1: A Typical Morning
A Typical Morning
Lieutenant Rainbow Dash’s Personal Log, Stardate – supplemental: The Argo is on a diplomatic mission to Draconian 3, which will serve as neutral ground for peace talks between the Solar Federation and Gryphon Empire. Some of the crew has been in uproar about the impending griffon visit. I'm not happy about it either. I have been tasked with tailing the ambassadors around the ship when they arrive, hopefully so we might avoid any incidents that would ruffle either side’s feathers.
Rainbow laid on her back, relaxing on her bed though sleep would not come to her. She rested above the covers, as if not expecting to sleep at all. Since her leave had ended, she found it difficult to fall asleep with the constant presence of the low level security lighting and blazing stars whizzing by her window. Not even the sound of her own audio logs were enough to drive her racing mind into submission.
A whistle broke Rainbow from her trance. Her door begged to be answered, but went ignored. The door whistled again. Rainbow stirred, begging for whoever it was to leave her be.
“Darnit Rainbow! I heard you talkin’ in there!” a mare beckoned from beyond the wall. “Get outta bed and come get some food!” The visitor knocked furiously at the door, showing no indication of leaving.
Rainbow rubbed at her eyes as she sat up at the edge of her bed. “Fine, I’m coming!” She stumbled to her hooves, moving to her dresser. “Lights to medium.” At that moment, light filled the metallic-grey room from every perceivable direction. Rainbow recoiled as her eyes narrowed to slits. Her cyan hoof moved to shield her face from the incoming rays. “Ugh, lights to medium-low.”
“That is not a valid setting,” said an indifferent and disembodied voice.
Rainbow sighed in frustration. “New program, Medium-Low One." The ship's computers could make simple programs on the fly, given proper instruction, and usually used other commands for reference. Still, Rainbow and a few other select technology impaired ponies had trouble phrasing their desires in a way the computer could understand. "Take average of low and medium light settings and add to light level setting selection.”
“Cannot comply,” the voice replied. “That command is already assigned to the low-medium light setting.”
Rainbow stomped at the ground, infuriated. “Lights on low-medium then!” The lights dimmed to half their former brightness, releasing Rainbow from her squinting daze.
“Bucking computers, have to foal ‘em through everything.” Rainbow moved to answer the door, touching her hoof to a terminal imbedded in the wall. The pneumatics mounting the door hissed as the panel retracted into the left side of the archway. An impatient orange mare with lock of golden mane and an amused expression stepped into its place.
The mare bowed past the door frame and scanned the interior of Rainbow’s room. Rainbow’s dirty uniforms and lounge-wear seemed to cover every inch of her floor. Her few clean clothes remained in the suitcase atop her dresser, despite her having moved in months ago.
The ripeness of Rainbow's sweaty laundry filled Applejack's nostrils. She was nearly brought to tears before taking a few steps back. “Now Rainbow, just because we’re in space, that don’t mean you can’t have a somewhat ordinary sleep schedule,” the mare said, "or bathe." There was a brief pause as Rainbow huffed in annoyance, having suffered similar criticism many times before.
“Sorry, Farmer Orange,” Rainbow snapped back as she stretched her legs and back. “You aren't my mother.”
“No, but Ah am your commanding officer, and security chief.” She pointed towards the row of three pins on her red one-piece uniform. Two were a shimmering gold, and the third was filled with a metallic black. “Also, I'm your friend, last I checked.”
Rainbow just glared at her friend with half open eyes. Her cropped mane that shone all the colors of the spectrum seemed duller and more matted than it had any right to. Her uniform was half unzipped and its sleeves were tied about her waist leaving her top covered only by a stained white undershirt and Wonderbolts jacket.
“Since we’re having company, you might want to look somewhat presentable,” Applejack said. “Just because the rest of the crew has grown used to your… youness, that don’t mean the griffons won’t take it as some kind of insult.”
