Stellar was up on the Top Flight Deck at about Sunrise as the Thestral Night-Guard and the Pegasi Day-Guard swapped over, the Thestrals landing behind Stellar's position and exchanging information, as well as casual conversation, with the emerging Pegasi. After their little jaunt to Australia and seeing Cee-cee/Peridot, Mark/Slash, Jumble, Peach and Azure again, Stellar had spent a good bit of the later part of the night making more sets of armor for the Pegasi and Thestrals in the Sky Guard and the others in the Ship Guard from metals she'd picked up while there. Since she only needed two hours' sleep in twenty-four, she was putting her time to good use in equipping her defensive personnel for their job... and they looked so smart, too.

Stellar felt the slumbering contentment of the ponies below her, smiling to herself. After the massive surge of positive emotions from them yesterday, Stellar was still riding on a wave of good thoughts and general happiness. The Love she'd felt directed at Celestia from ponies everywhere in Equestria in the past... Well, she hadn't reached that stage of adoration yet, and frankly, a part of her never wished to feel that way, either. But what she'd felt so far... that she could handle.

She stretched out her senses, her horn and the Sparkle Star in her cutie mark lighting up brilliantly, as she felt ahead for her sister, Twilight. They had done this plenty of times in the past, reaching out with their magic across Equestria to contact each other in a way that not even powerful unicorns could do... not because they weren't alicorns, but because they weren't twins. She and Twilight shared a bond that had only been broken once, she'd learned from perusing her link with her other selves after she'd become conscious of it. And Stellar was not about to let Twilight make that mistake ever again...

Twilight was there, Stellar could feel. Twilight's unmistakeable magic signature resonated with her own as they tentatively interacted. Stellar could feel Twilight was asleep at that moment, so she withdrew, letting her sister sleep. Besides, the Stellar Wind would be at the farm tomorrow, if their calculations were correct. So another day could...

Stellar looked up as something caught her eye: a flash of red rocketing up from below. She made her helmet appear on her head and contacted the Bridge. "Bridge, this is Forward Observation, Commander Sparkle speaking. Did you see that rocket?"

"Aye Commander. It was observed." Come the reply.

"Very good. Slow down and stay as steady as you can near the location. I am going to take some of the Pegasi with me and go check things out."

"That's a rojer, Commander. Stay sharp." The Officer of the Deck gave Stellar a reminder.

"Always." Stellar replied. "Forward Out." And she turned and headed back downstairs. "You six." She pointed to five Pegasi and one Thestral, Sergeant Night Stalker, who were ready for duty in their new armor. "Come with me." She told them.

"Aye, Commander." They said, as Stellar made her Lunar Guard armor extend out over her in its short-form. The group formated around Stellar as they walked back up to the Top Flight Deck, then they took off in formation, heading to where Stellar had seen the rocket come from.

As they headed over the forested area, they found a road running through the trees. Following it soon revealed a shape on the side of the road with flares around it. Stellar came to a hover and looked at the shape, peering through the trees. She soon discerned it wasn't a truck, but a bus. "Lieutenant, we shall land downwind of it and move to it with all-due caution."

"Aye, Commander." Lt Sky Frost replied, and the seven airborne ponies turned, flew back a small ways and landed through a gap in the tree-cover. Once down, they moved cautiously along the road, Stellar staying back within the group of four pegasi as one of the Pegasi and Night Stalker took point, their armor changing to ground-camoflage pattern as they moved along. Although she would have liked to take point herself, Stellar knew that, as the ranking officer, she was required to follow protocols and stay back with the main unit.

Eventually, they heard "This is Point One. The bus is occupied... by Ponies!"

"Are you certain?" Stellar asked.

"Affirm. Looks like mostly earth ponies and a few unicorns. One of the unicorns is under the front of the bus, but I'd say it's not going anywhere. By what I can see, it looks like the engine mounts have collapsed." The corporal reported.

"This is Point Two; I can confirm, Commander. We have what looks like forty ponies, including foals, inside the bus, and three stallions outside, looking like they're conferring with the one under the bus." Said Night Stalker.

Stellar looked at Sky Frost. "I think it's safe enough to make contact." She said to him.

"Agreed, Ma'am." He replied, smiling.

"Then let's go for a walk." Stellar said, and they all started trotting along the road towards the bus. When they got close, Stellar put on her best smile and yelled "Hello!"

The results were immediate. The three stallions started, the movement and noise from the bus ceased. The stallions looked hostile, until they saw Stellar close enough. The hostile looks on their faces turned to awe. "Greetings. Need some assistance?" Stellar asked.

"Um, yeah, we could use a little help." One of the stallions replied.

As Stellar and her team reached the bus, she gave a smile and a wave to the many faces looking down at her from the windows. There were a lot of adults, but she counted a number of young foals and even some teenagers. Stellar gave a wink and a grin to one cheeky little colt, who grinned back and waved to her. She looked down at the stallions as she came close to them. "You look like you're in a bad way, here." She said.

They looked back to the bus, and one just sighed. "Yeah. She gave up the ghost last night, and we've been trying to make a fix for it ever since, but I think she's just had it. Luckily, we've got a good load of supplies on-board, and she was comfortable enough for the night." He held out a hoof. "I'm Verdant View."

"Commander Stellar Sparkle." Stellar clopped her hoof against his hoof. "Where were you headed?"

"Well, we'd gathered together in Maine from a lot of the local counties in three states, after finding each other on the Internet." Verdant told Stellar as the others introduced themselves, Sgt Night Stalker taking names and pictures of cutie marks. "Then we got a message from a place out in Montana, saying there was a place taking Ponies from all states, and said they were offering accomodation and work for Ponies, if they could make it there. We decided to head there." He sighed. "We were still debating which way to go when old Rusty here decided to commit suicide."

"Well, we're heading for a farm in Iowa that's got Ponies, but we're also planning on heading to Montana as well, so if you like, you can ride with us." Stellar told View.

View grinned. "That's mighty nice of you, Ma'am. We were sure we were going to be stuck here until someone found us." Then he looked around to the road, as a shadow fell over the area. "Um, not to be picky, but where's your vehicle? I didn't see you pull up anywhere."

Stellar chuckled, as did her troops. "You're not looking in the right direction." She replied, as she gestured upwards.

Every pony in Verdant's group looked up, as the Stellar Wind slowly hovered to a stop over head and took up position, glowing brilliantly in the morning sun. "By the red sands of Mars..." Verdant said as he saw the pegasi flying around it, like birds around a cloud. "What IS that?"

"That is our cloudship, the Stellar Wind." Stellar answered. "You'll have the pleasure of our company aboard her while we head for Iowa."

Then her radio hummed to life. "This is Captain Weather to Commander Sparkle. What's the situation? Over."

"This is Commander Sparkle to Captain Weather. We have found forty-six Ponies stranded by the side of the road, and we are currently discussing relocating them to the ship, Sir. They are headed for the Montana location. Over."

"Excellent, Commander. We'll instruct pegasi to begin building some cloud platforms to lift them up here, and send you some unicorns to aid in processing them for the lift. Over."

"Rojer that, Captain. We'll prepare our new friends for transfer. Commander Sparkle, out." And Stellar looked back at Verdant View, as other Ponies exited the old bus with everything they could bring with them. "We'll begin taking you up to your new transport in about five minutes, Mr View."

"Um, thank you, Commander." Verdant said as he turned and started talking to the others. Stellar saw several pegasi with hi-viz clothing over their armor land beyond the site in either direction, keeping an eye out for traffic for when the platforms landed on the road. Stellar nodded to them all and they saluted back, then took up formation with batons with day-glow lights on them, as makeshift barriers were landed and cut off the side of the road with the bus on it, funneling all traffic through the other side.

By the time the Ponies were ready to go, the first of the cloud platforms had landed behind the bus and the unicorns were casting the cloud-walking spell on the ponies, so they could ride up to the cloudship on them with their belongings. "You're very organised." Verdant commented. "Have you taken many ponies aboard your beautiful vessel?"

"Actually, you're the first that have come aboard using this method." Stellar admitted. "Usually, the others that joined us have come aboard using teleportation. But your group seemed to fit this method, so we put it together." Stellar explained as the first platform was lifted by pegasi attendants, pushing it up past the trees towards the Stellar Wind.

