//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Shades of Equestria // by Typographical Error //------------------------------// Chapter 8 As the sun set for the third time on the colony that day, Whooves had not moved more than a couple feet. He sat on a stool, his fore-legs and head resting on the foot of Twilight’s bed. Against his will, his eyes would close every now and then, and he would wake up about an hour later. But Twilight never moved either. Only the slight rise and fall in the sheets, and the steady beep of the heart monitor, told him she was still alive. Every time he would wake up, a moment of panic would strike him, but it would ease away when he saw her face. About the fourth time he woke up, he knew it must have been late at night. All the others would have been asleep. He looked up at the face of the pony he loved. Her eyes were closed, not shut tight against the pain. And a slight smile had crept onto the edges of her lips. Whooves wondered what she was dreaming about. He knew, no matter what he wanted, he would fall asleep anyway. So, as gently as possible, he climbed up onto the foot of the bed. There, he curled up, just inches away from her. As soon as his eyes closed, he was fast asleep. For once, his dreams were calm and peaceful. ***** “So, will this be, like, on a monthly basis? Or just a one and done kinda deal?” Rainbow asked, holding her foreleg out to Lunar again. He pressed the tip of the syringe against her skin, making sure it entered a vein before he pushed in the plunger. The clear liquid entered her bloodstream. Lunar knew how it would react. The thousands of microscopic packets would burst, spilling both the virus and microbe into her blood. Slowly, the microbes would aid the body in fighting the disease, causing some nausea as a side effect. But with the weakened virus, the body would be able to fight against it on its own, creating a natural immunity. He pulled the needle out, putting it down on the table next to him. “To answer your question, no. Every few years, probably around a decade, we will have to give you a new injection.” He stood up and walked over to his bag, pulling out another vial of the fluid. “Now, I don’t want you flying for the next couple of days. I still don’t know exactly how this affects the body, so I just want to be careful.” Rainbow looked like someone just told her that her pet died. But she just sighed and shook her head. “Fine, but it better work right.” Then she turned and walked out of the office. Lunar sighed. She had been the last one. The entire conscious population was immunized. But that just let the rest of the population back on the ship. He had to create at least five hundred more vials. And he didn’t know how long that would take. He thought that his job would end after he made the cure, but he realized that creating it was only half the problem. He looked over the lab again. “Well, here we go again.” ***** “Hey there..” a quiet voice said. Whooves was pulled from the edge of sleep by that voice. He raised his head slightly, bright blue eyes meeting deep violet ones. A smile stretched across their lips in unison. As quick as possible, Whooves rushed to the front of the bed, looking down at the mare. She looked up at him, a mixture of care and worry on her face. “How long have I been out? she asked, looking around the room. “A little less than a day, but but that doesn’t matter.” Whooves said, brushing her mane away from her eyes. “What matters is how you are feeling.” “I feel amazing.” she said, eyes lighting up for the first time in days. “How are you?” “Perfect now that I know you are safe.” He bent down, pressing his lips softly against hers. Twilight didn’t even seem surprised this time. She just closed her eyes and kissed him back. “Hey, you’re awa--ohh...” a voice said. Whooves broke the kiss and turned around. Lunar was standing in the doorway, blushing slightly and not meeting their eyes. “I can come back later if you want me to.” he said, starting to back out of the room. “Oy! You.” Whooves yelled, making Lunar turn around. “Get in here.” he said, beaming. Lunar smiled, walking back into the room. He embraced Whooves, who whispered, “Thank you. Thank you so much.” in his hear. Lunar nodded, not saying anything, then walked over to Twilight. “How are you feeling?” he asked. “I am feeling perfect.” she answered. “Thank you so much for all you did. I owe you my life.” “Just stay in bed for another couple days and consider us even.” Lunar said. “I still need to be sure you aren’t going to relapse. But, you should be just fine in a couple days.” He turned back to Whooves. “Make sure she stays here. I don’t want her wandering the colony while her immune system, and her body, are still weak. Understand?” Whooves nodded. Lunar embraced him again. “You have no idea how happy I am for you.” he said after her took a step away. “This cure was all we needed. Now, if we are lucky, we can get the colony started again.” With one last smile at Twilight, he walked out of the room, leaving them alone again. “You know, he can be kind of awkward sometimes.” Twilight said quietly. Whooves just looked at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. ***** “Glad ta see you up and about, Twi.” Applejack said, walking along side her. Their hooves were making loud clanging sounds on the metal walkways. They were walking along the paths that led between the domes. Every once in awhile, a blue or grey blur would fly across the sky as Rainbow and Derpy continued their game of tag. “Not as glad as I am.” Twilight responded. She looked out over the horizon. The third sun was poking its head over the mountains, casting a slight orange hue over the plain. She was glad she was seeing it. She never thought she would have been able to see one again. “What were you girls doing while I was out?” “We were just wonderin’ what we would do without ya.” Applejack responded. “We didn’t wantcha to die.” Her accent was becoming thicker, so Twilight knew how much she had worried. “It’s behind us now. Let’s not think about it.” Twilight said, looking over the colony. The holes in the roofs, and the