To a lesser pony, the rumbling of that mighty ship’s engines would indicate the end of the world, but this was the future; this was the triumph of science. With everypony on board, the ship was able to make its ascent into the heavens. This was by no means the first mission, but it was the first of its calibre; no prior expedition had this much ponypower. With a whoosh and a wham, the ship entered a low earth orbit, the first phase of the journey.
Everypony was slightly rattled from the rapidity of the ascent, but luckily, nopony was injured. This new experience shocked Treehugger greatly, so she decided to ground herself by examining the ship in greater detail. It was a large ship, befitting the equestrian status, and furnished with all the things a pony of high taste could possibly desire. Treehugger did not like it, but she did find herself intrigued by one of the crew members: Bloomberg. Oh, he was the most magnificent tree that she had ever seen; the mere sight of him filled her with a great joy, one which the desolate metal casket she stood in lacked.
Suddenly - clamour! uproar! All the ponies were running about in terror; she could scarcely ascertain an iota of information from the maws of the screaming ponies. Eventually, a white pony with striking blond hair and a vividly blue jumpsuit told her that somepony had gone missing. WHAT? Just the thought of such a calamitous event taking place so soon after departure filled Treehugger with alarm.
Before she had time to think, she was ushered into a room with the rest of the cosmonauts. The clamour rose to the rooftops and prevented anypony from having an independent thought. The pony in the dashing blue jumpsuit brought the meeting to order.
“Quiet! We’re never going to find Applejack at this rate!”
The room immediately fell silent, and everypony turned to face her.
“What could have happened to her?” cried Matilda, stomping her hooves on the counter. Stygian stood by her side, patting her gently on the back.
“It’s okay. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”
“But how? There isn’t even a trace of her!” cried Limestone Pie, glaring at the pathetic, puny pony.
Treehugger thought for a moment, but all the arguing was messing with her vibes. She stepped aside for a moment, gathering her crystals: quartz and selenite for clarity. In an instant, she found herself in possession of the clearest mind of the crew. She immediately took action, raising her hand to speak.
“Man, we all need to take a few deep breaths and chill our vibes for a moment. All this chaos is really bumming me out. We need to, like, find out what happened. If any creature can help me search for leads, that would be totally radical.”
With a rustle of his boughs, Bloomberg spoke with perfect, genuine intent. He had volunteered to help with the investigation when no others would. Could this be? The wonderful Bloomberg wanted to help Treehugger? It was like the mello tunes of a sitar washing over her soul, making all things more tranquil.
Her fellow cosmonauts looked on with confusion as the mare thanked the seemingly mum apple tree. But she knew, with an unimaginable knowledge of the inner workings of nature, exactly what the tree was telling her.
Pulling Bloomberg in his wheel–equipped pot, she exited the canteen to begin her search. But where to begin? The ship was vast, its many rooms seeming to stretch on for aeons; nopony could investigate every one without finding themselves lost in a maze of delicate machinery. After thinking for a moment, she decided to meditate and search for the frequency of her vanished compatriot.
Alas, the helter-skelter vibes put off by the cosmonauts interrupted her at every moment of near breakthrough. She scarcely was able to repress her own anger as she tried and tried again in vain.
Then, in an instant, she felt the world around become tranquil. It was Bloomberg; he had allowed himself to flow with the auras around him, causing him to gently rustle his handsomely veined foliage. The magnificent tree single-handedly offset the energy of the ship, providing a perfect environment for her meditation!
Treehugger desperately wanted to thank Bloomberg, to share with him her infinite appreciation, but at this moment, she could not, for now was the time to concentrate. She focused for a long while on finding her crewmate’s frequency amidst the cadaverous auras of the starship’s synthetic components. There! A faint trace from the centre of the command room revealed itself to her, one which perfectly matched the frequency of her pal, Applejack.
She turned to the tree and nodded, sensing its understanding of the situation. The two headed to the room to investigate, Treehugger wheeling her quiet companion through the lifeless halls which led to their destination. She could not help but occasionally glance over her shoulder to admire him a bit as they went, after all, who could not wonder at so magnificent a being?
At last they arrived at the command room. Treehugger took a deep breath, preparing for the great discoveries which awaited her beyond the sliding double-doors. With a swipe of her ID card, the doors hissed and slid to the side, revealing the anticipated room.The two cosmonauts gazed into the rarely used chamber before marching in to explore.