//------------------------------// // Season 3 Episode 1: "You Can't Go Home Again" Part 1 // Story: Star Trek: Phoenix // by Dewdrops on the Grass //------------------------------// STAR TREK: PHOENIX S03E01 "You Can’t Go Home Again" Part One T'Lona ran her hand over the Federation flag covering the torpedo tube, until she reached where the occupant’s head would be. She spread her hand as if performing a mind meld, and bowed her head. “I am truly sorry. May you find peace in your rest,” she whispered. “Present arms!” T'Lona stepped back into the small gathered crowd, and stood at attention with the others as an honor guard stepped forward and aimed their weapons at the ceiling of the starbase’s docking bay. “Fire!” Tssew! Seven low-level phaser beams streaked for the bulkhead above, scattering sparks as they singed the duranium. Amina grabbed T'Lona’s hand. “Fire!” Tssew! T'Lona gave Amina’s hand a gentle squeeze, and sensed her relax ever so slightly over their mental bond. “Fire!” Tssew! As the last of the twenty-one phaser salute shrieked through the air, a band of Starfleet ensigns and lieutenants carrying instruments played the traditional Starfleet funeral salute. Were T'Lona without her renewed level of control, she would’ve wept. But seeing the distraught faces all around her, feeling the anguish flooding her mental link with Amina... they left T'Lona wishing desperately that she could, if only for a moment. The torpedo casing advanced along a track as the band played, and Admiral Nechayev stepped up to a podium. “We now consign Lieutenant Commander Jacquelene Cadeneza to the stars. May she find in death the peace she fought for in life. She will forever be remembered, her memory treasured among her comrades.” As her short speech finished, the torpedo loaded itself into a tube. Everyone watched in silence as the breach door slowly hissed closed behind it. A small light above the tube turned green, and Nechayev quickly raised her hand and dropped it. “Launch!” Most of the assembled crowd turned to windows and monitors to watch the torpedo streak away in a final blaze of glory. It was visible only briefly before its small onboard thrusters accelerated to maximum – where they would stay until its fuel cell was exhausted, and the casing would begin its forever drift through the stars. Nechayev turned to the crowd. “Dismissed.” The collection of Starfleet officers and a few civilians dispersed, some returning to duties, others heading for shore leave or off-duty activities. Nechayev herself, however, turned her gaze upon T'Lona and Amina, and with a single jerk of her head directed them to follow her to her office. They followed through the corridors of Starbase 375 until they reached a simply decorated office, which to their surprise bore a signpost that read: “Admiral William J. Ross.” “Pardon the sign,” Nechayev said as they entered and took seats before her at the desk. “I’m borrowing the office from Admiral Ross while he’s on DS9 coordinating the new combined fleet tactics with the Romulans.” She steepled her hands on the desk, her piercing gaze laid directly on them. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry for your loss, Command T'Lona.” T'Lona gave the admiral a respectful nod. “The feeling is appreciated, ma’am. However, I remain deeply concerned over the fate of the Phoenix.” “So do we all,” Nechayev replied, her mouth turning to a thin line. “Ma’am, permission to speak freely?” Amina asked. T'Lona braced herself for the coming storm as Nechayev inclined her head. “Go ahead.” Amina stood up immediately and slammed both her hands flat onto the desk. “What the hell happened? You left the fleet with the Enterprise and barely half an hour later the Dominion swoops in to blow six starships and over three thousand lives to pieces? And that’s assuming the Phoenix survived!” “Commander,” Nechayev began, but she barely managed to utter two words before Amina’s tirade cut her off. “No, Admiral, don’t you ‘Commander’ me. I’m not the one who ought to be up before a court martial board right this very second. Why didn’t the Enterprise detect the Dominion fleet on their way? Why were all the starships in the fleet out of position? And why did one of our daughters have to sacrifice her goddamned life again to try and salvage another colossal screwup?!” “Commander!” Nechayev barked as she shot up out of her chair. Despite her shorter stature when compared to Amina she nevertheless seemed to tower over the junior officer. “You are out of line! Sit down, now, or I will have security remove you.” T’Lona feared for just a moment that her wife would push the matter, the fury evident on her face, but fortunately for both their sakes she managed to sit back down. “Yes ma’am,” Amina muttered. “My apologies, ma’am.” Nechayev acknowledged that with a nod. “I’m not unsympathetic to your feelings, Commander, believe me. Had I delayed the Enterprise’s departure it is quite possible – even probable – that we could have successfully fought off the Dominion fleet long enough for everyone to make an escape. That decision will haunt me for some time.” She briefly curled one hand into a fist before letting it go. "Now, to answer your other questions, Commander. There was no way for the Enterprise to detect the incoming Dominion fleet. They emerged from the opposite side of the nebula the Enterprise left from, and due to the nebula’s interference, any ships approaching would’ve been obscured until the last moment. A sensor buoy network could have mitigated that, but setting it up would have most likely alerted the Dominion to our position far sooner, thus defeating the entire purpose of hiding in the nebula. And needless to say, we had no way of knowing the Dominion would even find the artifact left behind by the Sirens, much less figure out how to use it.” “If I may interject, Admiral,” T’Lona said as she briefly laid a hand on Amina’s shoulder, “I would also like to point out Cadeneza’s speculations regarding the fate of Twilight Sparkle.” Nechayev nodded. “That’s correct. For now, Starfleet does not consider Twilight Sparkle or the rest of the crew of the Phoenix to be KIA. Due to prior circumstances and the lack of evidence of sufficient debris, we consider them to be MIA.” “Not much better,” Amina murmured. Nechayev inclined an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?” Amina shifted in her chair and took a slow breath. “Admiral, we have no idea where the Phoenix is right now, or if it's even still in one piece. It could still be adrift in that nebula for all we know. According to the logs, the last known status of the ship left her without warp drive or weapons, hardly any shields or impulse power... they were defenseless.” “I have been briefed on the situation, same as you,” Nechayev said tartly. “It is precisely for that reason Starfleet will be dispatching the U.S.S. Solstice to search for the Phoenix, starting with the nebula where it was lost.” “The Solstice?” Amina repeated, the scoff in her tone evident even if she didn’t voice it directly. “With all due respect to her crew, the Solstice is a Nova-class ship. She can barely make warp eight on a good day, much less hold up to any kind of extended duration missions.” “I am quite well aware of this.” Nechayev tapped a few fingers on the keypad for the screen behind her, then tapped once more to bring up a fleet distribution chart. “However, we simply cannot justify any other starships for this. The original assembled fleet already used up almost every spare resource we have. The Dominion leaves us stretched far too thin.” A sigh escaped her lips. “For what it is worth, if it were up to me, I would be sending the Bellerophon instead; as an Intrepid-class she would be perfect for this sort of mission. But, shocking as it may sound, even I can be overruled, and the only ship made available to me was the Solstice.” T’Lona nodded in acknowledgement. “I believe we understand, ma’am. Respectfully, I would like to request permission for a transfer of duties to the Solstice, on special assignment to assist with the search.” “I second that request, Admiral,” Amina added. Nechayev paused and leaned back in her chair. “I'm not a parent myself, as you know. If I'm honest with myself, I'm not sure I'd make a good one anyway. But if I were, I have to believe I'd be sitting where you two are right now, ready to stop at nothing to find my child, whatever their fate may have been.” “Which is why..." she cracked a rare smile before pulling a PADD out of a desk drawer, "I've already approved your transfer orders. You’ll be posted to the ship as specialists for the mission, with additional duties as determined by the Captain. I hope you haven’t lost your space legs with all those years planetside teaching at the Academy.” “Not at all, ma’am,” Amina replied as she took the PADD. “We won’t waste this opportunity.” “I don’t expect you to.” Nechayev glanced about the room, then hit a button that sealed the windows and doors. “There is one other fact I wish to share with you two, however be aware this information is still classified, pending a decision on how best to inform the rest of the fleet.” T’Lona raised an eyebrow. “Does this have something to do with the Phoenix?” “Indirectly, perhaps,” Nechayev answered. “To be more precise, it should provide some additional… hope, so to speak.” She turned and tapped a few more buttons on the screen before an image of a starship design neither of them were familiar with appeared. “This is the U.S.S. Prometheus. She’s a testbed for a number of new military technologies, including a multi-vector assault mode. On Stardate 541462.1 the ship was briefly stolen by Romulans operating under the authority of the Tal Shiar. The starship was later recovered, thanks in large part to the actions of two Emergency Medical Holograms.” “An E.M.H. repulsed Romulan borders?” The incredulity in Amina’s voice rolled out like a tidal wave crashing into shore. “Two E.M.H.’s,” T’Lona corrected. “However, I also find that difficult to believe.” “So did we, at first,” Nechayev said. She tapped another button and two figures appeared. T'Lona recognized the first picture, despite the outdated medical blue uniform. The bald head and generally sour face of Doctor Louis Zimmerman, forever preserved in the image of the E.M.H. Mark One, was unmistakable. The second figure, however, was wholly unfamiliar to her, though she did note the use of the more current uniform style. Nechayev pointed to the second. “This is an E.M.H. Mark Two, another feature being tested by the Prometheus. The Prometheus is equipped with holo-emitters on all decks and inside the Jefferies tubes, allowing the E.M.H. to travel wherever he is needed. The other is of course a Mark One, who happened to be transmitted through an unknown but quadrant-spanning alien relay network to the Prometheus while the hijacking was in progress.” “I don’t understand,” Amina said, crossing her arms. “This is fascinating but what does this have to do with anything?” Nechayev’s mouth quirked up a notch at that. “Well, it so happens that the Mark One E.M.H. came from the U.S.S. Voyager.” “The Voyager?” Amina whispered. T’Lona shook her