Dawn Sparkle, daughter of Twilight, embarks on a journey of space and self exploration
Dawn Sparkle is captain of the HMS Magic, the newest and fastest ship in the Equestrian fleet. Dawn, with the help of her friends, explores the galaxy, discovers new places and new faces on a journey of space and self discovery.
Credit for the cover art goes to reiduran on Derpibooru.
Have you ever been on a starship? I can tell you it is the most terrifying and amazing feeling I have ever experienced. There are but a meter or two of thick steel, bulkheads, wires and magical shielding between you and the vacuum of space. A rogue meteor or asteroid could end you, your friends and your ship in one fail swoop. But there also is a great awe and power to be felt here, like nowhere else. This amazing machine was built by pony, griffin and dragon teamwork to travel the stars. Nopony would have thought that Equestrians would one day be able to leave their planet and go to another. Nopony would have thought that Equestrians would be able to meet other races, alien races, and spread the magic that is friendship well beyond the borders of my beloved planet. The stars beckon; let us explore them, anon!
I am Dawn Sparkle, daughter of Twilight Sparkle, soon-to-be captain of Her Majesties’ Ship, the Magic, the newest and fastest ship in the Equestrian Space Command’s fleet. The ESC may have built this great craft, but the Magic is my baby. I am her captain and it and the forty-three other souls aboard are under my care. With my best friends and fellow officers I could ask for at my side, the Magic is in the best and most capable hooves and claws possible. Tomorrow is the day we teach my baby to walk; tomorrow is her maiden voyage. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My first mate and good friend, Joe Rich and I stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the space port with the Magic in her berth. The view is so captivating that we barely exchange a word for several minutes… not that Joe is the talkative type. As long as I’ve known him, he’s been the quiet type, although once he comes out of his shell, it takes a princess’s intervention to stop him. I finally catch my breath long enough to voice my feelings,
“So we get underway tomorrow.”
“Yep.”
“Are you excited?”
“Yep.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little. And you?”
“Yeah, a little.” I paused for a sec before adding, “Did you say your goodbyes and all that?”
His demeanor took a turn toward the sour as his face contorted into a scowl. “My folks won’t give me the time of day, and most certainly not their blessing.” The frown softened a bit, “Diamond Tiara did wish me well, though, and asked me to come back in one piece.”
Another moment of silence passed before he asked me, “What about your mom?”
It was my turn to frown. “Well…” I said wistfully, “She said she would be here before launch and see me off. She said she’d be here by lunch time… and we just had dinner an hour ago.” I let out a loud audible sigh. Joe tried to comfort me and put a hoof on my shoulder, “I’m sure she got tied up.”
I scowled and said louder than I intended, “But she always gets tied up! It’s always business with the princess or trouble at the university or saving Equestria, again. I mean… all of those things are worthwhile and important, but ever since I enrolled in the ESC academy she made herself scarce and we seem to have drifted apart.” I sniffled and fought back tears, “When is there time for her to just be my mother, not savior of Equestria?”
As if on cue, a second hoof found its way to my shoulder and a purple mare with a purple mane with a pinkish-white stripe embraced me in a tight hug. “Mom?” I blubbered. “It’s OK. I’m here now,” my mother whispered to me. I held her for a few minutes but it felt like hours and never wanted it to end, but all good things come to their end and we released the hug. I looked into my mother’s teary purple eyes and smiled. I embraced her in another quick hug then regained my composure. Joe wisely decided to step out during our embrace and returned with a tray bearing some cups of coffee and donuts.
“Um… how much of that tirade did you hear?”
“I heard pretty much all of it. I’m sorry for being busy…. but you are right. I kept myself artificially busy so I wouldn’t have to think about you going off where I cannot be there for you.”
“I’m sure you can patch though a call to me and we do have to return to Equestria to restock and refuel and I can see you then.”
“It’s not quite the same as having my sweet Dawn there by my side.”
Joe piped in, “We could stand for another hand on the Magic. We could sneak you aboard and nopony will be the wiser!”
I concurred, “That is a fantastic idea! You have always wanted to travel about the stars and now is your chance! What do you say Mom?”
“Dawn…. As much as I’d love to go to the stars and go on a grand adventure with you, my place is here.” The smile I wore turned into a pleading look of patheticness. “Dawn, no amount of cute pleading you can provide will sway me. There comes a time when I have to let you grow up. This is the time. I cannot keep fawning over you and treating you like a child. Now is the time to spread your own wings and go live your own life.”
I just sat there for a minute, staring at my mother, Twilight Sparkle, with a look of shock on my face as the words she spoke sunk in. My mother, the overprotective, worrisome, and sometimes paranoid pony who raised me. The same mother who wouldn’t let me perform in a play that I had a lead role in when I was seven due to one sick classmate, a pegasus by the way, who had the feather flu; unicorns cannot even catch the feather flu! The same mother who personally got Celestia and Luna to reprimand a bully after he teased me, just once. The same mother who pulled an all-nighter with me, just to make sure I wouldn’t fail my magical aptitude test I put off studying for till the last minute. My mom just said I needed to grow up and live my own life.
She spoke again, pulling me out of my reverie, “Just remember that a little piece of Equestria resides right here,” as she placed her hoof on my locket I always wear about my neck. “Home is where the heart is and if you follow you heart, it’ll lead you home.” Although the statement was one of cyclic logic, it was one of the most touching statements I have ever heard, especially from my mother who often had trouble voicing her emotions.
I replied the only way I could with tears in my eyes, “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, Dawn.”
We hugged again and heard a sniffle next to us. Joe wiped away a tear from his eye and tried to pass it off. “Come over here, you big softie,” I beckoned. He sheepishly obeyed and joined us in a group hug.
“Mom?” I asked.
“Yes?”
“Would you bunk with me tonight….for old times’ sake?”
“I’d like that a lot.”
“And Joe?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“The events you just witnessed don’t leave this room. The last thing I need is the crew thinking I’m a pushover and that I’m incapable of command.”
The next day I sat, fidgeting, at the conn of the Magic for what had seemed like ages. I glared at my helmsman, Bed-o-win hoping that he would receive the go ahead to launch, but I realized that trying to bore a hole in his head with my stare was not going to get the Magic moving anytime sooner. My usually impassive and quiet first mate, Joe, voiced his annoyance,
“Why are we still waiting? The whole crew and all of the supplies are aboard. We are ready to launch.”
My science officer, Stardust, piped in, “Maybe they detected an anomaly in one of our engines and wish to fix it before launch?”
“Impossible! I checked the engines this morning. They were optimal then. Maybe I’ll run a diagnostic just in case,” my chief engineer, Valkyrie, chimed in.
“Belay that, Ms. Valkyrie. Diagnostics take a few hours to complete, force the engines offline for hours and we should be launching soon.” “I hope,” I muttered afterwards.
Finally, the call came in from Equestrian Space Command that we had the go-ahead to launch. “Finally!” everypony on deck proclaimed. I didn’t blame them for their annoyance; Equestrian bureaucracy could muddle and slow down even the most mundane of affairs. If the paperwork in Rumble’s office relating to Ponyville’s weather was any indication, I’m sure that launching a starship must have involved a lot of paper work.
“Alright Bed-o-win, take us out.”
“Yes Ma’am. Sorry ma’am.”
“Just get us underway.”
He, thankfully, just nodded assent and started to guide the ship out of dry dock.
Bed-o-win, a horse from Saddle Arabia, was a strange one indeed. I’ll admit, I had my doubts when he was recommended for my helmsman, but when I saw him maneuver a shuttle craft and I saw his aptitude scores, I knew he was the pony for the job. Try as he may, he has a lisp that no amount of speech therapy seemed to get rid of. His lisp makes him self-conscious and that drives his lisp more. It is like the never ending cycle of apologies my mom’s friend Fluttershy has.
I looked around at my other officers. Stardust was as cheeky as ever, talking some poor pony’s ear off about the ins-and-outs of Luna knows what. The pony could get on my nerves sometimes, but there was nopony more knowledgeable about anything than her. I’m sure that if my mother and Stardust played a game of Trivial Pursuit it would be the most epic battle of brains ever.
Honeycrisp, who would be more likely to be found in the infirmary or the core than on deck, was preset. Protocol required her presence on the bridge for launch, but the look of contempt on her face spoke volumes about where she’d rather be. She is my chief medical officer and a looker…. Not that I’m into mares or anything. Heh. She is a member of the vast Apple family and proud of her heritage from which sometimes manifests itself in her habit of random anecdotes stemming from family experiences. Her bedside manner is gruff, but it gets the job done as I recalled from when she patched me up after a bar fight (I’ll swear to this day that I didn’t instigate it!). Horseapples! That antiseptic was cold. Brr.
Royally Bucked stood up at tactical, a gleaming smile on his face as he was attempting to seduce another victim. I swear… that pony had banging on the brain more than I care to know. But I tell you what, the unicorn is a genus tactician, has an intimate understanding of weaponry, and an uncanny accuracy with both ship-based and personal weapons. I remember this one time I saw him hit the bullseye of a target from a hundred meters with a bow and arrow. I’m lucky to hit the broadside of a barn at that range.
Valkyrie sat with her paws and wings folded as she sat engrossed on the readout on the screen of the engineering console, all the while adjusting knobs, pushing buttons, and pulling levers occasionally with her gleaming claws. The griffin was a bright lass, but her dedication to the ships engines kinda had me worried. I heard she even named them. I guess I equi-morphised the ship, so giving names and personalities to the engines are not too big of a stretch.
Bed-o-win pulled me out of my musing,
“We are clear of the station and we are ready to teleport.”
“Go ahead, Bed.”
“Where is our destination?”
“The Cat’s Eye Nebula.”
“Aye-aye. Imputing course now.”
“Let’s do this. Take us out.”
He pressed a large red button on his console and the ship shuttered and was engulfed in a brilliant flash of white light as we began our journey.
Chapter 2: These are the Voyages of the Starship Magic
The brilliant white light began to fade as the bridge came into focus. I looked around at my fellow officers, all in various states of daze and confusion due to the sudden interstellar transport. Joe, in particular, wore a wall-eyed expression that reminded me of a certain pegasus mare back in Ponyville. I took a moment to regain my composure and looked out the main viewing screen. Only black space with glowing, twinkling stars met my gaze.
“Helmsman, why have we stopped? This is not the Cat’s Eye Nebula.”
“That is correct. I don’t know we have stopped ma’am.”
“Why don’t you know?” I said in a huff, “Did you find any aberrations in your navigation calculation or any other logical explanation of why we are here?”
“I have no logical explanation, but I do have a baffling explanation.”
“Explain, Bed.”
“My console has been jammed.”
“How so?”
“Strawberry, I think,” he then reached down with his hoof and took a small, sticky, pink blob and put it in his mouth. “I stand corrected, raspberry.”
“That is impossible!” I get up and canter over to his station hoping that this is just some practical joke, but as I live and breathe a sticky, pink jam was oozing out of the buttons and levers of his station.
“Captain, this may be a bad time, but my station has been turned into a giant carrot,” Stardust added.
“We are getting reports from all over the ship of strange and inexplicable occurrences. Captain, what do we do?” Joe asked. All of the ponies on the bridge then began to murmur and whisper amongst themselves.
“Quiet!” I order. All of the ponies on deck are suddenly silent at my outburst. At that moment an epiphany hit, “So, correct me if I’m wrong, but we have strange, inexplicable phenomina, unusual events and chaotic happenings. Sound familiar?” “Not really.” Royal pipes up. I let out an exasperated sigh, “This sounds like Discord’s work.”