water stains seemed even worse now that the disease was gone. “We still have so much to do...” “Yes. I wanted to talk to you about that.” a voice said behind them. Twilight turned around. Lunar was standing there, shifting his weight from one side of his body as he always did while standing still. But there was something else. An air of nervousness about him. “Talk about what?” Applejack asked, looking slightly worried. “About the colony. I was able to see how well the underground structures held up over the century, and I thought of something. The colony, especially the bedrooms, are completely intact. And we have enough room for more than three colony ships full of ponies. And, you know, five hundred ponies is more than eight of us. And working on something like the colony, we could use the help.” “You want to wake up the colonists now?” “I think it would help us greatly. We have a lot of repairs to do, so much that we would need to dismantle part of that ship to do it. So I think it would be safer to just wake them up now and get them acclimated to the planet. But, this is just me talking. You can decide to do what you want.” “No, no...I think that’s a good idea.” Twilight said, looking out at the gleaming hull of the ship. “But wait...there are nine of us awake, including me. Not eight.” Lunar shook his head. “Not in two weeks there won’t be. I am leaving the valley.” “Why!?” they both shouted at once. Lunar took a step back, not meeting their eyes. “I have to know if the others survived. If they, either by accident or not, found out how to cure this disease. They were my friends, I have to know.” “But....they all died didn’t they?! Twilight said, completely confused. Lunar shook his head again. He continued to shift his weight, running his hoof through his mane. “About six of them took off to the mountains. I know which way they went. If they made it there, hopefully I can pick up their trail. I just...I have to know. I will stay long enough to help teach you guys how to work the colony and such, but then I have to go. So,like i said, it is your choice if you want to wake up the others. Think about it, I will be in the lab, packing.” He turned away, quickly walking back to the colony. Twilight and Applejack exchanged glances, not knowing what to think. ***** “He wants to do WHAT!?” Whooves yelled, eyes as wide and plates. “Is he crazy?! Wait, stupid question. Of course he is.” “We couldn’t talk him out of it.” Twilight said, pacing in front of him. “He has made this decision to go, and that’s it.” “I don’t think we can talk him out of this.” Whooves said. “He needs closure, and I really can’t blame him for it.” He sighed, looking as if he aged ten years in a second. “I guess we will have to do this. I will go talk to him.” he said, standing up. “Go tell the others what is going to be happening.” Twilight nodded, galloping out of the room. Whooves followed her a second later, leaving the dorms and heading back towards the lab. It was almost like Lunar knew he was coming. The door to the lab was left open, and a note in Lunar’s messy writing was set on his bag. Back in a few, was all it said. So Whooves sat down in a chair and waited for him to show up. And a few minutes later, he did. He took one look at Whooves, then turned back to his bag. “I know what you are going to say.” he said, talking around the notebook clutched in his mouth. He dropped it his bag and turned back to Whooves. “I just want to stop you before you say it. I have made up my mind.” “I wasn’t going to ask you to stay.” Whooves answered. “I just want you to think about this. That was over a century ago. And how many did you say took off before you froze yourself?” “Six. Three pegasi, a unicorn, and two earth ponies.” Lunar answered, counting them off. “And, I remember Moon Fire saying that the last male died the day before you froze yourself.” “Yes...”said Lunar, looking slightly apprehensive. “What are you trying to say?” “I am saying, that even if they did survive the initial disease, they would have died out by now. They would have had no way to reproduce.” “But, that is where you are wrong.” Lunar said, smirking slightly. “Follow me.” He started to walk to the back of the lab, where a heavy metal door stood. He made sure Whooves was right behind him, then pressed his hoof on the scanner. A loud hiss, followed by a freezing blast of air hit them. The door slowly slid forwards, steam and vapor falling to the floor as it did. The door stopped moving when it had opened about three feet wide, with vapor swimming and caressing their hooves as they walked towards it. Inside, a ring of bright white lights illuminated the chamber, which was nothing more than a small room with a cylindrical, blue tube in the center. Whooves gave Lunar a curious look, not really sure what he was seeing. Lunar held up his hoof. “Don’t worry, I will explain.” “You see, back when we could actually repopulate, we knew we would need to have a backup system. If, for some reason, the population was decimated, but for a reason that we could actually fix, we would need to repopulate. Again. So we came up with this system, take a few viable eggs, fertilize them, and keep them on ice until we need them. And this is the result.” “Hold on, you had a whole system to repopulate the planet, but you didn’t use it?” Whooves asked, staring at Lunar as if he had grown a second head. “Why not!?” “I told you! We couldn’t fix the virus, it would have killed these ponies as well as us! Anyway,” Lunar said, turning away from Whooves, “on a whim, I looked at this yesterday. We had stored thirty embryos in here. Fifteen male, fifteen female. But I looked, and now we only have fifteen left.” He looked back at Whooves, waiting for the information to sink in. “What do you mean you only have fifteen? What happened to the others!?” “That’s just it, I don’t know. But that’s not all.” Lunar continued. “The spare equipment for the holding, reanimating, and gestation of these ponies, are gone as well. Eight males and seven female embryos were taken. Enough to start a population again with the right math and charts. I think the last few ponies