The Ismar Company paid a sizable sum of money to a Hollywood studio many years ago for the rights to call their new launch facility located off the shoal island near Temaraira the 'Stargate'. Considering the overall cost that the company and the government paid to build the facility and the technology that went into designing and creating the Slingshot’s rail it had honestly been a frivolous drop in the bucket. A footnote for the tour groups to “ooo” and “ahhh” at, that occasionally flew by or were on boats during non-launch days.
Twilight Sparkle was glue to the side window of the boat as she took in the launch base and the rail in the distance that stood well above the water and stretched out beyond the horizon. “You know, I always wanted to see this place in person.”
Sunset Shimmer glanced over the top of her sunglasses, up at her wife, and then gestured with her eyes to the four other passengers in the crew cabin with them. Twilight understood its meaning and smiled as a thank you for the reminder that they were now Sunbeam Glow and Starlight Moondance and not married to one another.
“It’s okay to be excited,” said a man with dark turquoise skin and curly brown hair. “I’ve been waiting a long time to come here as well. Obtaining my necessary zero gee training hours were harder than I had anticipated.”
Twilight sat back down as the boat began to slow and finally lurched as it approached the no wake zone and drifted towards the harbor docks. The young man that had spoken before held out his hand to Twilight. “Handy Fixit.”
Twilight smiled and took his hand gingerly. “Doctor Starlight Moondance.”
“Doctor, huh?” said the only other woman on the boat, her arms crossed, one leg up on the other. It was the first time she had spoken since they had all climbed in the shuttle boat nearly an hour ago. “Do you work out of our European offices? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”
Sunset once again pulled her sunglasses down so she could look over the top of them and better analyze the woman addressing Twilight. Where as Handy and the rest of the people in the passenger compartment were obviously scientist or engineers the woman scrutinizing her wife was bulky and had the posture and cut of a soldier and was likely part of the additional security team. Despite her initial, silent concern they might be in trouble, Sunset relaxed ever so slightly when Twilight began to giggle bubbly. A trick she had learned many years ago that had an excellent track record of putting scrutinizing individuals at ease. Sunset loved the sound of Twilight's playful laugh, even the fake one. It was weaponized cuteness at its finest.
“I’ve only been to the main campus in Canterlot City once or twice. I’m a contractor. Most of my work is done remotely.”
The bulky woman nodded, setting her legs down and stretching as the boat came in for final docking. “Makes sense. Guess they had to call in all the reserves for this one. That’s why I’m out here on a beach vacation on the tax payers’ dime. Extra security.” The woman turned her eyes to Sunset Shimmer, clearly sizing her up and making assumptions. Most of which were probably wrong. “What about you, amazon? You a doctor too?”
Sunset pushed her sunglasses back up with one hand and grabbed her suitcase with the other. “Electrical engineer. Not a doctor.”
“We’re tied and secure. Hop to it, people. The weather is good and mission control tells me we are on schedule. So, let’s get you suited up and your personals sorted and stored.”
Sunset took the lead only because she was closest to the cabin door. The dock crew pointed to the checkpoint and buildings beyond. In the distance she could see their soon to be ride, the Multi-Use Aerospace Vehicle (MUAV) being inspected by a team of engineers in orange jumpsuits. Overalls? Speed suits? Probably not flight suits for the ground crew. Whatever.
---------
“Bored.”
Lu Jan, who preferred to go by the name, Drago, sighed and rolled his light blue colored eyes at the statement. The two men were outside of the crew station in the cool morning breeze for different reasons. Drago just wanted some fresh air before having to be strapped into a titanium and carbon fiber bullet train with wings again and fired along like a magnetically accelerated railgun round into space, again, where all the air was recycled. “They” say recycled air is just as good if not better than what is outside. “They” did not have the nose he did or likely had ever been to space for months on end for that matter.
His companion was the MUAV pilot and crew captain. Former Air Force captain, Eagle Eye. He had been to space as many times as Drago and had no opinion on the taste and smell of recycled air or water since the conversation had come up in the past when the word "bored" had exited his mouth previously. Eagle Eye had something else on his mind. Which was why he was outside watching the last boat before launch slowly come in for docking.
“This whole crew is nothing but a sausage fest. Seriously, are they really going to send me back up there and not give me some eye candy?”