The offending creature suddenly appeared on my deck, “Oh Dawn, you are a clever one. But I thought you would have figured this out in ’ten seconds flat’ as a one Rainbow Dash would put it.”
Despite my best effort of self control, I could not help but unleash a loud accusation, with much venom in my voice, “What do you want, Discord?”
He changed his appearance to that of a Canterlot noble, complete with monocle and top hat, “Why, to chat, old sport.”
“And causing chaos to my crew and ship is the way you wish to make me talk?”
He lost the clothes and grew a mass of fluff that made him look like a mutant sheep, “Well,” he said sheepishly, “Ponies won’t talk to me if I just ask. I need to get their attention.”
Upon hearing that, my anger began to dissipate. I knew that despite his reformation, ponies were slow to trust Discord and he had very much the same stigma as Luna, although to a much more extreme degree.
“Alright, Discord. We seem to have started off on the wrong hoof here,” I said as cordially as I could manage. “What would you like to talk about, my friend?”
Discord dropped the sheepskin and just looked at me for a minute. “That’s better. And I’m your friend? That’s a mighty strong word to be throwing ‘round these here parts" he said with a look of incredulity on his face and a cowboy hat on his head.
“If my mom can trust you, so can I. If you were truly evil, you could have destroyed me already so, but since I stand here before you, you must be capable of friendship.’’
“Well…. I was just going to personally wish you luck on you maiden voyage, but… since you have shown me kindness…” his face turned sour, “unlike some royal monarchs I know….” He returned to his usual manic smile, “I will share with you some information.” He face turned into one of seriousness, or something like it. With Discord it is hard to tell, “I’m not sure if you were aware, but I am the god of prophesy as the future is as chaotic and malleable as the present. As such I have had a vision. It is ‘cryptic’ (he empisized that word with air quotes) as you ponies call it, and even I do not fully understand its implications, but of this I’m sure: it deals with the near future and you, Dawn Sparkle, are mentioned in its verse . For generations those of claw and hoof, Have lived in peace, prosperity and love Beings of callous intentions stand aloof, From the stars, a danger descends from above. Two princesses, one fair and one foul, Will be found to be powerless to save their ward Blood will be let and friendship will run afoul Tears of fear and anger will be the only reward With friendship and magic Chaos was redeemed The world that shunned them needs them again Only order and chaos can prevent the screams Magic and science together can stay the pain Magic that begets magic, this is the key. To save Equestria from this dire prophesy.
After a moment of silence, I spoke, “Did somepony write that down?” My officers just looked at each other like I’d asked them to step in the airlock. I facehoofed and shook my head.
“Wait! The computer has a voice recording of all communications on bridge,” Stardust proclaimed. “Let me go over and play it for you…. Hmm. The console seems to be a large sugar cube. This will prove to be difficult.”
Discord began to manically laugh. “That was rich. Dawn, you and your crew are the most fun I’ve had all week! Oh, but seriously, though. Stardust is right. You do have a voice recording of my prophesy that you can play back at you leisure.”
“Hold it, Discord!”
“Objection! You are going to ask about why it pertains to you. You are smart, figure it out. It has been fun, kids but I gotta skedaddle. There are places I’d need to be. Toodles!”
In a flash he was gone. I furtively looked about my bridge and saw that all the equipment was correct and as it should be, but the ponies and griffin that sat on the bridge were very much confused, shocked and even more dazed than before.
Valkyrie was the first to talk, “So, tell me, I wasn’t the only griffin or pony who imagined a large, talking, snake-like creature with random parts of other animals?”
I responded matter-of-factly, “That creature was Discord. He is the spirit of chaos and disorder, but also of creativity and inspiration. He was a malevolent creature, but though the Elements of Harmony he was reformed. And, apparently, he is also capable of faster than light travel and can survive in the vacuum of space. Any questions?”
Royal spoke up, “What was up with that sonnet? I thought prophesies had to be in iambic pentameter like Hoofer’s grand epics. And what did it mean?”
I responded, “It would seem like sonnets work for prophesies, and I’m surprised you noticed that, Royal. Prophesies often have double entendres and hidden meanings that only make sense in light of the event at hoof.”
Royal responded, “Hey, just what are you implying? Just ‘cause I bang around, doesn’t mean I cannot be cultured or knowledgeable. Being a bastard son does confer some degree of class and smartitude.”
Deciding discretion is the better part of valor, I glossed over Royal’s comment and called out to my helmsman, “Bed-o-win, please get us underway to our original destination.”
“Yes ma’am. Sorry ma’am.”
I sighed. “Just input the course and execute.” I turned to Stardust. “Stardust, can you get a copy of Discord’s message?”
“Yes ma’am.”
She fiddled with a console for a moment and then produced a thin data chip.
“Stardust?”
“Ma’am?”
“Could you come with me to my quarters? I’d like to figure out Discord’s message and you are the ship’s expert on mythology and Equestrian history.”
“Of course.”
“Joe, you have the conn.”
“Aye-aye.”
As Stardust and I were leaving the bridge, Royal said in a loud whisper, “I would’ve banged Dawn if she asked me to.”
“Royally Bucked!” I roared, “Another such comment and I’ll lock you in the brig for insubordination. Do I make myself clear?”
Royal, much taken aback by my outburst said weakly, “Yes ma’am.”
“What was that, sir?”
He then repeated with great fervor, “Yes ma’am!”
“Good. Just be sure to keep your impulses and mouth in check next time.”
“Yes ma’am. Sorry ma’am.”
Stardust and I left the bridge and wiped away a tear that I hoped Stardust didn’t see. Thankfully, she didn’t. We walked in silence down the long corridor that spans the length of the ship with only recessed doors on either side leading to living quarters, labs, workshops and supply rooms. Ahead of us we could see the yellow glow of the core room.
Stardust and I stopped at one of the doors and entered my living quarters where she trotted over to my computer and input the chip. She grabbed my electronic tablet out of the drawer and held it at the ready. She offered to me a pen and paper; call me old fashioned, but I preferred actual paper to an electronic tablet any day of the week. She played the recording over and over, trying to glean all the information we could from that crazy poetry, but after a few listenings and several futile attempts to focus, all I could think about was my explosion on the bridge and my public humiliation of Royal. He didn’t deserve that. He was just being himself.
Stardust stopped the recording and looked at me. “You did the right thing, you know?”
“Hmm?” I answered.
“Royal is your subordinate officer. He needs to be put in his place.”
“I know that I had to do it as a captain, but as a friend I was brutally mean to him. What if this damages our friendship? What if we become…. enemies?”
“If Royal is truly your friend, he will forgive you. Just ask for his forgiveness…. Just not on the bridge.”
“You know what, Stardust, you are right. Thanks for the pep talk.”
“That’s what friends are for. Now let’s stop yammering and get to hammering.”
I nodded assent and we got to work on the cryptic prophesy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After attacking the communiqué for a few more hours, I preceded to hear a snore erupt from across the bed.
“Oh Stardust,” I whispered with a smile. I enveloped her in my magic, still sound asleep, and took her to her quarters. After seeing to her, I looked down to hall to the core room, now enveloped in a bluish glow. I decided a moonlight stroll would do well for my nerves and I entered the core room.
I’d been to the core several times during the construction of the Magic, but even in my tired state, the room still managed to elicit a smile and a look of wonder. The Magic is what is known as a ‘mini-ark’ ship; the power of our love and friendship toward each other and our native Equestria provide the power for the ship. This room channels that power for the ship’s functions by recreating the splendor of Equestria itself by literally transplanting an acre of our beloved planet right here in the ship. The simulated sun and moon cycles, the weather and the flora and fauna are synchronized with that of my hometown, Ponyville.
Right now the full moon directly overhead indicated that it was getting late back home, but the events of the day and the ominous prophesy kept my mind doing mental gymnastics. A voice pulled me out of my thoughts, “It’s lovely, eh?”
Without even looking, I could tell it was Honeycrisp. Her unmistakable Vanhoover accent gave it away. “No matter how many times I’m here, I feel that I’m home and not aboard a starship a few light-years away.”
“You’re thinking about home, aren’t you?”
“A little bit, but mostly the events of today.”
“I heard about Discord. That aptly explains why all of my syringes became candy canes.”
I giggled at that. I’m certainly no fan of needles.
“Any idea what the prophesy entails?”
“I’m guessing that the first part relates to an alien invasion of some sort and the last part says that either myself or this ship or both can stop them. Or maybe my mom, Twilight. And maybe Discord still has a hand or claw or hoof or…um…whatever… in all of this, since he is mentioned in the poem.”
“That sounds pretty ominous, if I do say so myself. Just about as ominous as the scary, loud howl that Auntie Granny Smith heard back before Ponyville was founded. Ended up being a timberwolf, by the way.”
I rolled my eyes involuntarily at Honeycrisp’s unnecessary embellishment, but she was right that that story did bode ill.
“Care to walk for a bit, Honeycrisp? I could use some company.”
“Sure thing.”
We walked in silence for the longest time before Honeycrisp spoke,
“He’s cute you know and you should just admit that you love him.”
“What? What …er…who are you talking about?” I asked, confused and shocked.
“Royally Bucked. The love was so there. I heard about the tussle on the bridge.”
“He instigated that I wished to have sexual relations with him!”
“Do you?”
“No… well…. No! No matter how cute that flank of his is and how lovely his smile, I cannot do that! It would undermine our relationship.”
“And what is this relationship?”
“As coworkers and friends. Workmates do not bang each other!”
“And why not?”
“Because…erm….you know….it’s not professional.”
“You stress a casual atmosphere here on the Magic. There is nothing professional about working and living here.”
“I…just….can’t.”
“Come on. Live a little. I know you’ve had a crush on him ever since you met him at the ESC academy. Why don’t you give him a try?”
“I…don’t want a potentially failed relationship to get in the way of our friendship. With the close group that we are, if things went sour for Royal and me, things would sour for everypony else, especially you, Stardust, Valkyrie, Bed-o-win ….”
“I get it. You are scared and nervous and preoccupied. Take it a step at a time.”
“Geez, now you are sounding like my mother, but thanks a lot, love doctor Honeycrisp.”
“Anytime, dearest. Anytime.”
We gave each other a hug and then retired to our rooms for the night. I collapsed into my bed and fell into a dreamless, deep sleep.
“Captain Sparkle, your presence is requested on the bridge.”
I groaned, sleepily opened my eyes and unleashed a yawn that could terrify a manticore.
“Alright, Joe. I’ll be right up.”
The intercom clicked off and I let loose another yawn and rolled out of bed with a lack of grace resulting in a tangled mess of sheets and me on the floor of my room. I groaned again and mumbled under my breath as I released myself from the grip of my sheets. Grabbing a manebrush, I styled my mane and got myself presentable; I’m not a vain pony, but I do understand that appearances matter. My vermillion mane seemed to resist taming today as though its defiance would allow me to go back to bed but it was gravely mistaken.
Having gotten ready, I swung by the mess hall. Immediately upon entering the cafeteria, the loud din of the room quieted to hushed whispers. It would seem that the shaming of Royally Bucked yesterday had left a bad impression. The quiet made me uncomfortable, but it wasn’t like I could ask the ponies to start gossiping, tell jokes or carry on. I cantered up to the chef and got a couple of chocolate glazed donuts, my favorite, and ate them greedily. With breakfast settled, I left the hall and, as I expected, the talking resumed to its prior levels, but there is no time to worry about crew morale now; there are more pressing matters on the bridge.