took this equipment. I believe they might have tried to start again. I need to know if they did. I have to find out.” He pressed a button on the top of the blue cylinder. Slowly, the top lifted away, and several glass rods rose from the vapors. Whooves could see small containers, about an inch long and a quarter of an inch wide, inside the glass rods. A small dot rested in the center of each container. The embryos. “As you can see, half the rods are empty.” Lunar said. “At least the ponies were smart enough to remember this among the panic of the last days. But, if we are lucky, they figured out how to preserve them until they were ready to grow and birth the foals. I am not running on shear hope, Doctor. This is the greatest lead I have. And I have to follow it.” “You really think they are still alive.” “I see no reason to doubt it.” Lunar said, shutting the embryos into the container and walking back out of the room. Whooves followed him, and the door shut and locked behind him. “Now, if that is all you wanted, please leave the lab. I have a lot to pack, and I want to be alone to think.” Whooves nodded, turning away and walking out the door. ***** Two weeks later... “Now, are you sure you remember everything I taught you?” Lunar asked, voice filled with worry. “Of course we do.” Twilight answered, embracing him. “Don’t worry, everything will be done how you asked. We just want you to come home safe.” “Don’t break you wing or anything.” Rainbow warned, embracing him as well. “You are the only pony here who can actually give me a challenge.” Lunar laughed, fixing his bags on his back. He looked out over the horizon, towards the mountain in the distance. Over the past two weeks, thunderheads had formed over the mountain tops, and they could see snow covering the summits of many mountains. Lunar wore only a scarf and a pair of boots, but he didn’t seem to mind the danger of freezing. “I wish the same to you.” he said, turning around to face them. “If the math is correct, those clouds should be here in a month or two. When that happens, make sure everypony stays underground. They should only last a week or two. But if they last more, you will have to make trips outside to relieve cabin fever. Time them between storms, no more than an hour or so. And if it starts to rain, try to--” He was cut off by Twilight placing her hoof over his mouth. “You told us this already. Trust us, you will not have to worry.” Her eyes reflected the sincerity in her voice. She removed her hoof, and Lunar just nodded. “Thank you, thank you all for doing this. I don’t know how long I will be gone, but I will try to be back before two months are gone, at the most.” The distant, deep roll of thunder cut into his words, and he took another nervous look at the mountains. His pure white eyes reflected the blazing suns, which sat high in the sky. He took one last look at the group. Whooves’ foreleg was wrapped around Twilight’s shoulders. Fluttershy had tears in her eyes, but they were not yet falling. The others had mixtures of sadness and apprehension in their eyes. He took a deep breath, turning to face the mountains. “Goodbye you guys.” he said, jumping off the ground and hovering a few feet in the air. He was struggling a bit because of the weight of his packs, but he soon got the hang of it. “Don’t die while I am gone!” And with that, he took off towards the mountains. They watched him go, until he was just a dark blue speck in the bright blue sky. Then, even that was gone. With a slight whimper, Fluttershy’s tears finally broke free, landing on the dry ground. Rainbow put her hoof around Fluttershy’s shoulder and led her back to the colony. Soon, only Twilight and Whooves were standing in the field, looking out at the distant mountains. “Do you think he will find anypony?” Twilight asked. “You never know.” he said, turning to face the colony. “He survived, maybe others did too. I guess it’s not a matter of luck. Just a matter of time.” He pointed out towards the ship, which was gleaming in the twin suns. “You ready for this tomorrow?” “Are you kidding?” Twilight laughed, walking towards the colony. “Tomorrow is going to be fantastic.” ***** “Derpy, are you in position?” Twilight asked, her hoof pressed against the communicator in her ear. Derpy’s husky voice replied almost immediately. “Yeah! Rainbow is waiting as well.” “Can you see the path we cleared, Rainbow?” “As clear as day. We just guide them through it?” “Yes.” Twilight replied. “Applejack, Pinkie, are you at the hatch?” “Sure as sugar are!” Applejack’s drawl came though the speaker. “Got the list o’ number and names right here. You will never guess who is on here! Lyra and Bon Bon!” “That’s great. We will have to meet them afterwards. Rarity, are you standing by?” “Yes, but can we please hurry this up? I don’t want to be standing in the dirt all day.” “Whooves, Fluttershy, you at the dome?” “Sure are.” Whooves’ Trotland accent sounded perfect, even if they were a mile away. “We have the speech, and Moonfire’s video ready.” The eight of them had had an argument about showing Moon Fire's last journal to the colonists. But they finally decided it was probably a good idea. “They should know what happened here. Let the future generations know.” Pinkie had said. The other agreed after that, and the video was now set up for them to see. Twilight looked down at the console she was standing in front of. The re-entry doors on the windows had retracted, and from her point near the top of the ship, she could see for miles. The domes gleamed in the sunlight. Despite their battered appearance, they were the most grand objects on this planet. But they could only get better, Twilight thought. And better they would get. “Do you remember the sequence?” Whooves asked. Twilight nodded, but then remembered he couldn’t see her. “Yes. Remove life support, begin the thawing process, then open the hatches to let them walk out.” As she said the words, her hoof traced the path between the buttons and switches she would have to press. It seemed fairly simple, but she was sure many things could go wrong. Horribly wrong. “I think I got it. Applejack, do