...BOOTING SOFTWARE
...ACCESSING DATATRACKS
...EXISTING FILE FOUND
...DO YOU WISH TO OPEN? Y_
...LOADING
...READY...BEGIN RECORDING…
It’s so quiet out here during the night. So empty, and peaceful. I can see the stars through the windows, and I imagine that they are watching us. I wonder if Princess Luna is out there too, on the moon right now, watching what those lizards are doing to her world.
Sleeping in an old train car isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There’s hardly any smell, and the seats are comfortable enough. Still, I wish I was back home, in my own bed.
Ok, have to go now. Star wants me to get some sleep. He says if we walk along the train tracks tomorrow, we can get away from the lizards, cause they won’t be able to track us. I hope he’s right…
...END RECORD_
...SAVE FILE_
...SAVE COMPLETED
...POWERING OFF...
He stepped out of the library, slightly ducking his scaled head under the doorway, and watched as the ship hovered in the air above him. Attempting to contain his anger, Hunt Leader Thrakish continued outside, moving over to approach his troops. As he walked, the sunlight reflected off his scales, casting a greenish-brown hue on the limited armor he was wearing. Throwing a look at the group of Vectin soldiers standing at attention in front of him, his tail twitched in irritation. How could two, small Questrins outsmart them, he thought. They bring disgrace on our unit! He continued to fume, as the ship began to descend towards them. Throwing up a cloud of dust, it finally settled to the ground, resting on the lower pair of spikes poking out from the bottom.
After a moment, a circular portal along the side opened up like an iris, allowing a wave of steam to flow out. As the group of Vectin watched, a figure emerged from the portal. Standing shorter than Thrakish, his armor clung tightly to his more rounded belly. As he stepped out of the ship, a short, green cape flowed behind him.
Thrakish bowed. “Sphere Leader Kessish,” he began, his voice a deep growl, “we greet you, and honored by your-“
“Stop!” commanded Kessish. “I do not bring honor. I am told of your failure.” He flashed his teeth.
“T’was not I,” Thrakish began, while waving a clawed hand back towards the others. “They failed to capture-“
Kessish raised his hand, and Thrakish stopped talking. “I do not hear it,” Kessish replied, sounding like a high-pitched hiss. “They serve under you. Their failure is you own.” He walked past the Hunt Leader, and inspected the other soldiers. They all stood rigid, waiting for the Sphere Leader’s criticism. He walked down the line, and then turned back to Thrakish.
“You will find the Questrins that escaped!” he shouted. “They somehow caused an energy signal, one we not seen since we annexed this sphere. There was no evidence of it at the little village. The ones who make the signal must have fled.” He looked over the soldiers. “You will catch and terminate.” He walked up to look Thrakish in the eye, an almost comical sight, as he was a head shorter than the Hunt Leader. “Do not fail.”
“I will not,” Thrakish vowed. “They will be mine.”
With a nod, Kessish stepped past him, and returned to his ship. Pausing at the opening, he half turned his head back to Thrakish. “That what your clan-father said about Terran ships above Sphere Ethos. Do not follow his mistake.” And with that last, he boarded his ship, the iris door closing behind him.
Thrakish watched as the ship lifted into the sky, before turning to head off into the distance. He hated Kessish! How dare he insult his clan-father, one of the best Vectin Ship Leaders they ever had!
“You will see, Kessish,” he said to himself, “One day, I be War Leader, and you be dead!” He turned to face his troops. “Go! Hunt the Questrins! Bring me them!” The soldiers bowed their heads in respect, before heading off into the deserted town. For his part, Thrakish just stood there, staring at the rising sun in the distance. Suddenly, he reached over his shoulder, and grabbed a short bladed staff. Swinging it around, the staff extended to match his height. He slashed to the side, and the bladed end sliced through the sign in front of the Library, cutting it cleanly in half. As he retracted the staff he again wished for the millionth time that he was assigned to a Battle Nest fighting Terrans, instead of being sent to this pathetic little sphere…
----------------------------------------------------
It was a new day, and Sweet Melody found herself enjoying the game of balance-on-the-rail she was playing. Giggling to herself, she carefully moved one hoof in front of the other, almost dancing, as she moved along.