“Who cares what I wear?" she asked. "I’m the grunt… the muscle… the nameless red-shirt… crewmare number 4.” She glanced away, allowing barrel to come to rest against the doorway. “The only time anyone really pays attention to me is when I do something wrong or they do.”
“These are griffons, Rainbow. They value honor n' dignity above all else," Applejack said. "If you greet ‘em looking like you just rolled outta bed, you could start something." She leaned into her friends ear, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I heard you through your door, talking about how even you’re nervous about 'em causing trouble. I figure you’d want to do everything you can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Let me clean up a bit, and I’ll meet you down in the mess hall," Rainbow said, turning her back to the hall.
“Just don’t take forever, you gotta job to do.” Applejack trotted over to the end of the hall and called the turbo-lift. As she stepped inside, her head hung out into the corridor, making one final remark. “Just cause I’m your friend, that don’t mean I won’t reprimand you.”
Rainbow leaned her head out of her own door to mimic Applejack's action. “Gee, I’m glad you care so much.” She walked back into her quarters, scuffing her hooves the whole way. She threw her jacket and uniform onto the bed as the door closed behind her, then moved to the bathroom and stepped into the shower cubicle.
“Sonic shower… high." She always used high setting. Everyone told her it would chew up her mane and fur, but she didn’t care. If one turned it high enough they could even get a pleasantly warm sensation as the vibrations created friction on the user’s skin. "Maybe they’re radioactive or something." She hoped the grime on her coat would take forever to slough off, but Star Herd equipment was designed with efficiency in mind, not luxury.
Rainbow stepped through automatic double doors into the mess hall. Her coat was clean, her hooves were polished, and her hair seemed to radiate from across the room. Mares were told to keep their manes tied back, but that took too much effort for Rainbow. She settled on clipping it to just above her jawline before every inspection.
Despite her self professed insignificance in the grand scheme of things, Rainbow always underestimated exactly how invisible she was. Every member of the crew knew her and talked about her, just never talked to her. Members of the crew swiveled their heads in her direction upon her arrival before returning to what they were doing, albeit more cautiously with her head over their shoulders. She received a few indifferent glances, but none that signaled any appreciation of her presence. It was just another day, of another year aboard her star-bound prison.
Rainbow scanned the room, looking for her friend. The mess hall resembled the academy in that the occupants had segregated themselves by uniform color and duty. Since visible cutiemarks were against uniform regulation, color and job title were the easiest ways to find ponies with like interests.
All the blue shirted egg-heads were at two tables pushed together in the corner by the transparent moonstone windows. They would talk about new scientific theories going through the peer review process, and occasionally point out to some anomaly or star formation in the distance before it vanished behind them.
The golden shirted engineers and tech-heads sat near the replicators, talking about research prototypes and ship calibrations. All of their work seemed too meticulous and intricate for Rainbow to care for. The only topic of their conversation that held her interest was of the new Rainboom drive they had installed before their departure.
Finally, the red-shirted tactical crew and security force sat closest to the door, perhaps as a way of garnering attention. Some members of the group were hoof wrestling and showing off their new wing-mounted caner emitters. Others would boast about their record times navigating interstellar courses, or some daring maneuver they pulled while on a previous mission. They laughed and howled while stories and synthetic alcoholic beverages were shared.
Rainbow focused on one of their drinks. The red fluid sloshed back and forth as the stallion flailed his hooves through the air. Rainbow never understood the deal with synthetic beverages. In her eyes, it was a perversion of the real deal, the only worthwhile ingredient replaced with one that offers the same gassy taste with none of the benefits. Rainbow couldn’t help but wish for a large mug of cold, hard cider, real cider. She began to salivate as she imagined the beverage running over her tongue. It was then she noticed an orange hoof shaking out of the corner of her eye.
“Wow, you clean up pretty nice,” Applejack said as she approached Rainbow from the side. "Wish you'd make a habit of it."
“Why thank you… miss,” Rainbow huffed.
“Some stallion might even find you pretty,” Applejack jested as she walked into view from behind.
