//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Just a simpel ferryride // Story: The dead breath of of Space. // by TheDoctor //------------------------------// There is a loud rattle that would put the noise level of the engine room over the top for most ponies, along with that there is the loud hum of the engine and that musky smell that has developed over the years from ponies working in the small hot room, but this is all welcomed to Damon. The young pony who looks to be in his late twenties, has a long sliver mane and matching fur, he has a simple shirt with a work belt on as the colt makes his way down into the dark muggy room. Damon looks a a flashing screen to see why the the engine was acting up again, he as pokes a few buttons he soon finds the problem and gets to work trying to fix it. As the colt climbs into the engine its self to change out a few parts a head pokes though the door and yells over the engine." Hey Damon, you find whats wrong yet. We have a ship full of ponies that are wanting to get of this ship,you said we would get them home today!" The colt sticks his head out of the engine and yells."I will have her running in a little bit, just have to replace a few things, wont be to hard. Just keep them calm and let them know they will make it on time!" The head nods and than shuts the door, Damon soon gets back to work trying to fix his ship... After about an hour of work Damon finely leaves the engine room with a smiles and finds a com system to tell everypony that they will be underway in just a few moments. When he is done with his announcement he works his way up to he main deck to get the ship underway, as he climbs the final flight of stairs a female voice calls out behind him in a playful voice. "Oh are glorious captain has returned from below to honor us simple ponies with his grace!" Damon does not need to turn around to see who is speaking to him but he does anyway. He sees a tall Pegasus mare about his age, with light orange/yellow fur and a matching main, she has a jumpsuit that is common among the crew, it has a belt holding mischances junk and a holster for a revolver with a few spare rounds here or there on the belt, but the most noticeable feature on the mare is her happy childlike smile, which matches her personality superbly, as she bounds up to meet the captain he smiles. "Nice to see you to Carrot Cake." The mare smiles and bounds past the captain and into the control room, Damon cannot help but laugh, the two have known each other for most of there life's, she grew up on a carrot farm *Hence the name* about a half mile away from his fathers farm. ever since Damons father handed the ship over the him, carrot has been his first mate. As Damon makes it to the control room he walks up to the controls and fires up the ship."There, should be smooth sailing from here on out!" Carrot smiles and says to the captain. " Hey dutch was looking for you, said something about needing to pickup for meds when we drop off everypony." Damon nods and says." Yeah that is fine, if you see him tell him that well stop at a market before we takeoff at are next stop." Carrot nods and messes with some of the controls for a little bit. In a few hours they are nearing segma 3, it is a somewhat new planet that is known for its fetal soil, that's were they are ferrying there group of ponies to and Damon says over the intercom. "Ducth and Dream, get up to the upper deck!" After a few minutes the two appear though the door and look out the window at the oncoming moon . The captain looks at the two, Dutchoven who is the ships medic is a tall gruff looking pony with white fur, than there is Dreamfly, she is a smaller built Unicorn with a jet black fur, but what she lacks in size she makes up for in attitude, she serves as the ships armorer. Dreamfly is the first to speak of the two. "That is sigma 3?, why would anypony want to live on THAT heap...?" Dutch looks at dream and sighs."To them its a new start, you know..." Dream laughs."Yes yes, very poetic dutch..." Damon watches the two for a few more minuets, than says."Ok you two, now that you are here we can get down to business once we drop these ponies off we have got a job, there is a group of bandits a few miles out of the settlement that we are stoping at, there is a rather large bounty on there leaders head, just wanted to know if what you two though before we started planing." The two dont even need time to think before they agree, so with that they spend the rest of the trip planing there attack plan As soon as they get the last of the ponies off the ship they prep two ATVs with weapons and a newly bought medkit, The captain tells everypony there job once each pony is armed and know what they are doing they head out. As they ride though the dark world in silence. In about half an hour they begin to see fires in the distance. They stop the ATVs and prep there weapons, as they do this Dream moves towards the camp to scout and see how meany there are. Once Dream returns she tells the others what she found. "Ok everypony, it looks like there is ten of them down there, and there is four of us. Now if we can get close enough we can take them down without them even knowing what hit them, now i say me and captain hit them from the left and carrot and dutch hit them from behind. That should stop any friendly fire and still manage to drop all of them!" The captain nods and says."Ok everypony you heard the lady, lets get to work!" With that Damon and Dream work there way down to the flank of the group, it takes them about ten minuets for everypony to get into position, when they do they signal carrot and dutch, soon they signal back and they spring the attack. The fight is not long, as the bullets rip though those siting around the fire and they drop like sacks. Damon stands up and yells."Ok lets find that leader than go get are bounty!" The group shifts though the bodies for about fifteen minutes, finally Dream says." Hey captain, he is no here..." Damon thinks for a second, than a look of horror crosses his face."Everypony get down!" Three loud shots crack, two miss but one catchs Dream in the chest, she falls to the ground with a scream. Damon look around and yells."Some pony find them, We need them dead if we want any hope of getting out of here!" As they look around trying to say out of the sight of the snipers, bullets rain down around them, carrot says."Captain, I think they on on that hill." Damon looks up at the hill, and than ducks his head down as a round flys over his head."Dutch, take him out!" The large pony nods and takes aim with his rifle."I see him..."He fires off a shot, than another, than another."I got them..." As soon as dutch finishes telling the others he gets up to check on Dream. He looks over her body and says."Get my medkit, NOW!" Carrot nods and flys up to the ATVs to grab the medkit. Damon runs up to Dutch and Dream and asks."What can I do to help?" Dutch does not look up and says."Just keep pressure on the wound."As he looks up carrot flys back with the case and gives it to Dutch."Here, Need anything else?" Dutch just shakes his head and rips open the kit, he pulls out what he needs and says."You two get back to the ship, i need more than what i have!" Damon nods and says."Come on carrot, he knows what he is doing." Carrot nods and the two head back to the ATVs, once they get back to the ship they run to the upperdeck, carrot asks."Hey captain, what do you think happened..." Damon says with out stopping." We were set up, I don't know by who but that does not matter right now." As he pushes his way into the deck he powers up the ship and yells. "Hold on to something carrot!" Before carrot can respond the engines roars and the ship takes off. They dont take long to get to Dutch, as they land the ship they carry out a stretcher. As the two leave the ship they are faced with a group of bandits, they have already have there guns aimed at the two, Dutch and Dream are still there, Dutch manages to stop the bleeding but Dreamfly still looks in horrible shape. One of the bandits who appears steps forward and laughs."Well I must say, You two put on a rather good who, you even managed to kill those cleverly placed snipers, but now, well now your game is up." Damon just stands there, as the two are lead away to join Dutch and Dream, carrot lashes out, she kicks her captor away and grabs the leader pressing her gun to his head."You are going to let my friends into the ship or I will blow his brains out!" There is about ten thugs total, a laugh goes up though the group, one of them steps forward."Look sweetcak..*ach*!" There is a sharp crack as carrots gun is pointed at the another pony."Any other pony want to try?" The bandits look shocked as they shake there heads. They slowly let the otherponies back into the ship, as soon as all four of them are on the ship carrot fires a round into the leaders head and pushes his body out the ship. Damon frowns as she walks back to the group."Why did you kill him? Carrot smiles some, the bloodrage passes over her quite quick."Well we dont need him running around messing with those poor ponies we just left to fend for themselves, eh?" Damon just nods and says."Yeah..."He looks at dutch and says."Lets get her to the infirmary." Dutch nods and places Dreamfly on a stretcher and the two begin to move her to the infirmary...