you remember what I told you?” “I do. When Lightning wakes up, pull him aside and bring him to you.” He voice sounded slightly worried. “Do you think this is such a good idea?” “He would find out anyway.” Twilight said, pacing around the inside of the small control room. “It’s better to find out now, than waiting all day and not seeing her.” “I guess you’re right.” “Just make sure you don’t say anything about it. Just bring him up here.” “Alright.” “OK, everyone ready for this?” Twilight asked, facing the console again. “Yes.” seven voices replied in unison. “Let’s do this.” ***** The fall had snapped his wing. Pain radiated from the joint with every step. And with every step, he breathed a small scream as the broken bones ground against each other. A bright flash of lightning burst across the sky. Water flowed from his fur, and the rain seemed only to be picking up speed. His breath fogged the space in front of him, but he didn’t care. He just wanted the pain to end. His left foreleg buckled, and he pitched forward. He landed on his side, and he screamed in pain. The lighting had burned a large scar into his side. He could feel the blood trickling down his side. He tried to stand up again, but couldn’t. His legs wouldn’t lift him. Letting out a cry of frustration, he rolled over on his back. All he could remember was the flash of lightning, and then a searing pain in his right side. The falling. Down through the rain, through the treetops. Then another, less searing pain in his left side as his wing snapped. He was lucky to not have died, but this was almost worse than dying. He had no idea where he was, and no way of finding out. He was lost. Completely alone. He looked up at the black sky. Every now and then, a brilliant flash of light would fill the sky, illuminating the contours of the clouds and the ground around him. But then it would fade, and he would be back in the black. This isn’t how he wanted it. He didn’t want to die out here. and the worst part was, the others would never know. “I’m so sorry.” he whispered, closing his eyes against the rain. “I’m so sorry...” He could feel his head getting light from the blood loss. Through the sound of thunder and rain, he thought he heard something move in the forest. Sure, let there be animals in here. Just get it over with. He curled into a small ball, trying to keep his warmth in. But he knew it was useless. The rain would carry the heat away instantly. “Just fix the colony, Twilight. That’s all I want.” He knew she couldn’t hear him, but it was all he could think to say. Rivulets of water ran down the mountain, curving and twisting around his form. His eyes opened and closed on their own will. Slowly, his body began to numb, the pain in his side and wings diminishing. Soon, was all he could think. He heard another sound, closer this time. He was so weak, he couldn’t even muster the strength to turn his head. The sound of steps were coming closer. He willed his eyes to stay open, just long enough to see what it might be. The steps ended, what sounded like inches from his right ear. But his fuzzy vision couldn’t pierce the inky black of the night. A roll of thunder crashed through the sky, and a flash of lightning illuminated the surroundings. For a mere second, it played off the features of the creature above him. A small smile crept onto his face. But it only lasted for a second. His eyes closed, and he felt himself slip into unconsciousness. ***** Twilight moved as though her life depended on it. But she knew it wasn’t her life. It was the lives of almost five hundred ponies under her hooves. Ponies, more vulnerable than the smallest foal. The whole colony depended on her completing this task without making a mistake. Slowly, she lifted her hoof, guiding it towards the blinking green button marked “LS”. Life-support. She pushed it. Deep below her, she heard gears and mechanisms move that hadn’t moved in four centuries. Any connection to the ship would now be cut, and the ponies would be living on a timer. She let out a deep breath, knowing she had to wait at least a minute before she could start the process. “You are doing just fine.” Whooves’ voice told her. “Just relax.” Twilight looked back down at the console. The life-support button was no longer blinking. But now the button marked “RA” was. Re-animate. It was time. She pressed the button in. Below, hundreds of ponies were now being thawed. It was almost time. Soon, they would take their first steps on the planet surface, just as the eight of them had done a month ago. She let out another deep breath, and looked down at the console. She couldn’t have the ponies awake in the chambers, unable to get out. She had to unlock the hatches, then wait for the final process. She flipped a switch, one that would unlock the hatches. She flipped another, one that would open the storage compartments above them. Finally, she was ready. The RA button dimmed, and a bright red button, marked “END” was blinking. The end of their journey. It was finally over. She pressed her hoof against the button, a smile breaking onto her lips as she did. “Applejack, Pinkie, be prepared, they are bound to be slightly scared.” Twilight warned them. “I will remain here.” “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie’s voice responded. Twilight heard the com go dead. She fell into the chair that was bolted to the floor of the control room. