Title:           Remainder of Thread 17
Author:          SmutAnon
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/dSJJNA0i
First Edit:      Tuesday 16th of July 2013 04:14:11 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Tuesday 16th of July 2013 04:14:11 PM CDT

"Why don't I tell you about those flying machines to pass the time?"
 
"I'd love that. Please."
 
"The flying machines where I'm from are called planes. They're the fastest way for us to get from one spot on the planet to another. They look like massive cylinders with wings and a tail. The passengers all sit in the body, the cylinder, and the pilots sit up front. The whole thing is made of plastic and metal."
 
"Metal? My goodness, how does it take off? Do the wings flap very quickly?"
 
You laugh at the mental image of an airplane flapping its wings. "No, no the wings don't flap at all. There are massive engines attached to the wings that create a lot of force to push the plane forward. Because of the design of the wings, they create lift, another force that pushed the plane up."
 
"Really? Just by going--" She cuts off when one of her wings dips out of rhythm with the other, forcing her into and impromptu dive and turn. You holler and grip tighter. Thankfully, Celestia's able to recover in mere seconds, but afterwards shakes her head and says, "I'm afraid I can't talk any more. I'll have to concentrate on flying. I appreciate you trying to keep me company, though."
 
You nod. If she's almost wiped out, you best keep an eye on Silver. He's not far off, looking down at Celestia after hearing you cry out. His wings look fairly stable and he's keeping close.
 
 
 
Before long, your party makes it to Withers, and likely not a moment too soon. Silver looks haggard, and Celestia, while she's able to hide most of her fatigue, doesn't look the example of sunshine she often does.
 
No one from the town has likely noticed you yet, but it's not far off and your group isn't exactly hiding.
 
 
 
 
You tap your foot, debating the options. Showing yourselves is a risk and you're not seeing any way around it. Given how small the village is, likely everyone has either seen or heard about you and Celestia. Silver, though...
 
"Hey, Silver, do you think you could take off your armor and ask around, see if you can find the pony and figure out if the village is hostile or not? Celestia and I will hide out behind some bushes right over here," you say, pointing out a spot with good cover.
 
"Y-yeah." He doesn't sound too confident. "I'll see if there's an inn or something, too."
 
You don't want to doubt him, not right after you two made up. He struggles to get his armor off, stumbling around while fumbling with it. Celestia eventually helps him finish removing it, and he takes off toward the town. You duck into your hiding spot and huddle up with Celestia.
 
"Uh, you know you can probably turn your coat back to white now."
 
"But you called it a unique new fashion. How could I possibly consider discarding it?" she teases, nudging you with a hoof.
 
"Because your unique new fashion is the stuff of nightmares."
 
She curls her lower lip in an exaggerated pout, but changes her coat back anyways.
 
You rub your hands up and down your bare arms, trying to keep the cold at bay. The trip here had sapped the warmth from your body, and while you weren't as tired as Celestia and Silver, you're still starting to drift off.
 
 
You'd hate to fall asleep shivering. So focused on your own cold you are that when Celestia drapes a wing over you and pulls you to her side, you almost jump. Looking over to her, you find her smiling with her eyes, the private sort of gaze you remember from last night.
 
"You looked cold."
 
 
 
 
"Yeah, us humans don't have the advantage of having a c--"
 
"You don't have to make any excuses for me." She brushes her cheek up against yours. A rush of heat and emotion accompanies the touch, a silly grin on your face.
 
"Thank you. How are you holding up?"
 
"It's kind of you to ask. I'm admittedly tired, but I should be fine for a while longer. In truth, alicorns don't need as much sleep as the average pony... or human. It's the flight here that really has me exhausted. That, and worrying about my ponies back at camp. I also admit to a certain nervousness about Rose. I do not know how she'll feel about our retreat or rescue attempt, though I hope she returns with us should we find her."
 
You can see the anxiety, too. She's fidgeting in place and her voice is trembling, though that may be more from the exhaustion. You find yourself feeling much the same way as her about Rose, about the ponies back at camp, about everything, really. Every moment you'd been in Equestria had been in the harsh environment of the south under the threat of the rebels. It'd be nice to know what this place is like without all the tension.
 
You both wait in your cover for what feels like an hour or so, though you can't tell for sure. Smalltalk passes the time, though you get the feeling Celestia would just as soon fall asleep.
 
Eventually, though, Silver does return, and from the looks of him, he's got some news.
 
"We're in luck. I found out where they're keeping the survivor, and it sounds like the village isn't hostile at all. In fact... I think they'd even like to see you two come back. I don't know if they'd celebrate you presence, but they're at the very least questioning things. After that speech you gave, things changed around here from what I can tell. I'd say we could walk right into the building where the survivor is and not have any trouble."