Challenger

by Aiyonbeam

Armor the Airlock

The wind rushes past me as I stand on the bluff, looking out over the Badlands. My eyes sweep across the landscape, marking the places I've grown to know; Prospect Heights, The Ravine, Rendezvous Lake...
Equestria's home to a lot of creatures; Manticores, Humans, Minotaurs, Dragonkin, Gryphons, and so much more.
But the Badlands are home to all the creatures Equestria forgot. Everything that decides to live here is faced with a choice; adapt or die. Most of the ones that adapt grow hard, twisted; cold, like the Badlands themselves.
But sometimes, sometimes...
Beauty grows amid the rust-colored stone.

Footsteps behind me, and a familiar mental presence; the weight of a mass of constantly shifting emotions. She is here.

"Sunset Shimmer." a regal voice chimes from over my right shoulder; a deep church-bell sound. "Our representative among the stars has returned to me."

"Indeed I have." I reply, my tone carrying all the formality and gravity of the mere acolyte I am in the presence of an authority as great as that of the Queen of the Changelings.

"Turn, and let me observe you." the Queen commands. I obey.

Tall and slender, the Queen is robed in a gown of traditional gossamer, woven by her subjects. Her body, having won its long, hard battle with itself, is riddled with holes, her skin smooth and chitinous. Her hair, turquoise and tangled in a beautiful pattern, frames her delicate face, from which two blue eyes shine like searchlights; I avert my gaze from hers, as is the custom.

"How dare you?" the Queen says softly. "How dare you!?"

The mass of emotions disappears; the Queen's shield lowers, and a deluge of pure, undiluted joy flows over me. I match it with my own, and the Queen and I embrace, all facades of formality gone; they never were there to begin with.

"First of all," Chrysalis says, tears beginning to flow into my shoulder. "You pull that stunt with the shuttle-"

"That," I interrupt, giving her a look. "Was an accident."

"And I'd be okay with that," Chrysalis says, breaking away from me and pointing an accusing finger my way. "If you hadn't grown taller than me!"

"You know very well how zero-g interacts with the human skeleton." I reply, my tone playful. "You're just jealous."

The Queen laughs, the sound like bells pealing.

"It is so good to see you again, my child." she says, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I thought you lost to me forever."

I take a seat on the edge of the bluff, my legs and feet hanging off into the empty space below.

"I've still got some good decades in me." I say, smiling and beckoning for Chrysalis to join me. She obliges, and we sit there, just staring off into the distance.

"Man, I missed this." I say, my voice echoing my thoughts. "I mean, space is one of the most amazing places I've ever been, but the stone around us, the dust; the Badlands themselves... Space doesn't hold a candle to this."

"Are you saying what I think you are?" Chrysalis asks, curiosity flowing toward me. I sample it, admiring the way even that reeks of joy.

"Probably." I say. "This one mission alone took so much out of me... Maybe it's best for everyone if I stayed here in Equestria."

Chrysalis looks at me, raising an eyebrow.

"There's something else." she says, holding up a finger. "I taste... Regret. Shame. Fear? Sunset, what happened up there?"

I should've known I couldn't hide it from the Queen; she did, after all, teach me what I know.

"I... I made a breakthrough up there." I admit quietly, allowing the fear I feel to leak into my voice. "I came into my Blessing. I'm just not sure how my friends'll react, knowing..."

A hand on my shoulder.

"Reveal it just before your next mission." Chrysalis says, giving me a reassuring smile. "Best case; they're fine with it, and you can help them so much more."

"Worst case?"

"They don't ever trust you again, but they'll work with you to do what they came to do. Then, afterwards, if they still don't want you coming along with them, stay here. You know my hall is always open to my children, near or far."

There's a long silence as we both think. What she says makes sense; if I were in their shoes, I guess I'd put up with someone like me in order to do what I needed to.
And, me being who I am, my guesses are almost always right.

"Thanks." I say.

"Okay, you've been sitting on it long enough. Give me details! How'd you find your abilities?"

I clear my throat, and try to find a place to begin. I know it's a long story, but I know we both have time.

"We'd just landed - pretty violently - on another planet." I begin. "Rainbow Dash and I were preparing to disembark."

---

The airlock closes behind us, and Rainbow gives me an excited glance, which I trade for a grin as the doors open and we're given our first glimpse of the outside world.