"Amazing." Verdant said. "I haven't seen these... Pegasi, they are called?" After Stellar nodded, he continued "I have not had the pleasure of seeing pegasi before, but they are a wonder to behold." He told her. "But you, Commander, you have wings like a pegasus, but the horn of a unicorn as well." He stated. "I have never even heard of your type of pony before."

Stellar chuckled. "I'm a type of pony known as an Alicorn." Stellar explained to Verdant. "We're very rare."

"Indeed." Verdant agreed as he looked her over. "And so statuesque and lovely to the eye. No wonder you are a leader of Pony-kind. You would inspire others to do their best at whatever they are tasked with, just with your presence alone."

Stellar almost laughed at that. He didn't know what an alicorn was, but he knew instinctively that she was a princess. "Thank you, Verdant." She said back as one platform lifted off and another landed, the ponies' bags and supplies being loaded aboard it. They talked for a while about what Verdant had found out about the Montana community, then it was his turn to ride up with the second-last platform. Stellar took a little time-out to help the pony who had been diligently trying to fix the broken-down bus... to a huge surprise for her. He wasn't a pony at all, although he looked like one. He was a Changeling. The unicorn stallion he looked like was covered almost from nose to tail in grease and oil. "You look like you could use a cleansing spell." She said to him. Then she leaned closer and said softly "Much easier to explain than changing your appearance." She gave him a wink.

The changeling's eyes opened wide, then he nodded. "As you wish, Your Highness." He said back, as Stellar cast the spell, cleansing his coat of all filth. "Thank you, Your Highness." He said.

"And thank you for not calling me that in front of the others." Stellar said back to him with a smile. "They don't know me as a Princess yet, although that will be explained to them in classes designed to awaken their memories." She explained. "What is your name, my good stallion?" Stellar asked, letting the changeling know she wanted him to keep his secret.

"Elusive Clue, Your Highness." Clue replied. "You do know... don't you?"

"I do know, but your secret is safe. I have nothing against your kind, especially one poor harvester stuck out on his own after Discord sent him here."

Clue snorted. "That vile villian. He killed off a lot of the others, you know. But for some reason, he sent me here. Me. He could have done away with me and nothing would have been said. But instead he gives me that mischievous grin and makes me a human for twenty-five years." Clue sighed. "I do not know what his game is."

Stellar nodded. "We're all still working that out." She agreed. "Have you seen or felt any sign of a friend of yours, if I remember things correctly? Another one of your former hivemates called Zevan?"

Clue's mind ticked over as more memories came to him. Eventually, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no. I haven't seen or felt him since I changed back."

Stellar sighed. "A pity. I have his family on my ship, waiting for him to be found and brought to them."

Clue started. "You have Lavender aboard?" He asked. Stellar nodded. "Dandy? Sky? Forest?"

"All of the above. Whirring Cogs is the only one missing at this time." Stellar confirmed.

Clue shook his head in amazement. "By the First Shell, that is amazing."

"I know." Stellar grinned. "But enough of that. Time for you to ascend to your new home." She gestured to the platform that was waiting. Clue nodded and climbed aboard it with the road crews, and Stellar watched it ascend. Then she walked back as the pegasi in her squad cleaned up the site. There hadn't been a car or any other vehicle pass by them in all that time. She took a look around inside the now-empty bus, the interior having been stripped of anything comfortable that wasn't bolted down. Sighing, Stellar exited the bus and cleaned it of all fluids and anything that could pollute the land around it. She then pushed it off amongst the trees, away from the road. It would sit there now for who-knew how long, rusting in peace. Her squad gathered around her as she stepped out into the middle of the road, then they all took off together, heading for the Stellar Wind. "Stellar Wind, this is Commander Sparkle. We're ready to depart. Over." She radio'ed in.

"Rojer that, Commander Sparkle. We're getting underway now." The reply was, as Stellar saw the cloudship starting to gain headway again.

She and her troops landed on the Top Flight Deck as the last of the cloud platforms was shoved away to disperse, and saw Elusive Clue heading down the ramp into the ship. "Thank you, Lieutenant, Stallions, for your assistance." She said to them, saluting them. They saluted her in return, and Stellar headed inside again, as the troops went back to their patrol stations.

She found Elusive Clue inspecting the structure of the Stellar Wind as he moved down the rampway. "This is... it feels like pegasus-type cloud-based field magic, but I've never seen it used like this before..." He told Stellar as she reached him.

"As far as I know, it hasn't." Stellar agreed with him. "I adapted it myself."

Clue looked at Stellar with a new respect. "That's incredible. How did you come up with the idea?" He asked.

"Necessity can truly be said to be the mother of inspiration." Stellar mis-quoted. "I had nearly eighty ponies and a number of humans stuck on clouds out over the Atlantic Ocean after their aircraft got shot down. Trying to find a way to get them all to safety, as well as put a base of operations together... well, I had an idea, and after talking it over with a few others, we managed to put this together."

There was a chuckle. "You mean, you managed to put this together." Came a familiar voice, as Thunderlane came up to Stellar. They saluted one another, then nuzzled, as Clue smiled at them both. "Thunderlane." He held out his hoof to Clue, who clopped his own hoof against it.

"Elusive Clue." Clue introduced himself.

"A pleasure." Thunderlane said back. "View and the others are starting Orientation now." He told Stellar.

Stellar nodded. "Come on, Clue. Let's get you learning about your new home." She said with a smile.

"Lead on, Fair Princess." Clue said with a grin, and the pair led Clue down to the Second Deck, where the orientation room was located. Also used as a classroom during the mornings, Clue walked in to find some of the professors from Celestia's school and one of the Commanders giving a short lecture explaining about the cloudship, where they could go, where they should stay clear of, and how things worked.

It was close to sunset as Stellar and Thunderlane were lazily snoozing together in their suite, on the big couch that faced out the massive front window after a fairly uneventful day, when Stellar heard in her head:

As if it was right in the room with them. Stellar started awake, lifting her head and looking around frantically... then she sensed the pony that shouted wasn't in the room with them, or even on the Stellar Wind. "Get up, Thunder Love." Stellar nudged Thunderlane awake.

"Wha...?" Thunderlane asked as Stellar slid out from around him and stood on her hoofs, feeling for the pony that had cried out for help. "What is it, Stel'?"

"I just heard a cry for help... from a long way off." Stellar said, as she cast a cleaning cantrip on them both. "Some pony out there is terrified and called for a princess... and it looks like I'm the one who's going to respond." She told Thunderlane.

Thunderlane had managed to get to his feet, and he shook himself out as Stellar strode to the intercom. "Commander Tides, this is Knight-Commander Sparkle."

"Aye, Knight-Commander. This is Commander Tides." Surging noticed Stellar using her full rank. That meant there was something going-on off the ship.

"There's a situation that needs my attention elsewhere." Stellar informed him. "Please tell the captain that Lieutenant-Commander Thunderlane and I will be off the ship until further notice."

"Rojer that, Knight-Commander. Safe travels and may Celestia watch over you." Tides replied.

"Safe skies and fair weather, Commander." Stellar replied, before signing off. She saw that Thunderlane was limbered up and ready to fly, so she crossed to him, lifting a helmet from one of the benches in the room. "Here, Love. I made this for you last night." She slipped the helmet on his head and activated it. A new suit of medium-blue-and-silver armor slid out of it and surrounded him completely, wrapping him in armored protection.

"Whoa! Thanks, Beloved. This is... great." He checked it over. "How much is it like yours?" He asked, as Stellar called forth her dark-blue-and-silver Lunar Guard armor.

"As much as I could make it." Stellar replied. "It's not solid Adamant, but there's enough of a layer of it on the outside to make it pretty much proof against any modern weapon. And it's fully-sealed like mine is as well, so gas and other nasty shit can't bother us once we're sealed." She told Thunderlane. She went with him through all the mental commands to activate the many runes and arrays his suit was equipped with, and once he'd assimilated all the knowledge, they headed up to the Top Flight Deck and took off, heading north.

A few minutes flight away from the Stellar Wind and they teleported, arriving over a city and looking down at a tenement building. "That's it, there." Stellar pointed out. "I can feel the poor mare's anxiety from here."

Thunderlane nodded as he scouted about while they circled the building. "Looks like a lot of people down there. Looks like police, ambulances, fire services... even Army, maybe." He told Stellar. Then he saw her shudder. "What is it, Love?"

"There's something else down there, Beloved. Something... very nasty, but I'm not sure what it is. All I know is it's leaking Wild magic." Stellar answered.

