Heat Death

by ScottTrek

The Thaw. Part 3

With a flourish of vapour the end pod flipped open and Daktari Hex strode out, apparently completely unfazed by the stasis aftereffects. The Zebra coolly flicked her hair from her face and took in the few gently squirming chief officers lying in their pods before her eyes met with the expectant gazes of Twilight and company.

“Ah! I should have known you three misanthropes would be here to greet me when I woke up!” Boomed her deep sonorous voice as she strode over and clamped her hooves around Twilight. “I hope this isn’t the afterlife. I was promised sunshine and buff colts with cocktails as far as the eye can see.”

Twilight squeaked slightly under the iron grip of her Chief Medical Officer. “Good to see you as well Daktari, unfortunately your stuck here with us for the time being. Feeling delicate please let go.”

Daktari Hex obligingly released Twilight, not before one final squeeze from her muscular frame. “Well I guess being stuck here with you is the next best thing. Looking ravishing as ever Princess!” The Zebra smiled with a bite. She turned to Umbra and Nocturne then made a hoof-gesture which the two unearthly ponies copied, bowing their heads slightly. “Ra’tavoria Darkling’s, I knew you’d keep us safe while we slumbered. No major upsets while we slept I presume?”

“Ra’tavoria.” Nocturne answered the greeting, raising her head back up. “Umbra tried to eat Twilight and her new robot friend.” Nocturne gestured to Forge who’d been standing back and trying to look as little intimidating as possible, which is hard when you’re a large insectoid machine. “Guess machine boy had him confused.”

Umbra waved his hooves in protestation but Daktari had fixed her eyes level with Forges eye. “Well hello there big boy!” Forge blinked his eye, suddenly enraptured by the being that stood before him. In that moment the zebra had become the most gorgeous, sultry, beautiful creature he’d ever seen.

“Stop that.” Said Twilight, Forge vaguely aware of her rolling her eyes in the background.

All his attention however has focused on Daktari. Her hair was as black as the void yet shone like starlight. Her eyes were palest green. He felt himself sway from side to side her she walked towards him wiggling her able hips as she did so. Forge looked upon her smiling face and felt such warmth that he never wanted to be anywhere else. In fact he…

“Hex!” Twilight barked, her voice sharp and authoritive. “I said stop it.” Daktari swung round and it was suddenly like a fog had been lifted from Forges mind. He even staggered slightly as he tried to process what just happened, CPU whirring fairly loudly for those with sensitive enough ears.

“Ohh Twilight! Let me have a little fun after being cooped up so long. It’s not every day…” Hex was cut off by Twilights burning glare as she turned to face the princess. Twilight stood right in Daktari’s face, eyebrows knitted, wings slightly flared. For a moment the two looked at each other before Daktari wilted under the pressure.

“Yes Princess. Sorry Princess.” Daktari stuttered out, eyes dropping to the floor dejectedly.

In an instant Twilight’s annoyance crumbled. Her whole body sagging as she clamped a hoof onto Daktari’s shoulder and said; “Oh no no no, I’m sorry. It’s been a REALLY long day ok?”

Daktari looked back and smiled, her aura of confidence and power immediately back up. “It’s going to take more than that to hurt my feeling. But you are of course right, I will contain myself,” Daktari leaned to the side and winked at Forge, “For now at least.”

Twilight rolled her eyes again but let out a small chuckle as she indicated the pods behind her. “Now would my Chief Medical officer kindly get on with her job?”

Suddenly the picture of a professional Daktari Hex nodded and strode to her fellow officers. Twilight walked up to Forge and patted his shoulder as he suspiciously regarded the Zebra as she went about her work. “Don’t be embarrassed.” Twilight comforted, “She has that effect on everyone the first time you meet her.”

Umbra made a few gestures indicating that she seemed to forget that little fact every time she met someone new. Nocturne translated for Forge then grumbled, “I would have thought she had better tastes.”

“I am fine.” Forge replied. “I do not feel embarrassment.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, but grinned slyly a few moments later when Forge telepathically transmitted to her: “Please don’t let her do that again.”

