//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: The battle for the key 
// by TheBritishBrony 
//------------------------------//

The klaxons rang out piercing through my peaceful sleep. I cracked my eyes open to look at the red flashes piercing through the darkness illuminating the ocean grey walls. I pulled my hands up to my chest and pushed off of the dirty carpet causing a sharp pain through my right shoulder. I held a hand to the aching shoulder and lent against a bulk head holding a cracked computer screen. I removed my hand to look at the wound and I saw what was causing It. A shard of metal had pierced my shoulder and gone out through the other side. My head was now pounding with the noise of the klaxons, getting annoyed I shouted."WILL SOMEBODY SHUT THAT BLOODY THING UP!" The klaxons became silent and the hallway I was in became illuminated with normal light. I looked around to find who had turned of the noise. "Er... Thanks." I said. Turning around I saw that the computer I had lent against was still flashing. Looking at the the corner of the screen it had a name on it.

"H.M.S.Ark royal? CV-404 Ark Royal class battle cruiser?" I said confusedly. I looked around again. "Well that explains where I am." I looked at the map on the screen and began to make my way to the control center of the ship. 
I had been walking for about 10 minuets before it struck me just how large this ship was, and just how lost I was. 
"Hello is anybody there?" I shouted desperate to see another living soul, I was however answered with static.
"Well, I might as well try to find my way back." As I turned around a computer screen lit up with a big flashing arrow pointing to a corridor to my left. I raised my eyebrow in confusion but decided to follow the arrows. I followed them up at least 33 decks before It pointed out of the stairwell. I exited through the steely grey door and was greeted with a wall covered with windows. I stared out into the vastness of space, I could see stars everywhere, I could see a beautiful shimmering blue nebula and most importantly I could see another ship and it was approaching. I turned and ran down the corridor to  where the arrows where pointing and fell into a massive room full of control panels. I jumped into the chair situated near the center of the room.

"Hello?" I shouted desperate for help now. "Please can anybody hear me?"
suddenly the room was flooded with light as the control systems reactivated.
"Hello captain." Said a distinctively female voice. My head flicked Around the room trying to find the source of the voice.
"Hello? Who are you?" I asked still trying to find the woman who had spoken.
"I am the Automated Computer Control System But you can call me ACCS. What do you require sir?"
"I need away to escape from the approaching ship. Now."  
"What do you need to know?" She asked when she spoke again. I was silent as I thought.
"I noticed that there was some major damage to some of the decks," I said." Can you give me a damage report for all movement and tactile systems?"
"Yes sir." ACCS said. "Give me a few moments." ACCS went silent for a few seconds as thought thinking about something.
"Damage report: Life support at 56%. Shields are offline. Main engines are offline. FTL drive core is fused, in need of repair. Directional thrusters are online at 19%. Weapons systems, torpedo tubes 1 to 13 are offline; Tube 14 is primed for fire. Main particle weapon banks are offline. Turrets 2 to 8 are off line. Turrets 1 and 9 to 10 are ready for firing. Nanite repair team online. 
Hull integrity at 27% efficiency."
I contemplated what I had just heard.
"What are the nanite repair team for?" I asked ACCS.
"They are an emergency team of microscopic robots that were designed to repair ships when they needed a quick fix up." The computer responded.
"And how long until that ship gets here?" I asked again. I heard some bleeps as the computer scanned the approaching ship.
"At its present speed It will be in firing range in 13 minuets." I lent back in my chair thinking about what to do.
"ACCS. If we deployed the nanites now how many of the major systems can we get running before that ship gets into range?" I felt proud of myself for thinking like that, until I heard ACCS reply.
"You must enter authorization code to activate repair team." I could feel my pride shatter around me.
"How am I supposed to know the code?" I asked.
"You are the new captain. you must decide on a code." I racked my brain searching for anything that was important to me.
"Em...new authorization code." I stated with as much authority as i could muster in my voice. "Code: 3475 alpha."
"Code accepted. Deploying nanite team." I sat back, as I heard a clanging echoing through the ship, preparing myself for what was about to happen.
"ACCS put a countdown on the screen with a continuously updating list on repaired systems." I spoke.
" Aye captain." she responded.