head. “That ship was pronounced lost in the Badlands four years ago.” “Fortunately for us all, we were mistaken,” Nechayev said, her smile growing. “According to the Mark One E.M.H., the Voyager was actually taken by an alien entity known as the Caretaker seventy thousand light years away, and has been making its way home ever since. Of course we performed a full debrief of the E.M.H., who also left us with a wealth of charts, logs, and data that Voyager had compiled throughout its journey so far. We'll share what we can with the wider fleet as soon as we finish processing it all. But for now, I bring this up because I wanted to give you hope for the Phoenix’s survival. Voyager is an Intrepid-class, and lacks the full capabilities of the Phoenix. If they can survive four years in the Delta Quadrant…” Amina smiled in realization. “Then the Phoenix can almost certainly survive wherever it ended up.” “At the very least, the probability rises substantially, even with the damage it sustained,” T’Lona added. “I thank you, Admiral, for giving us this information.” “Of course,” Nechayev said. She gave them both an even-handed look. “I’d like to think I got to know your daughters far better over the few months we worked together… and I would… like to apologize for some things I suggested or said regarding them in the past, especially Sunset Shimmer. I have come to regret the decisions I was prepared to make after her reappearance on Earth… and I am hoping, desperately, that she and her sister are both still alive out there, wherever they may be.” T’Lona and Amina exchanged a look, then Amina smiled at Nechayev. “Apology accepted, Admiral.” Giving them one final nod, Nechayev said, “The Solstice should arrive within twelve hours; you’ll board then. Dismissed.” As the two of them left the office, Amina guided them to an isolated corridor before turning around and all but collapsing into T’Lona. “God,” she cried openly, tears flowing freely down her coal-toned cheeks. Her hair tickled at T’Lona’s nose. “I… damn it, Twilight… Jacqueline…” “I, too, grieve for them, my love,” T’Lona said as she calmly wrapped her arms around her mate, holding her close. “Even though I hope desperately that Twilight is, in fact, alive, we cannot be certain, and… Cadeneza herself is an egregious loss.” “It’s not fair,” Amina sobbed. The tears kept flowing as her swirling emotions finally overwhelmed the mask of protocol and decorum she had tried in vain to wear all day. “It's not fair at all. Run that trip a thousand more times and she makes it every time. And of all the systems to be damaged too... my god how much did she suffer?” “There was no way for her to realize the scope of the damage until it was too late,” T’Lona reminded her. “Even a seasoned engineer with the proper tools would have faced tall odds to identify and make the necessary repairs fast enough. If not for her pre-existing injuries, she may have survived, albeit barely. But in her weakened state....” Amina beat a fist on T’Lona’s arm, but there was no malice and little strength to it. “I know that,” she grunted. “Don’t quote the damned report at me. Not now.” They walked in silence for several moments after that, until they reached their temporary quarters. “...apologies. I am finding it difficult to…” T’Lona paused, and concentrated on her breathing for a moment before continuing. “Difficult to maintain my own control. It seems I was closer to Cadeneza than even I had realized.” “Jacqueline was quite the person, wasn’t she?” Amina said. She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes as she pulled away from T’Lona. “She sure was.” Both of them turned in shock at the new voice, to see a figure that at first glance left T’Lona feeling like she’d seen a ghost. She looked again though, and the differences began to emerge; a different hair style, the way this person carried themselves, the finer contours of her face. After a moment, T'Lona realized who this must be. “You are her sister, Penelope.” Penelope Cadeneza bowed slightly, though her face bore a trace of a sneer. “In the flesh. I was at the funeral; guess you must not have seen me there.” “... in truth, I saw you, but I believed you would prefer to be alone,” T’Lona admitted. “So did I,” Amina said as she raised her hand to shake. “Commander Amina Riviera. This is my wife, T’Lona.” Penelope scowled at Amina’s hand for a moment before she shook it, quickly dropping it. “I know who you are. You’re Sunset’s adopted parents.” She flicked her eyebrows upward briefly. “And… Twilight Sparkle’s.” “That’s right.” Amina’s mouth twisted into a frown. “I’m sorry for your loss, Penelope.” Penelope bit at her lip and rubbed the back of her head. “Err… look, can we talk about this inside? I don’t want to hash this out in the corridor.” Amina glanced to T’Lona, then nodded. “Of course. Please, come in.” She waved Penelope inside, and walked over to the replicator. “Care for a drink?” “Yeah… glass of orange juice, thanks,” Penelope answered as she took a seat on the sofa. The quarters were spartan, just a few basic pieces of furniture, a small dining area, and a double bed in the attached bedroom. The lack of personality struck T’Lona as disheartening, casting a pall on the talk to come. Amina fetched the orange juice, along with some milk for herself and a mug of tea for T’Lona. She set the drinks on the coffee table and sat on the end of the sofa, leaving the armchair for T’Lona. Penelope, to her credit, waited till she’d taken a few gulps of orange juice before she dropped the proverbial bomb. “I wish we’d met before today, because you two being so close to my sister… It feels wrong. I want to be mad at you. Both of you. All of Starfleet. I keep telling myself if I had been there, maybe I could've fixed the shuttle along with her. Maybe I could have forced her to go to sickbay first, or avoid injuring herself in the first place. Maybe it should have been me on the shuttle instead of her.” She gulped down the rest of her orange juice and set the glass aside, then hopped up and started to pace. “I was supposed to go to the Academy too, you know. Did she ever tell you that? Both of us wanted to. Wearing that uniform was the only goal we ever felt like reaching. But after our parents died, I knew one of us would never get there, and I decided it would be me. Instead, I focused everything I had on ensuring Jackie's success, on making sure at least one of us got to walk these halls. And now she's dead.” Penelope turned and punched the wall. “And all for what? For this war? For whatever godforsaken ‘secret project’ had her hiding in a nebula for months, completely unprotected?” She turned back to them, her face twisted up with raw emotion. “Say, you're Commanders, right? What did my sister throw her life away for anyway? What was so goddamn important that she went on a suicide mission in a shuttlecraft to get help for a ship that was probably going to be in a thousand pieces by the time she got back?!” T’Lona arched a single eyebrow as she stared up at Penelope, not the least bit intimidated. “Truthfully, we do not know the specifics.” “Liar!” T’Lona inclined her head. “I am Vulcan. I cannot lie.” “Oh?” Penelope took a step forward, looming over T’Lona, her hands curling at her sides. “Then what was all that talk during the ceremony about the bond you had with Jackie? And don't you dare think you can claim to know her like family.” Resting her hands around her mug of tea to allow the warmth to fill her hands, T’Lona replied, “Jacqueline Cadeneza was my teacher’s assistant during her fourth year at the Academy, and in many ways my protege. She was a skilled xenobiologist, with a passion for the field I have not seen since I first began teaching at the Academy. I saw her frequently, even outside of her normal duties. She engaged in constant communiques with me once she was posted to the Phoenix, up until not long before her death.” “You'll forgive me if I'm not quite seeing a super close bond here,” Penelope growled. “She was also dating one of our daughters and was best friends with the other daughter,” Amina added cooly. She sipped at her milk, slurping in a way that prickled at T’Lona’s ears. Penelope worked her jaw and crossed her arms. Blowing out a huge sigh through her teeth, she glared at the floor for a short while, before finally looking back up at them. Her face relaxed, partially, to more of a well-worn frown. “...I’m sorry. I know, I’m being a jerk here. I just… damn it, I barely ever heard from her this past year, and I sacrificed so much for her, and she… god damn it, I thought that girl would live forever.” Amina set her glass down and reached out a hand, which Penelope took after a bit of hesitation. She ran the fingers of her other hand over Penelope’s bronzed skin in a soothing motion T’Lona recognized as one she frequently used on Twilight’s hooves. “I can’t say I know exactly how you feel, but I can share our story. For two years, we thought Sunset Shimmer died in a warp core explosion, yet the entire time she was stuck on an uninhabited planet just trying to survive. And when she was finally able to send a call for help, the Jem'Hadar showed up and captured her, and she barely escaped. Even now we don’t know if our other daughter is actually still alive, or if she…” Amina let out a shuddering sigh. “Point is, we know what loss is like, and we’re suffering too. So I get it. I know how easy anger is, how much you want to lash out. Just ask any of the cadets who received harsher than deserved reprimands from me during that period.” “Pain is difficult to cope with,” T’Lona said softly. “But it is better handled with others together, not alone.” Penelope’s eyes watered, and she blinked away her tears. “Yeah. You’re right.” She squeezed Amina’s hand, then pulled away so she could reach into her bag. She pulled out a familiar leather coat, one that T’Lona recognized immediately. “This was Jackie’s. Here.” T’Lona took the coat and examined it, her fingers running along the fabric to automatically tug at a small hole she accidentally tore in it once when catching Cadeneza in a fall. “You are her family, of course. Would it not be better for you to keep this?” she said, her voice a notch quieter. Penelope shrugged. “She was adamant that the coat go to Sunset, actually. Jackie didn't hang on to much stuff, not unless it meant a great deal to her. You can tell by all the wear lines in this old thing.” She sniffed and wiped away a few more tears. “But she knew Sunset would appreciate this more than anyone, and after listening to the message she left for me, I can see why. I'd have brought it straight to her, of course, but since she's MIA, that means I gotta give it to you for now.” “Are you certain?” T’Lona inquired. “At this moment we do not even know for certain if Sunset is alive.” “Oh, she’s alive,” Penelope declared with a bark of a laugh. “She has to be. No girl tough enough to handle dating my sister is going to let the Dominion finish her off, not without a hell of a fight. Besides… I always thought my sister had her head literally in the clouds, but she was never wrong about her gut feelings, and she told me she never once stopped believing in Sunset’s