//------------------------------// // 1 - The Journey Begins // Story: Beyond Harmony's Edge // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// Light poured over the edge of the planet below, signaling the beginning of a new day as dawn crested the curvature of Equis. Yet as the light of her chosen star stretched over the land below, something glistened in the morning light, high above the surface of the planet and connected to the ground via an expansive coupling system. Spacecraft flew in and out of the gargantuan structure, its roughly hemispherical shape allowing for the maximum number of ships to dock and depart as needed. This was the Equestrian Spaceport, hailed as the most cutting-edge harbor for spacecraft in the Harmony system. It could service any craft ranging in size from the smallest scout to the grand flagships of the various nations’ fleets. Yet far below this hulking marvel, at the base of the massive space elevator, lay the ground complex that allowed the species of Equis access to the orbiting platform. In a locker room, contained within one of the more restricted sections of the complex, was a young earth pony mare, dressing herself for her first mission as a fully certified Chief Engineer. Applebloom was a very attractive mare for her age, with her bright red mane tied up with her signature pink bow and her tail tied in a simple braid for ease of comfort. Her bright amber eyes were known to draw the attention of many stallions, and her pale-yellow coat nearly glowed under the overhead lights. Of course, her shield-shaped cutie mark was on proud display, although it was being rapidly covered as she pulled her dark blue jumpsuit up and over her flanks. A grunt and hiss of frustration could be heard every other second as she struggled to pull the skin-tight material over her body, although she managed to get it on mostly in the right order as she pulled the zipper closed along her spine. Finally, with a snort of contempt, she turned to face the open locker before her to pull out her saddlebags and the other necessities she would be needing for the journey ahead. Last but most certainly not least, she pulled out the golden locket that her sister Applejack had given her the previous year for Hearth’s Warming. She smiled to herself as she flipped it open with a hoof, taking a moment to look at the extended family photo that graced the inside. “Ah did it sis,” she said to herself, tracing a hoof over the image before closing the locket, “Ah finally made it to space.” It had been a long-time dream of Applebloom’s to go for adventures in space, although now that she finally had the chance to do so, and as one of the three crewmembers for the newest ship in the Equestrian fleet no less, she was starting to wonder if this was all some long and elaborate dream that her mind had concocted during a coma or some such thing. Lifting a foreleg to her face, she pinched a small section of her flesh between her teeth, digging in just enough for it to hurt. She pulled back and lowered her leg with a smile on her face, “Nope, Ah’m not dreaming. This is really happening.” “What’s really happening?” A vaguely familiar voice asked from behind her. Applebloom turned around and felt her jaw drop as she spotted her companion, the other mare’s eyes widening in shock as her own jaw hung low. “Sweetie Bell, is that really you?” Applebloom finally managed to say after a couple seconds. The white unicorn smiled widely, letting out a high-pitch squeal as she leaped over the bench between them and tackled Applebloom in a massive hug. “Applebloom! I haven’t seen you in years!” She pulled back enough to look the earth pony in the eyes, “How have things been working on ships?” Applebloom shrugged, although it did nothing to diminish her smile as she looked her friend up and down. Sweetie Bell had certainly grown into her looks over the years. She hadn’t seen her fellow Crusader since she had moved to Canterlot to get her degree in medicine. In that time, her two-tone pink mane had grown down to hang over her shoulders, bouncing with the curl that had always seemed to be there whether she liked it or not. Her pale green eyes had darkened into a near emerald hue and sparkled with excitement as she inspected Applebloom in turn. Just like the earth pony, Sweetie’s shield cutie mark was on proud display, marking her forever and for always as one of Applebloom’s closest friends. “You look great Sweetie Bell,” Applebloom said as she pulled away fully and stood at her full height, “did you finally get your degree in medicine like you wanted?” Sweetie’s nod was the only answer she needed, “You can call me Doctor Sweetie Bell now, although I also managed to minor in Thaumatic Diagnostics because of all the magic classes I had to take. That’s probably why they chose me to be the new ship’s medical officer.” Applebloom paused a moment as Sweetie’s words sunk in, “Wait, are you tellin’ me that yer going to be part of the crew for that brand-new ship they just built?” Sweetie nodded again, her expression shifting to slight confusion as she met Applebloom’s gaze, “Yeah, they chose me because I could take care of any medical issues during the mission while also working over any of the magical systems if they need repair. Although I can’t really do all that much if something really breaks, I think that would probably be left to the CE anyway.” “But Ah’m the Chief Engineer for