Luna coughed as she took in the information that Brightstone had provided. The Kepler, functionally, was safe to fly into low orbit, where small craft could repair and reinforce the more damaged areas. However, the report also indicated that the field projector manifolds that originally protected the vessel during launch and during Conquest Matches were little more than melted slag against the Battle Fortress’ hull. She snapped the folder shut, and shook her head at Brightstone.
“While I admire your enthusiasm for this, Captain, unfortunately, we don’t have the devices necessary to facilitate even a controlled launch, let alone one where even a small portion of the Kepler would survive. The field projectors are long since damaged, and we have not the smallest idea how to manufacture similar devices without knowing exactly what materials and components comprised them. Now, we have a definite path forward, of course – the Magitech Fusion Powerplants that are described in these documents you gave me-” she motioned with the folder for emphasis, bringing back her original point as close as she could, “-mean that, should we decide to launch, we would have the production of energy necessary for an expedient launch, but not for a safe launch.”
“Ma’am-”
“Don’t argue with me, Captain. This is not something we can just overlook. However, Twilight and her friends, well, we can’t keep them here. Twilight’s mind may be brilliant, but she needs real-world experience, and the best place for that is back where she was, in Ponyville of course. Her friends would most likely be the best candidates for such an endeavour, but I get the sense that my own sister is planning something. Normally, Captain, I would very much enjoy to take her on and train her as my own protege, but she already has a mentor, and while magically-speaking she is a prodigy, her social abilities are far below-par for the undertaking which working with us here at the Cradle would provide.” Luna finished, swallowing as Twilight exited the conference room, her hair up in a random assortment of messes, her eyes wide and still in shock. Fluttershy, ever the quiet type, slowly approached her, and put her hoof on Twilight’s back. Almost all at once, Twilight began to sob, tears flowing down her face as she muttered, cried and quietly apologized as everything seemed to hit her at the same time.
“T-Twilight? I-If you don’t m-mind… what did he tell you in there?” Twilight looked up, her eyes red from her tear-streaked venting, and frowned. The look of thought on her face made Brightstone chuckle, at least, on the inside. She looked, for all intents and purposes, as if she desperately needed the washroom, and it was amusing, though he knew why she had cried.
“E-Everything… I have ever known is… is impossible. I can’t believe it. The Gryphons, the Changelings, even the Minotaurs. All working together in this place to protect Equestria and Equus as a whole. Nothing about this should make sense, b-but it does, in a strange way.” She sniffed, letting Fluttershy wipe her tears away before straightening herself out. Pinkie closed the conference room doors behind her, frowning as she turned and met Luna’s eyes with a tear-filled gaze of her own. Twilight swallowed, looking up at Luna, expectantly awaiting an answer.
“Twilight, we’ve reached a decision in regards to all of this. Considering it was your friends, and myself and my dear sister who witnessed anything in regards to Cradle-based technology, and are familiar with it, I’m more inclined to let you return to Ponyville. However, this does come with a rather painful request.” Luna swallowed, clearing her throat as she looked Twilight in her tear-strewn eyes.
“P-Princess? W-What do you m-mean?”
“Twilight, we can’t actually have you talking about what you’ve seen. Celestia has given you a book, a journal, if I remember correctly. Write in it. Keep your mind sharp, and learn things. Experience life, and learn something about friendship. You’ll have ample time later to discover more about the universe, but for now, the best thing is for yourself and your friends to bond and grow together. I cannot promise things will get better, but I can promise that when Celestia decides you are ready, you will be welcomed into the fold with open hooves, or arms, in the case of the Captain over there.” Luna motioned to Brightstone, who raised his hand in greeting once more, returning to a dataslate he had removed from another pouch. Data streamed quickly as he started to walk away, pulling a radio from one of his uniform pouches and sliding it onto his ear. She sighed as she looked back at the ponies in front of her, shrugging as she breathed and let her annoyance dissipate.