“If I remember correctly, I think Doctor Daffodil is still up there.”
Eagle Eye shrugged, waving his hand dismissively side to side. “Yeah, she’s okay. I mean, I would totally hit that if I have to, but when I want to crush some pussy I want some curves or at least some decent tits and ass. Daff’s got a nice face and is easy to talk to, but she doesn’t eat enough and is like a surfboard, ya know?”
Drago just rolled his eyes for the second time in as many minutes and grunted. He really just wanted to focus on the tech journal he was browsing while enjoying the sea breeze and not have this conversation again. He and Eagle Eye got along just fine. It was safe to say they were friends on and off the job. They both loved cars, jets, and the fairer sex, but Drago was not as macho or aggressive about it as his over two meter tall, cut like a Roman marble sculpture of a friend. Even his skin tone was an off white, almost marble color as if the gods of old had anointed him a demigod on Earth and blessed gift to all women everywhere.
Yeah, right. Drago dismissed the thought as soon as it popped up. These conversations in general usually made the computer scientist and master programmer self conscious of his smaller, meter and a half stature and more rounded features. It usually resulted in Drago wishing he had worked out more only to be reminded by the pain in his knees why that was a bad idea and no longer really an option. At least he could still pass the physical for his space certifications and modern EVA suits did not interfere with his ponytail, so they did not have to make him get a haircut.
“I’m just saying, man. Months with no pussy is not healthy. You know I’m right.”
“Mmmhmm,” Drago managed to reply, while not really listening.
“Just… whoooaaa…”
It was not often that the veteran was at a loss for words. It was enough to make the butterscotch colored tech look up and then do a double take. The last of the crew had just exited the boat and were walking towards them. Of the six of them it appeared that three were women. However, one stood out among them though.
“Ohhhhh, I’m totally hittin’ that ass.”
Drago just rolled his eyes. He briefly wondered if he could go blind from so much eyerolling. “Dude, seriously.”
“I am serious. Hundred buck says she’s greasing my pole before we get back.” Drago just shook his head, but still held out his hand to shake for the bet.
“I’m going to regret that, I know it.”
Eagle just waved dismissively. “Yeah, you know it. Time to get professional.” The captain cleared his throat and waved to get the approaching group’s attention. “This way people. The quartermaster is behind the desk just to the left, inside. They will issue you your flight suits, which we already have picked for you based on your profile on file. Everyone gets three. While you can bring other clothes to lounge in, you must always be in the flight/jump suit outside of quarters for safety and policy reasons. Sorry, them’s the rules, don’t argue about it.
“Lockers are opposite side on the right. Pick any one that is green and unoccupied. There will be an approved personal effects duffle bag in the locker. Whatever doesn’t fit in the bag has to stay on the ground. No exceptions. Changing rooms are in the back if you prefer privacy. Not everyone is comfortable stripping down to their skivvies in front of others. Get yourselves squared away and then follow the signs to the conference room at the end of the hall for preflight briefing with me, your lovely captain, and the base administrator, Mr. Felspar. You have twenty minutes on the dot, starting now. Oh, and welcome to the Stargate.”
Sunset could practically feel the captain’s eyes undressing her since he had barely looked at any of the others. For the most part she did not mind. It kept his attention off of Twilight, as she preferred, and she was used to it. Plus, he was not bad looking himself.
“I’ll save you a seat in the front next to me. You know, so we can get better acquainted.”
Sunset kept her sunglasses on even though they were moving indoors. Her smile was thin and not at all playful or inviting. She knew that toothy grin, having had it flashed at her for decades on multiple continents. His intentions on what he wanted were fully conveyed. Damn, and he was kind of cute too. Then he had to go and ruin it by opening his mouth.
If Eagle Eye had picked up on Sunset’s displeasure, he had not shown it. The other, smaller man who had not said a word flashed a nervous, if pleasant smile and also headed down the hall. Twilight nudged Sunset and she turned. “Hmm?”
“You need to get your stuff. Everything okay?”
Sunset removed her sunglasses and waved her hand back and forth dismissively. “Oh, the usual. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. Not gonna let it ruin my day.” Twilight considered the exchange, tapping on her chin. She then shrugged. Her wife was more than capable of taking care of herself on such matters and would vent later in private if necessary.