that ship!” Applebloom cried as her face lit up with another wide grin, “Do you know that that means?” Sweetie opened her mouth to reply but was cut off as a raspy voice echoed through the room, “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are together again at last!” Both mares turned towards the doorway, their mouths hanging open as they spotted the orange pegasus mare in the opening. Her ragged purple mane hung over one bright violet eye, only to get blown out of the way with a puff of air from her mouth. Scootaloo grinned as she walked into the locker room, shifting her gaze from one mare to the other as a soft chuckle escaped her lips. “You guys should see your faces right now,” She managed to force out between giggles, “you look like somepony just switched your shampoo with mayonnaise and you just got a look at yourself in the mirror.” “Scootaloo!” Applebloom and Sweetie cried as they tackled the sunset pegasus. They collapsed into a fit of giggles as the pony pile tumbled and rolled for a few lengths into the hallway, leaving their belongings in a heap back in the locker room. Scootaloo grunted as the combined weight of the other mares settled on her chest, “Hey, I’m glad to see you guys as well, but do you have to crush me to get the message across?” Applebloom blushed and forced herself off of her friends, Sweetie following close behind as the trio stood up and pulled themselves into a tamer hug. “Ah’m sorry Scootaloo, we’re just so excited to see you after all these years. How’s it been flying cargo ships between planets?” Scootaloo grinned as she flared her wings, “Nopony gets things to their destination faster than the Crusader’s Cruiser. I’ve been flying so many circles around the competition that the higher ups practically begged me to be the pilot for their new ship.” She paused as she seemed to realize, “Wait a minute, all three of us are part of the crew, and as far as I know the ship only needs three ponies to fly.” She gasped as she bounced from one hoof to another, “That means we get to pilot the new ship all on our own and get to explore new worlds without anypony to cramp our style! This is going to be the best thing ever!” Sweetie smiled as she turned and entered the locker room once more, “Well if we don’t get suited up, we’ll never get to fly our new ship. Come on Scootaloo, we need to get ready before we head up the elevator.” The pegasus nodded as she walked past Applebloom, giving the earth pony a wink with one eye as she ran her tail under Applebloom’s chin, “A few years certainly did wonders for your looks A.B. You look great in that skin-tight suit.” Applebloom’s cheeks flushed a bright red as Scootaloo followed Sweetie into the locker room, her legs frozen in place as her mind struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Did Scootaloo just flirt with me? She thought to herself. A quick shake of her head cleared those thoughts from her mind, “Naw, she’s just joshin’ with me. Ah’ve known Scoots for years and she’s never come across as a fillyfooler. Ah’m just taking her jokes too seriously.” With that matter settled in her mind, Applebloom walked back into the locker room as Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo finished pulling the zippers closed on their own jumpsuits. Sweetie Bell’s suit was a bright green with red crosses posted over her flanks, marking her as the medical officer of the crew. Scootaloo’s suit was colored a bright red with gold trim around the collar, marking her as the pilot as well as the commander in charge of the crew, what little crew there was. “Ya’ll ready to make history?” Applebloom asked as the trio walked out the opposite side of the locker room and into the main hub for the space elevator. “You bet.” Sweetie said as they walked up to the kiosk to call their ride. Scootaloo swiped her I.D. and waited for a moment for the machine to register her qualifications. With a chime and a buzz, the kiosk spat out three tickets marked with their departure time and the dock number of their ship. An elevator pod large enough to hold ten ponies slid down the expansive number of chutes and pipes that held the elevator in place, coming to a stop in front of the trio with a mild hiss. The steel and glass compartment slid open and allowed the mares to enter its confines, closing them in with another hiss as the airtight seal locked in place. Without any warning, the pod began a rapid ascent of the elevator shaft, quickly leaving the ground and the landward complex behind. The ride took several minutes as the pod rocketed into orbit, ripping past other pods of various sizes and shapes as they moved up and down the shaft around them. Applebloom gasped as they reached the edge of the atmosphere, causing the vast expanse of space to shine around them as millions of stars came into view. The light of Harmony Prime, the system’s star, was nearly bright enough to blind the mares as the reflections of the metal refracted around them. However, the glass quickly reacted to the bright light and darkened, leaving the light levels at a less blinding intensity as the trio opened their eyes once again. “Wow,” Sweetie said as she gazed out the windows with wide eyes, “I never thought space could be so, beautiful.” “Eh, you get used to it after a while,” Scootaloo said nonchalantly, although she did nothing to hide her grin as she watched her friends react to their first trip off