Everyone left the ship and headed into the darkness that surrounded Ponyville. I could only guess where the others were headed. Rarity was surely on her way to Sweetie Belle and her parents. Rainbow Dash flew away in the direction of some clouds, likely on her way to her house. I did not know if she had any family or not in Cloudsdale. Fluttershy was certainly on the way to her small cottage to say goodbye to Angel and her other animals. Pinkie Pie had immediately disappeared into the direction of Sugarcube Corner, which was no surprise to me. Twilight’s destination was also a no-brainer. Dawn and Spike were waiting for her in the library. Armor and Cadance had found a quiet place for themselves near the Celestia and watched the stars or whatever else was on display in the night sky. Star and Hawk had simply disappeared, and I was sure they did not want to be found.

Now I was with AJ and Trixie on the way to the farm. Because we had landed on the empty fields between the farm and the town, the trek was relatively short. When we passed the entrance with the Sweet Apple Acres' sign, I saw how difficult it was for her to leave this place behind. That she had still decided to go ahead with our plan mean all the more to me.

“I’ll wait for you here,” Trixie said as we approached the brightly illuminated house. “This is your family, not mine.” I nodded to AJ and took the lead to the house.

“You know you are welcome here any time, right?" I could not say whether she did not feel comfortable around them or simply did not see the need for sentimental farewells. She simply nodded and remained there. I followed AJ into the house and found the family on the sofa in the living room. Big Mac sat with Caramel, Braeburn, and Apple Bloom on one. AJ went to the other one and I joined her. An awkward silence ruled the room for a short time.

“Well, Braeburn, I reckon I should thank you and Caramel again for helping us out again and picking up the slack," AJ started after some time. They both nodded at her shortly and smiled.

“We’re always here when the family needs us, right?" Braeburn rhetorically asked his cousin. The brown stallion agreed and then looked to Big Mac.

“Come on, Mac," Caramel elbowed him, to which he only snorted in response. He got up, went directly to me and AJ, and took out something between his neck and the yoke. It was a small photo, a bit crumpled, yellow, and faded, and he handed it to AJ and sat down again. I looked over to her and just still a tear trailing down her cheek. Immediately, I switched my gaze to the picture. A young mare, perhaps one or two years old than AJ, with an orange yellow mane and red fur stood with a yellow stallion with a red mane. They had the same freckles on their face like both older members of the Apple family.

“These are my parents," AJ explained, sorrow evident in her voice. "This is the only photo we still have of them. It was taken soon after they knew I was on the way.” I turned my gaze to her brother, who only looked at us with a blank expression on his face. “This is the most valuable thing ya own, Mac. Are ya sure you want me to have this?”
He shook his head. “The most valuable thing I have is my family. You and Apple Bloom.” It was minimal, hardly noticeable, but his voice echoed the same sorrow that had been in AJ’s voice. “Light, I know you’re strong and smart. If my sister…" He did not need to finish the sentence.

“I know, Mac. I’ll make sure nothing happens to her.” Big Macintosh only nodded before he got up and headed up the stairs to his room.

“I know you’re a nice guy, Light, but consider the same for. Take care of mah cousin," Braeburn added and embraced her briefly. Then he came to me and held out his hoof to me. “All the best.” I accepted the gesture, whereupon he withdrew to a corner of the room. Caramel followed him, but then left outside through the door.

“When will ya come back?” I didn’t know such a delicate voice could exist from the usually so boisterous Apple Bloom. She had said it so quietly that it could have been said by Fluttershy

"Soon," I assured her. "Your sister just needs to help save a world again. Certainly, this is a little farther away, but you know how good she is." She gave a tremulous smile, though her head soon focused on the ground.

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked the floor.

“Go ahead, sugarcube,” AJ said as she tucked the picture under her hat.

“You’re coming back, right?”