The briefing room already had several others occupying the space as Sunset and Twilight entered. Undercover and pretending to be single was all well and good, but Sunset had no intention of going anywhere without Twilight while under so much scrutinizing security. If they were to become separated now, for any reason, they would have a hard time finding one another. As Aurora had warned.
There were three large individuals along the back wall, now four with the woman who had joined them from the boat. She immediately began chatting with the others having met them on previous trips. Sunset was not sure if they were currently armed, but that was irrelevant considering there were plenty of others outside that were. The Ismar and Sparkle Tech were clearly not taking any chances, it seemed.
“Everyone scheduled for Flight 434 dash Echo please have a seat,” said the only man not wearing a flight suit. “I am Operations Administrator Felspar, for those of you who are new here. I’ve been in charge of the Stargate for the last eighteen months. If anyone wants to check my credentials later, they are on the Ismar company page. It's dry reading, but accurate, I assure you. Anyhow, the room is now sealed, you have all signed your NDA's which are now binding, and I have been authorized by both Ismar and Sparkle Tech administrators to give you all the details that we have not been feeding the press or politicians just yet.
“As all of you know, or should know, the L2 space station has been under construction for the last three years. Most of the early work was handled by preprogramed and remotely operated robots. We got enclosed atmosphere and the go ahead to accept live crew at the same time I was put in charge here and have been moving at a steady, safe pace that has kept financial backers happy and the rest of the suit and ties off our necks. Things were going fine and on schedule until about two months ago.”
Twilight’s hand shot up in the air and she was nearly bouncing in her seat.
“You should have used the restroom already. You’ll get another chance when we are done.”
“Uh, no. I have a question, sir.”
Felspar sighed and groaned. “Not even going to let me finish the briefing first?”
Twilight lowered her hand and blushed sheepishly. “Oh, sorry. Yes, I can wait.”
“Thanks,” he replied, completely flat. “Anyhow, two months ago, techs started detecting errors in the systems. I’ll let our chief computer technician, Lu Jan, explain more.”
The butterscotch man with the dark brown ponytail stood and waved for a second before touching a button on the table, activating the wall screen. “Also, please call me Drago. I prefer it. Um… right. So, we have logged of all the errors and have been analyzing them for a pattern in order to try and isolate the corrupt code. As you can see from the diagnostic screen, they appear random all over the station. As soon as we correct them another pops up somewhere else. It was not too much a concern at first, but the frequency of the errors is increasing and if a critical system fails and can’t be restored quickly we are all going to be piling into the escape capsules and I've been told by others that is pretty much the death nell for this project. Our job is to find what is causing this and stop it before that is the only option left. Hence why we are launching this emergency flight out of sequence.”
“That’s the long and short of it, people. More technical information will be provided to your personal data pads. If all goes well, we get you and our poor lead tech here back to his proper down time on the regularly scheduled resupply flight in a few weeks. Seriously, this guy works his ass off up there and it all falls apart in a little over a month, so we have to send him back and that’s not fair.”
“And don’t forget about me, man!”
Felspar glanced at Eagle Eye. “Yeah, I almost forgot our poor military liaison and captain has drinks to down and cute girls’ hearts to break or something. Boohoo. Let’s get it done, people. The captain will now walk you through take off do’s and don’ts and the gist of how the MAUV works. He’s a smooth talker, but listen to him. He will get you there safe.”
“Can I ask my questions now?” asked Twilight.
“Just hold your horses, pretty thing. We’ll get you and Drago sharing notes in no time,” said Eagle Eye with a wink.
“Okay, seriously, there will be no holding of horses and you are trying too hard,” said Sunset, unable to hold her tongue.
“I’m just trying to keep it smooth and light. No reason to get upset, sweetie.”
“Alright, that’s it,” said Sunset slapping her knees and standing from her seat.
“Sunny, wait.”
“Captain, I trust you are very good at your job or else you would not be here. But let’s just get this out of the way right now, okay? Yes, you are a very attractive man. Yes, we are attractive women and yes, we have vaginas, but you are not going to get to see them because we have a job to do and you are making it hard for me to stay silent with your painful attempts of overcompensating and overblown efforts to charm your way into our panties. It’s not going to happen, sorry. We are married… to our husbands! Who are not here… sadly. Anyhow, we are not interested in expanding on that frontier with you. SO, please, give the 'sweetie', 'hunny', 'cutsie pootsie' shit a rest so we can all be friends and have a good, not awkward time up there, okay?”
