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// Preparations 
// Story: Celestia I 
// by NegativeVelocity 
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	Post-war Manehattan was never the same. The population had dropped significantly, as most everyone had moved to smaller town like Ponyville. What was left of the biggest city in Equestria was little more than a ghost town. Many of the towering skyscrapers had fallen within the first week of the war, and those that still stood were far too unstable to be of any use.
When I came back a year ago, as the only commander to have her entire squad intact, there were no celebrations, no cheers for the heroes. No victory. Once the last bullet had been fired, both Equestrian and Saddle-Arabian forces retreated and signed a treaty, returning to what was left of their decimated homelands.
Despite this, Saddle-Arabian nationalists still attempt to attacks on Equestrian lands, and I was asked to return to service, and help defend this country again, but I was done. I’d just like to sit a home and live a quiet, normal life. Six months after being discharged, however I got a call.
The Equestrian Aeronautics and Space Administration. EASA. They wanted me to lead the security team on their recently launched space station, the Celestia I.
It took some convincing. I’d just returned home from the worst war in recent history, and now some ponies wanted to shoot me into space. Needless to say, I declined, but EASA pressed on. They gave me the obvious rigmarole, “I’d be doing a service to my country”, “A once in a lifetime opportunity”, “A fantastic adventure,”
After they started sending ponies over to my house, I finally caved in. They took me down to the EASA headquarters in Hoofston, one of the few cities to be relatively untouched by the war, and showed me around.
Admittedly, I was impressed. The whole facility was remarkably well maintained, and had been reactivated extremely quickly since the end of the war.
I met this the administrator of EASA herself, where she finally convinced me to accept their offer, and join the first security team on the Celestia I.
I soon began my training, over the next six months I was put through a series of rigorous tests and intense training sessions to prepare me for going into orbit. I was to be launched with four other ponies. Morning Dew, who had served in the war as a combat medic, a pony named Malin, who had worked as a security guard in Prance, and Silent Night, who I knew next to nothing about. 
The only other pony who I was training with was a brown earth pony from Trottingham. He was the only pony going up with us who was not on my security team, instead joining the rest of the science team when we arrived on the station.
Trottalier, or Trott as he like to be called, shared almost all training sessions with me, and he and I quickly became friends. We spent almost all out free time together so it was rather sad when I was sent home after my training.
All that was three weeks ago. Tomorrow, I meet the rest of the team, and we all board the Celestia I.

Sleep didn’t come easy last night. EASA ponies came and took my bags to Hoofston after sundown. I guess it was so I wasn’t weighed down when I made the final journey tomorrow. So I sat in my apartment as the sun rose for the final time for me, and watched the minutes tick away.
The clock on the kitchen counter rang and, as if on cue, there was a knock on my door.
I leapt up from the couch, and pulled the door open. Behind it were two ponies, one I recognised, one I did not.
Trott stood shorter that his companion, though not by much. His pale brown coat was covered with an EASA jacket, which was itself partially covered by his grey mane.
His companion was a beefy looking pony, with a strange streak of blue through his white tail.
“Trott!” I exclaimed, all thoughts of dread and trepidation leaving my mind. I threw my arms around my friend, affectionately.
“Azura!” Trott said in his Trottingham accent, and returned the hug, “how’ve you been?”
“Honestly? Nervous. Really nervous,” I admitted, stepping aside to let them in, “how long do we have?”
“You’ve got an hour before you have to leave,” said the beefy pony behind Trott.
“Who’s he?” I asked under my breath.
“Your house sitter. EASA asked for someone to mind your home while you’re away,” explained Trott.
I made Trott and the house-sitter a cup of coffee, and cantered to the bathroom for a quick shower. I tied my mane back in its usual two hairclips, and checked myself up and down in the mirror.
My pale pink coat still contrasted nicely with a greying purple mane and tail, already highlighted with a grey streak. Between the bangs coving a third of my face, an unusually lengthy horn protruded rather rudely. Flicking my mane over my left shoulder, I returned to the living room, where Trott was just finishing his coffee.
“All set?” he asked.
Nodding in response, and levitating the empty cups into the sink, I lead us both to the door. Saying one last goodbye to my home, I closed the door behind me, and lead Trott down the stairs.
Waiting for us outside the building was an official looking EASA cart, being pulled by another muscly looking pony, who looked very similar to the one we left in my apartment.
We travelled back to Hoofston, and pulled into the EASA headquarters around an hour later. Clouds began to cover the sky above us, excepting the tall, monolithic towers of the EASA building before us. I assumed the pegasi had cleared the area just for us.
We entered, and walked down white corridor after white corridor all looking the same, but each one feeling differently familiar. Before long, Trott and I reached a fancy, wooden double-door. Behind it, I recognised the room where I first met with the EASA director.
Sitting at the table that ran the length of the room, where three other ponies. A jolly looking pony with a pink coat, and a pale yellow mane, which contrasted rather suddenly with the unicorn next her, with a dark grey coat, and a darker, greyer mane, who was simply staring at the table in front of him. Finally, at the end of the table was a dark green pony with a white mane wearing an EASA jacket.
This was my security team. Upon entering, they all looked up at Trott and I. The jolly pink pony stood up to greet us as we approached the table.
“Hello! You must be Azura Stars,” she said with a slight Caneighdian accent and shaking my hoof vigorously.
“That’s me. And just Azura is fine,” I said warmly.
“Well, my name is Morning Dew,” she smiled, and pointed around the room, “that’s Silent Night,” the dark grey pony nodded quickly before returning his focus to the table. “And that’s Malin,” she pointed to the green pony, who gave a quick smile.
I sat down at the table next to Morning Dew and Trott who sat on my other side.
“So, how did you all get this position?” asked Malin, who, judging by the way he talked, was probably from Prance.
“I’ve been working at EASA for a few years. A while ago they asked me if I wanted to do some field work and, here I am,” said Trott, “what about you?”
“I was undercover in Saddle Arabia for a while. When I came home, I was told that EASA wanted me in space.” Malin explained.
“I was a medic during the war,” Morning said cheerily, “helped hold the Baltimare forward base, and well, same thing as both of you. I got back and EASA offered me a job.”
“Baltimare?” I questioned, the name sparking a memory, “you didn’t fight with the 21st did you?”
“I did,” Morning said, surprised, “how did you know?”
“I was there,” I said excitedly, “we fought together.”
“We did didn’t we? Captain Stars?”
“That’s me.” I confirmed, “It’s a small world, isn’t it?”
“Too true.” Morning said with a nostalgic sigh. In the wake or wartime reminiscing, we turned to Silent Night who had remained true to his name throughout the conversation.
“What about you? What’s your story?”
“I was a security guard for Gage Industries. Was part of the defence when the Saddle Arabians tried to take it,” Silent spoke with a strange inflection, possibly Neighwegian or something similar.
“Did you serve in the war?” Morning asked, leaning closer to hear his near murmur of a speech.
“No. Moved out to Ponyville to avoid the war altogether. Took a full time security job.”
The murmur of conversation continued to fill the room as the minutes ticked away. Mostly Trott, Morning, Malin and I, as Silent continued to live up to his name.