30 am that night, there suddenly came a knock on Ensign James's door.

"Huh? Now who could that be?" 

Nurse Starlight stuck her head in. "Mr. James, are you awake?" She asked. 

"Yeah, I'm awake." 

"Oh, um, I didn't wake you, did I?" 

James shook his head. "No. I woke up a few minutes ago for whatever reason, and I haven't been able to get back to sleep." James then saw the look of sadness on her face.

"What's wrong Miss Starlight?" He asked nervously. 

"It's about Mr. Taylor. There's been a terrible accident....." 



 

"WHAT?!?!" James cried when he heard the full story, "How bad is it?" 

"It's pretty bad. He is stable for the current moment, but it's still unclear if he's going to survive." 

"And what about the others?" 

"Well, like I said earlier, two were uninjured, and two others who's injuries were light, Dusty and Fly, were sent home. The one injured by glass, Oilcan, is currently resting, the burn victim, Inky, is stable, and resting. Royal, the stallion injured by the falling engine cowl, is also sleeping. All of them are expected to make full recoveries. However, that leaves Metalwork and Taylor. Because they were the closest to the plane when it exploded, they were hurt the worst." 

(All while Starlight was telling him this, James was trying to get out of bed, and find something better to wrap around himself than the robe meant for a stallion that he was provided.) 

"Metalwork's broken leg has been set in a cast, his burns have been stabilized, and he has had surgery to stabilize his skull fracture, but it's still unclear if he's going to pull through. He has been put into a coma for the time being. Taylor suffered from extreme burns, a broken arm, and severe bruising on his back. His face has also been scorched almost beyond recognition....." 

At this point, James was no longer listening. He knew that he had to go see Taylor. He slipped on his stallion-sized slippers, and once he was away from his room, he began to make his way down the hall as fast as he could. 

"Wait! Where are you going Mr. James?" 

"To see Taylor! Where is he?" 

"He's in the Trauma Ward, but..." 

James was already gone. 

"Wait!" Starlight called running after him, "I have to tell you something!" 

But James didn't hear her, as he was already out of earshot.





A few minutes later, he arrived at the Trauma Ward. 

"Excuse me", he asked the first nurse that he could find, "But can you tell me where Taylor is? I must see him right away!" 

The nurse pointed to a set of closed doors behind her. "He's back there, however!" She stopped James by blocking the doors, "He cannot be disturbed! His condition is still life-threatening, and he has been put into a coma for the time being. Only medical staff are allowed to see him." 

"But...." James protested. 

"I said NO! Now leave before I have you escorted back to your room! You are still injured too Mr. James!" 

James was absolutely crestfallen. Just as he was turning to leave though, Starlight came running up to him.

"There you are! You shouldn't have run away from me like that! I had something to tell you!" 

James looked up at her. "What? That I couldn't see Taylor because his condition was still life-threatening? Or that I couldn't see him because I'm not medical staff? Or maybe it's the fact that he'sin a coma?" 

Starlight nodded sadly. "All those things and one more I'm afraid." She then turned to the other nurse. "Let us into the Trauma Ward Cotton. He needs to see his comrade." 

The nurse, Cotton, was still upset. "But, the rules were..."

"I'M medical staff aren't I? And Mr. James here is the only comrade that Taylor has left. He must see him. Now, you can either let us in, or I could go and find Dr. Stables, and have him let us in." 

Cotton sighed. "You know that I really shouldn't do this Starlight, but because he's Taylor's comrade, and you are medical staff, I'll let you in. However, I will have to tell Dr. Stables that I did so." 

Starlight nodded. "Sure, you do whatever you have to do. I know that Dr. Stables will understand." 

Cotton nodded, and then she opened the doors to the Trauma Ward. 

Once James and Starlight were inside, James turned to her. "Um, Nurse Starlight," He asked as they walked, you told me that there was something else that you had to tell me about Taylor. What was it?" 

Starlight looked like she was about to cry. "D-during the accident, Taylor was wearing a p-pair of machinist g-goggles. T-they were clear, and w-were not up to code. The b-blast fused the f-frames to the skin around his eye-sockets." 

James put his hands over his mouth. "Oh dear God!" 

"Yes. And the g-goggles's remains were s-surgically removed, b-but that's not the w-worst of it." 

"What, do you mean Nurse Starlight?" 

"You have to be brave Mr. James." 

Now James was starting to turn extremely pale. "Um, w-what does t-that mean, N-Nurse Starlight?" 

Starlight started crying. James held her to comfort her. 

" T-the blast left M-Mr. Taylor b-blind!" She finally whispered. 

When James heard that, he had absolutely no words. 

"Wh-wh-what?! B-blind?! B-but, how?" 

"T-the flames hit him d-directly in h-his face and t-torso. H-his goggles s-saved his eyes, b-but he c-cannot see!" 

James buried his face in his hands, and broke down crying.
> Chapter 27: Current State, a Vigil, and the Long Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once James had managed to get a hold of himself again, he looked back up at Starlight. 

"Please", he whispered, "Tell me this isn't true. He can't be blind!" 

"I'm sorry, Mr. James", she replied, "I'm so, so sorry." 

James sighed, and then looked up at her again. "I still need to see him. Where is he?" 

Starlight pointed to a room down the hall. "He's over here." She started walking. 

The hallway was very quiet as they walked. The only real sounds came from the buzzing of the overhead lights, as well as the sounds of a mare crying. 

"Huh?" James wondered, "Who's crying?" 

He looked down the hall, and sure enough, there, seated on a bench just outside of Room 214, was Redheart. She did not look in very good shape. Her mane was somewhat frazzled, and she had her face buried in her hooves. There was even a small puddle on the tiled floor below her from where she had been crying. 

Starlight went up to her. "Um, Redheart?" She placed her hoof gently on her friend's shoulder, "Are, um, are you doing ok?" 

Redheart paused to look up at Starlight. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Then, Redheart got up from the bench, and went back down the hallway leaving the Trauma Ward, still crying all the way.

"Yeesh", James muttered to himself, "I knew that women could be emotional about things, but this really takes the cake. I certainly hope that she'll be alright." She was already out of the Trauma ward, so James was unable to follow her. Instead, he turned and looked up at the door of Room 214. "Is, is this his room?" 

Starlight nodded. "Yes, he is in there." She then knocked softly on the door. 

"Who is it?" Came a whisper from inside.

"Um, it's Nurse Starlight. I've brought Mr. Taylor's comrade, Mr. James. He has requested to see him." 

The door opened a bit, and a nurse with tan fur, a black mane, and a lot of freckles stuck her head out. She looked first at Starlight, and then at James. Then she sighed. "Technically, I'm one of the only ones allowed in here, aside from Dr. Stables, and a select few others, but since you were able to get past Nurse Cotton, I guess that I can let you in." 

She then opened the door just enough, and James and Starlight walked inside. As he passed the nurse, James saw that her name-tag said "Freckles". 

"Hmm" James thought to himself. Is that her real name, or just a nickname?" He wasn't sure, but he knew that now was not the time to ask. He then steeled himself up as best he could, and began to survey the room. 

The whole room was slightly larger than a standard hospital room, and it was rather dark inside. In fact, aside from a small lamp in the corner, the only other source of light came from the health monitors. It was also then that James saw his old comrade, or rather, what was left of him. 

"Oh gosh!" He put his hands over his mouth, and turned away for a moment, trying to keep from breaking down crying again. 

Taylor was lying on two mattresses that had been put on top of a long table. His head was lying on a pillow, and he was covered in blankets. What had James so disturbed though, was Taylor's appearance. All he could see was white bandages. almost Taylor's whole head was covered in them. A few tufts of hair poked out here and there, but aside from an oxygen mask around his mouth, and some black gauze covering his eyes, it was all gauze and bandages. 

It was little better elsewhere. One of Taylor's arms was exposed, but the other arm was covered by a cast, as well as bandages. His exposed arm was also connected to IV bags, and health monitors. James could also see that Taylor was wearing a hospital gown, but he couldn't see more, as the rest of Taylor was covered by the blankets. 

"He, looks like a mummy", James said quietly, tears forming in his eyes. 

"Yes, it's not good", Nurse Freckles whispered, "But from his waist down, he's fine." 

"And how's his condition?"  

"Well, he's stable, at least for now, but, as I'm sure that you heard, as of right now at least, he cannot see." 

"Yes, I heard, and that's the worst part of all. But, is his blindness permanent, or is there hope for him?" 

Nurse Freckles shrugged. "To be perfectly honest Mr. James, I have no idea. From what the surgeon who removed his goggles said, it is possible that Mr. Taylor's blindness could be due to an extreme case of flash-burn. However, until an optometrist is able to examine him, it's anypony's guess." 

"And when will that be?" 

"We managed to summon one from Canterlot, but we're also going to get a second opinion from a doctor from Manehattan. It could be another two days." 

Nurse Starlight then excused herself to go back to her duty station, although she told James to summon her when he was done so that she could escort him back to his room. James agreed, and then he turned his attention to Taylor. After pulling up a stool, he sat down on it, and scooted as close to Taylor's bed as he could. The only sounds in the room came from the hissing of the oxygen mask, as well as the beeping of the health monitors. 

"Um, T-Taylor?" James whispered, taking hold of Taylor's exposed hand gently. "C-can you hear me? Um, w-well, since you are in a coma, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm here. I'm right here beside you. You're badly broken, but the doctor's and nurses put you back together as best they could." 

James could never be sure, but when he told Taylor this, Taylor almost appeared to sigh a bit. 

"I'm going to stay here with you, Taylor. You were there for me when I was in the hospital, so now I'm going to do the same for you. All we have is each other. Lt. Charles Taylor, and Ensign William James; we're the only survivors of Flight 19. I'm not going to leave your side." 

All while James was talking to Taylor, Nurse Freckles watched him curiously. In all of her time as a nurse at the hospital, she had never seen devotion like this from a comrade. "Is this what war is like?" She asked herself. "A wounded comrade, tended to by another?" Out loud, she asked. "So, um, Mr. James, um, how long have you known Mr. Taylor?" 

James looked at her. "For about 4 years now. I was pulled from the front-lines during the War in the Pacific in 44' due to 'shell-shock'. I was reassigned to Blue Squadron, where I remained until the war ended. Taylor was the officer in charge of Blue Squadron, and all of us loved him. He was the best pilot that any of us had ever seen. Then, on December 5th, 1945, all of us were sent on a new mission, a run that would take us close to a region known as 'The Bermuda Triangle'......" James then told her the rest of the story. 

All while he was talking, Freckles stared at him in shock. Equestria had never seen a war in almost 1,000 years. She couldn't even imagine the horrors that James had been through in the Pacific War. However, she could appreciate the comradely that James shared with Taylor. "Soldiers are close to one another, I know that from having a brother in the Royal Guards. But you Mr. James, and your loyalty to Mr. Taylor, is something that I've never seen before." 

James nodded. "We're naval aviators Miss Freckles. Like soldiers, it's all about loyalty." 





The next number of hours were all a blur for James. All throughout this ordeal, he never left Taylor's side, except to use the restroom. He was constantly watching both the health monitors, as well as Taylor himself; watching, and waiting, for some sign of Taylor waking up from his coma. But still, there was nothing. Nothing but the beeping of the machines, and the hissing of the oxygen tanks.



 

The whole ordeal also made front page news all across Equestria. "Human Pilot in Coma!" "Terrible Tragedy in Ponyville!" "Workshop Explosion Claims Nine Victims. Lt. Taylor Among the Wounded!" Many conducted silent vigils outside of the hospital, waiting for any news of Taylor and the other wounded. 





During this time, Princess Celestia herself came to visit the hospital, accompanied by Tinker, and several other guards. She was greatly distressed by the accident at the workshop, and offered to pay the full cost of treatment for not only Taylor, but for the other engineers as well. 

"Has Mr. Taylor shown any signs of waking up yet?" Celestia asked James when she was able.

James shook his head. "I'm afraid not Princess. I've been here since 1:45am last night, and still nothing." 

Celestia said a silent prayer for Taylor, before leaving to discuss something with a doctor. By this point, things were not looking good for James. His eyes were extremely bloodshot, and had dark circles under them. Nurse Freckles tried to convince him to sleep, but James refused. 

"I have to stay here!" He insisted. "Taylor still needs me!" 

However, Nurse Freckles decided that enough was enough, so when James wasn't looking, she quietly slipped a dose of sleeping medicine into the glass of water that he was drinking from, putting him to sleep for the time being. 

"Sleep now, Mr. James", she whispered to him as his head fell onto the bed in front of him. "Mr. Taylor will still be there when you wake up." She then went back to her duties tending to Taylor.

Due to the nature of James over-exerting himself while still injured, another 14 hours would pass before he woke up again.



 

When James did wake up again, he felt something odd. "Hmm? What's that?" He felt something brush against his head. He raised his head off of his bed, and looked over at Nurse Freckles. She was sitting in a chair in the corner, and appeared to be sleeping. "Well then what woke me up?" 

As James was contemplating this, he felt something brush up against his head again. "What the....?" He turned his head towards the source of what kept brushing up against his head, and froze in absolute shock.

"W-wh-wha.....?" 

The hand, it was Taylor's hand! His hand kept moving up and down gently, and the fingers were moving ever so slightly. James pinched himself, just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. When he saw that he wasn't he wasn't he quickly looked over to Nurse Freckles. 

"Nurse Freckles?" He whispered urgently, "Nurse Freckles!" 

At first, she didn't do anything. Finally though, she opened one eye. "Ugh, what is it Mr. James? It's almost 4:00 in the morning." 

"It's Mr. Taylor! I think that he's waking up!" 

Nurse Freckles put a hoof over her face. "Mr. James, you've been saying that for nearly 3 days now. You're so tired that you're delusional. Mr. Taylor is not waking up." 

James then got up off of the bed fully. "Are you so sure about that Nurse Freckles?" 

"Ugh, yes, I'm POSITIVE. There's absolutely no way that....." She then stopped, and froze. Sure enough, she saw Taylor's hand, and it was moving! She could see both of James's hands in his lap, and she knew that he couldn't use magic. "WHAT?!?!" She then got up, and came over to check Taylor's health monitors. When she saw what they read, she immediately got on the intercom. 

"Cotton! Nurse Cotton!" 

After a few moments, a reply came. "Ugh, what is it Freckles? And no, if you want another cup of tea, there isn't any on hoof right now." 

"No, it's not that, it's about Mr. Taylor!" 

Cotton's tone changed. "What do you mean? What about Mr. Taylor?" 

"Get Dr. Stables! I think he's waking up!" 

"What?! Are you certain?!" 

YES!!! I saw his hand moving with my own two eyes, and I checked his health monitors. Everything's stabilizing! He's waking up!" 

"Yes, I'll page Dr. Stables immediately!" 





When word of this got around the hospital, it spread faster than wildfire. Any who were awake and able came to the doors of the Trauma Ward. Others, like Oilcan, Royal, and Inky, waited in their rooms, listening for any new information. When Dr. Stables saw that Nurse Freckles was indeed telling the truth, he actually teleported himself to Canterlot to alert Celestia.

"My Princess!" He said when he saw her.

"What is it Dr. Stables? Is something wrong?" 

"You need to come to the hospital immediately!" 

Celestia prepared herself for the worst. "Has, has Mr. Taylor passed on Doctor Stables?" She looked like she was going to cry. 

The doctor shook his head. "Far from it Princess, he's waking up!" 

"WHAT?!?!" 

That was all it took. An instant later, Celestia had teleported herself and the doctor back to the hospital. After racing inside, the two of them quickly made their way back to the Trauma Ward. 





When they arrived at Taylor's room, they found James, as well as Nurse Freckles inside. A few other medical staff, including Nurse Starlight, waited outside. They both went inside the room, and stood by Taylor's bed. 

James looked up at the doctor. "Um, Dr. Stables, what do we say when Taylor wakes up?" 

The doctor thought long and hard about that. Finally, he said, "To be perfectly honest Mr. James, I actually do not know. Since he is blind, at least for the time being, there's very little that we can tell him, aside from the truth. However, I do think that you should be the one talking to him, so as to reassure him." 

James nodded, and moments later, there seemed to come a faint groaning sound from Taylor. 

James then took Taylor's hand gently into his own. "T-Taylor, c-can you hear me?" He asked softly.

"Mmmmmm.........hmmmmmm." Came the faint reply. 

"Do, do you know where you are?" 

"Uhhhhhhh...........uhhhhhh." 

"Ok then, Taylor. It's me, Ensign James. I'm right here beside you. Can you feel my hand? Squeeze once if you can." 

Sure enough, a faint squeeze. 

"Ok, well then, listen to me very carefully. Right now, you're in the hospital. You've been in a coma for nearly 4 days. Your injuries are very severe. You've been burned, one of your arms is broken, and you have other injuries as well. Do you understand?" 

"Yyyyesssss. I-I d-do." Came the weak reply. 

"You need to lie very still Mr. Taylor." Dr. Stables warned. "Your condition is still very critical. You've pulled through so far, but you're not out of the woods yet." 

"s-s-so, sssssoooo c-c-cold." Taylor murmured. S-so c-cold, a-and......d-d-dark. W-why....? Wh-why s-so d-dark?" 

Those in the room looked at each other. They all knew that Taylor was about to catch on that he was blind. How were they going to tell him? Most importantly though, how was he going to react? In those final moments before Taylor began to fully regain consciousness again, none of them could say a word. They were all dreading. Dreading the fact that Taylor, a survivor, may not be able to handle the truth of what happened to him. It all weighed heavily upon all of them, as they continued to wait.
> Chapter 28: Waking up, Long Talks, and Optometrist Eye Exams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"W-why, so, so d-dark?" Taylor whispered. "T-tell me J-James. W-why is is s-so dark?" 

All eyes in the room were on James. He had no clue what to say, and the fate of Taylor's sanity could easily rest on whatever he said next. After a few more moments of careful thought, James sighed. 

"Um, Taylor, before I answer that question, I have to know, um, h-how awake are you?" 

In response, Taylor turned his head towards where he thought that James was. "F-fairly, w-why?" 

"Because, what I'm about to tell you Taylor, is extremely important. So important, that the rest of your life may be dictated by it." 

"U-um, wh-what do you m-mean? T-talk to m-me James, w-what's wrong with m-me?" 

James had both hands over his face, with just enough of his mouth exposed so that he could talk. "The truth of the matter is Taylor, is that there are two reasons that you are unable to see. The first of course is that you have thick bandages covering your head, due to the severity of your burns." 

Taylor then moved his exposed arm to his face, and began to feel around it blindly. 

"Um, careful there Mr. Taylor!" Dr. Stables warned. "Your right arm, because it was mostly undamaged, currently contains several IV needles, as well as a couple of health monitors!" 

Taylor froze. "O-oh. W-whoops. Sorry." He moved his arm back to the bed. "B-but James, y-you said that t-there were two reasons for my b-blindness. W-what's the other one?" 

Here, all of James's courage failed him. "U-um, it's......well......" James started crying softly. 

"Um, J-James? What's wrong?" 

"Um, what he meant to say, Mr. Taylor, is that, well um..." Even Dr. Stables was struggling to find the right words, "Is that, well, um.....d-due to the nature of your....um, f-facial injuries, at least for the t-time being, y-you really are blind." 

Taylor seemed to freeze. "W-what?! I'm.......I'm......b-blind?!" 

I'm afraid so Mr. Taylor. At least for the time being. However, until you can be examined by an optometrist, the full extent of your blindness cannot be known. There is a chance that it is due to severe flash-burn, but we are not certain. I-I don't know what else to say." 

Taylor's hand went to his face, and he began to cry. "B-b-blind????? H-how........w-why......??????" 

James and Nurse Freckles began to notice the bandages on his face getting slightly damp. They pointed this out to Dr. Stables. 

"Well", the doctor murmured, "He can cry. That's something at least." 

"You were right James!" Taylor said suddenly, turning his head towards where he guessed that James was. "I was an idiot to keep using that fuel! You tried to warn me that it wasn't safe, b-but I didn't listen!!!! I t-thought that one more test wouldn't hurt anypony!" That seemed to restart Taylor's memory. "What about the others?! Are they all ok?!" 

The doctor nodded. "Yes, to an extent. Two were completely uninjured, and two more escaped with only minor injuries. Two more required surgery, one was burned, and one more was like you, although he wasn't blinded." 

Taylor sighed a bit. "Well, thank God that nopony was killed because of my idiocy." He then turned towards where he guessed that Dr. Stables was. "So Doc, aside from the blindness, how bad off am I?" 

Dr. Stables sighed. "Well, aside from that, most of your face, head, and upper part of your torso were burned severely. Your left arm was broken, and you have some severely heavily bruising on your back as well. You were extremely lucky to have fallen onto a pile of lumber, or you might not still be here." 

Taylor sighed again. "I wasn't really that lucky Dr. Stables. I was being foolish, and God was feeling merciful, so he didn't kill me outright. He let me live, although he did cripple me, at least......" Taylor paused for a moment. "You said that my blindness might not be permanent?" 

"I said that I wasn't sure Mr. Taylor. Like I said, it is possible that your blindness was caused by flash-burn, but until you can be examined by an optometrist, we won't be sure." 

"And, when will that be?" 

The doctor looked over his notes. "Well", he said slowly, "We have one from Canterlot on standby, and another from Manehatten on their way as well, so maybe sometime later on today." 

Taylor lay back down on his bed. "And just so I know, what time is it?" 

James looked at the clock. "Well, it's now 5:05am, of what I guess would be Tuesday, Dec. 11th, 1945 by our standards." 

James couldn't be sure, but if his senses were right, he could tell that Taylor was close to having a mental breakdown. He quietly pointed this out to the doctor, and aside from him and Nurse Freckles, everypony else in the room cleared out, and the door was shut. Nurse Starlight went back to her duty station, Dr. Stables went to talk to first the small crowd in the Trauma Ward, and then to the other crowds outside of the hospital, and Celestia returned to Canterlot, as it was getting close to the time when she would have to raise the sun. 



 

While he was still sitting with Taylor, James slid two chairs together, so that he would have a better place to sit, where he could also lean back. Nurse Freckles also provided a him with a blanket so that he could keep warm. 

"Thank you, Nurse Freckles." 

"You're welcome Mr. James. It's the least I could do. After all, you do seem rather cold in just your pants, that under-sized robe, and poorly-fitting slippers that you're wearing!" 

James nodded. "Yes, and this blanket makes it that much warmer." He then leaned back in his chairs a bit. 

"Hey James?" Taylor asked him. 

"Yes Taylor?" 

"So what does this really mean for us now? I mean, I'm blind, so how am I ever going to get by in life? I mean, I can't really work, or do anything that involves my being able to see, so how will this work?" 

James shrugged. "I really don't know Taylor. Like Dr. Stables said, we'll just have to play it by ear." 

"Living in a world of darkness. I heard stories of this happening to sailors and airmen during the war, but I never thought that it would ever happen to me." 

"Neither did I. Heck, I was in the Pacific War long enough to see it happen several times. But the war was over, and we were just on a training flight. Who would have ever thought that that could have gone so horribly wrong?" 

Now Taylor shrugged. "I don't know James. Even though that day was less than a week ago, it already feels like a lifetime has passed since then." 

"No kidding! They've probably given up looking for us by now. We've probably been marked, 'Missing, Presumed Dead', or at the very least, 'Missing in Action'." 

"Most likely. However, speaking of that, because of my current state, James, there is a task that I'm leaving to you." 

"And what's that, Taylor?" 

"Assuming that I never do regain my sight, I'm charging you with repairing Blue 1. Even if I never see it again with my own eyes, I want you, and the Airplane 8 if they are able, to restore it again." 

James was surprised. "Are, are you being serious Taylor?" 

"As serious as I can be James. It's too bad though, if only we had a User Manual or something, that would make our job a whole lot easier." 

James was about to nod, but then he stopped. "Wait, you mean to tell me that you guys fully restored that thing, WITHOUT using the User manual?!" 

"Um, yeah, we did." 

"HOW?!" 

As best we could. I had my memories, and we had all of the parts that we needed. We just had to take that part, and use it as a guide to make a new part. Still wish that we had the User Manual though. It would have made the work a lot easier." 

James nodded. "Yeah, it would have been." 

It was also right then that James remembered something. He wasn't sure if he bad brought it with him on the plane, and he didn't want to tell Taylor that he had it if he wasn't sure, but he made a mental note to check the back of the plane in a few days when he got the chance, assuming of course that the back of the plane was still intact.





After several hours of sleep, they were back to talking again. It was here that James asked Taylor a question that the answer to which would change both of their perspectives on everything. 

"Hey Taylor? Are you awake?" 

"Yeah, and I'm still blind, but what's up?" 

"Well, at least he's trying to put the best face to this", James thought. Out loud, he said, "I was wondering, would it ever be possible for us to ever return to Earth if we so chose?" 

Taylor was silent for a few moments. Finally, he said, "Actually, I've been thinking about this same thing. From what Celestia told me, the reason that either of us even came here in the first place was because of a spell that created a portal; a portal that was to be used to possibly explore Earth. However, there was a problem. Electrical discharge from the lightning, as well as spray from the ocean waves, in addition to the wind and rain, made the portal extremely unstable. The plane flying through it was the last straw. Celestia saw the danger, and closed the portal." 

"Yeah, but that still doesn't answer my question. Could we ever go back?" 

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I have no idea. To do so would have to involve several critical factors. First of all, the plane. I don't know how well the plane survived the engine explosion. Assuming that it did though, first we would have to fully restore it to flying condition once again. This in and of itself creates several sub-problems. First of all, manpower. It took me, plus the Airplane 8, the best mechanical engineers in Equestria to fix the plane last time. Now all of them are either injured, or extremely shook up. 

But, assuming that they were all healed up, and willing to help me again, that leaves the problem of money. I don't know what it cost to fix the plane last time, but I know that it had to be an awful lot. I don't know if Celestia is willing to spend that kind of money again. If she is though, then comes the fuel. This time, we need proper, high-octane, 130/140 Avgas. Provided that we already have refining equipment, this shouldn't prove to be too difficult. 

Finally, comes the last two factors, and these remain the most critical. The first one being, would Celestia be willing to open another portal for us to go back home? And lastly, assuming that she is, the most critical problem of all remains." 

"And what's that?" 

"Um, really James? How could I fly a plane blind?!" 

"Oh yeah, duh! You were the only pilot. I don't know how to fly the plane. This would all be a serious problem. Plus, all of this plan rides on us even wanting to leave in the first place. I know that I would probably want to stay, but what do you want?" 

Taylor sighed. "Right now, all I want is to be able to see again. Once I've gotten that out of the way, then I want to see my mother again. I don't have much left here in Equestria. I kinda want to go home." 

James looked at him curiously. "Um, what do you mean by that Taylor?" 

"I mean that because of an idiotic mistake that I made a few nights ago, I lost my dear friend Nurse Redheart. I haven't seen her since lat night, literally and figuratively, and she hasn't even come to see me at all since I've been here." 

"I don't know about that Taylor. I did see her when Nurse Starlight brought me to come see you. She was obviously upset about something, as she did run off crying." 

Taylor sighed. "Maybe, but I still want to go home."

He and James continued to talk about their possible plans for going home, completely forgetting about Nurse Freckles. She was still in the room as well, and was completely overhearing this entire conversation. She didn't know what to make of it.

"Wow, it sure would be sad to see them leave", she thought to herself. "I was just starting to get used to having Ensign James around. He seems like a nice guy. Definitely loyal; most likely somepony I would like to get to know better. It would be such a shame if he left." 

Nurse Freckles didn't want to say anything, as the conversation taking place didn't involve her, but she still kept listening in nonetheless.



 

Later that day, while Ensign James was sleeping, the two optometrists arrived at the hospital. Dr. Stables showed them up to the Trauma Ward where Taylor was. 

"Oh my goodness!" One of them gasped when they saw Taylor. "I knew that the patient's condition was bad, but you never said that it was this bad! How is he even still alive?" 

Dr. Stables shrugged. "To be perfectly honest, I do not know. I have never seen a burn victim case like him before." 

"And his eyes were damaged during his accident, correct?" 

"Yes, that is correct. That is why you were summoned here. Both to determine how serious his blindness is, and if anything can be done about it." 

The two doctors nodded. "Yes, and we'll get to work right away, after he is moved out of here!" One of them said, pointing at James, who was sleeping on his chairs next to the bed. 

"No", Taylor told them. "He stays. I was always there for him while he was in the hospital, now it's his turn to be here for me." 

The optometrist from Canterlot turned to him, surprised. "Wait, you're awake Mr. Taylor?" 

"Yes, I am. and I would like to get this exam underway if you don't mind, because I too would like to know how bad my blindness is, and if anything can be done about it." 

The Canterlot doctor nodded. "Yes. We'll get to work right away." 

After the doctor from Manehattan used his magic to slide Jame's chairs away from the bed, with help from both Dr. Stables, as well as nurse Freckles, they all got to work. 

First, as gently as possible, they unwrapped the gauze from around Taylor's eyes. (Taylor had been given a dose of a numbing drug before this, so he was feeling no pain, but he was still nervous.) What they found underneath was rather unnerving. Parts of Taylor's skin were still there, but other parts was just nasty burns. Finally, the gauze was all unwrapped, and with the greatest of care, the final bandages were removed from Taylor's eyes, exposing them to the light of day once more. 

"Hey, did it just get lighter in here?" Taylor said softly. 

"Wait, you mean that you can see light?" Dr. Stables asked him. 

"Possibly. I think I can, but it also feels like my eyes are on fire, so it's hard to tell." 

"Your eyes feel like they're on fire?" the optometrist from Canterlot asked him. 

"Yes, they feel like they're burning." 

The doctor put some eye-drops into Taylor's eyes. "Is that better Mr. Taylor?" 

"Somewhat. They still hurt, but not as bad as before." 

"They don't look so great either." The Canterlot doctor pointed out. "You're eyes have definitely been burned Mr. Taylor. However, we won't know for a little while longer just how badly." 

Taylor sighed. "Just do whatever you guys have to do to find the results." 