“B-But how do we get back-”
“A dropship is waiting on the landing pads above. It will take you to a discreet area on the outskirts of your friend’s apple farm, near a small pond which we’ve cordoned off for… security reasons. Speaking of which, Specialist Pie? You’re going to be on extended duty with Twilight here. Consider it an extended leave period. You’ve certainly earned it.” Twilight nodded quickly, moving suddenly to the Princess and squeezing her tightly into a hug.
“T-Thank you Princess-”
“Just call me Luna. When I am in Canterlot, I am a Princess, but when out here? I’m simply the mare who runs the place. Flintlock, my personal attendant, will lead you outside.” As if on cue, Corporal Flintlock appeared as if from nowhere, a slight shimmer the only indication that he had been there all along. A mask slid off his face as he removed his helmet, letting it hang at his side.
“Miss Sparkle, Miss Dash, Miss Fluttershy, Miss Pie, Miss Rarity and Miss Applejack, if you would be so kind to follow me...” Leading them down the hallway, he disappeared around a corner with them in tow. Luna leaned against the wall as Star Swirl and Unit 3 exited the conference room, appearing to have been in a long discussion. Looking up, she managed a weak smile, trying to put on a brave face. Unit 3 looked her up and down, and shook his head.
“Benefactor Luna, your current physical state is still too weak to continue for now. Star Swirl, myself and the War SIP android will continue to maintain the Cradle while you recuperate. We cannot have you collapsing into a stress-induced coma, especially not after you just regained your form after an extended period of absence. We will be conducting tests in the meantime – the medics did manage to get the blood samples you requested from Candidate Sparkle and her friends. Candidate Sparkle’s genetic code seems amply sufficient for unlocking the penultimate data firewall we have attempted to breach for the last 10 years.” Unit 3 passed a dataslate over to Luna, who grasped it in a weak etheric grip, sitting on her haunches as she flipped through page after page of genetic data.
“It’s a very dry read, is it not?” A familiar voice jolted Luna into almost complete alertness as she looked down the corridor, and noticed a tall, rather skinny not-pony walking up the hallway. Standing tall, she tried to keep her composure, but the smile crossing her face was all the other needed. With a gallop, they met each other quickly, their embrace one of long-lost comrades.
“Chrysalis! But I thought- there’s no way-”
“Cryogenics, my dear pony princess. Your Cradle was very accommodating for mine and my mother’s wishes. She wanted to see the Ancestral Hive grow and expand, to continue the tradition of the Coalition- of course, you’ve seen where your sister took our old cooperative. But since you have returned, we can begin again on-” Luna pushed Chrysalis back, staring at her in confusion.
“My sister did nothing of the sort, Chrysalis. A millennium ago, things were very different. We were dealing with battles nearly every day, the agreements with the Minotaurs and the Gryphons, and while we could try and bring back everything we had before, would that be the right thing? Would that be what we need anymore-” Luna stumbled slightly, falling to the side before Chrysalis caught her.
“Luna, you’re very weak right now. Come, let us get you to the medical center. I did not mean any disrespect to your sister, but I did not come back to pledge my support to her, not after what she did 2 centuries ago.”
“Chrysalis, what happened?” Chrysalis sighed, looking away as she started to speak. Luna could feel the emotions flowing off of her, though she doubted it was entirely accidental. Chrysalis had always been somewhat of a decent manipulator when it came to certain things, and Luna had long ago learned to tune out the ‘emotional feedback’ that occurred.
“My sisters destroyed the Ancestral Hive, Luna. Celestia sat back and did nothing, even when Cradle support would have saved them. She simply told us that she could not risk anything that might cause a war like the one from a millennium ago.”
“Chrysalis, she made a mistake. We all make mistakes. But let us speak about more pleasant topics. I remember you were somewhat decent at genetic decoding. Down in our bio-labs, we’ve got...”
4310 AD – Canterlot, Equestria
“Oh, but I already have! Your precious princesses have fallen before me, and now this day has been just perfect-” A massive form slammed into Chrysalis, sending her flying across the room. Stamping her hoof, her eye twitching, a second Chrysalis snorted, a strange armor vest clinging close to her frame as she stared down the other Chrysalis.
