“Spike! Do you hear that noise?” Twilight Sparkle shouted from the ground floor of her library. She had been extremely focused on the new, more advanced studies that Princess Celestia had assigned to her, yet a strange chopping noise seemed to have been emanating from the skies effectively distracting Twilight.
“Yeah, I do. What the hay is that?” the young purple dragon questioned as he made his way down the circular staircase. Although the strange noise appeared more important, Spike couldn’t help but notice the piles upon piles of books that were laid out on the floor.
He saw one of the piles adjust slightly and assumed that Twilight had been hidden behind it lost in her studies. “You know, sometimes I wonder why I’m still here with you and then when I see these messes it reminds me that you simply can’t survive one day without your number one assistant.” Spike remarked as he found Twilight sitting behind the disoriented stack.
“Haha,” Twilight said dully, “but I’m serious, I’ve never heard this noise before and it sounds like it’s coming closer.”
With that, both Twilight and Spike ran out of their house looking towards the clouds. The noise, whatever it was, resembled a rapid chopping sound against the wind. As Twilight carefully observed, the sound was indeed approaching the town every second they spent looking for its source. Soon it could be made out to be multiple objects making the same sound.
Spike looked at their surroundings, “It looks like we’re not the only one who’s hearing this.” Twilight turned her head down to notice almost everypony in Ponyville looking up in the same direction. Many of the ponies had been in the middle of their daily routine when they took notice.
Roseluck had just wrapped up a bouquet of Lavender and Lilly’s for a customer before noticing that her client had found interest in something else. Lyra and Bon Bon were enjoying their regular lunch when Lyra had taken notice of the obscure chopping sound. Pinkie Pie was entertaining the Cake’s foals outside when her tail twitched before her whole body began to do the same. She immediately took it as a “doozy falling from the sky.” Soon one of ponies had pointed towards an odd charcoal-colored speck in the sky. Even Applejack had halted her work at the apple orchards to see what the commotion, or lack thereof, is in Ponyville.
Twilight turned back up towards the sky where she could make out a dark-grey speck growing over Ponyville. Soon it had grown enough that the speck appeared to actually be multiple objects spinning at an incredibly fast rate towards the town creating the loud chopping sound that had confounded the townsponies the entire duration. “It looks like,” Twilight squinted her eyes in an attempt to gain clarity in her view of the falling objects; “It looks like they’re slowing down.”
This knowledge temporarily relaxed Twilight and the rest of the ponies within earshot. “TWILIGHT!” She turned and saw Rainbow Dash flying towards her at a remarkable speed.
Twilight recognized her immediately, “Rainbow Dash, how good to see you. What’s going on?” She quickly noticed a look of urgency and fear on Rainbow’s face sensing that something was wrong and that it might have something to do with the falling objects. She also observed a strange harness strapped to Rainbow Dash’s body in a way that it didn’t inhibit her flying but clung with immeasurable force.
“Watch out, don’t let those things grab you!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. However, it was already too late to do anything as Twilight and Spike were the first hit by the mysterious objects. The objects had fallen close enough to the town and began seeking out every pony they could find.
What appeared to be propeller blades began moving and wrapping themselves around the ponies like a pair of crossed belts. Should the somehow-alive harnesses find themselves attached to a Pegasus, the straps accommodated for the wings so as not to ground anypony. Once the ends of the straps met each other on the backs of their victims, they tightened enough to their coats to make a somewhat comfortable fit but did not allow for any slack as the straps began to meld into one, seamless “X.” It was obvious to the citizens that the harnesses were not supposed to be removed.
“Rainbow Dash, what’s happening? What are these things?” Twilight frantically asked as she attempted to remove the harness with no success. Rainbow replied, “I don’t know, Cloudsdale was hit first with these things; probably because of the higher altitude. I rushed over here to warn you, but it seems I was too late.”
“So ‘Ah reckon we’re not the only ones goin’ through this, right?” Applejack said as she approached with Rarity and Pinkie Pie by her side. Each was trying their own desperate methods to remove the harnesses, each yielding no triumph. Applejack continued, “Where’s Fluttershy in all of this chaos?”
Twilight answered, “She’s probably at her cottage quivering in fear, which is quite understandable. We should probably check on her and make sure she’s all right.”
The five began making their way to Fluttershy’s cottage. When they arrived, everything seemed awfully quiet. They had expected Fluttershy to be outside at least trying to remove the indestructible harness but everything appeared peaceful. When Rainbow Dash knocked on her door, a shout rang through the wood as Fluttershy screamed, “Go away, no more aliens, please!”
“Fluttershy, it’s us, your friends. We came over to check on you!” Rainbow yelled back. The frightened yellow pegasus then proceeded to swing the door open and tackle Rainbow Dash asking, “Did you get this thing off? Can you get this thing off? Please get rid of it!”
“I’m sorry Fluttershy, but it doesn’t look like these things were meant to come off.” Twilight explained, her own fears being cast aside as her natural instinct to investigate took over. “I should probably send a letter to Celestia; maybe she has some answers.”
Just then, Spike expunged the Sun-princess’s perfectly timed letter toward the six. Twilight unrolled the scroll and read aloud:
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
It may disappoint you to know, but I have no answers as to what is happening across Equestria. So far as I can tell, this situation has not occurred in any of the other empires. I have received dozens of letters from every city within only our kingdom all explaining the same scenario, all begging me for answers.
This is where I need you. I am giving you the task of discovering whatever these harnesses are meant to do. However, you will not be alone in this venture. Luna has explained to me that one named Lyra Heartstings has a peculiar interest of which neither Luna nor I can explain. She may be able to provide insight into whatever this situation will evolve into.
You must consult her and use whatever means necessary to discover the intent of these “aliens.” The faster I receive answers, the faster I can calm the citizens of this kingdom.
Your mentor,
Princess Celestia.
Just as Twilight had finished reading the letter, a series of explosions sounded from various distances. The gang glanced up again and saw a rather large capsule, about the size of a cottage, slam just outside of Ponyville; the dust concealing their view of the entire town.