“Yeah right,” Rainbow replied as the two started towards their table. “We both know I’d be the one wearing the yolk in that relationship.”
“I don’t doubt it." Honest Applejack didn’t have it in her to say otherwise. Rainbow was far two energetic and robust for most stallions to handle. She was never challenged to hoof wrestles or impromptu sparring matches, lest she emasculate her competition.
The two mares moved towards the replicators to grab their meals. They grabbed two trays from a rack beside the stations, and placed them under the dispensers before inputting their orders. Applejack made it her business to keep asking her questions, especially since nopony else would. “So what are you gonna get for breakfast?”
“Same thing as always, carrot daffodil sandwich with a protein patty and orange juice,” Rainbow replied, avoiding eye contact. ”You?”
“Some pancakes topped with some apple slices from the airponics bay.” Applejack pulled an apple from her uniform pocket. For being grown in space, they were atypically red, plump and juicy. Applejack would burn downtime caring for alchemically engineered apple plants and other crops.
With Applejack's talent being a green hoof, the ponies working the kitchen decided her assistance was in everyone’s favor. The crew got good food, and Applejack got a hobby to keep stir-craziness at bay. “They sure ain’t no Sweet Apple Acres apples, but I suppose they’re better than nothing." A shimmering blue glow became a heap of warm, slightly dry flapjacks, filling the prior emptiness of her tray. "I’d say something about your diet, but I don’t think you want another lecture.”
“You said it yourself, these are griffons we’re talking about,” Rainbow elaborated. “You know, the warrior race we’ve been on the brink of war with for the past fifteen years?”
“I think Ah remember why were here," Applejack mumbled through a mouthful of food. "Your point is?"
“You don’t get a race like them to surrender, or agree to peace talks, without mares like me doing our part to be as fit for combat duty as possible,“ Rainbow explained. "Gotta hit all the main... food... groups." Rainbow trailed off as a glimmer caught her attention from across the room.
The eye catching sparkle came from a leg mounted caner array belonging to a hulking, white Pegasus recruit. He had it aimed one of the other guards across the table as a form of intimidating horse-play. The weapon glistened in the artificial lighting, and looked as though it were worth every bit he paid for it. They were all laughing as if it were in good fun, but Rainbow arose when she noticed something the others had neglected. She made her way in towards the recruit and prodded him from behind on the shoulder.
“Yeah, what do you want pixie stick?” he said as he turned to face her.
Rainbow's face wrinkled as her muscles tensed. “That’s Lieutenant pixi - er - Rainbow Dash to you.”
The unimpressed stallion remained motionless except for his mouth. “And?” He stood nearly a foot taller than Rainbow and had at least a hundred pounds on her.
“And last I checked, I outrank you," Rainbow said. "Weapons are never to be off their safety setting unless there is an immediate threat.”
“Like your hair?” he said, eliciting a flurry of snickers from the group. "Relax, it is on."
Rainbow used her hoof to knock the bit trigger near his shoulder causing the weapon to fire into the ground. Some ponies froze and others covered their heads and ear as the weapon discharge echoed through the halls. The room went quiet, and all attention was drawn to the two security ponies and the smoldering carpet. “Would you care to say that again?”
“Go mind your own business," he snapped, gesturing to Applejack with a head bob. "I’m sure your marefriend over there is getting lonely.”
Rainbow Dash immediately wrapped her hooves around left foreleg of the recruit and used the leverage to sprawl him out onto the dining table. She had him pinned with her elbow dug under his chin. She brought her remaining free hoof down hard upon the table, shattering his weapon under her strike. Bits of metal and composite material rained down on the ponies standing around.
“Don’t mess with me,” she muttered under her breath. “Usually I only have to hurt somepony once before they get the message.” She released the recruit and turned away, ignoring his plummet to the floor. She brushed off the food scraps and weapon shrapnel that had been strewn about during the scuffle off of her uniform as she stomped her way to the turbo-lift.