ability to solve just about any problem. So keep it, and make sure it gets to her.” Carefully folding it over one arm, T’Lona nodded in acknowledgement. “I thank you, Miss Penelope; for this gesture, and for renewing our sense of hope. Amina and I will ensure it is well taken care of, and once we locate the Phoenix I will deliver it to her personally.” “You’d better.” Penelope eyed her a moment, then reached into her pocket and pulled out an isolinear chip. “One more thing,” she said, handing it to Amina. “Jackie left a message for Sunset too. It's... well, you can probably guess.” Amina took it, her hand shaking as she placed it into her own pocket. “Thank you. We’ll make sure she sees it.” Penelope then pulled out her PADD, tapping it a few times before she turned it over to them. “Here. My PADD address, so you can comm me when you need to.” T’Lona and Amina brought out their own and they exchanged details. “We will keep you apprised.” “Cool,” Penelope said as she tucked her PADD away. “Look, my transport’s leaving soon, heading back to Proxima Centauri. But you make damned sure you find your daughter, hear me? She needs to hear what Jackie had to say to her.” T’Lona nodded, her head feeling heavy, even as Amina reached out to grasp her free hand. “We will.” The bright sensors of May’s medical tricorder flashed in my eyes for the third time in less than a minute, prompting me to growl from the pain it induced behind my eyes. “I’m fine, Doctor,” I said as I pushed away her tricorder with my magic. “I’ve recovered, I promise.” May gathered herself up and gave me a stern, almost motherly glare. “I don’t think so, Commander. You suffered a severe concussion and a number of contusions along your side besides. You’re not leaving this sickbay without a full examination.” Princess Celestia watched on with amusement. “You should trust your doctor, Sunset,” she said, that regal smile firmly in place. “Remember, healing spells can only do so much. It is best for you to be checked by a proper doctor.” May, not for the first time, furtively glanced up at Celestia, whose massive form towered over most of the humanoids in the room, and visibly swallowed. “Err, yes, thank you, your Majesty,” she said. She then focused her eyes back on me and that laser-guided confidence was firmly back in place. “Now, Sunset, I’ll not be takin’ no for an answer anymore. And I don't think the princess here will be either.” “Fine.” I blew a bit of mane out of my face. “Just hurry up, please.” As she passed the scanner over my body, I tried to let go of some of my tension. “How’s the Captain?” The wince I earned for that question felt better than it should have to me. “...still unconscious,” May finally answered. “Whatever happened during the crash, it was soft enough to prevent him from bursting his spleen open, which would’ve killed him outright. But as it is…” She shook her head, and I caught the softest sound of a sniff. “He’s going to struggle. Especially without the help of a starbase medical facility. This sickbay can only handle so much.” “Doctor!” came a cry from one of her med techs as they wheeled in an Andorian ensign on an anti-grav stretcher. Blue blood leaked from several tears in his body. “We need to get him into the OR immediately.” “Damn it,” May cursed. She glanced briefly at the ceiling. “Computer! Is there enough power to run the E.M.H.?” “Affirmative.” “Activate the E.M.H.!” A bald human in a Starfleet uniform with a dour expression that seemed permanently welded onto his face appeared in a flash. “Please state the nature of the medical emergency.” His eyes then fell upon the ensign. “I see.” May stuffed her tricorder in his hands. “Take over with the Commander here. Baker, Rish, with me in the OR!” She flashed me an apologetic look. “Go, go,” I said, urging her on. The four of them disappeared into another part of sickbay, while the E.M.H. eyed me suspiciously and began to scan me with his tricorder. “...I see signs of a concussion, contusions, and some minor lacerations. But all seem to be receding smoothly,” he muttered after a moment. “A wonderful use of my talents.” I rolled my eyes. “You’ll have plenty of other ways in which you can help, Doctor. Start working with the rest of sickbay, and if anyone complains tell them Commander Shimmer said it was an order.” “Aye, ma’am,” he grumbled as he shuffled off, immediately favoring another unlucky patient with his awful bedside manner. Celestia gaped at the E.M.H. as he walked away. “What was that? Some manner of golem? And you can summon them out of thin air?” “Just a hologram, Princess.” I hopped off the bio-bed and stretched my limbs, sighing as I popped more than a few kinks out of my joints. I was still sore just about everywhere, but for the moment it would have to be good enough. “Hollow-graham,” she repeated, sounding out the unusual syllables. “Another word I don’t quite understand.” I chuckled under my breath as I watched her. In many ways she reminded me of myself when I first arrived on Earth and everything was new and entirely mind-blowing. Now here I am dropping a literal starship's worth of advanced tech right in her backyard. Definitely not the homecoming I had always dreamed of. As I stepped out into the corridor, Princess Celestia followed me, ducking to avoid clocking her head on the doorframe. “Princess, are you certain you can’t use your healing magic on my crew?” “Much as I wish I could, I cannot,” Celestia answered with a gentle shake of her head, barely disturbing her ethereal tresses that rode an unseen wind. “At present I do not know how such magic would interact with any of the other creatures here with you, and I do not want to risk adding more work to your already beleaguered doctor's plate. Also, I suspect my healing spell worked as well as it did on you because our individual magic aligns so well with the Light.” “Yeah, about that… you never got a chance to broach that subject with me before I, err… left.” I bit my lip awkwardly. “You only mentioned it in passing when you told me about your sister.” Her smile faded ever so slightly. “Yes. That is one of... many things I wish to discuss. But now is not the time. Are you ready to go see Twilight?” I could sense a bit of awkwardness in Celestia's response, and admittedly I shared it. I was not looking forward to the tough conversations I knew were waiting for me. But I pushed all that aside to focus on the good, and at the moment that was my sister. “Yes, of course. Just, hang on one second.” I tapped my badge. “Sunset to Engineering. Status report.” “Watson here, ma’am. We’ve got a single fusion reactor up and running, but that’s all that’s currently powering the ship. The warp core was knocked completely offline during the transit, and the EPS grid is still a godawful mess. Matter and antimatter storage is secure, thankfully, but otherwise it's going to take at least a few days to sort out the rest. As for other systems… I still don’t know yet. I have everyone not working on the warp core focused on repairing the structural integrity field generators, because right now I have no idea how the ship is sitting on a planetary surface without collapsing under its own weight. I need not remind you that a Nebula-class was never designed for a landing.” Celestia’s ears flickered up and pointed right at me as she cocked her head ever so slightly, her eyes watching my combadge. “Take your time, Amelia. We’re in no danger for the moment. As for the landing situation, I’ll let you know soon as I have that figured out myself. Shimmer out.” I glanced at Celestia, who immediately resumed her normal posture. “Princess, remind me how you got aboard?” “We built a gangplank up to the keel of the ship where we found an access hatch.” She blinked. “It was strange how it had two sets of doors.” “That’s because it’s an airlock, Princess,” I said with a chuckle. “Helps prevent loss of atmosphere in space.” I tapped my badge again. “Shimmer to Re’l and Rodriguez.” “Rodriguez here, ma’am. Re’l is with me.” “Please report to docking port twenty-four immediately.” “On our way.” Closing the channel, I nodded to Celestia. “Alright, let’s go.” “Your ship is remarkable, Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia said, unable to stop looking all over the place as she followed me through the corridors. “The technology aboard it is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.” “We’ve had a hell of a journey.” We stepped onto the turbolift. “Deck twenty-four.” Celestia, to her credit, barely adjusted her footing as the lift carried us down to the lowest deck on the ship, where she’d had a gangplank hooked up. Preta awaited me, along with Rodriguez. “Ma’am,” he said, then his eyes took in Celestia. To his credit, he managed to avoid reacting apart from a brief widening of his eyes. Preta gawked openly, however. I nodded to him in turn. “Princess Celestia, this is Rodrigo Rodriguez, the ship’s helm officer. Rodriguez, this is Princess Celestia, one of the diarchs of Equestria.” Rodriguez bowed low to Celestia. “It is an honor to meet you, your majesty.” Celestia tittered and tapped her hoof on his shoulder. “No need to bow to me, Mister Rodriguez. You aren’t one of my subjects.” He flashed her his trademark grin. “Perhaps not, Princess, but I was raised by mi madre to show respect where respect is due.” “And, if I may, Princess, this is Lieutenant Preta Re’l, ship’s secondary helm officer and, err… Twilight’s girlfriend.” “Oh, is that so?” Celestia said, her smile widening in amusement. I doubt Preta noticed, but I could see that familiar twinkle in Celestia's eyes that said she was quietly excited. She raised a hoof to Preta. “A pleasure to meet you, Preta.” Preta gulped and shook her hoof. “Err, likewise, your highness.” Her eyes darted to me, full of desperate concern. “I am sorry I was not able to speak with you sooner to tell you that Twilight is here. Alive.” Preta seemed to gasp and cry at the same time. Both her paws covered her mouth as she stood there in complete shock. “I-Is... Twi's really?” Before I could react though, Celestia quickly stepped over and wrapped a wing around Preta, drawing her close. “Yes, she is,” Celestia replied in that same hushed, motherly tone that I'd heard from her countless times before. “Try to relax, little one. When you're ready, we can go see her if you'd like.” “Can we?” Preta mewled. Looking at her in Celestia's embrace was like looking at myself so many years ago. In a way, it was good to see that Celestia's motherly instincts hadn't changed a bit. “Of course, Preta. That's why I called you here, so we could all go together.” Preta visibly stood up straighter, the relief erasing what seemed like years worth of anxiety off her body. “Oh my goodness, Commander… thank you!” “Ease up on the rank for the moment, Preta,” I said, extending a wing to give her a quick embrace as well. “We can relax.” A soft giggle escaped her lips. “Got it, Sunset.” Rogriguez’s own grin stretched from ear to ear at the news. “Twilight Sparkle is alive? Thank goodness!” I turned back to Rodriguez. “Rodrigo, much as I want to bring you along too, I need you here at the moment., While the Captain is out of action and with Williams dead, I need an experienced officer to keep the ship safe while I’m away. For now, that’s you.. Concentrate on repairs, especially on the warp core and structural integrity fields.” He squatted down briefly to look me in the eye. “Respectfully, ma’am, wouldn’t Zhidar be the better choice?” “Zhidar is currently sweeping the ship with security for damage assessment and locating any injured officers who haven’t been seen by sickbay yet.” I replied with a soft shake of my head. “I know I can count on you, Rodrigo. You’ve got this.” Nodding, he chuckled and straightened up. “If you are saying so, Sunset. I will do the best I can.” “That’s all I ask.” I patted him on the side. “The crew needs to know they’re in good hands, and I can’t think of any better.” He nodded one last time to both myself and Princess Celestia, then headed for the turbolift. I then gestured to Celestia. “Lead the way.” She led us out the hatch and onto the top of the gangplank. Emerging into sunlight from the ship felt odd; odder still when accompanied by birdsong and a gentle breeze carrying a warm, springtime air with it. