//------------------------------// // Chapter 124 // Story: Voyage of the Equinox // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Twilight stared across the hospital bed at Starlight Glimmer, wincing at the obvious signs of cryosickness. Even Earth Ponies woken always looked a little worse for wear, but the effect seemed even more pronounced on Unicorns. Her mane was a faint fuzz, and where her coat no longer covered, her body was covered angry red patches. There was no winning against the necrosis, only holding it back. But Twilight was most interested in her eyes--even if her body looked perfect from the outside, there was no telling what condition her mind might be in. When it came to the usefulness of a computer engineer and a unicorn, the mind was everything. I don’t know what I’m going to do if you’re a Popsicle, Starlight. “Is something wrong Princess, or are you just going to keep staring at me like that?” Twilight grinned weakly at her, settling back on her haunches. “Just like that? No terrified questions about how you’re awake or the state of the Canterlot, or…” Starlight’s head twitched slightly, the best shake she could manage. “You’re standing in front of me, that’s says a lot. The Equinox wasn’t lost after all. Judging by the smell of stellar fungus in the air, I’m guessing you found her dialect for… well, it would have to be centuries now.” Her voice was thin and raspy, probably a symptom of her transplanted lung. But she was still speaking. I wish half my crew had come out as good as you did. But the caskets weren’t the same as the ones in the Equinox. Probably the design was newer. A few hundred years of innovation could go a long way. “I see your deduction skills are as good as ever.” And there isn’t nearly as much gray in your coat as I was expecting. She could catch up about those questions later. “Do you feel well enough to talk? I’ve got a project I want you to think about while you’re recovering from the freezer.” Starlight nodded, shifting in the hospital bed. “Whatever you want to say, princess. Can’t really go anywhere for… how long?” “A week or two,” Fluttershy answered, emerging from the door behind Twilight in her jacket. She pushed a diagnostic tray in front of her with a hoof, expression even. “If your visitor is bothering you, just say so. Everypony deserves a chance to recover.” “You’re still alive,” Starlight said, surprised. “After all these years. Wait… you’re younger than me. You were frozen for most of it, weren’t you?” Fluttershy nodded. “The captain can fill you in on all the details, when you’re ready to hear them. For now, I’m going to take some measurements. Just tell me if this hurts…” She was ready right then and wouldn’t let Twilight leave until she’d explained everything. Twilight could sense Fluttershy’s frustration with her, putting so much strain on the newly wakened pony. It took hours, but eventually she was up to speed, and she was explaining what Starlight’s role would be. “I need your help installing a new central computer for the Canterlot. We have an… intelligent system, formerly my dragon Spike. He’s going to give the city a mind, instead of just some automatic responses.” Starlight had seemed so alive when Twilight first entered, but now the weight of weariness seemed to crush her into the bed. She stared down at the paper-thin blanket covered most of her body, expression bleak. “I hoped they wouldn’t wake me until we… until all the fires were put out, you know? Getting out here was hard enough. They weren’t supposed to wake me unless your ship or Sunset’s came home. This wasn’t… what I thought would be waiting for me.” Twilight patted her shoulder gently. “They honored your wishes. We’re both home.” Starlight chuckled. “I take it you’ve already thought about all the ways this Spike thing could go disastrously wrong. And you want me to go ahead with it anyway?” “Yep. I’ll have a terminal moved here for you to get started with the technical details while you heal. The Signalers have these portable computers, thin enough to lift like a book… you’ll love them.” “I’m sure.” Starlight gestured, waving her off. “Now if you don’t mind, I think I will get some sleep. I need some time to process… everything.” Twilight let her rest, seeing herself out. Sharing her story had felt a little like reliving the whole adventure herself—from her hopeful awakening to discovering the stowaway, the death of her second, and everything in-between. For the crew of the Canterlot, there was no time to rest. There was work to do, and a vanishing window of time to do it in. Twilight was reduced to a supervisory role, watching from the palace as reports came in. The Canterlot was so badly damaged that she kept a list of which systems worked, rather than a manifest of damage. There was no telling exactly how long the Hunger’s influence would take to reach them, or how fast they would have to be going along the highway in order to escape. When she asked Node, the robot only said they “weren’t going fast enough” But even if she was correct in her assertion, they couldn’t possibly speed the process any further. They were essentially expanding the Canterlot’s total area by a fifth, adding a thaumically-entangled section for their new population. That meant every manufacturing facility on the station had to be brought up and running, and many more had to be constructed. They cut corners where they could, melting down the oldest and least valuable ships docked with the Canterlot for scrap. In the end, the new section took the shape of a sphere, held in place with massive tethers near the palace section and bridged to the Canterlot with umbilicals thicker than the Equinox. Does the section finish on time? Yes. Does it work? Yes. Twilight was there the day the Shiprats began moving in. Instead of hobbles packed into whatever corners of the ship didn’t have stasis cells, these Shiprats had their own quarters, with working services and communal areas and gigantic gardens ready for planting. Even stern Flywheel wept as he clutched her hoof. “I can’t believe you did it, Princess. All this time we’ve lived in the shadow of the past. Now we have a place.” “Just remember, I still need you,” she said. “We’re not sending you to an island. Your Shiprats still know Canterlot better than anypony. And the work has just begun.” They’d be switching Spike back on in just a few hours. And after that, she’d have to make new orders for the next month or so of work. 1. Node suggests constructing the Canterlot’s sails. The highway won’t work without them, and they might need to leave at any time. 2. Applejack suggests concentrating on bulk mining. There’s no telling how long the Canterlot will be in transit, but once she is they’ll have to make do with whatever they have. If they’re started first, they can keep mining while the Canterlot moves on to other tasks. 3. Twilight’s instincts are to fully repair as much of the Canterlot as possible. They shouldn’t be looking anywhere else until their house is fully in order. 4. Rarity thinks that their focus should be on research. They need to know how much time they have.