The optometrists nodded, and then returned to work. 



 

After another two hours or so, the examinations were done. After adding more eye-drops to Taylor's eyes, fresh gauze was added, as well as new bandages. 

"Ok, we're all done Mr. Taylor." 

"And, what are the results?" Taylor asked nervously. "And please, before you tell me, could somepony please wake up James? He needs to hear these results as well." 

"Who's James?" The doctor from Canterlot asked.

"He's the guy sleeping on those chairs over there." Nurse Freckles answered. "I'll wake him up." She got up, and walked over to James. "James! Mr. James!" She began to shake him, "Wake up!" 

After a few moments, James woke up. "Eh, huh? What's going on? What did I miss?" 

"You were sleeping, and while you were, the optometrists arrived, and examined Mr. Taylor." 

James sat up. "They did? What did they say?" 

"I don't know, they haven't told us yet. Mr. Taylor told me to wake you up, as he said that he wanted you to hear the results as well." 

James then turned to the doctors. "Well, what are the results?" 

After a few moments of silence, the optometrist from Canterlot spoke. "Well, after the examinations, we've both come to the same conclusions." 

"Which are?" Dr. Stables asked. 

"Well, there's good news, and bad news." 

"What's the bad news?" Taylor asked. 

"That's the thing", the doctor answered. The bad news won't make sense unless the good news is said first." 

"Well then, what's the good news?" 

The doctor sighed. "Well, the good news, is that your initial hunches were correct, Mr. Taylor's blindness was caused by a severe case of flash-burn." 

"And, is this treatable?" Taylor asked. 

"Yes. Your blindness is only temporary, and can be treated. One day soon, your vision will be restored. However, therein lies the bad news." 

Taylor was about to cheer, but then he heard that. "Um, well then, what's the bad news?" 

"The bad news is that even when your vision is restored, your eyesight will never be what it once was. Due to the nature of your flash-burns, you'll most likely need the aide of glasses. Also, around your eyes, the skin has turned purplish. This is due to the flash-burn, however, this is not treatable. To put it gently, you will have marks around your eyes that will have you looking like a raccoon for the rest of your life." 

Taylor didn't know what to make of that. Instead, he asked. "How bad will my eyesight be?" 

"Well, what was it before?" 

"Well, if I remember correctly, it was 20/35." 

"Well, now, and this is just an estimate, but it may end up being something like 20/45, or at the worst, 20/55." 

When Taylor heard that, he knew that he was going to have a lot to think about. "So, I am going to be able to see again one day soon", he thought. "But the question remains, "How bad off are my eyes going to be when I do?" 

For the moment, Taylor had no answers. Right then, the most important thing on his mind, was having his eyesight restored.
> Chapter 29: Reflections, Testing Time, and Burn Treatments
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since the night where she'd kicked him in the head, Redheart had felt nothing but grief. 

"I know that I had the right to be angry, Taylor even admitted that, but why did I have to take it that far? I know that Tartarus has no fury like a mare scorned, but did it really have to escalate that far? Plus, Taylor even came to me directly and told me, and he was extremely sorry when he did it. Now, I've probably lost him forever. Maybe the first mare to ever be with a human, and I blew it." 

Redheart's sadness even went so far as to have her leave Canterlot earlier in the morning than Taylor did. She returned to the Ponyville General Hospital in time for the morning shift, and for a good while, everything seemed to be ok. Ok that is, until a fire-pony came in, saying that there had been a terrible accident, and telling the staff to be prepared. When the wounded here carried in, and Redheart heard that Taylor was among them, she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't bring herself to go and see Taylor, but she did sit outside of his room, crying to herself for a long time.

"Why?" She cried, "Why did this have to happen to him? He doesn't deserve to die!" 

A while later, she was confronted by James and Starlight, although instead of talking to them, she ran off crying. Eventually, Redheart did return to work, but later that night, she was confronted again by Starlight. 

"You, um, you doing any better Redheart?" 

Redheart turned to her friend. "Not really Starlight. Everything seemed great, then one thing led to another, and now everything just seems to have gone from bad to worse." 

Starlight nodded. "Maybe, but at least Mr. Taylor's even still here at all. With the kind of injuries that he had, he could have easily died." 

Redheart then turned towards Starlight. "So, tell me. How bad off is Taylor?" 

Starlight sighed deeply. "Do you want an overview, or do you want the full truth?" 

Redheart covered her mouth with a hoof. "Is, is it really that bad?" 

Starlight nodded sadly. "I'm afraid that it is pretty serious. Aside from a broken arm and heavy bruising on his back, Mr. Taylor has also suffered from severe burns to his face, head, upper torso, and left arm." 

Redheart was speechless. "Severe burns? How severe?" 

"Severe enough that at one point in time, they were life-threatening. And very easily still could be. Unfortunately though, this isn't the worst of it." 

"Um, what, do you mean Starlight?" 

Starlight sighed. "I mean that, because of the flames, Mr. Taylor has also been blinded. Fortunately, this blindness is only due to severe flash-burn, and is treatable. One day soon, Mr. Taylor will regain his eyesight." 

When Redheart heard that, all she could do was break down crying. Starlight held her close to comfort her. Because she was a nurse, Redheart felt Taylor's pain greatly, and she wanted to help him, but she didn't know how. 



 

The next morning, after Taylor and James had woken up, Dr. Stables came to talk to Taylor.

"Um, Mr. Taylor, can I talk to you about something?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, sure Doc. Before you tell me though, I sure hope that it's something that could help my burns. I feel like I'm starting to fall apart at the seams where I've been burned." 

The doctor nodded gravely. "Yes, Mr. Taylor, that's why I'm here. We need to figure this out. First of all, I'm just going to say this; in my entire career as a doctor, I have never seen a patient with burns like yours survive Mr. Taylor." 

Taylor was surprised. "Um, well, thanks I guess? I don't know what to say to that." 

The doctor paused before he continued. "However, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to be blunt with this Mr. Taylor. The truth is, you're broken, and I don't know how to fix you." 

James looked over at the Doctor. "What do you mean by that, Dr. Stables? However, if you mean what I think that you mean, you're saying that you don't know how to heal Taylor's burns." 

"Quite correct Mr. James. Also, I was going to ask you if the Humans knew how to treat burns like this." 

James shook his head. "I'm afraid not doctor", he whispered, "When humans are burned like Taylor, it's always permanent. There's little to nothing that we can do for them. Long term, there are solutions, but they're not always effective, and even when they are, the patient is still always scarred for life." 

Taylor suddenly sounded scared. "S-so what you're saying doctor, is t-that I'm g-going to d-die?" 

The doctor sighed again. "I'm not sure Mr. Taylor. However, if we cannot keep your burns stabilized, then they will become severely infected, and then yes, death will be the result." 

Taylor put his right hand over his face gently, and began to cry.

James wasn't far behind. "Gosh", he muttered, "It's really too bad that we can't just make this all better magically. But, this is reality, so who am I kidding." 

The doctor turned to him. "What did you just say James?" 

"Huh? Oh, I just said that it's really too bad that we can't just make this all better magically. But, this is reality, so who are we kidding?" 

The doctor's eyes suddenly got very wide. "Mr. James, you're a genius!" He then grabbed some parchment and a pen, and began to furiously scribble a note. 

James was very confused. "I don't get it doctor, how am I a genius?" 

"Because! You suggested something that's so obvious,  I don't know how I overlooked it!" 

"Um, which is what? Magic? And if so, how can that help us? I mean sure, you unicorns can use it, I guess. But if you're a Head Doctor, and even you don't know how to heal Taylor, then how does magic help us?"

"Because, while maybe I don't know how to do it, I think I know somepony who can!" 

"And who's that?" 

"Princess Celestia! She's been around for centuries, with some of the most gifted unicorns of all time! If anypony would know something about healing wounds like what Mr. Taylor has, I know that she would." 

The doctor then finished his note, sealed it up, and gave it to a messenger, who immediately left to go give it to Celestia.

"So, now what do we do doctor?" Taylor asked. 

"Now, we wait Mr. Taylor. We wait for Princess Celestia's reply." 



 

About an hour or so later, there came a knock on Taylor's door. James was reading a book on mechanical engineering that he had been provided, Nurse Freckles was assisting Dr. Stables with checking Taylor's vital signs, while Taylor himself was sleeping. Everypony and James looked up when the knock came. 

"Come in", the doctor said quietly. 

The door then opened, and sure enough, there stood Celestia. "I tried to come as soon as I got your message Dr. Stables, but I had to take the time to look through the Canterlot Archives, as well as the Castle Library, to see what I could find on this." 

The doctor nodded. "I completely understand Princess. And what did you find in your search? Anything that could help us?" 

Celestia reached behind herself with her magic, and from her saddlebags, she pulled out several manuscripts. "Yes, at least, I think that I did. My search for medical knowledge led me to these works written by Theodosian." 

"Theodosian? As in, 'Theodosian the Healer'? Believed to be the most gifted unicorn in medicine in the modern age?" 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, the very same one. And from what I have been reading, he encountered patients that had battles against dragons with burns and injuries not too much unlike what Mr. Taylor has suffered." 

"And do the manuscripts say what the results were?" 

"Yes, they do. According to them, Theodosian's healing method made his patients almost like new again. Aside from what he describes as 'A few minor scars, no thicker than three hairs from a Pony's mane, there is no trace of the injuries anymore.'" 

"It all sounds so amazing", the doctor mused, "But how do we know if the spell really works? Or is it even a spell? What is the healing method in question?" 

"It's actually a combination of a spell, as well as several potions and ointments. I brought as many of the ingredients that I could find, however, some of them seemingly can only be found in a hospital." 

The doctor was curious. "Like what Princess?" 

Celestia handed him a list. The items needed were circled in red.

"Hmm, yes, these should be easy enough to find. Nurse Freckles?" 

"Yes doctor?" 

"Could you go and get these 9 items for me?" He handed her the list. 

She nodded. "Sure thing Dr. Stables." Freckles then took flight, and flew out of the room, and off to get the requested supplies.



 

When she returned a few minutes later, she handed the supplies to Dr. Stables. 

"Oh, thank you Nurse Freckles." 

"You're welcome doctor." 

The doctor then turned back to Celestia. "I think that when we perform this spell, that we should have another unicorn who is strong with this kind of magic present, just as a precaution, as I'm not sure if the two of us can handle it safely." 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, I do believe that you're right doctor. Now the question remains; who do we get to help us?" 

The doctor thought for a moment. "Well", he said at last, "I think that we should get Nurse Cotton. She's in charge of the Trauma Ward, and knows as much about this, as I do." 

Celestia nodded in approval. "Yes, I do believe that you've made a good choice doctor." 

The doctor then summoned Nurse Cotton. Once she arrived a few moments later, she was debriefed by the doctor and Celestia." 

Ok, I think that I've got this, but just to be sure, you basically want me to help you use a combination of a magic spell, and potions to help heal Mr. Taylor's burns?" 

"Yes, that is correct. We need you, as a precaution, as I'm not sure that the Princess and myself can fully handle this. I would have asked Nurse Freckles, but as I'm sure you know, she's a Pegasus, not a Unicorn." 

Nurse Cotton nodded. "Yes, I understand doctor." 

As the three of them began to get everything ready, James suddenly had a thought. "Um, I just thought of something." 

The doctor turned to him. "And what's that Mr. James?" 

"Um, are you guys just going to try this on Taylor directly? Because I don't think that that's such a good idea. As you said before, you weren't sure if this spell would even work. Shouldn't you maybe try it on a test subject first?" 

The trio looked at each other, and then back at James. Finally, Celestia said "Yes, I do believe that you are right Mr. James. We do need a test subject. Most likely somepony who has been wounded recently, but yet, not with too serious of wounds." 

James began to rub his face a bit. "Yeah, where would we ever find somepony like that?" Suddenly, James stopped rubbing. "Wait, I think I know who could be the test subject!" 

The doctor was surprised. "Who Mr. James?" 

James pointed to himself. "Me. I could be the test subject!" 

"What?! Why you Mr. James?" 

James pointed to the spots on his head that still had visible stitches on them. "Because, I still have stitches that haven't healed. Plus, I also have three cracked ribs. Basically, I'm wounded, but not seriously. Wouldn't that make me a good candidate for the test subject?" 

The three talked among themselves. After a few minutes, they turned back to James.Dr. Stables did the talking. "Well Mr. James, we talked it over, and we decided that yes, we would be willing to run the risk of testing this spell on you. However, before we do, I have to ask you, why would you want to do this to yourself?" 

James sighed. "I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for Taylor. This procedure, if it works, would save his life. However, first we need to make sure that it works. I'm willing to put everything on the line to test this." 

The doctor nodded. "Very well then Mr. James, we'll prep you for the procedure." 





A few minutes later, James was sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room. His left arm was attached to various health monitors, and he was leaning his head back on the chair. On another table in the room, Dr. Stables and Nurse Cotton were readying the potions. To his left, Celestia was preparing the spell. In front of him, stood Nurse Freckles. 

"Remember, you don't have to do this Mr. James. They can find somepony else to be the test subject." She was genuinely worried for his well-being. 

James looked at her. "I have to do this Miss Freckles. Taylor's life depends on it. However, since I am rather nervous, would it be alright if I.....um....." James was blushing a bit, ".....um, h-held your hoof?" 

Nurse Freckles giggled a bit. "Sure, if that would make you feel better!" She then took James's right hand, and held it gently with her hoof. 

A few minutes later, everything was ready. Dr. Stables was holding a vial of blue liquid, as well as a vial of red liquid with his magic, while Nurse Cotton held a vial of purple liquid with hers. Princess Celestia was holding the manuscript with her magic. 

"Are you ready Mr. James?" the doctor asked. 

James sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be." 

Before the procedure began, James was also asked to remove his stallion-robe, so as to allow access to the bandages that were covering his cracked ribs. Once these were removed, it was time to begin.

"Ok Everypony", Celestia was very nervous herself. "This is it. The first trial of the methods of Theodosian the Healer, in well over 1,000 years. Let us begin." 

First, the vials of liquid were mixed together, and the contents was gently poured first onto the stitches on James's face and head, and then onto where his cracked ribs were. 

"How are you doing Mr. James?" Nurse Freckles asked. 

"So far, it feels like somepony placed a lot of ice on my wounds. They feel extremely cold." 

"Fascinating." Nurse Cotton remarked. She was also taking notes during this procedure, so that accurate reports could be made later. 

Celestia nodded. "Ok, and now comes the extremely critical part. We must now perform the spell. Celestia then charged up her magic, while Dr. Stables and Nurse Cotton did likewise. They all repeated the spell together, (which sounded like almost complete gibberish to James and Nurse Freckles), and as they did so, a ball of white light began to form.

"What now Princess?" The doctor asked.

"Now we allow the ball of light to be absorbed by Mr. James's body, and that should complete the spell." 

When they were all ready, the trio gently took hold of the ball with their magic, and after putting it on James's chest, his body absorbed it completely. 

"Well, did anything happen?" Nurse Cotton asked.

James shook his head. "No, nothing seems to be happening. Are you sure that you....." James didn't get a chance to finish that thought. Before he could, the parts of his face and chest that had injuries on them began to glow white.

"Oh, oh, oh gosh!!!!" 

"What is it Mr. James?" Nurse Cotton asked.

"Now it feels like my wounds are on fire! It feels like a mixture of burning, and my skin pulling itself tighter together!" 

"How badly does it hurt?" Dr. Stables asked. 

"It feels bad, but I've felt much worse pain than this." 

A minute or so later, the white glow dissipated. 

"Ok, now the pain is all gone. In fact, I can't feel any pain at all. Not from my cuts, stitches, or ribs! I feel like I did back on Earth!" 

The doctor examined his wounds. Sure enough, aside from a few minute lines to show where his stitches had been, there was nothing there! And when the doctor checked his rib-cage, James said that he felt no pain. A quick X-ray also revealed that the cracks in the three ribs had completely healed. 

"Fascinating." The doctor muttered while he examined James, "Whatever that spell was, it's seems to have caused cellular reproduction on a massive scale. Everything has now pieced itself back together to such an extent so as to be back to the condition that it was in before." 

"So, would you call this spell a success doctor?" 

The doctor nodded. "Yes Princess, I would call this a success. Now the question is, can we use this same process for Mr. Taylor?" 

They all looked over at Taylor, who still seemed to be sleeping in his bed. 

"I certainly hope so doctor", James said quietly. "For his sake, I would certainly hope so." 

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I hope so too Mr. James. So now do we wake him up?" 

"That won't be necessary doctor, I'm already awake." 

They all turned to look at Taylor. 

"How long have you been awake Mr. Taylor?" Nurse Freckles asked him. 

"Long enough to know that James was used as a test subject for my treatment. It seemed to be a great success, am I right?" 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, you are correct Mr. Taylor. Now, all of Mr. James's wounds are healed, and we're now preparing to do the same for you." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, but if you do, could you please use some kind of anesthesia? My condition seems to be worsening all of the time, and when my wounds don't feel like they're on fire, they feel like they're getting infected, or that I'm about to fall apart at the seams." 

"And how badly do they hurt right now Mr. Taylor?" 

"Very. It's a mixture of burning, and falling apart." 

The doctor nodded gravely. "Yes, this means that we'll have to do this procedure right away. Your life depends on it Taylor." 

Taylor nodded. "Just do whatever you have to do to save my life." 

The doctor nodded. "Yes, we'll get to work right away." 

While the doctor, Nurse Cotton, and Princess Celestia began to prepare everything for Taylor, Nurse Freckles helped James remove all of the health monitors from his arm. They then sat back to watch what was happening. 



 

A few minutes later, everything was once again ready, but this time, because Taylor's wounds were much more severe than James's, larger doses of the potions were required. However, before they could get started, there remained the delicate task of removing Taylor's bandages. Unfortunately, this would prove easier said than done. While the exterior bandages came off ok, the ones closest to his skin got stuck to his burns. 

"Oh goodness!" 

It was difficult for everypony to look at Taylor without throwing up. Most of his burned skin had turned a horrible black color, and the parts that hadn't were an angry red color. Most of Taylor's hair was also burned off, and what was left was all blackened. 

Finally, once Taylor had been put to sleep with anesthesia, using special scissors, the doctor finished removing the last of Taylor's bandages. Due to the nature of his flash-burns, the black gauze covering Taylor's eyes remained, as did the cast on his left arm. 

Celestia looked Taylor over. "Hopefully, when the healing begins, Taylor's broken arm, as well as the heavy bruising on his back will also heal." 

"It's highly possible Princess, However", the doctor warned, "We need to get this procedure going right now, as every moment that Taylor's burns are fully exposed, increases the likelihood on severe infections, which I don't think that our miracle spell can handle." 

Celestia knew that the doctor was right. "Yes, so let's get this going right now." 

Then, repeating the process that they had done with James, the doctor and Nurse Cotton mixed their potions together, and then spread them all over Taylor's wounds, including his broken arm, and bruising on his back. Then, with Nurse Freckles watching Taylor's health monitors for any anomalies, and Nurse Cotton taking more notes, the three of them once again pooled their magic together to create another ball of white light. This time though, the ball was much larger, and glowed much brighter. 

"Wow, this is so much brighter than the last one!" Nurse Cotton pointed out. 

"No kidding!" Celestia added. "Most likely this is because Taylor's wounds are much more serious than James's were. Ok, hold it steady, we're going to let Taylor's body absorb the energy." 

Then, as carefully as they could, the trio lowered the ball of energy onto Taylor's chest, and let it be absorbed. Just like with James, for a few moments, nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly though, all hell broke loose. Unlike James, Taylor's body suddenly seemed to become demonically possessed. His limbs were flailing about, and his face kept contorting, but oddly, he never made a single sound. 

"It was like watching a silent film", James said later, "Only with the added creepiness of Taylor's body putting itself back together." 

Sure enough, James's statement couldn't have been more true. From what could be seen through the bright white light, Taylor's burns seemed to be getting closer and closer together, as well as getting smaller. New hair also seemed to be growing on Taylor's head, and the cast on his left arm also seemed to be forming dozens of cracks as well. Soon, tan flesh seemed to replace the burns entirely. 

After a few minutes of this, the white light began to dissipate, and Taylor settled back down onto his bed, and lay still. He seemed to be resting comfortably, and all eyes were on his health monitors. Was he stable? When was he going to wake up. Most importantly though, were all of his wounds healed?
> Chapter 30: Back to Life, Back to the Workshop, and Back to Normal (sort of)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For several minutes, all eyes in that room  were glued to Taylor's health monitors. 

BEEEP!!!!! BEEEEEEP........blipbeep......beep......beep......beep......beep......

"Ok, it looks like he's stable now." 

With his magic, the doctor removed his glasses from his face, and after wiping his face with his hoof, he put his glasses back on. 

"Well, I would definitely say that this was a successful procedure, wouldn't you agree Dr. Stables?" 

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I couldn't agree more princess." 

James was shaking his head, and just staring at Taylor in awe. Where a few minutes prior there had been what appeared to be a burnt corpse, he saw once again, his friend and comrade, Charles Taylor, albeit, slightly different than before. Almost all of his burns were gone, replaced by a criss-crossed series of spiderweb scars that ran across his face, but were just thick enough to be noticeable. His hair, which had previously been almost fried off, had seemingly regrown itself to what it once was. The only difference now was that some patches of it were black (from where they had been burned), instead of brown. 

"I just can't believe that that spell actually worked! Aside from the cast on his left arm, and of course his eyes, Taylor looks like nothing ever happened to him!" 

"I really can't believe it either", Nurse Freckles added. "In all of my time here, I've never seen anything like this before, and if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I never would have believed it!" 

During the course of this conversation, the doctor and Nurse Cotton began preparing more of the potions so that the same spell could be used for the rest of the Airplane 8 as well.

Any idea on how much longer it's going to be until Taylor wakes up?" James asked. 

Nurse Freckles looked at the health monitors again. "Well, he is stable, and his anesthesia should be wearing off soon, so I would say maybe any minute now." 

Just then, as if Taylor had heard her, he began to groan. "H-huh? W-where am I?" He muttered. "Did, d-did the procedure work? If so, I can already say that I'm still blind, however, I can maybe see some faint glowing of light." 

All eyes turned to look at him.

"How do you feel Mr. Taylor?" Nurse Cotton asked him. 

"Well, aside from my eyes, my broken arm still feels sore, as does my back. Whatever that procedure was, maybe it can't fix everything." 

The doctor and nurse Freckles examined him. Sure enough, although his arm was now well on it's way to being fully healed, it wasn't quite there yet. The heavy bruising on his back was also still present as well. 

"Well Mr. Taylor, I can say that even though that spell worked wonders on you, it didn't quite do everything. You're arm is well on its way to being fully healed, but I'm afraid that we're going to have to put it into another cast for the time being. Also, the heavy bruising on your back is still present as well." 

Taylor sighed. "Yeah, I guess that I could have expected as much. However, I also must ask, how are my burns?" 

The doctor smiled. "Well, why don't you put your hand to your face and find out?" 

Taylor did so, and when he did, he gasped in shock! All he could feel was skin! Skin, hair, the bandages covering his eyes, and of course, the series of tiny scars. 

"Wow. I, honestly have no words right now. I just wish that I could see the results! Whatever that treatment was, it really was a miracle cure!" 

"And speaking of being able to see, it's time for your next round of eyedrops Taylor. You're going to need another round every four hours." 

"For how long doctor?" 

"For the next couple of days at least. After that, you may finally fully regain your eyesight." 

Taylor sighed. "Yeah, this is going to be a pain, but if it'll restore my vision, I'll do it." 

Taylor then leaned his head back, and after the doctor removed the black bandages from his eyes, he opened them wide with his magic, and dropped 4 drops of the special flash-burn eyedrops that he had been provided by the optometrists.

After this was over, Taylor went back to sleep, and Dr. Stables, Nurse Cotton, and Princess Celestia left to see if the same treatment could be administered to other patients. 



 

A few minutes after they left the room, Taylor turned to Nurse Freckles. "While Mr. Taylor is sleeping, there's something that I need to do." 

She looked at him curiously. "And what's that?" 

"Well, two things. First of all, I think that I need to go back to that workshop, and do some examinations, so that I can give Taylor a full damage report when he wakes up. And while I'm there, there's something else that I need to check on inside the plane." 

"What? What's inside the plane?" 

James shrugged. Maybe nothing, or maybe the book that I need. I won't know until I see the plane again." 

He turned to leave, but before he could, Nurse Freckles stopped him. "Um, do you really think that you should leave Mr. James? I mean, aren't you still injured?" 

James looked at her curiously. "Um, yeah, I WAS, but then I got healed, remember? Technically, I'm not injured at all anymore. I can leave the hospital." 

"Maybe so, but TECHNICALLY, no release forms for you were signed." 

"Yeah, but my treatment and its effects were witnessed by you, Dr. Stables, Nurse Cotton, and Princess Celestia. It may not be a release form, but isn't that the next closest thing?" 

After thinking about it for a few moments, Nurse Freckles sighed. "Fine, I give up. You win. You can go if you want, however, if you get into trouble later, it's all your own fault!" 

James nodded. "Thank you Nurse Freckles! And I should be back in maybe 2-3 hours or so, so not too long." 

"Ok, I guess that I'll see you again later Mr. James." 

After leaving Taylor's room, James then exited the Trauma Ward, and after returning back to his room, he removed his stallion-robe and slippers, and after putting back on his shirt, shoes, and jacket that he had been wearing when he arrived, he went downstairs to the main lobby, and after leaving the hospital, he found himself on the streets of Ponyville.



 

"Um, excuse me?" He asked the first pony that he saw. 

"Yes?" 

"Um, could you please tell me how to get to the Drywood Workshops? You know, the one where Mr. Taylor and the others were wounded in a few days ago?" 

The mare pointed down the street. "Yes. You head down this street, take a left at the town hall, go straight for two blocks, and then turn right. It's the large building on your right." 

"Ok, thank you ma'am!" 

"You're welcome, um........what's you're name?" 

"Oh, um, It's James, Ma'am. Ensign William James." 

"Oh, well then, you're welcome Mr. James!" 

James nodded, and then he left to get to the workshop. When he arrived there a few moments later, he was slightly surprised. There were construction ponies there, and they seemed to be working hard. Most of the broken windows had been repaired, and the rest weren't far behind. 

"Strange", James thought to himself. "I wonder who's behind this?" 

When he got to the workshop's main doors, he found them open. Peering inside, he saw more ponies cleaning up the interior. Most of the blackened stains from the smoke had been scrubbed away, and the whole interior smelled like lemon cleaner. 

James then noticed two ponies who seemed to be giving orders. One was a stallion, and the other was a mare. When they turned and saw James standing in the doorways, they were surprised. 

"Hey, I know you! You're that other human who accompanied Mr. Taylor on his plane!" 

James nodded. "Yes, that's me. I'm Ensign William James, but you can just call me James. 

The stallion nodded. "Yes, well, it's nice to meet you Mr. James. I'm Blueprints, and this is Squeaky. As I'm sure that you know, we were the only two of the accident to come out completely unscathed." 

"Yeah, that's what I was told at the hospital. And that's also why I'm here, I wanted to be able to give Taylor a damage report when I return to the hospital. I'm sure that you can imagine my shock when I realize that this place is being repaired! Is there a reason for this?" 

Blueprints nodded. "Yes, we're cleaning this place back up, so that we can get back to work on our engineering projects here, which was our original intent. Fortunately, the damage was not as bad as we originally believed, and the workshop should be ready for operation again by the end of the week." 

"And where is Taylor's plane? I need to examine that." 

Blueprints pointed to the corner. "It's back there. We pushed it and all of its debris back there so that they would be out of the way. All remaining fuel was drained, and has since been removed for proper disposal." 

"That's good, I guess. I'm sure that Taylor would be glad to know that nopony will be in any danger of getting hurt from that fuel anymore." 

James then walked over to the plane, dreading what he was going to find. When he arrived, he was in for another surprise. James expected the plane to be nothing more than a burnt out shell. Instead, the plane was still standing upright, and from the cockpit on back, everything seemed to be almost completely intact, aside from a few minor burn streaks. 

From the front of the cockpit forwards though, it was a different story. It was a mess of burnt, tangled metal. Most of the plane's frame, aside from the engine cowling, was still intact. However, all of the engine casing, as well as all of the engine's components that weren't made out of metal, were completely destroyed. The plane's engine itself had come out, and was sitting on the ground in pieces. 

Perhaps most bizzarely of all though, in spite of everything, the plane's propeller was not only still attached to the drive shaft, but it was also completely unscathed!

"What? How is that even possible! There were flames everywhere! Plus, even the engine cowling was blown forwards. There's no way that it could have been blown forwards hard enough to hit a stallion, and break his hips and both legs, but still leave the propeller intact, is there.....? This must be some type of supernatural-type stuff, as it defies all of the known Laws of Physics!" 

After James had gotten over his initial shock about the propeller, he got to work on his examinations of the plane. 





About an hour or so later, he was done."Phew, that was a bit harder than I thought it was going to be! But at any rate, it's done now, and now I can give Taylor that damage report."

Just as he turned to leave though, James suddenly remembered why he'd come to see the plane in the first place. He went to the back of the plane, opened the rear door, and climbed inside. James then began to reached into the small storage compartment underneath his old seat, to see if what he was looking for was indeed there.

"Come on, where is it? Please tell me that it's still here!" 

Finally, after a few moments of frantic searching, James finally found what he was looking for. 

"Are you doing ok over here Mr. James?" 

James then climbed out of the plane, and found himself face to face with Blueprints. 

"Yes, I'm doing fine. I also found what I came here for." 

"And what's that?" 

James held it up. It was a thick book with a blue cover. the words, "Grumman TBF Avenger" were visible in white, while below them the words, "Complete Manual, 1941". 

"And what's that Mr. James? It looks very important." 

James nodded. "It is. This is the operator's manual that was written for the TBF Avenger. It's a complete guide to everything about it, to the parts, statistics, maintenance instructions, the whole 10 miles." 