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing. It was all over. It was finally all over. She raised her eyes to the window, looking out at the landscape. Minutes ticked by, and, finally, the first ponies came into view. Twilight smiled as they walked. It looked as though they had a limp. The gravity, she thought. They aren’t used to it yet. Families stuck close to each other, while single riders seemed to clump together. Friends met with friends, walking together through the path they had cleared through the plains to the colony. Every now and then, Rainbow or Derpy would swoop down, directing a pony that had gotten astray, or helping to calm a frightened foal. “I wish you could see this, Doctor. It’s amazing.” Twilight breathed into the com. “I can only imagine. But I will see it for myself in just a few minutes.” He paused for a moment. “You did perfectly. You really did.” Twilight only smiled and turned off the com. More and more ponies were appearing. But something caught her eye. One mare was crying, walking by herself towards the colony. Twilight felt her heart break. She had lost someone, and Twilight could only imagine what it felt like. They would have to help her later. She would need to be comforted. “Twilight, we have Lighting.” Applejack’s voice broke into the moment. “Send him up. You know the directions.” She suddenly felt like not talking. She continued to look out the window, even as she heard the door open behind her. Hooves met metal, but only once. The stallion was standing just outside the elevator. He cleared his throat slightly. “Umm...is there something wrong?” Twilight turned around, seeing him for the first time. He had pure white fur, with a bright yellow mane streaked with dark blue. As he looked around the control room, Twilight could see his Mark was a dark blue sheild. She wondered what he had gotten it for. “Come over here.” she said quietly. He walked forward, shaking slightly. I would be nervous too, Twilight thought. How can I do this to him? Just ruin his life like this? He finally reached her, standing about a foot away from the chair. She pointed out the window, towards the colony and the mountains in the distance. “This is your new world. It is not what Equestria was.” Twilight said, looking him in the eyes. “But we are making it what we can. And there is one very special, extremely special, mare who made all of this possible. Without her, the eight of my friends down here would most likely be dead, and you with them.” “I don’t understand what this has to do with me.” Lightning said. His voice was deep, but was also soft and caring at the same time. Twilight could see why Cora fell for him. She fell back in the chair, hooves covering her face. She had to do it. She had to break his heart, mere minutes after landing here. So, eyes watering and breath shaking, she looked up into his bright yellow eyes. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” ***** This can’t be real, was his first thought when he regained consciousness. He felt warm, safe, calm. I must be dead, he thought. Slowly, he shifted his weight. There was something warm, something thick, on tip of him. He didn’t want to open his eyes to find out, but he had to. Dim, flickering light played across the walls. The room was almost square, rising up to a pyramid point in the room. As far as he could tell, it was made of wood. He could smell something burning, and hear occasional pops or cracks. Sitting up, and fighting off the rush of nausea, he took a better look. A fire sat in the center of the room, surrounded by a ring of stones. The smoke rose into the air, leaving the room by a small hole in the top of the roof. There were no windows that he could see, but through the hole, he could see stars. He tried to move his leg, but held in a scream as he felt pain flare in his sides. He pulled the blanket off his body. It was made of some sort of soft material, something that felt strangely organic. In the light, he could see bandages made of the same material covering his side, where the lightning had struck. It was stained pink, but it didn’t seem to be bleeding as much. He looked over his shoulder next. A piece of wood, about six inches wide, was bandaged to his wing. He tried to extend it, but was met with only pain from the broken bones, and resistance from the bandages. He fell back into the bed, looking around the room once more. At the far end, directly opposite from where he was laying, was a single door. It was made of wood like the rest of the room. But it was hinged with a type of metal that looked vaguely familiar. Nopony was in the room, but he could hear voices. Muffled, indistinguishable voices. He tried to focus on them, but his ears were ringing, and all he could pick up where tones. “H..hello..!” he called. The sound of his own voice scared him. It was rough. And it sounded like he hadn’t drank anything for days. “Is somepony there!” His voice broke, and he started to cough. When he could breathe again, the voices were gone. He tried to stand up again, but the pain and nausea caused him to fall back. A wave of fatigue swept over him, and he felt his eyes close again. But before he fell asleep, he thought he heard the door open, and hoofsteps approach the bed. ***** “I..I don’t understand.” Lightning said through teary eyes. “She’s...she’s gone?” Twilight nodded solemnly. “I am afraid she is.” Lightning’s face fell into his hooves. Twilight could only imagine how he felt. “I don’t think you understand how important she was to this.” Twilight said. “Without her sacrifice, without her courage, without her spirit, we would all be stuck up above, or worse. She gave her life to this cause. To save each and every one of us. If we were back on Equestria, she would have been granted a place on the Royal Court.” “Did...did she leave anything behind?” Lightning asked. His yellow eyes were wide and filled with tears. He looked like his entire world had crumbled before him. And, considering where they were, it probably had. Twilight nodded, opening her pack. She pulled out both the note they had found with Cora on the ship, and the one on the back of the picture. “She left these on the ship. One is specifically addressed to you.” She handed them to Lightning, tears falling from his eyes as he read them. “We want to honor her final wish. As soon as we can, we are taking her to the ocean to set this right.” Lightning sniffed, wiping tears from his cheeks. “Thank you. Thank you for that.” He turned the picture around, looking down at the two of them. “Tell me about her.” Twilight said. Lightning laughed slightly, despite the mood. “Where to start with Cora.” he said, stroking her mane in the picture, eyes far away, and so full of love.. “Strikingly beautiful. The kind of mare that would turn heads even in Canterlot. Devastatingly smart. Graduated from Celestia’s school for