“Oh, dear sister. Is it not enough that you attempt to invade this land, but also to besmirch my name?! Is not enough, Princess Nympha?!” The other princess – Nympha, as everpony present had heard Chrysalis call the other one – stood her ground, smiling. Twilight and Princess Cadence stood side-by-side as the two Changelings locked their horns like swords, pushing against each other.
“Oh, what Queen Apoidea would think of you, dear sister. Prancing around with the ponies, when they could best be made to serve us! To feed us! You believe in-” Chrysalis did not even let her sister gain a chance to finish as she ducked low, spinning in place to deliver a hind-leg kick that would have made even an applebucker like Applejack proud. A resounding crack resonated through the building as Twilight stared, her brother behind the two shaking his head, as if he had just realized where he was.
“Twily? W-What’s going on? Why are there changelings fighting in the throne room-” Twilight shook her head, jerking towards Cadence as she pushed her former foalsitter around the edge.
“Cadence, we have to do this now. B.B.B.F.F., there will be time for a wedding later! Chrysalis, the real… erm, I, heh, I don’t think I can tell them apart.” Chrysalis and Nympha stopped fighting for one second, staring directly at Twilight with gazes that could melt tungsten.
“Excuse me?! Can’t tell us apart?” Chrysalis turned back to her fighting as she kept Nympha occupied, the other still too focused on shouting as her sister slammed her to the ground, keeping Nympha’s head close to the tiled floor. Chrysalis looked up, affording a weak smile as she watched a massive magic force build up between the unicorn and the alicorn. She raised her voice over the pressure wave building in the room, shouting as it grew ever louder.
“Shining Armor! Princess Cadence! For what it is worth… I’m sorry it turned out this way-” She did not finish her sentence as a massive magic wall slammed into her and her fellow Changeling Princess, lifting them out and carrying them far outside the outer reaches of the city. Chrysalis kicked at Nympha, frowning until she tapped at her vest, smiling when a sequence of beeps returned in kind. Almost as if on cue, a doorway opened in the middle of the air, Chrysalis slamming through the dropship door and landing directly on top of the waiting Cradle soldiers, sighing as she watched her sister fly far, far into the distance.
“’For what it’s worth.’ Honestly would have picked better words, but you did well for your first solo mission, Princess.” Chrysalis turned her head to glare at the human sitting strapped in not 3 feet from her. Stepping off of the ponies she had landed on, she adjusted the vest and shook the mental cobwebs out of her head.
“Brightstone, had I not intervened, Nympha would have killed them all. Changelings survive on love, that is true, but draining it forcefully kills those that are having their emotions consumed. The Ancestral Hive was supposed to be united on this, but when the Queen died, each Princess took a portion of the Hive and decided to carve out their own kingdom. Nympha’s drones will follow me, but there will be a time for that later. For now, we need to return to the Cradle. Genetic decoding takes a long time, and I prefer not to be away from my work if I can help it...”
4311 AD – [Ponyville, Equestria] Main Surveillance, Luna's Cradle
“Massive etheric signature detected, Captain Brightstone! Recommend immediate intervention-” Brightstone held up his hand, shaking his head at the over-zealous radar technician. It had been 3 years since they had decided to simply stand back and watch. A couple of Cradle infiltrators, plus an occasional report from Specialist Pie, had made sure that everyone kept up to date with the goings-on in Ponyville with what everyone in the Cradle referred to as ‘Candidate Sparkle.’ A massive spike in etheric energy had decidedly won the attention of Luna and her advisors, and Brightstone had been first to the monitoring station to determine if it was legitimately a reason to panic. He was about to speak when the hidden cameras in the central square of Ponyville detected that same etheric signature, but more localized. A massive mark – the same mark that adorned the flank of one Twilight Sparkle, Brightstone noted – descended onto the packed dirt of the common area, where wings spread from her back, giving Brightstone pause as he tapped his radio.
“Uh, Commander Luna? You might want to see this. It appears that Candidate Sparkle has… ascended-” A rush of wind and Luna was standing next to him, staring at the monitors. “Commander, you do realize you just broke all of your own speed regulations, right-”
“Captain, not now.” She stuffed her hoof in front of his face as she intently watched. Keeping her secondary attention on the new thaumic-etheric sensor readings on the screens below the main viewing portion, her eyes went wide as she continued to glance all over, trying to make sense of whatever she was seeing.