It wasn’t easy to look at Apple Bloom and lie to her face. None of knew what would happen, and the chances of something bad happening was not insignificant. Most of the time, we would spend on the ship, the vessel acting like a fortress against the Nightmares. AJ and I were on our way back to the ship when I saw a light emanating from the Everfree.

“Celestia and Luna are here,” I shortly said and looked over to my marefriend. She was looking at the light as well and so merely nodded. We trotted a bit faster to the ship and found the rest of our group already gathered, only that they were not alone. They were accompanied by none other than Holly, Spike, Dawn, the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Lyra.

“Lyra?” I asked in surprise, which caused her to turn around.

“Light! I’m glad I caught you.” The mint-green unicorn ran towards me. “I heard that you were travelling to the humans’ world.” I threw a glance at Twilight. If there was anybody Lyra would have found out about it, it would be from her.

“Don’t look at me like that. The hearings were available to the public since they were related to the well-being of Equestria. Anyone can receive a transcript of the proceedings if they apply.” I could only sigh.

“Yes, it’s true. Unfortunately, we are full." I did not have to look behind me to know that the AJ was unimpressed with my lie, but I did not want to involve more ponies.

"I don't want to join you. I wanted to ask if you could bring something back like an anatomy book or photos. I don't want to be labelled as the crazy one anymore at Canterlot University.” Lyra was somehow the same as a brony. She believed in the lore from books and hoped that somewhere it was real. Now that she knew that there was truth to her beliefs, she wanted proof so that she could rub it in the noses of those who had laughed at her. I thought about doing something similar as the idea was to live on my planet again. The only difference would have been that I would have done it on the Internet, on a certain forum to be precise, than a university.

“That shouldn’t be too difficult. If I find something like that, I’ll try to bring it along if I can.” She beamed at me as though I had offered to bring back a slice of the land of milk and honey. She scrambled forward, and before I could react, grabbed me with her hooves and embraced me, lifting me off the ground, before setting me back down roughly.

“Can we get this show on the road already? I’ve just about had enough of all these tearful goodbyes and whatnot.” I could understand where Dash was coming from. The longer one kept putting it off, the harder it became to follow through.

“I have to reluctantly agree with Rainbow Dash. We shouldn’t keep the princesses waiting,” Twilight said and began to board the ship.

“You all heard my sister.” Having said that, Armor and Cadance also boarded, soon followed by Hawk and Star.

“Sweetie, keep your eyes out for Mom and Dad. They should be here in a week’s time. Until then, be sure to behave well while staying with Mister Macintosh.” With that, Rarity pulled Sweetie Belle into an embrace.

“That also goes to you, Holly," Fluttershy gently addressed her adopted daughter. “Make sure and listen to Mister Macintosh and pay attention to what Mister Braeburn and Mister Caramel say.” The young filly only nodded, looking downcast. Who could blame her though? She had formed a connection with Fluttershy so quickly and recently, and now she would be gone for a while. “Mama will be back soon before you know it." With that, she also hugged Holly.

I saw like Scootaloo talking to Rainbow, the orange pegasus filly boring a hole in the ground with a hoof. I knew that they were not related, but she was Rainbow Dash’s biggest fan. I was distracted by Big Mac and Apple Bloom as they arrived to see us depart. AJ was already involved in a conversation with them. I decided to give them some privacy and went up the ramp and onto the Celestia. Pinkie Pie followed me, hopping and cheerful as always.

“Everything in order, Pinkie?” I had actually expected a depressed Pinkamena.

“Yep, everything’s okie dokie!” she cheered and hopped on the deck. “I’m so excited to be going to meet so many new ponies— no, it's going to be humans to meet and make friends with.” She always seemed to find a positive aspect of a situation. It was almost unenviable, as having to think twice could be considered a curse.

One after the other, our small party soon came aboard, and as soon as Fluttershy clambered on, Armor began to prepare to withdraw.