"Oh crap." Thunderlane replied.

"Indeed." Stellar agreed. "I think going in the front door might not be the best option." She told Thunderlane.

Then Thunderlane saw Stellar's colors change, her face turning dark blue, and her mane and tail swirled with long stripes made of many shades of lighter blues, whites, some light purples and light greys. "Stellar, why do you look like Luna now?" He asked her.

"Just a bit of camouflage, Love. I don't want anyone here to know I exist yet, and apparently Luna is known about already. So..."

"Huh. Good idea." He agreed. "So... we use ranks?"

"Affirmative, Commander." Stellar replied. She winged over with him and they descended towards the party gathered around the front door. They landed together just behind the crowd and started forward. "STAND ASIDE!" Stellar yelled in Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice, as the crowd milled in the way.

When the civilians saw who was there, they mostly moved aside, but news crews tried to harass them. Thunderlane did his best to shove them out of the way, as if protecting the Princess. They eventually gave way, and the ponies walked up the stairs to the entrance, where a small squad of what Stellar saw were Canadian special forces were gathered around the open front doors. Inside, Stellar could see someone had welded steel plates inside the entrance, sealing the building off.

Then "Hold it right there... uh... whoever you are." The head officer, a Captain, stood before them. "State your business here."

"I'm Commander Thunderlane." Thunderlane identified himself. "This is Princess Luna."

That got the humans' attention. "A Princess?" They asked.

"Indeed." 'Luna' replied. "As for why we are here, there is a pony trapped in this building, who called us for help. We are here to see her freed and returned to her own people." She looked at the doors. "What is going on here? This... this looks as if these were placed together from the inside..."

The Captain nodded. "Yeah. The entire three lower stories have all been sealed off like this." He said.

"How did you know to come here?" 'Luna' asked.

"We were alerted when a meter reader came around to read the gas meters. He couldn't get into the basement, then found the building sealed up like this." The Captain explained. He had realised that, whomever these 'ponies' were, they were wearing some very strong-looking armor and had military-style ranks and probably training as well. If one of their own was involved, then having them about might prove very handy.

"Why would they seal themselves inside like this?" Thunderlane asked as he looked the doors over.

"That's the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question." One of the other human soldiers said. "At first the Police thought it might be terrorists, which is why we were called in. But there's been no answer whatsoever from anyone in the building."

"There is someone still in there, Captain. We scanned them when we first arrived." 'Luna' informed him. "They are up on a higher level in a corner apartment."

"Really? Which one?" He asked.

'Luna' descended the stairs again, and pointed to the seventh floor. "That one there, on the right."

The captain nodded. "From what we can see, the entire building is air-conditioned, and almost all the windows are sealed. Which begs the question: what were they doing when they put wooden planks over the windows? It can't have been to keep people from getting in, just sealing the doors over would have been enough for that..."

Then there was a cry as one of the police officers looked at a window further up. "I saw something moving at that window!" She said, as she raised her binoculars to her face. 'Luna' and the Captain headed for her, when she cried out... and started turning grey.

"Celestia, no!" 'Luna' said as she raced up to the woman, who'd turned grey from head to foot inside her uniform. "DON'T TOUCH HER!" She screamed out as someone moved to reach out to the woman. A blue force-shield wrapped around the woman, preventing anything else happening until 'Luna' arrived. 'Luna' got to her, then carefully circled her, scanning her.

Thunderlane got down there as well, and he looked as shocked as everyone else. "By Celestia! She's been turned to stone!"

"WHAT?!?" Came a large number of voices.

'Luna's' eyes opened wide and she shouted out "EVERYBODY LOOK AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she invoked a Compulsion spell on all the crowd.

'look away from the building...' 'Luna's' voice echoed in the minds of all the people gathered there, making them obey.

'look away from the building...' Soon, nobody save for herself and Thunderlane were facing the building. "Commander, visor down, mirrored finish active." 'Luna' ordered.

"Aye, Princess." Thunderlane replied, and he dropped his visor as 'Luna' did the same. They looked up at the window where the figure was pointing, and they saw a white and green blob that was gesticulating wildly and slapping the window frantically. "That... that looks like a chicken." Thunderlane said, frowning.

'Luna' looked as well, and she growled. "That is no chicken." She shook her head. "Oh, Discord. Hast thou truly gone and done something most foul?"

Thunderlane looked at 'Luna'. "A bit thick, dost thou not think?" He whispered down their special radios.

"Staying in character." 'Luna' replied.

Meanwhile, the Captain had broken 'Luna's' compulsion, and looked at her. "What the hell was that for?" He asked.

"To save you from the same fate as this poor woman." 'Luna' answered, gesturing with a wing to the petrified woman. "And I now know why they blocked up the entrances and lower windows. It was to stop this happening to anyone looking in them." 'Luna' got out her tome of magic and started looking through it.

Thunderlane's eyes grew wide with shock, as he realised what it meant. "By the freaking Lords of Chaos..." He looked back up at the building. "There's a cockatrice in there!" 'Luna' nodded as she sought a particular spell. Thunderlane looked up at the window, but the white-and-green blob was gone.

"Okay, what the fuck is a cockatrice, and what does it have to do with turning people to stone?" The Captain asked as his group gathered around him.

"A cockatrice is a chimera creature." Thunderlane explained. "It's a creature created out of two completely different creatures, and it's got one nasty little feature: it can turn you to stone if you look it in the eyes."

"Seriously?" One of the other soldiers asked.

"Is that serious enough for you, Sargeant?" Thunderlane yelled back, pointing to the statue that stood before the steps with an armored wingtip.

"Umm... shit, yeah." She answered.

Then 'Luna' found what she'd been looking for. She dropped the field, her horn lit up brilliantly, and she gently tapped the woman on her forehead with her horn. The blue glow spread across her body, under her clothes, then she changed back to flesh again and dropped to her knees, stifling a scream. She looked up at 'Luna' and said "Thank you, thank you..." Over and over again.

'Luna' gestured to some paramedics. "Get her to somewhere she can rest. She'll be dehydrated and nauseous for a while, until her body settles again." She informed them. They nodded and helped the young lady away.

"Okay... so, how can we combat this thing?" The Captain asked.

"Commander, go and see if you can attract the attention of our pony-friend inside." 'Luna' ordered.

"Aye, Ma'am." Thunderlane replied and flew off, heading for the seventh-level apartment.

"Now, as for combatting a cockatrice... The first rule is: do not look it in the eye, obviously." She told the soldiers. "In the older times, it was a lot harder. You had to use mirrors or protective wards to avoid being petrified. But now, I think your NVGs will do the trick quite nicely." 'Luna' smiled. "Since they actually block off your natural sight, forcing you to use what they show you, then they should block the cockatrice's special vision effectively. And since it is almost dark, they should be even more effective inside."

"And then what?" The captain asked.

"Above all, do NOT kill it." 'Luna' stated. "If you kill a cockatrice, its magic will create a dozen eggs in places up to a hundred yards from itself before it passes on. That's the other thing that makes it so dangerous. You kill one, you get a dozen more you have to find before they hatch."

"Wonderful." The Captain replied sarcastically, sounding less-than-thrilled.

'Luna' chuckled. "That means capture is the goal. You can kill it safely if you can get it to see itself in a mirror when it uses its petrifying gaze." She told them. "Once it's petrified, smash it head-first, and it will die without releasing the eggs. Oh, and we'll have to search through the building for eggs as well. It might not have had time to lay any, but we have to be very careful. The tenants of this building were smart enough to trap it inside, so I don't need to tell you what could happen if one of them got loose in the city."

'Luna' saw the soldiers shudder. "So, how do we get in?" The Captain asked.

'Luna' looked up. "We would say, probably through the roof would be safest." She said. "Cockatrices are not the best flyers for altitude. We could easily capture it if it tried to fly down to the street." She told them.

"The fire escapes?" The lieutenant asked.

"I think I can get us up there a lot faster." 'Luna' suggested.

"Then let's get moving." The Captain agreed.

"Gather around us, then." 'Luna' told them, and they did so. Then 'Luna's' horn lit up, they were surrounded by a blue field and they vanished.

While 'Luna' talked with the soldiers, Thunderlane flew up to the only opened window in the building and looked inside. "Hello?" He shouted into the room.