Gifted Unicorns. She went on to become a doctor. And she was so kind. I would have never guessed, even in a thousand years, I would meet a mare like her. But that one day, when I fell into the fountain and she pulled me out. We both knew, right then.” He looked back up at Twilight. “Thank you for telling me, and not letting me find out the hard way.” “I wouldn’t have let that happen.” Twilight said, holding out her hoof. Lightning took it, standing up from the chair. “And believe me, I won’t stop until her wish is fulfilled.” “I can’t thank you enough.” Lightning said. “Do you have any idea when that might be.” “Before the week is out.” she replied. “Now, be strong. Orientation is the last thing for today, and then you can rest. Her bags are right where they should be, above her compartment.” “Can I see her?” “Of course. But please don’t move her.” “I won’t.” Lightning said. Then he turned and walked back into the elevator. As soon as he was gone, Twilight collapsed into the chair. He had taken it well, but she could tell it hadn’t really hit him yet. The real blow would be at the funeral. She wasn’t looking forward to that. “Is everything going well, Doctor?” she asked, pressing the communicator. “We are just about ready to start the video.” “Wait a few minutes. We have one more pony on the way.” “How did that go?” Whooves’ voice lowered slightly. “He took it well, but we will have to see what happens in a week.” “I know you did perfect.” Whooves said. “There is just one more thing I have to do.” Twilight said. “Then I will be there. Bye.” She shut off the communicator, then looked down at the console. She pressed a single button, and the shutters on the windows shut. The only light was now coming from the console, and a single white light above the elevator. She pressed another button, and a panel to her right slid out of the wall. A single red button rested in the center. Small white lettering wrapped around the edge. “Five minute shutdown. EMERGENCIES ONLY.” She took one last look around room. Her hoof came down on the button, and a clock appeared on the button itself. It began counting down from five minutes. Twilight looked at it for a moment, then turned and walked towards the elevator. It carried her down to the cryo-level. From there she walked, past all the hatches, now standing open. A beam of sunlight was flowing into the hallway, and she turned towards it. She looked out at the landscape, feeling the sunlight warm her fur. She stood, leaning against the side of the hatch. Plants had grown up over the edges of the ramp, but they were now trampled down with the passing of hundreds of hooves. From her vantage point, she could see up the side of the ship, right until it curved away and disappeared from view. She ran her hoof up and down the side of it, waiting for the sound. She didn’t have long to wait. The sound of a lightning strike in reverse ran through the ship. At once, all the lights went out, and the gravity drive went down. Twilight heard the ship takes its last breath, enough to flash the lights once more. Then it was silent. It was now dead, all power gone. “Goodbye old girl.” Twilight said, tapping the hull with her hoof. “Goodbye.” She looked out into the distance. The line of ponies were slowly making their way into the dome. Her eyes picked out Lightning, who was galloping towards the colony. Smiling, she made her way forwards as well. ***** The sounds of voices and hooves filled the colony again. Slowly, in small groups, Whooves and Rainbow took the ponies away to get them set up in their dorms. The others tried to comfort ones who had lost family as much as possible. Twilight pulled Applejack aside, asking how many they had lost. “Seven.” she reported. “Not as many as I was expecting, but still. More than we wanted.” “Seven more than we wanted.” Twilight said, shaking her head. “We will have to bury them soon.” She sat down in one of the chairs near the banks of computers. Slowly, the mass of ponies was taken away. It almost seemed impossible, for there to actually be ponies there. Twilight kept having to remind herself this wasn’t fake. This was really happening. Finally, the last group was taken away, and Whooves sat down next to Twilight. “You did perfect today.” “We all did perfect.” she said, taking his hoof in her own. “I just can’t believe it’s really happening.” “I had to happen sometime. It was just a matter of time.” Whooves said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. “I am just glad it is over.” “Not quite yet.” Twilight said. “There is still one thing I have to do.” ***** The wind blew their manes over the eyes, but they just brushed them away. The sun, the final sun, was setting in front of them, cascading a bright orange light over them, the water, and the valley below them. The only sound was the wind blowing through their hair and the sound of the waves lapping against the side of the cliff a hundred feet down. On their way up, Twilight and Lightning had passed a field of wildflowers. Miles of blazing red, brilliant yellows and oranges. Before they could leave them behind, Twilight had pulled as many up as she could carry. Slowly, over the next hour of walking, she had formed them into a wreath. Now, she bent down and placed the wreath on the top of the small pile of upturned dirt that was in front of them. Lightning’s eyes were watering, but he did not let the tears fall. He said Cora wouldn’t have wanted him to cry. The only thing he had done was bend down lightly kiss Cora’s forehead, before they had lowered her down. Now he stood next to Twilight, watching the sun set below the horizon. “Are you going to say any words?” Twilight asked, breaking the silence for the first time in hours. Lightning shook his head. “I can’t say anything that she hasn’t already said.” he muttered, looking down at the grave. “Saying anything wouldn’t be right.” Twilight nodded, looking out at the horizon again. “I wish you could have met her.” Lightning said, after a long silence. “I have a feeling you would have liked her.” “Tell me more about her.” Lightning smiled at this, a single tear falling and soaking into his