world. Applebloom looked up and saw the massive structure of the space port coming into view, it’s hulking form rapidly approaching as the elevator began to decelerate. They passed through the base of the complex and came to a stop in the central hub, leaving them with slightly wobbly legs as they adjusted to the slightly weaker gravity. The doors of the pod opened, and the mares walked out and into the port proper, making sure that their saddlebags were secure after the ride up before glancing around at the various shops that lined the walls on every side. Diners sat next door to small shops of this and that wherever Applebloom looked, leaving her feeling a bit overwhelmed as masses of ponies and other creatures walked by. Minotaurs carried large loads over their shoulders while gryphons flew along the corridors, the masses of ponies and zebras turning the port into a kaleidoscope of color and movement that made the mare’s head spin. A quick tap on her shoulder brought Applebloom back to her senses, her head turning to face Sweetie Bell as the alabaster mare retracted her hoof, “Come on Applebloom, we got to get to the ship before our scheduled departure time, or we’ll have to answer to the princesses about why we were late.” That got Applebloom’s motor running, “Well what are we waitin’ fer? We need to get a move on.” Scootaloo laughed as she flew to keep up with the now sprinting duo, “Woah, hold on there, don’t leave me behind. I know you want to be on time and all that, but you’re not going anywhere without me to fly the darn thing.” The pegasus yelped as her body was enveloped in a pale green glow, her body being jerked along at a faster pace as Sweetie’s magic pulled her behind them. “Hey!” Scootaloo yelled as she struggled to break free, “I can fly on my own thank you very much.” “No time to argue,” Sweetie countered as they slid around a corner and into the more restricted parts of the port, barely slowing down to toss their tickets at the guard pony who stood watch over the gate that led to the private launch pads, “we’ve got exactly five minutes to get to the dock before we’re late.” Scootaloo let out a huff of frustration but remained silent as she was carried along behind the other two. Finally, after galloping for several minutes, the trio ended up skidding to a halt outside gate B-52, their destination and the gateway to their new ship. Standing before the doorway was a quartet of alicorns, each varied in size and coloration to be instantly recognizable even at a distance. The tallest, standing nearly twice the height of the three mares, was Princess Celestia, ruler of the day and the eldest of the royals. Her multi-color mane and tail flowed in an ethereal wind while her alabaster coat shined in the overhead lights. Her magenta eyes radiated warmth and kindness as she gazed upon the Crusaders, although a slight curve could be seen on her lips as the panting trio came to a halt. Her golden regalia was polished to perfection, the metal shining almost as bright as her body as she stood before the three mares. Standing directly to her left was Princess Luna, ruler of the night and Celestia’s younger sister. Her starry mane and tail also flowed in an invisible breeze, though her expression was more distant and calm as compared to her sister. Her midnight blue coat was covered slightly by her obsidian regalia, which sparkled like moon dust as she shifted in place slightly. Directly to Luna’s left was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Princess Cadence to her friends and family. The alicorn was pink in every sense of the word, with a lighter coat to contrast the darker shades of her long, curly mane and tail. The Princess of Love was covering her mouth with a hoof as she stifled what had to be giggles as Sweetie lowered Scootaloo to the ground, although it did nothing to hide the fact that she was practically beaming with joy at the prospect of their voyage. Last but certainly not least was Princess Twilight, standing on Celestia’s right with a slight frown on her muzzle. The purple mare was checking a pocket watch that floated in her magenta magic as she glanced at a checklist hovering at her side. Apparently Applebloom and the others had made it on time, because the youngest princess did nothing more than nod to them as the watch and checklist disappeared with a pop of magic. “Welcome you three,” Celestia said with a full smile as she lowered her head to their level, “it fills me with joy to see my subjects so excited to undertake such a momentous journey in the name of science and exploration. I understand that you are already well acquainted with one another?” Sweetie nodded, “That’s right, princess. We’ve known each other since we were fillies.” She pulled Applebloom and Scootaloo into a group hug as she smiled up at the elder alicorn, “We couldn’t be happier to be working on this mission together.” “Yeah,” Applebloom agreed as she extracted herself from the hug, “we haven’t seen each other fer a couple years now, but to be goin’ on this mission as a team once again after being apart for so long,” she inhaled and let out a gusty sigh, “it’s like we get to go on adventures as the Cutie Mark Crusaders all over again. The best part is that this time we get to do somethin’ that nopony has ever done before!” Celestia nodded, “Indeed, you will be undertaking a challenge that has been faced by no other. We are truly in your debt for