1,000 years ago, the Equestrian race had become known throughout the farthest reaches of the galaxy as a shining beacon of order and power, a perfect example of civilization, equality, and benevolence. They were the definition of prosperity and ascension, their allies loving them, and their enemies fearing them. Their technology and magic worked hand in hand to the point where it was one and the same. Many believed that they had reached their pinnacle, and would one day lead the galaxy to a golden age...
Sadly, however, the higher one can climb, the farther one can fall. So it was for the Equestrians when their homeworld, the center of their power and the cradle of their civilization, fell to an inexplicable horror known today only as the Chaotic Dark. Unable to defend against it, the Chaotic Dark ravaged Equestria, sundering the entire planet, and threatening to expand to the worlds beyond. Indeed, the entire galaxy would have been doomed to suffer Equestria's fate, were it not for the sacrifice of eight beings who finally discovered and learned to wield a great power to counter the Chaotic Dark. It is believed that this power was the greatest of the Old Magic, known simply as Harmony.
Despite the heroic sacrifice of the Eight, the Chaotic Dark was not destroyed, but simply nullified, it's expansion prevented and restricted to Equestria. The sundering of Equestria was far from beneath the notice of the rest of the galaxy. Many races, whether jealous of the Equestrians, or simply pursuing power and wealth, saw an opportunity for conquest, plunder, and vengeance. As all of Equestrian space was invaded, ravaged and conquered all at once from multiple fronts, it was only through their allies that the Equestrians were saved from complete extinction or enslavement.
All Equestrians that survived destroyed colonies and a ruined homeworld sought refuge in the lunar colonies of Equestria's only moon. There, they would remain in exile for the next millennium to become shadows of what they were, much of their former glory abandoned or forgotten. For all that time, they have struggled to survive, their ultimate goals being twofold: To find a new homeworld, and to regain their lost knowledge. Finally, there are those who fear that the Chaotic Dark has not truly been defeated, but merely delayed. To this end, the Lunar Colonies maintain a constant vigil over their ruined homeworld, prepared to fight or flee as the situation warrants.
This is the story of the Celestia Solaris, one of the few remaining Equestrian starships, and it's crew...
*************
A shrill alarm trilled, causing the occupant of the bed nearby to grunt and breathe deep as he sat up, not happy about having his slumber (and a good dream) interrupted, but years of discipline making him push himself up nevertheless. He had a full schedule today, and demanded nothing less of himself but his best. He walked into his quarters' head, the face greeting him in the mirror being that of a young man of nineteen, with short green hair and pointed ears. The young man, Spike, examined his face for a moment, his squinting green eyes adjusting to the change in light...eyes with vertical slit pupils like a reptile would have. Determining that he didn't require a shave today, he proceeded to clean teeth that included pronounced fangs. Spike removed his underwear, having only enough time for a quick soni-clean before breakfast. His build was average, but muscular and toned like an athlete.
The soni-clean chamber, activating automatically from Spike's presence inside, felt like what could be best described as soft waves of air being pushed at him from all sides. The emitted sound was supposed to be too high pitched for most Equestrian ears; Being a Draconian, however, Spike had to suffer a slightly uncomfortable sound throughout the cleaning cycle, given the hearing range of his race.
To say that Spike was in a unique position was an understatement. His entire family had been slain when his small home colony was attacked by an Adamacanid (or "Diamond Dogs," as galactic slang called them) raid. He and a few others survived by virtue of a nearby Equestrian vessel that managed to drive the attackers off. From what he understood, he would have been placed into the Draconian foster care system...had not one of the Equestrians, an officer named Night Light, offered to adopt him. After much discussion, Spike became the first Draconian (as far as anyone knew of, anyway) to grow up in an Equestrian family. Consequently, Spike would later become the first Draconian (likewise as far as anyone knew) to serve in the Equestrian space fleet. This was a source of pride for Spike, and an incentive for him to try his best and be a good example of his race.
To that end, during his time in the Equestrian Aerospace Academy, he not only elected to take officer training, but chose the very rare educational path of a Quarter Tech (short for "Quartered Specialization Technician"), which carried the comparatively largest and most diverse workload, as it was a path that trained personnel to be able to have skill enough to support or even temporarily replace any member of the crew if necessary. While far from easy, Spike managed to both graduate and be certified as a Quarter Tech. As of now, he had been serving as a Cadet aboard the Celestia for the past year, with scuttlebutt being that he would make Ensign soon.