Blueprints stared at the book in shock. "If only we had had this while we were restoring the plane in the first place! Then this accident would have never happened! I'm also willing to bet that Taylor knew about this book, and chose to ignore it!" 

"In Taylor's defense though, I'm almost completely certain that he had no idea that it was even here." 

"Oh? And how do you know this?" 

"Because, I "borrowed" this book from the airbase at Fort Lauderdale to read during dull moments on our last flight. Taylor didn't know that I had it at all. When the weather started getting really rough though, I stashed the book under my seat, and here it remained until just now.'" 

"And, are, you going to take this book to Mr. Taylor?" 

James nodded. "Yes. He needs to be aware of its existence. Taylor talked about maybe restoring the plane again one day. It sounded like he maybe wants to return to Earth." 

Blueprints was surprised. "What? Mr. Taylor wants to return to Earth?" 

"Maybe, it was just something that we were talking about. Anyway, I think that I should probably get going now. I'm due back at the hospital." 

James then tucked the book under his arm, and after shutting the rear door, he left the workshop. 

"Goodbye for now Blueprints. I hope that the cleanup here goes well, and that you can get back to your engineering projects." 

Blueprints nodded. "I hope so too Mr. James. I also hope that the rest of the engineers, as well as Mr. Taylor, make full recoveries soon, so that they can return to help." 

"Yes, I hope so too. I'll be sure to check on everypony when I return to the hospital. Goodbye Blueprints." 

"Goodbye Mr. James." 

Just before James left though, he turned back one last time to Blueprints. "One last thing Blueprints." 

"Yes Mr. James?" 

"If when Taylor recovered, and he did want to restore his plane again, and he wanted your help with it again, what would you say?" 

Blueprints sighed. "I would have to say that I would certainly have to think long and hard about that. I'm still pretty shook up from last time." 

James nodded. "Ok, that's fair enough I guess." He then left the workshop, and returned to the hospital.





Once James was back in his room, he set the book down onto the table beside his bed. Then, after removing his jacket, he went back to the Trauma Ward. When he arrived though, he was in for yet another surprise. There was a small crowd of ponies standing in the hallway, to to James's utter shock, they were gathered around Metalwork, Inky, and Royal! They all looked like they did the day before the accident. 

"What?! They're all fine now?! Wow! That procedure really is a miracle cure!" 

"Well, yes and no Mr. James." 

James turned around, and to his surprise, there stood Princess Celestia. "Yes, that procedure is a miracle cure, but no, it doesn't work on everything." 

"What do you mean Princess?" 

Celestia sighed. "I mean that we used it on those three engineers, as well as Oilcan, who was injured by flying glass. It worked for them, but not Oilcan. It also didn't work on several other patients that Dr. Stables, Nurse Cotton and I tried it on." 

James was really confused. "What? How can that be?" 

"At first, I couldn't understand it either. But then, after returning to Canterlot, I found a series of manuscripts that explained everything. According the Theodosian himself, the spell only works for "Ponies who have been injured by foreign sources, or are actually foreign sources themselves." 

"Um, I'm still really confused. Can you further enlighten me please?" 

"Yes. What he meant was, that the first patients that he treated, were victims of fights with dragons. Dragons are not native to Equestria; they are a 'foreign source'. Mr. Taylor's plane is also 'foreign'. It came from Earth, and is made from materials not native to Equestria. Mr. Taylor, Metalwork, Inky, and Royal were all hurt by either the plane itself, or the fire caused by it's fuel, which was also a 'foreign' compound. Is this making any sense to you Mr. James?" 

James shrugged. "Some, but I still have questions. What about Oilcan? Why didn't the spell work for him? And why did it work for me? I wasn't injured by the plane." 

"Oilcan was injured by flying glass from the shattered windows. That glass is Equestrian-made, and not 'foreign'. But you Mr. James, are another story. You, like Mr. Taylor, hail from the planet Earth. Everything on Earth is 'foreign' to us, even when it isn't. You both are 'foreign sources'. What this means is that if you are ever injured like Mr. Taylor was, or Mr. Taylor is ever injured like that again, this procedure will work to heal you." 

James was taken aback by this statement. "A treatment that can heal severe injuries that really only works for those who have been injured by 'foreign sources'?" He thought. "This is really weird." Out loud, he said, "I don't know what to say about this Princess. It's still slightly confusing, and I need more time to think about it." 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, I understand completely Mr. James. However, before you go back to Mr. Taylor, I need to ask you a question." 

"Certainly Princess. What's your question?" 

"Um, while I was talking to Nurse Freckles earlier about Taylor, she mentioned to me the conversation that you had with him yesterday about maybe going home some day. My question is, were you both being serious about that?" 

James was really taken aback by Celestia's question. He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know at this point Princess. We were just talking about it, although Taylor did seem to have an interest in maybe returning home. If this was the case though, do you think that you would be able to help us go home?" 

Celestia thought about that for a moment. "To be perfectly honest Mr. James, I don't know. In theory, I could just use that same spell again, but who knows if it would work. I would need to do a lot more research on it first." 

James nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that that would be for the best. Anyway, I guess that I'd better go see how Taylor's doing." 

James then left Celestia, and returned to Taylor's room. As he was walking though, he saw the three engineers returning to their rooms as well. 

"So are all of you guys all healed up as well?" 

Metalwork turned to him. "Yes, it sure looks that way. We're going to be kept here one for night for observation, but if everything is still ok by tomorrow morning, then we'll get released." 

"Hmm, that sounds good. I hope that all of you qualify for release." 

"I sure hope that we do too Mr. James." 

James then opened the door to Taylor's room, and went inside. As he was walking back in, Nurse Freckles was giving Taylor his latest dose of eyedrops. 

"Hello Taylor, how are you doing?" 

"Hmm? Oh, hey James, and I'm doing ok. I still feel a bit sore, but my arm is in a new cast, and my eyes are feeling much better as well. I can already see light again, and in a few more days, everything should almost be back to normal, I hope. But I noticed that you went somewhere earlier. Where did you go?" 

"Oh, I went back to the workshop to fully assess the damage." 

Taylor was surprised. "You did? And how bad is it?" 

"Not too bad actually. When I arrived, I found Blueprints and Squeaky there, and they were supervising the cleaning and repair work that was being done." 

"What? They're doing repair work already?" 

James nodded. "Yeah. Oh, and I also did an assessment of the plane." 

"Oh, and how bad is it? Junk and scrap metal?" 

"That's what I thought that it was going to be too. However, I was wrong. In reality, from the cockpit on back, everything is completely fine. The front though, is going to need some serious work. The engine is in pieces, all non-metal parts and the engine housing are gone, and the rest is kinda mangled. Overall though, I do see hope, especially after what I found." 

Taylor was curious. "What? What did you find?" 

James smiled. "Well, under my seat, I found the TBF Avenger operations manual that I 'borrowed' from the airbase, and had with me during the flight." 

Taylor looked at James, and his face seemed to have a mixture of anger, sadness, regret, and other mixed emotions. "So basically, you mean to tell me that underneath your seat, you had the operations manual for the plane, it was there the whole time, and I never even knew it?!" 

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Hopefully now we have a real chance of fixing the plane, without it blowing up this time." 

Taylor maybe would have said something, but he was in such a state of shock about James having the TBF Avenger operations manual, that he actually fainted!
> Chapter 31: New Steps, Something Regained, and Back on Track
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Taylor fainted, Nurse Freckles immediately began to try and revive him.

"Gosh, I've heard from Nurse Starlight that Taylor has had several episodes of fainting, but has this ever been the case back on Earth?" 

James shrugged. "To be perfectly honest, I don't know. I never saw Taylor faint myself, but I did hear from some of the other guys in Blue Squadron that he did from time to time." 

"If that was the case though, was it due to a medical condition?" 

"Like I said before Miss Freckles, I honestly don't know. It could be, or it might not be, only Taylor could tell us that." 

Moments after James said this, Taylor woke up again.

"Taylor, seriously, you really need to stop fainting like that. It cannot be good for your health." 

"Well, maybe if Life didn't keep throwing bricks at me like that, maybe I wouldn't keep fainting! Well, that, and those epiphanies that I had a few days ago didn't help me much either." 

James sighed. "No, wait, what? What epiphanies?" 

Taylor told him about the past couple of times where he'd had a great epiphany, and either been in a state of shock, or lost consciousnesses. 

Both James's eyes, as well as Nurse Freckles eyes, got very wide when they heard Taylor's story. 

"Wow, that's that's pretty incredible. I mean, the Pacific War was one thing, but that many epiphanies in such a short time? How are you not dead from a heart attack or something?" 

"Well, it might have had something to do with the fact that I had Nurse Redheart around me, and......" Taylor sighed, and seemed very sad. "Redheart....." He whispered. "The mare I lost."

James looked at Nurse Freckles. Nurse Freckles looked at him and nodded, indicating that both of them were thinking the exact same thing. Wordlessly, Nurse Freckles left the room for a moment, and paged a certain nurse.



 

Once Taylor had fully composed himself again, he turned to James. "Hey James?" 

"Yeah Taylor?" 

"Don't you think that it's about time that I maybe got out of bed? You know, maybe tried to walk again?" 

"Um, are you sure that that's such a good idea Taylor? I mean, you are still blind, and were just injured extremely severely." 

Taylor sighed. "Yeah, but if I don't get out of this bed soon, I'm also going to have to learn how to walk again, on top of remembering how to use my eyes. So what do you say? Will you help me?" 

"Umm....", James was still unsure. "Don't you think that we should ask Nurse Freckles about that first?" 

"Ask me about what?" Nurse Freckles walked back into the room.

"Well, I've been in this bed for several days now, and I'm starting to get extremely cramped in my legs. I'm afraid that if I don't at least stretch my legs a bit, that I'm going to have to relearn how to walk. I asked James to help me, but he said that we should ask you first, since you are a medical professional." 

Nurse Freckles wasn't sure what to say to that. "Well", she said at last, "You are blind Mr. Taylor, you arm is still broken, and you still have some pretty heavy bruising on your back. However, you are correct. You do need to move your legs to keep your muscles from stiffening. However, I don't think that I'm the one qualified to help you with that." 

Taylor looked at her curiously. "Huh? What do you mean by that Nurse Freckles? And if you're not qualified to help me, then who is?" 

"I think that we might be able to help you with that Taylor!" Came a voice from the doorway. 

Taylor turned towards the voice. It sounded new, yet, so oddly familiar. He couldn't see, yet, he knew who said that. 

"N-Nurse Starlight? Is that really you?" 

"Yep! I'm right here Taylor." 

Taylor smiled, but then he frowned slightly. "Yeah, but wait a minute. You said 'we'. Did you bring another nurse with you? And if so, who?" 

"She brought me, Taylor. I came to help you too." 

When Taylor heard that voice, he immediately froze up. He knew that voice. He had heard it every day since he arrived in Equestria. He also knew that the mare that it belonged to was not only the same one that he had cheated on, but also the one that had kicked him in the head for lying to her about it. 

"R-Redheart? I-is that r-really you???" 

He heard the sounds of hooves on the hospital floor, and then felt a warm, furry something pull him into a hug. 

"Yes, it's me Taylor, I'm right here. Even though you are blind, just know that I really am right here." 

Taylor was still in a state of shock, and Starlight just looked at the two of them, smiling to herself. It was another story with James and Nurse Freckles however. 

"Wow", James whispered softly, "It looks like they may finally forgive each other.......MWMHPH!!!!!" 

Before he could finish his sentence, Nurse Freckles clamped a hoof over his mouth. "Shh, quiet! I want to see where this is going." 

Now James was slightly ticked. "Hey, I wasn't doing anything bad, and why'd you stuff your hoof over my mouth?" 

"Because I was trying to shut you up. You were breaking my concentration." 

"Well, don't do it again. I mean it!" 

Nurse Freckles turned to him, with a strange look on her face. "Well, if you don't zip it, I might just have to find another way to shut you up." 

James rolled his eyes. "Ok, I think that this conversation has gone on long enough. I think that it's time that we acted like adults, and.....MWMPH!?!?!?!" 

Once again, James had no chance at finishing his sentence. This time though, before he got the chance to, Nurse Freckles grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulled him close to her, and actually kissed him on the mouth! 

"Augh! What was that?!?!" 

"It's called 'a kiss' dummy!" She replied giggling, "And there's another one coming if you don't shut up!" 

James was still recoiling. "You.....cannot....be seriou.....MWMPH!!!!!" 

"I'm just gonna keep kissing you until you shut up." 

This unstable situation was about to come to a climax. Just as James was probably about to say something else, (possibly something along the lines of asking for help!) Nurse Starlight heard the noises going on behind her, and when she turned to  look, to her utter shock, there was Nurse Freckles, and she was kissing James!" 

"What the......?!?!?! WHAT IN SWEET CELESTIA'S NAME ARE YOU DOING TO HIM FRECKLES?!?!?!?!" 

Freckles immediately let go of James, and he fell to the floor. 

"Medic!" 

"Did she hurt you Mr. James?" Starlight was geniunely concerned for James's well being.

"Well, aside from hitting my head on the floor just now, as well as maybe needing a test for any number of animal-related illnesses, I think I'm fine." 

Starlight then once again turned her full attention to Nurse Freckles. "Once again, before I have security come in and haul your ass out, I have to ask, WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU DOING TO HIM?!?!?!" 

Nurse Freckles hung her head low. "I was trying to watch Taylor and Starlight possibly make up, but he wouldn't stop talking. I first put my hoof over his mouth, but he protested that. Then, in the spur of the moment, I told him that if he wasn't going to shut up, then I would have to find another way to make him. He didn't believe me, and so, again in the spur of the moment, as well as a moment of not thinking straight, I kissed him. 

Long story short, he recoiled, and asked me what I did. I gave him a sarcastic reply, and told him that if he was going to keep talking, that I was going to keep kissing him until he shut up. It was then that you turned around and saw us. And it might also just be me, but I kinda get this odd feeling that I really just messed up. Like big-time!" 

"No shit!" James muttered. Out loud, he said, "And please don't do that ever again! (without asking me first anyway!) If you just wanted a kiss, all you had to so was ask!" 

Nurse Freckles sighed. "Yeah, and that was really stupid of me. I'm really sorry Mr. James. I-I um, gosh, I really don't know what to say, aside from asking for your forgiveness of course." 

James nodded. "And you have it. And also, you should feel at least a bit of pride." 

"For what?" 

"Well, because of what just happened, now you can claim to be the third mare to ever kiss a human!" 

Freckles thought about that. "Yeah, I guess that you're right Mr. James. And, I do really want this behind us." 

James nodded. "So do I Miss Freckles. So yes, I can forgive you." 

"And does this mean that we can still be friends too?" 

"Well, if that's what you want, then I guess that that could be arranged as well." 

"*Squee!*" Nurse Freckles then hugged James as the two of them made up. 



 

By this point, Taylor and Redheart were finished hugging, although before they could really talk to each other, Redheart turned at Starlight's outburst, and she stared in shock at what she was seeing. 

"Hey, what's going on over there Redheart? What's wrong?" 

"Oh, it's nothing Taylor. It's just Nurse Freckles showing some really poor judgement." 

"Huh? What did she do?" 

"It's kind of a weird story Taylor", James said from across the room, "I'll tell you about it later." 

Taylor however, based on the various conversations that he was hearing, already had a pretty good idea of what had happened. "So, now James becomes the second human to ever kiss a mare." He thought to himself, "And like me, his first kiss was with a nurse. I don't know what it is with nurses around here, but is this always how they treat patients? Or do we 'new species' get special treatment?" 

Taylor wasn't sure, but he didn't think that it was his place to ask, so he didn't. Instead, he turned back to Redheart. "So, um Miss Redheart? Do you think that you could help me stand up now? That was the main reason that you came here, wasn't it?" 

Redheart nodded. "Yes, well, that was one of the reasons anyway. However, this is the focus right now, so let's figure out how to do this. As I'm sure that you already know, you are blind, at least for the time being, so this is really going to complicate things a bit." 

In the end, they decided to do it just like they had done when Taylor got up to walk the first time. With Redheart standing next to the bed, Taylor slowly pulled his blankets off of himself. Then, as carefully as he could, with help from both Starlight and James, he sat on the side of the bed, and swung first one leg, and then the other over the side. Then, once he had both feet on the floor, and with his left arm wrapped around Redheart's back, Taylor slowly stood up again. 

At first, because he wasn't quite used to standing yet, he did prove to be rather unstable. 

"Whoa, whoa! I kinda feel a little shaky here Redheart! I feel like I could fall down!" 

"Well, that's why you're leaning on me. I'm not only your support, but also your eyes as well. For the time being at least." 

Taylor nodded, and once he'd fully regained his footing, with Redheart by his side, he carefully moved one foot, and then the other. Pretty soon, Taylor was taking his first steps post-accident. 

"It was so weird", Taylor recalled later. "It was like walking through a dark room, but yet, there did seem to be some dim light. I was so afraid that I was going to run into something. Silly me though. Redheart was by my side. I knew that she wasn't going to let anything happen to me." 

As they continued to walk along slowly, Taylor turned his head to Redheart. "Um, Miss Redheart?" 

"Yes Mr. Taylor?" 

"Um, I have a question. Earlier when i asked, you said that coming to help me walk was only part of the reason that you came to me. Um, what was the other reason?" 

Redheart stopped cold. She had spent a long time with Starlight beforehand preparing for this, but now that it was upon her, Redheart didn't know what to say. For a few moments, she tried and failed to say anything. However, she was able to get a grip on herself, and she finally let it all out. 

"The other reason, was so that I could finally get another chance to talk to you again Taylor. After the night that I wounded you, I felt so much guilt over what I had done that I couldn't bear to see you, so that's why I left for Ponyville on that earlier train. After arriving back here though, I felt so guilty, that I decided that I was going to come back and find you, but before I could, you and the others had your accident." 

"B-but why? Why, if you cared about me so much, did you not come to see me while I was here?" 

Redheart seemed like she was going to cry. "B-because, I c-couldn't. I tried to, but when I saw you lying there, fighting for your life, I couldn't stand it. You were in so much pain that I had a breakdown. For the longest time, I sat on a bench outside of your room, crying. Eventually, I left the Trauma Ward, and was later found by Nurse Starlight. 

This was last night. She and I had a long talk about everything, and eventually, she convinced me to come back and finally talk to you." 

Taylor nodded, tears beginning to form in his own eyes. "And I'm......glad that you did. I was really missing you, missing hearing your voice, missing laughing with you, spending time with you, etc. I wanted you to come, but given everything that had happened, I knew that you probably hated me, and never wanted to see me again." 

"That couldn't be farther from the truth Taylor. You're very special to me. We shared a connection since the first time that we met. We may have hit some serious rough spots with the events of the past couple of days, but I'm willing to work through it if you are." 

Taylor turned to her. "So, does this mean that we're, um, c-close friends again?" 

Redheart paused for a moment, then she let go of Taylor for a moment, before rearing up onto her hind legs to hug him. 

"You'd better believe it Taylor!" She whispered. "You seem to have this uncanny knack for needing medical attention, as well as guidance at times, so yes, I'm here for you once again." 

"I just wish that I could see you right now Redheart. I'm so close to being able to do that, yet, so far. I still have another two days or so of eyedrop treatments before my blindfold can be removed." 

"You'll see me soon Taylor. And I'm sure that you'll be happy to know that I've spoken to Dr. Stables, and as of now, until the day that you leave the hospital, I will be the nurse caring for you." 

"That sounds nice, but what about Nurse Freckles?" 

"Yeah, what about me?" 

Redheart turned to look at her. "Well, I won't be tending to Taylor full time, but the doctor agreed that it would be for the best if we worked at it in shifts. You were wearing yourself out, and no other nurse, besides maybe Starlight, and of course you now, knows Taylor better than I do." 

Taylor then felt unstable again. "Um, Redheart, could you please help me back to the bed? I need to sit down again." 

"Certainly." With care, Redheart helped him back to the bed, and when he was next to it, he sat back down on the edge of it. While he was sitting there, Redheart sat behind him, and gently began to massage his back. 

"Hmm", she sighed, "It must feel so nice to have me do this." 

"Yeah, it feels like........Ow, OW, OW!!!!!! THE BRUISES!!!!!! OW OW OW OW OW OW!!!!!!!!!" 

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I forgot all about them! Oh gosh!!!!" Redheart immediately recoiled. She then took some ointment, and began to rub that over the bruises on his back instead, albeit, MUCH more gently this time! 

"Um, does that feel any better Taylor?" 

"Yeah, it......sorta does. It feels cool, and whatever it is, it's making the pain seem to go away." 

After Redheart was done rubbing the ointment in, Taylor lay on his stomach for a few minutes, so as to allow the ointment time to be absorbed. 

As it was being absorbed, Taylor asked a question. "Um, Nurse Freckles?" 

"Yes Mr. Taylor?" 

"When was I scheduled to have my original arm cast removed, and replaced with a better one?" 

"Um", she looked over her records. "According to what Dr. Stables wrote here, that's going to be done in the morning, close to when some of your final eyedrop treatments are being done as well." 

"Ok, that sounds fine. It'll sure be nice to have it bent at a 90 degree angle at my elbow, instead of just being straight like it is now. And those treatments will put me more steps closer to being able to see again." 

Nurse Freckles nodded. "Yes, now you'd better get some rest Mr. Taylor. It's starting to get late, and you have more treatments to have done tomorrow." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, I suppose you're right." He began to get settled back into his bed. 

"And I'm going to head home for the night. Goodnight everypony!" 

"Goodnight Nurse Starlight." 

"And I think that I'll head back to my room as well. Goodnight Taylor, I'll see you tomorrow." 

Taylor nodded. "Goodnight James." 

"And I guess that now Nurse Redheart will be taking care of you, at least for a while, I'm going to take a break for the night. Goodbye for now Mr. Taylor." 

"Goodbye Nurse Freckles." 



 

Once the goodnights and goodbyes were over with, the lights in Taylor's room were turned off, with the exception of a lamp, and Taylor was trying to fall asleep.

"Um, Redheart?" 

"Yes Taylor?" 

"I'm just glad that we were able to work through that rough spot in our relationship. It feels so good to be past it now." 

"Yeah, I know what you mean Taylor. The air is now clear, and we can start over with a clean slate. Maybe we weren't meant to be lovers, but doesn't mean that we can't still be friends, does it?" 

Taylor shook his head. "Of course not. We can always still be friends. Goodnight Miss Redheart. I'll see you tomorrow." 

Goodnight, Mr. Taylor." 

With that, Taylor was finally able to fall asleep. He and Redheart had fully come to terms with what had happened, and where able to work through it. Their future looked bright, now the question remained; could the plane possibly be repaired for a trip back to Earth, and if so, how long would it take?
> Chapter 32: Hospital Life, Odd Hobby, and Preparing for Removal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once James had gotten back to his room, he sighed, before sitting down at the desk to write in his notebook some more. Ever since Nurse Freckles had kissed him, he couldn't get it off of his mind. 

"I don't get it", he mumbled as he wrote, "Why did she do that? I mean, I could understand her maybe trying to concentrate, but really? What she did was taking it too far, wasn't it?" He thought some more. "Well, she did apologize, but still, just straight up kissing me like that? Maybe I did like it, but still, kissing someone you just met seems pretty weird to me. Maybe all Ponies are like that, I don't know." 

James continued to write. "In the long-run, while Taylor seems to be focused on his engineering work, I just hope that I can restart the little side business I had going back on Earth. I wonder if there would be a market for that here?" 

He looked down at his sketches that he was making, which were of tiny coffins. However, these were too small for a human, too small for a Pony, and even, too small for an infant of either species. 

"I mean, I suppose that there might be, I don't know. I'll ask Taylor about it tomorrow if he's feeling ok." 

James worked for a little bit longer on his sketches, then he went to bed. 



 

The next morning was a rather busy one for Taylor. First of all, the time had come to remove his original cast. Dr. Stables was there to oversee the process. 

"Um, before we begin doctor, I have to know, how is the cast going to be removed?" 

"With this, Mr. Taylor." He held up a small surgical saw. "I know that you are unable to see it, but it's a small surgical saw specifically designed for removing casts. Once the cast has been removed, we'll give you a chance to move your arm a bit, before finding a comfortable position for your arm to be in when we apply the new cast." 

"And, how long am I going to need a cast again?" 

"According to your last X-rays, you should only need one for another 3-4 weeks or so." 

"3 to 4 weeks?!" 

"Yes. You're arm was broken Mr. Taylor. Both of the bones in your lower arm snapped all of the way through. A lot of healing was done with that spell, and that shaved a good month and a half off of your healing time, but it couldn't do everything." 

Taylor sighed. "Yeah, I guess I can handle anther 3 weeks of a cast. Let's just get this over with. You may cut away doctor." 

Dr. Stables nodded, and with Taylor lying still, with expert skill, Dr. Stables cut away his original cast. At first, Taylor seemed fine. However, once the cast was off, and nothing was holding his arm back anymore, then the pain started. 

With a loud popping, crackling, and snapping sound, Taylor bent his elbow enough to jerk his arm back to a 90 degree angle. "Ouch, ouch, ouch! Pins and needles, pins and needles!" Taylor cried, gripping his arm. 

"How badly does it hurt Mr. Taylor?" 

"On a scale of one to ten, I would give this a four, but hopefully the pain will go away once I can get a better range of motion." Taylor then gently proceeded to move his arm around a bit, and sure enough, the pain did subside after a few minutes. 

"How does it feel now Mr. Taylor?" 

"Now on a scale of one to ten, I would give this maybe a two, and rapidly dropping back to one." 

The doctor nodded, and with help from Nurse Redheart, once Taylor got his arm bent into a 90 degree angle at his left elbow, they applied his new cast. Once the cast had been dried with magic, Taylor was also given a sling to hold his cast. 

"Well", Taylor said when they were all done, "Now this is something I can live with. Now, if only I could see my surroundings." 

"I'm afraid that you'll still have to wait another day or so for that Mr. Taylor. You still have a few more eye treatments before we can remove the bandages." 

Taylor sighed. "Yeah, I guess that I will." 

"Aww, don't feel too bad Taylor, I'm still here with you." 

Taylor looked over towards where he guessed that Redheart was. "Well, I know that with you here with me Miss Redheart, things will definitely be better." 



 

About ten minutes later, after the doctor had left, Redheart turned to Taylor. "Hey Taylor?" 

"Yes Miss Redheart?" 

"Um, I was wondering if you would be interested in walking around a bit more. You kinda do need a little bit of exercise." 

"Sure. And do you think that it would be possible for me to go and see how the other engineers are doing?" 

Redheart nodded. "Sure, I guess that we could do that. However, I think that you will be glad to hear that a little bit earlier today, Inky and Royal were released from the hospital. Metalwork is being kept a bit longer for observation, and Oilcan is almost healed up enough to go home as well." 

Taylor was surprised. "Wow, that spell really did a number for them, didn't it? I'm glad that they're all going to be ok." 

"Me too, now then, let's go for a walk, shall we?" 

Taylor nodded, and after getting up, he pulled off his blankets, and sat on the side of the bed. 

"Wow, this is really difficult with only one arm. Couple this with being unable to see, and you've got a real situation on your hands, or hooves rather." 

Redheart nodded. "Yeah, so it's a good thing that you have a trained nurse to help you, right?" she giggled.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." 

With help from Redheart, Taylor stood up, and after finding his footing, he wrapped his right hand and arm around her.

"Comfortable Taylor?" 

He nodded. "Yep, I'm fine." 

"Ok then, let's go!" 

Slowly, and with help, Taylor began to walk forwards. 

"Ok, now be careful. Here's the door. It's about two feet in front of you. Just take two steps forwards, and reach for the knob. Do you think that you can do that?" 

"Um, I'll try." 

Taylor then let go of Redheart, and after stepping forwards about two steps, he felt the door. After feeling around for a few moments, he found the knob. "I found it." 

"Very good, now, turn it, open the door, and step out into the hallway." 

Taylor did so, and he felt around for the rail that ran the length on the hallway, broken only by doors. "Coming Miss Redheart?" 

She nodded. "Yep, here I come." She then stepped out of Taylor's room as well, and stepped up to his side. After Taylor wrapped his hand and arm around her again, they started moving. 

As they walked, Redheart asked Taylor a question. "Um, Taylor?" 

"Yes Miss Redheart?" 

"Can I ask you a question?" 

"Sure, ask away." 

"Um, well, this may seem kinda awkward, but um, well, I've noticed how, ever since you came here to Equestria, you seem very nervous, and lacking in confidence. I guess that my question is, have you always been timid, or was this something recent?" 

Taylor sighed, and went silent for a few moments. 

"I'm sorry. I guess that I shouldn't have asked that." 

"No, no it's ok, it's just, unexpected. And to answer your question, the truth is, yes, there was once I time when I was very confident, however, my experience in the Pacific War changed all of that. I saw that one wrong move could be the death of not only me, but those under me as well. My confidence was badly shaken, and I've never quite regained it. That's why I may seem rather timid at times. I just don't have the confidence that I used to. I've made strides to try and regain it, but things happen that shake it again. Be it my flight through the Bermuda Triangle, or the workshop fire." 

Redheart was very quiet while Taylor explained himself. Once he was finished, she whispered, "Oh, well, I guess that that makes sense. I don't know much about war, but if I had to venture a guess, I would say that it can cause terrible things to happen to both your mind, and your body." 

Taylor nodded. "And your assumption would be correct. I've never been the same since the war. Heck, neither has James for that matter, but that's besides the point." 

Redheart opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then she closed it again. 

A minute or so later, they arrived at the first room. 

"And who's is this room again?" 

"This is Oilcan's room." 

"Oh." 

Redheart knocked on the door. 

"Yes?" A voice asked from inside. "Who is it?" 

"Um, It's Nurse Redheart. I've brought Mr. Taylor, as he's requested to see Oilcan." 

A few moments later, the door opened, and a nurse poked her head out. "Oh, well hello there. You can come in." 

Redheart nodded, and gently leading Taylor by his side, she led him into the room.