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Equus. Home. I fluffed my wings a bit and turned my head up, basking in the glorious warmth. "Oh wow..." I moaned. Celestia patted me on the back with one wing and smiled as we continued to walk. We began to descend the gangplank and my head was on a swivel, taking in every detail I could. The trees in the distance, the rather large field we had landed in, the teams of construction workers scurrying about. I spotted numerous gaggles of royal guardsponies too; some patrolling, others assisting in the construction of what I could only assume were more fortifications. My heart beat faster and faster the closer we got to the end of the gangplank. It was all so close I could literally smell it. Then my hooves touched grass, and it took all my self control and then some not to burst into tears. Home. I could feel it in every part of me all at once. The natural foliage and magic of Equus reached up through the ground to embrace me. A burst of wind rushed through my wings, awakening my pegasus magic like never before. And my horn almost buzzed with excitement as it tasted pure Equestrian magic for the first time in ages. Every part of me seemed to glow for just a moment, as if my very soul sang out in jubilation. I had not stepped hoof here in almost twenty years… technically closer to forty, counting the time dilation. And Equus knew it. It welcomed me back with open arms. I looked inward and could feel the planet sing right along with me, celebrating the return of its prodigal daughter. Celestia’s wing tip stroked my back, and she whispered, “I feel it too.” The Phoenix, I soon discovered, had landed in a field in the plains south of Canterlot, not far outside the village of Ponyville, which was easily visible in the distance, a good thirty or so minute walk at least. The construction work, I was told, was to provide temporary shelter for the ship's crew if needed, and also to house the Royal Guard squadron that had been detached to provide security until further arrangements could be made. The ship itself was propped up on some kind of dais of stone and ceramic, looking for all the world like a model starship on a stand. “How is the ship able to stay on that?” Preta wondered aloud. “Magic,” I said. “Mana stones powering focused reinforcement spells directed at key points along the ship's hull, to be precise,” Celestia added. “Twilight was able to warn us that your ship was not designed for a planet’s surface. But even so, we needed a lot of help from others to make any of it work.” As she pointed them out, I saw them, a good couple of dozen of small obelisks spread through the fortifications, each topped by a cluster of emeralds and rubies. Preta had a thoroughly confused look on her face. “Focused reinforcement what? And you're doing it with rubies?” “Like I said. Magic." I smiled and bumped Preta in the side. "Don't worry, I'll try to explain some of the specifics later.” Walking over to one, I examined it closely with my own magic. “These’ll do great for the moment. Hopefully we can get the ship’s own structural integrity fields back up and running properly… though we might still need these to take off again, at least til we get out of the atmosphere. We’ll have to adjust the spell matrices…” Celestia’s laughter rang like bells through the open air. “I see you haven’t lost your touch with your magic.” “Oh, no way,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s been one of the most important parts of my career. I couldn’t function as an officer without it.” “You’ll have to explain what all that means, in time.” She directed us to a magic circle etched in stone. “This will teleport us to Canterlot, where Twilight has been since her rescue.” I blinked as we stepped into the circle. “This is new.” Celestia’s smile turned mysterious. “There’ve been a few new developments in magic thanks to my faithful student and her paramour. You will see.” Before I could ask what that meant, we were engulfed in a flash of light. The buzz of unicorn teleportation felt familiar, but I could already sense something new, something different underneath it. How much had things changed? A few moments later we popped back into reality, this time inside of Canterlot Castle – in a room that I remembered used to be a little used storage space on the west wing of the castle complex. As we disembarked, another alicorn met us, one I recognized immediately. “Sunset Shimmer,” said Princess Luna with a respectful nod. “It is an honor to finally meet you.” I bowed deeply to her, and Preta, after a moment, followed suit. “Princess Luna, the honor is mine.” She shook her head and pushed her hoof under my chin. “Please, there is no need to bow to me. We are equals now, after all.” My eyes almost popped out of my skull as a cat-like yowl of confusion emerged from Preta. “Uh… what? I’m not— ” “Luna,” Celestia said, with that slight change to her tone I recognized as her polite scolding, “I thought we agreed we would discuss this later.” “I see no reason to delay, sister,” Luna replied, her face impassive. “We wrote the very laws in question, did we not? If you ascend, you have the right to lay claim to a crown.” “Uh, don’t I get a say in this?” I asked, my voice shaking along with my body. Celestia sighed. “Yes, you do, Sunset. I promise. We will discuss this later. For now, let us focus on our reason for being here. Your sister.” I thought I saw Luna’s eyes briefly twinkle with mirth before they reverted to something more cold. “This way, then.” As we began to navigate the corridors of Canterlot Castle, I couldn’t help feeling shiver after shiver of reminiscence run through me. Years of memories both buried and fond flooded back to me. I saw ghosts of a younger me everywhere I looked. In that corner, I was seven years old, casting my first fireball spell and blowing up a priceless centuries old vase. Along that wall I was eight, my nose firmly in a book trying to ignore a noblepony colt who attempted to woo me with his rather pathetic charms. And so many more memories hit me when we entered the Royal Corridor, where the two sisters had their rooms, in addition to a few guest rooms made for visiting nobility. Everywhere I looked, recollections and images, sights and sounds and smells and tastes all hit me like a full spread of photon torpedoes, each blast propelling me into a new wave of nostalgia, or regret, or a mix of both. It all came to a head as Luna led us to one room in particular. The naked gasp that escaped me drew everyone’s attention. “My old room…” I whispered. “That’s right,” Celestia said gently. “I preserved it just as it was, just in case we were able to somehow find you. Despite the head maid's misgivings, this just felt like the right place for Twilight to rest as well. I hope you don't mind.” “No no, not at all, Princess," I replied. "Makes perfect sense.” “Please, before we enter, let me ensure she is ready for company.” Luna pushed the door open, shutting it behind her. After a few moments, she opened the door again. “Twilight is awake, but please, take care, for she is in a fragile state. And… she may look different from what you remember.” Preta and I exchanged a confused look as we stepped inside. The room was indeed just as I remembered it, right down to the circular wear spots on the desk from countless coffee mugs, the scratches in the door frame to track my height... and the note I left right before I ran off to find that mirror. I paused as my eyes landed on it, still sitting half-folded beneath that silver parchmentweight Celestia had given me for my seventh birthday. “Nice to know your desk got as cluttered as mine always does, sis.” The voice was hoarse, raspy, weak. But unmistakable. Preta and I spun around toward the bed, where a familiar purple lump lay tucked beneath the quilts. “Twilight!” I abandoned propriety and charged in, almost leaping on the bed in my enthusiasm to hug my sister. “Oh thank goodness you’re alive,” I cried. Tears ran freely down my cheeks in droves, and feline whimpers filled my ears as Preta joined me in hugging Twilight. “Damn it, Twilight, don’t you ever scare me like that again.” “Sorry, sis,” she replied, her voice choking up as her own cheeks wetted with moisture. “I-I didn’t know what else to do, I had to save the ship somehow, it was all I could think of…” “I’m just glad you’re safe,” Preta mewed as she nuzzled her fuzzy face into Twilight’s cheek. “I… I…” She leaned further over to properly embrace Twilight. Twilight rolled in the bed to make room, then cried out in pain, her face briefly tensing. “Ow, ow, ow… stupid new joints,” she murmured as she unfolded a wing and spread it out, carefully stretching it a few times before flopping back onto the pillows. “Aaah... much better.” I let her go, staring in shock. She’d unfolded a wing. Twilight had wings! “Twilight… what …?” Preta hissed some kind of cat-like growl that sounded suspiciously like a curse. “Twilight, you… you have wings!” Twilight’s face flushed a brilliant red. “I-I know. It’s… a long story.” She raised a hoof up to Preta’s face. “I’m so sorry, Preta… I had no idea this would happen. if there’d been any other way, I…” “Twilight,” I interrupted. “What happened, exactly? And your wings, their color, that dark purple...” “She cast a dark magic spell, and was nearly consumed by the Nightmare itself as a result. Celestia and I sensed the Nightmare's sudden appearance, and were able to use Twilight's spell to find and stop it. But not before it tried to subvert Twilight's ascension. Besides the wings, Twilight's ascension brought with it incredible and new powers, none of which are under control at present.” She glanced briefly toward Twilight. “I know it is tempting, but you must stay your horn for a while longer, Twilight. We cannot risk you hurting them.” “Yes, Luna,” Twilight said quietly, holding Preta all the tighter. She glanced at me and quipped, “Guess you’ll have to finally give me those flying lessons, sis.” I wanted to smack her upside the head but I settled for a dirty look instead. “We’ll