//------------------------------//
// Chapter Eleven: The Ugly Truth 
// Story: Orbit: The Future Of Equestria 
// by Ace26 
//------------------------------//

     The ship was well into the smaller areas of the city now.  The beautiful high rises and the sparkling lights were now all left behind the distance.  The could see that they were almost to the undeveloped areas of Celestium.  The whole ring wasn't inhabited yet or biult up.  They past construction crews that were heading in or out from building the another city on the ring.  The areas ahead were dark except for the lights of small apartments and stores.
" I we sure we want to hide them way out here?" asked Gold Wings.  Sights and him were in the cockpit of the shuttle.  
" The government won't come lookin for them out here.  It's to far outta their way."  Sights said examining the small town around them.  Gold Wings did have a point.  The only thing out here that seemed orderly and safe was the military ship grounds.  They weren't going to get to close to those though.  They were all wanted criminals by now.
Little did Sights know they were exactly correct.  The police and military had spread throughout the more populated part of the city.  They were asking every pony if they had seen Sights, Gold Wings, Charger, or the Mane Six.  Charger and Sights had been every careful though.  The ship they were flying had no normal marks on it.  They had made sure to stay out of sight of even civilians to  eliminate the possibility of leads.
In the back of the ship, most of the Mane Six were asleep.  They had become tired after the hellish ordeal in the building.  Most of theme were blackened by the ash and soot during the fire.  THe only one that wasn't asleep, was Fluttershy.  She wondered who that brave stallion was who rescued her.  She also remembered how after everything, he had managed to jump onto the ship and pull himself inside.  
She was impressed by how un effected he was by the events.  He didn't seem alarmed that he had juts been in a fight like the ret of the six.  Now that she thought about out, all three of the stallions didn't seem to mind the battle at all, even though they all came close to death.  She looked over at Charger.  He was standing up holding on to a strap hanging from the ceiling of the ship.  He was looking at the wall and not at her.  He had his rifle in one hoof and he kept swinging it back and forth.  Fluttershy was curious to what that thing, the rifle, he was holding was, and what it did.
" Um, excuse me, if you don't mind me asking, um… what is that?" she pointed at the rifle.  Charger was snapped out of his thoughts by the question.  He looked down at the rifle and answered her question.
" This is an assault rifle.  Every time I pull this trigger it fires little pointed metallic objects at ponies." said the stallion putting his gun over his shoulder. 
" What do the objects do, if that's ok to ask?" Fluttershy said weakly.  Charger looked down at the gun.  He knew that Fluttershy would not like the answer he was going to give her.  He couldn't just say it killed ponies.  
" Um, well, they um… they repel them, yah they repeal ponies." said Charger giving her a fake smile.  Fluttershy just nodded her head and looked back down at the floor. Charger knew she hadn't bought his answer, and he knew she had an idea of what the gun actually did.  
Charger couldn't help to feel sorry for her.  She was thrust into a knew, and violent world.  She hardly knew what advanced technology was, and she had almost been killed about ten times.  He had to see if she was holding up.  
Charger sat down in the seat next to Fluttershy and tried to start a conversation.
" Um, are you ok?" asked Charger.  Fluttershy looked up at him and blushed a little, she quickly looked back down.
" Um, yes, I'm fun." she mumbled.  She some how felt that she knew this stallion.  She had heard or seen him somewhere before. 
" You know, you're a lot prettier when your not behind glass." Charger said giving her a smile.  He was trying as best as he could to  make her feel welcomed and better.
" Thank you…" said Fluttershy blushing heavily.  She was starting to like this knew stallion.  He was brave, kind, and everything she looked for.  She was going to say something kind to him when she released there was red liquid running down his head.
" OH MY GOODNESS!" she yelled.  Charger was taken aback.
" What, What is it?" he asked lifting his rifle.  Fluttershy pointed towards his head.
" You're hurt!" she said.  She quickly brushed away some of his mane and found a large scratch on his forehead.  