“Readings are off the charts, Captain! Candidate Sparkle is currently rated at 100 Celestial Units. She currently possesses an etheric strength more than 10 times more powerful than that of either of the Diarchy, the Commander included.” Luna stared at the technician checking his paperwork and data, and could only shake her head in amazement. Celestia had told her that Twilight was gifted in the thaumic and etheric arts, but to be that powerful at such a young age, and to be able to ascend? Her Aspect in the Elements of Harmony was Magic, but even the reaction would not induce that. She continued to question as she watched the sun rise, and her sister begin smiling and talking about a coronation. Brightstone started to giggle, chuckling until he was bent over laughing. Luna turned her gaze upon him, her irritation evident. Brightstone couldn’t stop laughing, and tried to respond between fits of laughter.
“O-Oh God, that’s r-rich! Ha ha! Commander, you’re going to have to dress up in that royal regalia you hate so much, and you can’t skip out on it this time! Ha ha!” She turned back, her face turning red in embarrassment as Brightstone regained his composure, wiping the tears out from his eyes as he refocused on everything going on.
“You didn’t have to laugh,” Luna retorted, snorting as she turned to leave.
“Commander, while it was a shock, my laughing should have no effect on how you feel about this. Honestly, when was the last time you actually laughed?” Brightstone questioned, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow before copying the relevant data to his dataslate, the tempered glass a testament to the technology his own vessel had brought to the table when his ship had arrived all those centuries ago. Sighing, he returned to the data, pointing out different issues.
“Now, when you scale that up, remember to calculate the paradoxical number sequence...”
4313 AD – [Crystal Castle, Ponyville, Equestria] Main Surveillance, Luna's Cradle
“Massive chroniton-based disturbance detected! Massive wave of energy dissipating across the local time-space! All forces-” A worried pony seemed to lose track of everything for a moment, Brightstone wide-eyed as he looked around, watching those he had once worked with simply disappear as he kept watch. Various aspects of the Cradle were disappearing, which meant that someone had discovered a way to travel through what the Iiaynsin called the ‘River of Time.’ Put into scientific terms, it meant that someone, or somepony considering the locals, had tampered with the fabric of reality. Brightstone grabbed Flintlock, sprinting past as he snatched falling rifles from the disappearing ponies, Gryphons and Minotaurs around him, quickly laying them up against the wall before he charged through the main door of the structure that housed Main Surveillance. The Personnel Address system had gone silent, meaning that whatever had happened, it was affecting all around the base. Only those who had been there since before the disturbance took place were still wandering around, it seemed, their eyes full of confusion, as if they were seeing something for the first time, but they knew it had not always been that way.
“Dammit! Flintlock, I’m going to need you to fire up that dropship once we get there! That disturbance was localized on Twilight’s Castle! We’re gonna do a cold ignite and burn as fast as we can to get there. I think this time… we’re going to have to do things the less-savoury way.” Pressing in the combination for the dropship, he tossed Flintlock onto a nearby seat, strapping himself into the pilot’s seat. His fingers flashing across the main console, the engines whined as they fired up, the VTOL thrusters pushing harder than their rated tolerance as he flipped the Long-Range Disturbance Detection system, keeping the coordinates in check as he watched the Cradle change behind him. Uniforms changed to one he had never seen before, and the majority of vehicles had been seemingly repainted as he watched what appeared to be pressure waves passing over and over the Cradle as it shrank in the distance. He focused his attention forward, deactivating the safety protocols on the main thrusters to allow him to activate the afterburners without being up to speed.
“Captain! How come we’re not affected like the others?” He turned around, looking at Flintlock’s new navy-blue/purple uniform. Brightstone raised an eyebrow, his own uniform still the same.
“Honestly, just strap yourself in. This might be one of those times that Celestia-”
“Damn Sun-lover-” Brightstone’s handgun was out and in his hand before Flintlock could even finish that sentence, a laser dot painted directly at the center of his forehead.