Now, I have no idea what Dash saw. I have no idea what the others saw when they first glimpsed the planet in person for the first time, but I know what I saw.
The planet was oozing black tendrils of hatred, and it was covering everything. The upside-down-growing trees, the undergrowth, the rocks, the moss on the rocks; everything was stained black with the most foul, soul-consuming hatred I'd ever experienced.

As Rainbow takes in the 'beautiful view' I'm sure she's being treated to, a tendril slowly, almost leisurely, makes its way towards us.
That snaps me out of my stupor, and I scream, flinging myself back into the airlock, closing the outer door after me, trying to put some sort of barrier between me and the hatred.
I run into the galley, to warn the others, and fall over in my haste. My sealed helmet makes a 'thunk' as it collides with the floor, and the sound reminds me of the other person wearing a sealed helmet.

"Get Dash!" I scream, panic tinging my voice steely yellow. "She can't go out there!"

Applejack rushes to the airlock, shoving her helmet on, and the others crowd around me.
I put my head in my hands. How could I have been such a coward? I left my friend out there, to deal with a planet that hated her, hated me, us; all life. And even now, knowing she's in trouble, I can only sit here.
It should be me out there, not her.

"Sunset, what's wrong?" the others ask. How am I going to explain this to them? The entire thing's radiating this back, horrible hatred, almost as if...

"The planet," I gasp, realizing. "It's alive!"

There's a tapping at the window.

Twilight and the others jump, and we all rush to the viewport to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing in front of it.

"There's nothin' out here, you guys." Applejack says, confusion leaking from her. "Ah don't see what the big scare's 'bout."

"Yeah!" Rainbow says. "It's fine out here, really!"

"Ah think Sunset's jus' spooked about somethin' else-" Applejack begins, but she stops suddenly.

"What's that smell?" she asks, sniffing several times, as if trying to chase a scent.

"I don't smell anything." Rainbow says. "You alright, AJ?"

"Your helmet!" Fluttershy cries, pointing at Applejack. "You forgot to seal it!"

"Oh, yeah!" Applejack says, gazing at the small red LED that signals her helmet status. "Lemme jus' get that real quick..."

Her hand moves to seal the suit, but it stops halway there, before lowering to her side.

"You... You didn't seal it." Pinkie says, nervous.

"Yeah..." Applejack says. "It just smells so good out here. I don't wanna stop smelling it, you know?"

Applejack's hands move to her helmet, and she removes it, breathing in deep.

"Wow, it really smells great out here. I just love the way it is out here." she says, her voice an odd sort of euphoric monotone. "Dash, you should smell it, too."

Rainbow, who'd been steadily backing away from Applejack, gives us a look of fear.
It hits me, then.

"Applejack, what happened to your accent?" Rainbow dash asks.

"Applejack, you're showing up blank for me." I say, at the same time. The others give me questioning looks as I zero in my emotional senses on Applejack.

"I can't read anything from you." I say, concentrating. "There's the slightest hint of joy, but it's fading fast. AJ, you're going dark!"

"Rainbow. Come smell this." Applejack says, moving towards Rainbow Dash.

"Okay, nope!" Rainbow says, turning and walking towards the airlock. "All aboard the Nope Train, Destination: Nopesville, Equestria."

"Come." Applejack says, picking up speed.

"Get to the airlock!" Rarity calls as Dash and AJ move out of sight. "We'll get both of you in!"

We rush to the airlock, and I enter, sealing my helmet and opening the outer door. Rainbow dashes for it, her arm outstretched to grab mine-
Applejack tackles her from behind, and Rainbow's helmet light goes red as AJ breaks a rock on the helmet.

This is bad. This is very, very bad.

Rainbow gets up slowly, a look of wonder on her face.

"Wow, it does smell really nice!" she says, her emotions beginning to fade. "I just love the way it is out here."

They both turn to me, and there's a look in their eyes that honestly scares me.

"Come join us, Sunset!" they call. "It's wonderful out here!"

They move toward me, and as I back against the wall, the outer door closes in front of me and the inner one opens, sending me sprawling backwards.

"Okay, yeah." Pinkie says, catching me. "That's a thing. That is most definitely a thing that's happening right now, to us, at this precise moment in time, on this creepy alien planet."

I look at her, and she returns my gaze, genuine worry in her eyes.

"I've had the jibblies ever since we landed." she says quietly. "And now Dash and AJ are out there, and the planet's got them."

Once again, my words echo my thoughts.
"And it's all my fault."