Applejack galloped on over to where the incident had taken place, a satisfied smirk spread across her lips. “Remember, we meet the captain by shuttle bay 2 at 1130!” Applejack turned to examine the recruit clutching his shoulder as the others tried to help him up. “I’m Lieutenant Commander Applejack, the security chief. I can't say I’ve seen your kind of stupid round here before. Would you mind spending the next twelve hours in your quarters while I add your condition to your file?”
The bulky recruit kept his eyes fixed towards the turbolift, Rainbow's threatening gaze severing as the doors slid shut. “How in Equestria did she know?”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t try to get away with anything,” Applejack replied. “With her on duty, you won’t.”
Being a Starship operated mostly by Pegasai, the schematics of the Argo deviated from conventional design. Instead of having four recreational rooms distributed throughout the decks, there were two smaller areas at opposite ends of the ship, and one large arc that traced the outer boundaries of the saucer section.
The rec-room spanned all decks between the two layers of the inner hull and housed a track with adjustable climate control. Here, both earth ponies and pegasai could build their stamina. The pegasai alone could utilize the weather systems to practice cloud busting and obstacle evasion. The inner and outermost sides of the room were lined with kinetic padding for uncommon, but inevitable accidents.
Rainbow panted heavily as she flew headlong against artificial air currents. A member of the engineering staff had made a deal with her raise the safety parameters when her badge signal was present. She had begged to have difficulty raised further, but the staffer ensured that any further increase could draw attention to the tampering, or get her killed.
When in a heated mood, Rainbow would activate the cloud busting practice course. She would visualize the cause of the day's frustrations on her fluffy victims before reducing them to vapor trails. Condensation from her vanquished targets would accumulate on her goggles and then be whisked away by the rushing air.
After a dozen laps and nearly forty clouds later, Rainbow could hear the clacking of hooves against the metallic floor of the semicylidrical chamber over her flapping jacket. As she dashed past the next entrance, she could see that a familiar orange mare had taken to the track. Applejack had shed her red and black uniform in favor of a grey one-piece jersey, with her duty colors relegated to accents on her waist and shoulders.
Applejack struggled against the rapid air, fighting for every inch of progress. Her mane and tail were forced nearly horizontal by the raging wind, growing stringy as water and sweat dampened them more with every step.
Rainbow's head swiveled, focusing on her friend before she vanished behind the winding walls. Rainbow pressed on as cloud after cloud disintegrated in front of her. In no time, she was moving to lap her earthbound commander. Applejack was now bowing into the current, unable to withstand the constant pattering of water against her corneas. Rainbow slowed this time as she passed overhead, her center of attention lingering on the orange mare.
After five laps, Rainbow descended to the floor, touching down by a soggy and shivering Applejack. Both of them were forced to yell so their voices could be heard over the drumming motors and whistling echoes.
Applejack glanced up to her side, her narrowed eyes meeting with those of the lieutenant. "Bit breezy in here, donch'a think?"
Rainbow calmly trotted on before glancing back. "If you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen!" With a small hop and extension of her wings, the whipping air lifted her without so much as a flap of her feathers. With the settings as they were, routine and muscle memory were both crucial, even a small waver or misaligned wing could send Rainbow careening into the wall.
"Computer!" Applejack yelled over the blustery interference. "Restore defaults!" The air came to a screeching halt. The stilling of the air brought about a jarring silence, like that brought about by a deactivated fan.
Just as Rainbow's hooves were about to decimate another synthetic nimbus, it vanished. The sudden loss of headwind caused Rainbow to lurch forward into the duranium wall whose padding did little to soften the blow. A muffled ping and scream broke through the new-found quiet, causing Applejack to cringe. Rainbow slid tail first against the rounded wall onto the floor. Her teeth unclenched, but her eyes remained tightly shut. "Ow."
"Rainbow, we've been over this." Applejack helped Rainbow to her hooves, whisking away some water on Rainbow's jacket. "Those safety parameters are there for a reason." She raised an eyebrow and grinned as she stabilized her friend, that is until a cyan hoof met with her chest. "The track is for everyone, we aren't all Rainbow Dash."