“Don’t make me pull this trigger, Flintlock. Don’t you dare make me kill you-” Flintlock howled in anger, leaping at Brightstone. Six shots rang out, leaving a bleeding mess on the dropship’s floor, and an increasingly angry human speeding off into the distance to attempt to save everything.
--------//|0|\\--------
Twilight backed away as she watched everything change around her again, the world shifting as time itself was rewritten. She had watched a maniacal mare hellbent on manipulating her magical map to disrupt time’s flow and had almost given up hope. The massive interactive map that stood in front of her showed red, as she watched the world shift again. Tears filled the edge of her vision as she nearly gave up, her assistant standing next to her and patting her side.
“C-Cheer up, Twilight! N-Not everything’s changed… right?” Almost as if on cue, the drone of turbines filled the air as a massive aircraft came into view, smoke flowing quickly out of the rear thrusters as a single solitary figure leaped from the back, a plume of cloth signaling a parachute deployment. As she watched it float closer, she recognized the uniform as the human she had met when she had been taken several years prior to Luna’s Cradle, a secret installation deep in a region known as the Everfree Desert. The rifle in his hand made her very nervous, but the fact that he was even there was comforting to her mind.
Brightstone felt his feet touch ground as he rolled into a standard military crouch, clearing his immediate area before moving on what he considered his primary, the erstwhile Princess who stood ramrod stiff in shock as he moved closer as quietly as possible. He sighed, tossing aside his parachute pack as he removed the magazine from his standard-issue UEC RK-9 assault rifle. The boxy weapon had proven effective even in the modern age, and a refit for it had made sure it was effective as his main weapon. He touched the shell at the top of the magazine, feeling the grooves of the Coltfield Special Gunpowder, Etheric Grade shells. He locked the magazine back into his rifle, racking the slide as he held out his hand in a friendly manner.
“Princess, I know you’re scared at the moment, but-” He felt, rather than saw her wrap her forelegs around him. He lowered his hands, rubbing her head in acknowledgment as he saw her little dragon assistant – he only knew about him from stories told to him by the Diarchy. He had never met the little one himself – move closer, holding out a stick as if to fend off the big, bipedal monster he knew he must appear to him. Pushing Twilight back, he looked back at the table, noticing a scroll laying singed on the top. The interactive map flickered as he approached, lifting the scroll and reading it.
“’Time magic,’ Twilight? This doesn’t sound like something you would do, and I should know – the Cradle’s been keeping a close eye on you in case of a situation like this. But this, this right here, this is your answer. You’re giving up, and I know your assistant would say the same thing.” He knelt down in front of her, holding the scroll out as he looked her dead in the eyes. “Wipe your tears. Stand the hell up, and get moving. I thought I could do something, anything, to fix this- hell, I had to shoot one of my former comrades as he succumbed to the chronological anomalies! Look at me, and listen. You’re the only one that can fix this, even if I have to throw you through a damn white hole to do it! Stand the hell up, get serious, and stop that threat! Stop it...”
Twilight watched Brightstone as dust began to flow from his body, his kneeling form still holding out the spell scroll for her to read. His eyes were pleading with her as his mouth stopped moving, the dust cloud in front of her dissipating as she looked around. Steeling herself, she looked at the Map on the table, and clenched her teeth together as she looked at the pile of ash that used to be someone she may have only met once, but in the short time they had just talked, he had said more to her in his words than just phonetic sounds. He had conveyed a deep loyalty to the nation he worked for, a need to protect everything he had worked for. She frowned, looking over at the ashes, and spying a boxy device with a handle. Lifting it in her magic, Twilight looked it over, noticing the name ‘Brightstone’ engraved into the receiver. Tears stung her eyes once more as she focused on the spell that the mare had used, letting Twilight return once more as she held the device close to her chest, the resulting time tunnel whisking her far, far away.
--------//|0|\\--------
“You can’t win, Princess-” The mare stopped short as something whizzed by her head, turning her eyes to see a much more angry Twilight wielding a boxy device that was smoking. In her mind, she ran the odds. Whatever it had sent her way, it was fast, almost impossibly so, and she doubted she had the reflexes to dodge or block whatever it had been. The noise it had generated had been immense, too. She tried to move, but found herself stuck in place, and looked over at Twilight, smirking as she watched the time tunnel reappear, sucking air and travelers alike into it.
