//------------------------------// // 23 - Laughter and Movies // Story: Harmony Among The Stars // by tom117z //------------------------------// Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Personal Log, October 6th, 3382 AD. It has been four days since we departed the company of Elder Teneer and the planet on which he and his people live. I wish them all the best in their long future. Perhaps, one day in the far off future we will meet again among the stars. I look forward to it. Thankfully, we haven’t seen signs of either the gaecha pursuing us or of the criminal J’Poc. While I fully expect to see those four raiders again, J’Poc… I just have the strangest feeling we’re never going to see him again. Nopony for that matter. I don’t know why, but I hope I’m right. To be honest it’s probably just wishful thinking on my part, it’s about time something went right on this voyage. Either way, it still feels good to be back at FTL speeds. Five more months and we will be home. I hope Celestia kept my throne warm. Honestly, it will just be good to see them again. I just hope that they didn’t give up on us, with so long a time going by with no contact. If they have, won’t they be surprised when the Harmony pulls into the dock of Starbase One. If there was ever a time for Pinkie Pie to throw a party from beyond the grave, now was the time. Sorry, I’ve just been thinking about her a lot today. It is the anniversary after all, the date of her death all those years ago. Applejack’s is next month. I wonder what they would think of me now, out here where nopony has gone before. The final frontier is only just beginning for us, and I do it all in their honour. “Don’t you think the Princess has been quiet today?” Nimble Star asked from his position on the bridge, the princess in question silently staring out the viewscreen into space. “One of her original five friends, the element bearers, died on this date,” Iynx explained, who was stood next to him by the helm. “You not noticed the previous two times she has been like this so far?” “Well, yeah I did. I never really thought about it until now.” “Well, she’ll have three more of these days before the year is out, one next months and two the month after in December. Each anniversary of their deaths is like a day of mourning for her.” “Three?” Nimble questioned curiously. “Two before this one, adding this one, and three more makes six. I though there were only five other element bearers other than herself?” “You’re forgetting about her dragon, Spike I believe,” Iynx reminded the pony. “Don’t tell me she has a day of mourning for everypony she’s lost,” Nimble deadpanned, earning him a flick around the ear. “Ouch!” “You deserved that,” Iynx scolded. “And no. That would be a long list of days, her brother for instance. No, it’s just those six. But I’m sure she remembers the others in different ways.” “I can hear you,” Twilight commented. “I haven’t lived for this long with bad hearing.” “Er…” Nimble Star rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, Princess. No offence intended.” “None taken,” Twilight assured with a motherly smile. “I can take things in good humour, it is the day of laughter after all.” “The day that laughter died, more like.” Nimble Star received another talon painfully flicking his ear. Twilight, on her part, just gave a genuine laugh. “If you knew that mare, you would know that her laughter transcends death itself.” “Cryptic,” Nimble deadpanned. “Mind telling me what that means?” “I would if I could,” Twilight replied. “I never figured her out myself.” “Well, you joining us in the mess tomorrow night?” Iynx enquired, changing the subject away from long dead friends. “It’s movie night.” “Alien Alicorns VS Space Pirates - The Movie,” Nimble recited the title with eagerness. “It’s the original adaption, bloody old but bloody brilliant.” “I was hoping for ‘A Griffon’s Plight’,” Iynx remarked with disappointment. “It’s about a hundred years newer than ‘Alien Alicorns’, but still old enough to be an ancient classic. “I was there for the premieres of both,” Twilight pointed out somewhat smugly. “Spike particularly liked the former, if I recall.” “What’s your film even about?” Nimble Star asked. “Griffon warriors and great honour duels if I’d hazard a guess. Honestly, you griffons are all about that crap.” Iynx blushed a little. “It’s… a romance.” Nimble Star have her a surprised look, one that quickly morphed into amusement. “Well, we learnt something about our first officer today…” “Though it does have one honour duel in it.” “Of course it does. Griffons, can’t even have a romance without a death…” “You never saw Romeo and Juliet.” Iynx and Nimble Star both gave the Princess a curious gaze. “I… don’t think we ever saw that one, no. Or ever heard of it for that matter.” “Made by one William Shakespeare,” Twilight commented. “A world away.” “William? What kind of a name is that?” Nimble asked. “It does sound a little alien to me,” Iynx agreed. “In a way I suppose,” Twilight Sparkle responded. “It doesn’t matter. You were on about movie night?” “Ah, right,” Nimble said, moving back on topic. “We were just wondering if the great and almighty alicorn would grace us with her noble presence.” “Don’t be a jackass to the pseudo goddess,” Iynx mutter under her breath, bemused. At that moment, an alien walked onto the bridge while just catching the last word of the Commander’s sentence. He took a moment to decide whether to join the conversation or just wait until it was done to talk with the Princess, but decided on the former. “I do hope I’m not interrupting?” Xal asked. “No, nothing too important,” Twilight stated. “What do you wish of, Xal?” “I just have those reports you wanted,” Xal dutifully stated. “Antimatter streams, data reconfiguration and computer stabilisation matrices.” “Thanks Xal,” Twilight said, taking the reports from