Walking on the opposite rail, Star Gaze watched his little sister, a big smile on her face. He was glad she was in a better mood this morning. After running for their lives the day before, this was a welcome change of pace. Even so, he kept his eyes open, and every so often glanced behind them, just to make sure they weren't being followed. Turning back, he saw Melody almost trip over her own hoof. “Careful Mel!”
She recovered quickly, a big smile on her face. “I’m ok,” she replied, “its fun! You should try this game!”
He smiled back, but kept walking along the rail normally. “I’ll leave the fancy moves to you, ok?”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself,” and continued on with her game, the possible danger momentarily forgotten.
They kept up the pace for almost an hour, not really talking much. Sweet Melody wanted too, but every time she looked at her brother, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. She pretended not to notice him glancing around, either. She knew why, but also knew that Star didn't want to scare her. So, with each sibling putting on a front for the other, their silent walk continued…
Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer. “Where are we going?” she asked, watching him. After a minute of no reply, she tried again, a little louder this time. “Star, where are we going?”
He paused, and turned to her. “Sorry,” he replied, “kinda of got lost in thought.” He looked ahead, down the tracks. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I was hoping that this would lead us back to the others.” A thought occurred to him. “Hey, do you still have that map I gave you?”
“Huh?” she reached into her bag, fumbled around, and managed to pull out the old parchment. “You think it will help us?”
“Maybe,” he replied, taking it and sitting down between the rails. As Sweet Melody moved to sit next to him, he opened up the map and held it under the sunlight. “Yup, just as I thought,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked, leaning over for a better view.
“Look,” he pointed at the map, “here is Ponyville, where we just were. And here is the river we followed getting there.” He moved down the paper, as she watched. “See? Just below the town, is the forest where the others are hiding. And running along the other edge of the forest-“
“The train tracks!” Melody exclaimed, cutting him off. “I get it! So if we just follow these, we’ll get back to the others!”
“Just about,” he agreed, folding the map back up, and handing it to her. “Here, keep it safe, ok?” She nodded, took it and pushed it back into her bag. With a nod, he stood up, and began to walk along the rail once again, Melody hurrying to catch up, humming a little tune to herself, while Star lost himself to his thoughts again. He looked into the sky, eyes searching for some sort of answers. She could be Equestria’s only hope… The phrase played over and over again in his mind, but what did it mean? Who was this ‘Star Princess’?
And, more importantly, why did he have the impression that Twilight was telling him about her.
“When are we going to find them?”
Melody’s question broke him from his thoughts. He stopped to face her. “I don’t know”, he said. “I was hoping that we might-“
“THERE Y’ALL ARE!!”
The shout startled both of them, with Sweet Melody crying out in excitement, and he needed a moment to compose himself before turning to face the bright yellow mare that was running up to them. “Sparky-“
Before he could get another work in, she jumped and tangled him in a bear bug. “I’m so glad y’all are safe!” she cried, “We heard a whole bunch of those flying wedges passing nearby, and thought ya might have been caught!” Finally, she released him, and almost as an afterthought, turned to Melody, picking her up in a gentler hug. “Are you ok darl’in?”
“Of course,” Melody replied matter-of-factly. “Star Gaze was with me, how else could I be?”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Star replied. “But let’s get into some cover. Are the others nearby?”
“Yup. And I reckon some’ll be curious about where ya’ve been,” Sparky answered. She put Melody down, and waved them on. “Come on, I’ll lead ya back.”
As the trio headed away from the tracks and into the trees, Sparky kept glancing at Star and Melody. Thank Celestia they’r alright, she thought, as her thoughts went to the other ponies she’s lost over the years. Her best friend when she was still a filly, her neighbor several years back….
Her father…
She shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts away. Star and Sweet Melody were back, and that was all that mattered.
“Something the matter?” Star asked.
“Aww, I’m just glad you ponies are al’right!” she replied, forcing a smile. “I’ll bet y’all are hungry, so let’s get something ta eat!” She lead them back through the trees, to the familiar orchard. The rest of the small group was there as well, most huddled in the bushes of the thicket, some sitting out in the open.