Spike mulled over this fact as he ate his breakfast; His long, forked tongue visible as he spooned another bite into his mouth. His thoughts turned to his schedule for the day as he noted the time. His schedule, as usual, consisted of his usual duty roster combined with whatever training he could fit in between shifts. This was not to say he didn't make time for R&R, those times were simply few and far between. First on today's agenda was target practice, then an infirmary shift, followed by fighter practice, and finally Yeoman duties on the bridge.
Another full day, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
*************
Two figures stood in the center of an illuminated ring, with multiple targets of various shapes, sizes, colors, and levels of brightness. One was a young woman in her twenties, long blond hair in a ponytail, and wearing a brown leather Stetson that seemed out of place compared to the white uniform with orange areas in the shoulders, chest, gloves, and boots.
Upon the left chest portion of the uniform was "M-6" in large, bold print; All of the Celestia's crew had this emblazoned on their uniforms, as it signified them as part of Division M-6, the Advance Exploration Division. On the right chest portion of the woman's uniform was her Mark, a group of three red apples. The Marks were one of many natural manifestations of the Old Magic, this one possible for all Equestrians. A Mark was a representation of who you were, a culmination of your special talent, your lineage, and your destiny.
Her companion was Spike, his hair now in a spiked style, his uniform white with purple in the same areas as the young woman's uniform, the Mark on the right breast a green flame. For the Draconian, however, this was not truly a natural Mark, but rather one he chose for himself...he found the whole concept fascinating, and nobody seemed to mind his aesthetic choice.
As he fired at the targets alongside the young woman, named Applejack, Spike would occasionally grit his teeth in mild frustration. He was competing with both a senior officer, and one of the most skilled members of the crew. Even if he couldn't come close to beating her, he would at least make a good show of himself; If anything, he owed it to her for allowing him to train alongside her. That said, Applejack was very personable, honest, and well-liked by the crew, so it wasn't that big of a deal to approach her to request some training exercises together. It was working out well, as she managed to help him noticeably improve his shooting.
Finally, the training simulation ended. Spike huffed a breath, a small wisp of smoke wafting out. His score was 205; However, Applejack far exceeded him with a score of 460.
The young woman smiled. "Five points higher than before. You're gettin' better all the time!" She spoke with her usual southern drawl.
"Thanks." The youth deadpanned.
Applejack rolled her eyes, her smile remaining, "Come on now, sugarcube, how many times I gotta tell ya, you're makin' average scores. Heck, today you scored above average!"
"So how do you keep blowing me out of the water?" Spike retorted.
As they left the sim-room, Applejack explained, "Ah'm a farm girl, ah've been shootin' all mah life, got a knack fer it! Add to that mah military trainin', and there ya go!"
Spike sighed, realizing she had a point. Applejack put a hand on Spike's shoulder, adding, "Like ah said, though, you're gettin' better all th' time! If y'all ever decide to specialize instead o' bein' a Quarter Tech, you'll get better even faster! You'd make one heck of a Bronco!"
Spike smiled at AJ. BRONCOs (Battle Ready Omniphibious Neutralization and Combat Officers) were the security and ground trooper forces that served on starships like the Celestia. As Security Chief, AJ was not only a Bronco herself, but the highest ranked among them on board. Therefore, her compliment held quite a bit of weight.
"Thanks." He said, this time sincerely.
************
"Oh, my!" the Doctor spoke with worry. She examined the male crewmember with a medical scanning device that remotely connected to the uni-comp built into her uniform glove, which was the same light yellow color as the rest of the color portions of her uniform. She read the results of the scan from a holographic display both superimposed upon, and orbiting around, the glove itself. "You've developed an infection!"
As the holographic display faded, She turned to Spike, who stood beside her. "I need thirty cc's of Tricillin, please."
Spike nodded, "Yes, ma'am." He moved to a nearby shelf, prepping the required medication as quickly and efficiently as possible before handing the pneuma-hypo to Doctor Fluttershy, who promptly administered the medication. After the pneuma-hypo's distinctive hiss faded, Fluttershy returned the device to Spike.
Fluttershy's soft voice and gentle movements did justice to her Mark of three butterflies. Spike always enjoyed working with her; She was pleasant, polite to a fault, and always genuinely kind. Because of these mannerisms, Spike truly felt like an important part of the Infirmary, despite being among many other Nurses and personnel.
While Spike took the device to be sanitized, Fluttershy spoke to the patient with a sweet smile, "I want you to go to your quarters and get some rest. You should be fine by tomorrow. If you have any reactions, or if the symptoms persist, just come back, okay?"