I entered the bridge and surveyed those present. Stardust was happily at work on her console, Valkyrie was engrossed in some readout at hers, Joe stood at the ready and Royal gave me a snappy salute. I was a little put off my Royal’s salute due to my instance on equality on my ship and I knew that he did it purposefully to put me off. I willed myself not to be affected by it and proceeded to ask the nature of the situation.
Joe responded, “We have arrived at the nebula.”
“Please put it on screen.”
The large viewing screen in front of us lit up and the gorgeous nebula graced our vision. I’d read about nebulas in textbooks, but I never saw a picture of one and most certainly not the real thing. I stood there transfixed, as did my crew.
Stardust was the first to speak, “Well…um…captain, we should begin our mission.”
In not one of my more composed moments I responded, “Um…right….mission….um…oh, right. The mission. Yeah. Alright. We are here to analyze and investigate the nebula. We need data on how they are formed, why is it here, why does it glow and we need some samples too. Stardust, form a team and get on it. Talk to Royal and see what you can do about getting some probes into the cloud and maybe retrofit one to collect some samples. Can you do that?”
Royal spoke up, “We should be able to do that, ma’am.”
Stardust was not so stiff in her response, “It’d be my pleasure. This is so exciting!”
“Everypony else not in Stardust’s team,” I added, “Go on and take the rest of the morning off. I’ll page you over the intercom if anything comes up.”
Most of the orderlies and other ponies on the bridge filed out, a few expressing thanks. Joe refused to move, so I walked over to him to see what was up. The poor pony had absolutely bloodshot eyes and his mane and coat were disheveled. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’d pulled an all-nighter.
“What’s going on, Joe? You look awful.”
“I’m just doing my job, Dawn.”
“Well, you look like you haven’t slept a wink.”
“I haven’t. But I’ve got coffee on board and I feel great.”
“You don’t look or sound all that great. Why don’t you rest for a bit. A spot of sleep ought to help you out.”
“I’m good. I need to be here in case something happens.”
“We are on a scouting mission at a harmless natural phenomenon.”
“Well, we were supposed to be here yesterday but we got a major chaotic hiccup.”
“Yes… but you are not at your best. Please, I need my officers functioning fully.”
“I’m at full *yawn* functioning capacity.”
“Sure as Tartarus you are. Go on, grab a nap. I’ve got the bridge.”
“If you *yawn* insist.”
Joe then sleepily walked toward the door of the bridge, nearly tripping over a spot of bare floor. Poor guy. As long as I’ve known Joe wasn’t the sort to be an excessive worry wart. If anything, I was the one to panic and worry, not him. (I learned how to have a debilitating anxiety attack from the best worrywart around: Mom!) It would seem like I need to talk to Joe and Royal sometime later. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few hours later, Stardust sat at her station with giant stacks of paper and readouts, going over it all with the glee of a filly who discovered her cutie mark and most everypony else was relaxing or bored. Joe had returned to the bridge with an added spring in his step, a more wakeful alertness and he smelled of sweet citrus. Either he just ate some oranges or he put on cologne. I’d never known him to wear it, but I guess you can always try new things. Hmm. I wonder why he put it on…
A crewman working communications that I never learned the name of pulled my attention away from my thoughts,
“Captain, we may have a situation.”
“What kind of situation?”
“I’m not sure yet, but it sounds important.”
I said, slightly annoyed, “Would you stop playing guessing games and tell me what’s going on?”
The pony was slightly taken aback before answering, “We are receiving a hailing frequency. Should we answer it?”
I grimaced. Parts of Discord’s poem ran through my mind as I thought of the potential danger. It implicated an alien threat and here one might be. I decided that not answering it may very well cause the prophesy to come true so I decided on a cautious answer.
“Royal?”
“Yes ma’am?”
“Prepare the EMP torpedoes for launch.”
“Of course, but why, may I ask?”
“Just in case things turn sour. On my signal, I want you to fire them, even in the middle of conversation. If you see my indication to you to fire, even without explicitly asking you, do it.”
“OK. I understand and will carry out those orders, ma’am.”
Royal was still pushing protocol to the letter. I really need to have a talk when this was all said and done. I pointed to the pony at communications,
“Go ahead and answer the call and put it on the main screen.”
“Aye-aye”
The main screen hummed to life as the previous view of the nebula was replaced by dark screen.
“Is the screen on?”
A female voice from the screen answered, “The comlink is established. It is our custom to greet new races without them seeing our faces and form.”
I responded inquisitively, “Really? That seems a bit strange to me.”
“You are not of our culture, so of course it doesn’t make sense to you. Tell me, are you like mutant ponies or something?”
“I am not a mutant. This is the form of our race.”
“So I see. You seem friendly enough. Fleet of Foot, turn on the lights.”
The lights were turned on and I beheld the aliens for the first time. They seemed birdlike with a set of wings and two sets of claws. Based on their anatomy I could only assume they are bipedal and they relied heavily on their claws to manipulate things, as their beaks would be ill suited. All of the bird creatures before me were predatory and the raven-like bird who sat on a raised dais I could only assume to be their leader. My inferences were confirmed when she spoke,
“I am Swift of Thought, captain of the Avian ship, the Saber.”
“I am Dawn Sparkle, captain of the Equestrian ship, the Magic.”
“I have a few questions, Equestrian.”
“Fire away.”
At that moment I realized I’d picked the absolute wrong choice of words. Quick as thought, Royal pushed on his console and I knew that two torpedoes were inbound.
“Brace yourselves, Avians! Incoming!”
“Wait….What?”
The screen became all static-y and fizzled out.
“Somepony put their ship on screen!”
The alien ship swiftly appeared on the screen. The ship seemed to be drifting, recoiling from twin torpedo strikes with sparks of electricity randomly discharging along the hull.
“Bed-o-win! Bring us as close as you can to that ship.”
“Yes ma’am. Sorry ma’am”
“Stardust!”
“Yes?”
“Can you get a power coupling between us and that ship? I want it back online as soon as possible.”
“Of course, but may I ask why?”
“Showing a little kindness might help salvage this situation and getting their ship working will help to that end, don’t you agree?”
“Yes. That sounds logical. Valkyrie,” She looks up at the pegasus, “Come with me. I need your help.”
At that the two fliers galloped out of the bridge and down the hall.
“If it’s any consolation, ma’am, it was unintentional,” Royal offered.
“Royal,” I said as calmly as I could, “You followed orders to the letter and I commend you. I will take the blame for this for you acted on my directions.”
At this Royal’s worried face slightly abated, but he and all members present on the bridge looked at me with varying degrees of stress. I was having trouble controlling my own.
At that moment the view screen came to life as the alien captain came into view.
“…You cited four hours just a minute ago, how are the systems coming back online?” Swift of Thought interrogated.
“I don’t know ma’am,” the Avian eagle next to her said.
“You know what, it’s not important. Just get me in contact with that ship and find out what happened and what that weapon was.”
“It would appear the commlink has already been established and….oh.”
“Dawn Sparkle of the Magic. What happened?” she said with a great deal of anger she had trouble hiding.
“I accidentally ordered an electromagnetic pulse to be fired on your vessel.”
“I fail to understand why. We did not provoke you.”
“No, you did not provoke us. This is all a misunderstanding.”
“I’ve been around sentient creatures enough to know that there was a more subtle reason. Weapons do not get accidentally fired.”
“We have had a prophesy that…”
She cut me off, “Wait! You had a prophesy. A prophesy told you to do this?”
“Not directly, but from what I can tell from it…”
She interrupted again, this time with mirth in her voice, “So, you creatures still believe in prophesies and gods and religion after all this time? That is hilarious!”
The entire crew of the alien ship started laughing in various degrees of strength with only a stoic Avian owl in the background not sharing in their mirth. I was very put off by their disregard of our inherent magic that made goddesses and gods a living, tangible thing. You try telling one of the princesses that she doesn’t exist. You’ll earn yourself a one way ticket to the moon.
I forced myself to use restraint, but some of my crew members were not so kind.
“How dare you talk about my mother that way!” Royally Bucked blurted out, “She is the goddess of Love and I am living tangible proof that she exists!”
Another pony piped up, “Celestia and Luna are our immortal, divine leaders. They are tangible, living goddesess who rule with a fair and even hoof!”
At these outbursts the entire Avian crew rolled over with laughter. As much as I wanted to scream the praises of the goddesses of Equestria, I knew that such things would only fuel their mirth and I just needed to be patient and wait for them to finish.
After a few minutes the Avians recovered and captain Swift-of-thought spoke, “So then, Captain Dawn Sparkle, what of this…hehe…prophesy? What does it predict?”
“It claims that a group of aliens will attack our homeworld and leave death and destruction in its wake.”
“Sounds like a pretty standard apocalypse. I hear it all the time, but it doesn’t come to pass.”
“I have my doubts about it as well due to its somewhat….unreliable source.”
“Hmm, there may be hope for you yet. You are not completely sold on the idea of religion then.”
“Who said anything about religion? We do have divines on Equestria that we can talk and touch and everything. They raise the sun and moon and handle affairs of love among other things.”
“If you gods are so ‘real’ (she accented with air quotes) then where are they?”
“Back home in Equestria. Space travel is difficult for them.”
“And you know that….how?”
“Because Celestia herself told me as such.”
“That is ridiculous! Your entire race must be drug addicts or something. How do you justify their divinity?”
“Magic.”
“Magic! Magic!” She laughed some more, but only for a few seconds, “Seriously you cannot come up with a better explanation than magic?”
“That is how they work. All ponies have inherent magic. How it manifests itself depends on the tribe of pony.”
“So then, Dawn Sparkle, show me some of this ‘magic’ since you must be imbued with it too since ‘all ponies’ have it, yourself included.”
I sighed. “Alright. But I hope you have shuttlecraft as this will be pretty draining on my arcana.”
“We do. Show me your…hehe…magic.”
My horn began to glow with a light orange glow and I willed myself to teleport to the alien vessel’s bridge. I began to float in the air as I continued to concentrate on the spell at hoof. White light enveloped the room as I teleported and dematerialized in a flash from the bridge of the Magic.
Seconds or hours past. I could not tell you which since time loses all meaning during a teleport. Suddenly things came into focus as the light abated. I came to my hooves and looked around, a little disoriented. Strange panels and noises told me I must be on the Avian ship, but a look up at the shocked face of captain Swift-of-Thought spoke volumes and confirmed my location. I grinned and said somewhat groggily,
“That’s how you do a teleport.”
Swift of Thought continued to stare at me then responded, “So I see. I…” She paused for a minute while she gathered her thoughts and I took the time to gather my strength and my thoughts.
Swift of Thought continued, “I’m sorry for lambasting your magic. I didn’t believe it, but now that I see it, the evidence is refutable. With magic like this, your rulers either are divine or nearly so which means… gods exist…. At least on Equestria. Wow.”
“I’m guessing by your verbal attack on magic and goddesses, you must not have them on your world.”
“Only in stories from our past. Everybird now is a firm believer in science and technology.”
“Fascinating. I’d love to hear more about your thoughts on….ooh. Ouch!” At that moment an arcana headache decided to hit. Unicorns get them when they overexert their arcana reserves. They hurt like Tartarus and there doesn’t seem to be a painkiller strong enough to handle it. This was one of the times that I thanked Celestia and any other divine in range for being the daughter of Twilight Sparkle. Due to my birthright, I have a larger than average arcana pool meaning that I can recover in a few hours as opposed to a few days that a teleport like the sort I just pulled would impose on a normal unicorn.
I collapsed and grit my teeth so I wouldn’t scream. The migraine got worse and worse until, finally, I blacked out. Anyway I looked at this situation, the only conclusion I could draw was that this was going to be a rough night.
