//------------------------------//
// The Crescent  
// Story: We have our Reasons... 
// by dragon191917 
//------------------------------//

Twilight stared out of the view port of the starboard observation deck of the E.S.S Gazer. The cargo ship had taken her aboard for who knows reason, but she was still on board faithfully. As she walked around, she noticed that the observation deck was nearly empty. She sighed out of loneliness. She wished the rest of her friends were with her. 

She heard hoof-steps behind her. She turned around to see a stallion unicorn. He wore a red vest, the common uniform for crews of Solar Empire ships. He had blue eyes, contrasting his orange mane and white coat.He walked up to her and promptly announced; "The captain wishes you to your cabin, Ms. Sparkle. I have been sent to escort you." Twilight nodded. She didn't know what it was about, but she did it.

After about three minutes of walking, she realized they weren't heading to her cabin. She immediately refused to budge. "Who are you?" she asked. "What do you want with me?" 

The stallion sighed. "Ms. Sparkle has caught on to us. Bring the ship in." Twilight realized he was not talking to her. 

"Who are you?" she repeated, finding fear in her own voice.

The stallion looked down, as if in thought, then looked up and answered. "One that does not wish to hurt you, but only to educate you." With that, he popped out of existence with a teleport spell.

Twilight readied herself for worse, but what she got was something she never suspected, but she should have seen coming from what the Unicorn had said.

Suddenly, alarms blared, coloring the white hallway red in emergency lights. A panicked voice came over the intercom, stating simply "Unknown ship, coming out of teleport!" Instantly, almost as if it just came into existence out of thin air (which it technically did do), a massive ship, easily five times the size of the Gazer, came up next to the Gazer. 

The thing was massive. It was long and cylindrical, like a can tipped on its side. From its front and back protruded long rectangular pieces, like two blocks of wood on the can. As it slowed to match the Gazer's speed, Twilight noticed an insignia on the side she had hoped would not be apparent. It was a crescent sprouted wings, with a star just below. The sign of the New Lunar Republic.

Twilight panicked, her mind racing. The New Lunar Republic? What were they doing here? The Gazer carried nothing of major value, except... her. 

At that moment, she heard a boarding latch clamp onto the Gazer's hull. She looked over at the nearest airlock in fear, realizing that almost all the crew were probably in on the Republic getting at her. The crew must be simulating a violent boarding maneuver to show her that the Gazer's crew was on her side. Thank goodness for her hyper mind.

Then the airlock blew open. 

The explosion echoed through the ship. Dust and debris littered the hallway. The smoke blocked Twilight's field of vision. She heard no orders being shouted, nothing. She thought that if soldiers were coming aboard, then she would hear them coming. At first, she was relieved, as she thought they were not coming aboard. But then her hopes were dashed. That would make no sense if they weren't coming aboard. But something had to be coming, but what? What made no noise?

Her answer came in a figure coming out of the smoke, fulfilling her worse thoughts. It was no creature. It was a pony. It was a soldier. However, a soldier Twilight had only heard of. He was nearly eight feet tall, clad in black armor that completely covered his body. The helmet's black visor completely obscured his face. On his back was a large Magic Missile weapon, probably an assault rifle. He said nothing as he approached Twilight. His hooves made no noise as he walked. He was a Moonjumper.

Moonjumpers were legendary figures. They were formed early into the interstellar expansion. They were the elite, but they served no one. They completed only there own objectives, then disappeared without a trace. The Moonjumpers who had been know to the public were the best of the best. They were known to take on dozens of normal ponies and pull out without a scratch. Stories accompanying unknown Moonjumpers were no less grand. 

The Moonjumper gestured behind him with his left hoof. Twilight gladly walked past the forbidding figure, and the smoke finally started to clear. When it fully cleared, the Moonjumper was gone. At the airlock, two Republic Marines stood at attention in there blue uniforms, and in between them, in a captains uniform, on her hind legs, was the one pony who Twilight didn't expect to be doing those things. Actually, she was better described as a griffon.

"Twilight Sparkle." Gilda deadpanned, her face one of absolute calm. "I'm afraid you'll have to come with me."

Twilight stood her ground flabbergasted. "YOU!?" she shouted. "What are you doing as captain of a NLR vessel?!"

Gilda sighed. "I'll explain later. You'll have to come with me peacefully."

Twilight sneered. "You and what army?"

Gilda raised an eyebrow. "I don't need one." She said with her old menace. "Last warning Twilight Sparkle."

It was Twilight's turn to raise her eyebrow. "No." she said flatly.

Gilda looked like she anticipated her choice. "At you command, Ms. Sparkle." She said with her signature sarcasm. She pulled out a weird looking firearm. It was no MM weapon Twilight had seen. It was vaguely pistol shape.

Gilda pulled the trigger.

To late, Twilight realized it was a changeling weapon. No, not weapon, more like torture weapon. She tried to put up a protective spell, but she was too late. With nearly enough electrical volts to knock a grown dragon off its feet, the changeling shock attack gun was by far the most fearsome handheld weapon in the hives armory. 

Normally, such an attack would have killed somepony outright. However, Twilight was one of the most protected ponies in the universe. For a split second, she felt the tug of her magic as every single one of her magical wards was torn away.

For a split second, Twilight still stood. Then, she fell to the ground, pain filling her body in extreme agony. The last words she heard was Gilda saying "Sorry for the inconveniences, but welcome aboard the L.S.S. Crescent.