Cryo-7

by Metal Pony Fan

Sometimes the Twain Shall Meet

Astral walked through the construction zone hallways of the station looking for a map. Or at the very least, somepony to point him in the direction of the security office. He had been able to find the docking bays easily enough, but that was because had asked the pinto welder for directions.

But when he got there, the security guard wouldn't let him near the Philomena. Apparently, the ship was still considered a crime scene, and, "Hi, I was the guy in the spacesuit, you probably don't recognize me," wasn't enough to gain access. He had been told, quite directly, to return with ID, and authorization from Security Chief Growl.

Now, he was stuck walking through the station, looking for somepony who was running a piece of machinery quiet enough to be heard over. For a while, he had debated returning to medical, but he had gotten turned around, and couldn't find his way back. It didn't help that this whole place seemed to be changing. Blocked corridors were being cleared of debris, and open corridors were being cordoned off, leaving the station a barely navigable mess.

He wasn't the only one having problems either. A few times already, he had passed a big, red earth pony who looked even more confused than he was. He was wearing some sort of uniform shirt, and his head was on a swivel as he strolled through meandering station halls. His messy, blonde-orange mane flip-flopped as he turned his head in response to every sound, shadow, and movement around him.

Astral was standing near that pony now. They were in front of the station's only restaurant. Restaurant was definitely not a good word for it. Mess hall was more accurate. Slimy cafeteria was even more accurate.

There was a line of ponies, gryphons, humans, a few curaxxans, and even two medium-smallish dragons, all waiting like students in a lunch line. They chattered among themselves as they patiently filed between four different stations, each manned by ponies in their teens. The patrons picked up a tray at the first. At the second one, reconstituted vegetable stew and some sort of side dish was slopped onto the tray. The third station dispensed some sort of imitation meat product, or rehydrated vegetables, based on customer preference. The fourth, and final station handled payment, drinks, and What Astral assumed was supposed to be dessert.

The earth pony was looking at a large pail to the left of the door. It was filled with small, foil-wrapped bars, and a small sign above it said, "rations, take one." The big stallion looked like he was about to do just that.

Astral recalled the nutrient gel phase of his treatment and shuddered. "Don't do it," he warned the red pony, "trust me on this."

The earth pony looked up. "They ain't really that bad, are they?"

The accent surprised Astral for a moment. It was similar to accents on some of the farming planets in the Texas system, but seemed older. "It's not about the taste."

The red pony shrugged. It was such a small movement that Astral almost missed it. "Ah'll take yer word for it." He stepped aside as a mumbling unicorn walked up to the pail and took one of the ration bars with a groan of disgust.

The red pony was standing right next to Astral now, and the unicorn realized just how big the big pony was. He was at least a head taller than most ponies, and probably matched a human or a curaxxan in terms of weight. The pony also looked like he had never seen a human or a curaxxan before. "Are you lost?"

The pony nodded slowly. "Eeyup."

Astral waited a moment for him to elaborate. When it became clear that he wasn't going to, Astral continued the conversation. "So am I. I was looking for the security office, but got a bit turned around. This place is a mess, isn't it?"

"Eeyup." The red pony surprised Astral by not stopping there. "It kinda reminds me of the shipyards back where Ah came from. Everythin' was hustle and bustle there, too." He sighed sadly. "It was so long ago, but it don't feel like it." He shook his head. "Ain't no good to dwell, I've got a job ta do." He looked over at Astral. "Ah'm lookin' fer somepony by the name of Astral Plane."

Astral tried very hard not to show his surprise, and shrugged. "Good luck finding him on this wreck." The unicorn tried to nonchalantly walk away, but he was stopped by a hoof the size of his face. He looked up.

The red pony raised an eyebrow. "Ah never said it was a stallion."

Comments

[Timuri]

heh If not for the character tags, seeing Mac here would have been quite the surprise. I think he was suspecting Astral before speaking to him, likely having been given a description, and Astral trotted right into a hook. Mac is smarter than his simple exterior lets on, after all he was apparently the one that did the bookkeeping for the farm.