I awoke to sunshine and birds chirping. I slowly opened my eyes and gazed upon a green field, a small grove of trees, a bunch of nice little flowers and a small family of bunnies hopping by. “You’re awake, eh?”
“Honeycrisp?”
“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”
“Where am I?”
“In the core room on board the Magic.”
“How did I get here?
“We signed up for service in the Equestrian Space Command fleet and after years at the ESC academy we earned a position aboard the starship Magic. I’d hope your temporary amnesia would allow you to remember that.”
I faltered for a second before answering, “…I know that part. I mean from my, dare I say, epic teleport to the Saber, how am here in the Magic’s core room?”
“Right. Well, Joe handled the rest of the diplomacy and returned you to the Magic to rebuild your arcana.”
“And what of the Avians and Captain Swift?”
“It turns out that the Avians are also here to study the nebula, but it seems like some cultural exchange is also in order due to our...presence. In fact, Captain Swift of Thought is on board the Magic.”
“Ah! I’m being a bad host and not showing her my baby!”
“You’re pregnant?”
“What?” I paused for a second letting my thoughts catch up to my mouth, “I’m not pregnant. What made you think that?”
“You said that you were going to show Ms. Swift your baby. I just put two and two together and got…”
“Twenty-two. I was talking about the ship.”
“You think the ship is your offspring? Your psychological state is worse than I feared.”
“Are you trying to add psychologist to your list of duties on this ship?”
“Maybe. I could use more titles after my name. I wonder how many bits it would cost to engrave that plaque on my desk….”
I snarked back, “Honeycrisp Apple: Medical Doctor, Psychologist and Love Doctor.”
“Oh. I forgot about being a love doctor. I think I’ll need a bigger desk, eh?”
“Which will require a bigger office. Which requires a larger ship.”
“Which demands a bigger ego.”
“Now who has the psychological problem?”
We just stared at each other before letting out a good natured laugh that lasted for a few minutes.
“You’re medically fine. Captain Swift wanted to meet with you in the boardroom with your officers when it’s convenient.”
I decided that I needed to contact the ESC command to let them know we ran into a group of friendly aliens before formally meeting with Captain Swift of Thought and her officers. I trotted on to the bridge to the sound of a few cheers and nods, no doubt due to my teleport earlier.
“Nice ship, Ms. Sparkle.”
“Yours is nice too, Ms. Thought.”
“You haven’t been on it yet.”
“I hope to do so before we part ways.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
After my exchange with Captain Swift, who was engaging in an excited conversation with Stardust, I trotted up to the commutation console and told the pony there to patch me through to the ESC command.
“I can’t get them, ma’am. They are too far away, but the Friendship is in range.”
I grumbled. If I had to talk to the Friendship, I had to talk to Cream Pie, her captain.
I sighed, “Patch me through.”
“Hello Dawn Sparkle. Pleasure seeing you,” she said in the blandest monotone.
I responded in the most friendly voice I could manage, “You too, Cream.”
Cream Pie, the youngest of the Pie sisters and the littlest sister of the infamous Pinkie Pie, is the captain of the HMS Friendship, the pride of the Equestrian fleet. We were classmates at the ESCA and fast friends and friendly rivals. We competed at almost everything: academics, athletics, lunch, you name it. We both graduated at the top of our class, her valedictorian, me salutatorian. She was granted her command first due to her higher standing and she got the Friendship, the first ship ever launched by Equestrians.
But therein lies the problem. The Friendship is a much larger ship than the Magic, harboring a full four acres of Equestria within and having a compliment of a hundred and eighty or so. The large size and special facilities dictate the Friendship’s purpose and primary focus which is on terraforming and colonizing nearby planets. This leads to boring orders like, ‘Orbit planet X and send teams down to its surface to investigate if its inhabitable by ponies,’ which are carried out for weeks or months at a time.
Although Cream has been a robot stand-in as long as I’ve known her, I get the feeling that she is a might bit jealous. Granted, it is nearly impossible to tell due to her utter lack of emotion and lack of inflection in her voice. That being said, some emotion can be seen in subtle ways, but you really have to look for them to see them: a gleam in her eye, the glimmer of a smile or maybe the slightest inflection in her voice.
“How’s the Magic? Still in one piece I see.”
“I wasn’t so sure for a minute there. Discord decided to pay us a visit mid-teleport.”
“Wow. Someponies get all the excitement. I suppose you have a reason to call me up, it’s not like I have a thousand other things to do.”
“We have established First Contact.”
“First Contact?”
“Yeah. As in we met a group of aliens and they are friendly.”
I heard the slightest hint of a sigh, “That’s really amazing. What are they like?”
“Actually, there’s one here on my bridge. I’ll ask her to come over.”
I called over to Captain Swift with a gesture of my hoof, “This is Captain Swift of Thought of the Avian ship the Saber.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Cream responded.
“The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Pie. You and all your fellow Equestrians are utterly fascinating!” Swift commented.
“I’m glad to meet you. It would seem that my supervisor wants a word.”
“Supervisor?” I asked, dumbfounded. To the best of my knowledge, all of our supervisors were back in Equestria or orbiting it.
Princess Luna, herself, came on the commlink or rather at it. The screen only showed her blue undulating mane. I heard Cream mutter something like, “You’re too close, princess,” then a few seconds elapsed before Luna backed away from the camera and said in the Royal Canterlot Voice,
“HOW ARE YOU DOING DAWN? I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU FOR A WHILE.”
“I’m doing fine princess,” I managed to squeak out as me ears tried to recover.
“THIS MUST BE THE NEW CREATURE I’VE HEARD ABOUT? HOW ARE YOU?”
“Deaf and pleased to make your acquaintance,” Swift responded.
“HUZZAH! I MUST MEET YOU IN PONY. I’LL BE THERE ON THE MAGIC AS FAST AS STARDUST CAN CARRY ME. I FARE THEE WELL.”
The princess then dematerialized into a blue streak of stardust and blew off screen.
After my ears recovered I addressed Cream Pie, “So, Cream. When were you going to tell me you had the princess aboard?”
“As soon as you indicated the reason you called. It would seem that alien presence trumps a princess’s presence.”
“Don’t take it like that. You’ll get your chance soon enough.”
“Not soon enough,” she said with the slightest twinge of anger and disappointment in her voice.
“Could you let ESC central know of our meeting with the Avians?”
“Yes, I will. Goodbye Dawn.”
The commlink clicked off. Swift then asked me, “Is Cream Pie always that…. emotionless?”
“Ever since I’ve known her,” I said with a sigh.
“And is the princess always that…loud?”
“Not all the time. That was the classic ‘Royal Canterlot Voice.”
“So she has a lower voice setting?”
“Yes.”
“She’s one of your immortal rulers and goddesses?”
An hour later saw me and my senior officers in the Magic’s boardroom with Swift and her senior officers. The conditions were a bit tight, but reasonably comfortable, even for our tall guests.
“This ship of yours is fascinating! Many things, especially your source of power are found nowhere else in the galaxy, or at least that I know of. Avian engineering could benefit from a thing or two learned here,” Captain Swift lauded.
“I haven’t seen much of your ship, but from my engineer and science officer here, it sounds like you could have much to teach us as well,” I responded.
“That brings me to my next point. From my understanding, it would seem that pegisi have the ability to manipulate weather, earth ponies have a knack for growing plant life and unicorns have inherent magic.”
“This is true. Don’t Avians have unique abilities?”
“Not to this degree. These powers are unique. As in, no other race I’ve met has these sort of abilities or to this degree.”
“Well, Equestrians are special, I guess.”
“What I’d like to propose is an alliance of sorts. Ponies could be very useful across the galaxy as all other planets have rouge weather that handles itself, plants that refuse to germinate and a need for specialized magic constructs. If Equestrians were interested, we could establish contracts to work in nearby systems for both of our race’s profits.”
I thought for a long minute before responding, “Your proposal is…interesting. But several problems remain. First is that the princesses have dominion over the ponies of Equestria and they would make or break such a deal. I’m just an envoy of friendship. The second is that the general population doesn’t know about aliens and I’m not sure how they’ll respond.”
At that moment, the princess of the night decided to materialize in the already cramped boardroom. As she became physical, I could almost feel waves of anger flow off of her. I was fearful; being around the mercurial princess made me wary of her temper. However, I failed to understand the source of her ire until she spoke,
“HOW DARE YOU? MY SUBJECTS ARE NOT PAWNS!”
“Princess Luna, can we talk about this like civilized beings?” I pleaded.
“DAWN SPARKLE, THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO DISCUSS. IT SEEMS LIKE OUR NEW FOUND FRIENDS HAVE ONLY BITS ON THEIR BRAIN.”
“But both of our races can profit…” Swift repeated, visibly shaken from Luna’s outburst.
“YOU SEE? I MUST PURGE THIS DISCUSTING BEING FROM THE GALAXY. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR REMOVAL.”
Luna began to charge her horn. As quick as thought, I jumped up from my seat to intercept the bolt aimed for Captain Swift. Time seemed to slow down as a blinding flash engulfed the room. I braced for the impact of a spell that never came as I hit the ground behind the Avian commander.
The room was silent for a minute as I came to me hooves and all eyes stared between me, Swift of Thought and the immortal princess. Princess Luna was the first to speak,
“I was too quick to judge you. There are some of my little ponies who value profit and still have the magic of friendship in their hearts. It is not my duty or right to remove that which I find distasteful, for that is the path that lead me to become Nightmare Moon.” She paused for a second, “So Captain Swift of Thought, Captain of the Saber, and CEO of Avian Avionics, please accept my apology and my hoof in friendship.”
Captain Swift was taken aback for a minute before she shook the princess’s hoof with her claw, then proceeded to hoofbump it.
Luna smiled at the hoofbump, then she frowned, “Now about your proposal….”
Swift piped up, “I’ll retract it. It seems silly anyways.”
Luna responded, “Now that I think about it, it may yet work, but I need to talk to my counterpart, Celestia before I just go making a decision as monumental as this. Dawn is also right that even if this works, we don’t know if the pony on the street is interested. However, I would like to propose a more serious alliance than yours between the Avians and Equestrians. I propose full cultural, scientific and technological exchange between our races plus… lucrative, exclusive contracts for Avian and Equestrian merchants when dealing with other planets, should that part of the deal go through.”
Swift squeed with delight, “That is an even better plan than mine! This will lead to the betterment of all!”
“Furthermore,” Luna continued, “I would like to declare that from this day forth the primary mission, the Prime Directive if you will, of the Equestrian Space Command shall be to spread the magic of friendship not only to our fellow ponies but to all races.”
Everypony and everybird in the room cheered at the proposal and declaration. I was particularly glad we were able to placate the princess and Swift of Thought and, for the second time today, I wasn’t dead due to something rash I did.
Night came and went with our royal guest amazing pony and bird alike with her moonrise and set. The morning found me refreshed, but still sore from my exploits of the previous day. I decided to hit my day head-on with a good breakfast and some small talk with the Princess before she called it a night (or day as it were). Now that things were calm, I decided to hit up Captain Swift on her offer to tour her ship.
The Avian ship seemed almost cramped, despite the high ceilings and large rooms. The Magic is by no means a large ship, but I felt that my own ship seemed more spacious even though my ship’s compliment and physical size is smaller than the Saber. I asked Captain Swift about this and she replied, “It I due to the nature of our vessel. We go for long journeys and basic physics says that more ship requires more fuel and supplies, so to maximize our range, wasted space is minimized.”
I replied, “So I see. I know this is a bit random, but Luna called you the CEO of some company. What was that all about?”