" Oh my gosh, does it hurt?" she asked trying to stop the bleeding.  Charger juts gently brushed her away.
" I"m fine, when your a soldier you're used to cuts and bruises." Charger said calming her down.
Fluttershy couldn't believe what she had just heard.  He was a soldier!? Not only was he kind and brave but he was also a soldier.  She really liked this knew stallion now.  
" You're a soldier!" she asked excitedly.
" I sure am, or well was." Charger said frowning.  He now fully understood he could never fight for his country again.  If he returned to the military he would be shot on sight for treason.  HE shut his eyes and a small tear trickled out.
" What's wrong?" FLuttershy asked in a soothing voice.  Charger wiped the tear away and looked back up at her.
" What I just did was illegal.  I just shot guards serving my own country.  I can't go back to the military.  They'll arrest me.  I can't be a soldier any more."  Charger stated.  he then turned away and looked back down.  He was blinded by his rage and he never had thought about his future before the attack.  He knew what they had done was right, but he didn't know it would cost him his dream.
Fluttershy was silent.  She and no idea that he gave up his dream to save her.  She wanted to give him his life back.  She wanted to somehow turn herself back in to help her new friend.  But, she knew she couldn't, something also told her the Charger wouldn't allow it.
The ship finally reached an older apartment building.  It was made of brick instead of the sleek bluish metal of the sky scrapers.  It was surrounded but other red worn out brick apartment buildings and smaller houses.  They were in the older part of Celestium.  Further in the distance you could see the lights of construction and the sounds of heavy ships transporting boiling materials.  THe mane city was no longer in sight.  IT was mother more but a faint glow in the distance.  
The ship came down on the roof of the building.  It touched down kicking up dust and pieces of trash thrown out of windows.  The door open and every pony walked out onto the roof.  The mane six had refocused themselves.  They were now full of questions instead of fear, and Pinky now had her energy back, all of it.  She bounced around on the roof.  
" Oh boy we'er here we're here!" she yelped.  She smiled her large giant happy smile as she pranced and laughed.  The girls took comfort in seeing her like this again.
" Um, where exactly is Here?" asked Twilight looking at the buildings surrounding them.  Gold Wings stepped out of the shuttle and answered Twilight's question.
" This is Old Celestium.  It was the first part of the ring to be made and your knew home." Gold Wings smiled and said.  The Mane Six gaped.
" What about Ponyville?" asked Rarity.  
"I have to get back to the shop and continue my designing."
Sights butted in to the conversation.
" We don't have enough fuel to get back to Ponyville, it's on earth way out there in space.  To far for us to get to." Sights said casually.  The Mane Six all gaped again.
" WE ARE NOT ON EARTH?" They all shrieked.  The three stallions looked at each other, they hadn't thought about how the six didn't know anything about the future.  
" Well, um, you're on Celestium.  It's an artificial planet." said Sights trying to sound smart.  
" Artificial?" Asked Apple Jack.  The Three stallions knew this was going to take a while to explain.  
" Ok look, you are not on earth, and you are not in your old time period.  Right now all I can say is that you've been asleep for more than two thousand years.  Before you ask me any more questions we need to get you inside, we're not safe in the open." said Charger rather quickly.  The Mane Six were still confused, and worried however they timidly followed the three stallions inside the building. 
" How could we be asleep for over two thousand years?" asked Rainbow Dash to Twilight.  Twilight gave Rainbow a worried look.
" I don't know, but we shouldn't even be alive right now.  These stallions seem to know what happened." Twilight said.
" I don't trust them, they're acting pretty funny." Rainbow Dash eyed the group suspiciously.  
Dash!  They pulled us out of whatever kind of prison we were in and saved our very lives, the are probably on our side!" Twilight lectured Rainbow Dash.  Rainbow Dash walked ahead of her and Twilight went to talking to Pinky Pie.