being so brave in the face of the unknown.” In a move that shocked everypony present, Celestia bowed her head to the trio and graced them with a nuzzle between each set of ears, “I look forward to the day you can return to us and regale the masses with tales of your adventures.” Princess Twilight cleared her throat, gathering the attention of those present, “Not to interrupt you, but we are running on a schedule, and I think the crew would like to look over their new ship before they are scheduled to depart.” Celestia nodded her agreement, “Quite right, we have much to do and so little time to do it. Come,” she turned to face the doorway that would lead to the launch platform, “let us be on our way.” The princesses walked up to the doorway, the masses of metal sliding open by themselves as the quartet entered through the opening. Applebloom and the others followed them into the corridor, hearing the slabs of steel close behind them with a hiss of compressed air. A single line of lights illuminated the metal walls and floor as the group came up to yet another doorway, this one much larger and fitted with several interlacing magic seals. Celestia turned her head to look at the Crusaders, “Beyond this door, lies the pinnacle of pony engineering. Your craft is the most advanced ship ever designed, and I am proud to present it to you on this momentous day.” As Celestia turned around, all four alicorns ignited their horns, casting beams of raw magic into four colored slots in the center seal. The complete array began to glow from the combined magics being shoved into it and then let out a blinding flash that caused Applebloom to cover her eyes. As she lowered her hoof to the floor once more, she couldn’t help but let out a gasp at what she saw. She almost missed the grins plastered on the royals’ faces as the trio of mares walked past them and into the hangar proper. “I present,” Princess Luna said with her usual dignified grace, “the ESF Midnight Song. Your new ship.” Applebloom could hardly believe her eyes. Resting on several support struts, was the most beautiful ship she had ever seen. It was painted a brilliant silver color, with red lines running down its length along the sides and decals around the engine ports. The whole thing had to be twenty or thirty times her own body length and at least ten times taller. The body was arrow-shaped, with large tail fins popping out at an angle over the rear to act as stabilizers while in atmosphere. Two huge rings of glowing blue energy were contained in the aft sections of the wings, while rotating thrusters were affixed on the outer edges for fine maneuvering and vertical takeoff. All and all the whole thing was a true sight to behold, and it took Applebloom several seconds to realize that Princess Cadence had been addressing her and her fellow Crusaders. Applebloom turned to face the pink alicorn with a bashful smile, “Sorry yer highness, Ah wasn’t payin’ attention. What was it ya said?” Cadence simply shook her head, “It wasn’t anything important. I was simply making a comment about how thrilled you looked at seeing your new ship.” “Are you kidding?” Scootaloo cried as she buzzed her wings in excitement, “This is the greatest thing ever!” Princess Twilight smiled as she stepped past the trio, “Would you like to see inside? We still have some time before your departure, so I would like to see your impressions of the ship’s interior.” “You were one of the ponies in charge of designing the ship, weren’t you princess?” Sweetie asked as they approached the Midnight Song, “I heard you were the one who came up with the spells that run the engine.” Twilight blushed under the praise, “Well, I had a lot of help, but yes, the Magic-Inducted Hyperspace Drive was my creation. I call it the MIHD for short so ponies don’t have to deal with such a mouthful of a name.” Sweetie chuckled, “I can see why. Oh, I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.” Princess Luna smiled as she punched in a series of numbers on the keypad next to the ship’s airlock, “Well then let us begin the tour. We have much to see and little time to see it. Come, your ship waits for nopony.” The seven ponies walked into the airlock, feeling the slight shift in air as the doors locked behind them and the second set opened in front. The first thing they were greeted with was what seemed to be a large storage space, filled with boxes of equipment and non-perishable food items. Cans and bags of this and that could be seen in every direction, except for the corridor that led straight down the middle of the room and toward another set of doors. Other than the numerous boxes, there wasn’t much to see in the room other than the dull grey walls and the yellow markings on the floor. Applebloom followed the group as they walked across the space and through the exit, leading them to another room that seemed to be half kitchen and half dining room. The space was covered in astatically pleasing light blue paint that marked the walls and ceiling, while the floor was covered in alternating tan and dark blue tiles that would make cleanup easy. A bar split the room down the middle, partitioning the cooking space from the eating space and sporting a trio of seats that were affixed to the floor with rather heavy-looking bolts. So too was the large table secured to the floor, along with the four chairs that resided around its four sides. “Wow,” Sweetie gasped as