“I’m the CEO of Avian Avionics; it’s a company I founded to explore the cosmos.”
“But why a company? Doesn’t the Avian government help you out?”
“No. We receive no subsidies or other help from our government.”
“So is that why you were interested in us ponies, as a way to make profit?”
She hesitated a bit before answering, “I won’t lie to you, but I smell a business deal when I catch one. Don’t get me wrong, I love exploration and discovery, but without an incentive for potential profit, there is no reason to pursue a line of research.”
“So you do not research for the love of knowledge, but for profit?”
“In essence.”
“So I see,” I said with reservation.
After that we walked in silence as she showed me the rest of the ship. Soon we reached the ship borne weapons room.
“These weapons are designed to kill,” I noted, somewhat disconcerted.
“Some…obstacles… need to be removed by force.”
“But killing?”
“Most races do not have your taboo against killing and will be more than happy to feed you a lead sandwich.”
“A lead sandwich doesn’t sound very tasty.”
“It’s an expression meaning that they will kill you, a holdover from when bullets were made out of lead,” She paused for a second before continuing, “I do not mean to corrupt a peaceful society, but the reality of space-faring nations is that killing is the norm, not the exception. If you ponies are to continue in this galaxy you are going to need more serious offensive weaponry.”
“There is no problem that cannot be solved through diplomacy and friendship,” I asserted.
She added darkly, “Diplomacy only goes so far. If you do not learn to fight and kill, ponies will be subjugated or be but a footnote in the book of history.”
I was quick to add, but trying to keep my emotions in check, “But we were able to use diplomacy to prevent you from using your deadly weapons.”
“This is true and I know of other races that will try diplomacy too, but they will also use deadly force if needed. However I also know a few races that will shoot first and ask questions later.”
“If the conquest of space requires us to fundamentally change Equestrian society, it might not be worth it.”
“I’m afraid you and your people will have to rise to the challenge at some point, either now or later and from what I’ve seen, I believe you can go through that gauntlet and make it. It will take some changes and work, but it can be done.”
“You’ve given me a lot to think about…”
“I have faith that you and your people can pull it off.”
I replied, somewhat darkly, “That isn’t much comfort from a race that has no deities they hold faith in.”
“It is not that kind of faith. It is a hope and optimistic feeling that our newest allies can endure and thrive, but I need to temper that optimism. I am a realist in the knowledge that trials are coming both from within and without Equestria. I just want you to be ready. We Avians were only so barely able to put aside our differences and when we reached into space with did so somewhat naively, such as your young race, but we adapted and thrived and I can only hope Equestrians can do the same.”
It dawned on me what she was trying to say, “I see what you are saying. I may not completely agree with you and your people’s philosophy, but it a practical and pragmatic response to the nature of our galaxy. Thanks for your time and thoughts.”
After my edifying conversation with Captain Swift, I returned to my own ship. She took her leave and the Avian ship left our vicinity to areas unknown and we wished them luck in their endeavors. Our royal guest decided to join us for a late lunch before heading off to Equestria. I broke out some Sweet Apple Acres cider that I was saving for a rainy day much to my crew’s delight and much reverie and merriment was to be had. Midway through the party Luna pulled me aside, “Dawn, you remind me so much of your mother.”
“I hear that a lot Princess.”
“Please skip the formalities, just call me Luna.”
“Right, Luna.”
“I read the prophesy of Discord and I think it may have merit. But as with the nature of prophesy it is unknown who or when the disaster might strike. However, you must be the one mentioned in its verse, so be careful. The fate of Equestria may lie in your hooves…or not.”
“I’ll be on the lookout for trouble, I guess.”
“That’s the most I could ask,” She paused for another minute before adding, “You really do remind me of your mother.”
“You said that already, Luna.”
“I know, but you are so like her. You both share that spark, the magic of friendship. I can see it in your crewmates, I can see it in your ship and I can see it in you. Your mother must be proud.”
“I know she is, Luna,” I started to tear up a bit at this, “And I am proud of her too.”
The immortal princess fidgeted a bit before deciding to say, with a sigh, “Dawn, I’d just like to say I’m sorry for what happened yesterday in the boardroom.”
“Nopony or nobird got hurt and everything turned out well for both us and them.”
“I guess its outbursts like that that make my return to station so difficult. A generation has gone by since my return and redemption, yet I still snap like that. No wonder ponies are still distrustful and skittish around me.”
“That’s who you are, Luna. You keep your emotions on your sleeve and provide balance to your sister’s often impassive demeanor,” I stated. Wow, I never thought I’d need to console a princess.
“So you like me for who I am, not due to my station or your mother’s trust?”
“I do genuinely love to have you as a friend, strengths and flaws. All of you.”
“Thanks, Dawn Sparkle. That means a lot to me.” She gave me a gentle hug, “Please come visit me in Canterlot sometime, my friend.”
“I’d be delighted.”
“So with that, I’ll take my leave,” She addressed the room in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “THANK YOU, EVERYPONY. MY STAY HERE ABORD THE HMS MAGIC WAS FULL OF DARE I SAY MAGIC. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT YOUR ADVENTURES. FARE THEE WELL.”
Those ponies who were lucid enough cheered or wished Luna well as she disappeared into blue stardust and flew through a porthole out into the vastness of space. I stared smiling at the porthole for a bit before returning to the present. I sighed seeing as this would probably be the best time to talk to Joe and Royal before they returned to work. I decided Joe would be the easier one to talk to.
“Hey, Joe,” I said as I canted up to his table where he was nursing a glass of hard cider between his hooves.
“Hey, Dawn. What’s going on?”
“Not much. I just sent off the co-ruler of Equestria a day after overseeing First Contact and performing a draining teleportation. What about you?”
“When you put it that way, I’ve done nothing at all for the past day.”
“Don’t be like that. You’re my front-right hoof pony and I couldn’t run the Magic without you.”
“I’m sure you can manage without me.”
“Why are you cutting yourself to the quick? I wouldn’t have you here if you weren’t essential.”
“It’s just…”
“Just what? You are holding something from me and I want to know what it is. It’s not like you to keep secrets and your poker face leaves something to be desired.”
He gave me a long drawn out sigh, “It has dawned on me Dawn, that I love you, more than just a friend, but as a coltfriend. I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but I honestly couldn’t drum up the courage to tell you, but now there it is.”
I was speechless. I knew that Joe and I went way back to before the ESC academy and we were good friends back in Ponyville, but honestly I never noticed his advances. Was I just oblivious and he loved me the whole time but I was just too wrapped up in myself to know or is this a new development or was it simply the events of the past few days were the catalyst or maybe it is just the cider talking? After a moment of silence, he continued,
“Stupid me. I knew as soon as I opened my mouth it’d cause trouble. I’ll just go now.”
I finally got my brain into gear, “Joe, don’t leave.”
“You don’t have to love me out of pity. I understand the nature of infatuation.”
I scrambled for a way to resolve the situation as cleanly and kindly as possible, “Joe, you kinda hit me with a sledgehammer. I like you as a friend, I respect you as my first mate and I value you and your opinions. It’s just I need to get my head together and decide for myself what the answer is. You know me, I try to temper the passion with reason and that’s what I need to do. Give me some time and I’ll get your answer.”
Joe perked up at this, “So there may be something there.”
“Joe, you have been there for me through thick and thin and all the while we have a strong bond of friendship between us. Whatever my answer I want this to be crystal clear: you are my best friend, coltfriend or no. I don’t want potentially failed romance to foul the connection we built. But I can also see the amazing reward a successful romance could bring.”
Joe looked at me forlornly, “I see your point. I’m sorry I didn’t consider the consequences of my built-up love. If you must have time to sort it out, I can hardly deny you that privilege, but if you are just stringing me along so you don’t hurt my feelings, please let me know now so I can get on with life. But no matter what, I love you Dawn.”
Joe then got up and left me alone at the table with me and my thoughts. So much for the easier of the two gentleponies to sort out.
A good half an hour and glass of cider later found me still musing at the table at Joe’s confession. I had so many thoughts I was sure my head was going to explode from the sheer volume of thinking about Joe and me, but a new member at my table pulled me out of my head. Much to my annoyance, dismay and relief it was Royally Bucked. I both didn’t want to talk to him but I also needed to talk to him at the same time.
“Hey Dawn. Is this considered off duty?” he said with a puff of alcohol on his breath that implied he had quite a few.
“Yes, Royal. You can speak freely,” I said with visible annoyance.
“Well then, I’d like to apologize for my indiscretion and misconduct on the bridge. It is hardly fitting of a bridge officer such as myself and I’d like to be retired off the bridge in a capacity that will not compromise the ship.”
“Royal…. I cannot simply let you leave the bridge without good reason. I need you at tactical.”
“But I am unfit of command. I only have banging on my mind while on the bridge and I buck up too frequently. Tartatus! I’m so bucked up, it’s in my name, Royally Bucked!”
“Royal, you and I both know that your name is due to your mother’s…. unusual…sense of humor and a night of drunken debauchery.”
“And here I am, following in my mother’s hoofsteps with six glasses of hard cider in my stomach.”
“I’m not sure if I should be impressed that you are conscious and lucid after six glasses or appalled that you’ve drunken that much.”
“So, then. If you refuse to demote me, do you want to bang?”
“As tempting as that is, I’ll have to decline. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“What could possibly bother you? We are talking about The Dawn Sparkle, the pride of the ESC academy and captain of the swift Magic. What could bother her?”
“It would seem that she has a personal problem, the sort she needs to sort out.”
“Care to fill me in?”
“Not particularly.”
“Oh, come on. I’m trustworthy and stuff. I’ve known you longer than everypony here, except maybe Joe,” at the sound of his name I couldn’t help but try to restrain a blush. Royal picked right up on this, “Oh, so it’s about Joe, huh? I’m also guessing it’s a matter of love; I’ve got a feeling that it. You know, the son of love, herself, sort of feeling.”
I know that trying to hid matters of love from Royal was like trying to ask Pinkie Pie to not hold a party.
Royal continued, “Well, I might need to smack him around. Cause, I’ve been dying to tell you this, but I’ve got the hots for you. Not in the banging sense but in the romantic way. I thought you were open season, but it looks like I’ve got some competition.”
As if I needed more complications to my life, two of the most handsome stallions and pair of my best friends had both confessed their love for me over the course of one afternoon. Things could only escalate from here.
“Hey, Joe!”
“Yes, Royal?”
“How dare you!?!”
“How dare I do what?”
“I love Dawn! Get your hooves off her!”
“I love Dawn. You get your grubby little hooves off her.”
“Oh, so you think you are such a big and tough customer. I can take you.”
I attempted to interject to minimize a confrontation, “Fellows, stop it.”
They both hissed at me, “Stay out of this, Dawn.”
I was put off, but they couldn’t see reason over the passion. I watched with horror as the two ponies began to exchange blows and insults and it became apparent that I needed to contain them. I warmed up my horn and enveloped both stallions in two separate auras, as they still proceeded to exchange unsavory and nasty insults all the way to the brig. I put them in separate cells and then lost all composure as I ran to my room and began to cry at the terrible predicament I suddenly found had found myself in. If this is what love feels like, I want no part of it!
Chapter 6: To Seek Out New Life and New Civilizations
A sat there crying on my bed for a time, but I decided that shedding tears wasn’t going to fix anything. Only by confronting the problem could I resolve it. Just I only hoped that I could placate both of my friends in an amiable manner that left nopony raw.
I headed down to the brig and had a brief conversation with them, reminding them that they are officers on my ship and this behavior is hardly befitting for ponies of their stature. I also reminded them that I do rely on them to keep the Magic functioning and we really need to get back to work and sort out our personal problems later. They both reluctantly nodded in agreement and we three walked to the bridge in silence.