“Okay, I’d say it’s time to go. He went down the small flight of stairs that led under the deck, and after a few seconds stood under the lantern and at the wheel. “We’re taking off!” he called as a warning before the wings began to unfold themselves and the heavy anchors came aboard. The wind immediately began to work, and we slowly rose into the air.

“They’ve probably already left," Fluttershy said sadly as they looked downwards over the rail. I followed their gazes and saw that it was true. I could only make out Spike, Lyra, and Big Mac. The Crusaders had already disappeared, probably in search of a new idea on how to get their cutie mark.

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy, Big Mac will take care of them,” I assured her. She nodded shortly and went to the others aboard. Trixie, who had said very little for the longest time, was now in a conversation with Twilight over what I surmised to be about teleportation magic. Otherwise, most ponies on board were quiet and in their own thoughts, even Pinkie.

“We’ve reached the Everfree,” Cadance called after a short time as she stood in the briefing room. I went to her and saw two large figures in the distance. Magic swirled as it was collected and contained by a dark blue and golden magical aura.

“Get ready!” Twilight called as she now stood at the lantern and prepared her own magic.

~ Blue Light, I wish you good fortune and hope to see you return soon. Whatever you may find there, always know that you have a home here.

I did not believe that Celestia could see me over the distance, but I could produce nothing more than a nod as an answer. I would definitely, in any event, spend more time with my mother as soon as this was all over.

“Here we go!” Twilight called, and a giant magic beam erupted from both princesses. She fired one as well so that three of these beams collided between the ship and them. The energy pulsated briefly before a gigantic portal appeared. Between the energy, which formed a frame, I could clearly see a house I had spent years in.

“That’s my house!” I called, surprised. All eyes were already on the portal, but I could see that they were all looking a bit further away.

“That thing is huge!” Hawk said, whistling.

“Huge and old,” Rainbow added. The old grey house with the dark red roof simply stood there. I could see the multi-coloured trees surrounding it, showing how late into autumn it was. Slowly but surely, the ship approached the portal until we finally passed into it.

“Twilight! The hall is not wide enough!" Armor called from the lantern, and I heard as though he was wildly playing with the levers. The wings closed so that they would not break off. However, this caused the Celestia to start to drop. The ship was too big to be held afloat by the balloon alone. The aura around Twilight’s horn grew larger and shone more brightly, but the portal was only enlarged by a few centimeters.

“Can’t… go… on…” Twilight managed to grind out between her gritted teeth. The bow struck the edge of the portal and the ship began to shudder. I was, after Armor and Twilight, the first one out of the portal, and the first thing I immediately noticed was the difference in the air. The warm summer air gave way to the cool morning wind. The ship was still losing altitude and was being dragged to the right because of the light pressure. Armor did what he could to fight against it, but slowly we began to turn laterally. The rest of our group was on the other side, and Rainbow quickly flew off to the side and pressed against the ship, turning it to the left. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. I could see the concerned facial expressions of Celestia and Luna as the portal began to slowly close, even though part of the ship was still in it. They called something, but I could not discern what it was. If this went on, the rear of our ship would be separated, rendering our flying fortress useless.

“Trixie, can’t you do something?” I called, hanging onto one of the ropes.

“No! I would only disturb the energy flux. That could cause the magic to completely break off. Only the princesses and Twilight Sparkle can do something since they were the ones who casted the spell,” she yelled as the ship began to bend. I threw another look back. Everyone tried to hold on to something as Celestia and Luna seemed to argue behind the portal. We were now three quarters the way through, though the bow and starboard had gotten damaged. I couldn’t be sure of the damage, but we had lost two of our water tanks when we struck the portal. The side railing was pretty ragged, the wood twisted and shredded. My gaze turned back to Twilight, who was about to collapse. If that happened, it would be the end of our journey. I released the ropes and used my wings to allow me to glide to her. The nose of the ship fell, and at the last minute, I managed to grab her tail with my teeth. I had seen the others do it, but the taste of hair in mouth was unpleasant nevertheless.

