//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Edge of Time 
// by Monanniverse 
//------------------------------//

Equestria was splattered against a canvas of blue, splotches of darker tones highlighted the varying landscapes dabbled across its vast expanses, like a treasure map drawn by a young filly etched into the stump of a mighty tree. It spun peacefully in the sea of stars, a single grain in the Dunes of Saddle Arabia. A breathtaking sight, more so because of the silence which enveloped the sphere. All of the conflicts, monstrous creatures, and the blinding commotion of noise reduced to a singular state – silence. A deafening stillness that painfully brought Fluttershy back to the space station she currently inhabited.

She pressed a hoof against the glass pane as if she was reaching out to a life she once lived not so long ago. Compared to everything she had known before, the space ship was an engineering marvel – the latest technology at the hooves of ponies crammed into a sturdy vessel for which to sail the boundless oceans of space. Yet, unlike a Galleon, everything about it felt hollow to her. Like a husk or a shell of some large beast whom she resided in only to shelter from the storm. It just wasn’t home. Maybe it was the struggle of working up the Bits to purchase all of her intricate furniture, most of them hoofcrafted, to decorate her space; maybe it was the soft humming of the tree at night when she was snuggled tightly in her bed caused by the wind singing her a melody; maybe it was her animal friends that she left behind to make this voyage. 

“But that’s silly,”Fluttershy thought to herself, “I have friends here.” Her sight rested on the groggy Twilight Sparkle making her way over to her. Like herself, Twilight was clothed in a tight-fitting grey suit woven together using nylon patches and interlaced with a little bit of unicorn magic, it would keep the user warm even in extreme conditions – although its fashion statement did not go unremarked by a certain unicorn in the crew.

“Good morning Fluttershy, you’re certainly up early,” Twilight said before heaving a yawn and eyeing the watch attached to her right hoof Turning her attention to the planet nestling below them, Twilight stared at the diamond jewel shimmering in its case of darkness. A smile crept up on face. “I can see why you do though, it’s a gor-“ Fluttershy’s expression had betrayed her. The sullen eyes and the look of a fatigued soldier walking home from a lost war. A hoof rested on Fluttershy’s shoulders.
“We’ll be home soon, the wave is about to hit in a few hours and then we can all make our way home,”

Twilight cheered before adding “Together.”

The phenomenon was first sighted years ago; or prior to that, identified by intense spikes in recorded energy signatures. The scientific community of Equestria was abuzz with discussions on the origin and formation of the wave of energy shooting at them, and on the effects may have on Equestria’s electronics and even its weather or climate.  Projects were quickly drawn up in an attempt to understand this cosmic sickle coming towards them. One of the most promising projects was that of Twilight Sparkle’s – a prodigy under the mentorship of the Princess herself – to meet the energy wave before it comes closer to Equestria or its space station on the Moon. Not only would she be able to identify and study the energy wave before it reaches everyone else but it would also act as a safeguard incase the wave is destructive and would give everyone else a chance to mount a defense. It was a risky venture, potentially endangering her and the other crew members who will assist her. 

A heated debated between Princess Celestia and Twilight was not abated but by the end the project was funded and Twilight the movement.

Plans were drawn on creating a craft to fit the existing hardware onto as well as launching the space craft into orbit. Aerospace engineering had never been accomplished before and a multitudes of plans were scrapped, to the dismay of the ‘dorks’ – as Rainbow Dash colorfully labeled. Most of the initial mock-ups went up in flames, struggling to hold themselves together under the intense forces subjected to them with Twilight’s help. Variations of the same designs were tested and retested, each nuance giving small glimmers of hope as progressed seemingly marched forward but was stamped out as flaws emerged – the shape couldn’t withstand heat of reentry, the shape made it impossible to adjust one’s tilt effectively,  the space available wasn’t enough to fit the bulky hardware. Problems queued up and demanded solutions only to be returned with a void of replies. Everyone was stumped; many claimed that the prospect was impossible. That was until one of the engineers had suggested detachable modules.

A match had been struck and the ensuing blaze of innovations and ideas came at a blitz pace. Energy supply concerns were rendered mute as each section had its own energy supply, weight and balancing issues were easily fixed within the hour, and reentry was much more manageable with smaller pieces. Crystals, gathered from the Artic Empire to the north of Equestria, was chosen as the material to form the bulk. Its sturdiness when taken with its light nature made it an incredibly attractive choice. On top of this, it had an inherent store of energy that could be used to provide a power source for the intricate machinery required. Within months, a working model was manufactured. Each section were locked together using part of the energy reserves’ magic - easily disengaged with a focused spell on its locking mechanisms.

Years of hard work had led them to this moment, to be in a space ship never conceived before now. They were hours away from the storm colliding with them. Hours away from finally answering the burning questions of what this thing was.

“Come of ‘Shy, let’s go get breakfast.” 

****

The chairs were uncomfortable, padded with thick foam that gave no yield to the ponies who sat on them. Like the rest of the furniture in the living quarters, it was painted a sterile white and had that same Cubism appeal that had once been all the rage in Manehatten many seasons ago. A rectangular box lay splayed out at the table’s center, crested by an indigo ring.  Its content filled halfway with corn cereal, the rest nestled in plastic bowls that left a stale after taste. Flanking this were opened packets of dehydrated food – sweet memories of a life they had all left behind a month ago – and a cylinder of cold milk. 