fur. “She was.....divine. That word fits her just perfectly. She was devastatingly beautiful. Standing next to Celestia, it would be no contest. She was amazingly intelligent. Kind as could possibly be. It seemed like heaven let her fall to Equestria by accident. I was lucky beyond belief to have found her. I found her, and I never wanted to let her go. “She sounds like an amazing mare, and an even better friend.” Twilight said. Lightning nodded, still looking out at the horizon. They lapsed into silence again. She didn’t know how long they stood there, but eventually, Lightning turned and started to walk down the cliff. Twilight turned and followed him, thinking of the long trek back to the colony, through the forests and mountains. But she didn’t care. The trip had been worth it. For both of them. ***** Three weeks later.. “How long has it been now?” “Three weeks.” Whooves answered, his foreleg wrapped around her shoulder as they walked down the hallways. Ponies smiled and waved as they passed. The desolate and empty hallways were once again filled with voices and bodies. Twilight smiled as they passed new friends and old. It seemed almost surreal to be in contact with any pony other than the other seven she knew the best. But all the faces in the hallways couldn’t make up for the one that was missing. “When do you think he will be back?” Twilight asked. Whooves shrugged. “Hopefully in the next couple days. We will have to wait and see.” he replied. Twilight nodded, continuing their walk up the hallways towards the main dome. She looked around at the difference three weeks had made. Already, the holes in the roofs of the domes were being sealed. Lights being replaced and reattached. Soon, maybe in another month, everything would be done. The second sun was just rising, when the sound of wings made them turn around. Rainbow was flying towards them as fast as possible. She skidded to a halt in mid air, breathing heavy. “Rainbow, what is it?!” Twilight asked. “YouwillnotbelievewhatIjustsaw!” she said, he words running together into a single blob. “Rainbow, slow down.” Whooves said, bringing her to the ground. “What did you see?” “Just come with me!” she said, jumping up and grabbing Twilight’s hoof. She pulled her off the ground, flying out towards the field. Twilight just shrugged at Whooves as she soared away. “Seriously, are you gonna explain this to me?” she asked about a minute later. Rainbow paused in mid air, looking around. She turned towards the direction of the mountains, and her face lit up. “Down there!” she said, pointing with her free hoof. Twilight followed her hoof, finding the spot where she was pointing. A smile spread across her face, and a small giggle left her throat. “Rainbow, take us back to the colony! We have to tell the others!” Rainbow and Twilight dropped out of the sky next to Whooves. He looked them up and down. “Anypony going to tell me what is going on?” “Get the others and tell them to meet in front of the central dome.” Twilight said. “Bring some food as well.” Whooves just looked at her. “I am not leaving until I get some information.” he replied, crossing his forelegs. Rainbow rolled her eyes, flying forwards and picking him up. She turned him around and dropped him back on the ground. “Lunar must have found the survivors.” ***** The eight of them stood in front of the dome. In the distance, they could see a small group, growing in size all the time, coming closer. Pegasi floated in the air, a few meters above the ground. Below them, a group of unicorns and earth ponies walked along. Twilight’s eyes scanned the group of pegasi, but Lunar was nowhere to be seen. Her heart dropped low in her chest. Finally, the group broke free of the weeds, standing at the edge of ten yard clearing the colonists had cleared. For the first time, Twilight saw Lunar. Her heart left her chest, and a huge smile appeared on her lips. But something was wrong. He was walking, an odd thing for a Pegasus to do. He also limped, heavily, with every step. Her eyes left him, and moved towards the group of ponies he had with him. They were obviously ponies, but there was something different about them. They were taller, much taller. The shortest one had to be about half a foot above Lunar. They were also strong. Twilight could see the muscles in their hind legs and back from where she was standing. But their necks and faces were slimmer, almost like a deer. The tallest one, the one who was standing next to Lunar places a hoof on his shoulder, making Lunar stop. He turned to face the pony. A short conversation passed between the two, with Lunar gesturing at Twilight and the others once or twice. Finally, the other pony nodded, and they walked towards the group. Lunar stopped about five feet from Twilight and the others. A smile bigger than anything he had ever had on his face. He looked back and forth from his group, to Twilight’s. “I just want to say.” he said after a slight pause, pointing at the ponies behind him. “I told you so.” His smile turned to a smirk as he stepped forward. Twilight just stared at him, then burst out laughing. She ran forward and embraced him, as the others crowded around. “We were so worried!” Twilight told him, breaking the embrace. Lunar nodded gravely. He turned and removed his pack. Underneath, was a layer of some kind of cloth. It covered the length from the top of his back to his stomach. He then turned and showed them his left wing, which was wrapped in the same kind of cloth, but had a wooden splint inside of it. An audible gasp came from the group. “Bloody Hell! What happened?” Whooves asked, rushing forward. “Let’s just say flying in a thunderstorm, not my best idea.” he said, a small smile on his lips. “But I think it was the best thing that could have happened to me. If I hadn't been hurt, I would have never found these guys.” he gestured to the group behind him. Twilight was able to get a good look at the group for the first time. There was about thirty of them, varying in colors and hues. Twilight could only stare, marveling at how different they were from herself and the others. The one standing next to Lunar, stepped