------------Equestria------------

Twilight Sparkle and her friends had gathered atop the grassy hill once again to observe the annual meteor shower like they had since Twilight had arrived in ponyville 3 years before. everypony except Pinkie Pie and Twilight were observing the shower with there eyes. Pinkie had abandoned her friends in favor of the the fairy cakes Mr. and Mrs. cake had provided them with for the evening and sat there on the blanket munching away, Whilst Twilight had set up her telescope to observe the shower a bit closer.
"Hmm." Twilight grumbled to herself. "This telescope won't zoom in far enough." Her horn glowed as she used her magic to shift the particles in the lens to try and zoom in further. 
"That should be good enough." But before she could release her magical grip on the atoms she was startled by Pinkie Pie tapping her back, causing her to power the lens much better than any of Equestria's best observatory and to flick it up into a random direction.

"Yes Pinkie?" Twilight asked, obviously trying to hide her annoyance that Pinkie had potentially just destroyed her 500 bit telescope, that was a present from the princesses themselves after the whole Nightmare Moon ordeal.
"Oh nothing much," Said the pink pony. "We were just about to start the pick nick." She said pointing to wards the blanket where Twilight could see the element bearers, the Cutie-mark crusaders and Spike sitting down and getting out the basket while flicking glances at the ongoing meteor shower.
"Ok Pinkie, i'll join you when I've sorted out my telescope" Said Twilight turning back to the viewing device.
Pinkie shrugged. "Ok, but you might want to hurry, Spike's found the crushed ruby cupcakes." She said as she headed over to the blanket. Twilight just sighed and shrugged to herself, Pinkie Pie was Pinkie Pie after all.

Twilight put her eye up to the telescope to try and locate the shower again. She scrolled slowly through the night sky, Lest she miss it. As she scrolled she saw something cross over the telescopes point of view. She shifted the telescope up a bit and gasped. She could see a grey kind of ship floating surrounded by debris with a shifting pattern over it. Moving a bit further over to the left she could see a very sinister looking ship covered in spikes and glowing red moving menacingly towards the first ship. She took her eye off of the scope and called Spike.
"Spike! Can you come hear a second?" As she looked at him she could hear him groan in annoyance.
"Yes Twi, what is it?" He asked with annoyance and tiredness in his voice.
"Can you look through the telescope please." She asked. Spike sighed and placed one eye against the viewing part of the telescope.
"All I can see is a floating object surrounded by debris." He said as he took his eye off of the telescope, suddenly his eyes widened and he put his eye against the scope again.
"Is that a spaceship." He asked quietly as so not to alert the others. at Twilight's nod he reached into his bag and pulled out an ink vile,a quill and some parchment.
"Ready." He said looking at Twilight expectantly. Twilight began to speak.
"Dear Princess Celestia," 

-----------Ark Royal-------
The klaxons began blaring startling me out the nap that had taken me. 
"ACCS. What's happening." I shouted over the noise.
"WARNING! Bish attack ship closing in! Battle stations, I repeat battle stations" I looked panicked at the screen for any systems that could help me. All the weapon systems were back online,78% shields, 3 quarters impulse engines and directional thrusters. "ACCS," I began before I was interrupted.
"WARNING! 3 Bish missiles on course." She shouted. 
"ACCS, give me full neural control." I shouted remembering the emergency control system ACCS had told me about.
"Aye,sir." She said as I felt a prick in my spine. I began to lose consciousness and regained it able to feel all the ships systems. 

I could feel the missiles closing in on the bridge so I rolled the ship allowing the missiles to make contact with the bottom of the ship, shields absorbing a majority of the impact but still ripping through the bottom deck. I flipped the ship towards the planet and pushed on as fast as the Ark Royal would allow. I could feel ACCS in my mind as she spoke.
"Sir you are on a collision course with a pre-FTL society." I could feel her worry.
"No I'm not" I said. "I'm heading for the moon. If your scans were right they can not stop as soon as reverse thrusters are out, correct?" I asked.
"That is correct." I could almost feel her smirk as she realized what I was planning.

I could feel the Bish ship closing in on me and smiled. Turning my aft turrets and priming all aft torpedo launchers and particle weapon banks I waited until there was less than 1000 meters between us and I fired. I could feel their ships pain as it's shielding was torn away and all it's reverse thrusters were taken out.
Putting a full reverse on the Ark Royal I could feel as the Bish ship skimmed the upper launch decks and plowed into the moon at over 20'000 kilometers an hour. I felt the neurological link fade and awoke just in time to see the Bish ship detonate with the force of 3000 nuclear weapons. 

"ACCS, put us into a high orbit around this moons planet." I felt the engines shudder as they heaved the Ship to an orbit around the planet.
"Aye captain." ACCS replied as I fell into a sleep.

--------End Chapter one-------