see.” I gave her another quick squeeze then let her go. “So what did Princess Luna mean by “nearly fell to the Nightmare?” “...err, well…” As Twilight told her story, I quaked on my hooves, and found myself hugging her again more than once – especially when she described the tortuous experience her body went through at the end. “It was so painful,” she said, her words jumbled up as she trembled like a little foal hiding from her first thunderstorm. “I thought I was being ripped apart.” “That’s horrible,” Preta whispered. She ran her claws through Twilight’s hair and gave her a peck on the cheek. “I’m so sorry.” Twilight continued her story, prompting both Preta and me to thank Celestia and Luna a dozen times over for saving her. “Once they brought me to Equus, we had to grab everyone we could to help pull the ship here as well – the Elements, the Pillars, and even Discord.” “Whoa, whoa, hold on a sec,” I said, raising a hoof and turning to Celestia in shock. “Did she say the Pillars? As in, Starswirl the freaking Bearded? A-and Discord?!” “A lot has happened since you’ve been gone, Sunset,” Celestia answered simply. “To that point, I was hoping to hold a formal dinner this evening, so we could begin to fill you and your friends in on some of what's happened in your absence. And of course celebrate your return too.” I shook my head. “While it’s a great idea, this evening would be too soon. Can we perhaps wait a day, and hold the dinner tomorrow evening?” Celestia briefly considered that, then said, “I don’t see why not. Do you know who would attend?" I nodded. “I could have the senior officers attend, at least whomever I can spare. And maybe the Sirens too.” Now it was Celestia who raised a hoof in near total disbelief. "The Sirens? H-How?” "They came here with us. They've been with the ship ever since we located them about six months ago." “Wait, you found them? How did they even get to wherever it is you came from?” Feeling a sudden burst of mischievousness, I gave her my own imitation of her regal, mysterious smile. “You’ll find out.” One royal eyebrow raised, but she laughed regardless. “Very well. I look forward to meeting them, and your senior officers.” I turned back to Twilight. “Have you met with your biological family yet, sis?” “Not yet,” Twilight answered with a shake of her head. “I… I’m scared. I barely remember them anymore, Sunset. I don’t…” Celestia raised a hoof. “You will have all the time you need to be prepared for that, Twilight Sparkle. For now we should let you rest.” “Oh, speaking of that, Princess,” I said. “You might want to have the cooks make a few Griffish meat dishes. Almost all the species aboard the Phoenix are omnivorous or carnivorous.” “Truly?” Luna said, pursing her lips. “How interesting. It will be fascinating to meet others who enjoy a good steak for once.” “...what?” She smiled broadly, clearly displaying a pair of sharp-looking fangs where normal, flat-topped canine teeth would be for any other pony. “As ponies of the Night, we require a bit more… protein in our diets.” I whipped around to look at Twilight, who visibly blushed as she showed off her own set of fangs. “Well, I guess that explains why you always liked fish more than I did, sis.” “Wattson to Shimmer.” Celestia and Luna looked up, startled, as my combadge bleeped at me. “Sorry, gotta take this,” I said. As I tapped my badge, I noticed Luna lean forward and tilt her head a bit, eyeing my combadge like a cat examining a new toy. “Shimmer here.” “Commander, I've been able to bring a second fusion reactor online. Our teams located a nearby water source, from which we were able to distill a small quantity of deuterium. It's not a ton, but we've been able to restore basic power to most of the ship, including limited transporters.” I grinned. Finally, some good news about the ship. “Great work, Wattson.” “Thank you ma’am. Also, if I might ask, do you have an ETA for returning aboard? I could use your help coordinating further repairs.” I nodded, despite the fact she couldn’t see it. “Stand by.” I looked up at Celestia and Luna. “I’m sorry, Princesses, but duty calls. Preta, you can stay here with Twilight if you like.” “Of course, Sunset, I understand,” Celestia said. “As do I,” Luna added. “You will be returning for the dinner, we trust.” “Of course; we’ll transport over tomorrow at 1900.” At their blink of confusion, I smirked and corrected myself. “Seven o’clock.” Celestia chuckled. “Very well. We will see you then.” “See you later, sis,” Twilight said, giving me one more embrace. I planted a kiss on her forehead. “See you then. Love you.” I tapped my badge. “Phoenix, one to beam back.” As the shimmer of transportation whisked me away, I reappeared in Transporter Room Two, met by Wattson. “Sunset,” she said, joining me as we strode out of the room and towards the nearest turbolift. “How’d it go?” “Twilight’s… managing,” I answered, a shiver running through me as I realized I could barely feel the magic of Equus from inside the ship, and now that it was missing again, a part of me longed to have it back. I ignored it the best I could. “She’s alive, just injured and worn out. And she’s an alicorn.” I swallowed. “Which apparently, according to Luna, means we’re both Princesses now.” “Whoa, seriously?” Wattson said as we stepped into the turbolift. “Main Engineering.” “Well, that’s what Luna’s insisting, but I intend to talk it over with Princess Celestia. I didn’t spend over half my life searching for home just to get a crown and call it a day. Maybe when I left it I would’ve wanted that, but now…” She squeezed at my shoulder with one hand. “I hear you.” As the turbolift doors opened, I straightened myself back into a commanding posture, and Wattson accordingly adjusted herself as well. “So, report. How’re the repairs coming along?” “Like I said, we have basic power restored to most of the ship, so at least the hallways aren't all dark now. With the second fusion reactor back we've been able to fully restore life support to all decks, and reactivate replicators in Ten-Forward and a few other lounges as well. The crew will have to put up with mess hall style dining for now, but Flanagan and a few others are already down there coordinating meal service.” I nodded, taking a look at the Master Systems Display, which despite the great progress still showed an alarming number of systems with critical damage, if not offline entirely. “Guess it’s going to be a while before we can get this ship back into space.” Wattson’s head snapped up from her PADD, and she let out a suppressed snort of laughter. “Uh, to be blunt, ma’am, this ship is surviving in one piece right now thanks to a hell of a lot of magic and best wishes. It’s not going anywhere until we can do some serious repair work, and that’s going to take time.” “Tell me there’s some good news.” “Sickbay is still running at peak efficiency,” she said as she glanced down at her PADD. “In fact the ponies have already sent in some nurses and doctors from the local village to help. They’re mostly running around doing basic errands but it’s freed up more hands to work on actual repairs.” I had to smile at that. “Hope they’re not too afraid of Doctor May’s acerbic attitude right now. She’s not in the best of moods.” “I’d be more worried about Doctor Selar, to be honest,” Wattson quipped. “Alright, do we have anything else working? Sensors, thrusters, anything?” Wattson shook her head. “Besides what I just mentioned, just basic library computer access. We barely have enough power to run the main computer core right now, much less even try to restart more power-intensive systems. We need to get more fusion reactors online, but for that we need more deuterium. A lot more. The small lake nearby is better than nothing of course, but what we really need is some ocean water to really speed up the refining process.” “I’ll see what I can do about that,” I answered as I looked over the MSD one more time. “Oh, the Princess would like to see the senior staff for dinner tomorrow at 1900 local time.” A brief glance at the ship’s chronometer showed it thought it was closer to 0300. “While we’re at it, get the chronometers reset.” “Will do,” she replied. “Permission to speak freely?” “Granted.” I fixed my gaze on her. This ought to be good. “Err, is a state dinner really the best use of our time right now, ma’am?” Wattson set her PADD down. “The ship is in shambles. We lost half the crew, our captain is still in a coma in sickbay, and right now I’m having a hard time seeing how we might ever get home.” She shivered in place. “Not to mention Counselor Belle is a complete wreck, Zhidar and Rodriguez are both torn up over losing Williams and Ishihara, and I…” She closed her eyes and shuddered once more. “I can still hear his death rattle. Hill… no, Chris. He, we, I…” I came around the MSD, briefly checked to ensure no other engineers were nearby to see, and hugged Wattson around the waist. She clung to me, her fingers clasping at my withers like a lifeline. “You’re right, Amilia. That's why I told the Princess tomorrow instead of today like she originally suggested. But you're absolutely right, and I'm sorry I let myself get caught up in the pomp for a second,” I said. “I know it's hard but just try to breathe, okay? Equus is a safe place. No one’s going to hurt the crew or the ship while we’re here. We can take as long as we need for repairs and recovery. Equus might be a pre-warp society, but it has industrial capacity. Just look at the platform we're all sitting on right now.” Wattson quietly laughed at that, which seemed to calm her just a bit. "Still," I said, wiping away her tears with my magic, "you're right that the ship is in shambles. And so are we, to be honest. In fact…” Letting go of her, I stepped over to one of the consoles rigged for ship control and tapped a key. A boatswain’s whistle filled the air on every deck as my voice echoed out. “Now hear this.” I gave the crew a moment to pause in their actions. “This is Commander Shimmer. As you should all be aware by now, the Phoenix has landed on Equus, my home planet. Where we are in space, how far that anomaly took us, or even how we landed in one piece, are admittedly still a mystery. One that I promise to find answers to, believe me.” I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the task at hoof. “I'd be lying if I said I hadn't always dreamed of finding home again, but never like this. I need not recount the losses we endured getting here, to say nothing of the rest of our little fleet. We are all hurting from at least one loss in our lives right now.” I paused briefly, looking over the faces of the engineers present, and saw the pain, the exhaustion, the worry in all of them. “Fortunately, we are indeed safe for the time being. I'm sure Equus will seem strange to many of you, understandably so. But be assured you are among friends here. This is a welcoming place, and as you may have already seen, the locals are already coming to our aid." "But even so, a ship is only as good as its crew, and right now we all need recovery as much as Phoenix does. So, apart from mandatory positions in sickbay, I am ordering that the entire crew take the rest of the day