The male Equestrian, a crewman with caramel-coloring for his uniform and a Mark of three horseshoe prints, nodded and smiled in return, despite his illness.
After the crewman left, Spike commented, "Caramel comes in almost as much as Ditzy Doo. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was hurting himself on purpose just to come see you."
A worried expression crossed the Doctor's face in response, "I certainly hope not." Her smile returned, "Oh, wait, he has a marefriend! I remember him talking about her."
Spike smirked. "So he's looking for something on the side, then?"
Fluttershy fixed him with that stare of hers that, for some inexplicable reason, inspired pure terror. The hapless Draconian gulped, immediately regretting what he said. "S-Sorry, I was just joking. I-I didn't mean anything by it."
Fluttershy sighed, her gaze softer. "It's okay, Spike. Your snarkiness aside, you do a great job here. If you decide to pursue a specialty, I hope you consider something in the medical field. You could be a Nurse, or even a Doctor!" She quickly tempered her growing excitement, adding with a sheepish smile, "Um, that is, if it's okay with you."
Spike smiled. Fluttershy was one of the best physicians in the fleet, with an amazing knowledge of medicine, an unshakable patience, and an uncanny empathy. Therefore, a recommendation from her spoke volumes of Spike's potential.
**************
Spike pulled a hard right, just barely avoiding a blast from the other fighter in front of him! The two Equestrian "Mustang" class fighters slipped past each other, quickly turning to meet each other again. Spike was the first to fire a barrage of photon missiles and laser bolts, his opponent doing the same. However, while his opponent managed to deftly dodge every shot, he himself took two hits!
He swore under his breath. In response, a feminine voice gibed, "Sorry, Spike? Didn't quite catch that?"
"I said, 'lucky shot.'" Spike said, pulling his ship up sharply to come up behind his opponent (albeit upside down), firing another volley. The other fighter didn't miss a beat, spinning to the side before correcting itself and making another advance on Spike's fighter. Spike tried to dodge the following volley, but still took a hit.
Rainbow dash was both an excellent pilot and a senior officer, so it took a bit of convincing on Spike's part to get Rainbow to train with him, primarily via stroking her ego and provoking her competitive drive. As to the former, Spike could attest to having something of an ego himself, so he knew what to say in that regard. The idea of challenging her was suggested by Applejack, as the two of them shared a friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) rivalry.
"That's three hits, Spike!" The voice of Rainbow Dash spoke over her comm. "Come on, gimme a challenge!"
Spike scowled, preparing to retort, when his onboard scanners informed him of hostiles nearby. "Bogies spawning in five. Moving to right flank position."
"Roger that." Rainbow spoke. The two of them flew into formation, as six Changeling "Stinger" class fighters appeared, already firing a barrage at the two Mustangs.
The two Mustangs broke off in opposite directions, each one with three Stingers to deal with. Rolling and weaving, Spike barely dodged the enemy volleys, before coming up with a strategy. He kicked his fighter into reverse, missing slamming into his three pursuers by a narrow margin. Hitting full forward thrust once again, Spike came up on them fast, firing at them before they could break up, managing to take one of them down immediately! The remaining two split up, Spike tailing one of them. Despite the Stinger's best efforts, they couldn't shake Spike, who quickly got the Stinger in his sights, destroying it.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was not only evading all three of her pursuers, she was doing so with gusto, making multiple exaggerated rolls and loops, easily shaking her opponents, then actually allowing them to get a lock on her so she could shake them again! All the while, she was whooping, cackling and taunting her foes with her usual cocky bravado.
"Okay, bored now." Rainbow said, "I call this one 'flash in the pan!'"
Like Spike, Rainbow kicked her reverse thrust on, only this time, she was headed directly for one of the Stingers! Knowing Changeling kamikaze tendencies, Rainbow knew they wouldn't attempt to evade. Just before the two ships met, however, Rainbow pushed her forward thrusters full throttle, which not only destroyed the Stinger, but put the Mustang in a good position for the resulting explosion's shockwave to shove the fighter forward, propelling it to an even faster velocity than it was capable of, even at top speed!
Rainbow's Mustang turned in a wide arc, the pilot herself laughing as her sheer speed kept the enemy fire from even touching her. Once she came about, Rainbow let loose, destroying one enemy, and locking on soon after to destroy the other one.
Hearing growling over her comm, Rainbow looked to see Spike's Mustang struggling to shake his last fighter. Spike, meanwhile, was trying everything he could think of to evade, but this fighter was persistent. It fired once it had a lock, but Spike managed to evade each time. Finally, the Stinger exploded, Rainbow's Mustang coming into view before zooming away.