However, before she could gloat again, her body was wrapped in a lavender light, and she felt herself get dragged along with the Princess into the tunnel, the world warping and changing as everything shifted, reality distorting and disrupting.
--------//|0|\\--------
“Do you see now? This is the future you are creating!” Twilight held the handgun to the mare’s head, her anger evident as she pushed it closer and closer. “Starlight, you are destroying everything as we know it! You cannot-”
“No! You cannot! I don’t believe this! T-This has to be some kind of illusion! Some kind of-”
“Starlight Glimmer, buck up and listen!” That got Starlight’s attention. She had never heard Twilight even speak in that kind of tone before, and it made her sit still. If out of fear or a simple realization that the device pressed against her head could actually kill her, Starlight sat down, her eyes wide in terror.
“I have watched my home burn, over, and over, and over again, all thanks to you and your stupid obsession with removing Cutie Marks from Equestria! I watched somepony who gave me the advice I needed to hear right before your tampering with time turned him into… into dust.” She let the handgun fall to the ground, her tears soaking the dead earth below her hooves. Starlight looked at her, defiant, but curious.
“I never had friends, Twilight!” Twilight turned, staring in confusion. “Let me show you what happens when ponies earn their Cutie Marks!”
Starlight closed her eyes, casting the spell she had started the entire situation with once more. She held closely onto Twilight as the tunnel drew them in once more, the waves of energy washing over them...
--------//|0|\\--------
A unicorn filly and unicorn colt sat playing with blocks and books – a young Starlight Glimmer, Twilight assumed, and an orange colt she knew she did not recognize – while the older Starlight watched on with tears in her eyes. Twilight approached, watching through the window with the other close beside.
“T-This… this is where it all happened. Where everything started. Watch.” A stack of books tumbled down towards Starlight, but the colt wrapped himself in magic, the books flowing around him in a circle similar to the Sun, a glow of orange energy as he stacked them neatly, each stack perfectly square with the others. Twilight looked over at Starlight, the latter’s expression a mixture of sorrow, pain and anger. “This is when my friend earned his Cutie Mark, and left me behind...”
Suddenly it dawned on Twilight. The entire situation, every single part of it, it had been caused by a fear. Fear of loss, of abandonment. A fear she understood all too well after the events of her brother’s wedding. She drew in Starlight with a wing, and shook her head.
“He didn’t leave you behind, Starlight. You didn’t lose a friend. Did you ever try to, well, send a letter?” Starlight looked at her with incredible shock, and a little annoyance. How could she be insinuating- actually, now that she considered everything, Starlight started to realize something about herself that only someone else could know, something that she had pushed away long before.
“I-I was the bad friend… wasn’t I?” Twilight nodded silently, leading her away as the time tunnel started to form again.
“Starlight, you’re talented. You’re spirited, and stubborn. I was like that in a way...” The tunnel cut off Twilight’s words as they slipped to the present, the room of chairs and crystal floors, ceilings and walls a very reassuring sight as Starlight collapsed on the floor near the table. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood next to Twilight as she stepped down from the table, her hooves clicking quietly in the silence of the room.
“But my friends made me stronger. My friends made me the mare I am today. Without them… Equestria would have fallen multiple times into the chaos of darkness-”
“And without all of you, none of the work we’ve done would have been worth a single coin we’ve spent.”
Twilight wheeled around quickly to watch Celestia and Luna enter the Map Room, the uniforms they wore signifying something called the ‘Equestrian Coalition.’ Celestia stepped aside to let a familiar human through, who stepped forward and knelt down. Holding out his hand, he smiled, his voice soothing and calm as he spoke.
“You did good, kiddo. I guess the advice of a soldier is worth something in this crazy world, isn’t it-” He coughed, slipping from the kneeling posture to hold himself up with his hands. The coughing grew worse as small specks of blood began to dot the formerly pristine castle floor. He pushed himself up, leaning against one of the crystal chairs as support while he wiped his mouth. He still appeared calm, and at peace, but Twilight could sense something was far from being fine. In fact, she could see him shivering as he held himself up.