There was a squeal, the sound of somepony tripping over and landing on a carpeted floor, then a scrambling of hoofs followed by them moving closer. "Hello?" Came a mare's voice. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the open window in the bathroom." Thunderlane answered.

The hoof-falls came closer, then Thunderlane saw a figure move in the dark into the room. "Hello? How are you in here?" The mare asked as she closed on him in the darkness.

Thunderlane chuckled. "I'm not actually inside the room." He told her. "I'm hovering outside the window."

"Hovering?" She said incredulously. "How are you doing that? I don't hear a helicopter."

"Ma'am, I'm a pegasus." Thunderlane replied, looking closer as she looked out the window. Then, in the fading light, Thunderlane realised that the mare was blind. Her sightless eyes were unfocussed and milky. "Ah, now I see... that you can't." He said as politely as he could.

She smiled at Thunderlane... as closely as she could. "Yes, I'm blind." She said. "I was for a long time before I became... what am I?" She asked.

"Oh. I can imagine... you can't see yourself." Thunderlane replied. "Okay, you're a Pony, in general terms." Thunderlane told her. "In specifics, you're a unicorn." He saw she was a lovely shade of solid pink, with a green two-toned mane and tail.

"I am?!" She asked with a massive grin, then squeed. "I was right! I am a unicorn."

Thunderlane chuckled. "That's right. Can you remember your Pony name?" He asked.

"Uh... I have one?" She asked. "My human name is Cheryl."

Thunderlane nodded, then realised she couldn't see the gesture. "Yes, you do. We can help you remember it later." He told her. "Right now... why haven't you left your apartment? Do you have any idea what's been going on?" He asked Cheryl.

"I have no idea." Cheryl answered. "Someone boarded up my door on the first of this month, then I started changing on the second. I haven't been able to get outside since then. I had plenty of supplies and they were okay after I changed, since I was a vegan, but I have no idea what was happening outside my apartment... except for the chicken."

"The chicken?" Thunderlane asked.

"Yes. After everypony went quiet, I heard it every day. It would be outside my boarded-up door, trying to peck or scratch its way into my apartment." Cheryl told Thunderlane. "The wierdest thing was, it kept hissing at me when I got close to it."

"Ah." Thunderlane nodded. "That's because... it isn't a chicken. It's what we call a cockatrice. It's a very dangerous creature... although, I think you might be one of the few people immune to its major ability." Thunderlane said, thinking about Cheryl's condition. He looked down in time to see 'Luna' vanish with the soldiers, and there was a flash on the roof. "Okay. We're going to enter the building now." Thunderlane told Cheryl. "Once we catch that cockatrice, we can get you out of there. Okay?" He asked her.

"I will be so grateful." Cheryl said.

"Be back soon." Thunderlane said, as he headed up to the roof.

'Luna' and the soldiers appeared on the roof, and their heels just dropped a few millimetres to the rooftop. "Whoah! Okay, Ma'am. That was something." The Captain said.

'Luna' shrugged. "We have done this enough before to know what we are doing." She replied. The soldiers put their Night-Vision Goggles (NVGs) on, shielding their eyes as they moved across a much-clearer rooftop to the roof entrance. It was locked, of course, but 'Luna' made short work of the locked door by opening it from the inside using her magic. At that moment, Thunderlane landed quietly, tapping a hoof to let them know he was there, before moving up beside 'Luna', as the door opened. "Commander, activate your suit's 'quiet-mode'." 'Luna' whispered, and Thunderlane nodded. Their hoof-falls became totally silent and their armors' noises faded. "Now, bring up 'Night-vision' in your visor, but keep Mirror active."

"Rojer, Your Highness." Thunderlane replied as he did so, marvelling as he could see in the dark better than any Pony could. He realised, he was seeing even better than a Thestral could in the total darkness of the building. They carefully moved down into the tenth floor, checking everywhere they could; the small, dim lights the soldiers had making the corridors almost like daylight. After every apartment was checked, the doors were sealed and marked to make sure they did not have to search them again for the chicken-headed creature they were seeking. They did find something very useful: boxes big enough to hold a cockatrice. The captain had one private carry several of them as they moved through the top floor of the building and headed downstairs. All were silent, their ears listening for the sound of a cockatrice: Its clucking or hissing in the darkness...

Cheryl waited patiently. The male pegasus had said they were in the building now, hunting down the 'cockatrice' creature that had been stalking her so unrelentingly. She moved back to her front door... and there it was again, clucking and scratching.

"Princess! It's here..." Cheryl whispered, her horn lit up as she cringed a little.

'Luna's' head snapped up again. She stopped and looked at the Captain. "I know where it is." She told him.

He looked at her. "How?" He asked, then said "Nevermind, where is it?"

"Outside that apartment on the Seventh floor." 'Luna' answered. "Apparently it is stalking the Pony contained within."

"Great. But that helps." He replied. "Okay, everyone to the seventh floor, as silently as possible."

"When we get there, I shall seal off the approach to the stairs." 'Luna' told the Captain. "That will contain it to that floor."

"Good idea, Princess." The Captain agreed, as they headed down. "When we get down to the floor, I want everyone up the other end to where it is, closing off the doors. If it can't get out of the hall, it'll be easier to catch." He ordered. "Okay, from here down, no more chatter." He added.

There were salutes from all the players, and the ten soldiers and two Ponies moved silently down the flights of steps to the seventh floor. The whole floor was in darkness, the only lights from the tiny deep-green LEDs the soldiers had on their helmets. They could barely be seen two feet from them, but they gave enough light for the NVGs to easily see to the ends of the corridor...

'Luna' stayed by the stairs, and once everyone was down, she sealed the stairwells off with a shield of a dark-blue magic. The soldiers moved up to the far end of the corridor to seal off the apartments, as Thunderlane perused the end where Cheryl's apartment was, the boards over the doorway easy to see. "I see it." He whispered into his mike. "Captain, we have contact." He added.

"Affirm." Came the reply, as doors were silently shut from the other end of the corridor back down to the staircase. Stellar changed the orientation of her shield to separate that end of the hallway from the rest of the building. As the soldiers moved past 'Luna' through the shield, there was a roar of something that did not sound like anything from Earth, and a white and green blur raced from the hall into an apartment.

"There!" Shouted one of the soldiers as the cockatrice disappeared, and three of the ten went into the apartment. There was silence for a few minutes, then some shouting and a squeal of pain from something not human, and the cockatrice launched itself into the hall... and flew straight at Thunderlane.

Thunderlane was no coward and he stood there, letting the cockatrice fly straight at him, as he felt big footsteps running down the hall behind him. At almost the last minute, he ducked, rolled and kicked with his hind legs, sending the cockatrice higher into the air... where the big male sargeant jumped up and slammed the cockatrice with the butt of his rifle, held like a bat. Caught completely unawares in the near-pitch black of the hallway, the cockatrice was sent barreling down the end of the corridor, to hit the back wall. A female corporal, holding an unfolded box, came out of the apartment opposite Cheryl's and dropped it down over the unconscious creature, trapping it. "Got it!" She called out. Carefully folding the box shut around the cockatrice, another box was pressed down hard over the first, securing the creature for good.

"Very good! Now, let us deal with it." 'Luna' said, as she approached. The cockatrice was making very pained noises from inside the box, but 'Luna' did not heed them. She slid her horn through the boxes, casting a spell... and the box grew much heavier as the cockatrice itself was turned to stone. "It is safe. The creature is now properly subdued." She declared as her shield dropped.

Thunderlane moved down to the other end of the hall and found a light switch. "Okay! Lights are on in Ten!" And he began to count down audibly as the soldiers removed their NVGs and waited. "All clear?" Thunderlane asked.

"All clear!" Came eleven replies as Thunderlane raised his visor, and he turned the lights on. The vacant hallway was revealed, the boarded-up entrance of Cheryl's apartment clearly visible. The Captain and the other soldiers looked visibly relieved. "Thank the gods. I thought it was going to be a room-by-room search for the thing." The Captain said, looking at 'Luna' in her armor.

"Indeed. It is a good thing the cockatrice is such an aggressive creature, that it prefers to go on the offensive, rather than hide." 'Luna' agreed.

"Now, where are the rest of the people here?" The female sargeant asked.

"Probably scattered all over the place." Thunderlane said. "But I'd bet the lower floors would be the first place to start." He suggested.