off. Until 0800 tomorrow morning, local time, your time is yours to do with as you wish. The holodecks are still offline, so I suggest as many of you as possible get outside and get some fresh air while you have the chance. Believe me, sunlight and a warm breeze can work miracles. All I ask is that you stay near the ship if you do go out, defer to the locals, and be back onboard and lights out by 2200 local time. The senior staff and I will be coordinating with local authorities to discuss further shore leave options, as well as planning a memorial service for our fallen comrades.” I bowed my head. “In the meantime, please, stay strong and resolute. We are all Starfleet officers. We have a duty to ourselves, and to each other, to ensure we make it home. Anyone who is unable to take the time tonight off, including medical staff, will be receiving special consideration for shore leave. Senior staff, please report to Engineering. Everyone else… dismissed.” The engineers, to their credit, took the time to stash their tools properly instead of leaving them where they fell, nodding to us as they left. A few minutes later, Rodriguez, Zhidar, Maia, Danielle, and Doctor May arrived, along with, to my mild surprise, Glamgor Pog and Blackford. “Glamgor Pog believes we should be involved in this,” Pog said as he gestured to himself and Blackford. “This better not take long; I don’t want to be out of sickbay for longer than I need to be,” Doctor May said, flashing me a look of irritation. “Doctor, last I heard, triage was basically complete, right?” I asked, hoping her answer would be yes. She harrumphed and folded her arms over her chest. “Well… yes. Most of the serious injuries have been dealt with and the few that still need surgery are being handled by others.” “And how’s Captain Liang?” May’s posture tensed further, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “No change. I’ve ordered Sickbay to alert me the instant he awakens.” “That's good. I dare say you especially could use a small break. But I will try to keep this short nonetheless.” I turned my attention to the full group. “I have some good news, first of all: my sister is alive.” Sighs of relief and applause went around the room. “Thank goodness,” Wattson groaned. “I knew the egghead wasn’t gonna bite it,” Maia quipped. “And you should know that she’s just like me now, an alicorn. But she’s injured.” “Injured?” May asked, reaching for her tricorder. “Should I be seeing to her?” I shook my head. “No, Princess Luna has it covered. This is an injury of a more magical sense, not one that you can help with.” I looked to the rest of them. “Princess Celestia has also invited us to a state dinner tomorrow evening at 1900. It’s a diplomatic affair, so we’ll have to go for full dress uniforms.” “...Commander, is such a thing really appropriate at this time?” Rodriguez asked, his face contorted with doubt. Similar looks flashed across the faces of everyone else present, forcing me to sigh. “I know the timing is off. I get it. We’d be going to dinner today if I hadn’t pressed Celestia for a small delay. But it's probably the best way the princesses know to roll out the red carpet, so to speak. And, though we dropped in very unannounced, we are still guests on their planet, and without their help we'd probably all be dead right now. So I think we definitely owe them a debt of gratitude.” “No one’s denying that we should show gratitude, Commander,” May said, her voice whip-crack sharp. “But must we all attend?” A few choice Ponish curses made a jailbreak from my throat before I shut my mouth to think about a proper response. “...I won’t order anyone to go,” I finally said. “And of course, if your patients' needs require you to stay here then by all means do so, Doctor. But I would prefer if as much of the staff were present as possible.” Zhidar grimaced. “I’ll attend. But I won’t like it.” “You rarely enjoy these sorts of diplomatic affairs, my friend,” Rodriguez said with an understanding smile as he patted Zhidar on the shoulder. “Very well, Commander. I shall be attending.” Maia and Danielle nodded their assent, and after a moment of sighing, so did May. “As you said, patients take priority, but…” May fidgeted with her hands. “Perhaps I need the space.” “I think you do,” I agreed. “Trust me, I’m just as worried about the Captain. We all are. But right now, it’s just us here. So real talk us, Doc. Even if he wakes up, how likely is it he’ll be able to retake command?” “Not without medical treatment that we just can’t get on this planet. Er, um, no offense intended,” May quickly added, waving her hands in front of her. “None taken, Doctor,” I replied. “I get this isn't exactly Starfleet Medical here.” That seemed to calm May down a bit. "I will admit their medicine is more sophisticated than I had feared, but with the severity of his injuries we'd need a proper starbase regardless. Even with the right equipment James is looking at weeks of recovery at minimum, probably months. Without it…” A hushed quiet went through us. If any doctor out there could pull the Captain through, it was Doctor May. Of that I had no doubt. But I also knew what protocol demanded of me in the moment. “Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate your candor, as always.” I scanned the faces of those around me and could see them hitting the same conclusion I had. My heart grew heavy in my chest as I stepped forward. “Note for the record that the Captain has been declared medically unfit for duty by the ship's Chief Medical Officer. Is there any objection?” No one so much as blinked. “With the Captain unable to resume his post, as First Officer I will assume command of the ship going forward. The same will be noted in the ship's log. With that, we'll need to reshuffle the senior staff a bit as well to ensure coverage in all departments.” I eyed Blackford and Pog. “Pog, you can come along as a temporary assistant chief engineer. Blackford, you’re temporarily taking Cadeneza’s role as chief science officer while she’s gone.” Pog grimaced. “Glamgor Pog would prefer— ” “Don’t push it, Pog,” Wattson grunted. “You’re not taking my job.” He snorted, turning around and sticking his head up in the air. “Pog wasn’t going to request that.” I ignored him. “Maia, you’ll be taking over as chief of security while Zhidar focuses on tactical. Neither position needs much at the moment, but…” “I’ll make sure we don’t get any thieves among the ponies,” Maia said with a grimace. I smirked. “I doubt you’ll find many who aren’t just trying to take a souvenir, and even those would be few and far between. All the same though, keep them out of Engineering and any other vital areas for now, other than sickbay.” I then turned to Danielle. “Danielle, I'd like you to take over at Ops, while Zhidar does a bit of double duty as the Second Officer.” “So who will be your temporary first officer, ma’am?” Danielle asked. I looked them over for several moments before my eyes landed on my choice. “Rodriguez, I realize command isn’t your forte, but of all of us, you have the most experience in Starfleet, and Preta can take over as primary helm officer. Are you willing?” Rodriguez immediately shook his head. “Ma’am, I never wanted a command. There is a reason I never bothered with a promotion past Lieutenant despite my lengthy career. Doing so would take me away from what I love.” He slapped Zhidar on the shoulder. “Zhidar would be the better choice. If I must, I can be second officer, but Zhidar would be a better first officer.” “That would leave Maia as running both tactical and security, but… very well, then. Zhidar?” Zhidar bared his teeth at Rodriguez, then shut his mouth and glanced at Maia, giving her a brief nod before he turned to me. “Maia is ready for it,” he grunted. “And with due respect, Rodriguez is right. He’d never fit well in the position.” He stood up straighter and grinned toothily at me. “We’ve come a long way since you first burned my beard.” “So we have,” I chuckled, though I felt no real mirth from it. Not under the current circumstances. “Alright. We’ll announce the changes to the structure of the senior staff tomorrow morning once the crew is properly back on real duty. Dinner will be at 1900 tomorrow evening, so be in the transporter room by 1845. Don’t forget, dress uniforms.” The group dispersed, leaving me alone in Engineering. Without the thrumming of an active warp core, the cavernous space felt more like a mausoleum, or a tomb. Sighing, I turned to leave, heading for my quarters. As I stepped inside, I was hit with achingly familiar smells, including one whose dullness tore at me. A reminder that someone dear to me was missing. I needed that worn out jacket of hers now more than ever, but I couldn't find it anywhere. On my way to the bedroom, I spotted a discarded uniform on the floor next to the fresher. I thought it was one of my own, but the lingering scent told me right away it was hers. “She must have come here before heading to the shuttlebay.” I traced along the front of it with a hoof, grimacing at the singed and torn fabric where she had been injured. It wasn't the jacket, but right then I needed some piece of her to hold. Something to keep me from falling apart at the seams. “I hope you're okay, Jackie,” I whispered into the fabric. “Please come back to me.” Too tired to eat, too drained to think, I laid on the couch and clutched the uniform to myself until sleep finally took me. The rest of the day passed without much incident. I awoke after only a couple of hours of mostly restless sleep and made rounds among the crew, checking on various people. Belle in particular was doing significantly better, though that was very much a relative term. She wasn't shell-shocked anymore, but now she had become almost eerily quiet, saying little more than a few words to me or anyone else who talked to her. It was as if she had shrunk in on herself so far she disappeared. I made a mental note to request an Equestrian counselor for her, since I doubt she’d want to be counseled by any of her few surviving staff, and they would be far too busy with the rest of the crew. I also encountered the Sirens in Ten-Forward, who to their credit were doing their best to raise crew morale given the circumstances. I asked if they’d been outside yet, but they said no, citing fear of how Equus would receive them. I flat out told them they were being silly, and let them know how I’d been received, even adding that Celestia was legitimately curious to meet them at some point. After that they followed me to the airlock and I watched as they sighed with sheer joy on stepping foot on Equus soil, feeling the magic embrace them. I did invite them to the dinner, but they refused. “No offense to the princesses, but we’re not much for pomp and circumstance,” Adagio told me. I let them be, and spent most of the remaining time helping wherever I was needed. Around midday I gave the full crew a situation update. I could almost feel the roller coaster of emotions throughout the ship as they learned of Twilight's survival, followed by the news of the Captain's continued incapacitation. Still, I tried to keep myself busy to keep my mind off of things, and