the sharin with her magic. “You even ordered them in such an efficient manner. I couldn’t have done it better myself.” “I highly doubt that,” Xal remarked. “But thank you anyway.” “Well, we were just talking about movie night,” Nimble stated, turning his seat to face the sharin. “You going to be there?” “I am always eager to explore more of your culture,” Xal assured. “I will be there. Though, in the future I must introduce you to some of our own work of literature and entertainment.” “Book?” Twilight asked, a slight glint in her ancient eyes. “Books. Vids. You name it, your highness. You’ve given me so much to study it’s only fair I do the same when I can.” “Oh dear Celestia I just had an amazing thought,” Nimble stated as if he had discovered the meaning of life itself. “In Xal’s eyes you’re an alien alicorn. And we have fought against space pirates… We are living the story of Alien Alicorns VS Space Pirates!” The other three just stared at him, one pair with confusion, one with amusement at her little pony’s antics and the other with complete and utter bemusement. The latter punished him with another talon flicking his ear. “Hey! Quit it!” The Next Day The holographic display slowly faded out of existence, the display having given away to pure data after the conclusion of the credits and subsequent after credits scene. The mess hall itself had been converted into a makeshift movie theatre, a pony by the name of Film Reel had attempted to model it after some of the earliest iterations of such establishments. Given the scarcity of resources he wasn’t exactly successful, but the crew applauded him nonetheless. This makeshift theatre had ended up being host to a quarter of the Harmony’s crew, which was around two hundred individuals basically shoulder to shoulder. Even with the mess hall’s relatively large scale, it was a tight squeeze. That wasn’t helped by the extra-large alicorn towards the front, some of the crew finding it rather awkward to see their immortal princess casual watching a film among the lowly mortals. Still, once the film was done the various species of Equus were able to funnel out of the doors and into the ship’s corridors, able to finally release the breaths they had kept in to make more room. Only a few stayed behind, those few intent on cleaning up the mess that the movie goers had left behind in their wake. Princess Twilight and the entire senior staff were among them, it was their jobs to take responsibility after all. Ensign Nimble Star, on his part, was smiling like a foal the whole time. “That was awesome!” he exclaimed as he rearranged some discarded chairs. “Wait until you see the sequels!” “No!” Iynx shouted. “Not again! Ever!” “What? Oh come on! You’re just mad you didn’t get to watch your romance.” The griffon glared murderously at the earth pony. “Come on Nimble, is that how you talk to your superior officer?” Silver Wrench snarked, all the while helping Geneser pick up left over snack bags. “And to be honest, it was a lame film.” “What? Why?” “If you wanted plot, there simply was none,” Geneser stated. “After the thousandth explosion, I was simply done.” “What’s wrong with explosions?” “Seen enough real ones to last a lifetime,” Silver Wrench deadpanned. “Seriously, have you seen these consoles? They should not spark and catch fire as much as they do I swear.” “I always found it to be a silly premise,” Princess Twilight added into the conversation. “Even in book form, which I might add is superior anyway.” “All due respect, your highness, but you’re biased,” Nimble Star pointed out. “Very,” she admitted. “I will always prefer books to their movie adaptions. You can’t beat the source material.” “What if it’s a movie novelisation?” “That works too, my little pony.” “I found it fascinating,” Xal stated. “Fascinating?” Silver Wrench parroted questioningly. “Really?” “It shows how early Equus civilisations imagined space travel,” Xal explained. “You got the extreme danger about right, but the execution was a bit off. And, there’s no sound in space.” “Movies today still get that wrong,” Iynx dryly commented. “It’s either full of sound, or it sounds like you’re underwater.” “I’ve been underwater as a seapony once, space is nothing alike,” Twilight remarked. Xal glanced at the large alicorn. “A seapony? I don’t believe I have yet read that in the database.” “Versions of our own kind that evolved to live under the ocean,” Twilight explained. “Remind me to tell you about the ‘Storm King Incident’ one day.” “I’ll add it to the list.” The last of the mess was cleaned up, and the crew could looked around and enjoy the feeling of a job well done. “You know, this is more how I thought it’d be,” Nimble commented. “Exploring space, making friends and having a good time. Difficult and dangerous sure, but worth it.” “And it hasn’t been worth it?” Twilight enquired. “We have lost a lot of people.” “If we are to go by those movies and space is like an ocean, then it is the largest ocean there is. We’ve barely scratched the surface, Nimble Star. The ESP as a whole is still teething, we’ll learn. Once we get back, repaired up, you can continue on and explore the way it should have been done in the first place.” “So, no getting lost in space?” Princess Twilight tittered. “No, Nimble Star. No getting lost in space.” “What about you?” Xal enquired. “What are your plans after all this is done?” “You mean aside from overseeing the refits of the Harmony and diplomatic relation with your race?” Twilight rhetorically asked. “I might spend a week in the Crystal Empire. Go to a spa. Then, back to work as usual.” Iynx chuckled. “A princess’ work is never done, huh?” “You don’t know the half of it. But I think that’s enough fun for one day,” the Princess stated. “Go get some rest, and be ready to take your station tomorrow morning. We’ve still got a long trip ahead of us.” “Aye ma’am!”