“Uh… Captain B-Brightstone?” Twilight turned around to see Fluttershy approach the Captain, her hoof touching where he was holding. She touched gingerly, but Brightstone grunted painfully, causing her to shrink away. Luna and Celestia helped Brightstone sit down in a chair, letting him breathe and rest while leading the others into a conjoining corridor.
“Twilight… Captain Brightstone… he’s dying-” Luna cut in, her own eyes filled with tears as she looked back at the Map Room’s entryway.
“He has been for a while, dear sister. He let us know almost as soon as the proper present was restored, but for him, it was too late. His kind banned time travel from inception or use, due to one major flaw in the human physical makeup.” Luna swallowed as she pulled out a dataslate, tapping it as she showed Twilight the last scans of Brightstone.
“H-His body is-”
“Failing, Twilight. Brightstone came here to say goodbye. His body could not take the excessive strain created by the shifts in the timeline, and it has damaged his body beyond even the technology of the Cradle to fix.” Luna was about to continue when Twilight’s assistant came sprinting up, tears leaving his eyes in droves as he started to tug on her wing.
“T-Twilight? I-It’s the Captain.” Twilight and Luna turned quickly, galloping towards the map table and where Brightstone was seated. As soon as they could see his arm, they could also tell almost instantly that he was not moving, and that he was slumped against the table. Galloping quickly, Twilight lifted him up, her eyes flooding with tears at the expression on his face. Luna stopped behind her, nodding to the Captain’s body as he smiled into a never-ending abyss.
As soon as he was shifted, though, a disk fell to the ground, a holographic version of Brightstone appearing, shaded deeply in blue as he sat in a chair, surrounded by medals, trophies, and various other military memorial items.
“If you’re seeing this holo-recording, you did it, Twilight. You fixed reality, you saved the day. And knowing you, you probably saved that other unicorn’s life, too. I’m… I’m sorry I can’t be there to see you make your decision. Five years may seem like a short time, but to a human, five years is everything. I’ve watched you rise, and fall. And now, young albatross, you’re soaring.
I don’t have anything left behind. My own crew is all dead, save the SIP android Unit 27. I don’t have a home to be delivered back to, so I want you to promise me something. You’re going to promise me this, and cross your heart, hope to die, take a bullet if you lie, you got me?” The recording seemed to pause for a moment as he looked at her with all the camaraderie of someone who watched you grow up, but never got to say anything. Twilight stepped forward towards the recording, sitting back on her haunches. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes, but it was nothing compared to the emptiness she realized she felt. The man in front of her knew her far better than she realized, had watched her grow and mature as a Princess, and had sacrificed himself to protect her in the end. He was a man that seemed to have the right answer, and yet, she knew nothing about him, nothing about who he really was, where he came from. She felt that emptiness as she realized she could not honor the man enough.
“Captain Brightstone, I will keep a promise with you. As the Princess of Friendship, I will consent to your last will and request.” She stood up, staring him in the eyes as the recording unpaused, his smile returning as he stood up, walking towards her. Though his hand was digital, it was almost as if he was rubbing her on the head, trying to make her calm.
“Take my body to the sea. Put me in a rowboat, fill it with dry tinder, and set it alight as it floats out towards the great unknown. I want to be remembered not for the mistakes I made, but the good I left behind. Send me out like a soldier. You can’t take me to the stars just yet, but I’ll be looking on from afar. And Twilight? Look in my right chest pocket. The item inside that pocket is for you. See you, space cowboy.” With that, the hologram blinked off, the disk laying dormant on the ground as Twilight breathed slowly, approaching the dead body and the pocket in question. Unlatching the clasp, she pulled out a set of two small metal plates on a long metal chain. Lifting them to eye height, she read them closely. They were engraved masterfully, with embossed finishing, but it was not their beauty she was intent on seeing. She read her own name, her blood type, and her ‘religion’ on a set of metal tags, smiling as she looked back at Luna, her own tear-strewn eyes evident to the others as they saw the pieces of metal.