Nothing was said for several seconds as eyes shifted about the room. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over Sunset as she considered that she may have gotten herself booted from the mission because of her mouth, stranding her groundside while Twilight would be in space, alone. She glanced down to Twilight who was squeezing the side of her chair so tight that her hands were starting to turn pale. In fact, her whole complexion was starting to lose color and her eyes were the size of dinner plates.
Finally, Felspar broke out in a harsh, barking cackle. “FINALLY! I’m glad someone finally said it. Sit down, Red, you are golden in my book. This guy is great, but has been a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen since they brought him on board. So, everybody got that? You heard the lady. Keep your hands and other body parts to yourself unless asked for. Just like you are supposed to. Anyhow, let’s wrap up the technical minutia and get people ready to fly.”
Said ‘minutia’ was primarily how the Slingshot operated in layman’s terms along with the special chairs they would all be strapped into that were padded with a material called, amorphous gel. While Twilight was listening intently to every word, Sunset had leaned back with her hands behind her head and started counting the spots on the ceiling tiles. She had read and heard the ‘in flight safety brochure’ more times than she could count on various types of aircraft. Since she was not qualified or allowed to fly the MUAV itself, it was all of little interest as long as they got to the station in once piece.
“And that’s a wrap,” said Eagle Eye. “Everyone should use the facilities one more time before we strap you down. The smart nano fiber flight suits you all have on will absorb all your sweat and urine, but the storage pouch only has so much room and you need most of that for the flight. Takes about eight hours to get the Lagrange point.”
“Wuh? Wait! But I still have questions!” Sunset smirked and rolled her eyes as Twilight jumped from her seat. “Are we not going to wear helmets or, or fully enclosed flight suits? What if there is a breach?! We’ll be going so fast! The air resistance alone on the module once we exit the tube will be…”
Eagle Eye smiled and shook his head. “There’s always one that asks something like that.” He turned to Drago who simply shrugged. “I should have made that a bet instead.”
“She’s not wrong that the exit launch before the boosters kick in is the most likely point of failure. That part always scares the shit out of me.”
“EXACTLY!”
Eagle Eye made to reach for Twilight’s shoulder when he paused to eye Sunset Shimmer, who was now arching an eyebrow at the pilot with her arms crossed. The pilot caught the silent message and quickly turned his hand back to himself and raked his short blonde hair instead. “Look, I’ve done this a dozen times for real and hundreds of times in the simulator. I know what I'm doing. Besides, since this is your first time, you will likely pass out once we hit the curve and the G’s kick in. Don’t feel bad, lots of people do even with the special suits and gel chair compensating. There are old fashion barf bags too if it comes to that. Even Red there will probably pass out.”
“You sure about that?” Sunset quipped. “I’m not exactly a delicate flower.”
Eagle Eye chuckled. “Got nothing to do with how tough you are. I’ve flown with men and women of all shapes and sizes. If the body can’t get blood to the brain, then you blackout. Pure and simple. Without training on how to keep that from happening your height is a disadvantage. Trust me.”
“I’ve flown before.”
“Sunny,” Twilight tried to warn, but Sunset did not take her eyes off the captain.
Eagle Eye arched his brow. “Oh yeah? What flight wing?”
“I didn’t say it was a military aircraft.”
Eagle Eye smirked victoriously and started to turn away. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. No civie pilot’s license can match what we go through. So just sit back and enjoy the ride… Although, if you are feeling so sure of yourself how about a little bet trainers like to make with cocky FNG’s like yourself?”
“Sunny, seriously. Don’t. Just let it go.”
“Tell me what you are thinking before I say no.”
Eagle Eye pulled out his wallet and unfolded a hundred dollar bill. Paper money was not unheard of, but it was exceedingly more rare as time marched on in their ever advancing, technological world. “I’m going to stick this in the back pouch of the seat in front of you. If you can reach forward after we exit the launch tube and grab it before we level off it’s all yours.”
Sunset glanced down at the bill and then back up at Eagle Eye. “That’s it? I’m clearly missing something.”
“Oh, you’ll know it when you feel it.”
Despite it all, Sunset smirked. “Because that didn’t come out sounding dirty at all. Fine, I'm in. What do you get if I can’t reach it?”