“Sorry Forge.” Twilight beamed back, “You’re on your own.”
********** ************** *********************************************
A short while and a flurry of greeting, hugs and few tears later the nine Chief Officers stood assembled and ready for action.

Ember Glow, Commander of the ship and greatest Unicorn sorcerer of the age, already had her nose buried in a data-pad reviewing preliminary information. She hadn’t even bothered to sort out her frizzy orange hair yet which stuck out at rakish angles from her head.

Daktari Hex, still radiant despite the intensive work, looked between each of the crew members making sure there were no suddenly side effects of their thawing.

Lieutenant Talon, an imposingly framed griffon engineer, alternated between discussion with Ember and throwing fascinated glances at Forge.

Chief of Operations Aurora stood tucked in behind Talon. The shy Technomancer was also deeply fascinated by the ancient robot but for the time being was only peeking at him from the confines of her locked up bodysuit, twin turquoise glows peeping out from a crack in her carapace.

Interstellar Winds and Araya Flux were already bickering, as was normal for the Greatwing and Unicorn couple.

Helmsmen Thaxis lurked behind the couple, flicking between different forms as a barely visible film of love energy flowed from the two. Cryo-sleep was especially rough on Changelings, and Thaxis was siphoning as much food as possible not only for him but also for the other changelings yet to be woken.

The two remaining Officers were in conversation with Nocturne and Umbra. Steel Bastion, Head of Security, towered above the group standing like a silent stone monolith. His massive battle scarred frame a testament to the unyielding determination and strength that had carried the Earth ponies to the end of time.
His brother, smaller but equally battle worn, was the Chief Tactical officer. Bronze Spear was probably the only pony in the crew who was openly pleased to hear that virtually nothing remained outside this spaceship, and after all they’d been through Twilight couldn’t blame him.

“Ladies, gentlecolts, my friends!” Twilight announced, her loyal crew instantly snapping to attention. “We’ve come far, and you’ve done well. This won’t be the first or last time I say this but I want you all to know how deeply, profoundly proud I am of all of you.” A mummer of warmth passed through the crowd. “I wish there was time for us to properly relax but we’re currently sitting in a wreck of a ship with no idea of what will lie in store for us. I wish I could say that there is nothing but darkness and black holes out there, I wish I could say we were finally safe, but considering what little I’ve told you already of what it took to get here we need to be ready yesterday.”

Twilight looked at each of the expected faces in turn and felt warmth spread through her bones. “Well what are you waiting for? Hex and I will sort out the crew, the rest of you get to work!”

“AYE AYE CAPTAIN!”

Comments

[Cutie Honey]

[Europa]

Great, you've woken up the crew of a time-locked ship... now what? Where are you going to go? What are you going to do?

[terrycloth]

5830534 Clearly, you need to go back in time.

[ScottTrek]

5828446

[darkszero]

5830534 You fix the universe!

[Europa]

5880037 ... how?

[darkszero]

5880096 Considering beings that survived through the universe slowly destroying itself through millennia, ponies of the most diverse and bizarre species on a ship that they managed to freeze through time, while time itself was unstable. Whatever they do, from surviving until the universe ends, to traveling back in time, living through the heat death, creating/traveling to a new universe or even stopping the end, everything seems possible.

[Europa]

5880151

from surviving until the universe ends

This is, literally, impossible. They're part of the universe. Until they die, the universe isn't completely dead.

to traveling back in time

At first glance this seems like a cute solution, but the devil's in the details and some nasty things would happen.

living through the heat death

Again, literally impossible.

creating/traveling to a new universe

The only plausible one, but that's not saving their universe, it's abandoning ship for another one.

or even stopping the end

This is the thing you started with. Saying this is like going:
"They could just save the universe."
"How?"
"Well, by saving the universe."

everything seems possible.

Count to Graham's Number in intervals of 1. I dare you.

[ScottTrek]

5880210 i would once again like to mention i fucking love my comment section

[FrozenInTime]

When is the next chapter coming out? I'm craving some impossible universe logic.

[ScottTrek]

6055308 its exam season im slightly busy and dying inside

[56]

unfortunately your stuck here

you're