"Dash!" Spike almost shouted, "I had it under control!"
"Simmer down, tough drake." Rainbow said, "Everybody needs help once in a while. It's why we have wingmates, and why we never fly solo, it's in the regs!"
"You're one to talk about following regs!" Spike retorted.
"Hey!" Lieutenant Dash countered, "I may play it fast and loose, but I'm only reckless as far as my own safety is concerned! I'd NEVER endanger my squadron or leave my wingmates hanging!"
Spike was silent for a moment. She had a point. For all her hotheaded attitude and reckless behavior, she was still fiercely loyal to her crewmates and mindful of their safety. Finally, he sighed. "I'm sorry, Ma'am...I was out of line. Thanks for the assist."
Rainbow smiled. "Forget it, we're cool. Now...where were we? Oh yeah! I was kicking your flank!"
"Not if I can help it!" Spike said, kicking his Mustang into full throttle!
Later, the two of them left the sim-room, Spike pouting, while Rainbow had her usual cocky smile.
"Not once." Spike said, "Not ONCE did I tag you!"
Rainbow shrugged, "What can I say? I'm just that good!" She gave her Draconian companion a light chuck on the shoulder. "Seriously, though, nobody on this ship can actually compete with me. The only pilot on this ship who came close was Thunderlane, and he only managed to tag me once. That said, you're an awesome pilot, kiddo. If you were to stop being a Quarter Tech and apply yourself, I wouldn't mind having you as a wingmate!"
Spike nodded. Despite her ego, Lieutenant Dash was one of the few people who could back up her boasts. She was the best pilot on the ship, hands down...maybe even the best pilot in the fleet. Whenever the fighters needed to be launched, every pilot on the ship wanted to be her wingmate...so to actually be told he could be one of her first choices meant a lot to Spike.
***************
"Captain's Log, #3346..." A young woman spoke in a neutral, informative tone, "The Celestia has intercepted a subspace transmission, specifically a distress call, approximately one hour and sixteen minutes ago. Initial analysis of the signal and the content of the message places the age of the signal as roughly one thousand years old. We are currently tracing the signal to it's source, in order to both investigate the distress call and explore the area for potential resources. ETA is approximately twelve hours at present speed."
Her log entry complete, the woman speaking nodded to Spike, moving an errant strand of pink hair out of her eyes to join the remaining purple locks that were still in place. The color portions of her uniform were a lavender color, her Mark a large six-pointed star orbited by five smaller stars. This was Twilight Sparkle...Captain of the Celestia Solara, and one of the greatest minds in the galaxy...or at least Spike thought so, and not just because she was his adopted sister.
It took a lot of convincing, and a few conditions had to be met, but Twilight had managed to get Spike as part of her crew, even though regulations did not typically permit such things. Though they had a very close bond, their sibling relationship was not the reason Twilight wanted to keep Spike for her crew. Mainly, she saw tremendous accomplishment and further potential in the young Draconian, and wanted to keep him under her tutelage as much as possible to make him the best he could be. Their performance and interaction with one another had thus far proven them to be an exception to the rules, and so they would hope to remain.
For Spike's part, he saved the recording on the logbook pad, then presented the device to Twilight for her biometric signature. Twilight placed a finger on the pad, the pad itself sensing, reading, and processing not only the fingerprint, but also the DNA of her skin. It only took a moment for the signature, and Spike promptly slid the logbook into a compartment in Twilight's command chair, where the pad would stay protected, charged and updated.
The bridge of the Celestia was, as always, a busy epicenter for the ship, with all critical sections and departments represented by their own stations, manned by specialists and senior officers. As his position demanded, Spike had a least a passing familiarity with every station the bridge, thus allowing him to briefly take said station in an emergency or situation when others were unavailable. That said, he was still learning, and hoped that an emergency wouldn't present itself anytime soon.
Twilight looked to Spike with a smile. "What's next on the agenda, Mister Dragonfire?"
"Dragonfire" was Spike's Equestrian name. An Equestrian's name tended to also be their Mark; So it was for Spike, as he had the name since his adoption, later choosing his Mark with the name in mind. The name "Spike" was actually a mispronunciation of his Draconian name, "Spa'iik." He liked It, though, so it stuck as a nickname of sorts.
In response to Twilight's question, Spike spoke, "Vessel status reports will be ready in one hour. You wanted to speak with Doctor Turner in Lab Alpha, Lieutenant Roseluck has requested your intervention in a matter regarding the resources allotted to the Atrium, and you have a manecut appointment in 20 mins."