Sparky led the siblings over to one tree, picket a pair of apples for them, and then took a seat. “So,” she said, while handing them the fruit, “where’v ya been the past two days?”
“Well,” began Star,” it’s kind of a long story…”
Melody started bouncing with excitement. “I got lost! Then Star found me! And then we found a spooky village! And a library! And my grandmothers’ house! And-“
“Whoa there!” Star reached out to put a hoof over Melody’s mouth. “Slow down, Mel! Let me explain.” He turned back to Sparky. “Anyway, when I left to look for Melo-“
“Well, look who decided to come back after all!” All three of them turned, to see Apple Core trotting over to join them, but only one of his usual followers trailing behind. “Couldn’t handle one night on your own, could you?” he smirked.
Sparky jumped to her feet, ready to fight back, but Star stood up and blocked her. “It’s alright,” he said to her, before turning to face the green colt. “And for your information, I didn’t decide to leave.” He pointed a hoof at Melody. “My sister had wandered off, and I went to find her.”
“And that took over a day?” Apple Core said with a smirk. Sparky noticed that the exchange was drawing the attention of the others, as they started moving closer to watch.
“When one is being chased,” Star replied, “one has to find cover. Hence, we had to hide out for the night.”
“Chased?” Apple Core asked, “Chased by what?”
Star looked around the group, and hesitated before replying. “The Vectin.”
A collected gasp went around the ponies, but not, Sparky noticed, from Apple Core. He just stood there, still looking annoyed by something. What’s got him all tied up, she thought.
“So, they’re nearby,” Apple Core responded, but something was missing from his voice. Then, she had it.
“Ya don’t sound too surprised, Core,” she said, glaring at him. The group all turned to face their ‘leader’.
“Of course not,” he said, “we’ve all seen and heard their ships flying past us all night. Obviously they were nearby somewhere. And if you were stupid enough to go into Ponyville, then you should have been-”
“Wait!” Star Gaze cut him off, startling the others. “How did you know where we were? You interrupted me before I could finish telling Sparky?”
They all turned to face Apple, who was starting to look a bit nervous. “Well I…” He stammered…
Suddenly, Sparky realized the truth. “You already knew,” she said, her voice ice cold. “Somehow, you already knew where they were.”
“But that’s impossible,” Star Gaze replied, still watching Apple. “How could he know where we were at? Unless…” He paused a moment… “Unless you knew Ponyville was nearby all along.”
Now Apple was looking nervous and defensive. “So what if I did?” he asked. “It doesn’t change anything-“
“It changes EVERYTHING!” Sparky shouted, cutting him off. She was close to losing her temper. “You lead us all here, KNOWING that there were Vectin nearby the whole time!” Suddenly, she leaped at Apple Core, knocking him back. They rolled on the ground, limbs flaying around, as each struggled to get the other under control. Dirt was kicked up, apples knocked over... and a single piece of paper fluttered to the ground, where Star Gaze picked it up. He looked it over, and surprise came over his face.
“What is it?” asked a colt, who had stepped over to see. Two others moved towards Star to look as well.
“It’s a map of Ponyville,” Star replied, holding it up for all to see.
“A map of what now?” asked Sparky, sitting on the ground holding Apple Core in a headlock, struggling to break out.
“Of Ponyville,” Star replied, “and, it looks like the area around it. See,” he pointed to the map, “Here’s the town, in the center. And this line that goes around…” He broke off, studying the map.
“That’s where our village was!” said a mare, pointing at a marked spot. “And there’s where we lived before that!”
Releasing Apple from the headlock, Sparky moved over to look herself. “She’s right! This line going around the town connects all the places our Herd’s been!”
“More precise,” Star said, “every place we've tried to live at for the past 30 years.” That sent a collective gasp around the group and, as one, they all turned to face Apple Core.
“Well?” asked Sparky, “Y’all care to explain?”
“You should not be looking at that,” Apple replied, struggling to stand up. “It’s a Apple Family heirloom, passed down from Babs…”
Star moved to stand in front of him. “No wonder your family has always been in charge,” he said, “making it look like they were leading everypony to safe places to live, far away from the Vectin. But in reality, we've spent the past several decades just circling the same place, never leaving the danger behind.” Watching the exchange, Sparky noticed that Star’s anger was suddenly mirrored on the other faces around them, herself included. “Your family has been lying to us all for decades.”