“Do something, sugarcube!” AJ called to me, using all her strength to avoid falling overboard. Rarity had Pinkie in her magic, and Fluttershy hovered above the deck. Star and Hawk rushed past me to help Rainbow Dash try to push the ship upwards. The balloon was already pressed dangerously against the border of the portal, and the ship was in a twisted position, nose downwards and at an even keel on the left. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of anything that I could do without more damage being done.

“Dammit,” I muttered as I exchanged my wings for a horn and began to manipulate one of the apple trees from my garden. We were several meters above it. The tree grew rapidly and began to press under the bow, pushing it in an upright position.

"Ahhh!" Fluttershy shouted as one of the ropes that held the balloon was torn free and struck her. Her wings closed, she landed on the wooden deck and quickly began to slide downwards. I left the tree and, with Twilight’s tail still between my teeth, managed to grab her before she fell off and impacted the ground. Most of my strength had been exhausted, and I needed all my concentration to ensure that none of us fell.

“Hold on! We are coming!” Luna’s voice resounded around the ship, and I saw a dark blur pass me by. Luna flew past the ship and began to rise in the air, her dark aura flowing out of her horn, her eyes white and overflowing with magic. The entire ship was enveloped in her magic, and I felt as though we were being pulled. Now instead of us going downwards, we were slowly being pulled forward again.

“Mother!” Cadance called, hurrying around Armor at the lantern to help.

“Be not afraid, my child!” She pulled the entire Celestia through the portal, and when the shaking finally abated, the ship took a landing position. Her aura disappeared, and Luna began to circle around the ship. We dropped, faster than I would have preferred.

“Prepare for impact!" Armor shouted before the ship roughly bore itself into the ground. Earth, trees and stones flew around, yielding against the object ramming its way through them. With all the jarring and force of the impact, I could no longer hold onto Twilight and Fluttershy, and they flew towards the railing, myself not far behind. We slid for a while and I tried as best I could to protect both mares underneath me from the flying debris, which led to me being hit every now and then. Finally, after a small eternity, we came to a standstill, allowing me to venture a look at our surroundings. We had reached close to my house, the small forest that had separated us from the neighbours now gone from the ship barrelling through them. Luckily, we didn't hit the house and so the Celestia was spared of even further damage. Now the Celestia was wedged between some fallen trees, shrubs, and a depression in the earth.

“Is everyone okay? Anyone hurt?” I called into the silence.

“Everything fine, sugarcube!” I saw the rope that AJ had tied around her loosen as she slowly got to her hooves.

“Things could be better, darling, but we are also in one piece.” I saw that Rarity had used a magical shield to protect Pinkie and herself.

“Trixie is well.” She was still clinging onto the rope with her magic that I had used before. At that moment, Hawk, Star, and Rainbow came back to the deck. Rainbow came over immediately to me and began to help Fluttershy get on her hooves. I did the same with Twilight.

“We hope nopony was injured." Luna landed between us looked around at our group with concern. Armor and Cadance came from inside and looked the same.

“Apparently not, thanks to you," Armor spoke slowly. “However, this ship will not be flying anymore. I can’t say what our losses are for certain, but for now we should hang firm here.” Luna nodded and looked back at where the portal was now closing.

“It seems that we will be travelling with you," Luna said quietly and took the unconscious Twilight from me with her magic. “At least until Twilight has recovered.” A sound came from below before everything became quiet.

“I’ll go check it out!” Rainbow called and disappeared in a flash under the deck.

“I hope nothing else was broken. Can we repair our losses?” I directed the question to Armor.

“With the correct material, it should be a matter of a few days,” he said, “provided there was no serious damage to the balloon or wings.” He looked over to his soldiers. “Could you check that?” They both saluted and flew away.

“I think we have another problem.” Rainbow had already returned, followed by five scared foals.

Author's Notes:

Welcome to earth. Not everything worked as smoothly as our little party of ponies would have liked, it seems.

Special thanks to JBL for translating.

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