forward, sinking into a deep bow before standing up straight again. “Sabre,” Lunar said, “these are the ponies I was telling you about. Twilight sparkle, Doctor Whooves, Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Derpy.” He pointed at them as he said their names. Sabre looked them over for a moment before speaking. “Lunar has told me many thing about you.” he said. His voice was deep, yet it had a kind and caring undertone. He had dark grey fur with a black mane and tail. Bright yellow eyes seemed to glow against his fur. Looking over his shoulder, Twilight could see his overlong mane was pulled into a braid. He spoke in a way that suggested English has been slowly working its way out of their culture. “I am glad that he came to find us. We all knew the stories of the colony, but we didn’t know anything about living there. And we had no want to live in a ghost town.” “So I told them that you were there, and had awakened the ponies on your ship.” Lunar told them. “And they agreed to come back.” “I am sure there is a story behind this.” Whooves said, nodding at the group. “Oh yes. But I think they would like to get settled. It was a long journey.” “Of course.” Whooves said. “Derpy, would you take them to the seventh floor of the dorms. I am sure they would all like to be together, for the time being.” “Yes, sir!” Derpy said, waving at the group to follow her. Lunar nodded at Sabre, who followed Derpy as well. Soon, it was just the nine of them. “You’ve got some explaining to do.” Rainbow said. Lunar nodded. “I know. So it looks like I was right. The old group was able to grow the fetuses until they were able to be born. Afterwards, they probably set up a system to prevent cross-breeding. But it also seems like they were going for a system of Artificial Selection. The amount of changes in those ponies, their height, strength,everything else, doesn’t happen in a hundred years. I wish I knew what my friends were thinking.” “All that matters is that you found them.” Twilight said. “And after they are settled and acclimated, maybe we can interview them.” Lunar nodded. “How do you think they survived?” Rarity asked. “From what it seems, they drank the water. The first group wouldn’t have had access to the equipment I had. So as far as I can figure, they ran out of filtered water and drank the spring water before they died. I just wish I knew what happened for sure. I am just happy that I was able to find them, and that I didn’t die.” “No, but you sure tried hard enough.” Rainbow said. Lunar grinned, looking up at the colony and the ponies that now inhabited it. “I can’t believe what you have done in three weeks. I would loved to have been here when you woke them up.” “I was a fantastic sight.” Whooves said. “But it doesn’t really matter now. What matters is you are back, and alive.” Lunar nodded, embracing him, then the others one by one. His eyes settles on the seven mounds of dirt a few yards away, close to the edge of the clearing. “Seven?” he asked. Twilight and Whooves nodded. “Well, it was less than I was expecting, and I guess the new arrivals make up for it. Still, I wished we hadn’t lost any.” He stared at the graves for a few quiet moments. Twilight wondered what he was thinking about. If he was thinking of the last time he had to bury his friends. After a moment, he shook his head. “I should probably go help get the other settled. They aren’t used to this type of technology anymore.” He turned towards the way Derpy had flown and limped off. They watched him go, not sure what to think of him and the new arrivals. ***** “You know, the colony will have to repopulate.” Whooves said, smiling down at Twilight. She laughed and slapped his side, but her eyes told him she was thinking the same thing. The metal under their backs was getting cooler as the sun, the final one, sank in the sky. Already, stars were appearing on the opposite horizon. A purple sky was slowly going black around the edges as the fiery orange sun sank below the horizon. They didn’t know it, but it was actually the equinox. The longest day. “How do you think the Wild Ones will fare?” Twilight asked, looking up from where her head lay on his lap. The ponies around the colony had begun to call them that, and the new arrivals didn’t seem to mind the nickname. Whooves stroked her mane, looking out at the horizon. “I don’t know. I suppose it will be like when we woke up on the ship. But this time, they have other ponies to help them along.” “I suppose. It shouldn’t take long.” Twilight replied. “I can’t believe we had no idea they were out there.” “Makes you think about what could have been hiding back on Equestria and we never knew.” Twilight smiled, looking up at the stars that were slowly appearing. In the distance, a few pegasi were flying around the ship, back to the domes, then to she ship in a race. A cyan and Rainbow blur showed exactly where Rainbow was. Following her, matching her beat for beat, was Derpy. Twilight would have never guessed her to be a racer, but she was. Rainbow waved as she flew passed, and Twilight could only just make out the wink she was giving Whooves. She rolled her eyes enough so that Rainbow could see, and she flew away laughing. “You know, they never gave this colony a name.” Whooves said after a few moments. “Really? I would have thought that would have been their first order of business.” “Nope. Lunar said they never got around to it. So, he said that you could name it if you thought up a really good one.” Twilight looked out towards the domes. Ponies were walking, talking, playing. Some were flying around in the air, occasionally dropping down onto a roof to rest or relax, just as Twilight and Whooves were doing. It seemed so peaceful, such a contrast to what the first month had been. It was almost like a dream. It almost was like being back on Equestria. Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind. She smiled up at Whooves again. “I got one.” she said quietly, leaning forward and kissing him softly on the lips. When she broke away, she looked back out at the sinking sun. “I know what it should be called.” Haven Shades of Equestria