Chapter Five
Twilight watched as Swann rubbed his chin, going over her redesigns of the armored suits that he'd created. She may not have been the best at computers, but she was always a fast learner.
The idea was quite simple, really. Twilight felt the need to help Jim and his comrades. They seemed like good people and, from what she had read in the ship's logs, they would need all the help they could get. Though she didn't quite know what the Protoss or Xel'Naga were, she could tell that they were obviously very powerful and was determined to help in any way she could.
Twilight knew there wasn't much they could do as they were. Although her magic was varied and powerful, it was not combat based. Other than Rainbow and AJ, her friends were even less suited for battle than she was. She came across the designs fairly quickly in her search through the terminal, examining them and redesigning them to be quadruped in nature. Though they were just rough models at this point, she was sure that hard work would make them useable.
Swann looked over to Twilight, his expression unreadable. "Miss Sparkle, have you ever learned about engineering or complex electrical system?"
She shook her head. "Not formally, no. I've been able to teach myself some basics, but technology like this doesn't exist back on our world."
Swann let out a low whistle. "Then, damn. I'm impressed. There are a few flaws in the designs, but getting around them would be fairly simple." He looked back the designs. "There is a bit of a problem though. Our standard power sources won't be compatible. We'll need something else."
Twilight heard a loud gasp behind her. She turned and saw Pinkie standing up, her eyes wide open and mouth agape. "Uhh, Pinkie? You okay?" she asked.
Pinkie nodded vigorously. "I just had the best idea ever! what if we use the Elements of Harmony as the power source? I mean, they're already tapped into our friendship and are really, really powerful, so they'd make, like, the best power sources ever since they'll never run out of energy and- mmph mmph" Applejack had cut her off by placing her hoof over Pinkie's mouth.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Pinkie.” Applejack scolded. “There ain’t no way the Elements could work like that. ‘Sides, don’t they all need to be together to do anything?”
“Actually, I think Miss Pie might be onto something there.” The doors to the research bay opened and Stetman walked inside. “I’ve been analyzing the data from each of your... Elements of Harmony and I think they may actually be the perfect solution.” He walked over to Jim and Swann, showing them the notes he’d taken down. “If my calculations are correct, then the amount of power that these things put out just as radiation would be more than enough to power the prototype suits.”
Jim looked at the scientist skeptically. “You sure about that?”
Stetman nodded. “Yeah, I am. In fact, designing the cores themselves should be fairly simple. The energy signature is almost identical to that of the Protoss crystal. It shouldn’t be too hard to modify the already existing plans.
Jim turned to face Twilight. “Well Twilight, looks like you may very well get your wish.” Twilight beamed at this and began jumping up and down in circles around him.
“Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! I promise, you won’t regret this.” She stopped in front of him.
Jim chuckled. “Okay now. I get it, you want to help. For now, I recommend the six of you get some rest. You all got a big day ahead of you.” He faced Matt. “Would you take them to some quarters? Something a little nicer than the barracks. When you’re done with that, I want you to check on... her. Okay?”
Matt nodded. “Of course, sir.” He led the six ponies out of the room. Once he had left, he turned to Stetman. “I want you to start designing the power core for the suits. Understood?”
Stetman nodded eagerly. “Of course, sir. I’ll get started right away.” He quickly left the room and headed back to the research bay.
Jim then turned to Swann, but was cut off. “I already know what you want me to do. Start designing the machines to build the suits, right?”
Jim chuckled. “That’s exactly what I want you to do. Don’t spend too much time working on the schematics of the suits just yet. We can’t really work with those until we have some sort of power source and their measurements.”
“I got ya.” Swann said before leaving the bridge himself, leaving Jim by himself.
‘What an odd day it’s been.’ he thought. “Well, there’s no point standing around. There’s work to be done and I’m not going to be useful tired.” At that, he walked out the doors himself, intent on getting some shuteye.
=>SCII<=
Twilight awoke to someone trying to wake her up. She sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes, taking in the room around her. It was styled much like the bridge, with an intricate golden trim and metal plating. There were a few computer screens, though they were off. Currently, the only light was coming from an overhead fluorescent lamp that was putting off a very low level of light.