she ran into the kitchen and began rummaging through the magnetic drawers and cabinets, “this must be better than the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner. Look at all these crazy machines.” Celestia chuckled as Applebloom followed her friend into the kitchen, while Scootaloo sat down at the table to get a feel for the comfort of the chairs. “Indeed, most of the inventions in this ship are the latest and greatest our scientific minds have come up with in the last couple years. Nothing in our entire fleet is more technologically advanced than the ship you currently stand in.” “Even our own flagship, the Rising Dawn, does not have such luxuries.” Princess Luna added with a smile, “Thou should count thyselves lucky to have such advancements afforded to thee.” Cadence elbowed Luna in the side, “You slipped into Old Equish again, auntie.” Princes Luna seemed to realize her blunder and facehoofed with a grumble, “Curse my tongue and call me inept. Why must my mind continue to supply words that no longer have meaning in this day and age?” “Now, now you needn’t worry yourself too much dear sister,” Celestia said calmly as she rested a wing over Luna’s back, “You’re still getting used to modern patterns of speech, so it’s only natural for you to slip every once and a while.” Luna grumbled about something else unintelligible but made no further comment on the subject. She cleared her throat as Sweetie finished her inspection of the kitchen, “Yes, well, shall we be off? There is still the bridge and personal quarters to see, and we have little time to waste.” “Although,” Princess Twilight said as she held a hoof to her chin, “come to think of it, aren’t we the ones who control when and how the Midnight Song departs?” Cadence laughed as she held a hoof to her face, “Oh my, I completely forgot. Here we were running about like chickens in a fox den, and we had no reason to worry about anything at all. Oh, that’s rich.” Luna rolled her eyes, “Yes, well, if we cannot be punctual with our own deadlines, how can we expect our subjects to do any better?” Celestia nodded, “Quite right sister mine. Come, let us be off.” Applebloom fell in step next to Twilight while Sweetie and Scootaloo flanked Princess Cadence. Celestia and Luna led the way through a side door, coming into a short corridor that was partitioned on each side by four doorways. On the wall, next to each door were keypads that would lock or unlock the openings, although when Applebloom thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why there were four doors if there were only three crew members. She assumed that each door led to a bunkroom or some such, but for the life of her she couldn’t wrap her head around the purpose of the last room. Twilight must have seen the confusion on her face, because she pushed a button on the far-right door’s keypad and stepped aside as the door slid open. Inside was a fully stocked bathroom, complete with a shower and tub combination as well as a toilet and sink. Applebloom facehoofed at the rather blatant blunder in her thinking, although Twilight was nice enough not to bring it up around the others as they continued to the far end of the hallway. There, they passed through yet another set of doors, and found themselves in what could only have been the bridge. The space was much wider than the rest of the ship had been, rivaling the cargo bay for raw hoofage as the group spread out to take it all in. The entire room seemed to have been designed with a crew of three in mind, because there were only three stations for a pony to sit at during flight. The first was perfectly centered on the large, panoramic windows that allowed the crew to see where they were going, while the other two seats were situated behind and to the left and right of the pilot’s chair. Each seat was accompanied by what looked like control panels, although they were unlike anything Applebloom had seen before. Instead of being in a smooth arc in front of the chairs, the control surfaces wrapped all the way around the secondary stations to form rings of buttons and levers. A foldable section at the rear of each ring allowed the crew to move in and out of their assigned positions with relative ease, while still maintaining a complete circuit during use. Only the pilot’s controls were limited to the forward portion of the bridge, for obvious reasons, although they still formed a perfect half circle in front of the chair, leaving the sides open with just enough room for the joysticks that controlled the ship’s flight. Applebloom felt the breeze ruffle her mane as Scootaloo buzzed past her and took a seat at the pilot’s station, “This is so cool! I can’t wait to take this baby through her paces.” “Take it easy for the first part of the journey,” Princess Twilight said with a knowing smirk, “give yourself some time to familiarize yourself with the controls and flight characteristics of the ship before you get too crazy.” She cast a glance over her shoulder at Applebloom and Sweetie Bell, “I’m sure your fellow crewmates will appreciate it.” Scootaloo had the pretense to look abashed for her overenthusiasm, although her ears only folded for a second or two before springing back to attention, “Does that mean this thing can do crazy maneuvers and other stuff once I get used to the controls?” Applebloom rolled her eyes, “Ya’ll try anything like that, and Sweetie will throw yer flank in the