"Good idea, Commander." The Captain agreed. "Sarge, stay with the Commander here and free their friend from that apartment." He ordered, looking at the big male sargeant. "The rest of us will begin searching for the people in here. If you find one that's petrified, notify myself or the Princess, and we'll see if we can free them."

"Aye, Captain." Came the reply, and the squads started searching. The Captain and 'Luna' headed down the stairs to the ground floor... and found a horrific scene. There were three dozen statues gathered around the sealed off doors, looking like they'd been backed against them when they were turned.

"Oh... My." 'Luna' exclaimed quietly, looking shocked in the light from the foyer.

"That's putting it very mildly, Your Highness." The Captain stated as he moved closer.

"Hold fast, Captain!" 'Luna' then exclaimed, moving before him. She had seen that sitting between the legs of one young person was a stone egg. "By the Ancients... it did lay at least one egg." 'Luna' growled. She looked at the Captain. "Dost thou have a heavy object that thou canst smash this with?" She asked.

The Captain looked through his bags. "Got something better." He said, taking out a packet of C4 explosive. He made up a small charge with it, and a ten-second timer. "Can you send this far enough away that it will shatter this without hurting anyone else?"

"Aye." 'Luna' answered. "I shall cast it upwards several dozen miles. It should explode high in the air harmlessly."

The Captain nodded. 'Luna' brought the egg over carefully, and the Captain wrapped the charge around the egg, shaping it and wrapping it to blast most of it's force inwards. Once that was done, he set the timer, put the egg down and 'Luna' teleported the egg, sending it over sixty miles into the air. Five seconds after it appeared, none of the people outside saw the faint flash in the sky, but small debris fell over a large part of Windsor.

"Good." 'Luna' stated with a smile. "Now. We shall scan for more of the eggs, and see if the vile thing laid any more. They shall have to be dealt with the same way."

The Captain waited as 'Luna' did her scan, finding three more eggs. They were carefully brought down to the foyer, and treated the same as the first. Only when it was safe did 'Luna' start attending the human statues the cockatrice had left behind...

Upstairs, the sargeant had found a large power drill fitted with the proper screwdriver bit, and was slowly unscrewing the boards from the door frame. Thunderlane was beside him, watching, as inside the apartment, Cheryl was waiting anxiously. "Cheryl! Can you hear me?" Thunderlane asked, as the first board was put aside.

"Yes! I can hear you!" She said with tense joy.

"Good. We'll have you out of there very soon." Thunderlane said to her.

The Sargeant chuckled. "I haven't heard anyone so eager to get out of their home before, in all my years of helping others." He told Thunderlane.

"So would you be, if you'd been trapped in your home for eighteen days, being stalked by a cockatrice, been changed back into a Pony in the meantime, and having no idea what was going on in the outside world." Thunderlane told the big human male.

"Wait, wait... changed back into a pony?" He asked. "Don't you mean...?"

"I meant exactly what I said." Thunderlane interrupted him. "All of the ponies that have appeared on Earth were originally Ponies from a world called Equis. We were sent here by a personage of incredible power to get us out of his way. We were reborn as humans, and for twenty-five years we lived as humans until our twenty-fifth birthday, when the curse ended and we changed back." He explained to the Sargeant and, as he knew she could hear him, to Cheryl as well.

The Sargeant took down the third board and nodded. "Right. So... that's why you're so comfortable being a Pony? Because you had been like that before?"

"Yep." Thunderlane grinned and nodded. "We all were. Our memories were scrambled and kept from us as part of the curse, so a lot of times we can't remember much about who we were. The Princess can help alleviate that problem, but we all have to come to terms with who we are now, who we were as a human, and who we originally were as a Pony. Only when we reconcile the two halfs of ourselves with each other, can we truly become who we now are."

Cheryl had heard these words, and she sat down for a minute. "Reconcile the Pony I was with the human I was..." She said softly, and closed her eyes as she focussed her mind inside herself.

She saw nothing, but that was normal for her. She heard a voice say "I once was you, when I walked on four legs and had a family I loved very much."

"I was you after that, when I lived by myself and walked on two legs." Said a similar voice.

"Are we that different?" Asked the first voice.

"I do not know... but I feel that we are not supposed to be apart. That does us no good." The second voice said.

"I guess I am closer to our new body, just because I suit it better... but you are needed too, to live in this world."

"I cannot disagree. We are on four legs now. But I am still part of the person that we are."

"Indeed. I cannot see us as being apart. Far too much has been taken from us to allow anything we still have to be left behind."

"Then let us join together. Maybe as one we can find our balance again."

"I agree." The first voice said, and Cheryl's cutie-mark lit up, as did her horn.

Outside, Thunderlane saw the flash of light from inside and he smiled, guessing what had just happened. Once the fourth board was gone, he jumped up over the Sargeant and managed to fly into the apartment, where he saw Cheryl. He turned the light on and watched as Cheryl sat there, her horn and cutie-mark glowing. Once she'd settled down again, he moved to her and said "Hello" softly.

Cheryl was feeling a little disorientated, once her mind cleared, but she was also feeling a lot better as well. She felt complete within herself. Then she heard a voice she'd heard before say 'Hello" and she squeaked.

Thunderlane grinned when Cheryl squeaked with surprise. "Easy, Cheryl. It's just me, Thunderlane."

"It's you?" Cheryl asked. "And what kind of name is 'Thunderlane'?" She asked.

Thunderlane did chuckle now. "It's a Pony name." He explained.

"Oh." Cheryl replied, her face actually looking confused.

Thunderlane moved to Cheryl and nuzzled her gently, something that made her whinny in surprise and nicker with pleasure. "Chill for now, Cheryl. The Princess will help you when she's checked for any other survivors." He told her.

"Thanks, Thunderlane." Cheryl said, real gratitude in her voice.

"We're all in this together." He told her.

"Well... I guess I have a lot bigger family than I thought I did." Cheryl said as she sat close to Thunderlane.

Thunderlane smiled and just rested his cheek next to hers, as they waited...

Down on the third floor, 'Luna' was feeling sad and frustrated. Although she had managed to reverse the petrification of about ten people, so far the majority had refused to return... which meant they were dead. Most of the people had been elderly, and she felt that they just didn't have the fortitude to survive eighteen days as stone statues. But every person she changed back was one she saved, and that made her feel a little better, at least.

The soldiers had cut open the front doors, and paramedics were tending to the unpetrified, as 'Luna' managed to free another, more mature male, who looked like he had suffered greatly in his imprisonment. But he was taken away to hospital and as the soldiers and police kept the general public out of the building, 'Luna' went upstairs towards the seventh floor... and then stopped. Her horn twitched like crazy, as if something was tugging on it. She activated her radio. "Thunder, I'm going to go check something out. Stay with our friend until I get back." 'Luna' said as she changed back to Stellar, and headed for the roof.

"Rojer that, Commander." Thunderlane replied, and Stellar knew then he'd picked up the change in her voice.

Stellar got to the roof and closed her eyes, feeling for what she'd felt. A small wave of intense sadness flowed over her, eliciting a tear from her eye, as Stellar took off and headed over the city. Eventually, she landed outside a house in the suburbs, a fairly non-descript home. She walked up past the fence and past a car into the side yard and then down the back. As she looked about, she saw an old dog-house, a very large one, in the back corner of the yard. The waves of sadness were clearly coming from here, and Stellar moved to the dog-house. "Hello?" She asked softly.

There was a soft sniffle. "Hello." Replied a very young voice.

"I'm Stellar." Stellar said to the young voice.

"I'm Mikie." The voice replied.

"Hello, Mikie. Could you come out, please? I'd like to see you properly."

There was a shuffle from inside, and a foal, a unicorn colt whom Stellar determined was barely more than four years old, came out. A heavy collar was around his neck, a heavy chain attached to that. Stellar kept her temper as she moved to look at Mikie. He was a chocolate-brown color with what looked like a pale yellow mane and tail, although both were quite dirty. The collar was not tight around his neck, so it hadn't been put on in a cruel manner. She gently nuzzled his muzzle as he looked up at her, his sadness slowly draining away. "Wow... you're big." He said to her.

Stellar smiled at him. "Yes, I am quite big." She confirmed. "And you are very young." She said.

Mikie nodded. "Yeah. I didn't used to be, but I am, now." He said.

"Oh? Can you remember much?" Stellar asked him.