"T-Taylor?" A male voice asked, "I-is that you?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, it's me Oilcan. I might not be able to see you right now, but I certainly hope that you're doing better." 

"S-so, the r-rumors, are true? Y-you really are, b-blind?" 

"Yes, I'm afraid so, for the time being at least. I was severely flash-burned during the explosion. I've been undergoing treatment since, and Dr. Stables thinks that I might be another few days or so away from regaining my sight." 

"Wow. It's odd. Now all of a sudden my glass cuts that required stitches suddenly don't seem so bad. I see you standing there, bandages over your eyes, left arm in a cast, most likely the heavy bruises on your back like I've heard, and I'm thinking, 'man. I had it so good. I got cut by flying glass. He got caught in an explosion.' I feel really bad for you, Mr. Taylor." 

Taylor shook his head. "It wasn't your fault Oilcan, it was mine. If I had decided to just drain the fuel tank, instead of attempting one more engine test, none of this would have happened. All of us would still be completely intact. Now, all of us have probably been scarred for life. Even when all of our physical wounds heal, the mental ones will not." 

Oilcan looked at Taylor sadly. "I know that you're probably right Mr. Taylor. However, if it makes you feel any better, I know that you didn't do anything on purpose. The accident was just that, an accident." 

Taylor sighed. "Well, I'm glad that you see it that way Oilcan, it's just too bad that almost nopony else will." 

With that, Taylor left Oilcan's room, and with Redheart leading the way, they went to go find Metalwork. When they arrived at his room though, they were told by a nurse that he was using the bathroom. 

"Oh, well then, I'll just come back later." 

Taylor then left, and while still being led by Redheart, he went back to his room. When he got back, he found somebody waiting for him. 

"Hello Taylor." 

"Oh, good morning James. How are you doing?" 

"Well, I seem to be doing pretty good. However, there's something on my mind. Something that's been bothering me." 

"Oh? What would that be?" Taylor walked back in, and sat down on his bed.

"Well", James sighed, "The truth is Taylor, I've been wanting to restart a side business that I had going while we were stationed at Fort Lauderdale." 

"Oh, really? Well, good for you James. However, I don't remember you having a small side business. What did you do?" 

"Oh, well, um....." James suddenly seemed rather nervous. "I....um, this is going to sound pretty weird." 

Taylor cocked his head to the side a bit. "What do you mean James? And you don't have to be afraid to tell me. I'm one of your comrades. As long as it was nothing illegal, I don't see why you're so embarrassed." 

James continued to look at the floor. Finally, he sighed, and looked back up at Taylor. "Well, the truth is, that, for a while at least, for about $5-$15 dollars, depending on what the customer wanted, I would actually make small coffins and tombstones." 

Taylor was shocked. "You what?! You made small coffins and tombstones?! Why?!" 

"Not for people if that's what you're asking. The truth is, I actually made them for pets." 

Now Taylor's shock gave way to confusion. "What? Pets? You mean, you would actually made coffins and tombstones, for people's pets?" 

James nodded. 

"Why?" 

"Because I was good at it. When was much younger, my pet cat, Patches died. I was so sad. I felt that he needed a proper sendoff. So, using scraps of wood, I made him a small coffin, and using a chunk of a broken cinder-block, I made him a tombstone. Over time, some other people that I knew lost pets as well. They heard about what I had done for Patches, and they asked me to make some for them as well. I would charge based on the size of the coffins, and what they wanted on the tombstone. For just $5, that would get you a coffin made for a fish, and for $15, that would get you one for a large dog. Tombstone's came included with names, and dates of birth and death, as well as a simple, customized message. Anything else cost extra. I would also be able to deliver the finished products in one to two days, depending on what was being asked of me." 

When James finished his explanation, All Taylor and Redheart could do was stare in absolute shock. From all of the time that he had known James, not one time had he even so much as hinted that he did something like that.

"Um, well, gosh James, I, um, never knew that you did that. Why didn't you ever tell me this before?" 

James sighed. "Well, because I couldn't. Outside of those in my home-town, everyone else either just laughed at me, or they outright called me a pet murderer. I knew that I probably could trust you, but I could never be too sure. I never made any during the war though." 

"Oh. Well, if you didn't make any during the war, when did you make your last order?" 

James sighed again. "I made my last order for my cousin, Gwen, in the Summer of '42, just before I left for war. Her parrot, Jimmy, had died, and I gave him his proper sendoff. I spent a day or so making his coffin and tombstone. After I gave them to Gwen, I helped her bury Jimmy in a spot in her garden. I didn't charge her, because she was family, but she gave me a dollar anyway. 

Sadly, that day was the last time that I ever saw my cousin Gwen. I deployed just days later, and stayed until the war's end. Once it did, I was transferred to Blue Squadron. I still heard from Gwen from time to time through letters, the last one being December 3rd, 1945, just two days before our last flight. I wrote her back on the morning of December 5th, and mailed it at the base post office just before we took off. I would assume that it reached it's destination by now, but I don't know." 

When James finished his story, all both Taylor and Redheart could do was stare in absolute shock. 

"So he left behind family too", Taylor murmured, "It wasn't just me......" 

"Wow Mr. James, um, from looking at you, I would have never guessed that you did things like that for people in your community. I bet that they were very thankful for what you did." 

James nodded. "Yes, all of my customers were. And, d-do you think that there w-would be any market for something like that in P-Ponyville?" 

Redheart shrugged. "Honestly Mr. James, I don't know. I mean, it's possible I suppose, but I don't know." 

"If it was", James mused, "Then I guess that I would be the first to ever enter the mortuary business for pets. Well, at least the first human anyway." 

"Hmm, that kind of sounds like something a friend of mine, Flutters, would do." 

"Um, who's Flutters?" 

"Oh, she was the one who helped me find Taylor when he first arrived in Equestria. She helped me examine him, as well as in getting him to the hospital. Animals are her passion, and since she is extremely well known for taking care of sick and injured creatures, it's highly possible that she has seen some of them die. Maybe she would have need of your services, and if so, then maybe she could recommend you to others." 

James nodded. "Yes. Yes, I think that you may be on to something Nurse Redheart! Um, where can I find Miss Flutters?" 

Redheart shrugged. "Well, to be perfectly honest Mr. James, I don't have her address. However, I do know that she does live in Ponyville, and that she lives close to the Everfree Forest. I'm sure that somepony in town can point you in the right direction." 

"Yes, well, I guess that settles that then. I'll finish drawing up my business plan tonight, and tomorrow, I guess that I'll go see if I can find Miss Flutters." 

"Ok then, and I wish you the best of luck with your business endevors Mr. James." 

"As do I James. From what you have told me, what you can do is an extraordinary gift. I hope that you use it well, and follow your dream. Maybe God has a plan to use your 'pet funeral business', in your future. I'll be praying for you." 

James nodded, smiling. "Thank you Taylor. Now then, I hope that you don't mind, but I have plans to draw up, so I'll be heading back up to my room." 

"Ok then, goodbye James. I'll call you if I need anything." 

"Goodbye Taylor." And with that, James left to go put the final finishing touches on his new business plan. 

"Wow, I'm really hoping that he succeeds with his plan Taylor." 

"So do I Redheart. He must have a lot of talent if he was able to maintain his side-business. Let's just hope that he can maybe do that all over again." 

"Here's to hoping Taylor, here's to hoping." 

Taylor then leaned back on the bed, as it was time to administer another of his eye treatments.



 

The rest of that day was a bit of a blur for Taylor. It mostly consisted of him exercising walks with Nurse Redheart, (whom he dubbed his "seeing-eye Pony",) eye treatments, and having Redheart read to him a bit from a book on Ponyville history. 

Then, at close to 4am the next morning, there suddenly came a knock at Taylor's door. Both he and Redheart were sleeping, but the knocking did wake both of them up. 

"Huh? Who's that?" 

"Um, I don't know Taylor. Come in!" She said to whoever was outside the door. 

The door then opened, and Dr. Stables stepped in. 

"Oh, Dr. Stables, what brings you here?" 

The doctor finished looking over the clipboard that he had been holding with his magic before looking up at Nurse Redheart. "I've come here, because now that the four hours have passed since Mr. Taylor's final eyedrop treatment, the time has come to remove the bandages on his eyes." 

Taylor was surprised. "T-the time h-has come to r-remove the b-bandages from my eyes?" 

The doctor nodded. "Yes, the time is now Mr. Taylor. In a few more minutes, the bandages will be off, and for the first time since the accident, you may be able to see again."
> Chapter 33: Seeing Things, Looking Ahead, and Business Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taylor sighed, before nervously looking up at the doctor. "So, um, how exactly is this process going to work Dr. Stables?" 

The doctor looked over his notes. "Well Mr. Taylor, it's going to be a very simple procedure. First of all, we're going to remove the black gauze covering the bandages over your eyes. Then, with the greatest of care, we're going to remove those bandages. Once that's complete, we're going to give you a few more eyedrops, and then do a final check to make sure that your eyes are indeed ok." 

"And then I'll be able to see?" 

"Well, to an extent. Remember, the optometrists said that your eyes will never again quite be what they once were. You will be able to see, however, we won't know for sure how well until the bandages are removed." 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, I understand doctor. However, before the procedure begins, I have a simple request to make." 

"And what's that Taylor?" Redheart asked. 

"Can James please be present for this as well? I want him here for this." 

"I assume so Taylor, provided of course that he's awake." 

Redheart then paged an on-duty nurse  to go see if James was awake, and if so, to tell him that Taylor wanted him to be present when the procedure to remove the bandages began. The nurse said that she would get on it right away.



 

About 10 minutes later, a very tired looking James walked into the room. 

"Gosh", he mumbled, "Can't a guy get some sleep around here? It feels like I just fell asleep, and then some nurse came in and told me that I was needed in Taylor's room, and that it was critically important. Now that I'm here, I have to know, what was so important?" 

"I wanted you here James, because the time has come for me to have the bandages removed from my eyes." 

James's tone immediately changed. "What? It's time for that? Well, in that case, I guess that I can't really be too mad at you Taylor. In fact, I'm glad that you called me here to witness the procedure." 

Taylor smiled a bit. "You're welcome James, you are my comrade after all.

A few minutes later, Once Dr. Stables and Nurse Redheart had prepared a few things, they were ready to go.

"Ok, now just lean back a bit Mr. Taylor." 

Taylor did so, and sighed a bit. 

"Are you nervous Taylor?" Redheart asked him gently.

He nodded. "Yeah, I am. In the past week, I went from having 20/20 vision, to being blind, and now it looks like I'm going to be able to see again. It's a really weird change." 

"Yeah, I can imagine that it would be. Would, um, would you like me to hold your hoof, er....um, hand?" Redheart blushed, although Taylor couldn't see it.

He nodded slowly. "Sure, if that's what you want Miss Redheart." 

He then reached out his hand for her hoof, and she took it gently. 

"Ok, are you ready for this Mr. Taylor?" 

"As ready as I'll ever be Dr. Stables." 

"Ok then, here we go. It all boils down to this." 

Then, as gently as he could, using a pair of scissors with his magic, Dr. Stables gently removed the black gauze from Taylor's face. 

"Are you doing ok Mr. Taylor?" 

"Yep, I'm doing fine. However, before you remove the bandages, I must ask; what am I going to see?" 

The doctor looked over some of his notes. "Well, from what I know from my studies of flash-burn, first, you'll probably only see darkness. Then, as the light begins to hit your eyes, you'll see it, but then everything will just be light. Eventually, things will come into view, but everything will be blurry. Your eyes may hurt during this time, for which we have eyedrops for. Eventually, everything might come back into focus, however, only you would be able to tell us how much into focus you can see things." 

Taylor nodded. "I understand doctor. Also, hey James?" 

"Yeah Taylor?" 

"What's the date and time?" 

"Oh, well, today is Friday, December 14th, 1945, and the time is now 4:22am." 

"Ok, thank you James. It's good to know that. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, you may proceed doctor." 

The doctor nodded, however, just before he removed the bandages from Taylor's eyes, he paused for a moment. "Um, Mr. Taylor, when I do remove the bandages, I want you to tell me about what you see, so that I can take notes." 

After taking a few breaths, Taylor was ready. "Ok then doctor, I'm ready whenever you are." 

"Ok, I'm ready too, and I have my notes, so here we go, the bandages are coming off!" 

With that, and as gently as he could, Dr. Stables removed the bandages, and Taylor's eyes were once again exposed to open air. Also, another of the doctor's suspicions was confirmed. All around Taylor's eyes, the skin was dark purple, almost black. 

"Gosh", the doctor thought, He really does look just like a raccoon. If that doesn't heal on its own, which I don't think it will, I'm probably going to ask around, and see if I could find Taylor the right shade of makeup to help disguise that." 

Once the bandages were off, Taylor opened his eyes.

"Do, do you see anything yet Mr. Taylor?" 

"Yes, I do. I can see light. It's bright, and it seems to be white, most likely indicating that it's from an artificial source."  

"Can you see me yet Taylor?" Redheart asked softly. 

"Not yet Miss Redheart, however, I maybe can just make out dim shapes." 

"Can you describe them?" 

"Yes, They're grayish, and if I had to guess, they're the ceiling tiles." 

After a few moments, Taylor suddenly sat up, and rubbed his eyes. His eyes were watering a bit, but for the longest time, Taylor said nothing. Eventually, he stopped rubbing his eyes. 

"Do, do you see anything Taylor?" 

In response, Taylor turned to Redheart. "Hey Miss Redheart, it's so nice to 'see' you again!" He then laughed a bit at his own joke.

"You, you can see me?" 

"Of course! My eyes are still adjusting a bit, and if you don't believe me, I can see that you haven't brushed your mane in a while, your nurse's cap is sitting on the table next to James, James is wearing his leather flight jacket, and the light bulb closest  to the door is burned out." 

Redheart put a hoof over her mouth. "My word! You really can see again! You were unconscious when you were brought into this room, and you were always blind. There's no way that you could have known that that bulb was burned out unless you could see it!" She then hugged Taylor tightly.

Taylor hugged back. "Gosh, I really missed 'seeing' you Miss Redheart. Even though you were here in the room with me, you still seemed so far away, even if you were right next to me. Now, it feels so good to be back to normal, minus of course, my broken arm!" 

"And it's so good that you can see again Taylor. I'm so happy for you. And just know right now, that even though you kinda do look like a raccoon, I love you just the same!" 

"What?!" Taylor felt his face. "Look like a raccoon? What do you mean by that?!" 

"What Nurse Redheart means is that because of your burns Mr. Taylor, the skin around your eyes was badly discolored. It's now a purplish-black. Sadly, I don't think that it's going to heal on its own. However, you need not fret. I'm going to look into getting you some makeup, so that the burns will not be noticeable anymore." 

Taylor still couldn't believe what he was hearing, so he asked for a mirror so that he could see for himself. Redheart got one for him, and sure enough, the skin all around his eyes was indeed a dark, purplish-black. 

"Oh gosh! I really do look just like a raccoon! This is awful! Taylor the Raccoon! That's what Ponies are going to call me from now on!" 

"There, there" Redheart comforted, "It's not so bad. Look on the bright side. Your sight has been restored, and you're in no real pain. Plus, the flesh wound is only superficial. Like the doctor said, the right shade of makeup will make the burns all but invisible." 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. There's far worse things than having a raccoon face. I could still be blind!" 

Redheart hugged him again. "That's the spirit Taylor!" 

"Yeah, and this whole bit has been nice and all, but if I don't get at least a little bit more sleep, I'm going to be too tired to tell Miss Flutters all about my business plan, so if all of you don't mind, I'm going to get a few more hours of sleep." James then got up to leave the room.

"Ok, goodbye James, I'm glad that you could be here." 

"It was no problem Taylor. You were always there for me, so how could I do any less for you? Anyway, I'll come back later and see how you're doing." 

"Ok, goodbye James." 

"Goodbye." 



 

Later that afternoon, James found himself once again on the streets of Ponyville. He had all of his notes, drawings, and sketches in a saddlebag that the hospital staff had loaned him, and he was now searching for Miss Flutters's address. He was not having much success.

"Um, excuse me, but could you please tell me where a Miss Flutters lives?" 

Most ponies just stared at him blankly. 

"Miss Who?"

"I've never heard of her." 

"Sorry, I'm not sure who you're referring to." 

This went on for almost an hour. Nopony seemed to even know who Miss Flutters even was. 

"Gosh", James thought to himself, "If I didn't have confirmation from Nurse Redheart, I would be almost certain that Miss Flutters didn't even exist." 

However, as he was still pondering this, a pegasus mare with yellow fur, and an orange mane and tail walked up to him. "Um, excuse me, Mr. Human?" 

James turned to her. "Yes Ma'am? Oh, and my name is James. Ensign William James, but you can just call me James." 

"Oh, well then, Mr. James? Were you the one who was asking around about a Miss Flutters?" 

He nodded. "Yes, do you know her?" 

The mare nodded. "Yes, she's a very good friend of mine. She takes care of my animals when I'm out of town." 

"Do, do you know where she lives?" 

The mare nodded. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. She lives in a small cottage outside of town." 

"And how do I get there?" 

The mare pointed down the street. "Just follow this road to the edge of town, then turn right at the bridge, follow the stream for a bit, and you'll come to her cottage. It's covered in grass and flowers, and surrounded by trees, but you can't miss it." 

James's face lit up. "Oh, thank you Ma'am! I'll go there right now!" He made the move to leave, but then he stopped. "Oh, and before I go, I don't believe that I caught your name." 

The mare smiled. "Oh, my name is Flare. Lightning Flare." 

"Nice to meet you Miss Flare." He shook her hoof. 

"Nice to meet you to Mr. James, however, it isn't 'Miss' Flare, it's 'Mrs.'" 

"Oh, well then, I apologize, Mrs. Flare, I didn't know." 

She nodded. "it's ok Mr. James. Anyway, it was nice to meet you. I'm heading back to Cloudsdale now, but hopefully I'll see you around again sometime. It would be nice to finally get to meet Mr. Taylor." 

James smiled. "Well, if I see you again Mrs. Flare, I'll be sure to introduce you to Mr. Taylor." 

Mrs. Flare nodded. "Yes, that would be nice. See you around Mr. James!" 

"Goodbye Mrs. Flare." 

Lighting Flare then took off towards Cloudsdale, and James continued on his way as well. 

"Well, that was certainly nice of her. She knows Miss Flutters, and she pointed me in the right direction. She was really nice. I'll have to tell Taylor about her." 

And with that, James continued on his way.



 

About 15 minutes later, James reached what he believed was his destination. Up on a small hill, close to the Everfree Forest, he spotted a small cottage. This cottage was covered in grass, and had some trees around it as well. Also all around were birdhouses, bird feeders, birdbaths, small baskets of nuts and acorns, as well as a number of birds, and small animals scurrying around as well.

"Wow", James said as he got closer, "This place is definitely owned by somepony who really cares for animals." 

Also as he got closer, he wondered what Miss Flutters was like. Would she be nice, or not? Nurse Redheart had held her in a very high regard, but what was she really like? Was she old, or was she young? What did she look like? 

After walking for another minute or so, James found himself at the front door of the cottage. The smell of animals almost overwhelmed him. 

"Oh gosh! That's really strong!" He felt like he could throw up. "I certainly hope that Miss Flutters isn't like a crazy cat lady, or anything like that!" 

After gathering together his courage, James knocked on the cottage door. At first, he heard nothing, so he knocked again. 

"Hello? Miss Flutters? Are you home?"

Suddenly, there came a strange sound from the other side of the door. It sounded like something scratching at it, something big.

"What in the......?"

James never got a chance to finish that thought. Just before he could, part of the door opened, and something large, and furry leaped out at him!

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!" James screamed.

The big thing knocked him about five feet back, and he skidded another two before coming to a stop.

"Great, I've stopped. Now then what.....?"

Again, James failed to finish that thought. This time though, it was because he looked up, and got a better look at the creature that had attacked him, and when he saw what it was, he froze in sheer fear. The creature, was a massive wolf! It was all white, and it had red eyes! It was much, much bigger than a wolf back on Earth, and it was standing over James, staring down at him. It's mouth was open, revealing all of its teeth. James was frozen in fear. The wolf then leaned it's head down, and seemingly went for his neck.

James had a final fleeting thought. "So this is how it all ends. I survive the Bermuda Triangle, only to die by a wolf in Equestria while coming to a cottage to pitch a business proposal! Jeezums!"

Then the wolves's teeth made contact with him, and he screamed. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

His scream was met by a lot of wolf-slobber.

"MISSY! YOU GET OFF OF THAT POOR HUMAN RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!!!"

The wolf heard the voice, stopped messing with James, and stood up.

"Now then, you leave him alone! Bad girl Missy!"

The wolf, Missy, hung her head in shame. She then got off of James, and walked to a spot a few yards away, and sat down. The female that the voice belonged to then went over to see if James was hurt. He was lying in the ground in a fetal position, mumbling insensibly.

"I'm dead......I died.......I'm dead, I'm so dead.....!!!"

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Taylor? Are you alright?"

James stopped. "Huh?" He thought, "Taylor? I'm not Taylor." He then opened his eyes, and standing above him, he saw a Pegasus mare with yellow fur, a purplish-pink mane, and blue eyes. Her cutie-mark was also of a pawprint.

"Um, M-Miss Flutters, I presume?"

She nodded. "That's right Mr. Taylor. And I'm really sorry about Missy. She can get pretty excited sometimes. Um, She didn't hurt you, did she?"

James looked himself over. "Well Miss Flutters, aside from some minor cuts and scrapes, as well as apparantly having been slobbered on, I feel ok. Oh, and I'm not Taylor. My name is James. Ensign William James, but you can just call me James."

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. James, I thought that you were Mr. Taylor. From a distance, you looked like him, and you're wearing almost the same outfit that he was wearing when he crashed here. However, he had brown hair, not reddish hair like you do. It's a pleasure to meet you." She shook his hoof.

"Likewise." James shook her hoof. He then looked over towards Mia. "So, that's Missy?"

Flutters nodded. "Yes, that's Missy." Flutters then whistled, and Missy came trotting up to her.

"Can, can I pet her?"

"Sure. She's actually very friendly. My door wasn't locked, and since I really don't get very many visitors, Missy jumped at the chance to meet you. Before I could stop her, she'd opened up the door, and pounced on you. She then proceeded to slobber all over you until I stopped her."

James nodded, before petting Missy gently. She almost seemed to be purring in response to James's petting.

"Gosh, she's really pretty. What kind of wolf is she?"

She's a Mountain Timberwolf. She's very special."

"And why is that?" Also, why does she have red eyes?"

Flutters smiled. "She has red eyes, because she's actually an albino wolf."

James was very surprised. "What? She's an albino?"

"Yes, that's why she looks the way that she does. If she wasn't albino, her fur would most likely be black, and she would have yellow eyes. I found her as a pup, and I raised her. She's always been very special to me."

"I've also been told that you really like animals Miss Flutters."

She nodded. "Yes, I always have. From a very young age, I was always fascinated with them. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, I made it my life's mission to take care of sick and wounded animals. I've done such a fine job, that some ponies have brought their pets to me to take care of while they leave for a while. I may not be a veterinarian, but I'm the next best thing!"

James then decided to ask her about his business plan. "Um, Miss Flutters, I'm going to ask you a question. This question may be a sensitive topic for you, but if I'm going to restart a small side-business that I had going back on Earth, then I have to know the answer."

Flutters looked at him curiously. "What, is the question Mr. James?"

James took a deep breath. "Well, in your entire time taking care of animals, have you seen any of them, well, um, d-die?"

Flutters was taken aback by his question. "W-what? Wh-why would you ask that?"

James sighed. "Because, back on Earth, my small side business was making tiny coffins and tombstones so that my customers could give their pets a proper sendoff. I was very good at what I did, and I received a lot of thanks for my customers."

Now Flutters's confusion gave way to surprise. "W-what? You, m-made deceased pets coffins and tombstones? W-why?"

James then told her the same story that he'd told Taylor and Redheart.

".....And so that's where everything currently stands. Miss Redheart told me to come see you, as perhaps you could tell me if there would be a market for anything like this here in Equestria."

For the longest time, Flutters looked at the ground. Finally, she sighed, and looked up at James. "Well Mr. James, to answer the question you asked first, yes, I have seen animals under my care die, and it has saddened me greatly. I buried them as best I could, but not like how you have done. I see now what may be your calling Mr. James."

Now it was James's turn to look at her curiously. "And what would that be, Miss Flutters?"

"Well, since you seem to have a passion for doing this, I can tell you that yes, there is a small market for this here in Ponyville. I could see you as being the kind of person that could maybe even run a small pet cemetery for residents of Ponyville, as well as the surrounding area."

James was very surprised. He didn't think that there even would be a market for anything like this in Equestria. Finally, he said, "Um, wow. That would, be, well amazing if it would all work out. Also, I brought along a number of drawings, sketches, and plans for a small business like this. Would, um, y-you like to see them?"

Flutters nodded. "Certainly Mr. James. You can bring them inside my cottage. Maybe you would prefer to talk about this over tea?"

James nodded. "Certainly Miss Flutters, that sounds like it would be very nice."
> Chapter 34: Interesting discussions, an Agreement, and Back to Taylor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After taking a moment to pick up his saddlebag, which had gotten knocked off of him when Missy tackled him, James followed Flutters into her cottage. When he was fully inside, all he could do was stare, and gasp in shock. The inside was cozy, and well kept, but what really held James's attention, were all of the animals; they were everywhere! Squirrels, chipmunks, birds of all kinds, snakes, otters, ferrets, raccoons, rabbits, if you can name it, and it lives in the woods, it was probably on Flutters's property somewhere.

"My word! Never, in my life, have I seen a place like this Miss Flutters! It's incredible!" 

Flutters smiled. "Oh, well, I'm glad that you like it. And, um, you can just call me Flutters, and, if you don't mind, can I call you just 'James'?" 

James nodded. "Yes, you can, Mi......um, Flutters." James blushed a bit when he said that. 

Flutters giggled a bit. "That's quite alright James. Little slip-ups can happen to the best of us." 

James looked around a bit. "Um, do you have a kitchen table Flutters? I think that that would be the best place to show you my plans." 

Flutters nodded. "Yes, just follow me." 

James followed, dodging past a lot of animals. Some of them moved, some of them kept jumping at him, and some even crawled on him. 

"Um, Flutters, could you please keep your critters off of me please? I, um, kinda have severe anxiety issues, and I'm really not used to having small animals crawling on me. Please?" 

"Oh, yes. Could everyone please stop getting so close to James? He really admires all of you, but he doesn't want you on him. Could you do that please?" 

To James's utter shock, the creatures all seemed to nod their heads, and they all went to one spot or another, and left James alone. 

"Gosh, this is too weird", he thought to himself. "I mean, I've heard of these 'animal whisperers' before, but this? Holy Cow! I don't even know what to say right now!" 

And truth be told, James really couldn't think of anything to say that sounded at all coherent. So instead, he simply asked again where the table was. 

"It's in here!" Flutters called. 

James followed her voice into the next room. When he got there, he found himself in an open, sort of dining room. There was a kitchen table with four chairs around it. Flutters sat in one, and she motioned for James to come sit in another. On the top of the table, aside from place-mats, and a vase full of flowers, James also saw a teapot, two teacups with saucers, and a small plate of cookies. He took his seat across from Flutters. 

"Would you like some tea James?" 

"Um, what kind of tea is it, if I may ask?" 

"Oh, it's called 'Sweet Caramel Tea'. Would you like to try some?" 

He nodded. "Sure. It sounds quite nice." 

Flutters nodded, and while she poured him some tea, he began to pull out his sketches, drawings, and papers where he'd written notes about what he had in mind for his pet mortuary business. 

"Here's your tea James. Oh, and help yourself to some of the cookies if you want." 

He took the teacup that she handed him. "Thank you, Flutters." He then blew on his tea, and then took a sip. 

"Do, um, do you like it?" 

"Yes, this tea is amazing! I really like the caramel flavor. Remind me to ask you for the recipe when I leave!" 

Flutters laughed a bit at James's saying. "Oh, um, actually, I just buy it at the local market. However, you seem to have come here on discussing your business plan, so um, do you mind telling me what you had in mind?" 

James nodded. "Certainly." He spread out some of his sketches so that Flutters could see them. "As I said before, my original operation was simply me working out of a tool shed, putting together coffins, and carving tombstones. However, I now wonder if I could possibly put together a small cemetery for pets." 

Flutters looked at him curiously. "And what did you have in mind for that, James?" 

James pulled out one sketch in particular, and looked it over. "Something like this", he said, pushing it in front of Flutters. I can picture a small plot of land, of maybe about no more than four acres, surrounded by a fence. On these four acres, would of course be the graves for the pets. I also see a front gate, as well as a sign, maybe saying, 'Pet Cemetery', or something like that. However, that's not even the best part." 

"Um, what do you mean James? Isn't this already enough?" 

James sighed. "Yeah, I know that you're probably right Flutters. I'm probably getting a bit too far ahead of myself. However, the final piece I envisioned for my pet mortuary business was a small chapel, for a funeral for a pet, if the owner so desired." 

Flutters looked over James's sketches, and she was beyond surprised at the level of detail. "Wow James, these sketches are so well designed. By any chance have you ever thought about being an architect, or maybe an engineer?" 

James thought about that. "Um, well, to tell you the truth, not too much, however, I have had people tell me that they could see me doing something like that, as I was pretty good at coming up with drawings of buildings, parks, and even roads." 

Then James had another thought. "I also just thought of something. This whole venture is probably going to cost a lot of money, something I definitely DO NOT have on-hand right now!" 

For a good few moments, Flutters said nothing at all. She just continued to stare at James's drawings. Finally though, she spoke. "Well, actually Mr. James, your little venture might not cost as much as you think." 

"Um, what do you mean by that?" 

Flutters did answer, but for whatever reason, she kept holding James's drawings in front of her face, and wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Well, what if I told you that I knew of a place just like this? A pet cemetery, with a fence, space for plenty of graves, a front gate, and a sign that says 'Pet Cemetery'?" 

