Drug, then freeze 49%
Twilight was pained to give up such a potentially useful crew-member. But considering everything she’d done so far, the injuries she’d already caused, there was no way for her to justify returning Cozy Glow to freedom. She was probably preparing an escape plan right then, and it was only a matter of time before somepony made a mistake and the dangerous pony escaped.
She prepared the meal carefully herself, though it was really just the same nutrient paste they ate every day. A little added spice to cover up the sedatives—though without the roughage to make “real” meals, it was going to be impossible to cover up what they were doing completely.
“Stay close,” she whispered from around the corner. Spike and Applejack were both here, armed with makeshift clubs instead of firearms. “But don’t let her see you unless I call.”
“We got it, cap.” Applejack whispered back. “It’s more kindness than she would’ve got on my family’s ship.”
Twilight stepped out from around the corner, right up in front of Fluttershy’s room.
The window had been smeared all over with nutrient paste, dark green already drying to brown and covering up whatever was inside. Apparently she’d noticed the drugs.
Twilight stopped in front of the door, raising the earth-pony pistol. Her horn was still bandaged and glued, and would probably work if she needed it. But she hoped not to find out. “Cozy, we’re taking you to cryogenics,” she called, her voice clear. “If you try anything, I’ll shoot.”
“Taking me to an airlock,” came the pony’s response from inside. From the sound of it, she was near the back of the room. Don’t forget, she used traps last time. She covered the window for a reason. “I get it. You’re getting revenge. Wouldn’t expect you to be better than that just because you’re a princess.
“No revenge,” Twilight said. “But I can’t trust you, and we don’t have a jail. If I left you in there forever you’d find a way out eventually. You’re coming with me.”
Twilight backed up, kicking over the aluminum mess table and dragging it forward until it was right in front of Fluttershy’s door. It would be annoying for a pony to climb over, but more importantly it would also be cover.
“We’ll see,” Cozy Glow said. “Threaten me all you want, I’m staying right here.”
“I could kill life support on the whole deck,” Twilight called through the door. “Either you come with me, or I’ll leave you here while I pump the air. Your choice.”
Cozy muttered something on the other side of the door—profanity, probably. But Twilight couldn’t make it out.
“I’m opening this door,” Twilight called. “If anything comes out at me, I’m shutting it and you can get vacuum-packed.”
“Wait!” Cozy called, voice suddenly afraid. Apparently she’d accepted the bluff. If that’s what it was. “You can open it now. I’ll come.”
Twilight did. She still stayed far to the side, and wasn’t surprised to see Cozy Glow had made something near the entrance. It looked like she’d torn apart the back of Fluttershy’s mattress, and used the springs in some truly creative ways. The spike laying on the floor was at least as long as her leg and sharp enough it might even give a dragon trouble.
“Out.” Twilight backed away, out of reach of the pegasus. “Straight to the lift. Don’t stop, don’t turn around.”
Cozy Glow moved. “A princess is really willing to kill me,” she said, her voice pained. “I thought you were supposed to be better than that.”
“I hope I can be,” Twilight said. “We’re freezing you, and I swear to treat your pod with the same respect and maintenance as the ones my friends are using. You’ll stay there until we return to Equestria, where you can be tried like anypony else.”
They arrived in cryogenics a few minutes later. One of the pods was already open, casket lid gently hissing with the vaporization of refrigeration gasses. There was a careful slot for a pony inside. And from the look of it, Cozy Glow was starting to sway on her hooves. I wonder how much she ate before she realized it was drugged.
That was the moment she chose to attack. She smashed backward with her hindlegs, kicking at the gun strapped to Twilight’s leg with surprising precision. The plastic cracked and crumpled at the pressure, turning the gun into a useless lump that fell away from the elastic strap and tumbled to the deck in front of her.
Twilight was stunned, but not for long. By the time Cozy came around for her, she was already bracing herself against the deck. “Applejack! Spike!” The pegasus collided with her.
And finally she was the one at a disadvantage. Twilight was an Alicorn—she had the magic of all three tribes when she needed it. By the time Spike and Applejack arrived, she already had the pegasus pinned. It looked like she’d probably broken one of her legs, because Cozy had been reduced to moaning pitifully.
“It’s not… you don’t know what you’re doing…” she wailed, as they lifted her up into the casket. “Equestria… won’t survive. Don’t go back. It won’t be the place you think it is. It already happened. It’s all gone… back to the way it should be.”
Twilight ignored her, strapping the mask on over her face, and smacking the nitrogen needle against her neck with unnecessary force. Only when she’d fallen still did she point to the damaged leg. “Splint that before she goes in,” she instructed. “Medical sealant.”
Applejack frowned. “Sure she’s worth it? We could just amputate it first.”
“Yes,” Twilight muttered, slumping to the deck. She’d taken a few bruises during the fight, but nothing a little ice and a few hours rest couldn’t cure. “Then… meet me on the bridge. We’ve got… to decide on our next move.
A few hours later, with some fresh bandages and a nap, it was time to decide what to do next.
1. Fully dock and repair the prospector before moving. It ain’t easy moving a ship around while you’re both acceleratin.’ [Repairs are more likely to succeed, but waste fuel]
2. Use the eye to find a promising asteroid nearby, and set up shop for repairs and refuel. Bit of a roll of the dice if we find what we need, but there are a few good prospects within’ a month’s trip. Mostly deceleratin’ the whole way. [Prospector won’t be available until repaired, but no fuel will be wasted in the meantime]
3. Resume trip for previous destination. Proximus C has everythin’ we need, no sense takin’ a gamble we don’t have to. Tanks will be dry as dead wood when we get there, but we’ll be able to refuel and repair to our heart’s content. [Destination is certain to have all necessary resources, but if something prevents the Equinox from arriving there, the ship will likely not get a chance to refuel.]