Mikie thought about that, but shook his head. "I don't remember much." He replied. Then he cringed and backed into the dog-house, as Stellar felt someone coming up behind them.

"Stay right where you are." A male voice said, an older male human.

Stellar's horn lit up at the tip, and she realised the human was holding a shotgun. "If you think your weapon is going to scare me, I am wearing armor that has survived far more powerful weapons than you are carrying. So I am not afraid of you." Stellar warned him, as she turned around.

He took a step back as she faced him. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I am here for the foal." Stellar answered. "He needs to be brought to where others of his kind can look after him as he grows up."

The man glared at her. "That... used to be my son." He said.

Stellar nodded. "Yes, I understand." She replied, her voice filled with sympathy. "You are not the only one who has had this happen." Stellar told him.

The man frowned. "The government says they need to be kept safe from others, in case they infect others." He said, but Stellar could hear he was starting to waver in the force of his arguments.

"That is a fallacy." Stellar told him. "This isn't infectious. You can't catch it from any Pony."

"Then why do they say that?" He asked.

"Because they don't understand what is happening, and they can't explain it any other way." Stellar told him. "Believe me, I know what did this, because it happened to me."

He frowned. "Why should I give up my son?" He asked.

Stellar almost smiled. Now she was starting to get to the heart of the problem. "If he's your son, why do you keep him chained up like this?" She asked.

He opened his mouth... then closed it. Stellar checked the time. It was nearly Ten o'clock. "I..." He said, thinking.

Stellar moved closer to him. "Listen to me." She said softly. "I sympathise. I have seen other families torn apart by this. It's not your fault. It's not their fault. They cannot control this. They did nothing to trigger this. This was done by a being of incredible power who wanted to create chaos, and he did this as a way of doing so." She told the man.

He looked at Stellar as she informed him of this. "Will he ever become my son again?" He asked.

Stellar sighed. "At his age? No." She said reluctantly. "He's just too young to keep most of his human memories. As he grows, he will make new memories as a Pony, and those will replace any remaining human memories he has." She explained to the man. "He's already almost forgotten everything he's known, save for anything he remembers from the life he's lived up to the age he is now, such as his language. Everything beyond that is probably already lost."

The Human lowered his gun, after breaking it open and ejecting the shells. He moved past Stellar to the dog-house, dropped to his knees and called "Mikie." The little colt slowly came out and looked miserable. The man slid his hands around Mikie's neck and removed the collar from him. "I'm sorry." He said, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"I know. It's okay, Daddy." He replied, putting his front hoofs on the man's leg so he could nuzzle him gently. The Man wrapped his arms around Mikie and held him for what seemed like ages to them, then he let go and rose to his haunches, as Mikie put his front hoofs back to the ground.

"Go with her." Mikie's dad said. "She can help you. I can't any longer." Mikie was crying, too, as he moved over to Stellar. "Look after him well." He said to Stellar, his face showing his sadness, but determination.

"He'll have a new family who will love him very dearly, and others to play with and help him realise he is wanted and loved by all who will be his friends." Stellar replied.

The Man rose to his feet and watched as Stellar lifted Mikie onto her back and made him secure. Then she just nodded at him, he nodded back, and Stellar took to the skies as he picked up his gun. There was a flash in the sky, and they were gone as he looked up again.

As he reached the house, a woman looked out, fearing what might have happened. "Davis, what happended? Where's Mikie?" She asked.

Davis looked at her, then at the rest of his children, who'd come home to help in the crisis. "Mikie's gone." He told them all. "Someone like him came for him... and I realised, she could help him far more than anyone else, Aggie." He said.

"Oh Davis." Aggie said, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. Once inside, all his sons and daughters hugged them both.

After Stellar had left, Thunderlane watched as the Sarge removed the last of the boards. "Thanks a lot, mate." He said to the Canadian.

"Hey, you're an Aussie." Sarge said, grinning.

Thunderlane chuckled. "Too bloody right, mate. Born and bred Down Under."

"Sweet." Sarge said. "So, what brings you guys over here?" He asked.

"Looking for others of our kind who need help." Thunderlane said. "We Ponies have to stick together, or there's others out there who'll take advantage of us any way they can."

"Yeah, you're not wrong." He agreed. "There's a mob up here called Spectrum. They've been 'requisitioning' any ponies they can find. So far, the government's refused to hand any over, but they're becoming insistent, saying you're a biological infestation, a pandemic-level plague." He informed Thunderlane. "So far, the government's not buying it, but if Spectrum brings enough pressure to bear... they might capitulate."

Thunderlane nodded. "Thanks for the information, Sarge. Do you know who's in charge of the situation?"

"The Minister for Agriculture, I believe." Sarge suggested. "He might see sense if your Princess goes and sees him. We're suckers for Royalty out here, like you Aussies are." He grinned.

"Too right, mate. Queen and Country forever." Thunderlane said with a massive grin.

"Oh yeah! Nice to meet someone who actually understands that." Sarge agreed. "Anyway, go and see the Minister for Agriculture in Ottowa. They might see sense a lot sooner than the.. what do you Aussies call them? The Yanks?"

"Ah, you mean how we call the dumber ones 'Septic Tanks', because they usually full of shit?" Thunderlane suggested.

Sarge gave a bark of laughter. "Yeah, that's the one. I remember hearing that term nearly twenty years ago. It still cracks up newbies when you use it for the first time in front of them."

"Yeah, I bet. Anyway, you can return to your unit, Sarge. Nice meeting you." Thunderlane held out his hoof to shake, and Sarge obliged.

"And you, Commander... Thunderlane, was it?" Sarge asked.

"Yep, that's me." Thunderlane said. "Thanks for all your help."

"Hey, if it wasn't for you and your Princess, we'd have probably let that thing out after it turned us to statues, and it'd be outside, running riot." Sarge pointed out. "So your help is also truly appreciated."

"Hey, Ponies help where Ponies can." Thunderlane replied. "See you around, maybe."

"Maybe." Sarge said as he got up, then stretched, before he headed off with a wave.

Thunderlane returned inside Cheryl's apartment, and found her making Tea. "I hope you don't mind Rosemary and Chamomile." Cheryl said. "I don't have many varieties left, after the last few weeks."

"That will do fine." Thunderlane said, as he sat at the table, his armor retracting back into his helmet before he sat, and he placed it on another chair. Cheryl lifted the tray using her horn magic, and put it skillfully onto the table. "You're doing that very well." He commented.

"I know." Cheryl replied. "It seems to have gotten easier to do, after I heard what you said about reconciling both parts of myself.

"Yes, apparently that happens, as well as usually a lot of our memories start returning as well." Thunderlane explained a little more to Cheryl. "Our magic is mostly dependant on our memories, especially yours as a unicorn, because of spells you learn when growing up." He stated. "With Pegasi and Earth Pony magic, it's more instinctive. We don't use spells so much to focus our abilities, we focus them with our minds and feelings."

"I see." Cheryl said, thinking, as she poured.

"Your aim is uncanny." Thunderlane said.

"Oh, I might be blind, but I can 'see' whatever I am holding in my magic." Cheryl explained.

"Ah, that explains it." Thunderlane said. "That's why you're steadying the cups in your 'grasp' as you fill them."

"That's right." Cheryl confirmed.

Thunderlane nodded. "So... do you think you're going to be staying here?" Thunderlane asked after he'd taken a sip of the excellent tea.

Cheryl sighed as she sat down. "I... I don't know." She replied honestly. "This is my home, yes, but... I have been trapped in here, unable to get out. I have been hounded by a supernatural creature, stalked by it constantly for nearly eighteen days. I don't know if I can ever truly feel comfortable here ever again." Cheryl started to shake, putting her cup down before she dropped it. Thunderlane put a hoof on Cheryl's shoulder, and she sniffled. "I was so scared..."

"I can only imagine." Thunderlane told her. "If you want... we have a place with a large number of other Ponies that you can move to, where you should be safe. Ponies always feel better with other Ponies around them." He said.

Cheryl looked at Thunderlane. "I think... I'd like that." She said.

Thunderlane gently patted Cheryl on her shoulder. "I'll make arrangements." He told her.

Cheryl nodded. "Thank you." She replied.

"My pleasure." Thunderlane said, his smile leaking into his voice as he finished his tea off and returned the cup to the table. "Get some things together, whatever you want to take with you." He said as he picked up his helmet and put it back on.