James thought about that. "Well then, I guess that I would ask you to show it to me then." 

This time, Flutters dropped James's drawings back onto the table, and she looked at him, however this time, her face didn't seem so happy anymore. Indeed, she seemed to be almost crying. James winced suddenly and turned away. He faked a sneeze, but when he turned back around, Flutters's face had returned to normal, if she even had been upset in the first place.

"Gosh, I really need to see if these Ponies have some seriously strong anxiety medicine", James thought, "My condition is really getting out of hand!" 

Flutters blinked a few times. "Sure, I could show it to you. Maybe it'll be just what you're looking for!" 

She then got up from the table, and began to gently fly towards the front door. After taking a moment to gather up his papers, and take a few more sips of tea, James got up to follow her. As he made his way to the front door, he suddenly felt something bump him from behind.

"Hey, what the......? Oh, it's you again?" 

There, standing behind him, was Missy. She was looking up at him with her red eyes, and seemed to be smiling at him.

"Hey James, are you coming, or what?" 

"Yeah, I'm coming. And just for the record, Missy is looking at me weirdly. Is that a bad thing?" 

"No, not really. She probably just wants you to take her for a walk." 

James looked back at Missy. He was about 5'8. Missy was easily 5'0! "Um, well, I certainly hope that you have a leash for this beast of a wolf, as she's almost as big as I am!" 

"Um, I've got it right here, now come on!" 

"Ok, I'm coming!" 

With Missy right behind him, James quickly went to the front door, and after Flutters helped him attach the leash to her collar, the three of them left the cottage on their way to the pet cemetery.



 

"Um, Miss Flutters, are you sure that you know where we're going? I think that we're lost!" 

The train that they had been following, which had previously been following close to the edge of the woods, now dipped into them.

"Yes, I know where we're going. This trail leaves the Everfree Forest again in a few minutes, and past an overgrown field, hidden behind a hill, is the cemetery." 

"I just hope that you know what you're doing, as I don't want to be out here when it gets dark, and I have to get back to Taylor." 

"Why, what's wrong James?" Flutters teased, "You're not a scaredy-cat, are you?" 

James shot her a look. "No, I'm not scared. I just have severe anxiety issues that, if pressed too far, could cause me to have a panic attack, which could lead to a heart attack, which could lead to my death. So yes, to answer your question, in a sense, I am afraid, afraid of death." 

Flutters decided to drop the issue right then and there. "Yeah, you're right James. And I apologize for teasing you like that. Severe anxiety is nothing to sneeze at. I would know, as I used to suffer from it myself." 

"Wait, seriously? You had severe anxiety?" 

She nodded. "At times. I still have issues every now and again, but it's gotten much better over the years." 

James was surprised. He knew that parts of his explanation were BS. "But hey", He thought. "If Flutters really does have anxiety, and can sympathize, why bother with a correction?" 



 

"There is is James, do you see it?" Flutters pointed to something. 

James looked, and sure enough, there it was, the pet cemetery.

"What do you think of it?" 

"Um, I think that we'd better get the heck out of Dodge before the dead pets come back and eat us." 

Flutters gave him a weird look. "James, you listen to too many radio dramas. The only thing to be afraid of out here, is improper burial, which has resulted in a few pets coming back; nothing too serious." 

James nodded. "Yeah, no wait, what?! What did you say?!" 

But Flutters was already out of earshot as she flew towards the cemetery. James tried to take a few moments longer to process what he had just heard, but unfortunately for him, Missy decided to follow Flutters, and she dragged James behind her as she ran!

Before James knew it, he found himself standing at the cemetery's front gates. They were made of wood, and seemed to be falling apart. Above the gates, was an arch with a sign. 

"Pet.....wait what?" He checked the wording again. "Um, Flutters, did you make this sign?" 

"Yeah, why?" 

"Um, you spelled 'cemetery' wrong. It's spelled c-e-m-e-t-e-r-y, not s-e-m-a-t-a-r-y." 

"I know. I did that on purpose." 

James was confused. "What? Why?" 

"Because, I kinda wanted this cemetery to have a bit of a 'rustic' kind of look. I was in debate with myself over the sign's wording though. Eventually, I decided to just go for it, and I spelled it wrong on purpose." 

"Oh, well, I guess that makes sense." 

Flutters nodded. "I started this cemetery. This is where I buried all of the critters who died under my care. There were so many at times. Illnesses, injuries, causes unknown at times, it was so sad." 

"I can imagine. I know what it's like to lose a pet." 

James then opened the gate, and went inside the cemetery. All around him, were wooden headstones. Some of them had names. 

"Ginny the Squirrel. 7 years old." 

"Chap the Badger. 11 years old." 

"Fuzzy the woolly-bear caterpillar. 1 month." 

The names went on and on. James estimated that the cemetery took up about two to three acres of land, and had maybe 100 or so graves in it. 

"Wow, this place is so eerie. It's almost......" James stopped. "Wait, what?" He saw one headstone, that really made him stop. "No, no! I-it can't be!" 

"Patches the Cat. 12 years old." 

"J-just like my P-Patches." He then turned towards Flutters. "Um, F-Flutters?" 

"Yes James?" 

"W-who was P-Patches the Cat?" 

"Oh. Well, Patches the Cat was a grey cat with patches of white on him. He also had one blue eye, and one green eye. His tail was all black, and one of his paws was white as well. He passed of natural causes at age 12." 

James felt like he was about to faint. Flutter's description of Patches, matched the cat that he used to have as a kid to a tee. 

"It's just, not possible! Patches died back on Earth! How is it even possible that there was another cat exactly like him, in close to the same time frame?! It just. Doesn't. Make. Any. Sense!" 

James was at a complete loss for words. However, before he had a panic attack, he was able to calm himself down. 

"Easy James, easy now. You're just overreacting. Patches passed peacefully back on Earth, and you made him his own coffin and tombstone, and buried him in the back garden at home. This Patches was tended to by Flutters. He had an identical description, and also lived to be 12 years old. It's coincidence, purely coincidence. It's just an eerie cemetery, in late afternoon, mixed with sad memories, and mild shock, nothing more. Get a grip right now!" 

After taking a few deep breaths, James felt much better. However, as he kept looking around the cemetery, he couldn't shake this feeling he had about it. 

"It just, feels so......eerie, so,........unnatural. I mean, I've been to cemeteries before, but I've never felt one like this. It just feels so.......sad." 

Indeed, all around him, all James could feel was sadness. "All of the animals buried here, they were once loved. Even if by nopony else, only Miss Flutters, they were still loved. If there really is a heaven for pets, I just hope that they're all in it." 

After fighting off the urge to cry, James made his way out of the cemetery again. When he saw Flutters, he saw that she seemed to be crying a bit as well. She was hugging Missy, and even Missy seemed sad. James left the cemetery, and joined them.

"I always feel so, just so sad when I come here", Flutters whispered softly. "I loved all of my animals with all of my heart, and some of them *sniff* some of them aren't with me anymore. Death took so many from me before their time!" Flutters then started crying. 

James wasn't far behind. "I know, Miss Flutters. As an animal lover who has lost a pet myself, I can feel your pain. I know what it's like." 

"Y-you, do?" 

James nodded. "When I was younger, my cat, Patches, was my whole world. I loved him so much, and he showed me love back. When he died, I was so devastated. It was then, that I decided to give creating a mortuary business for pets a go. I made Patches a coffin and a tombstone, and buried him in the back garden at my parent's house. My business slowly grew from there." 

By this point, Flutters had stopped crying, and looked up at him. "I'm glad, James. I'm glad to have met somepony like you, somepony who can sympathize with my love for animals. Somepony who would be willing and able to help me not only with my animals, but also with taking care of the Pet Cemetery as well." 

All James could do was sigh. "Well, if that's what you want, Miss Flutters, then all I can say is, that if Taylor says yes, which I'm pretty sure that he will, then yes, I would be happy to help you with your animals." 

"Just as I would be willing to lend a hoof helping you with your pet mortuary business." 

"Flutters's Animal Caretaking, and Jame's Pet Cemetery. Now that sounds like a good business name. Wouldn't you agree Flutters?" 

"Yes, I think so too James. It'll be nice to be in business together." 

"Yes, I think that it will be too. Now then, it's starting to get late, so I think that I should be getting back to the hospital to see how Taylor's doing." 

Flutters nodded, and then looked up at him. "Um, you wouldn't mind walking me home first, would you James?" 

James shook his head. "No, I wouldn't mind at all. Let's go." 



 

"Ah, it feels so good to be home again." Flutters unlocked the door, and stepped inside. "Come on Missy, it's time for your dinner." 

Missy let out a happy bark, and was about to head inside, but before she did, she paused just long enough to give James a few goodbye licks. 

"Goodbye Missy. Hopefully I'll be able to see you again soon." 

Missy barked again, and then went inside the cottage. James then turned to Flutters. 

"Well, this was fun. I'll probably be back tomorrow to do a few assessments of the cemetery, to see what could be done to maybe clean it up a little bit." 

Flutters nodded, but then she suddenly remembered something. After disappearing inside of the cottage for a moment, she returned with James's saddlebags. 

"Oh, thank you Flutters, I almost completely forgot about this. Thank you." 

Flutters smiled. "You're welcome James, and goodbye for now. Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow when you come back." 

"Yeah, I hope so too. Goodbye Flutters." 

James turned to leave. However, just before he did, he was stopped one more time by Flutters. 

"Um, one last thing before you go. This is for you for showing a keen interest in it." She handed him a small box of caramel tea.

James's face lit up. "Oh, thank you Flutters. You didn't have to do this." 

She smiled. "I know, but I wanted to. You really liked the tea, and I had some extra, so I want you to have this." 

"Well then, thank you again." 

Flutters nodded, but then she slightly turned away from him, blushing slightly. "Um, the t-tea was for your interest in it......" Flutters then flew forwards, and in one quick motion, she kissed James gently on the cheek. "A-and th-that's for, everything else....." Flutters then darted back inside her cottage, and quickly closed the door.

"Golly!" James thought as he began his walk back to the hospital, "I just saw Miss Flutters as a business partner, and maybe as a friend. But she kissed me! D-does that mean she sees me as more than a friend? Or is that just her way of saying thanks?" 

James's mind continued to swirl with questions as he made his way back to the hospital.
> Chapter 35: Readjustments, Another Talk, Major Fallout, and Minor Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All while James was gone, Taylor was still in his room, trying to readjust to being able to see after almost a week of darkness. He was sitting in a chair facing the window, while Redheart sat behind him, gently massaging his shoulders and back. 

"Hmm, so peaceful", He whispered. "I almost forgot what it was like to be able to see the sun, and the grass, and everything else. I thank God for saving my life, and now even more so for also restoring my vision to me." 

Redheart nodded. "Yeah, I know Taylor, and I'm grateful that he did both of those things too." As she thought about this though, she suddenly thought of a question. "Hey Taylor?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Um, I just thought of something. If your first name is Charles, and your full name is Charles Taylor, why do you prefer to just be called 'Taylor'? The same for James for that matter. His first name is William. Why is that?" 

Taylor shrugged. "I can only speak for myself, but for the time I was in the Navy, your last name was your name. I guess that I just got so used to being called 'Taylor', that it's just kind of still stuck with me." 

"Well, can I call you Charles?" 

"I don't know. I've just been called 'Taylor' for so long, that now 'Charles' just sounds so weird. However, if you want to, then you can call me Charles." 

Now it was Nurse Redheart's turn to think about that. "Hmm, I don't know", she said at last, "I've also gotten so used to calling you 'Taylor' as well. I guess, at least for the time being, that I can just keep calling you that." 

Taylor nodded. "Sure, if that's what you want." 

While they were still talking, there came a knock at the door. 

"Come in." 

The door opened, and James walked into the room. 

"Hello Taylor, it's nice to see you out of bed and back to enjoying life." 

"Yeah, I know. And it's nice to see you too James." Taylor then shifted on his chair so that he could face James. 

"Oh, James, I asked Taylor this question, and I wanted to ask it to you as well." 

"Oh? And what would that be Miss Redheart?" 

"Well, you, like Taylor, use your last name as a name. You said that your first name was William. My question is, why do you prefer to be called 'James', instead of William?" 

James sighed. "Well, to be perfectly honest, it's just become like a second nature to me. All throughout my time in the navy, I was always called 'James' by my friends and superiors. I at times even forget that my name even is William." 

"Well, are you going to stick with 'James', or do you want to be called 'William'?" 

James shrugged. "I don't know. I would need some time to think about that." 

Redheart nodded. "Sure, take all of the time that you need James. I know that choosing your name is a very important decision." 

"Yeah, I guess that it would be." 

After a few more moments of silence, Taylor suddenly remembered James's quest. 

"Oh, Hey James, how did your trip to find Miss Flutters go? Were you able to locate her?" 

James nodded. "Yeah, I found Flutters, a very sweet young mare. I met her, and her animals, including Missy, the albino Mountain Timberwolf." 

Taylor was surprised. "Wait, she has a pet albino Mountain Timberwolf? That's wild!" 

"Missy is actually quite nice. And Flutters is indeed very sweet James. Animals are her passion." 

"Nothing truer than that Miss Redheart." 

"But were you able to pitch your 'pet mortuary' business idea to her? And if so, how did she take it?" 

James was silent for a few moments. "Well Taylor, that's the thing, I pitched my idea, and she seemed to like it, however, instead of helping me plan to build a pet cemetery, she did me one better." 

"Oh? And how so?" 

"Well, as it turns out, close to the Everfree Forest, maybe about 5-10 miles outside of Ponyville if I had to guess, Flutters took me to her already existing pet cemetery." 

"Wait. You mean to tell me that she already has a pet cemetery?!" 

Redheart thought about that. "Huh. I do remember her saying something about having a small cemetery, but I just assumed that she meant a plot of land close to her cottage. I guess not!" 

"How big was the cemetery James?" 

"Eh, I would have to say maybe 3-4 acres if I had to guess. It wasn't the largest cemetery ever, but it definitely wasn't the smallest either. It is however somewhat overgrown, and needs a bit of fixing up. This might be why Flutters showed it to me; maybe she wants help taking care of it." 

"That's possible, I suppose James. So, you at least have an actual pet cemetery to start your side business. Now it just sounds like you have to clean it up a bit before it can be used." 

James nodded. "Yeah. Tomorrow, I'll see about heading back to Miss Flutters's cottage, and see what she thinks about cleaning up that cemetery." 

This conversation continued along these lines for a number of minutes longer. 



 

Eventually, Taylor remembered something. "Hey James?" 

"Yeah?" 

"When you went back to the workshop, you said that you found that TBF Avenger operations manual underneath your seat. Where is that? I would like to read it." 

"Oh, it'sup in my room. Do you want me to go get it for you?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, if you wouldn't mind. I would like a good refresher on AvGas before I ever even think about making fuel again!" 

James laughed a bit. "Sure thing Taylor, I'll go get it right now." 

James then turned to leave. As he was leaving the room, Taylor turned back to the window. "I'm so happy for James. I've never seen him this passionate about anything before." 

Redheart was surprised. "What? Never?" 

"Nope. That's why I'm so happy for him. I'm glad that he......" 

At that moment, just outside of the hallway, both Taylor and Redheart suddenly became aware of a loud commotion.

"Huh? What in Celestia's name is going on?" 

Taylor was worried. "I don't know Redheart, but we'd probably better go see!" 

As quickly as they could, Taylor got up from his chair, and with Redheart just behind him, they quickly made their way out to the hallway. When they arrived, they found James getting into a very heated argument with a nurse. 

"There you are!" The nurse shouted. "You traitorous leach!" 

"What? What are you talking about Nurse Freckles?" 

Freckles then grabbed James by his jacket, and shoved him against the wall. "Oh, you think that I didn't hear about your little trip outside of Ponyville? Does the name, 'Flutters' ring any bells?" 

James nodded. "Yes, I met her earlier today." 

"Oh? And what, pray tell, was the purpose of meeting her?" 

Now James was getting rather annoyed. "Well, it's frankly one of your business, but since I feel like telling you, I went to pitch a business proposal to her." 

"What sort of 'business proposal'?"

"Now that, is something for me to know, and for you to not to, for now at least. I don't want to give anything away until I actually go into business, as it could fail before it even begins if too many Ponies know about it." 

"So, Flutters is your business partner?" She relaxed a bit, letting James move forwards from the wall.

James nodded. "Yeah, I guess that you could say that."

"Liar!!!' She slammed him against the wall again. 

"I thought that we had something James, but now I see that you're perfectly willing to cheat behind my back!" 

"Freckles, you leave him alone right now!" Taylor then intervened by jumping between the two. 

"Move it Taylor! I have to punish him!" 

"No you don't Freckles!" Now Redheart got between them as well. "James did absolutely nothing wrong. You two were maybe becoming friends on a good day, but after you kissed him without asking, that really drove a wedge between you. Next, James is not dating Flutters. He simply came to her with a business proposal. For now, they are just business partners, and friends at best. So you need to just calm down, before I call security!" 

Freckles sighed, and after completely letting go of James, she turned to leave. "Yeah, I need to just leave. I have a lot of things to think about." Freckles then turned away, and walked off down the hallway." 

After she'd left, James turned to Taylor. "You're ok, right?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" 

Aside from a few minor bumps from being shoved against a wall, yeah, I'm ok. Thanks for intervening." 

"After everything you've done for me while I was burned and blind? It was my pleasure. Plus, you're my comrade. I'm supposed to take a punch for you." 

James nodded. "Well, I maybe should have at least slightly suspected that something like that could have happened after the nurse at the front desk said that Freckles was looking for me, and she looked, as she put it, 'mad enough to start smashing skulls'. However, I wasn't expecting this altercation so soon." 

"It's not your fault James", Redheart reassured him, you did nothing wrong. Nurse Freckles kissed you first, and you only went to find Flutters on my suggestion, and because she would be the most knowledgeable source of information for starting a pet cemetery." 

James shrugged. "I know Miss Redheart. I know that it's not my fault, but I just......" James trailed off a bit. "No, it's just nothing. I'm just going to go grab that operations manual for you Taylor." 

James then left the hallway, leaving for his room.



 

After James had left, Taylor went back to his room, and sat back down in his chair by the window. "Well, that certainly was interesting." 

"Yes, yes it was. I'm just glad that James didn't get hurt." 

Taylor turned to look at her. "That's why I stepped between them. I knew that James doesn't have the skills to defend himself. Nurse Freckles easily could have caused him serious harm. However, I did learn unarmed combat in naval training, so if the worst came to it, I could have protected him." 

"Are you sure that's why you intervened Taylor?" Redheart asked, "Or was it because in a hospital, where your favorite nurse works, which would be the best case scenario for any injuries?" 

"Ok, now was that sarcastic question really necessary?" Taylor tried to maintain a straight face. 

"Oh, come on. You know it had to happen! Admit it, it was funny!" 

After thinking it over, Taylor finally said, "Maybe it was funny, but in a very cringy sort of way!" 

Before Redheart could answer, James returned with the book.

"Here it is Taylor." He handed it to him. 

Taylor was surprised. First of all, the book was huge. It was easily the thickest book that he had ever seen. 

"Gosh, this thing's so big, I can feel my chair about to collapse! How thick is this thing?" 

"Um, It's about 3,000 pages if I remember correctly." 

"3,000 pages?!" 

"Yeah. Well, remember, it is an operation manual. Everything you need to know and more about TBF Avengers is inside this book. It's the complete edition." 

"Oh boy. Well, if we're ever going to have a chance at ever figuring out how to fix the plane again, we're going to have to have a better understanding of the TBF Avenger. And to have that, I'm going to have to read the important parts of this book." 

James shrugged. "Well, planes and engineering are your deal, and architecture, design, and pet cemeteries are mine. I guess that I'll leave you to it." 

James then turned to leave. 

"And where are you going now?" 

"Well, it's about 6pm. I was thinking of maybe going back to talk to Flutters for a while. There's something I saw in the cemetery that bothered me." 

"What? What was it?" 

But James was already gone." 

"Hmm, I wonder what James saw in that cemetery?" 

Taylor shrugged. "I don't know Redheart. Hopefully it wasn't something serious." 

Neither of them knew what to think about this, so they instead turned their attention to the manual, and Taylor began to read from it, while Redheart took notes.





Meanwhile, James was making his way back to Flutters's cottage. "How could she have had a cat that matched Patch's description perfectly, and also be names Patches? It doesn't make any sense!" 

Eventually, he found himself once again at Flutters's door. After bracing himself this time, just in case Missy would be glad to see him again, he knocked on her door. 

"Hello? Miss Flutters, are you home?" 

"Just a moment." 

After a few moments, the door opened, and Flutters stuck her head out. "Oh, James! I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon! What brings you back here?" 

James sighed. "Well Flutters, when we were still in the cemetery, I saw and heard something that I haven't been able to get off my mind, so that's why I came back here; you would probably be the only pony who could tell me about it." 

Flutters was curious. "Well, I certainly hope that I can give an answer to what you want to talk about. However, before you begin, won't you come inside? This conversation might go better if we sat down first." 

James hesitated a bit. 

Flutters noticed this. "Oh, if you're worried about Missy, don't be. She's currently sleeping. However, if you wake her up, the events of earlier this afternoon could repeat themselves." 

James nodded. "Yes, I would like to avoid getting knocked down again, so I'll be quiet!" 

Flutters then opened the door fully, and James walked inside of her cottage again. This time though, they walked over to her couch in what James guessed was her living room. 

After they'd both taken their seats, Flutters turned to James. "So, um, what did you want to talk to me about?" 

"Well, um...." James hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to seem crazy, but yet, he needed an answer. Finally, he decided to just go for it. "Well, remember how when we were in the pet cemetery, and I asked you about the grave of a cat named Patches?" 

Flutters thought for a moment. "Um, yes, I'm pretty sure that I do. Why?" 

"Because, well, um..." James sighed. "The truth is, when I was a lot younger, I also had a cat named Patches. He had grey fur with patches of white on him, hence his name. He also had a black tail, one black ear, and one blue eye and one green eye. He also died of natural causes at age 12. I guess that my question is, what time-frame did your Patches live during?" 

When Flutters heard what James said, she was speechless. "U-um, m-my Patches was alive about 7 years ago or so,  and he lived with me for about 5 years before he died." 

"I was 4 years old when I got Patches for my birthday. That was back in 1926. Add 12 years to that, and Patches died in 1938. He was the first pet I buried, and I stopped about four years later in 1942, when I went to war." 

"So, um, that means that, by Earth time standards, I found Patches in what would have been the Earth-year 1938." 

Flutters stopped, and they both looked at each other. They both knew what the other was thinking, but neither was brave enough to say it.

"it's almost as if", James whispered at last, "W-when Patches died, h-he somehow found his way to you." 

"He, um, w-was an adult c-cat when I found him, a-and he seemed to be what would be m-middle aged for a cat." 

Flutters then remembered something. She flew across the room to a cabinet. After opening it, she rummaged through it for something. Eventually, she found it, and flew back to the couch. When she landed, James saw that she was holding a small wooden box. 

"When I found Patches, he was wearing a collar. The collar had writing on it, but I didn't really pay much attention to it then. All I can remember was his name, 'Patches'." She then handed the box to James. "Inside this box is the collar. I kept it after Patches passed. I would open the box myself, but, I.....just....can't. the m-memories are too much!" 

Wordlessly, James took the box, and after unlocking the latch, he opened the box, and peered inside. When he did, he saw an object wrapped up in a handkerchief. He pulled the object out, and after unwrapping it from the handkerchief, all he could do was stare with the shock to end all shock. 

He kept opening his mouth, but no sounds came out. 

Inside the handkerchief was a collar. It was black, and fastened at the back. It looked like any other collar, but what really had James, was a small tag on the collar. "Patches." The tag read. "If found, please return to William James, at (*illegible*)." The tag also gave a phone number.

By this point, James's body and mind had had all they could take of the shock of this revelation, and he fainted. Flutters wasn't too far behind. She fainted as well, still in shock that, for a while, she had owned a cat from Earth.
> Chapter 36: End of a Riddle, An Odd Request, and Dinner Danger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When James opened his eyes again a few moments later, something wet and slobbery was licking his face. 

"Ugh, hey, what?" He looked up, and sure enough, Missy was licking his face. "Hey, Missy, stop it, I'm ok!" 

She did so, and sat down happily, wagging her tail. 

James then looked over at Flutters, who had also recovered at this point as well. "How?" He said after a long silence. "How could Patches have come here after he died on Earth? It just doesn't make any sense!" 

Flutters thought for a moment. "Well", she said slowly, "When I found that cemetery, something, just felt, strange about it. It felt, different, like......something not of this world." 

James looked at her curiously. "What do you mean by that?" 

"Well, to put it simply James, that cemetery is Earth in origin. And before you call me crazy, on some of the metal fencing, I found the words, 'US Steel Ltd. 1926.' I never knew what those words meant. Could you possibly shed some light on them?" 

James thought for a moment. "Well, US Steel is one of the largest, if not the largest, steel mill in the world. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they're responsible for almost all of the steel products in the US. 1926 just means that that was the year that the fence was manufactured." 

"And that cemetery wouldn't be the first Earth artifact to end up here in Equestria either. From what I've heard from stories, a strange metal craft appeared in the Celestial Sea after a storm a number of years ago. There were no creatures on board, and the words 'USS Cyclops' were visible on the bow." 

"Now that name, doesn't ring any bells with me, but that doesn't mean that it isn't important. USS Cyclops, maybe Taylor would know about it. I'll have to ask him about it when I get back. By the way, what happened to the Cyclops after its discovery?" 

"From what I was told, it's still moored up in Manehattan. It's been there ever since it was discovered, and it's still being studied." 

James shook his head "First a ship, then a cemetery, then TF-28, or Blue 1, with Taylor on board, and then me! Earth artifacts, and inhabitants sure have a strange way of finding their way to Equestria." 

Flutters nodded. "It's a strange world we live in, Mr. James. Sometimes, things just, happen." 

"Well, everything happens for a reason, but the reasoning behind that reason, can often be just as mysterious as the reason itself." 

Flutters looked at James curiously. "Um, what does that mean?" 

James shrugged. "Um, it was something that my grandfather always told me. He always believed that God had control over everything, and that everything happened for a reason. I didn't believe him, however, my experience in the Pacific War changed all of that. God spared me for a reason. I was spared again from death in the Bermuda Triangle. I may not know the reason, but I'm certainly glad that I'm still here." 

Flutters patted his arm gently. "As am I James, as am I. Now, it's starting to get late, and I'm sure that you have to get back to Taylor." 

James looked at his watch. Sure enough, the time read 7:43pm. "Yeah, you're right Flutters. I'll be back tomorrow though. Would it be possible for us to maybe start cleaning up the cemetery a bit?" 

Flutters nodded. "Yes, I think that that would be a lovely idea. I'll gather together some tools for the job." 

After James got up from the couch, he and Flutters hugged one last time, and then after giving Missy her goodbye hug, James left once again for the hospital. 



 

While all of this was taking place, Taylor and Redheart were still hard at work with the operations manual. Taylor was able to hold the book, but because of his broken arm, he was unable to write. 

"Well, I can certainly say that when the time comes, I'm not going to miss this cast!" 

"How come, do you miss writing?" Redheart smirked. 

"What do you think? Of course I do! However, I'm more than grateful that you're here to take notes for me. Honestly Redheart, I don't deserve you. You're too good for me." 

Redheart blushed a bit. "Well, as am I to you Taylor, you are to me." 

Finally, after several hours of hard work, Taylor finally reached the last important page in the book. In that span of time, Redheart learned, and he relearned, all about airplane repair, the required tools, the do's and don'ts of engine repair, engine maintenance, and caring for a TBF Avenger. Most importantly though, Taylor worked out how to make the right kind of fuel, and the right way to do it.

"All we need is some high-octane aviation fuel. Not that moonshine-based knockoff." 

"And how do we make that?" 

"Well, that's the tricky part. It's petroleum based, and it does have to be refined, as well as have a few more chemicals added to it. However, on the plus side, it burns clean, doesn't smoke, doesn't typically flood an engine, and best of all, it doesn't tend to explode without any warning!" 

(Taylor was forgetting to mention all of the warning signs that the engine was showing that fateful day, but Redheart didn't call him on this.) 

"Well, that's certainly a relief! Maybe now, you all will have a chance to repair the plane once again." 

Taylor nodded, but then he sighed sadly. "Yeah, maybe. Assuming of course that anypony even wants to do that anymore. I would have to get the Airplane 8 to agree, Celestia to fund us, and more chemists to help us make proper AvGas." 

"Um, what's AvGas again?" 

"Oh, AvGas is just short for Aviation Gasoline. It's the proper fuel for my plane." 

Redheart nodded. "Ok, got it." 

Redheart then began to help him pack up all of the notes into one single folder, which was then placed inside the book, before the book was closed, holding the folder in place. 

"There, that's that I suppose, at least for now." He then turned to Redheart. "Um, when do you think that I'll be cleared to leave the hospital, even if only for a few hours?" 

Redheart shrugged. "I don't know actually. That would most likely be left up to Dr. Stables." 

"Yeah, I just hope that he lets me go back to the workshop, even if only for a few hours." 

"I'm pretty sure that he would, provided of course that I go with you, but I guess that we could ask him tomorrow." 

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. I vote that we should too. In the meantime though, is dinner still going on in the cafeteria? I'm starving." 

Redheart nodded. "I think so, but I think that it might be almost over, so I think that we'd better hurry." 

Taylor agreed, and after Redheart helped him up from the table by the window, they both went to the cafeteria.



 

Somewhere below them, James found himself back at the hospital as well. As he walked in, he said hello to the nurse at the front desk.

"Oh, um, Mr. James?" 

"Yes?" 

"Um, I was told to give this to you when you returned. It's important." She handed James an envelope. 

"Who sent me this?" 

The nurse shrugged. "I'm not sure. When I arrived for my shift, this was sitting here on the desk, with a note attached to give it to you when you returned." 

