Twilight looked out the window into the vast reaches of space. The void stared back, just as it did all those centuries aboard the Ark, the soft hum of the ship in the background. Twilight sighed - she had come full circle. Once again, she was on a ship traveling through space on a somewhat long journey. Even though she wasn't alone this time - she could hear people walking around behind her and see a few other blue cylindrical ships out the window - she still felt claustrophobic. She did not want to be forced back into this cage...
She shook her head - she needed to remember: her home wasn't gone. She wasn't wandering space, ever lost.
She was not on the Ark. She was on the Vlerryn. The inside of the Vlerryn was similar to that of the Ark, admittedly - though the design was a bit more streamlined. Sharp corners were rounded instead, the lighting was more natural and welcoming, and there was an actual tree growing in a large pot down the hall. It was a lot less depressing.
She tore her gaze from the window, away from the stars, away from the other ships. She walked down the hallway, greeting all those she passed. She trotted along, meeting up with Forsoo. "Hey."
"Hey," Forsoo said, smiling, but he didn't look up from the pad in his hand. He tapped a few buttons. "How's the staring out the window been going?"
"Same as usual," Twilight said, "except Discord wasn't out there training today."
"I could have told you that. The ship wasn't shaking. Or becoming liquid." Forsoo frowned. "...He's getting really good at raw destruction."
Twilight nodded - Discord had suddenly gotten a lot more serious about defending the world as of late. Every planet they came across he went all out on. The last one he made explode, showering space with rocky chunks and lava. Apparently installing chaotic energy into a planet's core in a particular way set up a cascading reaction that would eventually rip it to shreds...
Twilight had started to fear him once again, even though she knew he'd never hurt her. But she knew when he was straining to crack his jokes. He was angry - and worried.
Everyone was worried. They knew next to nothing about their enemy but were heading right for them. They were gambling on a self-destruct mechanism that might not exist within all Asantans. Some on board may have been hoping to talk things out - Twilight was among them - but most were just angry. Most just wanted to retaliate.
Which, frankly, they had all the right to do.
Twilight bid Forsoo goodbye and continued on her self-guided tour. She passed the armory quickly - she never liked weapons - and headed straight for the main observation deck. There were a lot of people there, but one stood out.
Luna was looking out at an empty spot in space, unblinking. Twilight slid up next to her and followed her gaze.
"Equis is right there, 97.3 light years away. Directly between Firius and Siga3-7." Luna's frown deepened. "...and my Moon is there as well. I haven't seen it in so long..." She turned to Twilight. "I'm not sure I want to see it."
"We made a promise to return one day," Twilight said. "We are fulfilling that promise."
"Too late," Luna said, "the magic - and with it, the life - is long gone by now. We'll be lucky to find any ruins..."
"Then take solace in the moon. It should be largely untouched."
Luna smiled sadly. "Yes. But, ah, is that a good thing?"
Twilight frowned. "I'm... Not sure?"
"Exactly," Luna said.
They talked for a few more minutes before Twilight excused herself, continuing on her journey. She soon found herself in the mess hall, and no nobody's surprise Orgis was standing in the center giving a 'spiritual' message - Twilight hesitated to call it preaching, for she knew Orgis.
The topic was apparently, once again, why people like her were 'needed' on a mission like this. The inevitable answer: to provide guidance and moral council. Twilight would have laughed had she not found Orgis's practices distasteful. She knew her secret. and she also knew the real reason Orgis was allowed on board - the Hexalin. It wouldn't come without her. Twilight couldn't quite understand how the two of them were connected - they were very different. One was a machine who wanted to solve the mysteries of life, the other was a woman who was trying to redeem herself in all the wrong ways.
Reasonable though the Hexalin was, Twilight preferred the Mite. It had a much more endearing personality despite the one-word sentences. It was supposedly working with Discord, maximizing chaotic efficiency or other similar things.
Starlight walked up to Twilight. "Not a fan of the spiel either?"
"Nope," Twilight said, "I'd much rather you be the Voice of the Tree."
"Not being the head of a cult. Bad enough that happened in the first place. Twice."
The two mares turned to watch Orgis speak.
Starlight growled. "She bends the truth of the Tree of Harmony. It's not even here... How can she claim to speak for it?"
"I don't know."
"Why do we even let her? The Tree of Harmony accepts her simply because she's one of the few who can understand... There is no love from the Tree for that 'greater good' of hers."
"The people love her," Twilight said, "even if they knew what she is and what she did, they wouldn't turn their backs on her. And she is trying to make amends."
Starlight sighed. "Yeah. ...I miss the farm."
Twilight smiled sadly, not surprised in the slightest by the sudden shift in topic. "...You really did like your simple life you found didn't you?"
"I was happy. I rarely have been happy and content with my life."
Twilight put a hoof around her old friend. "We'll get you back to that farm."
'-and look at our illustrious leaders, they-" Orgis's words rang out through the room.
"Our cue to leave," Twilight said. "See you around Starlight."
"Likewise," Starlight said. The two teleported out.
Twilight was on the bridge. Ponies, griffons, and gari all scrambled around while the alicorn in the captain's chair watched them calmly. She turned to Twilight. "Ah," Celestia said, "what brings you here Twilight?"
"Wandering."
"It's dangerous to lose a point on your purpose Twilight. You might get lost."
"Of course," Twilight said, moving to position herself in front of Celestia. "What is your purpose?"
"Protect my ponies and all others who recognize me as Princess," Celestia stated, monotone. "That means stopping that which wants to hurt them."
Twilight nodded.
"What is your purpose, Twilight?"
"To end the ceaseless violence," she said, "somehow."
Celestia frowned. "Honorable, but unrealistic. There is always conflict. You can only seek to lessen it. ...Even among your own."
Twilight bit her lip. Cadence... Cadence had been furious when told she wouldn't be allowed on the fleet. It had taken a lot to restrain her... The memory of a livid Cadence screaming obscenities at her was still burned into Twilight's mind. She knew it had been for the best, but it still hurt.
"We'll be home soon," Celestia said.
"Equis isn't home anymore."
"True," Celestia said, looking far into the distance. "...For you at least. you may be old, but you've spent comparable amounts of your life on Equis and Garilend - and a lot more in the Ark. I lived for thousands of years on Equis, much more than you can possibly know. Most of me was put into that world.... A lot of it is still my home."
Twilight nodded slowly. "Should we really be going back?"
"We have to see," Celestia said flatly. "We have to see..."
Twilight nodded, staring once more into space...
~~~
In the armory, a box shook slightly.
The dozens of grenades, rifles, and other weaponry in the box would have gone off had they not had their safeties on.
In the dim lights of the room, a pink head poked out of the box, expression nervous. It looked left and right before ducking back into the box and magically locking it from the inside.
Cadence smirked from inside the box.
Try and keep her from her baby's killers?
Fools.
~~~
On Garilend... Life went on.
Fluttershy and Applejack continued to tend the farm, feeding the world with the accelerated growths.
Rainbow Dash continued working in New Cloudsdale, keeping the world's weather in check. She often wondered if she should have insisted she go along with the fleet, despite her responsibilities.
Rarity continued as the mayor of Harmony City, leaving the worldwide diplomatic scenarios to others like Thorax or Ember.
Sunset spent more time with Jett, and less time adventuring. Lem somehow managed to become a reporter working under Jett instead of the freelance conspiracy theorist he had been before.
And Pinkie...
Pinkie stared at the Tree of Harmony.
The Tree of Harmony stared back.
"Just thought I'd tell you that everything that can go wrong will go wrong," Pinkie said.
The Tree of Harmony was unsurprised by this observation.