//------------------------------// // Chapter 109 // Story: Voyage of the Equinox // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Dock with the station instead. 51% Twilight’s decision was a near thing, requiring hours of deliberation before she was finally certain of it. But after a few minutes of planning, she finally spoke up. “We’re not going to keep doing what didn’t work and what other ponies have already tried. I saw the power readings on the Prospector—that thing could tear the Equinox apart just as easily. It’s time to try something different. We’re docking with that megastructure.” Silence descended on the bridge, with ponies and one dragon all staring at her. Rarity spoke first. “All our eggs together then, captain? The Equinox flying in… Prospector’s engines are half melted, nowhere for the escape pod to send us to even if we use it. Into the hurricane we go.” Twilight nodded to Spike. “Put me on a general channel.” There was a brief pause, then the not-dragon nodded. “Ready.” “Crew of the Equinox,” Twilight said, sitting up straight behind her chair. IT didn’t matter that nopony would be able to see her there—good posture would help her feel more like a captain. “I’ve decided to fly the Equinox down into the atmosphere of Proximus B. We knew this might happen—we’ve been reinforcing her for months now. “We believe the structure below is tethering the last vessel sent from home. It’s the only Equestria we have to return to. But I understand some of you may be hesitant. I’m willing to leave the Prospector in orbit with supplies and anypony who doesn’t want to take the risk. If anypony doesn’t want to be part of this mission, send a call to the bridge now.” Twilight waited a few more moments in the uncomfortable silence, before Rainbow’s voice came over the radio. She was still unloading the Prospector along with the other ponies who had been part of that mission. But she sounded annoyed. “Captain, do you honestly think that somepony would rather wait up here while Equestria is down there? All that’s left, waiting for our help. That isn’t how this mission goes.” Twilight waited nervously for contradiction, but it never came. Finally, she took up the radio in her magic again. “Then all hooves prepare to go down. Load the Prospector with supplies. If the worst should happen, Sunset or I can probably teleport us up to safety.” “Where we’ll have a ship with melted engines waiting for us,” Rainbow finished. “Sounds great.” No time for repairs. We already took months preparing to go down there the first time. Any day now its shields might fail, and it might break apart under those conditions. They took only a day or so to prepare. Some food and tools and other emergency supplies went into the Prospector, and it was off, settling into a slowly decaying orbit of Proximus C. Recovering it anytime in the next month or so would be simple, if they survived. If they didn’t… then it wouldn’t matter regardless. “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Spike said to the full bridge. Everypony was at their duty stations, either on this deck or others. Spike’s own body was down in engineering with Apple Bloom, meaning he spoke only through the radio. Twilight was quietly grateful for that, though she never would’ve admitted it to the poor dragon. That strange multi-limbed body with its naked skin wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes. “Prepare for a buckin’ rough ride,” Rainbow said from the helm, strapping herself in with several layers of overlapping belt. “Keep your airlocks sealed. If the outside gets inside, you can’t breathe it, so keep a respirator handy.” “What she said,” Twilight said, just a little exasperated. “Is everypony ready?” Pause. “Medical is ready,” Fluttershy said. “Engineering ready,” Applejack said. “I got myself a veritable army of little robots. Ain’t sure what we couldn’t handle right now.” “Shields ready,” Rarity said. “Sunset and I both know how to work these defenses. But don’t expect a city shield out of two unicorns.” “Equinox is ready,” Spike added. “I’m always ready, but since I’m the one really at risk here, I thought I should say something.” Twilight settled into her seat, watching the slowly scrolling information readouts. “Take us down, Rainbow. Sensors, stay on the lower instillation. Get me a heading to somewhere we can dock.” “I’ve got my eyes open,” Node said. “We’re getting hella static off the fusion wash from that highway station. Once I know what part of the building we’re looking at, I’ll have your heading.” The ship rumbled under them, and they started to descend. Can Rainbow breach the atmosphere without causing damage to the Equinox? Yes The ship began to rumble under Twilight’s hooves, shaking enough that she reached out with one leg to grip her chair, careful not to touch any of the controls. But there was nothing she could do to improve their path. Twilight could fly the Equinox herself of course—but this was Spike and Rainbow’s show. Can rainbow dock safety? Yes. Random event: The Trust of Possessions. “I’ve got your approach vector,” Node said, after a minute of flying into the gray-blue fog. They’d started to list slightly in the direction of the wind, as their navigational thrusters were slowly overwhelmed. “Stay in this corridor, and it should see you like a maintenance ship.” Rainbow grunted her acknowledgement, both hooves pressed firmly to the controls. She tilted her whole body opposite to the ship, as though she could manhandle it into a straight course by force of will alone. “Can we, uh… can we get that shield?” Rainbow asked. “Sonar is showing so rough air up ahead. Some kind of… vortex.” “We can probably give you…” Sunset’s voice, sounding like her lips were clenched with pain. “Two minutes?” “I’ll make it work!” Rainbow answered, grinning eagerly. “Get ready for a full burn, everypony! Hold on!” They rocketed forward, no longer twisted to the side. Twilight watched every readout she could, biting her lip at the size of the numbers outside their ship. They wouldn’t last long against winds like that, not when their ship was barely made to work in atmosphere at all. But then they were through, and the entire ship stopped rocking. No more list, no more rumble—they fell completely still. For a long moment, they rested in total silence, everypony at their controls. Even Rainbow just stared, transfixed by the view Spike had conjured for them. Outside the Equinox was… a platform of light, extending to meet them from a wall of metal vaster than anything they’d seen before. Node had been right: they were docking. Twilight was already planning her next move. 1. Send the digital crewmembers. Node is one of them, and Spike almost is too at this point. Apple Bloom was changed by their virus. Let them see family coming aboard, instead of aliens. 2. Send the best infiltrators. Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, and Node. Node might slow them down a little, but she knows this place. She has to be there. 3. Twilight and anypony who wants to go can go. Large crew might be putting lots of us at risk, but if I demand to go I can’t really keep anypony else from this. More of us should mean a greater chance of success.