Twilight once again found herself sitting before the radio, trying to find a signal. Despite the horror that had confronted her earlier that week, she found herself drawn back. She had heard a signal from light years away, issued centuries ago. She heard a great war fought with powers and technology beyond her understanding. She wanted to learn more. She wanted to find out what had happened, to get to the bottom of the issue.

She turned the knob on the radio, finding mere silence as a response.

“Come on…come on,” she groaned to herself, failing to realized that it had become a mantra.

She simply needed to find that sweet spot. She had to find it. She didn’t know why, but she felt it was her obligation to at least learn what had happened. She listened closely. The static died away into silence once again, causing Twilight to bit her lip in frustration and groaned sligh-

A harsh beeping noise screeched from the radio, causing Twilight to flinch. She reached for the radio in an attempt to shut it off. Then a voice came through the radio, harsh and emotionless.

“We interrupt your scheduled programming. This is a national emergency. Important details will follow.”

This was followed by a long harsh beep.

Twilight’s ears perked up as she digested this new development. She seemed to have found a broadcast. Whether it was from the same location remained to be seen.

The beep ended. The voice continued.

“The following is an Emergency Action Notification message broadcast at the request of the United States Government: A foreign invasion has begun in the Northwestern United States. At 1:44 PM Pacific Standard Time, Soviet warplanes attacked several targets including but not limited to the cities of: Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia. Air attacks are also supplemented by a large scale ground invasion of Seattle. North American Aerospace Defence Command notes a second, larger wave of Soviet warplanes. United States Air Force units have been dispatched to intercept hostile Soviet targets. National Guard forces have been deployed to counter Soviet landing forces.”

Twilight listened intently, fascinated by the story unfolding before her. Apparently, it was a case of one nation invading another. But why? What was the point of invading another pony’s home? If they were so advanced as to be able to broadcast on a national scale, why did they turn to war?Twilight still didn’t understand enough. Not nearly. She continued listening.

“All citizens living the Northwestern United States should shelter in place immediately. All other Americans are asked to remain vigilant and be prepared to seek shelter or evacuate at moment’s notice. Remember to keep necessary supplies: food, water, clothes, medical supplies, and a battery powered radio. If you lose power to your home, tune your radio to 770 AM for further information.”

Twilight had flinched slightly at the thought of families cowering in their homes as the chaos from the radio raged around them.

“The President has been notified of the attack, and is expected to speak in a few hours. Please stand by for this message.”

Another loud beep sounded. The message repeated itself. Twilight listened for any variation in the tone of the one reading the message or the message itself. There was none. It was as if the words themselves were recorded. She groaned in frustration as she realized that she could wring no further information from the radio. She hoofed the radio off as it once again repeated its tidings of doom.

“-is an Emergency Action Notification message-”

Author's Notes:

I wrote this to stay in practice. It is annoyingly bland to be honest. Comments and constructive criticism would be appreciated.