before long I realized it was nearly time to leave for Canterlot. I took a brief sonic shower, long enough to get reasonably clean, if not royally pristine, then dug my dress uniform out of the back of my closet. The white uniform with its gold trim and red lining around the collar never seemed to go too well with my coat, and I had the sudden feeling I’d be laughed at by Princess Celestia for wearing it. Well, on the inside. She’d never show it on the outside, of course. Far too serene for that. On my way to the transporter room I stopped by Preta and Twilight’s shared quarters and grabbed their dress uniforms. Though I then took a good long look at Twilight’s and realized it probably wouldn’t fit, not with her sudden growth spurt and new limbs. And I couldn’t replicate a fresh one with the replicator out. So I decided to take it anyway, just in case. Arriving in the transporter room, I found the rest of the senior staff awaiting me, milling about. “Zhidar, ditch the phaser,” I ordered upon spotting it on his belt. “This is a diplomatic function.” “I told you she wouldn’t go for it,” Rodriguez said as Zhidar grumpily stuck the phaser back into the wall locker and sealed it. “Besides, we’re almost as safe here as we would be on Earth,” I continued as I briefly took a moment to give the Benzite ensign working the transporter the coordinates for Canterlot Castle. “Almost?” Blackford asked, a curious twinkling to his eyes. “Eh, there's always the chance of a pack of Timberwolves running through town, or Diamond Dogs trying to raid the gem storehouses, and every once in a while some evil power tries to take over the world again for the fiftieth time. But nothing we ponies can't handle.” “Diamond what now?” he and Pog blurted in unison. I winked and stepped up onto the transporter pad. “Ensign, how many can we beam at once?” “Only four at a time, ma’am,” he said, his breathing apparatus smoking visibly. “And even that’s pushing it.” “Alright, I’ll go in the first group. Zhidar, Wattson, Pog, with me.” The other three stepped aboard. I took a deep breath, then ordered, “Energize.” The familiar tingle of the transporter surrounded me, though this time with a slight itching sensation, probably due to the power expenditure. Thankfully the sensation stopped when we rematerialized in the main foyer of Canterlot Castle. The magic of Equus once again surged forth from all around, welcoming back. The wonderful feeling calmed my nerves a bit, though I dearly wished it could do something about the stuffiness of these dress uniforms. A small retinue of royal guards stood at attention. “Welcome back to Canterlot Castle, your highness,” one of them said to me. My left eye twitched. “That’s, uh, yet to be decided; for now, I’m just Commander, if you please.” “...yes, ma’am,” the soldier replied, straightening his pike. “Your highness?” Zhidar muttered with deep amusement. I stretched out my wings and nodded back towards them. “Comes with the wings, or so I'm told.” A musical twinkle filled the air as the other four members of the senior staff beamed in. Right on cue, Princesses Celestia and Luna pushed through one of the sets of doors, prompting the various members of my staff who hadn’t yet seen them in person to gasp at their sheer size. “Ah, Sunset, I see you and your fellow officers have arrived. Twilight and Preta will be joining us shortly.” She frowned ever so slightly for just a split second before her serene smile snapped back into place. “Are the Sirens not with you?” I shook my head. “Apologies, Princess, but they elected not to attend, though they were appreciative of the invitation. They said they’ll wait for something… less formal.” “I see.” She coughed politely. “Well, nevermind that then. Please, come this way, everyone.” I passed the uniforms I brought off to one of the attending servants, who promised to carry them swiftly up, and followed her and my crew into the formal dining hall. A pair of guards opened the massive wooden doors in a well-practiced motion as we drew near – and the moment I stepped inside, I realized how little justice my holodeck program had done to the place. Either that or she’d made renovations since I was last here. Standing a good fifty meters end to end, the formal dining hall was truly a grand space in every respect. Paintings, tapestries, and artifacts – nearly all selected from the castle's vast archives – adorned the perfectly smooth stone walls. Polished granite columns, each intricately decorated, soared from the pristine marble floors to support the equally decorated arched ceilings above. Torchieres and sconces were spread all around, their arcane gem batteries providing an artificial but pleasantly warm light. I couldn't help but smile at the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from my crewmates as they tried to take in their surroundings. As I followed the group in, I slowed a bit to take a look at the long wall to the left, which featured numerous stained glass windows. More torchieres did their best to light them despite the late hour. Each window featured a set of ponies I didn't recognize facing off against equally unrecognizable foes, save for one. Discord. Fortunately I did not have to wait long for answers, as the ponies depicted in those windows awaited us at the enormous mahogany dining table – a gift, if my memory was still correct, from the then small hamlet of Manehattan to celebrate the diarchs' Silver Jubilee, marking twenty-five years on the throne. These ponies, six in all, were seated to Celestia's left, and all dressed in elegant outfits that would have been just at home at a Grand Galloping Gala. Two Earth ponies, one dark blue grey of coat with a straight mane of pale ash, the other with a nearly identical coat, but white hair, split into a pair of pigtails on either side of her face, which was framed by a pair of glasses. Seated next to them were two pegasi, the first of whom also had a grey coat, albeit lighter than either of the Earth ponies. Her blonde mane seemed especially bright in contrast, though most curiously, her eyes never seemed to stay fully aligned, always going slightly out of sync. The other pegasus, meanwhile, was the most unusual one yet. A light, almost sandy colored coat and a mane split almost down the middle between layers of platinum blonde and a deep ebony black. Her bangs hung over her eyes so much, I couldn't make out what color they were right away. Then there were the unicorns. One bore a seemingly permanent smirk on her muzzle, which went well with the cyan coat and silvery white mane half covered by her outfit, which unlike the others looked far more like a variation on a magician’s outfit. The other unicorn… No. Wait. My jaw dropped ever so slightly as I saw her ruffle an extra set of limbs. Another alicorn? Truly? I had to snap my jaw closed before somepony caught me staring. I noticed she was about the same size as Twilight and myself, though her wings looked to be a bit less swept back than my own. If not for the occasion at hoof, I'd have been sorely tempted to pass on dinner and ask this pony about a million questions instead. Odder still was the feeling I had on looking at her. For a moment it was like looking at a distant reflection of my sister. Similar body type, similar coat color, even the same three-toned mane with two shades of purple an a brighter highlight... except this pony had a aquamarine stripe in their hair that itself reminded me of Aria's hair. She caught me staring and looked right into my eyes, then glanced at my wings, and raised an eyebrow. I smiled back at her in turn, trying to be polite. “Please, everyone, take a seat,” Princess Celestia directed, pointing to the empty side to her left, which had just enough chairs to seat everyone. I took the chair immediately to Celestia's left, wit the rest of my officers organizing themselves along the chain of command down the table. Once Princess Luna had taken her seat, I quietly motioned for all of us to sit as well. And right on cue, as soon as we finished sitting down, Twilight came limping in, assisted by Preta. Preta was wearing her dress uniform but, as I’d been afraid of, Twilight’s dress uniform no longer fit her, so she was wearing a simple dress instead. The two of them sat down with Twilight at Luna’s right and Preta next to her. “We will be served shortly,” Princess Luna said. “For now, I believe introductions are in order. Sunset Shimmer, would you please start us off?” I stood, and nodded to the six ponies. “Thank you, Princess Luna, and thank you all for inviting us to join you this evening. My name is Sunset Shimmer, formerly a student of Princess Celestia.” “We’ve heard of you,” said the alicorn, her voice immediately making me think of an inventor or professor of some kind. “You disappeared decades ago.” “That’s right,” I said with a brief nod. “Approximately thirty-six years ago, I ventured into the restricted passages beneath the castle in search of an artifact; a mirror to be exact. Against the princess's wishes, I should probably add,” I began. “I activated the mirror and was transported to another planet called Earth.” “You don’t look like you’re fifty years old,” said the earth pony wearing glasses, her tone brisk and almost nasty. My expression soured. “Err, that one’s going to be difficult to explain. I… don’t suppose the theory of relativity became common knowledge while I was away? Time dilation?” Most of the stares, including from the Princesses, were blank, but the alicorn clicked her tongue and perked her ears up. “Oooh, I think I get it. I’ve been working on some new math along with the royal archmage, Moondancer, and we’ve made great strides in better understanding how gravity can affect the passage of time.” “Yes, yes, exactly. Well, sort of. It’s a lot more complicated. We can go into it later. What matters is that from my perspective, six months after I arrived, my sister Twilight Sparkle joined me.” I gestured to Twilight as I spoke. “But for her, twenty years had gone by.” “Oh yeah, you’re the one the Princess told me about a few times,” the unknown alicorn said as she eyed Twilight. “Huge magic surge, turned her parents into potted plants, hatched a dragon egg so hard the dragon's head broke through the castle roof. And then poof! You were gone.” “The mirror,” Twilight said, her voice still somewhat hoarse. “It took me away, same as Sunset.” “Indeed,” Princess Celestia said with a sorrowful look. “I am so sorry for that, Twilight Sparkle. I had thought I had secured it in the wake of Sunset’s disappearance, and was prepared to race after you, but the mirror, it… it was destroyed by the time I got there. Completely obliterated. There was no putting it back together either. Believe me, I tried.” “Whatever is still left of it, we’ll definitely want to examine it at some point soon,” I said, eying Blackford and Wattson. “To finish up though... a kind family on Earth took us both in and raised us as their own. Seeing it as our only real shot to ever find our way back, Twilight and I joined Starfleet, which is part of a larger organization called the United Federation of Planets. We eventually became part of the crew of the starship that