Eagle Eye shrugged. “In this case? I get the satisfaction of watching you on the monitor trying to grab this and having you humbled, Red.”
“I have a name.”
“I like Red, because I can tell you don’t.”
“Oh, we are going to get along like sunshine and rainbows, I see.”
“Sunse- er, Sunbeam! Would you please give it a rest! You are distracting the pilot responsible for our lives and it is stressing me out!”
Sunset had not realized that with each quip and challenge she had inched closer to Eagle Eye to where there was only a hand’s width between them. She grimaced and turned back to Twilight with genuine abash, her eyes apologetic. Sunset wanted to hug her wife. She wanted kiss her and properly apologize for letting her competitive nature get the better of her, but that would have to wait. Sunset quickly recovered her cocksure mask before turning back to the two men that were both still standing side by side. On second glance, there were others scrutinizing the exchange as well. Too much attention, Shimmer. Turn it down a notch or two.
“Right, sorry. I guess I had too much coffee this morning. I’ll go do that empty the bladder thing and we can get this mission started.” With nothing else to add, Sunset sidestepped and quickly exited the room, wishing she had kept her sunglasses on.
Twilight let out a sigh. She smiled sheepishly and picked up both hers and Sunset’s bag that she had forgotten about in her haste. “Sorry about that. She’s always been like that. Anyhow, I did want to go over more of the technical side of the station schematics if there is time.”
“It’s all good. We’ll have plenty of time to talk shop once we are on the way. Remember, it’s eight hours and that is after we break atmo,” said Drago with a pleasant smile. One Twilight happily returned. She nodded to them both one more time before following the others out of the room.
Eagle Eye leaned in next to his friend and whispered, “I’ve got a theory on those two. Wanna make a bet on it if I’m right?”
Drago rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time and started to walk away after Eagle Eye took his fingers and began to ‘scissor’ them together. “Dude, you probably already owe me a hundred bucks from earlier. Do you really want to keep going?”
“That bet ain't over and I'm Just saying. I’m picking up some clues. We can talk about it more later.”
----------
The MUAV was roughly twenty-four meters long and shaped like a cross between a hovercraft and a bullet train locomotive. The front was smoothed and rounded for maximum aerodynamics with the back and sides being extra reinforced against the exit shockwave and to protect the four large secondary boosters. The wings were currently folded up, but would deploy once they exited the Slingshot. There were no windows. Windows would cause structural weakness and it did not need them.
“I know you explained it to me, but I’m not sure if it’s good or bad that there are no windows,” said Sunset as she found her seat and wiggled a bit back and forth to try and find a level of comfort, sinking in ever so slightly. It was an odd sensation and more than once Sunset had stood up to make sure her coverall flight suit was still dry. Twilight pulled her wife down and the amorphous gel reshaped to accommodate her backside like ooblek slime kids would make in elementary science class. It was cold at first, but it quickly matched her body temperature. Twilight risked holding Sunset's hand a bit longer than in order to reassure her wife that the gel was in fact not eating her. After a nod and a smile, they both began to strap in like the other passengers. Like most modern airplanes, there were two seats per side with a central aisle. Drago and Handy Fixit were oppose of them and they too were busy fastening their six-point harnesses. Sunset did not know the rest of the passengers well enough to know their names yet so there was no point trying to turn her head back to see them.
“There have been numerous psychological studies on the effects of windowless environments such as underground structures or submarines. Humans in general feel more at ease being able to see out, but the MUAV designers were more concerned with safety so they had to go. Instead, it has cameras." Twilight pointed to the walls and curved ceiling. "The cameras located along the hull can project what is going on outside easy enough and generate a picture perfect view for passengers without having to look through thick glass or around structural pillars right onto the screens around the walls thus putting our minds at ease. And, of course, the flight crew have an even better view.”
Speaking of said flight crew, Sunset thought.
Captain Eagle Eye waited until all the passengers were strapped in and the hatch was sealed before he met with a crewman for final checks. Sunset tried not focus too much on what they were saying since it did not involve her even though they were standing nearby.
“Looks like we are good to go.” Eagle Eye casually waved the hundred dollar bill he had shown Sunset earlier before stuffing it part way into the seat pouch in front of her with that same smug smirk on his smooth, shaved face. “You’ll know when we’ve hit the curve. You’ll feel yourself pressed into the seat like a four hundred kilo gorilla is sitting on your chest.”