Once the mane six had gotten a room in the small hotel and they had made sure that all of their doors were locked.  Charger went over to the window and pulled the currents down.  The room became very dark.  There was a holographic projector hanging from the ceiling.  There was blank wall with cabinets on each side so the projector could show images.  There was a kitchen tucked away in the corner with a small bar with stools.  The whole floor was covered in a white carpet, and there was a couch in the middle of the room.  Down the hallway there were to bedrooms.  
" Sights, put that lamp on." said Charger.  Sights turned a lamp on.  the room was then lit by the yellow glow.
" Alright, now let's get down to business.  Like I said before, you are not in the old world, you are in the future.  Six thousand years to be exact." Charger was serious as he turned towards the six mares.  They all stood tensely listening to Charger.  
" The government had been holding you for a long time.  You've been harvested for your power, you need to stay low at all costs.  We were able to rent this room for you, but sooner or later you are going to have to get on with your lives and…" Charger was interrupted by Pinky putting hr hoof in the air.
" Yes Pinky Pie." said Charger.
" How far are we into the future, is it really far, or not to far?  Or is it really really really far?  Also, do you like parties, because I used to throw parties every time I met a new pony, and there are three of you and I've never met any of you before?  I wonder if I can throw three parties in one, that would be awesome we could call it a triple party!" Pinky finally finished.
The three stallion just stood with there mouths wide open.  There ears rang after her final shout and they didn't really know how to react to all of that worthless chatter.  
" Um…Well…" Sights tried to speak.  Twilight saw that they didn't really register any of what Pinky said, so she tried to fill them in.
" I think what pinky means is that, this is happening to fast, I think the best thing to do now is find Princess Celestia.  She should know what to do about this." Twilight finished.
" Princess Celestia?" asked Gold Wings.
" I"m sorry to tell you this but she's de.." Gold Wings was suddenly cut short by Sights hoof over his mouth.  He quickly brushed it off.
" What the hell man!" he scolded Sights.  Sights gave him a hard look and them pointed to Twilight.
" Have you even read up on the Elements of Harmony?  The Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle, she was Celestia's student, Celestia was like a mother to her.  Do you really think she's going take her death well?" Whispered Sights.  GOld Wings got very tense, he hadn't known that Twilight was Celestia's student.  He couldn't just tell her that she was dead.  He would have to put it down lightly, if there ever was a way to do that.
Gold Wings sucked in a deep breath.  He felt his voice leave him as he looked back to his two friends.  They nodded to him and he knew he had to say it.
" Is something wrong?" asked Twilight.  Gold Wings just looked at her and then lowered his head.  He closed his eyes shut and began to explain to Twilight.
"Twilight, Celestia is gone.  She died defending her subjects in Canterlot.  This was almost a hundred years ago, during the rebellion and the revolution.  I can assure you she died honorably.  I'm sorry." GOld Wings trailed off.  He looked up to see a stunned twilight.  Tears were welling up in her eyes.  She stuttered, try to say something.  She couldn't though, her voice slowly was returning to her and all she could whisper was..
" No…No… S-she" Twilight trailed off.  Her mind was spinning, Celestia was supposed to be a goddess an immortal goddess that was loving and merciful to her subjects.  She couldn't just be killed in war.
Twilight, I"m sorry I really am." GOld Wings tried to comfort her. 
" NO NO NO, Y-YOUR L-Lying!" she screamed the rest of the mane six slowly dropped they're head behind her.  They were quietly sobbing as Twilight flushed and anger and confusion.
" Twilight, it's the truth." Charger said.  Twilight did not calm down.  This was fact, her princess could not die.  She had made it through to much to die.
" YOU'RE LYING YOU'RE!" She screamed and cried.  She threw herself down onto the couch and shoved her face into a pillow.  She cried and cried.  She felt a soft touch on her shoulder and turned to look up.  She saw Rarity trying to comfort her.  She threw herself onto rarity and gave her a huge hug.  Rarity hugged her back as tears poured down her own face.
The three stallions watched as the ret of the six tried to comfort Twilight, they were in a group hug, still sobbing.  Charger, Sights, and Gold Wings just looked at each other.  They had all learned a valuable lesson on this day.  The truth was harsh and ugly.