Those Distant Sisters CH33

Ch33:

Every door was open for the first informal tour of the Canterlot Radio Array. Evanescence, Sunspot, and a few important society ponies and scientists were being lead around the facility by a very young colt with a series of waves above a dark circle as his cutie mark. Evanescence recognized it as the symbol for radio, and had spent the entire tour so far wondering how old the colt had been before earning his cutie mark. He was either a scientist vastly ahead of his time, or a very late bloomer. As they entered an observation room, she settled on the later.

“Mornin’ son. It’s barely past seven, who’se all these folks?” The elderly scientist was not the first on the tour to call their guide ‘son’, reinforcing Evanescence’s idea that the colt was new to science. As the tour was explained and the older scientist began to explain what the room was for, Evanescence began to wander around. The Equestrians were monitoring a wide range of frequencies, with each monitor sweeping a ten or twenty point band. As she moved along, she noticed one machine set permanently to 8.149 short – the line home.

I wonder if Hearth is watching Equestria too? Just listening for the moment when they try to reach out. I wonder if they even know by now… of if it’s just one lone mare in the back holding the channel… She reached out to grab the headset attached to the machine, but was interrupted halfway through putting it on.

“Hold on there miss, probably shouldn’t be messin’ with something you don’t understand.” The colt leading the group was standing beside her, bearing a wide smile but holding the headset against the table forcefully. Evanescence looked at him annoyed, then shot a glance toward another of the scientists. He stepped up, pulling the young colt back.

“That mare knows more about radio and avionics than the whole of the Equestrian scientific community put together. She’s a pilot, and she had a hand in building this place when it first went up.” The colt seemed incredulous, but agreed to leave Evanescence alone when the other members of his tour group began needing his attention.

Evanescence finally put the headset over her ears, not really expecting anything past static or a Morris code repeat. What she did hear froze her in her tracks – hoof on one ear, three on the ground, staring at the frequency indicator. One lone mare, holding the channel. Resonance. Her sister’s voice flowed from the headset, prompting Evanescence to reach for the microphone. She almost interrupted the conversation when she finally heard what was being said.

“Thirty-eight dead in that attack - the whole East Paddock refuge. We’ve got less than seven hundred confirmed sympathizers left alive, scattered across the country.” The second voice was also familiar – Luna, co-ruler of Equestria.

“Is there any way that you can collect yourselves in one location safely? I realize the need for secrecy but we cannot help you if you blend in with the enemy.” What enemy?

“Not safely, no. But we can gather. There is a system in place to signal every fire sympathizer in the nation, and we can gather at the great thin spot. It’s the place in Hearth with the thinnest crust, so the magma is closest to the surface there. It’s a little obvious, but all of us in one place would be obvious no matter where it was. The trick is coordinating your arrival with ours so as to minimize the time the Night Hawks have to react.” Evanescence wanted to interrupt, but the conversation was passing too quickly. Resonance had barely stopped to breathe when Luna questioned her.

“What great threat do these Night Hawks pose?”

“They’re the best pilots in Hearth, in the best war planes in Hearth, with the best weapons in Hearth, and a deep desire to see us dead. Even if my husband flies the mission against us…” Resonance stopped for a moment, but Evanescence still did not interrupt. Sonority is flying in a death squad? What’s happened to Hearth? Wait, he’s flying a death squad against Resonance!? Has that bigoted bastard finally lost his mind? “He won’t hesitate to kill us all.” Yeah. He has. I have to step in. I can’t let Resonance or Luna know… they both put a lot on the line to let me stay here. As the conversation continued, Evanescence became engrossed by the details of when and where Luna would prepare what few aircraft they had to try to pick up the so-called ‘fire worshipers’ that her sister was in deep with. She silently begged for details on how the fighting started, either between Resonance and Sonority or the country at large, but that part of the conversation was long since over.

“Something good?” Evanescence didn’t hear the comment, but let out a mighty squeak when Sunspot put a hoof on her shoulder. “Jeeze, you act like you saw a ghost. Put those headphones on any tighter and you wouldn’t hear the world ending!” Evanescence’s mood dropped even further at the comment. She pulled Sunspot in close and spoke quietly.

“The world is ending. My world at least. I just heard my sister talking to Luna, Hearth’s in the middle of a civil war. I can’t tell why, but Resonance and Sonority are on opposite sides, and Resonance’s side is losing. Luna agreed to send help, but just transport planes. I think they’re going to evacuate whoever’s left and let the whole place freeze.” She pulled Sunspot in even closer, catching a glimpse of the tour guide through her hair. Somepony had whispered something in his ear and he was staring at them, blushing. “We can’t talk about this here, but I need to know. Can I count on you to help get me on one of those planes so I can get my sister here, safe?”

Sunspot took a step back, looking into Evanescence’s eyes. Evanescence was scared, but determined. She hoped it showed. After a moment Sunspot jumped her, wrapping her hooves around her and knocking the headset off.

“I don’t have family, but I do have you. I would die if you were over there and I had to count on someone else to save you.” The two mares excused themselves from the tour, moving off towards the airfield just outside Canterlot.

“What was that all about?” The tour guide asked aloud after the pair had left.

“Young love, makes you do crazy things.” One of the working scientists responded.

“They’re twice my age, does it still count as ‘young love’?” The colt retorted.

“Just how young are you, son?” The colt left before answering, moving the tour forward toward the radio tower base.