“For how long?” asked Twilight, unable to contain the higher pitch her voice jumped.
“Typically, we max out around six G’s for about thirty seconds and it gradually eases up as we speed away from the ground and level off. Most of you will black out in that first minute or so. Also, you are going to need to take those glasses off just in case.”
With one final wink, Eagle Eye casually made his way back into the cockpit and sealed his cabin door. Sunset rolled her eyes. It’s a shame he has the personality of an alpha griffon during mating season because he does have a nice body.
Twilight placed her glasses into her case and pulled out her lab/AR goggles that were also prescription. “I still think we should have helmets or oxygen masks at the least. Especially with passing out being a real possibility. This just seems like a poor, careless overlook.”
“Twi, you are getting yourself all worked up again.” Sunset bit her tongue as purple eyes went wide for a second. “I mean Star, yeah, Starlight.”
Twilight decided to close her eyes and try to focus on her breathing. It was then that she heard what sounded like a prayer coming from the seats to their right. She glanced over and saw Handy holding a set of beads between his hands. His eyes were closed, but words were still slipping past his lips.
Drago glanced over and spotted Twilight’s piqued curiosity. “Don’t look at me, I have no idea what he’s saying.”
“It’s Hindi,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Kya tum theek ho jaoge?”
Handy paused and blinked, turning his wide eyes to Twilight. “Aap Hindee bolate hain?”
Twilight smiled and nodded. “Haan.”
There were a few gasps as the spacecraft lurched a bit. While logically they knew it was simply the crane moving the vehicle to the rail it was still a bit unnerving since the projection screens were still off. There were several tinks and latching sounds followed by a thud, and finally, silence. The cabin lights briefly flickered out before coming back on slightly dimmer and the walls seemed to disappear as the screens began to project what was out along their sides. Twilight settled back into her chair as did all the others. She pulled the shoulder straps down as tight as comfort would allow.
Sunset leaned over and quietly whispered. “Remember to breathe, babe. And also, I love you.”
Twilight took a deep breath and mouthed the words back. They briefly squeezed each other’s hands before turning their eyes to the exterior screens.
“You know, it kind of reminds me of a roller coaster. What was the name of that one we went to that was all dark except for the blacklights?”
Twilight took another deep breath. The breach canopy was lowering and locked into place with a hiss. It would take a few minutes for the excess air to be evacuated from the tube and the electromagnetic system to charge to full capacity. Eventually the MAUV would lift from the rail, held in place by guide bars while it was propelled farther and faster.
“I guess in a way it is like Space Mountain,” Twilight finally replied. “Except no amusement park coaster can go as fast as this thing can. No air resistance, no drag, no friction from the rail beyond the safety guide bar. We hit one thousand KPH in less than a minute and twelve thousand KPH by the time we exit the tube… And that is before the rockets kick in. We need a total escape velocity of over twenty-four thousand KPH to break the Earth’s gravity.”
“Right, six G’s of force. Gorilla on my tits.”
“Now you see why I wanted a helmet!”
“At the speed we will be going a helmet wouldn’t save you,” said Drago before he winced at Twilight’s wide eyed expression. “Sorry, I’m not helping.”
Sunset smiled. “At least you said sorry unlike your buddy up front.”
“Yeah, sorry about him too. He’s actually a good guy, but also a bit of a dick head. And by that, I mean he is always thinking with his dick. Still, this is my third launch and I’ve had Eagle as my pilot every time. I trust him.”
“FLIGHT FOUR THREE FOUR ECHO, THE SKYS ARE CLEAR AND THE WINDS ARE CALM. YOU ARE CLEARED FOR LAUNCH.”
Sunset took the risk and placed her left hand over Twilight’s right without hesitation or concern of who might see them. She was willing to bet other first time flyers were holding hands as well. Twilight took comfort in the contact and laced her fingers between Sunset’s, squeezing the appendage tightly.
“I guess we’ll see.”
“LAUNCH!”