"How am I supposed to get any real practice flying on a course fit for a butterfly?" Rainbow pushed her goggles up from the bridge of her nose. "We're getting soft, chief."
"I'm tired a seein' your name on report." She turned back to the entrance, with Rainbow following close behind. "When its not for conduct it's because you intentionally bypass regulations. You spend more time in here than in your quarters, which is downright unbelievable, considering how much you nap."
Rainbow stretched. "A nap sounds pretty good right now, but I don't think you just wanted to hound me for hogging the track."
"You took off your com-badge," Applejack said. "Somepony had to come fetch you."
"What do you know?" Rainbow said. "I just thought the captain learned to stop whining."
"We can't afford to be late to this thing," Applejack said. "While we're on our way to the hanger, I thought I'd talk to you about that little fiasco in the mess hall. Half the times I've written you up are because you seem to think breaking in recruits requires actually breaking them."
"It's not my fault they all get here thinking they own the place," Rainbow protested.
"Like you did," Applejack tacked on, "and still do?"
Once more, Rainbow was left unable to reply. She settled for rolling her eyes.
"What has me in a fuss is that the one time you have a reason to break somepony's muzzle, you don't do it." Applejack's voice raised suddenly at the end of her statement. She leaned uncomfortably close to Rainbow's face, grasping the lieutenant's full attention. "What did he say that stopped you short?"
"Nothing, ok?" Rainbow pushed Applejack away, almost stumbling due to the insistence and density of her friend. "I just felt like letting him off."
"Horseapples." Applejack stated flatly. "I saw the way you looked at him. You let him off after he called me your marefriend. You don't - "
"No," Rainbow interrupted, stomping in towards Applejack before moving for the exit again.
"Alright, alright." Applejack's head shrunk against her neck as she flashed her hooves, blaming her inquiry on mere curiosity. Applejack followed closely, refusing to drop the issue. "When's the last time you did get together somepony?"
Rainbow flinched at the words as the doors to the rec-room hissed open. "Excuse me?"
"When...is the last time... you got together with - "
"I heard you the first time," she replied grumbled. "I don't know, uh, maybe over shore-leave, I try not to think about it."
Applejack's eyes grew wide. "Rainbow, that was nearly four months ago."
"So?" Rainbow scoffed. "That's the way I've been for years."
Rainbow and Applejack stepped through the translucent double doors into the community locker room. Their personal lockers were on opposite sides of the center isle. After a momentary hoof scan, Applejack's locker door popped open then slide upwards to reveal the contents within. Along with her standard uniform, folded and pressed, her locker held many pictures of family and friends from her home planet.
Canter 4 was home to dozens of pony settlements, including Ponyville. The settlement was founded with the help of Applejack's grandmother, an exploratory exobotanist, for the sole purpose of jump-starting system-wide colonization. Her picture sat above those of a large cherry-red stallion, and yellow filly. Applejack gazed into the pictures, reminiscing of the times in which they were taken.
Her recollection was broken by Rainbow's hoof slamming against the locker behind her. She blenched as the sound rung in her ears. Applejack turned and tapped the pegasus on the shoulder. "Need a hoof?"
"No, I think I've got it," Rainbow replied. She touched her hand to the door's sensor pad. A streak of blue moved down the length of her hoof before fading to red.
"Third unsuccessful entry attempted, thirty minute security lockout engaged."
Rainbow hung her head and rubbed neck at the computer's words, dropping her plot onto the bench between the isles. "Alright, maybe I need help."
Applejack leaned into towards the door, giving it a knock. "Security Override, Lieutenant-Commander Applejack, pass-phrase: Apple." She grinned as the door popped open, unsealing the locker's contents.
"Security override acknowledged."
"Wow, Apple." An irritated Rainbow threw her balled hoof through the opening, and drug out her uniform, ignoring the small pops of ripping seams and thread as it caught against the hard edges of the interior. "Nopony'll think of that."