Pinkie Pie scrunched her nose as she took another mouthful of the meal. Even after her prolonged stay onboard the ship, each meal still left her unsatisfied. Back on the ground, she would awaken with a large grin across her features as she hopped and skipped downstairs and her day would be spent baking.  Delicacies that stretched and twirled with circus tier spectacles would pop out of the oven to a satisfying ‘ding’. The meals onboard the ship was…nourishing, Pinkie concluded after a week of forcing them down. So, instead, she shifted the majority of her attention to her friends. It had become harder with time as their individual responsibilities stacked upon one another and with this rise came the weakening of their bonds. 

Among the clattering of knives and forks, “What will you be doing once this is all over?” piped Rainbow Dash who eyed Applejack. 

“Well, ah suppose ah’ll be back on the farm workin. Business has been good so far and ah think that we’ll have enough bits to open a new farm, maybe ah’ll lead it, maybe-“
A groan came from across the table, “You always talk about the farm, AJ dear, but what happens after all that apple bucking? Surely you would want to settle down with a nice stallion and have a few foals at some point. What’ll happen once you get too old for farm work?” Rarity asked; her eyes hazy as she envisioned a life that never was. She had certainly tried her hardest to procure the stallion of her dreams. Applejack huffed. The two of them were more alike than either of them would like to admit. Applejack had inherited the farm after her grandmother – Granny Smith – had passed away. In her last few years, the old mare mainly sat in her rocking chair, idly swinging to and fro like the arms of a great clock as she counted down the last seconds of her life. All clocks break eventually and Granny Smith passed away in her bed. It was a gloomy day when Applejack knocked on the bedroom door only to be met with stilled air. At her brother’s spurs, Applejack chose to bear the onus of continuing the ranch. Big Macintosh, a hulking stallion with fur as red as a ripe apple, was not a leader, far from it. His imposing form disguised a humble demeanor, which rarely spoke unless spoken too. He followed every command to the dot and was pleased with himself after a day’s work. No ambition, no desire for anything more than what had been given to him already, the Earth pony was the paramount of a work horse. And so, the farm was grafted onto Applejack. A part of her had died when she took the quill in her mouth and signed the legal papers. Growing within ever since Twilight’s coronation was the desire for novelty; all her life, she had remained stuck to her family’s inheritance. She wanted out of Ponyville.
Rarity had built herself up a quaint chain of fashion store peppered across Equestria – her designs became ubiquitous all over from the high aristocracy of Canterlot to the winter lines required in the Crystal Kingdoms north of Equestria. Petite discussions among the wealthy might even elude one to the potential of seeing the brand explore the Republic of Gryphonia to the west. Everything had started off small, it was nothing more than a hobby of hers, stitching together designs of her own imagination. Her father and mother played along, purchasing bolts of fabric for the young fashionista when they had the money – they were not rich nor of any remarkable social standing. They were farmers who grew garlic to the east of Equestria and they had hoped that Rarity would grow out of fashion and into the shoes of a farmer. Money grew tight once Rarity’s sister was born and the couple stopped supporting her sister, hoping that the lack of resources would stymie her outlets and direct her energy elsewhere. Education in Manehatten was out of the question for the family’s income range. Discussions were had over whether or not Rarity would be homeschooled; her father was resolute in giving his daughter an education that was denied to him and took on odd jobs to raise the funds. Rarity was sent to live in Ponyville with a distant relative whom she knew nothing about and studied in Ponyville’s public school. 

“If a stallion pops by and tries to lay one in me, I’ll give him a taste of these” she gestured to her hind legs followed by soft chuckles across the table. “Y’all are barking up the wrong tree, Rare.”

Light chatter followed, Rarity and Applejack were the only two members remaining with their fates still dangling in the air. Rainbow Dash had worked her way to the rank of second Lieutenant after joining the Wonderbolt – Equestria’s air force. The invitation to a place in the Wonderbolt training program had arrived in her mailbox after years of self-motivated training and, when any opportunities arose, a showing of her skills in a mad display of stunts. A feeling of pure bliss welled up inside of her that day; ever since her father had taken her to those Wonderbolt shows as a young filly, Rainbow knew exactly wanted she wanted to do with her life. 

“You wanna know what I wanna do when I get back, huh? Do ya? Do ya?” An energetic pink pony shouted, drawing the attention of the rest of the crew “I’ll let everyone in on a little secret I’ve been keeping from you for these past months, come in closer, closer.” Everyone had shuffled around, some more in compliance with the group than to actually wanting to hear what Pinkie Pie had to say. “I’m the Frosted Cupcake.”

“The Frosted what now?” Twilight’s brows crested up.

“Duh, only the most well-known super hero, oops – super heroine in all of Equestria. Twilight, you really need to get out more.”

“Pinkie, no one here has heard of this Frosted Cupcake.” A hoof brushed across the entire table to emphasize her point.

Pinkie leapt onto the table, hooves at the hips as she puffed out her chest in a try to seem more fearsome. “I, Frosted Cupcake, will do battle against the evils of hunger! I will slay the wicked beast that is the oven and feed the mouths of merry villagers who cometh to my store! I will craft the most delicious of delights and the tastiest of treats to enrich the lives of the daily pony folks! And I will do it all with a modest charge that will allow me to continue my vigilante-ism!”
“Pinkie, you have a PhD in experimental physics…”

“An educated mind is required to truly combat this scum!”

And that was the crew of the HMS Endeavour.