---

"Of course, we all rushed to reassure her." Fluttershy says as the group sits down in a Canterlot park. "But Sunset's stubborn, and guilt never really makes sense. We sat there in silence for what seemed like hours until we all heard a sound that made us jump."

---

Applejack and Rainbow Dash are pounding on the airlock door.

"Let us in!." they cry, shouting in a monotone. "Let us into the ship!."

We all back away from the airlock except for Sunset, who's still just sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her legs.

The pounding grows louder, and, to our surprise, dents begin appearing in the outer door of the airlock.

"Everyone to the cockpit!" Twilight calls. "Seal any doors you can that'll block them!"

"Does anyone else smell that?" Rarity asks quietly.

Now that she mentions it, there's a slight sweetness to the air, a sort of peppermint-strawberry-orange... ness... that almost floats into my nose.
Have you ever seen something that you just can't take your eyes off of? You know, the kind of thing where while you're looking at it, all you can think about at the moment is 'Hey, look at that thing!'? Well, that smell was the smell equivalent of that. The second I noticed it, I couldn't not notice it, like the ticking of a clock, or when your favorite painting's been shifted exactly three centimeters to the right.

"Yeah..."I say, almost without thinking about it. "It smells really good."

"Craaaaaaaaaaaaaap." Pinkie says, slowly and softly.

"We should be safe." Twilight says, her voice oddly scared. "We’re supposed to be safe! Why aren't we safe!?"

"What's-" Spike asks, before he stops. "Oh no; I can smell it too!"

I don't know why everyone's freaking out; all they need to do is relax and let the smell and the good thoughts drift into their mind, until...

---

"I don't really remember anything after that." Fluttershy says, eyes downcast. "I was just... drifting, I guess, on the smell and the good feelings it made me feel."

"The same goes for me." Rarity says. "I was taken shortly after Fluttershy."

"And AJ and I were taken from the get go, so we won't be much help from here on in."

"Let me sort things out here." Bright Idea says. "So far, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Spike have been 'taken' by whatever it is that's been controlling everyone?"

"That's 'bout the long 'n short of it." Applejack says, sighing. "Man, if only Ah'd sealed mah helmet..."

"I may as well pick up from here." Twilight says.

---

As the fear in Spike's eyes grows and Rarity and Fluttershy develop a terminal case of the grins, I can feel the onset of another... 'Think things out session' coming on, and I fight back the panic. Calm, Twilight. Do your breathing exercises.
Soon, I'm removed enough from my emotions to process things. Moving quickly, I grab Sunset and pull her to her feet as she stares blankly into space.

"Cockpit." I say to Pinkie. "Seal off all the doors in between there and here. Go!"

Pinkie springs into motion, her face grim, and I pull Sunset through the ship as Rarity, Spike, and Fluttershy all follow us.

Soon, we've sealed the doors, and we're sitting in the seats in the cockpit of the shuttle. Sunset's curled up on the cushion of one, Pinkie's sitting neatly in another, and I sprawl in the third.
We can still hear the others on the intercom.

"Look, girls." Spike says, his voice strangely happy. "I know I don't have much time before it takes me. I dunno if it's 'cause I'm Dragonkin, or if I'm just not as cheerful a person as the others, but I've got some time."

There's a short silence.

"Man, if only you guys could see my face." he says, his voice thick. "I've gotta look so weird crying right now. Anyway, I figured out why it got to the three of us."

There's a pause.

"Man, it smells great out here... Anyway, life support's off, so all the air we've been getting has been coming from the outside. We just haven't felt it yet because..."

He breaks out into giggles.

"Get this; the ship's got filters! They're there to filter out any 'harmful' stuff in the air before it gets to us. Good thing the smell managed to find a broken one to get through. Man, you guys should really come out and try this; it's great!"

Pinkie's huddled into a Sunset-like ball now. I want to join them. I want to huddle up and cry my eyes out and wish for everything to be okay...
...But I can't. This is Spike's last message. I need to hear it.

"I've only got about ten seconds left, Twi." Spike says. "If... If we don't make it out of here, I just want to thank you for taking me out here. It's been amazing, and if I could do..."

He giggles again.

"If I could do all this over again, I wouldn't wanna do it any other way. Love you, sis."

And then there's silence.

Comments

[Try Hard]

> Fimfic about space
> Named Challenger

So wrong, but so funny

[Poet Knight]

This was interesting, you should continue if you can.

[DragonxFlutter]

Wow. Getting some heavy Star Trek vibes.

[0Z0mbie]

interesting