Another female voice spoke up, "Is Roseluck still getting too much nitrogen supplement, and not enough phosphorus?"
Twilight shrugged as her Executive Officer, Sunset Shimmer, approached to stand next to the command chair. The red portion of her hair matched the red color portions of her uniform and her Mark of a stylized sun.
"I hope not, that shipping mix up was a debacle!" Twilight responded.
Sunset shook her head. "Ensign Doo earned her paycheck THAT day, that's for sure."
Twilight nodded, then turned her attention to Spike, "Mister Dragonfire, would you accompany me to Lab Alpha, please?"
Spike nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
As they both walked to one of the lifts that left the bridge, Twilight spoke, "Miss Shimmer, you have command."
Sunset nodded. "Have fun with the mad scientist." She said with a smile.
**************
"Your application for the Ensign exams has been approved, Spike." Twilight spoke, beaming at her surrogate brother.
Spike smiled at his surrogate sister and Captain. "I won't let you down, Twilight."
"You never have, Spike." She replied warmly.
The corridor was alive with activity, as crew and civilians alike walked to their respective destinations on the ship. As the two of them rounded a corner at an intersection, Twilight asked, "Have you chosen a specialization, yet?"
Spike cleared his throat in mild discomfort, "Erm...no, no I haven't."
Twilight sighed. "Spike...as multi-talented as you are, you can't be everything. Quarter Techs are a rare thing for a reason. It was a position tailored for the early days of space travel, back when there were small ships and smaller crews. Nowadays, there's far too many positions on a ship...too many things to know."
"You did all right." Spike countered.
Twilight didn't miss a beat. "I have an IQ of 308 and a photographic memory...and I still chose a specialization in the end, you know that."
Spike was silent in his recollection. Twilight's choice to try being a Quarter Tech herself was one of Spike's inspirations for attempting the same path. Unfortunately, Twilight chose to specialize not long after she made Lieutenant...the reason being that the massive responsibilities of the job simply became too much for even a woman of her phenomenal gifts, affecting her physically and psychologically. After some soul-searching and advice from others, she chose to be the chief science officer. She would have stayed in that role and been happy there, had it not been for one fateful mission, where she was forced to assume command during an attack on the Celestia and the crisis that followed. Showing exemplary leadership qualities, she was offered her present rank and command of the Celestia, to which she agreed out of a sense of duty and responsibility, one of her more admirable qualities. While she had no regrets and was proud to bear her mantle, she always seemed the most content when working in a lab or studying a book or terminal.
Finally, Twilight broke the silence, "As intelligent and skilled as you are, I'd love to see you pursue a path in science. You know I'd give you a recommendation in a heartbeat."
Spike nodded, smiling. The two of them had to follow strict guidelines in order to stay on the same ship together. Not only did the two of them meet these guidelines, but surpassed all expectations. For that reason among others, Spike was absolutely sure that Twilight meant what she said out of recognition of his merits, and not through any manner of favoritism or nepotism.
The two siblings smiled at each other before finally entering Lab Alpha.
*****************
At 1347 hours the next day, the celestia was only a few light years away from what known star charts identified as the Valin System. As the ship neared closer to the planet, the bridge crew was assembled and working efficiently, excitement and expectation high at the prospect of finding more pieces of the Equestrian civilization. In the millenium that followed the fall of Equestria and the loss of so much of what they had been, the Equestrian remnant continued their struggle to recover, finding scraps of their ancient power and history here and there throughout their old territory...much of which had either become the domain of their enemies, chaotic wilds, or uninhabitable wastelands. They had come a long way, but they still had a long way to go.
"Approaching Valin three, Captain." Rainbow spoke from the Navigation station of the bridge helm, located near the center of the bridge in front of the view screen. The viewscreen showed a gray, dead world, with a few gray wisps as cloud cover.
"Enter standard orbit and prepare to..." Twilight began, but was cut off by a shrill alarm coming from the Tactical station of the bridge helm, manned by Applejack. The Security Chief swore under her breath, before reporting, "Ah've got three Adamacanid Drillers approachin' our position, Cap'n! Bearin' three-thirty mark fifteen!"
Three ships came into view on the screen. The three ships were each a quarter of the size of the Celestia, their cone shapes similar to their namesake. "Their shields are up, and they're armin' weapons!" Applejack said.
"RED ALERT!" Twilight shouted, "Battlestations! Evasive maneuver Delta!"
All three Adamacanid ships opened fire on the Celestia.