“So what?!” Apple shouted back, startling the others, “We've kept you safe! Kept you and your families alive! Who cares where we've been going-“
“Because it is all based on a lie,” Star replied, his voice stern and forceful. “We trusted you. Believed in you. And look, here you are, again leading us to danger.” He stood a bit taller. “But no longer. I found something back in that empty town. Something that even you didn't know about.”
“Oh,” Apple said, “and what would that be?”
“A chance for freedom,” Star replied, and waved a hoof around the group, “for all of us.”
“Freedom? From what?” asked Apple.
“From the Vectin,” Star replied, and Sparky saw the determination in his eyes. He’s planning something, she realized, something big. She moved over and put a hoof on his shoulder.
“What’r ya saying?” she asked him, voicing the question the others wanted to ask.
“I have to leave,” he replied, and took a moment to look everypony in the eye. “Back in Ponyville, I had a, well, I don’t really know what it was.” He looked into the distance. “All I know is that I have to go. If there is a way to free Equestria from,” he glanced at Apple Core, “being controlled, we have to find it.”
“Fine,” Apple replied sarcastically, “go off on a wild goose chase, if that’s what you want. The rest of us are going to stay right here until our parents arrive.” Half-closing one eye, he gave a cocky smile to Star Gaze. “Guess getting back to your own family doesn't matter to you, huh?”
“Why you-“ Sparky moved to jump at him again, before Star reached out to grab her leg.
“Relax,” he said, “it doesn't matter what he says. I know what I’m doing.”
Apple Core gave him another smirk. “Well, good luck to ya,” he replied with sarcasm. “Hope you make it back alive!” And with a laugh, he turned to the rest of the group. “What are you all looking at?” he challenged them. “You want to go with him? Or stay with the Pony who’s kept you alive and safe? You want to get home?” he glanced at Star, “then stay with me.” Holding his head high, he marched off into the bushes.
The others in the group gave Star looks of worry and confusion, but, one by one, they all turned to follow Apple Core back into the camp. A lie his family may have used, but one thing was true, and they were still safe, for the moment. Besides, waiting for their families seemed a lot safer then wandering the world alone…
After a few minutes, only Star, Sparky, and Sweet Melody remained. His sister had remained strangely quiet the whole time, but now decided to speak up.
“Star,” she said, with fear on her face, “Are you really going to leave? What about me?” Tears formed in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mel,” he said, drawing her in for a hug, “but I have to do this.”
“But why?”
“Because nopony else will,” he replied, breaking the hug and looking into her eyes. “Because as long as the lizards are here, we will never be safe. I have to find a way to free Equestria from their control.” He forced a smile. “But it’s too dangerous for you to come. I want you to stay here, ok? Wait for mom and dad.”
“But…” she started, before he out a hoof over her mouth.
“Just promise me you’ll be alright,” he said, “and listen to Sparky.”
“Um Star…” Sparky asked, suddenly not liking where this was going.
He turned to face his friend. “Sparky, promise me you’ll watch over Melody. Stay with her and keep an eye on her.” His eyes pleaded with her. “Promise me!”
“I promise,” she replied softly, Star smiled weakly.
“Alright. I’ll wait until morning, before I leave.” Breaking into tears, Melody ran off back into the camp. He moved to follow, but Sparky blocked his path.
“Best leave this to me,” she said, “she’s hurting, and you’ll only make it worse.”
“Alright,” he agreed, and she turned to follow Melody. Oh Star Gaze, Sparky thought, what have you done to that poor filly?
He watched Sparky leave, and just stood there, alone, for a while. What am I doing? How can I just leave Melody like this? But deep down, he knew the truth, new why he had to go. Somewhere in the mountains, he had to find the Star Princess. I just hope Twilight was right, he thought, and that she can help us get rid of the Vectin. Looking up into the sky, and realizing there were many hours left until nightfall, he decided to quietly gather some supplies for his journey. This had better be worth it. Whoever the Star Princess is, she better be worth it…