cargo bay for a week, if I don’t buck some sense into yer thick skull first.” Scootaloo scowled at the earth pony, but quickly relented as Princess Cadence and Twilight shared a chuckle at her expression, “Yeah well, I wasn’t going to do too much anyway, don’t want to make the other pilots jealous, right?” The Crusaders shared a laugh as the princesses formed up next to the door, “We’ll let you get settled in.” Princess Celestia said with her usual grace, “Just remember, your departure time is scheduled for the top of the next hour. Be sure to be on time for the send-off the fleet captains are preparing for you.” All three mares saluted, “Yes Ma’am!” Celestia nodded, leading her fellow princesses out the door and back towards the launch bay. This left the Crusaders on their own as they began going over the systems of their new ship. “Wow!” Sweetie cooed as she took a seat at the left station, “This ship is amazing. Look at all this high-tech stuff.” She gasped as the controls lit up, even igniting a holographic display in front of her and on either side at head height, “I never knew this kind of stuff could be integrated into a console like this.” Applebloom walked over and took a seat in her own chair, taking a moment to look overt the controls for herself, “Yeah, it’s one thing to build a ship, but a whole ‘nother thing to see the finished product as its crew.” Applebloom took a second to run her hoof over the holographic displays, watching in rapt wonder as the controls responded to her every move like it was a part of her. For a moment she closed her eyes and could almost feel the ship responding to her commands, even though the main reactor had yet to be ignited. As the thought crossed her mind, Applebloom opened her eyes and looked over the controls, hoping to see the one switch she hoped to find. Sure enough, resting along the right side of her station, was a large lever with a bold label spelled out in bright yellow lettering. MAIN REACTOR POWER TOGGLE Below the lever was a screen that had lit up along with the rest of her controls, showing another string of words that indicated the core’s status, MAIN POWER: 0% REACTOR STATUS: Offline RESERVE POWER: 97% Applebloom glanced over the rest of her controls, spotting the reactor arming button a few hooves to the left of the main power controls. She turned to look at her crewmates, with a grin, “Think it’s ‘bout time to wake this baby up?” Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo shared a glance before nodding, “Let’s light this party favor.” Scootaloo said as she turned to take the helm, “Let’s do this like a real crew should. Chief Engineer Applebloom, is the reactor armed for ignition?” Applebloom smiled, feeling a thrill of adrenaline run through her body as she pressed the arming button. Another light caught her attention as the screen below the power controls changed from ‘Offline’ to ‘Armed’. “Reactor is armed and ready for ignition, captain.” Scootaloo nodded, “Ignite reactor on my mark, three, two, one, mark!” Applebloom pressed the control lever forward a notch, feeling the hum of the reactor start up smoothly as the power levels began to rise. They worked up a percent at a time before holding at fifteen percent, “Reactor ignited and holding at fifteen percent power.” She turned to look at Scootaloo, “She’s purrin’ like a kitten Scootaloo. Should we take her up to full?” Scootaloo turned to face Sweetie Bell, who was going over her own controls with a look of complete concentration, “How are the systems looking Sweetie Bell?” “Everything seems to be working at full strength,” she said without looking up, “our engines are a little cold but that won’t take long to fix. Other than that, everything is in perfect order. I recommend only taking the ship to half power until the engines get used to the change in temperature.” Scootaloo nodded before turning back to Applebloom, “You heard her, half power until further notice. Go ahead and cycle up the engines.” “Reactor to half power,” Applebloom echoed as she shifted the controls up another three notches. The hum of the reactor grew in volume before leveling out at about speaking volume, although the power gage continued to rise until it stalled at fifty-three percent. “Reactor holding at half power.” With a flip of several other switches, the hum of the reactor shifted in tone as the power was directed into the aft engines, “Engines one through four are receiving power and are ready to go. Thrusters are all in the green and our gravity spell is functioning properly.” She turned to face Scootaloo with a grin, “She’s ready to go, captain.” Scootaloo nodded, turning to face the front as her hooves gripped the control sticks, “Then let’s get this party rolling.” Just as Scootaloo was pressing the controls forward, she paused and performed a spectacular facehoof, “Wait a minute! What in Tartarus was I thinking? We can’t start our newest adventure without the appropriate theme song!” Sweetie glanced over at Applebloom, who shrugged in response, “What in tarnation are you goin’ on about Scootaloo?” “Oh, come on, you don’t think our first real mission as the reunited Cutie Mark Crusaders doesn’t warrant something special?” The brash pegasus rolled her eyes, “Besides, you should know this one, you wrote it with Sweetie Bell after we all got our cutie marks. Not to mention that hot gryphon you chose to go on tour with once you hit it big.” Applebloom