I stared out the view screen at the nebula that had kept us company for several days and smiled. Its swirling eddies and currents always seemed to amaze no matter how many times I saw it. Thoughts of Stardust’s study pulled me into the present,
“Stardust? Have you finished your analysis?”
“Yes ma’am we collected all sorts of data.”
“Like what sort?”
Her eyes glistened with anticipation, “Oh my! All kinds of data. Like the fact that it is composed mostly of ionized plasma, mainly hydrogen and helium and…”
“Captain! I have an urgent message from the Friendship,” the pony at communications interrupted.
“On screen,” I responded.
The main viewing screen hummed to life with a video feed of Cream Pie. Or at least I thought it Cream. Cream looked absolutely terrible, like she’d come out on the losing side of a fight with a manticore, but not only that but she wore an expression of fear and sadness. Those sort of emotions are a serious concern on a normal pony, but on the stoic Cream something the likes of Celestia’s or Luna’s worst nightmares must have grappled with my friend and fellow captain.
“What in Tartarus’s name happened to you? Are you OK?” I said, trying to keep myself from shaking in fear myself.
“I…I…We…” She sputtered.
“I cannot help if you cannot tell me what’s wrong.”
“We…we…we were attacked.”
“Attacked? By who?”’
“They were like changelings, but not. Not even changelings are so cruel.”
“What happened?”
“First Contact.”
“First Contact?”
“Yes. We tried greeting them by being nice and all, but…” She shutters at the memory of whatever shook her up.
“Take as much time as you need.”
“We don’t have much time. We are losing containment and you are the only ship in the area that can stabilize the core and restore life support. Please, Faustspeed.”
“You’ve lost containment?!? Where are you?”
“I’m sending the coordinates now. Good bye and you are the best friend I could ever have, Dawn Sparkle.”
At that the commlink flicked off.
“Do you have those coordinates, Mr. Bed-o-win?
“Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.”
“Throw every ounce of extra energy we’ve got into making that jump. If it requires knocking the hot water out in the middle of somepony taking a shower or shuts down somepony’s holovision program, do it.”
“With pleasure,” Bed responded and he grabbed the lever and the bridge became awash with white light. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few second later we emerged from the teleport, me on the edge of my seat and with the other non-unicorns a bit disoriented. The derelict of the Friendship lay before us, a huge hole gaping in her side with debris and *gulp* bodies floating out of the cavity.
“Stardust, get an extravehicular task for patching up that hole arranged and get them out there. Prepare an energy transfer if needed to get their systems online as well.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
“Ma’am, I’ve got a hold of Captain Pie,” the pony at communications said.
“Put her on screen,” I replied.
Her countenance and appearance had changed from the last time I talked with her. Her usual stoic demeanor had returned as well as a curious metal ring and circuitry about her left eye. Her usual cream colored coat had darkened in places and gave off a strangely luminous sheen.
“Oh, Captain Sparkle, it’s you.”
“It is good to see you again. How can we help?”
“We do not need any help.”
I looked at her incredulously, “You have gaping hole in your ship and dead crewmates. You also called for our assistance.”
“Captain!” the crewmate at communications interrupted, “We are getting a distress call from main engineering of the Friendship.”
I looked at him, a bit confused, “Put them both on screen.”
“Aye, aye.”
The screen split with Cream on the left and a pale yellow pegasus on the right. He spoke up first,
“Captain Sparkle, thank heavens! Ms. Cream has been compromised by the alien threat. Those who are unaffected are barricaded in main engineering. We need immediate evac.”
Cream retorted, “The enemy threat is similar to the changelings on Equestria. They can mimic voices, body types and even the thoughts of their victims. But instead of feeding on love, they feed on all emotions and are much more powerful as a result. Do not believe this imposter of my former first mate, Clarence Over.”
It only took me a second to realize who was telling the truth. “We are on our way. Cut the transmission.”
“Royal, you lead a team to liberate the entrapped ponies. Joe, stay here on the bridge, I’ve got to go talk to a friend.”
“Captain, that is high ill advised. We do not know if Cream Pie can be reclaimed or redeemed from the alien threat,” Joe blurted out.
“I am aware of the risk and consequence,” I asserted, “Should anything happen to me, the Magic is yours.”
“But…I…but…”
“I have made my decision. Nothing you can do or say can sway me.”
Letting out a sigh Joe responded, “Please do come back. I love you Dawn.”
“I love you too Dawn. Don’t get yourself killed!” Royal piped up.
“Gentlecolts, the clock is ticking for those ponies. Let’s stop talking and go!” I huffed. Last thing I needed was a debate about love and relationships. Ponies’ lives are on the line! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the shuttle bay, Royal’s larger and deadlier team assembled as he gave them a pep talk and a rundown of the situation and method of extraction. The gathered task force composed of some ponies, a griffin and a buffalo all looked at him with mixed views, some ranging from excitement, to apathy, to anticipation to shock and fear at the upcoming mission. For many this was their first time with real weapons, let alone real combat. It would appear Swift-of-Thought’s warning was more valid than I’d like to admit.
My task force was much smaller with myself, Stardust and the identical twins Red Shirt and Blue Shirt, both pegasi who are skilled in wing blades making up the complement of my task force. To all three I trusted my life if our close combat training back in our ESC academy days were any indication. I hoped between the three of us, a bit of luck and the distraction Royal’s main assault would provide, we could infiltrate and free Cream.
The twin shuttles left the Magic’s hangar bay towards the listing hulk of the Friendship. It pained and infuriated me to see so much wanton destruction. It took every ounce of willpower I had to keep myself calm. If I let my emotions rule me, I knew from past experience that things could turn nasty quickly for both my allies and our enemies. The tension was so thick that it could be cut by a knife as we edged closer toward the ship. The Shirt twins brimmed with anticipation while Stardust and I had much more reserved and melancholy expressions. I briefly met her gaze and we exchanged a knowing glance. This mission was going to be rough to say the least, impossible to say the most.
Royal’s shuttle zoomed ahead and split off as it disappeared from my view. I knew from the mission briefing that they were headed for the main shuttle bay and intended to fight from there to reach main engineering. My group was to head into the void and rescue Cream by might or diplomacy. I prayed to any god or goddess who could hear my prayer to let us get through this in one piece.
The shuttle maneuvered through the yawning gap and settled down into a small space that probably was a workshop before the rupture in the hull. I donned my spacesuit and readied my standard shock-stick and saw my crewmates do the same. I touched my pendant one last time and thought of Mom and home and prepared for the worst.
We asked HAL, the shuttle’s AI to open the shuttle bay’s doors and he obliged, although with him, he was the sort of AI to pull pranks and fortunately he decided to forgo it this time. Maybe the urgency of our situation made it clear to him to forget his usual demenor; at any rate, I was happy to not have to argue with him. The door slowly flipped down and instead of the hostile welcoming committee I was expected, not a soul greeted us, friendly or hostile. The door thudded and our little posse carefully disembarked.
“Any life signs, Stardust?”
“Negative,” she replied while holding her tetracorder.
“Does your PDA say anything else about the hostiles about there?”
“No activity thus far. And this is no mere PDA. It is a tetracorder! It can scan in over 6 types of light and…”
“I’m just teasing you Stardust,” I admonished, “Can you pull up the blueprints and let’s use ‘em to get to Cream. The transmission she sent us came from the bridge so she’s still probably there. We are also going to probably have some resistance so do not hesitate to fire. Understand ponies?”
All ponies present said in unison, “Yes ma’am.”
“Lead on then, Stardust.”
We walked through the once vibrant and well lit halls of the Friendship. I’ll never know how the sister ship of the Magic looked so foreign and foreboding as it did then. I seemed to jump at every flash of light, every ghost of a movement at the corner of my eye, but each time it turned out to be nothing. Surprisingly, no pony or no alien greeted us. Only the eerie quiet and the sound of our own hoofsteps followed us along. Soon we came to the closed door to the bridge. I took a deep breath and wordlessly indicated to my companions to ready their weapons. They nodded back at me and took defensive positions near the door. I punched in the master door unlock code into the keypad and the metal door slid open pneumatically. I braced myself and held my shock-stick at the ready to intercept an angry alien or even Cream herself, but nopony came. Cautiously, I edged around the door until I had line of sight into the room, but nopony was visible. I waved my hoof for my companions to join me and we slid into the room, trying to be a stealthy as possible.
As soon as we had assembled into the bridge, the door slid closed behind us on its own and I heard a voice I will never forget for as long as I live,
“Hello Dawn Sparkle. I’ve been expecting you.”
The voice was a perverse copy of my friend’s monotone speech, but with a distinct, unnatural mechanical cadence to it.
“Cream?” I shakily replied, trying to hide my own fear.
“I am Cream Pie, but I am more than that. I have ascended and transcended into Cream Pie of the Chitin, the master race.”
“Cream, you are not one of them!”
“I beg to differ, Dawn Sparkle. I am a member of their order and happy about it. I have more power, I have more life, I am more. I am pony no longer.”
I wordlessly indicated to my companions to find her while I parlayed, “Why have you betrayed us? Honor and loyalty meant something to you once. Why not now?”
A cold laughter filled the once lively bridge of the Friendship, “Honor and loyalty? Why would I care about such things? I have all that I could ask for and more just by embracing the change. You could join us. We do not experience pain or sadness. We do not have need for anger or heartache. We can survive the very vacuum of space itself. We can be a member of any known race in the galaxy and take on the form of our wildest desires. A pony of your stature could go far in the commonwealth.”
“Bah! I value my emotions. Negative or positive, it is what make me, me. I would not trade my emotions to become a soulless machine!”
“Oh, such a pity. You will be pleading for conversion when I finish with you!”
At that my former friend, Cream Pie charged me from the shadows of the deck. A quick teleportation blink on my behalf got me out of the way of her charge. My diversion let me get a good look at my friend and rival. Cream now seemed to have lost all of her individuality as she now had the form of a changeling. A black chitin shell covered all parts of her flank, a pair of gossamer wings and a crooked, twisted horn projected out of her head. The metal augmentation still remained on her left eye, now with a glowing screen projecting down over her eye. The only remnants of her former self was retained in her light green eyes masked now by the hardware and converted into the more snake-like form in the manner of the changelings.
Her arm transformed into the largest cannon I’ve ever seen as she released a ball of energy, quick as thought I dodged it and my squad charged her. The Shirt brothers reached her first and both were thrown a considerable distance. Both of them hit a bulkhead and were knocked out almost instantly from the force. Stardust was frozen in place, too petrified to move. I dodged attack after attack from Cream until I came in close and grapped with her. I could tell she had considerable more power than me and I tried to wear her down by merely blocking her attacks until I could find an opening.
“Gah! Stand still so I can subdue you! You cannot win.” Cream screamed.
I said nothing, and continued to concentrate. Cream eventually sliced the tip of my flank just above my cutie mark and a small trickle of blood began to ooze down my side. A satisfied smirk appeared on Cream’s face and she momentarily let her guard down. I powered though and ignored the pain and took the opportunity to make a very ungentlemarely hit at her stomach with my shocking spear. Despite the direct hit and the audible and visible transfer of electricity, Cream seemed unphased.
“My chitin is tougher than you think. Now I’m done toying with you, let’s finish this.”
My mind raced as I tried to figure out a way to get out of this. A sudden movement on Cream’s behalf found me disarmed and at her mercy. I prepared myself for my inevitable end, but it never came. A shock-spear found itself dislodged in her neck where two plates of her chitin armor came together. She tried futilely to remove the spear as the electric discharge coursed through her body and she collapsed at my hooves.
