Remember the Dawn...

by The Crimson Harbinger

Reviving the Core

Starblazer stood in the darkness and allowed the static to fill the ship until Ash lost the signal completely, causing it to wither and die. She sighed. It felt like every battle she won was replaced by two more defeats.

"Life support systems inoperable," Ash stated, "Power levels at zero percent, though I managed to keep the artificial gravity running." She looked up. "How are you holding up ma'am?"

"I'm fine," Starblazer switched on her helmet lights and looked around. "It's the ship I'm worried about." And she was right to be worried. The explosion had blown gaping holes in the hull, and a strange ice was seeping in through them. It spread quickly, quietly, and with no mercy. Anything still holding onto precious heat was consumed as the ice made its way slowly through the ship's corridors.

"So what do we do now?" Ash asked.

"You tell me," Starblazer said, shaking her head. "because I have no idea." Ash pondered all their relevant options, and then the irrelevant ones to amuse herself, when one stuck out.

"I think I might have an idea ma'am," Ash said finally, "but it's definitely a long shot."

"Then open fire." Starblazer joked. Ash gave her a confused look.

"Excuse me?"

Starblazer rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time that Ash didn't understand when she was playing off her words.

"Go ahead and tell me." She clarified. The look of confusion left Ash's face as she began to explain her idea.

"Since the Manehattan contacted us, I might be able to trace their signal back to the location it was sent from. But there's one minor problem," She said, looking awfully worried.

"And that would be?" Starblazer inquired.

"Even if I could trace it back to them," She continued, "there would be no way we could reach them except through a message of our own. But without power, I'd have to use my own to send it."

"Can you do it?" Starblazer asked, concerned for both her AI and the other ship. Ash shrugged her shoulders.

"I could try. But I have a limited amount of power ma'am, and I'd prefer not to use it all to send a message." Starblazer nodded in agreement. Without Ash, she would be lost and confused, and even if a rescue craft came, there would be no way to signal them. But most importantly, Ash was her friend, and she didn't want her to risk her life if she didn't have to.

"What if we restored the ship's power?" Starblazer tried. Ash just shook her head.

"Impossible. That explosion came from the generator itself, meaning that the core erupted. And without the core, there's no way we could restore power." Ash thought for a moment. "Unless you could build a temporary core." Now she had Starblazer's attention.

"Go on." She urged.

"If we could construct a temporary core," she repeated, "then, once placed in the generator, we might be able to get enough power to send a message to the Manehattan."

"Let's do it." Starblazer said determined.

"Hold on," Ash cautioned, "It's not going to be that easy. Do you even now what it would take to build a core from just the parts on this ship, assuming that they, and the generator itself, haven't been blown to pieces or fried?" Starblazer shook her head. "I didn't think so."

"So we're just going to sit here and do nothing?" Starblazer asked, trying to get Ash to at least try.

"Of course not!" Ash cried in disbelief. "You're going to build the core." Starblazer almost laughed. She knew next to nothing about star ships, let alone their generators. "And I'm going to teach you." Ash finished.

Starblazer spent the next two hours rummaging every crack, corner, and cabinet of the ship looking for the parts that Ash kindly displayed on her visor. So far she had seven circuit boards (the only ones from the bridge that hadn't been fried), a few metal plates (also from the bridge), and a hoof full of wires. She sprawled them out over a table and waited for Ash's approval. To Starblazer it looked like a pile of junk, but to Ash, oh she could already see the core coming together, if only she had hooves to build it with herself.

She guided Starblazer through each step carefully, making a great effort to describe each one in superb detail. And in no time at all (it was actually about an hour and a half), Starblazer had turned the junk pile into a sophisticated power source. She still had no idea of how she had pulled it off, but with Ash by her side, apparently anything was possible.

Starblazer admired her creation, how the wires connected each circuit board to the next, and listened to the soft humming. "Now what?"

"Now," Ash said, sounding very pleased with herself, "we get to put the core into the generator."

"Let me guess," Starblazer said, remembering how difficult it had been to assemble the device. "it's not going to be that easy."

"Not at all." Ash replied, surprisingly cheerfully.

"Great," Starblazer muttered.

The generator loomed before Starblazer, a silent, hollow form, and awaited her orders from Ash, who was still beholding the core as though she had assembled it herself. "Isn't it just magnificent?" She asked, joy flooding her voice like a filly on Hearth's Warming Eve. "Isn't it just amazing how something so simple and small can hold such tremendous power." Starblazer couldn't disagree. It was truly a feat worthy of celebration, though she was completely honest with herself in that she just wanted to get this over with. She always loved a good challenge, but she was still exhausted and just wanted to sleep. "So where do we start?" Starblazer asked, interrupting Ash's state of awe and her own thoughts of sleep.