She looked over to see that it was Rainbow Dash who had woken her. “Rainbow?” she said groggily. “What are you doing?”
Rainbow scratched her head sheepishly. “Well, uhh, I kinda woke up earlier than usual. Nopony else was awake so I decided to take a look at the Elements. I mean, it’s not like we get to see them when it’s not an emergency, right?”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And?” she asked with suspicion. They had placed the Elements of Harmony in a box that Matt had kindly produced for them before they had gone to sleep.
“Well, I think it’s better if you see for yourself.” Dash took off and was back with the box before Twilight could respond.
Twilight took the box in her magical aura and opened it. What she found was surprising enough to make her gasp. “They were like this when you found them?” Rainbow nodded. “You didn't touch them or anything?” Rainbow shook her head.
Inside the box were six gems, one of each color of the Elements. The were several inches from end to end with a hexagonal prism shape, the ends of which came to a point. They gave off the same energy as the elements had, which led Twilight to the conclusion that these were the Elements, just changed form.
Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. “You’re not mad or anything, are you?” she asked.
Twilight grinned. “No. In fact, this could actually help us.”
=>SCII<=
Jim watched the movement of machines within the Research Bay. Stetman was quivering with excitement, observing the new machinery construct something amazing. Twilight observed as well, mesmerized by the motion of the construction arms building a new power core. It had not been long since Twilight had been made aware of the change to the Elements, yet the machines were up and running in a matter of hours and constructing the devices to harness their energy.
“You sure about this, Stetman?” Jim asked, a bit of apprehension in his voice.
“Well, not entirely, sir. But I don’t think anything bad will happen, if that’s what you mean.” the scientist replied. “I mean, look at all of the upgrades we got from researching the Protoss crystal and Zerg bio sample.” He grinned proudly.
Jim rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright. Just how much longer will this take? Swann’s been wanting to get his hands on this. Said something about wanting to get to work on the suits.”
Stetman pushed his glasses on his face. “As far as I can tell, it should be done just about now. Ah, there it is!”
Right on time the machine’s arms came to a halt and lowered back into the floor. What remained was a cylinder of grey metal, with glass panes in between the various bars running its length. Within was the Element of Honesty, giving off its orange aura, but no longer giving off energy. Each end of the capsule had indents designed to allow power to flow through.
Twilight’s eyes gleamed as she watched Stetman take the capsule and examine it. His grin grew even wider as he declared it a success. Twilight took the capsule in her magic, much to Stetman’s surprise, and examined it herself. She couldn't feel the same energy as before, but she knew it was still there.
Jim walked over to the screen near the door. “Swann, I’m sending you the schematics for the power cores. Get to work on the new suits, understood?”
Swann’s voice came from the screen. “I hear ya, Jim. I’ll get those machines made and running within an hour. The first prototype will be ready first thing tomorrow.”
Jim grinned. “That’s good to hear. Let me know when they’re ready.” The screen turned dark and Jim turned to Twilight. “Well, Twilight, by this time tomorrow your wish will come true. The first prototype suit will be ready for testing, so it won’t be long until the suits are ready for all of you. In the meantime, Stetman here will get the other Elements ready and you can feel free to explore the ship. Matt will be around to get you all when the time comes, okay?”
Twilight nodded and gave the capsule back to Stetman. Jim then led her back to the ponies’ sleeping quarters to meet up with the others.
=>SCII<=
“So, what happened? Did it work? Are the Elements okay?”
Twilight was greeted by a barrage of questions when she walked into the room she shared with her five best friends. She sighed a bit.
“Yes, everything’s fine. The Elements are safe and are being prepared for the suits as we speak. I’m not sure how they transformed the way they did, but they seemed to sense our need for them to change.”
Twilight explained the situation with the preparation of the suits. She then told them about Jim’s suggestion to explore the ship. She wholeheartedly supported this idea, explaining that this was their new home and it would be a good idea to get to know the ship and it’s crew. After having a quick meal, the six left the room and made their way through the ship.