I quickly and cautiously grabbed by spear with my telekenisis and trotted over to the prone Cream Pie and checked her pulse. It was weak, but present.
“Excellent job, Red and Blue Shirt.”
“The groggy pegasus brothers both said in unison, “It wasn’t us, boss.”
“Stardust?”
“I…I…uh…”
“Good job, Stardust.”
“I didn’t mean to kill her! I’ve never taken a life and I feel so bad and how can you or anypony else forgive me? How can I forgive myself? What have I done?!”
“She’s not dead, Stardust. But she may be if we don’t get her some medical attention. Show a hoof, ponies and let’s get the Tartarus out of here.”
Chapter 7: To Boldly Go Where Nopony Has Gone Before
It is a race against time. The Chitin ship is nowhere to be seen, my friends are dying and Equestria might be in danger. I barrel on through the empty halls of the Friendship making as much haste as I possibly can with my companions panting by my side and the deformed, unconscious and brainwashed Cream Pie held in my telekinesis as we rush to the shuttle. I pant a sigh of relief as the awaiting shuttle comes into sight. I take a second to catch my breath before signaling Royal’s shuttle.
“Royal here,” he said grimly. He then looked up at the view screen and his mood improved ever so slightly.
“What’s your status?”
“I lost a good pony today. Yeoman Grip. He was one of the best.”
“Losing ponies should never be easy or normal, but we are facing a potential crisis here. Equestria isn’t prepared to handle this and we may be our homeland’s only hope.”
“Now you sound impossibly grim and besides, the princesses and Discord will show these ponies what for.”
“Even so, the prophesy claims...”
“You are going to believe the prophesy delivered by a crackpot god of disorder and chaos? Come on now,” he chided.
“Royal, true or not, there is a clear and present danger. I’ll cut to the chase, is your team and the survivors ready to go?”
He stiffened and saluted, “Yes, captain.”
“Then let’s return to the Magic.”
“Understood. Underway now.”
With that the commlink shut off. I punched a course in and HAL obliged to take us back to the Magic.
A small reception was prepared in the shuttle bay as we landed with ponies milling about and congratulations on a job well done all around being given out by my crew. I thought about chastising those responsible and make a scene, but I decided to give my crew a moment of merriment before the ominous task that lies before us, namely the defeat of the Chitin and the saving of Equestria.
I gathered my officers on the bridge and asked them their opinions and recommendations on a potential plan of action.
Royal was the first to speak, “I say we shoot first and ask questions later.”
“But we don’t have lethal ship borne weapons. The worst we can do is incapacitate the enemy vessel.”
“Then we send in a demo squad and activate the ship’s self destruct! It always works in the movies.”
I deadpanned, “In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t a movie. There isn’t a clearly marked red button to self destruct and the enemy changelings won’t all be terrible shots.”
“How do you know that it isn’t the case?”
“Stop arguing with me!” I seethed, “Your plan has been considered. A direct assault is foolhardy, but it could work, I’ll give you that.” I paused for a second before asking, “Any other ideas?”
“Maybe we can interface with Cream Pie and find out data about the other race’s ship. What did she call it… the Chitin, right? Yes. The Chitin ship. Maybe they have a weakness,” Stardust proposed.
“I like this thinking, but it is unknown if she will be conscious any time soon or cooperative.”
“In all honesty, you are probably the best pony on board to interrogate her, due to your past friendship.”
“I don’t know. The Chitin implants seemed to have overridden her natural personality and she seems to just be angry and vengeful. Is it possible to remove them Honeycrisp?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it; it could be direr than Aunt Orange showing up to the opera in revealing lingerie, eh?”
“You will have to tell me that story some other time, but I see. The implants cannot be removed or else she may die. Got it. Anypony else?”
“We could salvage Chitin tech and reverse engineer that into better weapons and armor to use against them,” Valkyie proposed.
“I like that plan, but we may have but a few days, maybe a week and even with around the clock crews, we would not get anything functional by the time we need to engage the Chitin. But, if we defeat the Chitin and the Magic is in one piece, then I would propose that plan to my superiors back at ESC. Anypony else?”
“I have an observation, more than a plan,” the pony at communications said.
“And who are you?”
“I’m the pony who works comm.”
“I know that. Your name?”
“Unremarkable Background Pony.”
“Seriously? That’s your name?”
“Yep. I’m absolutely average in every way. This does make it easy to forget me, but I can assure you that I can perform admirably in any circumstance.”
“Ok, Unremarkable, what is your observation?”
“Moral is low across the ship.”
“I know that, but how is this relevant?”
“As you are aware, the core and thus the engines run on friendship and love. With both at low levels…”
The realization dawned on me, “…we won’t be able to make the teleport jump to Equestria.”
“Bingo.”
“Bed-o-win, how long would it take us to reach Equestria with our current thruster levels?”
“A little over a week, captain.”
I said with a sigh, “Plot and input the course.”
“Aye, aye.”
“Joe and Royal.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I want you to pick and prepare combat teams. Prep them with weapons and the prime them in the use of lethal force. Also offer condolences for the deceased and disabled. Help those ponies find some closure.”
“Lethal force?” Royal asked. “Condolences?” Joe asked.
“Yes, gentleponies. It would seem that the nature of engagement has changed for the worst. If we don’t stand up and protect ourselves, Equestria may well follow. Remember your loved ones and your friends. Do this for them.”
The two stallions looked at me for a second with conviction in their eyes and I felt a slight flutter in my heart. They turned and walked out the bridge doors and I let out a sigh.
“Captain.” Valkyrie called from her console.
“Yes?”
“I got a slight increase in power just now. It seemed to coincide with your speech to Royal and Joe. It is much too close in timing and significant to be a coincidental fluxuation.”
“Wow. Maybe a good ship wide speech can get us home. But that still leaves the question of what we are going to do when we get there. Based on our options, I’m going to pay a friend a visit. Stardust, and Honeycrisp come with me. Valkyrie, you have the conn.”
Cream Pie lay before me restrained on an operating table in the medical bay. Her once very beautiful features were now hidden under hardware and a cold, black exoskeleton. It was hard to believe my friend was underneath all of that.
“Stardust?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Could you interface with her eyepiece? Maybe we can get a fix on the Chitin ship or some other useful information out of it.”
“I’ll give it a try.”
I waited half an hour for Stardust to establish the links, which ended up in a massive spaghetti of wires and cables attached to various monitors.
“Are you ready, Stardust?”
“Yes.”
“Honeycrisp, wake her up for me.”
The doctor injected Cream with a stimulant and she quickly returned to consciousness.
“A still intact ship, emotions to feed on, working systems.” She tugs at her restraints, “Restraints. I’m a prisoner. Must be prepared for torture and coercion.”
After watching this strange exchange, I spoke, “Hello, Cream Pie and welcome to the Magic.”
“Mrs. Dawn Sparkle, my mortal freinimy. It would seem that you seem to have captured me and wish to gloat over your victory. You may have stopped me, but you cannot stop them.”
“Tell me more about them.”
“I cannot tell you much for you are our enemy now, only that we are powerful, wise and unstoppable. Thousands of races have been enlightened though contact with us, and we merely wish to learn more. It is a cultural and technological exchange that will transform Equestria.”
I responded with barely contained anger, “But at what cost? To be a cyborg like you, bent to the will of the Chitin? To lose yourself and who you are? To lose your ability to love, to be friends? What cost is too high?”
“Dawn, you are clearly past redemption. The ponies of Equestria will join us or suffer the consequences. There is nothing you, your crew or your princesses can do about it.”
I switched to a much sadder tone, “Cream, I once called you a friend. I once held you in high regard and wanted to be like you. Cream Pie, the pony who was the perfect poster pony of efficiency, intelligence and resolve. The most decorated graduate of the ESC and the favorite star-captain of Celestia herself. You had morals, emotions and friendship once. It pains me to see you throw them away so easily. You may not be physically dead, but you are dead to me. Goodbye, Cream.”
I looked at my former friend one last time. The cyborg returned my glance and we locked eyes for a second. I searched for a remnant of my former friend and caught a glimmer of moisture in her eyes, but in a moment it was gone.
“If there is nothing to be gained by diplomacy, violence is the only answer!”
Cream then proceeded to break her restrains though sheer brute force. I called for security as Cream took on a defensive posture. I pulled out my shock stick and go ready for action, but just as security arrived, Cream collapsed into a heap. A quick survey of her body found a large needle sticking out of her shoulder and a worried yet satisfied look on Honeycrisp’s face.
Honeycrisp stated the obvious, “I think she’s stable and should be moved to the brig for the time being.”
I responded in kind, “Security, escort Ms. Pie to the brig.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
The burly ponies dragged Cream out of the infirmary, leaving me with Stardust and Honeycrisp.
“Well, mares. What did you get out of that?” I asked
Honeycrisp said, “That you are a good orator and I get the feeling that Cream is in there somewhere, if only we could reach her.”
“What did you learn, Stardust?” I asked
“I was able to gain limited access to their database. Based on my browsing and observation of Ms Pie, it would seem that my initial theory is wrong and that they do not need constant contact with the mass consciousness to be effective and that individuality is retained to a degree. I also confirmed that Equestria is the next target. I cannot confirm or deny if there are other Chitin ships or if the one that besieged the Friendship is the only one. Based on pure inference, it would appear that their ships are able to ‘cloak’ that is hide in plain sight by blocking certain wavelengths of light and I think that if we can hit them, our EMP torpedoes may be effective, but that might just be me thinking optimistically.”
“That is very impressive. Excellent work,” I responded.
“Just doing my duty to Celestia and country, to help other ponies and to obey the law of the snack.”
“I was a Celestia scout! I never knew you were too. Want to do the scout hoofbump?” Honeycrisp asked.
The two mares proceeded to do an elaborate hoofbump with a chant. I facehoofed at my officers’ antics.
“Need I remind you that lives are at stake? Let’s get back to work.” I said with an annoyed huff.
“You are such a killjoy” Honeycrisp chided. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I left the silly ponies and prepared my speech. After an hour of writing, it was finished and I walked into the bridge. All ponies and griffin present looked at me with anticipation. All were worried and all were a bit scared. I couldn’t blame them; this week was more than a bit overwhelming.
“Unremarkable, prepare the public addressing system.”
“Most ponies call it a ‘PA,’ Ma’am.”
“I don’t care if they call it a loaf of celery muffins, could you please get it ready for me? I need to boost morale one speech at a time.”
His expression dropped a bit at my admonishment as he fulfilled my request.
I took a deep breath and began to speak,
“Crew of the HMS Magic, swiftest ship in the Equestrian Space Command fleet, this is your captain, Dawn Sparkle, speaking. This week has bucked us and bucked us hard. We have gotten though Discord’s antics, First Contact and the aftermath of the attack on the Friendship. I won’t lie to you, things look bleak. The Chitin ship is headed for Equestria and we may be the only hope for our beloved planet. Our adversaries have taken our fellow cremates from us and threaten our very existence, our very being. They do not come to love and tolerate, they come to conquer and manipulate. They are scary, menacing and dangerous.
But we are better than them. We have the magic of friendship in our hearts. We have each other; we have our friends, our family, and our planet. I want you all not to think of yourself as a pegasus, unicorn or earth pony. I want you all not to think of yourself as a buffalo, drake or griffin. I want you all to think of yourselves as the brethren of the hoof and claw. We can do this; all you have to do is believe in yourself and each other. We are strong! We are mighty! We are Equestrian and nothing can take that away from us. So, I ask of you to open your hearts and let us go forth and love and tolerate the shit out of the Chitin.”