James was both surprised and confused. "Huh? I wonder who sent me this." He thought. 

He then took the envelope, and opened it. Inside was a note written in ink on a piece of notebook paper. 

"My Dearest James", the note began, 

"First of all, I would really like to apologize for my behavior earlier this evening. My outburst was completely uncalled for, as was my angrily pushing you up against the wall. As you said, Miss Flutters is your, or soon to be your, business partner. Maybe your friend on a good day, but nothing more. I should have realized this before I confronted you the way that I did.

I would also like to apologize for my actions regarding the little 'incident', in Taylor's room. I should not have just up and kissed you like that. That was not only extremely unprofessional, but it was also very unladylike as well. And for that, I offer you my greatest apologies. 

However, this note is not enough, I would also like to apologize in person. Please meet me upstairs on the upper balcony. I'm off-duty now,and would like a chance to talk to you. I certainly hope that you take me up on this offer, and are willing to forgive me for my stupidity, and asinine actions. 

Yours Truly, 

Nurse Freckles.

P.S. How do you feel about.....*here the ink was smudged out, indicating accidental smearing, or possibly a sentence erased on purpose*" 

When James finished reading the note, he read it over again, just making sure that he didn't miss anything. 

"Ok", He thought, "Let me get this all straight. Nurse Freckles just left me a note, where she not only apologizes for everything, but she also wants to talk with me again on the upper balcony? This is too weird." 

By this point, James had said goodbye to the nurse at the front desk, and began to make his way upstairs. 

"Well", he thought as he walked, "Taylor has probably gone to dinner in the cafeteria, so I guess that I have a little time to go see what Freckles wants before dinner is over." 

He then made his way up to the upper balcony. 



 

When he arrived there a few minutes later, a strange sight greeted him. The upper balcony, (more of an observation deck than a balcony, often used by visitors wanting a good view of Ponyville,) was completely empty. Empty that is, except of course for the table set out close to the railing. As he stepped closer, James saw that the table was set for two, complete with a sheet for a tablecloth, cafeteria plates full of rice, re-fried beans, shredded cheese, and sour cream, in addition to a candlestick in the middle, with a candle burning in it, plastic cutlery, paper napkins, and two bottles of water. 

When James had fully taken in everything, he was surprised and confused beyond words. "Wha....? I don't even..... Who put all of this here?! And more importantly, why?" 

"Do you like it James?" A voice cooed behind him. 

"GWAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!" James jumped so high he could have shook hands with Nightmare Moon on the moon. Once he'd gotten a grip on himself, and he saw Nurse Freckles leaning against the wall next to the door that he had just entered moments ago. 

"Ok, now this is getting really weird." James thought. "She was still wearing her nurses's uniform, but something's different about her." 

After scanning her over with his eyes for a minute or so, with a gasp, it all clicked. Her uniform, looked like it was fresh from the laundry room. It was so crisp, and didn't have a single wrinkle on it. It even still smelled of lavender detergent. Her nurses's cap was exactly centered on her head, and looked brand new. James also noticed that her black mane was perfectly brushed, and flowed gently to her shoulders. 

Her tail was the same way, and James could have sworn that he smelled perfume on her as well. 

"Ok, I'm just going to say this right now, but I thought that I had seen it all in the Pacific War, and my time in Blue Squadron, but clearly I was horribly mistaken. What on God's green Earth is going on here?!" 

Nurse Freckles giggled a bit, before she slowly began walking towards James. As she walked, she seemed to be deliberately moving her hips and tail in such a way so as to appear more seductive. 

"Isn't it obvious James?" She cooed softly. "I put all of this together as my way of saying sorry!" 

James was not buying that. "Ok, I'm not buying that explanation for one second! If that was the case, why didn't you just come find me, and tell me in person? And even if you wanted to really apologize, I could understand the dinner setup, but what's with your change in appearance? There's clearly something more going on here!" 

Freckles took a few more steps forwards, and then stopped. In all of her careful planning, she hadn't counted on James being so deductive. "He seemed so shy and insecure." She thought. "How's he figuring this out so easily? Maybe I kinda overdid it with our first date, but hey! I screwed up, and it is our first date, so isn't it supposed to be like this? Heh, it's SO much better than what 'Miss Flutters' would have done for him! Just keep up the cute charm Freckles, and he'll be yours soon enough!" 

Out loud, she whispered, "Well, the truth is", I wanted to tell you in person, but after what happened earlier, I was too nervous. Then, after wracking my brain for a while, I came up with this current solution. Oh, and as for my appearance, I just wanted to look my best for this." 

A she walked by James, she rubbed her tail against him in a seductive manor. Once she was next to the table, she looked to James again. "Well, are you coming, or what?" 

"I swear, this is the strangest dream that I've ever had",  James muttered. "No wait, scratch that, this has got to be a nightmare!" 





While his mind was still reeling, James nevertheless seated Freckles on her side of the table, before going around to his side, and sitting down. 

The next hour or so was among the strangest of James's life. He still had a very hard time convincing himself that all of this was real. 

"I'm still really confused Freckles, but, I can say that this food is really good!" 

She smiled. "Thanks. I may not be too good at cooking, but the hospital cooks sure are!" 

"No kidding. I'll have to ask them for the recipe for this stuff. I wonder what they put into it to make it taste so good." 

Freckles opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then she closed it again before going back to eating. 

The two of them continued to eat and talk for a while longer, but eventually, it was time to call it a night. James helped Freckles gather everything together into a basket for the trip to the hospital kitchen, the sheet for the hospital laundry, the table to a storage room, and all scraps and cutlery to the nearest trashcan.

Once this was all done, they both stood a little longer on the balcony. 

"Well, I can say Freckles, that, this was actually very nice. I think that this was definitely a very creative way of apologizing, and I can say that, after all of this, apology accepted." 

"Wait, so you forgive me for everything?" 

"Yeah, I do." 

Freckles jumped into his arms for a hug. "*Squee!* Thank you James! You don't know what this means for me!" 

He hugged her back. "You're welcome Freckles. It's the least I could do when a beautiful mare like yourself invited me here for a dinner date." 

When James said that, he was shocked. Those words had just popped into his head. "I didn't think those! And come to think of it, I feel a little lightheaded. Must be from the shock of all of this." He brushed aside his suspicions, and continued to hug Freckles for a while longer.  

Once they finally broke the hug, Freckles gave him a quick kiss on the mouth before he left. 

"Goodnight James. I'll see you soon." 

"Goodnight Freckles. Tonight was fun. We should have another date again soon." 

She giggled a bit. "Yeah, we really should. And I know that I'll probably see you tomorrow, but just know now that, if you ever want me for anything, even just to talk, just come find me, ok?" 

"Sure. Goodnight Freckles." James then left the balcony to go back downstairs. 

"Goodnight, James." 

After the door to the stairwell closed, Freckles turned back to the railing, and stood looking over it for a while longer. From one of the pockets on her uniform, she pulled out a small bottle. The bottle contained a pink liquid, and was about half empty. The bottle's label had a heart on it, as well as the bottle itself being heart-shaped. 

She smirked. "Wow, this stuff really works, and in record time too! James never even knew what hit him! I knew that my little plan would work. I just had to write him a note, set everything up, juice up his food with a little of this, wait a bit, then probe him with a few questions, and then BAM! He's all mine!" 

He should feel no real ill effects, and hopefully as a bit more time passes, 'Miss Flutters', will hopefully soon just be a faint memory for him. I mean, after all, who would want a kooky, dirty, animal-caretaking hippie, when you could have a cute, lovable, nurse sweetheart like me?" 

Nurse Freckles continued to giggle to herself as she continued to plan for the future; a future that she was planning on spending with James.
> Chapter 37: Earth Thoughts, Thoughtful Letters, and More Dreams?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Completely unaware that he had just been tricked, James made his way back downstairs. When he arrived at Taylor's room, he found him sitting in his chair, talking to Redheart. He knocked on the door frame of the open door. 

"Hmm? Oh, hey James, come on in." 

James came in, and took a seat on a stool. 

Once he was seated Redheart asked him, "So, what was so important that you had to go back to Miss Flutters's cottage for?" 

"Well, um," James wasn't sure how to phrase what he was about to say so that he wouldn't sound crazy. "Remember how I said that I had a cat named Patches?" 

"Yes? Why?" 

"Well, so did Flutters. A cat with grey fur with white patches, a black tail, and one blue eye, and one green eye. A cat that also had a collar that said, 'Patches. If lost, please return to William James.....'" James then repeated the story of what had happened during his second trip. 

When he finished, Taylor and Redheart were absolutely dumbfounded. 

"W-wh-wh-whaaa......? How is that even.......? That cemetery came from Earth?! Where, and when?!" 

James shrugged. "I don't know Taylor. Flutters wasn't sure either. All we could determine was that the fence surrounding it was made by US Steel in 1926. And she told me that she found it in about 1930, and it was in like-new condition, so sometime between 1926, and 1930 most likely." 

While Taylor was still trying to comprehend this, Redheart asked, "So, with the cemetery, came several graves, but how does Patches play into this?" 

"Because Miss Redheart, when I buried Patches, he somehow found his way to Equestria. He then lived with Miss Flutters for another 12 years, before he passed, and was buried in the cemetery." 

"This just sounds, so.........unbelievable, to put it lightly. A cemetery, was somehow transported to Equestria, that just doesn't make any sense." 

James shook his head. "If you think that that's odd, Flutters also told me about some ship from Earth that was found drifting in the Celestial Sea after a storm in 1918." 

Taylor looked at him curiously. "What ship was it?" 

"Um....." James scrunched his face in thought. "I know that Flutters said it, and that it sounded slightly unusual. It was a US Navy ship, called the USS......something. Silence.......? No, that's not it. Cyrene? No, but close.........." Then James remembered. "Oh yeah! The USS Cyclops! That's it!" 

When James said that, Taylor froze. "What, did you just, say that the ship was called?" 

"The USS Cyclops, why? I was going to ask you if that name rang any bells. It didn't for me, but does it for you?" 

"The USS Cyclops was a navy bulk-carrier, or freighter. On her last voyage, she was carrying manganese ore, and 306 passengers and crew. Then, on March 10th, 1918, the ship disappeared without a trace. Since then, she's become the most famous legend of the Bermuda Triangle of all time. And did you say that the ship is here?! Where?!" 

James sat for a moment in silence. "Oh, so that's why that name sounded somewhat familiar. I kept thinking that it did, but I couldn't remember why. I've always been scared of the Bermuda Triangle because of incidents like the Cyclops's disappearance. Oh, and to answer your question, according to Flutters, the ship was found in 1918, drifting in the Celestial Sea after a storm. No life was found on board, and the ship was towed to a dock in Manehattan, where it was to be examined, and studied." 

"And did, the Cyclops make it to Manehattan?" 

"Apparently. It's been at that dock ever since, being studied, and, if I had to guess, being held until they can figure out what to do with it." 

Taylor sat back in his chair. "So, I was the first human to reach Equestria, but my plane was not the first inanimate Earth object to make it here. It got beaten by a cemetery, and the USS Cyclops! Who would have ever guessed?" 

Redheart shrugged. "Not me, if that's what you're asking." 

Taylor then sighed. "Redheart?" 

"Yes Taylor?" 

"Um, even after all of that writing that you have done for me earlier, would you be willing to write down one more thing for me?" 

Redheart looked at him curiously. "Um, well that would depend on what you had in mind." 

"Well, I just wanted to write a letter to Princess Celestia." 

"Oh, well, in that case, certainly!" Redheart grabbed a piece of paper, as well as a pen, and got ready to write.

"Dear Princess Celestia", Taylor dictated. 

"It's me, Lt. Taylor. First of all, I'm writing to tell you that I am doing remarkably well. As I'm sure that you are already aware, all of my injuries are almost healed. However, I do not know if you heard or not, but I also regained my eyesight! Yes, that's right, I can see again! It really was just a case of severe flash-burn, but I thought that I'd let you know that I regained my eyesight. 

However, in addition to telling you about my medical progress, I also write to you concerning another matter. I've been told that back in March of the Earth-year 1918, that a mysterious vessel was found drifting in the Celestial Sea after a storm. This vessel was called the USS Cyclops. I was told that after it was found, it was towed to Manehattan, where it has been stored and studied since that time.  I would be very interested to hear what you have found out about this vessel. 

I can tell you what I know about this vessel, but for the sake of this letter, I will keep it extremely brief. The USS Cyclops was a US Navy freighter. On her final trip in March of 1918, she was carrying manganese ore, as well as 306 passengers and crew. On March 10th, she disappeared without trace in the Bermuda Triangle, the same region where Ensign James and I were flying in when you created the portal. 

This is as much as I will disclose for now, but I am very eager to discuss this matter further. Please write back as soon as you can. I will be eagerly awaiting your reply.

Your Faithful Servant, 
Lt. Taylor." 

Once Taylor had finished dictating, and Redheart was finished writing, she allowed the letter a few more moments to dry, before she put it into an envelope, and after summoning a messenger, she handed the letter to him, and with a flap of his wings, he flew off to deliver it.

"Well, I guess that now, we wait." 

Redheart nodded. "Yes, we wait, and in the meantime, you get some rest. Same for you James. It would seem that both of you have big days ahead of you tomorrow. Taylor, you and I have been given permission to visit your workshop, and James probably wants to return to help Miss Flutters with cleaning that cemetery back up, am I right?" 

James nodded. "Yes, so I'd better get some sleep first." He got up to leave. "Goodnight Taylor, Goodnight Miss Redheart." 

"Goodnight James." 

"Yeah, Goodnight James." 

Once James left, Taylor turned to Redheart. "I really have Dr. Stables's permission to visit the workshop tomorrow?" 

She nodded. "Yes, provided of course that I do go with you, and that we're only there for a couple of hours, but yes, we can go." 

Taylor nodded. "That's good. Now I can finally see the damage for myself, as well as maybe see what can be done to fix it. In the meantime though, it's getting late, so I guess that I'd better get to sleep." 

Taylor then returned to his bed, and after Redheart kissed him goodnight, he fell asleep.



 

The next morning, Taylor awoke to Redheart telling him that he had mail.

"Oh, I have mail? From who?" 

"Well, from who do you think silly?" 

Taylor facepalmed. "Oh yeah, right duh! Of course it must be the Princess!" 

"Correct!" Redheart then handed him the letter, which he then opened, and read. 

"My Dearest Taylor", the letter began, 

"You do not know how happy it makes me to hear that you are doing well. I knew that you were recovering, but I wasn't sure how well. Also, to address your report of your eyesight, yes, I was told of you regaining your sight by Dr. Stables, and I thank the Creator that he has restored your vision to you. I was praying for you, and I guess that my prayers were answered!

Also, regarding your inquires on the 'USS Cyclops', yes, I do remember this incident very well. I checked back through the archives, just to refresh my memories, and here's what I found. The ship was found drifting by a merchant ship, and they sent over a boarding party to investigate. The boarding party found the ship lifeless, but still full of cargo, and other items. They decided to try and tow the ship back to Manehattan with them, which was done with some difficulties, as it wasn't the best weather for towing a fully-loaded derelict ship. 

Eventually, the merchant ship reached Manehattan with the Cyclops in tow, and it was moored at Dock 2, so that it could be fully examined. It was studied by engineers, naval architects, ship's carpenters, and even scientists. It was unlike any ship that they had ever seen. It was obviously made to carry cargo, but where were the crew? Why was the vessel abandoned? These questions are still trying to be answered today.

I made an inquiry, and yes, I was told that the USS Cyclops is still moored in Manehattan. It was moved however from Dock 2, to Dock 5, where she's been for the past almost 30 years. I was very interested in this ship when it was discovered, and indeed, it was because of its discovery that I had solid proof of other worlds existing, and I set about trying to figure out how to possibly reach them. 

It would make me very happy to see you again soon. I see now that we have much to discuss in regards to the Cyclops. I do have an opening in my schedule to come and visit you later on today, assuming that this works for you, of course. I will be eagerly awaiting your reply.

Your Princess in Canterlot,
Celestia." 

When Taylor finished reading the note, he was very interested in meeting with Celestia to discuss the Cyclops. 

"This just keeps getting deeper and deeper all of the time." Redheart whispered to herself. To Taylor, she said, "Do you have a reply in mind Taylor?" 

Taylor nodded. "Yes, assuming of course that you are willing to write it for me." 

She nodded, and grabbed a pen and paper. Once again, she wrote, while Taylor dictated. 

"Dear Princess Celestia, 

I'm glad that you received my letter, and more so that you do indeed know about the USS Cyclops. To answer your question, yes, I would be willing to discuss the matter with you. I am free today, however, I will be attending to a matter until at least 3:00 this afternoon, however, after that, I will be free. I hope that this time will work for you.

Your Faithful Servant, 
Lt. Taylor." 

Once again, Redheart handed the letter to a messenger, and he took it up to Canterlot. 



 

Taylor ate his breakfast in the cafeteria, and when he returned, he saw James. He seemed to be troubled about something.

"Hello James, and you really don't look so good. What's wrong?" 

"Hmm? Oh, hello Taylor, and it's just, I had another weird dream last night. I dreamed that I was wondering through a field under the full moon. I saw Flutters and Missy waving to me from the edge of the field, and to come join them. I did so, and started to run towards them, and right past a really creepy-looking scarecrow." 

"What kind of a scarecrow?" 

"That's the creepy part. It was dressed in a tattered nurse's uniform, and had a black mane, a sack for a head with button eyes, and a stitched-up mouth. It really reminded me of Nurse Freckles. As I ran past it though, it suddenly reached out and grabbed me! It cackled with laughter, and wouldn't let me go. I kicked, hit, and screamed, but nothing seemed to work. Flutters started to scream as well, and then I woke up." 

Taylor was rather worried. "Do, do you think that this dream means anything?" 

"Well, it could be trying to warn me of the dangers of eating Mexican food before bed, but on a more serious note, I hope that that's all it means. I would hate to think that it really would mean anything." 

Taylor nodded. "Me too James, me too. I had a dream last night too, but mine was interesting." 

James was curious. "Oh? And what was your dream about?" 

"Well, it was both interesting, and odd. I dreamed that I was the commanding officer of the USS Cyclops. The crew was all ponies, and we were tasked with taking a load of gunpowder from Manehattan to Ponyville. All seemed to be going well, but then suddenly, we were attacked!" 

"Attacked? Attacked by what?" 

"Well, remember that dream I told you about that involved those weird, bug-like things?" 

"Yeah." 

"Well, it was those things again. Only this time, they were accompanied by a much larger one that appeared to be their leader. She ordered her minions to seize the Cyclops, and kill the crew." 

James was intrigued. "And what did you do?"

"What any good commander would do, I ordered my crew to secure the cargo, and prepare to fight. They did so, and with whatever was available, including things like scissors, cans of paint, sticks, pipes, and bottles of soda, we did battle with the bugs." 

"Did you win?" 

"Yes, but at a cost. We managed to beat them off, but one of them started a fire that spread to the forward cargo hold. There was a confetti explosion, and then the bugs fled. We fought the confetti fire with knock-off moonshine gasoline, and then, after sending a message for help, we were towed back to Manehattan. That's where the dream ended though." 

When Taylor finished, James just looked at him. "Ok, now that was pretty weird. You're dream definitely defies all of the Laws of Physics. I guess that's why it was just a dream. I don't think that your's could mean anything." 

"But you still think that your's could mean something?" 

James shrugged. "That's what I don't know. I certainly hope not, but I don't know. At any rate though, now that breakfast is over, I have to go meet up with Flutters and Missy, so that we can get to work on cleaning up that cemetery." 

Taylor looked at a clock on the wall. "I have to go too. I have to meet back up with Redheart, so that she can escort me to the workshop so that I can examine the plane." 

"Ok, that sounds good. I guess that I'll see you later Taylor." 

See you later James." 

With that, they both parted ways, on what would prove to be a very eventful day.
> Chapter 38: Workshop Work, Prepping for Cleaning, and a Royal Meeting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By about 10am, Taylor was, with help, getting ready to go to the workshop again. He was able to take a bath for the first time since the accident, with his cast encased in Starlight's magic to keep it from getting wet. His clothes were cleaned once again by the hospital's laundry, his leather jacket was repaired after it had been burned, and after brushing his hair, teeth, and shaving his face, he was almost ready to go. 

"Darn it." 

"What?" Redheart asked. 

"Oh, I just came to the conclusion that I can't wear my jacket with my arm in a cast. The sling just doesn't work." 

Redheart looked, and sure enough, he was right. He was just able to pull the sleeve of his tan shirt over the cast, but not his jacket sleeve. "Well, it's warm outside, so I don't think that you'll need it Taylor." 

Taylor shook his head. "It's so weird. This is December back on Earth, it's supposed to be at least a little bit cold, and possibly snowing in some places. However, Equestria seems to have weather like that of Florida, pretty much warm year-round." 

"Oh, but it does get cold here Taylor. Winter is coming, but it's still about a month or so away." 

Taylor looked like he was going to maybe say something, but he wasn't sure how to phrase it. Finally, he said, "Man, I've been here for about three weeks now, and I STILL can't wrap my head around the fact that weather doesn't just fall naturally around here! It's made in a factory, and then sent out. It's just, so weird." 

"Well, I'm sure that you'll get used to it eventually Taylor." 

Taylor looked over at her. "I hope so Redheart, I really hope so."



 

About an hour or so later, after being cleared for temporary release, Taylor and Redheart found themselves walking down the streets of Ponyville. 

"Feels so weird to be walking these streets again", Taylor murmured. "It's only been about two weeks, but it feels like it was an eternity." 

"I know, but I can only guess." Redheart was trying to find the right words to relate to what Taylor was saying. 

The citizens of Ponyville however, were not too much at a loss for words, and were so relieved to see Taylor walking around town again. 

"Mr. Taylor!" 

"It's so good to see you again!" 

"It's been too long Mr. Taylor. How are you feeling?"

"Are you glad to 'see' us again?" 

Taylor smiled. It felt good to be missed, and to see how much Ponies cared about him. "It's so nice to see all of you again too. I'm feeling ok, aside from my broken arm of course, and my eyes still do hurt a bit, and I'll have to keep taking eye drops for a little while longer, but overall, I'm fine." Then he smirked a bit. "And yes, yes it is really nice to be able to 'see' all of you again too!" 

Some ponies laughed at that. Taylor continued to talk with them as he walked, all the way back to Drywood Workshops. 



 

When Taylor saw the workshops again, he was rather surprised. "Wow, they've really done an amazing job at cleaning this place back up again. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that there never really was an accident here at all." 

Redheart agreed. "Well, I only saw the damage from the papers, but yes, I can say that those responsible for cleanup have done a remarkable job." 

Taylor then went to the front doors of the workshop, and finding the left door adjar, he pushed it open, and stuck his head inside. What he saw, shocked him a bit. Inside, he saw Metalwork, Oilcan, Blueprints, Dusty, Fly, Iny, Squeaky, and Royal, all hard at work. Some of them were putting together workbenches and tables, others were building shelves. Blueprints and inky seemed to be drawing up what appeared to be engine designs, and Squeaky was working hard to keep everything as clean as possible. 

"Wow", Taylor thought, "They've really done a fine job at transforming this place since the accident. Now it looks like a true workshop." 

Just before he walked in, Taylor decided to have a little fun. He pushed open the door, and walked inside. 

"Um, hello? Excuse me? I was told that there was supposed to be 9 members of this workshop team, but I only see 8. Where is Mr. Taylor?" 

Dusty coughed a bit. "Well, he would be here, but he's still in the hospital. However, hopefully he'll be back soon." 

"Are you so sure about that?" Taylor smirked. "Are you so sure that he's not standing right in front of you?" 

When Taylor said that, all work in the workshop suddenly came to a stop. All eyes went up to meet Taylor's. When they all saw him, they were both shocked, excited, and happy at the same time.

"Taylor!" 

"You're back!" 

"How are you feeling?" 

"Did you come back for you plane?" 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! One at a time guys, one at a time! I'm glad that you're all so happy to see me. And to answer your questions, I'm feeling ok, aside from my broken arm, and my eyes do still hurt a bit from time to time, hence the reason that I will have to keep taking eye drops for a while longer. 

And also, yes, I have come back for my plane. Where did you guys put it?" 

Blueprints pointed to a corner. "During our cleanup, we pushed it, as well as all of the pieces that we could find of it, back there. The damage wasn't as bad as we originally anticipated, but it's still pretty bad." 

Taylor went over to look. Redheart was right behind him. When Taylor saw the plane, he was both relieved, and deeply saddened. As James had told him, from the cockpit on back, aside from a few burn-marks, everything seemed fine. From the front of the cockpit forwards though, everything was a horrible mess. 

Most of it was just twisted steel, and burnt, shattered parts. Most of the plane's frame was still intact, but the outer skin was completely gone. The engine was also on the ground in pieces. 

"Is, um, this even a viable option for repair Taylor?" 

Taylor shrugged. "I'm not sure. This damaged section amounts to somewhere close to 18-20% of the plane. Aside from the propeller, and the plane's skeleton from the cockpit front to the engine cowling, everything else is going to have to be repaired, or outright replaced. The engine is little more than junk, the plane's skin is shrapnel, and other parts are bent and warped because of the heat." 

"And if it was repairable, what would it cost to do so?" 

Taylor put his right hand over his face. "A fortune. It already cost one to fix it the first time, and most of that was body damage. This time around, we're looking at a full engine overhaul, refitting the skeleton, completely rebuilding the plane's exterior skin, fixing/replacing the engine cowling, and full priming, painting, and decals. And none of this is even counting fuel production.

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that the last time cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $10,000. This time around, it could be in the neighborhood of up to $15-20,000, including the cost of re-fabricating all new engine parts, and metal skin." 

"And, is that even feasible?" 

Taylor turned to look at the Airplane 8. "Um, what do you guys think? Assuming that money wouldn't be a problem, could we fix the plane again?" 

Metalwork looked like he was trying to smile, but was not succeding very well. "Um.....well....." He too was in mild shock after Taylor revealed his best guess for the cost figures. "To be perfectly honest Taylor......no. Probably not." 

Taylor was crestfallen. However, it was then that Redheart remembered what she and Taylor had been slaving over for hours on end the previous night. "Well, wait! What if you guys had an operations manual? Would that help any?" 

Metalwork shrugged. "Maybe, but where would you find one of those?" 

"In my room at the hospital! Of course! Good thinking Redheart! But yes, as she said, we have the TBF Avenger Operational Manual. It has everything; parts, listings, how to build, fix, and maintain.....everything." 

Metalwork sighed. After a few moments of silence, he finally said, "Still, I would say that under normal circumstances, you would just be out of luck Taylor. However, you're in luck. We're the best mechanical engineers in all of Equestria! Provided of course that we would have funding, yes, we would help you restore your plane once again!" 

Taylor was so exicted he could burst. "What?! Really?! You guys mean it?!" 

"Yep!" 

"Yes!" 

"Of course!"

"Certianly!" 

"Totally!"

"Sure thing!" 

"Absolutely!" 

"We're all in this together, Mr. Taylor, so yes!" 

Taylor hugged them all. "You guys are the best. Now you have a real challenge to prove once and for all that you really are the best mecnahical engineers in all of Equestria! And, I also have a meeting with the Princess a little later on today, so I can ask her about possible funding. And even if she says no, there's no harm in at least sorting through all of the parts, right?" 

They all agreed with him, and got to work.





Even though Taylor had a broken arm, he still helped as best he could. With help, the plane was once again moved over to the center of the room. Once it was there, the engine and it's components were moved over to one set of workbenches, all exterior skin parts were moved to another workbench, and the few good parts, including the propeller, were placed on wooden pallets. 

Then, after Redheart pulled her notes that she'd written on the book, as well as the book itself from the saddlebag that she'd brought with her, and under Taylor's direction, all damaged pieces that still remained on the plane were unbolted, and the task of preserving the structural integrity of the plane's forward skeleton began. This involved first scrubbing down the skeletal frame, rinsing it, and allowing it to dry. Then, using torches to heat the metal hot enough to be bent back into position, the components were lined up again, before being gently welded back into place. 

By the time work stopped for the time being, the second restoration had at least gotten off the ground. Now, the damage didn't appear to be as bad. All of the damage to the skeletal frame had been stabilized, and all broken bits had been welded back into place. With the skeleton frame done, the next bit would be the most challenging of all; rebuilding the engine. This is where the money would come into play. 

"It's getting late, and I have to go meet with the Princess, but good job today guys. We made some real progress. Even if this is as far as we go, you should feel proud of yourselves. You've once again proven your metal." 

Metalwork smiled. "Thank you Taylor. And even if the Princess does say no, you were the best supervisor that we've ever had. You helped where you could, even with your broken arm, and for that, we say thanks." 

Taylor nodded. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me. Now then, we have to hurry back to the hospital, but I should be back sometime before dinner to tell you guys about what happened." 

"Ok. We'll just be working here until then. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye." 



 

On another end of things, while Taylor and Co. were hard at work, James was happily making his way to Flutters's cottage once again. 

"I know that she and Missy'll be very happy to see me. I wonder how much we'll be able to get done in the cemetery today?" 

James continued to ponder this as he kept walking. Eventually, he found himself once again at the door to Flutters's cottage. 

He knocked on the door. "Hello? Flutters? Are you there?" 

At first, there was only silence. Then, James suddenly became aware of excited barking. "Just a minute James!" 

A minute or so later, the door opened, and James was greeted by Flutters. "Hello James." She hugged him gently. 

"Hello Flutters." 

Once James had finished hugging Flutters, Missy jumped up into his arms for a hug as well. 

"Hee hee! And hello to you too Missy!" 

Missy barked happily, and licked James face.

"Yep, I missed you too girl!" James then turned to Flutters. "So, um, what tools would you have for cleaning up the cemetery?" 

Flutters pointed outside behind James. "Um, out there, I have a wheelbarrow, a rake, a hoe, some trimmers, a hammer, nails, and scrap wood, some twine, as well as a small lawnmower."

