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// The Pony in the cockpit 
// Story: Equestrian Space: Short Stories 
// by Shirlendra 
//------------------------------//

:Somewhere in the Nights Breath asteroid cluster:

Lights flashed in the cockpit, and the hiss of air awoke the pony strapped to the pilot's seat. The stars and dark rocks spun lazily by the window as the ship turned, the pony felt the drip of something hot running down its face and puddling uncomfortably against its neck fur. The ponies eyes, blurry and heavy with effort quickly scanned the instruments. Air was leaking from an obvious crack in the canopy and Sisters knows how many other places on the small surveyor, shields were inoperable and there was a dent in the console from something hard hitting it. 

The pony reached down with a hoof, and grabbed the roll of duck-tape brand tape and quickly ripped off a piece. The pony slapped the piece into place and satisfied the leak was mostly mended it slowly pulled the controls back so the ship slowed its roll. After a moment the pony reached up with a hoof and winced in pain as its hoof touched the gash in its forehead. Suddenly the ship jerked hard and the crunch of metal filled the cabin, the pony quickly jammed on the helmet sitting on the back of the seat. The Magnetic clamps activated nearly silently as they clicked into place. 

The readouts on the dash were going haywire, and as the pony watched despite the ship no longer spinning a quick look out of the canopy revealed no additional clues as to what has transpired. A sudden explosion rocked the ship, the flash filled the cabin and the pony was thrown violently forward against the seat restraints. Out of breath the pony could only stare at the readouts in confusion, as nothing indicated a engine or other system had suddenly catastrophically failed. As the pony swung the pilots chair to search for the cause of the explosion it came face to face with the business end of a ship sweeper.  

The pair of suited figures stared at what was left of the ponies corpse, before the one holding the ship sweeper poked the pony in the chest with it. The pony, admirably remained in the seat, although that might just be the harness holding it in-place. The figures stared at the corpse for another moment before the second figure growled. "Only Equestrian."