• Published 19th Sep 2012
  • 6,716 Views, 284 Comments

Homeworld: Equestria - hiigaran



Finding himself in an uncharted system, the Captain of a military vessel ends up on a strange planet

  • ...
10
 284
 6,716

Epilogue

Deep in the heart of cloudy Canterlot, the tranquil peace of the early morning was cut short by the shrill ring of an alarm clock. A being stirred and groaned under the covers, making blind swipes at the source of the racket, until eventually the infernal device had been silenced.

Even on overcast days, Mel required a few minutes to adjust to Celestia’s sun. There was just something about this particular star that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. What was it about this sun that made its bright light so … invigorating? He pondered this question every morning, as he stretched his legs underneath the pegasus-down blanket; a wonderfully insulating and ever so soft material that only the residents of Canterlot could truly appreciate at their high altitude.

After another stretch, this time his arms and shoulders, he forced himself out of his white cocoon. His roommate found it rather odd that he wore thermal clothing to bed, but then again, Firelance had no high ground with his own abundance of oddities.

Mel’s room was not the most glamorous. In fact, it was nothing more than a remodelled storage room with a small window in Firelance’s apartment. It was a suitable temporary solution, just until he found a larger vacant apartment; an uphill struggle, with the housing shortage the city had faced recently. Luckily, Mel had been given priority on the waitlist by Princess Luna, since he declined her generous gift of free land along the outskirts of Manehattan.

Princess Luna …

Staring into the bathroom mirror, he looked back on that day when his fleet returned. When he and his crew disembarked and returned planet-side. Luna was grief-stricken, perhaps moreso than Mel had been. She didn’t show it, though. No yelling or tempers lost. No tears or snivels, nor a fire in her eyes. Yet Mel knew it ate away at her from the inside. The very air around her seemed to change, and somehow he knew that once she’d find herself in solitude, everything she had held in throughout the rest of the day would come out. She seemed the type to him, anyway.

Mel pushed the thought to the back of his mind and washed off his shaver. Having that thought linger around all day would be counter-productive. Returning to his room, he picked out some smart-casual attire from a small collection of possessions he had brought back from Hiigara a few weeks ago. While he had space for the essentials, most of his belongings had been stored in an adjacent district since then, until new accommodation would be chosen.

A quick inspection of himself later, he made his way to the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove. Behind him, the door to Firelance’s bedroom opened to reveal a hung-over pegasus. “You look like crap, ‘Lance,” he noted the pegasus’ slow, unbalanced steps.

“Thank you, Captain obvious,” Firelance yawned, blinking hard several times, until an annoying blur in one of his eyes finally disappeared.

“Pfft, lightweight,” Mel smirked.

“Hey, now who taught you how to be a professional drinker, eh?” Firelance tapped his chest. “The student becomes the master!”

“It took you only six shots before you crawled up to Boris and tried to kiss him through his fish tank. That poor fish must be scarred for life.”

“Hey, shudup, I drank on an empty stomach! You know you can handle more when you eat something first, right? Speaking of food, you making breakfast?”

“Make your own food, I’m not your mother,” Mel replied, taking the kettle and pouring himself a cup of green tea with lemon, and a short black for Firelance.

“Cheers,” the pegasus took his cup. “So what’s the plan today?”

“Business as usual,” Mel took a seat, stifling a yawn. “The mothership’s primary framework is just about done, and the construction material I’ve ordered has finally started to come in. If all goes according to plan, the construction crew should be able to start building one of the major segments today. I believe it’s that ventral brace that connects the outboard engines to the lower engine.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something, actually. Doesn’t it bother you that you’ve gone from being a Captain to some measly logistics manager?” Firelance called back, rummaging through the fridge. “Uhh, no offence.”

“None taken. Besides, it was my choice, remember? You know the whole retirement thing?” Mel paused for another sip of tea and allowed it to warm him up from within. “Turns out it’s not for me. Still, I like being a part of something big, so I figured I’d do this. The shorter hours are definitely a bonus, and enjoy fixed hours have really grown on me.”

The pair continued their conversation while Firelance finished making breakfast. Shortly after, they stopped abruptly, to greet the latest newcomer into the kitchen.

“Morning Zee,” Firelance’s slid a plate over. “Sleep well?”

“Well enough,” Zenith leaned on Firelance. “You?”

“I don’t even remember going to bed last night. I kinda blacked out at some point.”

“Yeah, I had to pick you up and put you in bed,” Mel explained. “By the way, I think you’ve gained a few. Fatty.”

“Hey, that’s just extra muscle!” Firelance slapped Mel upside the head with his wing.

“We’ll see. You still up for a jog on the weekend?”