"We need to go to the engine room," Ash stated, still somewhat caught in a trance. Starblazer rolled her eyes and face hoofed. "Is something wrong ma'am?" she asked, and then looked around. "Oh," she said, turning a bright red.

"Yeah," Starblazer remarked, "way ahead of you on that part."

"What we need to do now," Ash said, recomposing herself and returning to her normal shade of blue, "is remove what's left of the old core, and then attach the new core in it's place."

"It's that simple?" Starblazer asked surprised.

"Well, in a sense ma'am, yes." Ash replied, pulling up her data screens.

"'In a sense'?" Starblazer asked, partially out of disbelief. There was no way it could really be that easy.

"In means 'in a way' ma'am." Ash answered.

"I know what in means Ash," she said, growing frustrated.

"Then why did you ask?" Ash implied. Starblazer could think of a few ways to answer, but then decided to drop the subject all together. They were wasting time arguing over nothing, and had to get the power back as soon as possible.

"Forget it," she said, "just tell me what needs to be done." Ash scrolled through holographic charts of data to an image of the generator, which she then projected before her. The image fluttered, then expanded to an exploded view of the interior. Starblazer noted the access chambers and hatches, knowing she'd probably need them later.

"This is where the core should be," Ash gestured to a hollow space towards the center of the generator. "You have to enter through the service hatch, and then make your way up to here." A red line traced it's way up the hologram as a visual reference. "Once you enter through the second hatch, you'll want to watch for any dislodged wires or debris. And when you reach the center," The red line continued on, "You'll have to remove the old core and connect the new one."

"We've established that part already," Starblazer commented, "what I need to know is how."

"How is relatively simple: first you have to disconnect the wires still attached to the old core without destroying them, make sure no power is still running through them, and then connect the new core. Once it is connected, I'll begin a thirty-second countdown. And once it's complete, we'll have power again." She smiled at Starblazer, who still was confused about one thing.

"How do I do all this?" She asked plainly.

"Now that's the simple part," Ash gleamed, "You'll do it with this." She pointed to a compartment next to her. Starblazer trotted over and opened it. Inside lay a small metal tool with a claw on the end. She pulled it out and examined the strange tool. On the side there was a button, and when she pressed it, the tool extended and hummed quietly.

"What is this for again?" Starblazer asked.

"For disconnected the wires ma'am," Ash stated plainly, "just in case there's any power still flowing through."

"Got it." She nodded, clipping the tool just above her left hoof armor. She checked to make sure the core was secured tightly to her side, then walked cautiously towards the generator. It towered over her by a good ten feet, and was completely silent. She slide under and found the access hatch. She clicked off the lock and shoved it open. She climbed up into the narrow space, and looked at the generator's layout that was displayed on her visor. She was two levels below her destination. She climbed quickly up the ladder and arriving on the first level, got her first glimpse at what had happened. While on the outside the generator appeared unscathed, the inside looked like a tornado had whipped through.

Wires hung lifelessly out of the walls, still connected, and their metal covers lay dented in the passageway. A smell of hot metal hit Starblazer, and she had to turn her lights up as high as they could go to see through the dense smoke. She moved carefully on, avoiding any wires and electronics she came across, although the halls were narrow and cramped with debris, and arrived at a second ladder. She climbed swiftly up it, glad that it had survived the explosion, and came to an access hatch. She tried the lock, but it held fast.

"Ash," she stated calmly, "I've got a bit of a problem."

"And what's that ma'am?" Ash replied.

"I've got a jammed hatch."

"Try the tool." She said.

"I thought you said it was for removing wires?" Starblazer asked.

"Just try it ma'am." Ash said sternly. Doubt formed in Starblazer's mind.

"Alright then," She said, powering up the tool. She latched the claw onto the handle, then watched in amazement as the claw tightened and turned, and the door opened with a satisfying POP!

"How did you..."