smacked herself with a hoof, “Don’t tell me you actually bought an album from my short-lived career as a singer.” “Yep,” was the reply, “I even got a memory crystal so I wouldn’t have to lug around a record all the time if I wanted to listen to it.” She pulled out a large purple gem, cut in the shape of a disk and slid it into a previously invisible slot on her console. “Just listen and you’ll see why this is the perfect number for the start of our newest adventure.” As the music began playing, both Sweetie Bell and Applebloom’s eyes widened in recognition. “I remember this one. It was my only number one hit.” Applebloom smiled as the memories started to come back, “I can still remember singing in front of crowds with Black and having such a fun time.” She turned to face Scootaloo, noting the expectant grin on the pegasus’ face, “Alright, you convinced me. But remember that this is a serious mission. No singing along and forgetting the fly the ship, alright?” Scootaloo fluffed her wings in mock indignation, “I’ll have you know I only did that once while I was practicing for my pilot’s exam. I’ve never let myself get lost in the moment when it counted.” Applebloom let it slide and turned to face Sweetie, “How we looking on our power systems? Are we still holding steady?” Sweetie nodded, “Shield generators and the main cannon are fully functional and ready to go.” She shifted her gaze to another readout before continuing, “Life support at full power and holding steady.” She turned to face Scootaloo, “All systems go, captain. We are ready to depart.” “Then let’s go.” Scootaloo pressed the release on her console, and there was a series of thumps as the support arms disconnected from the Midnight Song’s hull. The main engines grew from a dull hum to a throaty roar as the ship began flying under its own power for the very first time. Scootaloo carefully directed the ship past the other docking stations and into open space, turning the ship until it was facing completely away from Harmony Prime. Spread out before them was the majority of the Equestrian Space Fleet, led by the Royal Flagship herself, the ESF Rising Dawn. Princess Celestia and the other royals would be watching from the bridge of the massive gold and silver vessel, along with most of the space fleet high command. Further out and on their opposite side, lay the Minotaur Navy, led by the monstrous grey behemoth known as the MHC Goliath. Finally, hovering above them in a cluster, were the gryphon ships. Led by the impressive form of the HMS Eagle’s Shadow, all three ponies were momentary lost in awe at the sheer number of creatures come to see them off. A chime echoed through the bridge, and Scootaloo turned down the music as she opened the communications channel, “This is the ESF Midnight Song, what can we do for you?” “It is wonderful to see the ship is performing well,” Celestia’s voice came over the speakers with only minimal static, “you’ve arrived just in time for us to see you off. The Minotaur were hoping to give you a twenty-one-gun salute, but I managed to convince them to hold off until you get back from your journey. Do you remember what your mission is?” The trio nodded, even though they knew Celestia couldn’t see them, “We remember, princess.” Applebloom replied, “We’re headed for the Fetlock System after workin’ our way around the Clover Nebula. Once we get there, we’re supposed to investigate a possibly habitable world and then report back what we find.” She glanced at Sweetie Bell, “Did Ah forget anything?” Sweetie shook her head, “Nope, that’s pretty much it.” She turned to face forward again as she addressed the Princess, “We’re all set here, Your Highness. Once we spin up the reactor to full power, we should be ready to go.” They could almost hear the smile in Celestia’s voice, “Then good luck to you, my little ponies. I wish you the best and hope for your safe return.” With those final words, the line went dead and left the trio alone once again. Scootaloo turned up the music once more and found that the song had only progressed a little. The bridge was just starting and the buildup to the chorus had yet to begin. Scootaloo grinned as she turned to Applebloom, “Power up the reactor to full and put in the coordinates for our first jump. I’m going to do something awesome.” Applebloom glanced at Sweetie, who shrugged in reply, “Okay, but if this blows up in our faces Ah’m blamin’ you.” She pushed the power controls up all the way, feeling the ship vibrate for a moment as the reactor powered up to maximum. Sweetie typed in a string of commands on her own console before turning to face Scootaloo, “Coordinates locked and ready, captain.” Scootaloo nodded as she gripped the controls with a firm hoof, aimed the ship between the fleets and into open space as the song began climbing towards the chorus. Just as the buildup reached its peak, Scootaloo pressed her hoof against the hyperspace controls and grinned. “Let’s fly.” She said as she pressed the lever forward. The stars in front of the ship seemed to elongate past the windows as the ship made the jump to hyperspace, leaving their home system far behind as the ship jumped into a higher dimension. A seemingly endless tunnel of blue streaks and flashes of light filled the viewport, and the ship vibrated violently for several moments before their flight smoothed. Applebloom let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding, looking