It almost did not feel real, Sunset pondered at first. She felt herself pressed into the chair and the gel adjusted accordingly. The smart flight suit also clamped down on her legs and abdomen to keep more blood in her upper torso. When Sunset turned her eyes to the screens all she could see was a blur of blue. The sky and ocean might as well had been two sides of the same coin. Slightly different color tones, but indistinguishable. If there was a stray cloud or object upon the water they were gone before even registering as a blur let alone an actual object.
The initial pressure eased as they must have hit maximum horizontal velocity that the mag rail was capable accelerating the vehicle to. However, less than a minute later Sunset felt it all tighten up again as they scenery changed and they began to climb. They were entering the curve.
It was gradual for the first few seconds, but then, the pressure built. The angle of ascent growing steeper. Sunset heard Twilight beginning to struggle to breath, her grip tighten around Sunset’s hand. The suit began to tighten painfully around Sunset’s chest and it made her breasts hurt as it crushed them. She clenched her teeth, but had to remember not to squeeze Twilight's hand back or she would break it. Sunset wanted to close her eyes as they started to feel like they might get sucked to the back of her skull, but she wanted to keep her focus on that silly prize that she did not need. Still. Eagle Eye had challenged her. She was not about to back down now.
The MUAV suddenly lurched forward violently, throwing everyone forward against their seat straps before crushing them back again twice as hard as before. Twilight wanted to comment how they had just exited the tube and hit the atmosphere like a massive, magnetically accelerated artillery shell and then the boosters kicked in and they were now a ballistic missile heading for the last great frontier. However, it was too difficult to say all that and Twilight struggled just to breathe let alone attempt to speak. The world was growing dark and the sounds of rattles and voices were distant, fading.
Next to Twilight Sparkle, Sunset slowly continued to reach out with her right hand for the chair in front of her. For some reason, Sunset’s mind conjured up a memory from long ago when she had been a filly and Celestia had thought it would make for an appropriate response to sit upon the seven year old unicorn throwing a fit about having to go to bed early. She had thought she would die from the weight of the ancient alicorn. Her mother’s great, big white plot and barrel had nothing on what she was feeling at that moment however. It felt as if the world itself were drowning Sunset in an unseen force... because, as she considered, that was EXACTLY what it was doing.
“S,S,Sun… ny…”
Sunset glanced to her wife who was also struggling to keep her head up, but then slumped in her harness, the gel keeping it from falling to a painful or dangerous position. Twilight Sparkle had passed out. Sunset glanced to her right and Handy also looked to be out and Drago was using some sort of breathing exercise, but only barely hanging on to consciousness himself.
With tremendous effort, against gravitational forces that felt like they were trying to liquify her bones, Sunset leaned forward and snapped at the money a few times before finally clasping it between her fingers and settling back into her gel chair. She smiled smugly knowing the captain saw her grab it or would review it after they leveled off.
Sometimes it’s just not fair how awesome it is to be an alicorn in a human body.
The pressure, finally, began to slowly ease off. Sunset turned her head and looked to the projection screen. The sky was gone. There was a faint blue glow on the screen below them, curved, with no distinguishable land masses. It was growing smaller by the second. It took Sunset Shimmer a moment to come to terms with the fact that said glowing curvature was the planet Earth.
Then, one by one. The stars began to make themselves known as the ambient, reflective light of the Earth faded. Sunset nudged Twilight a few times and she slowly came to, blinking her eyes and taking a deep breath. Twilight fluttered her eyes a few times. Relieved that they were, as far as she could tell, still alive.
“Sunny?”
Sunset smiled warmly. “We’re okay.” The smile broadened to a tooth grin. “We are officially in space.”
Twilight admired the view on the screens and a smile crept across her face. She had to lift her goggles to wipe her eyes as they felt damp with moisture. After a few minutes of glancing about she finally turned back to Sunset and had to resist with all her might from kissing her wife passionately. The straps assisted her in maintaining that restraint. Just as well. Holding hands was one thing, but kissing your fellow passengers was a bit of a giveaway.
“Thank you for this.”
Sunset shrugged and maintained her smug, mischievous smile. “Sure, this is good, but hopefully we will get a chance to see it all from the station view too. Maybe even borrow some suits and walk outside for a bit. Front row seats to the universe, ya know?”
“Oh, sweet lord. I don’t know if I have the courage to do an actual EVA.”
Sunset held up the hundred dollar bill that she let float out of her hand for a few seconds before grabbing it again. “With me by your side. We can do anything.”