"I gotta to be the one to say it, remember?" Applejack made her way to the end of the isle, opening a case that book-ended ever row of lockers. "Your wet fur's messin' with the scanner, try havin' a towel on hoof next time." She tossed a towel over the end of the row; Rainbow caught it without even having to look up.
Rainbow stripped down to her coat and rolled her exercise garb into a wad before whipping it into the vacancy. Besides her clothes and the mild the aroma of mildew, her locker was completely empty.
"Rainbow, being a Star Herd officer isn't just a job, it's a lifestyle." Applejack returned to her own locker and continued to change. Rainbow remained quiet, only patting her dampened fur as Applejack spoke. "You can't live your whole life on shore leave."
"There's no time for any of that," Rainbow said, frantically rubbing at her mane with the white cloth.
"You have to make the time." Applejack worked her back legs back into her uniform. "Thunderlane and the flitter-chaser duo seem to find plenty of it."
Rainbow returned her own exercise ware to her locker, shaking her head at the implication, and to flatten her prismatic Afro. "I really didn't need to hear that."
"I think you did." Applejack worked her front legs into the sleeves. She continued talking as she pulled at the torso with her teeth. "I might not appwoove - grh - but vhey are managin' da keeh a healfy social life - grh." Her speech cleared as her uniform went slack. "All while doin' their duties. You're just-"
"In a dry spell?" Rainbow asked, slipping into her mangled uniform without a fuss.
The two mares closed their locker, Rainbow with a bit more oomph that her friend. They met at the end of the bench as tossed their towels into the empty bin at the end of the neighboring row before venturing into the ship's corridors.
"You're just in a rut," Applejack touched a hoof to Rainbow's shoulder. "I can try and help, but you gotta meet me halfway." Rainbow glanced away, but Applejack clenched her cheeks and spun Rainbow around, holding her still with a caring but insistent hoof on her shoulder. "How about it? I won't ride you as hard if you can ride yourself a little harder." Applejack scanned her friend up and down focusing briefly on her mane and tail. "I know this...thing, makes it hard to mingle sometimes, but someday you're gonna find somepony who can't get enough of it."
"Yeah, right." Rainbow replied as she returned the gesture.
"You're darn toot'n." Applejack retracted her hoof as the two mares continued their walk. "Ya just need somethin' ta boost your confidence, which is exactly why, against the captain's recommendation, I requested you for this assignment."
"You did what?" Rainbow gasped.
"Now Rainbow before you-" Applejack was interrupted by a chirp from her communicator. She tapped a hoof to her chest before speaking. "Applejack here, go ahead."
"The griffon delegates have arrived," a stallion's voice responded. "They preparing to dock at Shuttle-bay two. The captain is waiting outside."
Both mares eyes widened in horror. Applejack touched her hoof to her communicator again. "What's the time?"
"Eleven-thirty-three hours," the voice read.
"On my way, Applejack out." Applejack broke into a jog with Rainbow in tow. "We gotta go, unless you we want our pelts on the Captain's ready-room wall."
"Why didn't you tell me we were late?" Rainbow complained.
"You're a Lieutenant, you should know when you're late," Applejack said. "Just something else you're gonna have ta work on if you don't want that Rainbow flank of yours to get transferred." Applejack galloped through the halls while Rainbow used her flared wings for brief bursts of speed and to make sharp turns through the interior.
"If you think I'm thanking you for this," Rainbow said, narrowly avoiding a petty officer on the left, "you have another thing coming."
Stats
Page generated in 0.018 seconds
Total duration
704 users online
1,002,727 hits today, 2,205,040 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Defiantly looks interesting, I'll give it a thumbs up and read it later.
I like this idea... continue with it. Also I honestly hope you're not pulling a Gilda is a bitch in this story. I've read way too many of those and there are literally so few on here where Gilda is not a bitch. So yeah.... we need more cool Gilda stories.