All was quiet on the deck for a minute or so. I thought my words fell upon deaf ears and I started to lose hope, but then somepony on the deck began to stomp their hoof. Then another joined in, and then another. Soon, the sound of hoof falls and claw-claps resounded through the ship. I beamed with pride as I felt the waves of magical energy coalesce.
“Captain, we are receiving a power surge. Even putting everything I’ve got into the engines, we are going to have a problem,” Valkaryie said with sudden alarm.
“Then pump it into shields and weapons, we are going to have a fight when we get there.”
“Aye, aye. Diverting power.”
“Mr. Bed-o-win.”
“Yes ma’am?”
“Take us to Equestria prime at full speed.”
“Understood.”
A blinding white flash engulfed the bridge as we prepared for our date with the Chitin.
The Conquest of Space: The Saga of Dawn Sparkle Chapter 8: Star Trot- The Next Generation
The white flash subsided as Equestria prime came into view. Despite being to space several times, I still found it amazing to see my home planet as a small blue marble. But introspection is for a different time.
“Stardust, anything on the sensors?”
“Negative, captain.”
“I don’t like this. To quote a movie cliché: it is quiet, too quiet,” Royal asserted.
“Actually, captain, I am getting lots of radio and video transmissions on the comm.” Unremarkable contradicted.
“What are they saying and who is sending them out?”
“They are coming from all over Equestria. The Griffin lands, the Buffalo plains, Cloudsdale, Canterlot, Ponyville, Las Pegasus….”
“I get it. All over Equestria. What are they saying?”
“Equestria is under attack from changelings from space.”
“So, the invasion has begun already. We are too late.”
“Maybe not, ma’am. I initially found nothing after our first sensor sweep, but after remodulating the sensors, I found something; there is a faint signal near ESC headquarters that is not of an Equestrian origin.” Stardust claimed.
“Bed, get us in range. Royal, arm the torpedoes and prepare to fire. Joe, coordinate resistance and relief efforts with the ponies below. Stardust, you, the Shirt brothers, and I will storm and disable the ship. Should I not come back, the Magic is yours, Joe.”
Stardust protested, “I’m hardly a good fighter. I’ll just slow you down.”
“You are the brightest mind on the ship and I will need that intellect to figure out how to stop the Chitin. Not all battles are won through brawn. Brains have a place too.”
“If I may, the captain has no place on away missions. I should go in your stead.”
I glared at Joe, “You objection has been noted, but I am going.”
Placated by my answer, Stardust and I raced out of the bridge toward the shuttle bay, where we were greeted by the Shirt brothers, already decked out with shock sticks and wing blades. A quick visit to the armory got us decked out in spacesuits, shock sticks and other necessities. The whine of energy slammed into the ship shields sending cargo and ponies flying over the cargo bay. A pair of twin explosions shortly followed, then silence.
“Enemy ship appears disabled. Good luck, Dawn.”
“Thanks, Joe.”
The raiding party filed into the swiftest shuttlecraft in the hangar and with a whoosh of vacuum and the hum of engines, we sped toward the Chitin ship. Soon the cursed ship came into view and I was surprisingly underwhelmed. It was approximately the same size as the Magic, with boring black and grey gunmetal sides. It had the look of a catamaran with twin hulls connected by several bridges and a pair of glowing engines, one in each hull.
The shuttlecraft landed into the Chitin’s ship shuttle bay. I cautiously stepped out to an empty shuttle bay. An alarm klaxon sounded in the distance, but not a soul greeted us.
“This isn’t right. Something is off here.” Red Shirt remarked.
“Come on. Maybe we got lucky and caught them off guard. Let’s move.” I commanded.
My companions and I walked through the hollow, empty halls with weapons at the ready, twitching at the slightest sound. Our silence was soon broken by a metallic sound over the intercom, “Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Ponies on the ship. Fire on site, considered very dangerous and of malicious intent. All officers to the bridge and all crew to battle stations.
Just as the announcement finished, a Chitin appeared in the hall in front of us, phasing out of what I thought was a solid wall. Quick at thought, a charged and tackled the space changeling and held my shock stick to his throat.
“Please don’t kill me! I’ll help you! I hate the Chitin as much as you do.”
I pushed the stick closer, “What would you gain by helping us? Why should we trust you?”
“I was a spacefarer once. The Chitin attacked my ship and I took the coward’s way out, I joined them. I now regret that decision with every fiber of my being and I’d like nothing better than sending them to kingdom come.”
I stared into his eyes, into his soul and I felt he was being sincere. So I granted mercy, “Ok. You can join us, but one false move and I will not hesitate to strike.”
He gulped, “Duly noted. Where are you trying to go?”
“Main engineering. I hope to send the core sky high.”
“That won’t be easy. It’ll be the area with the most crew, mostly due to the lack of power and lack of ponypower seeing as most of the crew is planet-side reaping, raping and pillaging. However, they are not as good of fighters as shock troops, hence why they are here.”
“So, let us create a diversion and pull them out of there. Then we can overload the core.”
“Reckless, but it just might work. What did you have in mind?”
A few minutes later, we reached the ship’s armory where two Chitin stood guard. I nodded to the Shirt brothers as they double-teamed the confused guards and took them down with wingblades with timed precision. Our posse walked over the limp bodies and grabbed as much weaponry as we could and set that which we couldn’t carry into overload. A fantastic, deafening explosion then rocked the hall as we evacuated the area and barreled toward main engineering.
Using our newly captured weapons we killed any who got in our way with bolts of blue, green and red energy. Most were in shock and barely got a shot off, but some returned fire, barely missing my friends and myself. Even after everything they had done, I still felt sorry as I saw a look of pure terror in the eyes of my victims. It sickens me to see such wanton death, but it couldn’t be helped and I could worry about the ramifications later.
We arrived at main engineering with a bang as we blasted open the main doors. We entered a fierce firefight as bolts of energy bounced back and forth. The Chitin started to overcome their initial shock and pinned down my group. Thinking fast, I lobbed a grenade toward a maintenance catwalk and sent a Chitin to his death. The temporary distraction allowed my teammates to advance, but not before the Shirt brothers suffered grazing blows. Over the din of battle, I shouted, “Stardust, Chitin ally, can you two overload the core? I’ll cover you!” The Chtitin turncoat galloped over to a nearby panel and started poking buttons and indicated Stardust to follow. I soon lost track of them as I fired shot after shot at our attackers to keep them busy and off of our sappers. For what seemed like ages, I saw the Chitin fly off, dodging blots as his gossamer wings fluttered through the sky toward a panel near the top of the core. Stardust stood at the ready waiting for his signal, when a Chitin warrior immobilized Stardust by taking a potshot and burning a hole just below her cutie mark. She screamed with agony as the sound resonated throughout the massive chamber. Seeing my teammate, ally and friend wounded so, I went into battle rage. I charged up my horn as I fired off shot after shot, melting metal and flesh alike. Soon the room was silent as my friends and allies looked at me with fear in their eyes and I overflowed with hateful rage. “Is it ready to be destroyed? I want this ship blown up NOW!” The Chitin turncoat weakly said, “With the power out, the self destruct will have to be set off manually. Someone will have to stay behind.” “Then what are you waiting for? Get out of here!” “But, captain!” Stardust said with tears in her eyes. “This may be our only opportunity. This ends now. Go, all of you! I’ll give you ten minutes. “ “But ma’am!” the Chitin pleaded. “NOW!” I said in my best impression of the Royal Canterlot Voice. My friends understood and the threesome galloped with Stardust carried on the Chitin’s back. I glanced at my HUD in the spacesuit as it counted down ten minutes. I reflected on my life. I recalled my parents, the day I discovered my cutie mark, the day I met Joe, Royal, Stardust and all of my other officers. I remembered my time in Ponyville and Canterlot. I recalled the many friendships and some of the hardships I’ve had to face. I slowly cantered over to the panel where a blinking red icon read ‘Initiate self destruct sequence and core overload?’ A large red button was labeled to start the explosion. The timer went off and I took in a big breath of air and released a sigh. “It would appear Royal was right after all. It would seem a clearly marked red button ends it all.” I said to nopony in particular. I slammed my hoof down on the button as an annoying computerized voice signaled the countdown to the end of the ship and myself. A mechanized voice crackled over the intercom, “You may have bested us this day, but we will be back, little pony.” “Come and take it, Chtitin,” I said with a smug grin. A disembodied head suddenly appeared next to me. “So this is how it ends, eh?” “Discord?” “The one and only.” “Why are you here?” I asked, quite confused. “Only to see off one of the greatest heroes of our time. I’m sure you mother would be proud. If she could only see you now.” “I’d rather not have my mother on an exploding ship right now.” “But you don’t have to be here right now. You could be on a beach, or the mountains or even your quaint hometown of Ponyville.” “What do you mean?” As I looked to where the agent of chaos was, there was but empty air. It suddenly dawned on me what to do. I focused on the locket and concentrated all magical power on it. My vision became filled with explosions and the white wash of teleportation magic as everything went white. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I awoke to the hypnotic beep of a heart monitor. I looked around at the hospital room in a daze, with my gaze eventually resting on my mother.
“Mom?” I said with a croaking, raspy almost whisper.
“Dawn? Oh Dawn!”
My mother proceeded to glomp me with the most powerful hug I’d ever been on the receiving end of.
“Mom?”
“Yes, honey?”
“I need to breathe. Could you let go?”
Mom let me grab sweet oxygen.
My brain caught up with the present, “How did I get here? How long have I been out? Where is my crew? Is Equestria safe?” I said in a flurry of panic.
Mom just looked at me with a gleam in her eye, “All in good time. Don’t stress. You’re here now.”
She hugged me again, without crushing my larnex, as I slowly came to full consciousness. I recognized this as Canterlot General and a gaze out the window showed some destruction all across the gilded city, but I saw ponies, not space changelings milling about. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“You gave me quite the scare. I was fighting off the Chitin at the university when your limp body suddenly materialized next to me. A Chitin almost got the best of me as I tried to go to you, but you being there made me go into overdrive and kill all of those abominations. I swore I’d never do that again, but when something threatens my Dawn…”
“You did what you could Mom. We all have regrets, but as long as we have our friends and family, we can get through it.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my Dawn. She isn’t sappy like you. Are you a changling?” she chided.
“Going to space does that to you. I love you mom.”
“I love you Dawn.”
We held each other for several minutes with a bit of crying and much smiling.
“Oh, you have some friends out in the lobby who want to see you.”
I followed my mother out to the main lobby as I saw my officers waiting there for me. Much to my surprise, even our Chitin turncoat and Cream Pie were there. Their mood went from somber to excited in a matter of seconds as I was bombarded with questions and hugs and hoofbumps.
The lobby then became dead quiet as everypony, myself included, bowed before the immortal princess Luna. “Rise, subjects. I am here to congratulate you all, but mostly our friend Dawn Sparkle. You have done us a great service that we may never repay. You have saved Equestria from utmost destruction and for better or worst prepared us for Equestria’s future in space.”
I blushed, “It was nothing princess.”
“In light of your stellar performance, I extend a hoof to join me in the Lunar court and by extension the head of ESC. We could use a resident expert on aliens in our court.”
“If it is all the same to you Luna, I couldn’t take a desk job, at least not yet. The stars beckon and I must heed their call.”
“I’d expect nothing less.” She paused for a second before adding, “All hail Dawn Sparkle, savior of Equestria!”
The room then erupted in cheers as I smiled at my friends and family. Friendship is truly magic.