"Technology," Ash interrupted, "is amazing even in simplest form." Even though this didn't answer her question, Starblazer decided she wasn't going to get any answers soon, so clicked off the tool and entered the passage. She sidestepped behind some debris and was about to duck under a conduit when her hoof slipped. She yelped and wrapped her hooves around it to prevent herself from spiraling to the floor below. She quickly regained herself and hauled herself up. When she was safely up, she allowed herself a moment to rest. This passage was worse than she had expected, but she had to keep going. She slowly made her way through, and finally made it to the end. She stepped over a ladder-like piece of debris and walked towards the wall where a ladder was supposed to be. She tilted her head and looked up the empty space and saw the access hatch at the top. She was definitely at the right place, but without the ladder, she would never reach the core. And that's when two things came together in Starblazer's head: the ladder-like debris was the ladder, and without it, there was no way to replace the core, let alone get to it. Or was there? Starblazer thought for a moment, then decided there was no other choice. She checked the core, making sure it was tightly secured, and tightened the tool around her wrist. She reared up and planted her front hooves against the wall and magnetized them to it with a loud CLUNK! She then swung her rear legs over, and after two more CLUNKS, began making her way up the wall. At first she went slowly, moving one leg at a time, but as she went on, she got the hang of it and soon found herself at the hatch. She clicked the lock and pushed the heavy hatch open with ease.

She stepped quickly over the lip and found herself face-to-face with the core. Remember Ash's warning, she flicked out the tool and tested the wires for power. The claw closed around the wire, blinked blue for a few seconds, and then flashed green. She assumed that meant there was no power and pulled the wire slowly out. After she had disconnected the last few wires and removed the old core, Starblazer took out the new core and began hooking up the wires based on the diagram Ash so kindly displayed on her visor. It was strange how quiet Ash had been during her trip, and Starblazer couldn't help but feel a little concerned. She didn't know how to strike up a conversation without it seeming awkward, so she continued to work in silence.

She kept plugging wires as directed, and began to feel that this was taking way too long when a sudden flash of light startled her.

"That's the last one ma'am." Ash said, breaking the silence, "Nice work."

"Thanks." Starblazer said, exhaling.

"Commencing countdown to power reboot in 3, 2, wait," Ash said, interrupting her own countdown.

"What is it Ash?" Starblazer asked, concern starting to build inside her.

"No, no, no!" Ash cried, "Starblazer get out of there! The cores going to reboot automatically!" Starblazer didn't need to be warned twice. She turned and headed for the exit when the core pulsed and sent her sprawling down the empty ladder way. She collided with the floor and rolled through the hole, this time unable to grab the conduit. She free-fell towards the first level and smashed into a pile of debris.

"Starblazer!" Ash gasped, "Are you alright?" Starblazer got to her hooves and shook her head to clear the stars. She never answered Ash's question and continued towards the ladder when another pulse shook the ladder from it's hinges. Starblazer didn't waste and second and flung herself towards the wall and magnetized her right hoof loosely to the wall and began sliding down. She demagnetized as she came to the ground and rolled out from underneath the generator as the core strengthen to full power and light returned to the ship.

"You alright ma'am?" Ash asked again.

"Yeah," Starblazer panted, "We should probably send a message to Manehattan now that we have power."

"Already on it ma'am," Ash smiled, "see you at the bridge." She faded and Starblazer removed her helmet and exhaled. Almost there, she thought. Soon this nightmare would be over and both she and Ash could go home.

She made her way quickly to the bridge, and arrived as Ash finished composing their message.

"All finished and ready to send ma'am," Ash updated, "shall I?"

"Please do." Starblazer replied almost immediately upon hearing the question. She sat back in the officers chair and admired the markings that the core had left on her armor. They crossed and spiraled randomly across her helmet, yet symmetrically on both sides. She examined the rest of her armor and discovered the same was true. But she didn't care. She set her helmet aside and leaned back. Starblazer closed her eyes and relaxed. Everything had worked out just as they had planned, and now it looked as though nothing could go wrong. Nothing at all.

But deep within the corridors of Celestia's Sun, the ice had grown, and it hungered for more than just the power that had returned. It hungered for something stronger, a host perhaps, and decided that this second pony would work out nicely.

Author's Note:

This is the edited version of 'Reviving the Core'. It is, in my opinion, less cheesy and less rushed. I hope you all feel the same.

Comments

[The Crimson Harbinger]

Not the greatest chapter in my lifetime, though it is crucial to the storyline. If you see anything and know how to fix it, please let me know! And just in case this shows up elsewhere, I'm talking about Chapter 2

[dancing mop]

Um, this chapter was kind of...cheesy. And rushed. The ah, poetic sounding bits towards the beginning felt a little weird, and Starblazer's reactions to the core destabilizing were way too fast. The back and forth between Ash and Starblazer felt like it was out of a bad action movie. Starblazer did not temporally fix the problem, there was no time travel involved.

I'm sorry, but I didn't really like this one. Well...let's have a look at the next chapter, shall we?

[The Crimson Harbinger]

2858120 I can agree. I'm not really sure what went wrong, but this wasn't the best chapter I've ever written. And now that I read it again, it really does feel rushed. I was aiming more towards a sense of urgency, but I was very off target.