James looked outside, and sure enough, there was a wheelbarrow with all of the before-mentioned items inside, as well as an old-looking reel lawnmower standing next to it. "Wow. Um, yes, that'll be just fine. Shall we go now?" 

Flutters looked at him. "Um, would you like to have some tea first? I just made a pot." 

"Is it that caramel tea?" 

"Would you be happy if I said yes?" 

James laughed. "Of course! I love the caramel tea!" 

Flutters smiled. "Well then, hurry up before the tea gets cold!" 

"I'm coming!" 



 

One delicious cup of tea and a few cookies later, James and Missy were outside getting the wheelbarrow and supplies ready for the tip to the cemetery. 

"Are you coming Flutters?" 

"Um, j-just a minute James. I, um, have to check something really quick!" 

James nodded. "Ok, take your time. We're in no hurry." 

Flutters didn't answer. Instead, she looked back at James's empty tea cup. Then from a cupboard in her kitchen, Flutters pulled down a small bottle. The bottle had a pink liquid inside, had a heart on the label, and the bottle itself was heart-shaped. 

"Oh, I hope that I didn't use too much of this stuff. After what I was told by my birds, and that psycho nurse Freckles just kissed him like that, I had to do this. Now he'll fall for me, and I'll love him as he was meant to be loved!" Flutters then put the bottle back on the shelf that she got it from, and quickly made her way outside to where James and Missy were waiting, and as they walked back to the cemetery, she was daydreaming about the future, one that she planned on spending with James.



 

A few hours after this, Taylor and Redheart made their way to a small cafe close to the hospital where they were going to meet Celestia. The meeting had been set for 3:30, and they arrived at close to 3:20. 

Once they were seated, they waited for Celestia to arrive. Sure enough, a little while later, their patience was rewarded. 

"Mr. Taylor!" 

Taylor stood up. "Princess!" 

Sure enough, there was Celestia, accompanied by several guards. The two of them hugged, albeit, slightly more difficult for Taylor, as he could only hug with his right arm. 

"I've missed seeing you Mr.....er, um, Taylor." 

Taylor laughed a bit. "And I've missed seeing you too Princess. It's been a while since we last talked. I'm glad that we could meet here today." 

"So was I Taylor. I was always so worried about you while you were in the Trauma Ward. I was always waiting for any word on how you were doing. When I got the letter from Dr. Stables that you had regained your eyesight, I was beside myself with joy. I was also very excited to get your letters yesterday." 

They all sat down, at it was here that Celestia noticed that Redheart was there as well. 

"Oh, hello Nurse Redheart. It's nice to see you again." 

"Hello Princess. It's an honor to see you again as well." 

"Likewise I'm sure." 

Celestia then turned to Taylor. "So, according to your letters Mr. Taylor, you showed a great interest in the USS Cyclops. What was the reason for this?" 

"Well Princess, I was told about the ship by James, who heard about it from his business partner, Miss Flutters. It's become something of a legend back on Earth since it's disappearance without a trace back in 1918." 

"You mentioned in the letter that it was a US Navy Freighter. And I know that you told me some of the story in your letter, but could you please tell it again?" 

Taylor nodded. "Certainly Princess. Well, as I previously stated, the USS Cyclops was a US Navy bulk carrier, or freighter. It was built in 1916, and it's primary job was hauling raw ore. It's services were greatly needed during the Great War, or, (as I guess it could be called now) 'WW1'. However, in March of 1918, with a crew and passenger count of 306, the ship set sail, and on March 9th, entered the Bermuda Triangle, and was never seen, or heard from again. 

After search crews, and Navy divers tried and failed to locate the Cyclops, or even any wreckage, she was declared lost with all hands, and has since become the most famous legend of the Bermuda Triangle." Taylor paused for a moment. "And when James told me that the ship was here, and has been moored up in Manehattan for the past almost 30 years, it just sounded too fantastical to be true." 

Celestia nodded as Taylor finished his story. "I know that that must have been hard for you to believe, but yes, the USS Cyclops has been with us for almost 30 years now. As I stated in my reply letter, the ship was found drifting in the Celestial Sea on what I guess for you would be March 12th, 1918. A boarding party was sent over, but as I stated, no life was found on the ship. However, all of the cargo was still there, as were items belonging to those on board." 

"Were any traces of the crew ever found?" 

Celestia shook her head. "Sadly, no. In all of the time that the ship was studied, no traces of the crew were ever found. The official conclusion was that the ship was evacuated while still on Earth, as no lifeboats or rafts were found. As you stated, the crew all perished back on Earth, but the ship survived to arrive here in Equestria." 

"Has the ship ever been moved on it's own power?" 

"No. Although our engineers and mechanics were able to at least put together a rudimentary knowledge of the ships's steam engines, they never attempted anything, aside from a quick test of the boilers. In fact, up until that point, nopony had  really ever seen a steam engine on a ship before. There were a few previous steamship designs, but they were few and far between. Suggestions for using the Cyclops's engine system as a guide to modernize the Equestrian Navy and merchant fleet were put forwards, but alas, as we still lack the knowledge of how the engines work, it's never really gotten off the ground." 

Taylor thought about that. "Well, I don't know if I would be any help there, as I'm a pilot with some engineering and mechanic skills. I'm no machinist, or really know anything about ship boilers or engines." 

Celestia sighed. "Well, do you think that James would?" 

Taylor shrugged. "I doubt it. Like me, he was in naval aviation. However, he did study military engineering, so there is a chance that he might, but I would have to ask him. I'll have to do that later on tonight though, as he's currently working with Miss Flutters to clean up a cemetery." 

Celestia nodded. "Certainly. It's no rush." 

Taylor nodded, and it was then that he remembered his plane.

"Um, Princess?" 

"Yes Dear?" 

"Um......" Taylor was unsure how to continue. "T-there was something else I wanted to ask you about." 

"And what was that?" 

"Um, well......" Taylor did his best to explain the whole situation. ".....And that's where it all currently sits. We've done everything that we could without more funding. Most of any funding would be put towards the engine, which would be the most vital component of all." 

Celestia was very surprised when Taylor told her this. "And here I was thinking that he wouldn't be interested in rebuilding the machine that's nearly claimed his life twice now", She thought, "I guess that I was wrong." To Taylor, she said, "Well, you were certainly correct about the plane being somewhat expensive to repair the first time around. This time though, if I were to fund this project, it would have to be in stages. How many stages do you think that it would take?" 

Taylor thought about that. "Well", he said at last, "We've already done all of the work on the plane's frontal skeleton frame, so that just leaves the engine, exterior shell, engine casing, and of course the painting and priming. Out of all of this, the engine is the most important right now, and unfortunately, this will be the most expensive. Very little of the original engine can be salvaged. We have the design blueprints, but fabricating all new parts, will be expensive, and time-consuming." 

"And, what are your cost estimates?" 

"That's what concerns me. The engine alone could cost up to 3/4's of the cost of the original repairs. These were special engines that have no Equestrian equivalents. They had a number of exclusive parts that will not be the easiest things to replicate." 

"But you do have the original design blueprints?" 

"Yes, all thanks to James actually. He had brought along a copy of the TBF Avenger Operational Manual. It was stashed under his seat apparently." 

Celestia nodded. "Yes, that will certainly help with creating any new parts. Overall, I could maybe see about providing the funding for the engine restoration, but after that, we'll have to see where we stand." 

When Taylor heard that, he was very surprised. "What? Do, do you really mean that?" 

"Of course Taylor. I would love to see your plane fly again as much as you do, but yet, we have to fit everything into a budget this time. I'll provide what funding I can, but as you yourself said, this time around, the repairs will have to be done in stages." 

Taylor hugged Celestia again. "Thank you so much Princess. You really don't have to do this." 

Celestia hugged him back. "Maybe not, but this is what I want to do. Machines like your plane's engine, and the USS Cyclops, could possibly revolutionize some aspects of Equestrian life. I want what's best for my subjects, and you and Mr. James seem to be the best course of action for this. So it would be my genuine pleasure to fund your plane's restoration." 

Taylor smiled, but he didn't say anything; his face spoke volumes enough.



 

Once he and Celestia were done hugging, Taylor had one more more question.

"Um, Princess?"

"Yes?" 

"I have one last question regarding the Cyclops." 

"And what would that be?" 

"Um, w-would it be possible for me to see the Cyclops at some point? Or is it quarantined until further notice?" 

"Actually, although it is closed from time to time for study/maintenance purposes, the ship has become something of a unique tourist destination. In fact, I have a little bit more time before I have to return to Canterlot, so would you be able to come and see it right now?" 

Taylor turned to Redheart. "It's your call Redheart. Can we go right now, or do we have to be back at the hospital?" 

Redheart thought for a moment. "Well, actually, we do have a little bit more time, so yes, we can go see the Cyclops if you want." 

"Yay!" 

Celestia smiled. "Ok then, hold on tight!" 

Celestia worked her teleportation magic, and in the blink of an eye, she, Taylor, Redheart, as well as her guards, vanished into a bright flash of light.
> Chapter 39: The Cyclops, Cemetery Cleaning, and Coming Together
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moments after vanishing, Taylor, Redheart, Celestia, and four of her guards, found themselves close to a very large city pier. 

"Well, here we are, Manehattan. The largest city in Equestria." 

Taylor looked back at the city skyline. "Um, Princess, are you sure that we're not on Earth?" 

"What would make you ask that Taylor?" 

"Well, because this whole city looks an awful lot like a city back in America. It was known by a number of names, including New York, New York City, NYC, or, like the island it sits on, Manhattan. The largest city in America for that matter." 

Celestia thought about that. "Hmm, Manehattan, Manhattan, two completely different cities, on two completely different worlds. You wouldn't happen to have a Las Pegasus, Van Hoofer, Dodge City, Appaloosa, Baltimare, or a Fillydelphia back on Earth, would you?" 

Taylor stared wide-eyed. "Las Vegas, Vancouver, Dodge City stays the same, no Appaloosa, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, respectively." 

Both she and Taylor stared at each other for the longest time. Both knew what the other was thinking, but neither was brave enough to say it.

"Is it possible that Earth and Equestria are closer together than we originally thought? Could human architects have helped build these cities, or pony architects help build their Earth counterparts? Could the city blueprints from either changed from human hands, to pony hooves, or vice versa?" 

While she saw that this conversation was very interesting, Redheart could see that it was going to be dragging on for a while, on time that they really didn't have. "Um, I thought that we were here to see the USS Cyclops, not discuss more similarities between Earth and Equestria!" 

Celestia turned to her. "Oh yes, you're quite right Nurse Redheart. How silly of me to lose track of time like that! Anyway, this way to Dock 5, where the Cyclops is located." 

Everypony, and Taylor, followed Celestia down to the pier, and then through the maze of docks. Eventually, they came to a section that was different than the others. From what Taylor could see, this area looked to be used for ship maintenance, as it had several dry-docks. One of the dry-docks had a ship in it, a fine sailing ship, that was seemingly having its hull repainted. The only other dry-dock that had something in it seemed to have two ships in it, but they seemed to be little more than rusted junk. 

"Well, there it is. May I present to you, the USS Cyclops!" 

Taylor looked up, and when he saw the ship, he gasped in slight surprise. Sure enough, there, moored along Dock 5, was a long, grey ship; with a small pilothouse up front, large cranes spanning most of the length of the ship, and it's rear deck-houses, with two funnels. The word "Cyclops", was visible on the bow in black lettering.

"Wow! The actual USS Cyclops! I've never seen the ship in real life before, but she looks exactly like the pictures I saw of her after she went missing!" 

Redheart turned to him. "So, this ship was the most famous legend of the Bermuda Triangle?" 

"Yes, it's strange disappearance, with no wreckage found, has become a huge mystery." 

"Even bigger than your disappearance Taylor?" 

Taylor thought about that. "Nah. We were just a couple of planes that went missing during a storm. No real mystery there." 

"Are you so sure about that Taylor?" 

"As sure as I can be. We were called 'Flight 19', a group of 7 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers that crashed in the Bermuda Triangle. How could we possibly rise to stardom? I mean, it's not like WE'RE the biggest mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, that would be silly!" 



 

With permission from the team of dockworkers that maintained the ship, Celestia and the others went up the boarding ramp, and found themselves on the Cyclops's deck. 

Taylor looked towards the center of the ship. "So, what happened to the ship's cargo? According to the reports, the ship was carrying a quantity of manganese ore. What happened to that?" 

"We removed it after it was found to be non-toxic." 

Taylor turned and saw the leader of the dockworkers. "Oh? And where was it moved to?" 

"It was moved to a naval supply warehouse to be stored there until further notice."

"Oh." 

It was then that Taylor remembered the dry-dock close by. "This question may be really off-topic, but I noticed that dry-dock over there." He pointed to it. "At first, the two rusting hulks inside just looked like junk. However, I looked a bit closer, and at least one of them seemed to have a hull shape similar to the Cyclops. What are those ships?" 

The dockworker sighed. "Both of those ships were found extremely recently, and I mean within the last 5 years. The one farthest from the doors of the dry-dock, was found wrecked on a sandbank in, as you would say, 'November of 1941'. It was clearly not Equestrian made, and was already rusted out, and broken into three big pieces with many smaller pieces scattered all around. A storm was most likely the cause of the ship meeting it's end. The name 'Proteus' was just barely visible on the bow. 

The other ship is a much different story. That one was found about a month later, drifting in the Celestial Sea, only unlike the Cyclops and the Proteus, she was clearly sinking, and was on fire!" 

Taylor was shocked. "What?! On fire?!" 

The dockworker, rather, dock-master nodded. "Yes. From what a few nearby ships could see, the ship had several gashes in her hull on the starboard side, and the front and middle of the ship was engulfed in flames. The name 'Nereus' was just visible on the ship's bow." 

"And, what did you do?" 

"Well, we were unsure of the situation, so we were going to let the ship sink, which we did, although when she did sink, she was in the middle of a shipping lane, and was of unknown origin, so she was not only a hazard to navigation, but also an environmental hazard as well. Eventually, the burnt-out hulk was raised, and dragged to that dry-dock, which she now shares with the Proteus. Closer examinations revealed no signs of any crew, and because of similarities between them and the Cyclops, whatever we could salvage went to repairing and maintaining her." 

"That's because both the Proteus, and the Nereus were the sister ships of the Cyclops! All 3 ships went missing in the Bermuda Triangle without a trace!" 

Celestia turned to him. "What? Are you sure Taylor?" 

Taylor nodded "Positive."

Celestia turned to the dock-master. "Why wasn't I told about these other two ships? Since they looked so similar to the Cyclops, I should have been told about them!" 

The dock-master looked confused. "And you were Princess. I mentioned both ships in the monthly reports. However, the Proteus was in 3 big pieces with numerous smaller pieces, and the Nereus was burnt out, so although they looked similar to the Cyclops, I wasn't sure if they were similar ships or not." 

"And were both ships carrying any cargo?" 

"Yes, they were carrying similar cargo to what the Cyclops had, and whatever we could salvage was sent to that same warehouse." 

Taylor asked one last question. "And, what's going to be done with the ships?" 

The dock-master shrugged. "If I had my way, whatever could be salvaged from those ships would be, and then they would be scrapped. Why should we keep them in that dry-dock in status-quo, when clearly they need to just be scrapped?" 

"So, you haven't even tried to repair them?" 

The dock-master laughed. "Are you kidding me son? Heck no! Heck, all of our time and effort's been going into keeping up the Cyclops, which we've been doing for the past 30 years! This ship, and those hulks need to start earning back those fortunes in bits that we've been sinking into them!" 

For the longest time, there was only silence. Taylor and Redheart were taking in everything that they had just heard, and Celestia seemed to be lost in thought. Finally though, she broke the silence. 

"Well", she said slowly, "It seems to me that the best way to have these ships earn their keep, would be to put them to service in our merchant fleet. That's what they were designed to do after all." 

The dock-master laughed. "Yeah, but how? The Cyclops has been here for nearly 30 years, and we STILL don't know how the ship works! And even if we did, those other two ships are absolute wrecks! It would take many months of time, and thousands of Bits that we don't have to get them working again." 

"Well then, how about we finally figure out how to get the Cyclops working, and once we do, we put it to service, and slowly over time, we use some of the profits from it to help fund the repairs of the other two ships. Would that work?" 

The dock-master thought about that. "Well, actually, the truth is, we figured out how the ship works, but the truth is, were all scared of it." 

Taylor looked at him curiously. "Huh? What do you mean you're scared of it?" 

"I mean that that ship ain't natural! Found completely abandoned, with technology we've never seen before. It just ain't right!" 

"Well, why didn't you say so before that you guys knew how to run the ship?" 

"Because, we were planning on saving that for the monthly report. However, since you're all here ahead of that report, I guess that I might as well tell you now." 

"And in your honest opinion, which one of the other ships do you think would be the easiest to repair, Proteus, or Nereus?"

He shrugged. "Probably Proteus, given that the parts are there, at least most of them, they just need to be put back together again." 

For a while longer, the group continued to talk plans for putting the Cyclops to sea again for merchant work. Eventually though, it was time to go, and Celestia left with Taylor, Redheart, and her guards, to begin to put together a public funding campaign to pay for the minor work that would need to be done in order for the Cyclops to be fully operational again. 

After they left, The dock-master assembled his team, and told them that the time had come to begin cleaning the Cyclops, do all of the necessary maintenance checks, and get the ship ready to go.

"The money will come", Celestia promised, "Just have the Cyclops ready to go before Winter sets in." 

The dock-master promised to do just this, and he planned on delivering.





Meanwhile, many miles away back in Ponyville, James was happily spending time with Flutters in the pet cemetery. While he worked with the reel mower to cut the grass, she was working on pulling weeds, and straightening the headstones. Once James was done with the grass, he helped out by repairing some parts of the fence that had fallen down, as well as oiling the front gates, so that they no longer squeaked. All while they worked, Missy would fetch them tools, and when she wasn't needed, she would chase butterflies. 

Eventually, they stopped for a break. 

"Whew!" James wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "This has been some really tough work, but we've made some incredible progress!" 

Flutters looked around her. Sure enough, the cemetery was getting closer and closer to being in presentable condition.

"Yes, we've really done some remarkable work, haven't we? I'm so glad that you came to help me with this cemetery James. Without your help, I wouldn't be able to maintain it like this. I tried to before, but I really couldn't leave my animals for long periods of time, and I tried to bring them with me, but that just turned into a disaster." 

James nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine." 

After they finished their break, they got back to work. By the time that the sun was starting to set, the cemetery work was complete. The grass was all mowed down, all weeds and creeping vines were gone, the fence was all repaired again, and the front gates no longer squeaked anymore. All of the headstones were standing straight and tall, and any faded lettering was redone as well. 

"Now this, is a pet cemetery to be proud of!" 

"I couldn't agree more James. Remember, this was all your idea. If you hadn't come to me with that business proposal, this cemetery would still be very run down." 

"Yes, yes it would be." James then looked at his watch. "Hmm, it's almost 8:00. I should be heading back." 

Flutters looked at him. "Aww, do you really have to go already?" 

"I'm afraid so Flutters. Today was fun. We'll be seeing each other a lot more often now that we're in business together, but if you want to walk with me back to the hospital, I'd love the company." 

Flutters looked at him. "What? Do you really mean that James?" 

He nodded. "Of course I do. Plus, I know that Taylor would love to meet you, and I'm pretty sure that Miss Redheart would like to see you again too." 

Flutters nodded. "Well then, anything for a dear friend like you James." 

After gathering all of the tools back up and loading them onto the wheelbarrow, Flutters whistled for Missy, and the three of them began their journey home. After dropping the supplies off at Flutters's cottage the trio then made their way back to Ponyville.



 

About half an hour later, they arrived back at the hospital. 

"So, this is where you've been staying since you arrived here?" 

"Yep. I could have been cleared for release, but then Taylor had that serious accident, so I stayed for him. When he gets released, I'll get released as well." 

"But, where will you stay when you leave?" 

"Um, well, I was planning on staying with Taylor at the dorm on top of Drywood Workshops, at least, until I could find my own place to live." 

Flutters thought about that. Just as she opened her mouth to say that James would be welcome to stay with her, she was rudely interrupted. 

"So, that's where you've been all day, is it? Hanging out with Miss Hippie Animal Lover?" 

"Uh oh." 

James turned to look, and sure enough, leaning against one of the door frames of the hospital's front door, was Nurse Freckles.

"Oh no." Flutters took a few steps back. Missy began to growl ever so slightly. 

James looked at her. "Yes. That is correct. I was helping her renovate her pet cemetery. Is that a problem?" 

"Yes, it is a problem. You were there, with her, and not here, with me!" 

James rolled his eyes. "Freckles, we've been down this road already. Flutters is my friend, and business partner, nothing more. You yourself came to that conclusion yesterday. Heck, you even wrote me that letter of apology, and treated me to that dinner on the roof." 

Flutters turned to James. "Wait. Is she your, marefriend?" 

"Got that right!" 

"Can it Freckles!" James glared at her. He then turned back to Flutters. "She says that she is, but in reality, we're friends, at least, for now. She was the nurse who took care of me while I was injured, as well as taking care of Taylor for a time after his accident." 

"So, do you love her?" 

James put his hands over his face. "I......don't know. I thought that I did, but I really just.......don't know." 

Flutters then turned to Freckles. "So, do you love James? And when I say that, I mean, do you love him enough that, not only will you marry him, but will also stay with him forever, have foals, and grow old with him, to love him to your dying day?" 

Freckles had to think about that one. "Um, is that a trick question?" 

Flutters shook her head. "No, I'm being perfectly serious. The truth is, I see James as a friend. A very close, dear friend to me, but just a friend. However, if your love for James is not genuine, then no, you cannot have him!" 

Missy also barked once to prove that Flutters's point was valid. 





For the longest time, there was only silence. James kept his face in his hands, and even Freckles had nothing to say. In fact, it was like this that Taylor, and Redheart found them a few minutes later.

"Huh? What's going on here? Hey James, what happened?" 

"Huh? Oh, hey Taylor. And nothing really happened, aside from a serious heart-to-heart conversation. One that really made Freckles and I realize something." 

"Oh? And what was that, if I could ask?" 

"It was, um, well....." 

"Miss Flutters made me realize that I was a nutjob to keep obsessing over James when in reality, she, as James always said, was just bis business partner, and one of his dearest friends, nothing more. I got all wound up over nothing!" 

"And you're just now realizing that?" Redheart face-hoofed. 

"Um, Pretty much, yeah." 

"Gosh, you're so dumb, ditsy, and bubble-headed, that if your mane wasn't black, I would swear that you're really a blond!" Redheart muttered.

Once he had said goodbye to Flutters and Missy, promising that he would see them again soon, the group went back inside the hospital, and James asked how the meeting with Celestia went. 

"Oh, it went very well. It looks like I'm going to have the funding to at least fix the engine of the plane, but that's not all." 

"Wow, that's really great Taylor. But you said that wasn't all. What was the rest of it?" 

"Well, before I answer that, I have to ask, how much do you know about steam turbines on ships? Most preferably those from the late 1910's?" 

James thought about that. "Um, I know a little bit from my studies of naval architecture, but why?" 

Taylor then explained all about the Cyclops, as well as her two sister ships, and the plan to put them back into service. "That's why we need somepony, or someone, to help. Those who have studied the Cyclops are almost certain that they've figured out how to make the ship's engines run, but they're not certain." 

James was very surprised. "So, it wasn't just the Cyclops, but the Proteus, and the Neresus as well. I should have guessed. Anyway, I suppose that I could take a look and see what I could come up with. No guarantees, but I'll do my best. Just get me to the Cyclops sometime in the not-too-distant future, and I'll see what I can do." 

And with that, they all began making plans. Taylor made plans to fix the plane's engine, James made plans to help get the Cyclops put to sea again, as well as hopefully draw up plans for the repairs for the Proteus and Neresus. Freckles began making plans for her future with James, and Redheart? She was busy with plans of her own; plans that involved keeping an eye on Taylor, just to make sure that he didn't accidentally over-exert himself!
> Chapter 40: Incredible Tests, That Winter, and At a Crossroads
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few weeks were very busy for everypony. Taylor and the Airplane 8 decided to wait until Winter had set in the begin work on the plane, as well as putting together their new engineering company, "Fledgling Aeronautics." In the meantime though, while the Airplane 8 were busy with getting the workshop ready to handle the new workload, Taylor was busy up in Manehattan. 

With help from James, who really did know a thing or two about ship engines and boilers, final preparations began to get the Cyclops ready to put to sea again. When the rumors of the ship's return to sea floating in the air, many ponies came around to the docks, asking if the rumors were true. 

"Oh yes", they were told, "The rumors are absolutely true! Someday soon, most likely just before Winter sets in, the Cyclops will have made her first voyage." 

Donations were asked for to help fund the ship's repairs, and slowly but surely, funds began to trickle in. Another challenge to tackle was finding a crew for the Cyclops. Because of the ship's mysterious disappearance from Earth, and it's being found with no crew on board, most pony sailors of the merchant fleet said that the ship was cursed. 

"That ship'll disappear again, and take us all with it!" 

"Or it could break up like the Proteus, or even burn and sink like the Nereus! It's not safe!" 

"You couldn't pay me enough to sail on the Cyclops!" 

Eventually however, management of the ship was handed over to the Equestrian Navy, who were able to crew the ship. The ship's name was changed from "USS Cyclops", to "ENS Cyclops." The Navy promised that if the ship performed to expectations, and was able to haul freight, then she would be handed back to the Manehattan Maritime Merchant Fleet, (MMMF) who had been caring for her for the past 30 years at Dock 5. 

On January 11th, 1946, the day that everypony had been waiting for had arrived. On that day, the Cyclops was to take her first voyage. She was scheduled to leave Manehattan for Trottingham, in the Griffish Isles, carrying a cargo of coal. Crewing her were some of the best sailors in the Equestrian Navy, 236 of them in total, just like the original Cyclops's crew. 

A large crowd began to gather at the docks to see the Cyclops on her way. Taylor was also present, as was Celestia, Redheart, James, and Freckles. In fact, Taylor had even bravely announced that he was going to be going with the Cyclops, 

"Just to make sure that it reaches Trottingham, and that it returns to Manehattan safely." 

With great reluctance, Taylor was allowed to go, but he first had to file Life Insurance. Basically, if he died, James got the plane and everything related to it, and Redheart got whatever spare funds he had, (if applicable), as well as anything else from his estate that James didn't want. 

"But nothing will go wrong this time." Taylor reassured everypony. "Today is a clear day, it's still warm, and hardly any clouds in the sky, with absolutely no chances of storms to speak of. What better day than a day like this to take the Cyclops out on her maiden voyage, post-refitting?" 

Redheart tried to smile. "Yes, but still, I worry for you Taylor. You may no longer have your cast, and you have your eyesight, but I still need you to come back to me. I mean, you're a very dear friend to me, and I want you back safely!" 

Taylor hugged her. "I know Redheart. And I will come back safe." 

"You better!" 

Taylor laughed. "I already told you that I will, so therefore, I will!" 

Work then began on getting the Cyclops all fired up again.



 

Once the fires in the boilers had been lit up again, the stokers then began to build up the fires to provide enough power to move the Cyclops again. Other crew scurried about in the engine room, making ready to start up the turbine engines. All of them were rather nervous. They had been briefed on their mission, but yet, at the same time, none of them had ever seen technology like this before. It was very complicated, but they were professionals, so it hopefully wouldn't be a problem. 

Eventually, everything was ready. 

"Bridge, this is the Boiler Rooms. We have sufficient steam pressure built up, ready to go sir!" 

On the bridge, Commander Cecil, the stallion in charge of the Cyclops, radioed back. "Excellent Boiler Rooms." He flipped a switch. "Engine Rooms, this is the Bridge. The Boiler Rooms are all ready for departure. Are you all ready down there?" 

"Roger that Bridge. We're all ready down here. Steam is now flowing into the engines. We're awaiting your orders." 

Commander Cecil turned to the helms-pony. "Take her to sea Quartermaster Cloud, let's put Manehattan behind us, and show those skeptics that they were wrong about the Cyclops!" 

"Aye aye sir!" 

"Mr. Taylor?" 

"Huh? Yes sir?" 

"All ahead slow." 

"All engines ahead slow sir, aye aye!" Taylor then maneuvered the lever on the engine-order telegraph to "Slow Ahead." 

Sure enough, with some creaking groans from parts that had not been used in almost 30 years, the Cyclops began to move forwards again. With a crowd on the dock cheering them on their way, the Cyclops left the safety of Manehattan Harbor, and began to make her way out to sea. 

Once they were out into open water, Cecil once again turned to Taylor. "Mr. Taylor?" 

"Yes sir?" 

"All ahead full! I want to see just how fast this old tub can really go." 

"All engines ahead Full sir, aye, aye!" Taylor then maneuvered the telegraph lever to "Full Ahead." 

Down below in the boiler rooms, the ponies hard at work down there suddenly saw an indicator light flash. 

"Ok boys, this is it, we need to stoke these fires up, they're going Full Ahead!" 

The stokers kept building up the fires to keep the steam pressure running high.





From down in the engine room, it was the same thing. 

"All engines ahead Full! We're going full ahead!" 

Valves were opened to allow more steam to run through the turbines, levers were thrown, and before long, the engines were running at full capacity. 

"Bridge, this is the Engine Room, we register Full Ahead down here!" 

"Roger that engine room." 

From the bridge, Cecil, was shocked at how fast the ship was beginning to move. From his personal guesses, he believed that the ship was capable of maybe 8 knots. According to the indicators, they were going 19 knots! Faster than any ship in Equestrian history. 

"19 knots! How is this even possible?! No ship has ever gone this fast before!" 

Taylor looked at him. "19 knots is nothing. During the war, some of our warships were capable of 33 knots. Even before this, some of our passenger ships were capable of 24 knots." 

Commander Cecil was taken back by what Taylor had said. "33 knots? Even 24 knots? That's insane. Fastest ship I've ever seen was 8 knots. Now I'm in command of a ship going 19 knots! I'm starting to think that Princess Celestia was right. Maybe steam-powered ships are the future." 

