//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Past 
// Story: Bronies Beyond the Stars: Pirate's Plunder 
// by Digital Spark 
//------------------------------//

"NO! I will not take HER with me."
The aging mare stands above the young filly. Her eyes look curiously at the surroundings. The mare stares intently at the ships second in command. A good friend.
"Please. She wants to learn the ropes. And, there's no better place to do that than on this ship."
His wings flare in a sign of anger. They were set to leave yesterday, and the extra delay does not improve his mood.
"She'll just get in the way. We have to get this cargo to Cetrax-3 in two days. That was yesterday."
He sighs, and looks back up.
"Alright. You're busy, I understand." Gesturing for the filly to follow, he walks through the hatch onto the station. She takes another look around the corridor, and follows.
Dann turns back towards the bridge. Trotting at a brisk pace, he reaches there quickly.
"Captain. We're ready to undock." He informs the commanding officer.
The captain, a young, but competent, grey unicorn, motions towards the helmspony.
"Squid. Takes us away from the station."
The pony, a slender gray mare, acknowledges. She hits a cluster of brightly lit switches, and takes control of the maneuvering thrusters. The ship shutters as the view on the screen changes. The station, outlined by the distant moon, moves from view as the ship maneuvers away. The stars seem to shift as they orientate.
"Ender. Is the course set?" The captain asks. A black unicorn, console set against the far wall, replies.
"Course set to Cetrax-3." The captain nods. The moon falls out of view and a field of starts covers the screen. An ocean in the heavens. Danne had seen this many times before, but it still feels like the first time.
"Engage."
The starts seem to jump towards the ship as they are propelled through space. The starts flash by at a tremendous speed. they appear to dance around the ship.  The navigator speaks up.
"We will arrive in twenty-two and a half standard hours." The captain nods.
"Good. Get some rest everypony. Squid, you stay and make sure every thing goes smoothly."
As the three ponies exit the bridge, Dann gives Ender an approving nod. "Nice job with those calculations." He smiles, shyly. A brilliant pony, Ender has a hard time making friends. So, Danne had tried to help him transition into the crew. "I'm heading to the cargo bay to check on the cargo. No telling what mess the jump made down there." Ender nods and turns toward his room, no doubt about to look over the most recent charts.
In the cargo bay, boxes line the walls, filled with food, water, and supplies. A large, clear, container covered in a decorative cloth sits against the back wall. The faint illumination dances over the parts the cloth doesn't cover, revealing the contents as a clear liquid. Dann approaches the container. A strip of lights and controls sit at eye level. "Yo! How you doing in there?" A synthetic voice responds. "I've been better." With a few powerful beats of his wings, he is near the top of the hold and the container. Latching onto the cloth, it falls away. Inside the tank, a fish swims aimlessly in circles, a trident in fin. A bubble sits to one side of the holding.
"We'll arrive in a little less than a day." He starts checking the panel. All vitals check out.
"Oh. Good. I'll finally be free of this stupid cell." He gives what Dann guesses is the fish approximation of a smile.
"And we'll be free of having to buy giant bottles of fish-food. Please tell me, why must we season giant fish flakes before giving them to you?"
"Have you ever tasted fish flakes. Ghastly. That season is the only thing that makes it palpable. The seasoning is the least you can do. You can do marvelous things with fish flakes. Saute, grind, grill, fill, squeeze, blend..." The ramblings continue on even after Dann has left.