you all just rescued, the U.S.S. Phoenix. I’m the first officer. Our Captain would have attended but he was severely wounded in the battle that immediately preceded our arrival here. Sadly, he is still in a coma, though our medical staff is doing all they can for him as we speak.” I then introduced the rest of the senior officers one by one, finally finishing with Preta. “I’m sure you all have a lot of questions, and I promise you we want to answer as many of them as we can. But there’s a lot that we shouldn’t really be saying. Technically we’re violating one of the most important rules of the Federation just by being here, since Equus is a pre-warp civilization.” “I’m not sure what ‘pre-warp’ means,” said the black and blonde maned pegasus. “She means we’re primitive, Songbird,” snapped the glasses wearing earth pony. I winced, hard, as glares from most of the ponies at the table followed that statement. “Nono, that's not it. Well, not really. you see—” I scrambled to try and formulate an explanation that wouldn't either bore them all to tears or melt their brains, but all I could do was hang my head a bit. “In a way that's... kind of correct, yes. I wish I knew how to explain it. Sorry.” “There is no need for apologies, Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia said as she waved for me to sit. “What little I have seen of your ship tells me this Federation you come from has mastered a level of science and technology that far surpasses our own.” She nodded at me again and then stood from her chair. “Now, allow me to introduce to you the Elements of Harmony, starting with my faithful student, Starlight Glimmer, the Element of Magic.” The alicorn waved a wing to us. “It really is fantastic to finally meet you, Sunset. I’ve heard a lot about you from the Princess.” “Um, mind if I ask how you became Celestia’s student?” I asked. “And for that matter, err…” “Oh, these?” Starlight extended her wings. “Long story, but the short version is, I finished an ancient spell of Starswirl’s, fixed a cutiemark swapping problem that was caused by that same spell, and boom. Wings and a crown.” She tapped the tiara on her head that up until now I’d taken as part of her dress. “Princess of Friendship, at your service.” “As for how she became my student, the simple truth is, I had every intention of making Twilight Sparkle my student until I lost her,” Celestia said, her voice taking on a note of sadness. “But once she disappeared, I was forced to search for someone who could take her place. Rumors of Starlight's talents led me to find her in Sire's Hollow, and after witnessing her abilities for myself, offered her a full scholarship.” “How could I say no to that?” Starlight picked up. “I even got to see my best friend Sunburst again.” “And in the process I also found the second Element— ” “—Thank you, Princess, but Trixie can take it from here,” interrupted the unicorn. She stood and posed as if she were awaiting a round of applause anyway. “Witness before your very eyes, a truly glorious sight, for before you stands The Great and Powerful Trixie, Element of Laughter! And she is pleased to meet you,” said the powder blue unicorn as she stuck her hoof out to Pog to shake, as he was sitting across from her. Pog let out a piggish snort as he clapped a hand to her hoof. “Hah! You speak like Glamgor Pog. He likes you already.” Starlight stared wide-eyed at Pog. "Wait, you speak in third person too?" She slapped a hoof to her face and dragged it down. "Great. Now there's two of them." Trixie smirked and fluffed her hair with her magic. “Trixie is just as pleased to meet a fellow speaker of pride.” “Trixie…” Starlight groaned, “please don’t start flirting with the aliens…” “Trixie is not flirting, Starlight. She is just being friendly!” “With you, that’s flirting!” Trixie rolled her eyes. “You must excuse Trixie’s wife; she is overprotective of Trixie at the best of times.” “And if I didn’t watch out for you, you’d shake your flank at —” “Well, I do believe that’s enough of that,” Celestia said, her casual tone telling me this was far from the first time she’d broken up an argument between the two of them. “Please sit down, Trixie.” Trixie fluffed her hair and sat back down. “As you wish, Princess.” I recognized the look of exasperation that briefly passed over Celestia’s face as one my own bore far too often at times. “Yes, well, continuing…” she pointed to the blonde pegasus with grey coat. “This is Miss Ditzy Do, of Ponyville. The Element of Kindness.” “Hi!” Ditzy said with a massive grin. “It’s really neat to meet you. I’ve never met aliens before.” “No one has, Derpy,” snapped the other earth pony, the one not wearing glasses. “One of my regular mail route clients says she has. More than once even.” “And you believed her? For pony's sake, Derpy—” Celestia scowled at her. “Limestone, how many times have I asked you not to refer to her by that offensive nickname?” “Aww, it really isn’t that bad, Princess,” Ditzy insisted. “I think it’s endearing.” “Regardless, I prefer it not be spoken in my presence,” Celestia said, the displeasure evident in her tone. “Is that clear?” “...yes, Princess,” Limestone grumbled. Celestia sipped some water from her glass and gestured to the other pegasus, who’d been smiling serenely this whole time. “This is Songbird Serenade, our Element of Generosity.” “It really is nice to meet new people, even if they’re from further away than usual,” Songbird said. Her voice carried a lilting accent that reminded me, oddly, of Australia. “When I get the chance, you should let me put on a show for you.” “A show?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Songbird’s smile turned prideful. “You're looking at one of the most popular singers and stage performers on Equus.” “Songbird and her friendly rival, Countess Coloratura,” said Starlight Glimmer, “are constantly battling for the top spot on the charts.” “Oh.” I coughed politely. “What kind of music do you perform?” “Pop.” She beamed. “My songs are always playing on the radio. Princess, could we show them?” “Certainly, I don’t see why not.” I sat up straighter in surprise, as did Twilight, and we both exchanged shocked looks. “Since when does Equus have widespread radio stations?” I blurted. "The last I knew, radio was barely out of the experimental stage." "It wasn't any different when I left either," Twilight added. "It was used for PA systems and some emergency contacts but never for broadcast. We didn't have transmitters with anywhere near the range or power to make it worthwhile." “Not till I came along,” preened Starlight Glimmer, as a primitive radio device that looked like it came out of Earth’s 1940s was wheeled in on a cart. “Just one of the many inventions of yours truly.” Celestia beamed with a matching sense of pride. “Starlight Glimmer is one of Equus’ most successful inventors. She’s created numerous devices, like that transportation circle we took from Ponyville, which has been a massive boon for Equestria’s economy.” Starlight switched on the radio, and soon our ears were filled with a surprisingly pleasant pop song about seeing rainbows. Although I could see a number of my fellow officers were cringing at the saccharine content, to me it felt so much like an Equestrian heartsong it gave me goosebumps. I glanced at Twilight and saw she had a similar reaction judging by the huge grin on her face. Songbird leaned onto her forehooves, looking at me expectantly. “Well, what do you think?” “It was absolutely beautiful,” I said as I wiped away my tears. “Pardon me. It’s been far, far too long since I’ve heard music from home. I’d love to hear more of it sometime.” “Maybe a concert for the crew,” Rodriguez suggested. “For part of their shore leave.” “Assuming they can stand it,” Zhidar grumbled under his breath. Celestia cleared her throat as the radio was switched off and wheeled out. “Next is Limestone. Limestone Pie, to be precise, our Element of Loyalty.” Limestone glared at me. “I get you were famous around here at one point but lemme make something clear: you mess with my friends, you answer to me, got it? That goes double for you aliens.” “Whoa, easy there, miss,” Rodriguez spoke up, giving her his most charming smile. “No one’s threatening anyone here, I promise you.” Limestone huffed. “We’ll see.” “You’ll have to forgive Limestone,” said the last pony, the earth pony wearing glasses, which she adjusted as she spoke. “She’s dedicated to protecting anyone she cares about because she’s used to protecting her little sister, who couldn’t hurt a fly if her life depended upon it.” “Hey!” A glare followed that response. “You know I’m right; I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t.” She turned back to us. “Sugarcoat. Element of Honesty. I’m from Manehattan originally, but I was in Ponyville during the Summer Sun Celebration where I met the rest of them.” For the first time her impassive face cracked ever so slightly into a smile. “They’re my best friends. Good ponies.” At that moment, our nostrils filled with the scents of various delicious foods as servants rolled carts in and began setting dishes out in front of each of us. “Please pardon the delay in serving food, your highness,” spoke the lead servant to Princess Celestia. “We needed to secure additional ingredients for some of the more unusual dishes.” “Not at all, it’s perfectly fine.” “Very good, madam,” he said as he walked off. Celestia smiled at the rest of us. “I hope the food proves to be delicious to our guests.” As we began to eat, the table filled with conversations, my crew becoming steadily more comfortable with speaking up as time went on. Several of them took time to thank Twilight personally for saving everyone’s lives, and Wattson in particular cooed over Twilight’s new wings, pronouncing them adorable. About halfway through dinner, just after the servants served the third course, Princess Celestia was about to launch into the story of how the castle was originally built when she let out a sudden cry of pain and dropped her fork. She tried to stand but only managed to stumble and fall to the floor in a heap. “Princess Celestia!” I shouted in alarm, leaping out of my chair. I laid a hoof on her. “Are you alright?” “Nnggh!” Luna abruptly groaned as she too crumpled to the ground. “Oh damn it, it’s happening again,” Sugarcoat groaned as she and Trixie rushed to Luna’s side. “I was hoping we could avoid this happening so soon,” Celestia moaned. “It’s getting worse.” “What is, Princess?” I asked. Then I gasped as I took in her appearance. She’d changed. Where before she seemed as strong and serene as she ever had, she now looked like she’d aged a good thirty relative years or more. She looked old. “You’re right, it is worse, Princess,” Starlight said as she came over to stand behind me. “I’m not sure how much longer we can hide this.” “Princess, I don’t understand,” I said as I looked at her. The wrinkles, the haggard facial expression, the sheer age she showed. And she wasn’t the only one; Princess Luna too had begun to show signs of wrinkles. “What is happening to you?” She let out a low sigh. “It’s not me, Sunset. It’s the sun.” “The sun?” I repeated. “That’s right. It’s… It’s dying.”