towards her fellow Crusaders as they all shared a smile. “Ah think this is going to be one heck of an adventure.” She said simply as she climbed out of her seat and stepped towards the door, “Ah’m goin’ to see how the engines are doin’ before anything has a chance to pop up. Ah’ll be amidships if anypony needs me.” “I’ll check out the galley and see if I can make anything for us to eat.” Sweetie added as she climbed out of her own station, “I don’t know about you, but I could go with a good daisy sandwich. I haven’t eaten since we met up at the space elevator.” Applebloom chuckled as Sweetie fell in beside her, “Just don’t try to cook anything. We all know how bad you are in the kitchen.” Sweetie puffed out her cheeks as a vibrant blush overcame them, “Hey! I’ve gotten better while I’ve been gone!” Scootaloo snickered from her post at the helm, “Yeah, I bet you can make orange juice without turning it into toxic waste like you used to.” Sweetie Bell stuck her tongue out at their companion, “Oh who asked you!” She turned back to the doorway and let out a huff as she stuck her nose in the air, walking with a poise and purpose she had lacked moments before. Applebloom chuckled alongside Scootaloo before she gave her friend a quick salute, “See ya in a bit, Scoots. Ah’m goin’ to be below if anythin’ comes up.” Scootaloo nodded, “See you in a couple hours. We should be coming up on our first stop around that time.” Applebloom nodded as she turned to leave, taking one last look at the bridge before walking through the living quarters and into the cargo bay. Sweetie Bell was already in the mess making, well, a mess, although Applebloom was pleased to find she hadn’t turned the kitchen into a toxic waste dump just yet. She paid the busy unicorn little mind as she climbed down a hatch in the cargo bay and into the main reactor chamber. It was a little cramped in the space left over for maintenance, although it worked just fine for her as she got a good look at the reactor core. A large sphere, containing multiple-colored balls of energy, rested amidst countless regulators and pipes. The glow from the magic churning within the core was bright enough to make Applebloom squint, although it was a soft light that didn’t harm her eyes. Taking some time to familiarize herself with the layout of the core, she noticed that some of the energy being directed towards the engines was being absorbed by the piping instead of flowing through it in a smooth stream. She could tell because the metal was starting to glow with ambient magic in several places. Either the designers had not planned on so much magic flowing through the pipes at once, or the metal coating inside the pipes was defective. Either way, they were losing power that could be used to move the ship further through space without straining the core for more energy. Besides, even though magic buildup was not an imminent threat, the fact that something was going on with the engine to begin with was not something to let slide. Applebloom climbed out of the core chamber and made her way back to the bridge, passing a very upset Sweetie Bell, who had apparently messed up making her food yet again. Applebloom tried and failed in containing her chuckles as Sweetie poked at the black sludge that was supposed to be her sandwich, prompting the unicorn to glare over her shoulder at the offending party as Applebloom made a hasty retreat out the far door. Applebloom made her way up to Scootaloo, who was looking over the controls as they traveled through the rift of hyperspace. “We got a small situation down in the core. Some of the pipes need to be replaced and Ah can’t do that while we’re in the middle of a jump. Ah’d recommend powering down the engines once we exit hyperspace so I can make the repairs before it becomes a problem.” Scootaloo nodded, “Gotcha. Well, I guess we’ll have to make our first stop a bit longer than we planned. Can’t have the reactor blowing up on us mid-flight.” Applebloom rolled her eyes, “It’s nothing like that, just some magic leakage that is cutting our power to the engines. Shouldn’t be too hard to fix, what with the tons of spare parts the princesses left for us in the cargo bay.” Scootaloo nodded, “Sounds good.” She smirked as she glanced over Applebloom’s shoulder towards the door, “How badly did she mess up this time?” Applebloom grinned in return, “She managed to make a glass of water before turning her sandwich into sludge. All and all Ah’d say she’s improvin’, slowly.” Scootaloo snorted but didn’t comment, looking out at the swirling vortex that was hyperspace as their craft shot through the vast void, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? To think this is what every captain is going to see in the coming years, and we get to be the first ones to witness it.” Applebloom nodded, “Ah recon it’s got to be the second most beautiful thing Ah’ve ever seen.” Scootaloo cast a raised eyebrow toward the earth pony, “And what was the first?” Applebloom smiled at the memory, “The first time I saw the sun rise from the top of the space elevator.” Scootaloo nodded after a moment, “Yeah, I can’t blame you for thinking that. Although I’d bet this is a close second.” The duo lapsed into silence, feeling the slight hum and vibration of the ship through their hooves as their journey began in earnest. If only they had any idea what challenges awaited them at their destination.