Cheryl nodded as she got up and headed into her bedroom. Thunderlane called the Stellar Wind. "Stellar Wind Control, this is Lt-Cmdr Thunderlane. Over."

"This is Stellar Wind Control, Commander. We read you five-by-five. Over."

"Stellar Wind, please send two unicorns with teleport abilities to my current location. I have one mare to bring back with me. Please bring four sets of side-bags as well. Over."

"Rojer that, Commander. We'll have two of the strongest teleporters we have to your location. Please find an open location for them. Over."

"I'll move to the roof, Stellar Wind. I'll call you again when I'm there. Over." Thunderlane told them.

"Rojer that, Commander. We'll be waiting for your call. Over."

"Talk to you then, Control. Thunderlane, out." Thunderlane ended his call, then went and found Cheryl. "Cheryl, I'm going to go and get some others to bring us to the ship, okay?" He asked.

"Okay." Cheryl replied. "Do you think I need to bring any clothes?" She asked.

Thunderlane chuckled softly. "I don't think so." He answered. "We really don't wear much, save for armor and uniforms."

"Oh." Cheryl giggled. "I guess that makes sense."

Thunderlane chuckled. "Probably all you'll need are some scarfs and maybe a cold-weather jumper. If you do need clothes, I'm sure we can supply you with some that will fit better than anything you have now." He told Cheryl. "I'm going up to the roof to await our lift."

"Okay." Cheryl replied, and Thunderlane saw her horn glowing as she checked over things...

He made his way to the roof and called "Stellar Wind Control, this is Lt-Cmdr Thunderlane. I'm on the roof and ready to receive. Over."

"Commander, this is Control. We're ready to go. Stay still, please." They said, then there was a flash and two unicorns stood either side of him.

"Commander." One said, his uniform showed him to be a senior lieutenant stallion attached to the Stellar Wind's Ship Guard. The other one was a junior lieutenant mare, and both of them had two sets of side-bags.

"Good to see you, guys." Thunderlane said. "Come this way." And he led them down into the building.

Cheryl had a small pile of objects with her in the lounge room. "Thunder?" Cheryl asked, hearing two more sets of hoofs.

"Our ride's here, Cheryl." Thunderlane said to Cheryl as he took one of the sets of side-bags and started carefully loading them. Cheryl had also managed to unplug her special computer equipment and she put it in the other bags, along with a laptop and two external hard-drives. Once the bags were full, Thunderlane put the bags with the computer on Cheryl's back, securing them to her, and he took one set of the other bags himself, the unicorns taking the final two sets. As soon as they were ready, the unicorns stood either side of them and they vanished, to appear in the cargo bay where Stellar had inscribed her cutie mark on the floor.

"Thanks, Guys. Great service." Thunderlane told them.

"You're welcome, Commander. We'll put the lady's bags in the storage area for her, locker space forty-four." They said as they took Cheryl's bags from her and Thunderlane, and walked off in one direction.

"Locker Forty-Four, aye." Thunderlane replied as he guided Cheryl out of the bay and onto Deck Four, taking the ramp to Deck Three. Thunderlane steered them towards the showers. "Do you want to get clean?" He asked Cheryl.

"Yes, that would be wonderful." Cheryl replied. "I haven't had a shower in four days, after the hot water system went off-line." She explained. "Would you help me?" She asked Thunderlane.

Thunderlane scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, I'd like to, but the showers are mares only." He explained. "Public showers, you see."

"Oh! Oh, right." Cheryl exclaimed as it got through to her. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, you weren't to know." Thunderlane said. "But I'm sure we can find somepony to help you... Ah!" He grinned, seeing Lavender, Dandy, Sky and Forest walking towards him. "Hey! Good to see you again." He moved to Dandy and Lavender.

"Thunder!" Dandy said as he neared them. They shared a hug with him.

"Hey, I could use a favor right now." Thunderlane told them.

"Well... we were just about to go have a shower." Lavender said.

"I know. My friend Cheryl needs a good shower, too." Thunderlane told them. "I'll swap you if you'll give me a hand. If you help Cheryl get clean, I'll take Forest in with me." He suggested.

Lavender and Dandy looked at each other. "Well, okay." They said. "So who is this 'Cheryl'?" Dandy asked.

"We just found her in Windsor, Canada. She was trapped in her apartment for eighteen days with a cockatrice roaming around outside as she changed." Thunderlane told them. "This is her here." He gestured to Cheryl as they reached her. "Cheryl, this is..."

"Cherry?" Dandy then called out, interrupting Thunderlane.

"Huh?" Cheryl asked, "Who's there?"

Lavender then remembered the blind mare who'd visited them with her family all those years ago. "Cherry Delight! It IS you!" Lavender stated.

"Cherry De..." Cheryl started to say, but then her horn and cutie-mark lit up brilliantly...

Cherry had been rushing with her family away from the True Brew Cafe, as Discord's assault on Canterlot was gaining pace. He seemed to be everywhere, and Cherry found herself being dragged along by the crowd with her son, Flapjack by her side. "Don't worry, Mom. I've got you." He said.

"I know, Dear." Cherry had said as they raced along together. But then there was a mass of screaming, and the crowd split into five different directions as Discord appeared in the middle of them.

"Don't worry, don't worry. I'll get to you all in due time." He yelled, laughing maniacally as he scanned the crowd. Cherry had stopped moving, so Discord homed in on her. Cherry screamed as he picked her up. "Now... Oh dear. You're blind."

"How kind of you to notice." Cherry said, only a little sarcasm creeping into her voice.

"Hmmm... Tell me, were you born blind, or could you see before now?" Discord asked as he looked into her blind eyes.

Cherry was shaken a little by the concern in his voice. "Uh... I lost my sight when I was nineteen, due to a disease." Cherry answered.

She didn't see Discord shake his head. "Ah... Then I have some good news for you, and some sad news." He said. "The good news is, where you're going, when you're born, you will have your sight back." He told Cherry. "The sad news is, you'll lose it again around about nineteen, just as you did before." He explained. "So enjoy being able to see again while you can."

Cherry was thinking this over, as Discord started to chant "For five score, divided by four..."

Cherry found herself surrounded by friends who were pressed in against her, hugging her and holding her up as her horn and cutie-mark stopped glowing. "I... I remember..." She said, looking around. "Lavender." Cherry said. "Dandelion. Sky Fern." Tears started coming out of her eyes as she hugged as many as she could reach to her. "I remember you all!" She yelled, crying.

Thunderlane just smiled as the mares shared an emotional reunion. Forest Breeze was a little puzzled, though. "How come she's crying?" He asked Thunderlane.

"Remember when you found your mother and big sister here?" He asked Forest.

"Well, yeah." He replied.

"This is kind-of like that for Cherry." Thunderlane said. "She's just gotten part of her memories back, and she remembers your family again. To her, it's almost like finding Family again, to find somepony you remember after not remembering anything for so long."

"Oh. Okay." Forest said.

Thunderlane chuckled, as the mares and filly headed for the showers. "Come on, Forest. Time to get you cleaned up." Thunderlane said.

Forest followed Thunderlane in reluctantly, but he did get washed...

Stellar and Mikie appeared over Windsor, and she landed on the roof once again. They went back downstairs, to find Thunderlane and Cheryl were gone from her apartment, and the door was locked.

"Huh." Stellar said. "Looks like they've already gone, Squirt."

"Gone home?" Mikie asked.

"Yep. Shall we go join them, Mikie?" Stellar asked.

The unicorn colt frowned. "My name's not Mikie." He said.

"It isn't?" Stellar asked.

"Nuh-uh." He stated. "My name is Mocha!"

"Mocha, is it?" Stellar asked, smiling as he now confirmed who he was, for sure.

"Uh-huh." Mocha confirmed.

"Okay then, Mocha. Shall we go home?" Stellar asked.

"Yeah!" The colt said with a big grin.

"Okay! Let's get going!" Stellar said as she turned and headed up the stairs.

Mocha giggled as they did so. On the roof, Stellar headed up into the air, and then told Mocha "Hold on tight!"

"Yeah!" Mocha yelled, and they teleported, arriving beside the huge cloudship, making Mocha croon with wonder. "THAT'S your home?" He asked.

"Yep." Stellar confirmed as they banked and headed for the Top Flight Deck. As they came into a landing, other pegasi saluted Stellar as she checked in, then headed for the ramp, Mocha looking around as they headed down. Once they were below on the third deck, Stellar lifted the little unicorn from her back and put him on his hoofs, then she retracted her armor. "Come on, Mocha. Let's go get clean."