"I'd say that she is. Now, with ships like the Cyclops, Equestria can export more goods, in much less time than before. For now, it's just the Cyclops. But later on, if and when the Proteus and Nereus are brought back into service? Just think of the possibilities!"  

Cecil nodded. "I am Mr. Taylor. And it's too bad that we're going to have to hand the Cyclops back to the MMMF. But, she's a freighter not a warship. And even though she is a naval freighter........." Cecil stopped. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Here's a thought. What if when the Nereus is brought back into service, she gets bought by the Navy, and becomes their fast supply ship! Just think about it. Now our warships will be able to stay out at sea longer, keeping our coastlines safe. Does that soud like an idea?" 

Taylor thought about that. "You know something Commander Cecil, I think that you may be on to something. That's actually not a bad idea! I guess when we get back you could talk to your superiors about that." 

"Yeah, I guess that I'll have to do that, won't I?" 



 

The next day, to everypony's great relief, the Cyclops returned to Manehattan. In the holds, instead of coal, they had returned from Trottingham with crates of tea leaves. Trottingham ponies said that they were looking forwards to being able to see the Cyclops again on another voyage. While the crew were busy with unloading the cargo, Celestia addressed the crowd at the dock. 

"This ship has successfully made the journey from Trottingham all by itself, in less than a fraction of the time of a sail ship. I hope that it has demonstrated to all of you today the benefits of steam power over sail. With two more ships like it awaiting funding for full restorations to operating condition, I fully see the Cyclops as being the catalyst to propel Equestria into a new age, one of technology, prosperity, and harmony!" 

Many ponies cheered at Celestia's speech, and fully pledged their support for the Cyclops, as well as the restoration of her two sister ships. It was also eventually decided that the Proteus would also be joining the Cyclops in the merchant fleet, but the Nereus would become a Navy ship. Commander Cecil had managed to convince his superiors that they needed a fast resupply ship, and that the Nereus seemed to fit the bill. The road to naval modernization, was certainly off to a great start. 



 

From that first voyage to Trottinham, until the ice of Winter set in, the Cyclops had successfully completed 23 trips all along the Equestrian coasts, for a grand total of 7,121 miles. By the time she was retired for the season, the Cyclops was once again the property of the Manehattan Maritime Merchant Fleet, and was moved to her new dock, Merchant Dock 2, located along the merchant pier in Manehattan Harbor. Profits for the company were rising thanks to the Cyclops, and preliminary evaluations for the Proteus and Nereus were performed. 

Both ships were deemed salvageable, and thanks to blueprints that were taken from engineering studies of the Cyclops, and because they were her sister ships, both ships were going to be rebuilt, refitted, and pressed back into service; Proteus with the MMMF, and Nereus with the Equestrian Navy. 

Also during the Winter Season, Cyclops was at times opened to the public. Thanks to her growing popularity, many tourists came to see the ship, and for an admission price of just one bit for anypony over the age of 10, could get a full tour of the ship, with all profits going towards refitting the Proteus and Nereus.



 

After the snow had set in, Taylor and the Airplane 8 could now focus full-time on their efforts to not only get "Fledgling Aeronautics " up and running, but also repair Blue 1's engine as well. 

As the weather got colder, the 9 of them, plus 6 other machinists hired for the season, they all turned up the heat, and got to work. After creating the very first prototype of a new gasoline-fueled engine for an airship, they pitched their idea at a convention in Canterlot, and not too long after, their first order for engines came in. 

"This is it everypony!" Metalwork told them, "Thy Cyclops revolutionized the merchant fleet, now's our chance to prove that we can be the best in aviation engine production! Steam engines for airships are things of the past. I mean, why have a dirty, old, steam engine that uses coal, when you can have a sleek new engine that burns cleaner, can operate longer, and only requires lightweight fuel, instead of fuel and water?" 

"Nopony! We hope anyway!" 

"That's right! So now, we build the engines, manufacture the fuel, and keep the costs low. Remember, we're the only ones in this business right now. We have the market all to ourselves. However, this market is so new that any mistakes that we make, could kill off the entire industry. So let's get it right!"

"You got it Metalwork!" 

And they all got back to work.



 

As time went on, more and more orders for new engines came in. In rapid succession, all of the companies in Equestria that operated airships and zeppelins, once they saw the FA engines in action, wanted them for their own fleets as well. In fact, by Winter's end, Fledgling Aeronautics had not only their headquarters in Ponyville, but also workshops in Canterlot, Manehattan, Baltimare, and Las Pegasus. 

They even went so far as to build their first airfield. In the same field outside of Ponyville where Taylor flew his plane from the first time, FA purchased the land from Stinkin' Rich, and built first a runway, and then a hangar to hold airships in. At the time, it was known as "Drywood Airbase", after their original workshop. Business was booming for them, and they even began to expand their catalog. 

In addition to engines, fuel, oil, and tools, FA also began to experiment with early designs for actual airplanes! It was just baby steps with designs not too different from the Wright Flyer, but they were advancements nonetheless. Eventually, they even went so far as to debut their first airplane made for the military. It was a small biplane that resembled a Sopwith Camel, but the military didn't want it. 

"That thing's too dangerous." An officer warned. "Aviation technology is still too new. It needs more time to be tested, and have everything worked out first." 

Slightly dismayed, they postponed airplane production for the time being, and instead focused on keeping their new aviation empire running smoothly. 





Through it all though, Taylor labored tirelessly on his airplane. 

"It has to be ready by Spring, it just has to be!" 

James began to worry for him, as did Redheart. 

"He never seems to leave that workshop anymore." Redheart told James at the hospital one day, "I hardly even see him at all. He was supposed to come and live with me and Starlight, but after he moved in, he just went back to live in that workshop." 

James agreed with Redheart. "Something seems off about him. Ever since he began to work on his plane again, he's just become so....just so....distant. It's like the Taylor that I knew was gone, replaced by a crazy workaholic." 

"Any idea what it could be James?" 

James looked at her. "If I had to guess Miss Redheart, I'd have to say that it's an extreme case of homesickness. He wants to go home so badly, and it seems like he's willing to go to any lengths to make that happen." 

Redheart was really taken aback when James said that. "What? Homesickness? Are you sure James?" 

"As sure as I can be. From what he's said during the few times that I've talked with him, he keeps saying that he wants to return to Earth." 

"And what about you James? Do you want to go home?" 

James shrugged, but then he sighed. "To be perfectly honest Miss Redheart, I do, but I don't. Basically, my parents both died while I was away for the war, and the only other person in my family I was really close to was my cousin Gwen. I do miss home, but yet, I see now that I have a new life here. Thanks to that malfunctioning portal, I came here, helped Miss Flutters with the pet cemetery, provided insight on the inner workings of the Cyclops, helped Taylor when he needs it, among other things. The way I see it, Equestria is my home now." 

Redheart sighed. "You make a very good point James. I just wish that Taylor thought the same way that you did." 

James was maybe about to answer, but he was interrupted. 

"Oh James?" 

"Yeah hun?" 

"Could you help me move these supplies upstairs?" 

"Sure thing Freckles!" 

James left to go help his marefriend. 

Redheart stared at the two of them sadly. "All this time, I thought that Taylor and I had something. Now all he has time for, is his plane. Why? Why did he abandon me?" Redheart continued to think about what could have gone so wrong.



 

Eventually, James couldn't take seeing Redheart so upset anymore, so he decided to go confront Taylor. He went to the workshop, and asked for Taylor.

Fly pointed to the back of the workshop. 

"He's back there. Some of the machinists are helping him get the plane's engine mounted back inside the plane." 

"Oh, ok, thanks." 

"No problem." 

James went over to the back of the workshop. "Taylor? Taylor!" 

Taylor turned around. "Huh? Oh, hey James. What brings you here?" 

"We need to talk."  

"Can it wait a little bit longer? We're kinda in the middle of putting the engine back inside the plane again." 

James refused to budge. "No Taylor, this conversation cannot wait any longer. We need to talk, now!" 

Taylor sighed. "Ok, I'm coming." He got down from his ladder, and followed James. One of the other machinists covered for him. 

Once they were outside the workshop, Taylor turned to James. "Ok, so what was so important that you needed to tell me?" 

James stared at him. "Taylor, when was the last time you were with Redheart?" 

"Oh, well, it was....um..." Taylor struggled to think.

"See? You can't even remember, can you? It's been too long Taylor. Redheart's heart is broken, she needs you! Plus, if you're really leaving to go back to Earth in the Spring, shouldn't you be spending more time with her?" 

Taylor sighed. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he stopped, and thought for a few more moments. Finally, he said, "That's what I don't think that you understand James. I've tried to distance myself from Redheart, BECAUSE I'm leaving in the Spring. I want her to begin to get used to life without me. I haven't been neglecting her, at least, that wasn't my original intent. I know that this is kind of hard for you to understand James, but that's why I've been here for so long. I'm not trying to hurt Redheart, I'm doing this to make it easier for her to move on without me." 

With that, Taylor then left for the workshop again, leaving James dumbfounded.



 

"HE SAID WHAT?!?!?!" Redheart was shocked. 

"That's what he told me. He said that he was doing this so as to make your transition to life without him that much easier." 

"So I guess that this means that he really is leaving." 

James sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I wasn't sure that he was, but now, after hearing it from his own mouth, I guess that he really is." 

Redheart was very sad. Eventually though, she looked back up at James. "Well, I can certainly say that, well, thank you for telling me this James. Now I know what I have to do to get Taylor back." She then took out paper and a pen, and began to write.

"Um, if I may ask Miss Redheart, what are you planning on doing?" 

"Oh, you'll see. When the time comes, I'll give the letter that I'm writing to Taylor. If my hunch is correct, and Taylor's wanting to leave is only half-hearted at best, he'll come flying back to me faster than Fledgling Aeronautics's customers during one of their merchandise sales!" 

James sighed. Well, whatever you're doing Miss Redheart, I just hope that it works." 

She looked up at him. "I hope so too James, I hope so too." 



 

Eventually, by the time that Winter Wrap Up was over, Springtime had once again come to Equestria. It was now the year 1946, and everypony was happy for Spring. Once the terrors of the annual "Mating Season" were over, (Humans are exempt from this!) spring was underway in full swing. Flowers were blooming, the birds were chirping, the sun was out, and in Manehattan, shakedowns were occurring on board the ENS Cyclops, preparing her for her first run of the season. Work was also beginning on the hulls of the Proteus and Nereus. 

Back at the Ponyville workshop, all work was finally complete on Taylor's plane. It had a brand new engine, brand new exterior shells around the engine, a new engine cowling, and of course, new paint. The fuel had also been replaced with proper AvGas, and once again, it was deemed airworthy. 

As Taylor stared at his plane, he suddenly felt sad. "Do, do I really want to do this?" He thought. "I mean, I have a whole new life in Equestria now. I even have a marefriend, (assuming of course that Redheart even IS my marefriend anymore!) and it would be so hard to leave all of this behind and start over back on Earth. However, before I left her for the last time, I did promise my mother that I would come home to her safe. She's got to be worried absolutely sick about me. It's been almost 4 months since I last saw her, I wonder if she even thinks that I could have survived Flight 19?" 

As he continued to think about this, Taylor had another thought. "But yet, if my mother could see my situation, I could almost see her fully understanding my predicament. Maybe she would understand that I started a new life for myself here, and didn't want to go back." 

Taylor continued to think about this, but he couldn't decide what to do. Should he go back, or should he stay in Equestria?
> Chapter 41: Flight to Bermuda, Soul Searching, and Not Your Average Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taylor tried to sleep on it that night, but even in his dreams, all he could see, was himself standing at a crossroads. 

"One path leads to life in Equestria, the other leads to home. James already made his choice, now it's time for me to make mine." 

As he continued to lay in his bed, he continued to think about the pros and cons of both staying in, and leaving Equestria. 

"Well, for benefits, I would still be working with Fledgling Aeronautics, I would still have all of my friends here, as well as Redheart, James, Princess Celestia, and others. The only real cons that I can think of, would be the fact that those back on Earth would never know what happened to us, and worst of all, my mother believes that I'm dead. If I never go home, then that means that I'll never be able to see her again. 

If I went back to Earth, I would have to leave everything behind that I've helped do in the past almost 4 months. I'd also most likely never be able to return. On the plus side though, I would be able to tell Flight 19's story, and see my mother again. Also, there is the possibility of a court-martial, both due to my being AWOL all this time, and losing my squad-mates. 

God, why do decisions like this have to be so tough?! Why?!" 

Taylor kept tossing and turning all night while thinking about it. He barely slept at all. However, by the time dawn broke the next morning, he knew what he was going to do.



 

When Taylor's alarm clock went off the next morning, he got up, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, shaved his face, and then got dressed, in his pilot's uniform. 

After sighing, he went downstairs into the lower workshop. Sure enough, he was the only one there. 

"Hmm, I guess that the others are either still asleep, or are getting up, or maybe eating breakfast. However, it's time for the pre-flight checklists." 

Taylor then went over to his plane, and climbed up to the cockpit. "Do I really want to do this though?" He muttered to himself. 

After running his checks, everything seemed in order. Taylor then sighed, and after sending a letter to Celestia, informing her of his decision to return home, he then went to the hospital, to tell James, Redheart, and Freckles that he was leaving in person. 

"I still can't believe that you're going to do this Taylor." 

Taylor sighed. "I really don't want to James, but it's something that I have to do. As an officer, it is my duty to face the consequences for what happened in the Triangle on December 5th." 

"But what happened wasn't your fault, it wasn't anypony's fault! It was a combination of bad luck, and bad timing. Just a couple of crossed lay-lines, nothing more." 

"I know Redheart, but, it's just.....ugh! It's so complicated!" 

She placed a hoof gently on his shoulder. "It doesn't really have to be though Taylor. Just say that you're staying, and then we can be past this rough spot. James told me that you were ignoring me on purpose, but that you did it for a reason. Maybe not the best reason ever, but it was a reason nevertheless. I forgive you for it." 

Taylor hugged her. "I know, and that's why leaving is so hard. But, it's already been scheduled. At noon today, I take off from Drywood Airbase for Fort Lauderdale. I'm going home." 

Redheart nodded, but she didn't say anything. His mind seemed to be made up, but when she looked into Taylor's eyes, all she could see was fear, and uncertainty. 

"Now I know that his efforts to return home really are half-hearted at best." She thought. Just before he leaves, I'll give him my letter. Maybe that'll convince him to return to Equestria." 

Redheart could only hope that this would be the case. 



 

A few hours later, close to the set time, Taylor's plane was moved from the workshop, out to Drywood Airbase. It was rolled out to the end of the runway, it's wings were unfolded, and it's brakes were set. Once this was done, Taylor then turned to the crowd that had gathered to see him off. Most of them looked to be either sad, or still in shock that he was leaving. Taylor turned to them.

"My friends, acquaintances, fellow ponies, admirers, and all others, I know why you have come out here today. You've gathered to see me on my way back to Earth. Most of you might also be asking yourselves, 'why? Why is he leaving?' Well, I'll tell you.

From the way that I see it, I am an officer, and one of only two survivors of Flight 19. It's my obligation to return, and reveal to the world what happened. It was a storm, and we ran out of fuel. I also have to go home to see my mother again." 

"But, how will you explain your being missing for nearly 4 months Mr. Taylor?" Somepony asked. 

"Um, well,.....that's um, something I'll have to think up on the fly. Most likely I'll say that it was a 'hiccup' between Time and Space, meaning that I entered the storm on December 5th, 1945, and exited on March 6th, 1946. A time-jump, if you will. Assuming that that makes any sense to you all of course." 

Some ponies nodded, but others just looked at him confused. Taylor sighed. "I wish that I really didn't have to do this guys, really I don't, and if I didn't have the obligations, then I would reconsider, but because I do, I have to return to Earth." 

"But, why can't you just return to Earth, and drop off a letter or something with your home-base, and return home?" Somepony else asked. Unfortunately, Taylor didn't hear this question due to the noise of the crowd. If he had, then maybe the further damage caused to his plane wouldn't have happened! 



 

When the time came, it was exactly noon. As she promised, Celestia opened up a new portal to Earth. 

"I opened this one in the exact same location as the one before it, so all you'll have to do is get through, and then fly home. That is, if you really want to leave. Couldn't I convince you to stay?" 

Taylor hugged her. "I really wish that you could Princess. I'm going to miss you most of all. You brought me to this world, and you helped me not only with the plane, but also with the Cyclops, and most of all, you paid for my medical care while I was in the hospital. And for that, I offer you my greatest thanks." 

"Goodbye, My Sunshine", she whispered. 

Taylor then said goodbye to Starlight and Tinker. 

"Goodbye Starlight. I'm really going to miss you. You were the best nurse that I had during my hospital stay, second only to Redheart." 

She blushed a bit. "Oh, well, um, thank you, Taylor. I'm, really going to miss seeing you." 

"I know. I'm going to miss seeing you too." 

"And I'm going to miss you too, Flyboy." 

Taylor turned to Tinker. "As am I, Tinker. It was really fun, those times that we had in Canterlot, as well as the occasional games of cards that we played when I visited the Aeronautics workshop in Canterlot." 

They both hugged. 

Taylor also said goodbye to all of the Airplane 8, who duly thanked him for helping them to get Fledgling Aeronautics off the ground. 

"It was my genuine pleasure. It was also my thanks for you guys for helping me with my plane all of those times. I just hope that you keep it going, and one day show Equestria that they were wrong about airplanes being unsafe." 

"We will Taylor", Metalwork assured him, "We will." 

Finally, Taylor came to the last two that he had to say goodbye to; James, and Redheart. 

"Goodbye James", Taylor said as he hugged him. "You were the best comrade that I ever had. I wish that I didn't have to leave you behind." 

James sighed. "Actually Taylor, I don't think that you'll have to, at least, not for very long." 

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" 

"Because, I'm pretty sure that by this evening, we'll all be laughing about this over dinner at a cafe here in Ponyville, while you tell us the story about how you wanted to return home, but realized that you're life here was more important." 

Taylor was surprised. "Now how in thunder do you figure that James?" 

James shrugged. "I dunno. You're asking the wrong person. However, Miss Redheart might know." 

Taylor turned to her. "Um, Redheart, what does he mean by this?" 

Redheart reached into her saddlebags, and pulled out a letter. She then handed it to Taylor.

"Huh? What's this?" 

"It's just a little something that I wrote for you. Read it once you're airborne, and then make your final decision." 

Taylor looked at her curiously, then put the letter into the pocket of his jacket. He then hugged Redheart. "Goodbye, Redheart. Out of everypony, I'll only miss Celestia more than you. You were always there for me, by my side almost every minute while I was hurt, while I had my broken arm, you did all of my writing for me. Heck, you were even the first one to FIND me when I got here, and you brought me to the hospital in the first place! For all of this, I offer you my greatest thanks, and my most sincere goodbye." 

Redheart hugged him back. "I know Taylor. And goodbye, at least for the next 20 minutes or so. Like James said, I'm pretty sure that dinner at a cafe here in Ponyville later on tonight would be marvelous. Oh, and you'll be back in time for lunch at your workshop, right?" Redheart smirked a bit. 

Taylor looked at her curiously. "Well, I guess it all depends on what's in the letter that you gave me. I guess that, like you said, I'll read it once I'm flying, and then make my final decision." 

She smiled. "Yes, you do that. I'll be here waiting for you when you get back!" 

Taylor looked like he was about to say something, but then he just closed his mouth, and turned back to the plane. Once he'd climbed up to the cockpit, he sat down, strapped himself in, and began his pre-flight checklists.

Once that was done, he started up the engine. "Engine starting up!" He warned. 

After pulling the lever, the engine coughed a bit, but then roared to life. The engine's roar was much more powerful when it had the proper fuel, instead of the "Moonshine knock-off" as it had come to be known. After reaching out of the plane one final time to wave goodbye to everypony, he released the brakes, and took off down the runway. a minute or so later, the plane was airborne. 

"So, how long do you think it'll take for him to come back, assuming that he does decide to stay?" 

Redheart smirked a bit. "Well James, I think that it'll be about 20 minutes or so. He'll most likely fly through the portal before reading the letter, then take another few minutes to make his choice, before turning around and coming back." 

Celestia was worried. "Yes, but that may be time that we don't have. I could see that the weather on Earth in that area was overcast. Rain could be on its way. If that happens, then the portal could become unstable again, and if it collapses before he gets through it......" Celestia couldn't finish that thought. 

James looked worried as well. "I know Princess Celestia, that's why he has to make the right choice, he just has to!"  

Meanwhile, high above them, Taylor banked his plane to the right, and flew towards the portal. 

"Ok, here we go. Just hold together old girl, we can make it!" Taylor then looked at the picture of his mother that he'd placed into his compass. "We have to make it! For mom, and for my return to her safely!" 

Taylor then flew into the portal, and vanished from sight. 

"Is the portal holding steady Princess?" James asked.

"For now James, Yes, but only just for now. I can't make any long-term promises.



 

Once he was inside the portal, it was just like last time; some of his instruments went haywire, but this time, his engine stayed strong, since it had plenty of fuel. Eventually, Taylor exited the portal, and came out back on Earth. 

When he examined his surroundings, he was very surprised. "Wow, not much seems to have changed since I was last here. Not that it's easy to tell if an ocean's changed from the air, but still! Aside from the lack of rain, it does look almost the same. However, it does look like a storm could start up at any minute, so I'd better get going!" 

As he continued to fly along, Taylor turned on his radio. "Lauderdale Base, this is Blue 1. I've been missing for nearly 4 months now in the Bermuda Triangle. I am the only survivor of Flight 19, I repeat, I am the only survivor of Flight 19. Do you copy, over?" 

Only static met his message. "Huh, I thought that this frequency was still in use. Maybe it isn't." Taylor then felt the letter in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out. "Ok, now then Redheart, let's see why you're so convinced that I'll return to Equestria in less than 20 minutes." While using his knees to steer the plane, Taylor took the envelope, opened it, and pulled out the letter. Then, with one hand on the control stick, he began to read.

"My Dearest Taylor", the letter began, 

"No doubt by the time you read this letter, you're flying home to your base in Fort Lauderdale. I would just like to say now that I already miss you, and are awaiting your return to Equestria. I also have some pretty good reasons as to WHY you should return. 

First of all, since it has been about four months now, you have certainly been declared dead. Therefore, you are released from your obligations, as I'm sure that you are aware, a dead man cannot answer to a higher military authority. 

Next, I already know that your desire to return home is half-hearted at best. Your main concern is your mother. Well, I have a solution for you! Thanks to James, he was able to build a wooden tube with a hollow interior. Contained inside the tube are papers, documents, and photographs that myself, Princess Celestia, and James put together that explain your entire situation. Celestia figured that you could take the tube close to land, and using the attached parachutes, drop it to the ground. Also contained inside that tube is a letter of explanation to your mother by Princess Celestia. It explains everything, and what you have to do in Equestria. 

I know, all of this sounds too good to be true. Well, check underneath your seat! The tube is there! Just grab it, fly over land, and parachute the tube to the ground. Mission accomplished!

Then, please hurry back as fast as you can, as I'm sure that your lunch of, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a side of cucumber slices might be getting soggy!

Yours Truly, 
💕Redheart.❤" 

Taylor was in shock. To check, he reached underneath his seat. Sure enough, he pulled out a two foot long, torpedo-shaped tube painted orange, with two attached parachutes on it as well. On the sides of the tube, in black letters were the words, "To Fort Lauderdale Naval-Air Station, Fort lauderdale Florida. Here inside lies the truth of Flight 19, and it's two survivors, Lt. Charles Taylor, and Ensign William James. FRAGILE!!! HANDLE WITH CARE!!!"

It was then, that the realization of everything hit Taylor like a brick. 

"What am I doing?! I have to get back to Equestria now!" 

He looked down below him in the ocean, and saw a small fishing boat. Taylor then knew what he had to do. Just before he opened up the cockpit to drop down the tube, his radio suddenly came to life! 

"Unknown aircraft, unknown aircraft! This is Lauderdale Base, we have received your message. Please respond, over." 

"Lauderdale base, this is Lt. Charles Taylor. I'm flying Blue 1, or TBF Avenger T-28. I have come back to deliver a message." Taylor then gave his current coordinates. "The message is located in an orange, torpedo-shaped tube, which I am now dropping down to the ocean. There is a small fishing boat down there, and they may pick it up first. Please be advised that that tube contains information related to myself, Lt. Charles Taylor, and Ensign William James. , the only survivors of Flight 19. That tube MUST be delivered back to Lauderdale Base, it is IMPERATIVE!" 

For the longest time, there was only silence. Then, a reply came. "Ok, listen, I don't know who you think that you are, but we are NOT hauling ass out to some spot in the Bermuda Triangle, to retrieve an orange tube from a fishing boat. Now then, get off of this frequency, before I have you found out and arrested!" 

Taylor sighed. "I guess that I should have seen this coming. None of you would believe me, because you thought that I was dead. Well, then I guess, farewell, Commander Jones. It was an honor serving under you, and I wish you the best of luck." Taylor then turned off his radio. 

He then turned his plane back towards the fishing boat, and once he was close to it, he opened the canopy, and released the tube. It's parachutes were opened, and it floated down to the sea, where it was picked up moments later by the fishermen. 



 

Down below him, the small group of fishermen were doing their work, when all of a sudden, they heard a plane. 

"Hey, that sounds like a TBF Avenger!" 

They looked up, and sure enough, it was. It was flying all alone, and seemed to be slowly cruising along. Suddenly though, it turned, and began to circle their boat.

"Huh? Now what in thunder is that pilot doing? Is he in trouble?" 

Eventually, the pilot of the plane dropped an orange object down close to their boat, and then flew away. The fisherman picked up the object with their nets, and found it to be come kind of package that needed to be delivered to Fort Lauderdale. One of the fisherman however, Dan Young, suddenly looked rather pale. 

"Hey, what's wrong Dan? You look like you've seen a ghost!" 

"We all just did! Did you guys see that plane's number?" 

"No, why?" 

"That plane was TBF Avenger TF-28!" 

"So?" 

"So! That plane was flown by Lt. Charles Taylor. On December 5th last year, he and his squadron, Flight 19, flew into the Triangle, and were never seen again! That was four months ago. We just saw the ghost of Taylor's plane!" 

They all looked at Dan in shock. Maybe he was a bit paranoid, but then again, was the plane that they had just seen TF-28? And if it wasn't what plane was it? They decided then to take the tube, and deliver it to Fort Lauderdale when they returned to port.



 

At Fort Lauderdale Naval-Air station, the radio station was in confusion. 

"How could that have been Taylor?! He's dead, isn't he?" 

"Well, if it was, how was he still flying? How did he survive the storm?!" 

The base commander, Jones was deeply disturbed. "If that wasn't Taylor, how did he know that my name was Jones? Or that I was the one on the radio? Is it possible that he is still alive?" 

Whatever plane it was, it shut off it's radio, then turned around to fly back into the Bermuda Triangle, where it disappeared a few moments later. Nobody at the base knew what to do, as none of what just happened was covered by protocol.



 

After dropping off the tube, Taylor stuck around just long enough to witness the tube being picked up by the fishermen, who then seemed to be prepping their boat for a return to land. 

"Must be trying to beat the upcoming storm", he thought. He then he flew back towards the portal. By this point though, the weather was starting to really deteriorate. A rain had begun, and the wind was really picking up. "Gosh, I really need to hurry. That portal could collapse at any time!" 

Taylor then pushed his throttle farther forwards, causing the plane to go faster. "I have to make it, I have to make it!"



 

"Oh no." 

"What is it Princess?" James asked. 

"The portal is beginning to destabilize! I can see Taylor coming, but he has to hurry! This portal could collapse any minute now!" 

James looked towards the portal. "Come on Taylor, come on! You have to make this!" 



 

"Come on", Taylor growled, "Come on! Work with me old girl! We have to make it to that portal! I can already see that it's collapsing!" 

Taylor pushed his throttle as far forwards as it could go. The plane was now flying ax maximum speed, and the engine was approaching the red-line. Too much more stress for a long period, and something inside of the engine could break, causing it to seize, and fail. 

"Come on old girl, don't let me down now! Just a little bit more, that's all I need!" 

Suddenly, lightning began to strike close to the portal. 

"Oh no! That'll collapse it for sure! Come on, I'm now about 5 miles away! I can make it!" 



 

"Augh! I need help keeping this portal open! Taylor is only a few miles away, and closing rapidly!" 

Several unicorns came to their princess's aide, and used their magic to keep the portal open. However, even combined, they maybe had less than a minute until the portal was doomed.

"Come on Taylor, hurry!" Celestia mentally pleaded with him. "Just a little bit more, you can make it!" 



 

From inside of the engine, something did indeed break. One of the engine's pistons began to crack, and this caused a huge strain on the engine. With an audible BANG!, something else snapped, and smoke began to come from the engine. Taylor could see that he had mere seconds before the portal collapsed. 

"It's all or nothing now! BOOM OR BUST!" 



 

Back in Equestria, Celestia and the other unicorns finally lost their battle with the portal. With an audible WHOOSH!!!! The portal suddenly closed.

"Did, did he make it?" Redheart asked nervously. 

"I don't know, Nurse Redheart. I could see him right there, but the portal collapsed before I could see if he made it inside. It did collapse on our end, but if he made it inside from his end before it collapses, then he should pop up in a few minutes. Assuming of course that nothing went wrong, or that he didn't make it." 

Redheart didn't even dare dwell on that thought. She kept looking up to the sky, hoping against all hope that Taylor made it inside. 



 

Mere seconds before the collapse, Taylor's engine was at the brink of seizing up. It had had all it could take, now several of its pistons were cracked or broken, and the smoke kept coming. However, it was then that Taylor saw the portal going. It was now or never. 

"AUGH!!!!!' He flipped the plane onto it's side, and then, just mere moments before the portal closed, the plane whizzed inside, then the portal closed, just barely missing the plane's tail, and then Blue 1 was gone, never to be seen, or heard from on Earth ever again.