“Try and stop me! You wanna join us, Zee?”

“Sure, why not?” Zenith shrugged. “My cousin was supposed to visit from Fillydelphia, but she had to reschedule for Tuesday.”

“Ugh, I never liked her. She gives me a headache when she goes on and on with her gossip,” the pegasus made a circular gesture with his hoof. “Thankfully I’ll be away on Tuesday, and the rest of that week. Harmony is going to oversee some trade route security. Damn Raiders are persistent little blighters. Sure you don’t want to help us stick it to them, Mel?”

“I’m sure,” Mel chuckled. “But hey, if you want some extra job satisfaction, be sure to insult their familial lineage when you engage them. They’re very sensitive about that.”

“What, really?” Firelance snickered.

“Oh yeah. Of course, some ‘Raiders’ are simply other races who have joined them, but the ones who originated from Turan are, for whatever reason, fanatically proud of where they come from,” Mel paused to think. “Just … Yes, just make a remark about them being a half-blood Taiidani bastard child, and you’ll probably give them an aneurysm.”

“Hah! I’ll keep that in mind, but our Captain isn’t really one for messing around. One of those by-the-book types. I don’t think she likes me, either.”

“Female Captain, eh?”

Firelance rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder …”

“Oh, I know the type. Had one of those sorts as one of my instructors, back when I was just a recruit in the Hiigaran Navy. I’ve got plenty of stories about those days. Might tell you a few later on, but right now, I need to get going. The train isn’t going to wait for me, ex-Captain of the galaxy-saving fleet or not.”

Stepping out onto the deserted cobblestone street, Mel took a moment to take in the crisp morning air before heading down towards the regional train station. The train bound for Appleloosa would depart in approximately twenty minutes, though it had known to be a few minutes late in the past. After the occasional greeting from passers-by that one must endure as a famous and conspicuous member of an alien society, Mel found his favourite corner in the carriage to settle in to.

With a little help of some advanced technology in the field of locomotion that the Equestrian government had implemented a while back on their infrastructure, Mel awoke a mere hour later, napping the journey away and finding himself on the sun-baked plains of the rustic little town. He remembered this region during his early days on the planet; Manaan had flown nearby to a mesa, where his journey here truly began. The place where the fourth core had slumbered for millennia.

It was only fitting that the Mothership’s construction would take place there. The innards of the isolated mesa had provided a ready-made and secure base of operations, and the surrounding plains offered plenty of room for a vessel that massive to launch from.

He could see the very top of the Mothership’s framework peek over the horizon as he stepped off the train, and into a carriage that had been waiting for him outside the station. A six kilometre ride later, and he found himself making his way past the security checkpoint, and onto the construction site. Staring up at the grand masterpiece in progress, he could only beam with pride and imagine the possibilities that would lie ahead of the Mothership. Of Aurora. The true pride of Equestria.

Yes, today would be another wonderful day.

An enigmatic being materialised in front of Soban. “Ahh, the man of the hour has finally arrived! Pesky trains still fail to run on time, it seems. Oh, I’m sorry, where are my manners? Care for some Earl Grey?”

Well … Almost a wonderful day.

“Go away, Discord.”

Comments ( 8 )

Care for some Earl Grey?”

Star Trek reference FTW

Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't the Kushan(later calling themselves Hiigaran[info for those who don't know]) build the Mothership in Orbit simply because its too massive to build on the ground? The original Mothership was About 2.1KM long and had a mass of 5000000(five million) tons.

How are they going to get Aurora into space? It should be roughly the same size if not larger.

3670531
*shrugs* Discord?

If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?

9797426
Been a long time since I wrote this, so I'm honestly not sure what I originally had in mind. Knowing myself, I'm quite predictable, so I believe the Yager character Magnus Tide, voiced by Doug Cockle (Same guy who voices Geralt), and Tachyon's Jake Logan, voiced by Bruce Campbell were what I had in mind for the pegasi, and a younger version of the tactical officer from HW:C, voiced by Pam Hyatt for Zenith.

10798238
This is a very, very old comment so I don’t remember the context. But judging from the points in the original comment you’re replying to, I can say thus:

The story seems to say that certain things have innate magic (I.e. the sun and moon) that facilitates easier casting on said object, and easier connections. The ship in question that is being moved does not have such innate magic.

Additionally, Celestia and Luna only ever move their celestial bodies. Never teleport or anything else. Simply move.

Both of these points combined mean that they shouldn’t really be capable of easily moving the ship, let alone teleporting it.

In the future, please don’t reply to comments that are 5 years old....

I really like this story and want to play the game again,but I don't have the patience or time right now.

Great crossover story!

Login or register to comment