"Okay!" Mocha agreed in a bright tone, and Stellar took him into the showers. Mocha took to the showers with a glee that was infectious. Stellar scrubbed him down several times to get him totally clean, as well as casting a cleansing spell on him to get rid of any parasites he might have picked up. A check on Mocha's horn showed it was sound and not chipped or damaged in any way. She also lathered herself up and was grateful when one of the unicorn mares helped scrub her back down. Once they were both clean, dried and groomed, Stellar took Mocha for a meal.

Thunderlane had taken everypony in the group to the McHays eatery for a reason. After all, Cherry's son Flapjack worked there, and he wanted the pair to be reunited. After settling the small herd of mares and Forest down at an outside table, Thunderlane went into the store and up to the counter. "I'd like seven hayburgers, five big orders of hay fries, three cokes, two frozen cokes and two waters, thanks. Oh, and your manager for fifteen minutes." He gave his order to the 'uniformed' filly behind the counter.

She entered the order, then frowned. "The... Manager?" She asked.

Thunderlane nodded. He was wearing his ship's uniform now, so he just said "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong. I just need to introduce somepony to him."

"Oh. Okay." She replied with relief, then headed into the back for a moment.

Flapjack came back out with her a few minutes later, wearing a nice shirt and bow-tie that screamed 'Manager'; that, and the little tag with his name on it. Thunderlane smiled. This group were looking quite professional now, and only after two days. The kid was doing something right... "You said you needed to see me, Commander?" Flapjack asked, reading Thunderlane's rank.

"That's right, Flapjack. Come with me, I have somepony I want you to meet..." Thunderlane told him.

Flapjack nodded and walked out from behind the counter, just looking back to get one of the dozen or so crew to attend a clean-up in a far corner. They walked outside and Thunderlane walked him over to the group of mares. "I have somepony here you might be able to help us identify." Thunderlane told Flapjack. "She's had a rough time of it."

"Okay..." Flapjack said, not recognising any of the mares in the group... until they parted and he saw a face that triggered a thousand memories. "Mom?" Flapjack asked, amazed.

Cherry's head lifted at the voice. "Flapjack?" She asked, more memories flooding into her own mind, as she moved forward.

"Mom!" Flapjack exclaimed, as he moved to Cherry and hugged her. "Oh, Mom! I thought I'd never see you again!" He said, holding her close as a couple of tears escaped his eyelids.

Cherry wasn't so restrained, tears gushing from her blind eyes as she held him and scented him again. "My big colt!" She said in a big, tearful voice. "How wonderful it is to hear your voice again!" She nuzzled him hard, almost overbalancing them both. But the others kept them on their hoofs as Thunderlane returned inside for their food.

Mother and Son were seated together, their friends smiling at the happy reunion as they ate, when another voice said "Well! Looks like you beat me to the punch, Thunder Love." Came Stellar's voice as everypony looked at her. "And I have somepony here who wants to meet you all, too." She added as she furled her wings.

Then a voice that even out-did Flapjack's voice surged through Cherry's memories. "MAMA!" Yelled a little four-year-old colt, who jumped off Stellar and into Cherry's fore-legs.

"MOCHA!" Both Cherry and Flapjack yelled, as they hugged the littlest member of their family to them. Flapjack let their mother hold Mocha closest to her, then he turned to Stellar and said "Thank you! How can we ever..."

Stellar put a hoof over his muzzle. "Never ask that." She told him. "Because there is nothing you could give me that could ever replace the joy I feel as I see you reunited, my young stallion. That alone is more than enough." She told Flapjack. "And that goes double for you, Cherry." Stellar added.

"I cannot ever thank you enough." Cherry said, tears pouring out of her sightless eyes again. "Now, all I need is to find my husband and my daughter."

"We know where Peach Delight is, Cherry." Thunderlane said as he stood near Stellar.

"You... do?" Cherry asked.

Stellar chuckled. "She was one of the first ponies outside our immediate group we met." She revealed. "She's living on an Outback cattle station at the moment with her new colt-friend."

Cherry actually blinked with surprise. "A colt-friend?" She asked.

"That's correct." Thunderlane confirmed. "He's a nice stallion, too, very handsome, and they know each other from before they changed back." He added.

Cherry just nodded her head. "What is he?" She asked.

"He's a unicorn and an ex-national security officer for the Australian Government, which Peach was as well." Stellar revealed.

"Oh..." Cherry said, a little dazed at what she'd been told. "So... does he like her?"

Stellar smiled as Thunderlane chuckled. "I think it's a lot more than just 'liking' one another, Cherry." Stellar told her. "They have something between them that is as powerful and as wonderful as what Thunderlane and I share." Stellar turned her head and nuzzled Thunderlane lovingly.

Cherry's face changed from showing confusion to having a soft smile on it. "That's wonderful." She replied. "But what happened to... oh, what was his name? That red changeling?" She looked towards Flapjack.

"Red Archer." Flapjack remembered.

"Yes, that's him." Cherry said.

Stellar sighed sadly. "By what we've been told, a lot of the changelings that were in Canterlot were killed by Discord, instead of being sent here... save for special ones." She told them all. "Lavender, you and your family know that Elusive Clue and probably Whirring Cogs are here... but apart from them, we don't know if any others were sent here by Discord. I'm sorry to say, but it appears as if Red Archer might be among the deceased... until we find evidence to the contrary."

Cherry and Flapjack lowered their heads. "I am so sorry to hear that." Cherry said. "He was a kind and noble Pony."

Stellar nodded. "Yes, he was." She agreed. "But enough of this sadness. I will see if I can find Whirring Cogs and Frothy Brew in my next trip, after reuniting with my sister and those on the farm we are headed for. I promise you, they will be high on my list of priority Ponies to be found and reunited with their families." She assured them all. "And Cherry, Flapjack, the next time I return to Australia, I'll bring Peach and Azure back with me for a visit." Stellar added, to grins and hugs from all those there.

As Stellar and Thunderlane settled in for the night once again, Thunderlane grinned. "So... are we running a reunification service for families here?" He asked.

Stellar chuckled at that. "It might seem so, yes." She answered. "But these are two families that have had a big impact on my life, as well as Twilight's. So if I'm slated to reunite them, I think it's just Fate using me to do so." She told Thunderlane. "And isn't reuniting all Ponies my job, as well?" She asked her stallion.

Thunderlane sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'd agree that it is." He replied, as Stellar settled in behind him, snuggling up to his back again.

Stellar gently kissed Thunderlane deeply, then nuzzled him. "Don't worry about it, Beloved. Tomorrow's the big day, and then we'll re-start our hunt for Ponies in distress again, once we figure out how to house and feed everypony at wherever Twilight is now." She told him. "Although, I think the Thestrals are going to be staying with us, no matter what."

Thunderlane chuckled. "Oh yeah. Well, at least until Luna shows herself, or we find her." He said. "Then we'll have to wait and see."

Stellar smiled at Thunderlane. "If I read Cimmerian well enough, he's going to stay, Beloved. Him and probably a quarter of the Night Guard, which will be very handy if we find more Thestrals, or have to do scouting missions at night. We won't need NVGs if we have Thestrals to scour the night for us."

"Yeah... that's true." Thunderlane agreed.

Stellar chuckled. "So let's leave things as they are in that respect, Love. Let's get our sleep and get ready to find Twilight and reunite ourselves with the others and our friends upon the Morrow."

"Gonna name another airship that, Love?" Thunderlane asked frivously, grinning as Stellar giggled.

"Silly." She gently swatted Thunderlane as she snuggled up behind him. "Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

Thunderlane chuckled as Stellar held him close, and closed his big eyes. There was nowhere else he'd rather be than exactly where he was, right then and there...

Author's Notes:

Okay! Getting ready for a major moment here, and Stellar gets a clue that will lead her to find one more of her extended family eventually. Plus, with one little stowaway being found and despatched, what else has Discord dropped on Earth?

And as always, read that Sunset Blaze A.K.A. Dandelion Dreams, Lavender Dreams, Whirring Cogs/Zevan, Sky Fern, Forest Breeze and Elusive Clue, as well as Peach Delight, Cherry Delight, Flapjack, Mocha and others who will appear in later chapters are all copyright to Goldfur and used with hir gracious permission.