Luna smiled weakly, approaching Twilight and embracing her as Celestia tugged Brightstone’s dog tags off. Lifting him from his chair, she laid him out on the ground, folding his arms across his chest as if he was sleeping, as if he could get up at any time. Twilight knew better, but a small part of her wished he would just get up, smile, and pat her on the head. She looked down, smiling as she repeated the same words he had said in farewell.
“Yeah, see you, space cowboy, wherever humans go when they die.” Breathing deeply, Twilight lifted the tags, clasping them around her neck as she looked back at Luna and Celestia, both of whom had their eyes closed as they stood over Brightstone. Luna opened her eyes as she turned to look in Twilight’s direction, the lavender alicorn’s face a mask of seriousness and poise.
“Princess Luna, you told me before that I needed real-world experience. That I needed to grow with my friends. I’ve watched someone I never knew even was a friend die in front of me twice. I think I know how I want to honor Captain Brightstone.” Luna raised an eyebrow, looking back at her sister as the latter looked on in confusion.
“Twilight?”
“Let me join the Cradle. Let me honor him by continuing where he left off. Let me-” Twilight stopped talking when a cupcake was forcibly placed inside her mouth. Pinkie Pie, normally happy and cheerful, had her hair down again, her hair only like that when she was either serious or incredibly sorrowful. Twilight knew exactly which one it was as she stepped back, chewing on the berry-filled confection in her mouth. Applejack moved forward too, stamping her hoof.
“If you think you can take Twilight and leave us, I don’t rightly think you’re gonna do that. Twilight’s our friend, and I reckon she won’t leave us behind either.” Luna looked over at the others. Rarity and Rainbow Dash stood side-by-side, like the soldiers they were descended from. Pinkie had her Serious Face on, staring down the Diarchy and mustering up her most intense expression. Luna sighed, and looked back at Celestia, who nodded without a sound, giving Luna the floor to say what needed to be said.
“My little ponies, your loyalty, kindness, generosity and honesty were never in question, and the idea of leaving Twilight without her greatest group of support would be catastrophic-” A voice coughed, clearing its throat.
“Uh, hello? I’m still here too, and I’m not sure what’s exactly going on, but I’m going where Twilight’s going. I may be new to all of this, and might have made a few, er, mistakes along the way, but I’m not getting left behind. Not this time.” Starlight Glimmer stepped beside Twilight, smiling in her stubborn, defiant manner.
“My dear subjects… at this point, let me drop the pretenses required by royal duties, and just tell you. Celestia and I were going to talk with you all today, on this new Day of Memorial, about something new. You see-”
“Equine work-crews uncovered the last parts of the Kepler. Namely, the cloning bay and the Neural Link Amplifier. The technologies of the War Games themselves. These devices require training and attuning to use effectively.” Clanking footsteps belied the presence of the more bipedal of the two SIP androids. Unit 27 held a seven dataslates, passing them out as it walked around the group. “These dataslates are the entry form for direct-entry Candidates into the Cradle Security Forces’ basic training. If you choose to confirm these, you are no longer simple civilians or royalty; you are members of a greater whole, a collective determined to advance the cause of uplifting Equus and bringing technology to those who have less than others-” Seven loud pings and determined faces confirmed everything as he was passed the dataslates back by Twilight. Luna stepped in front of them all, standing at attention as she surveyed them all. It had been a long while since last she had seen fresh recruits, but she knew that the mares that stood in front of her were mentally preparing themselves for whatever lay ahead for them. She smiled, keeping her position and posture as she looked them over.
“A Cradle dropship is awaiting us outside on the nearby landing pad. Engineers finished installing it, and while questions are being asked, only small amounts of information are being released at this time. Now, while we’re all here, this is the position of attention. While you are at the basic training that I, Commander Luna of the Cradle Restoration Project, devised so many years ago, you will learn discipline, drill, marksmanship, and leadership. You are all effective in your own talents, but you will learn how to act as a cohesive unit!” Luna smiled as her eyes met the shining glare of Twilight’s dog tags.
“Welcome to the future, fillies and gentlecolts. This is where it all begins.”