Cryo-7

by Metal Pony Fan

A Ship is Launched

"You're sure about this?" Twilight asked one last time, as she released Ditzy from far too tight of a hug.

"Yes, I'm sure." She glanced back at Catch and Dinky, who were pointing at buildings in the distance. The young unicorn was asking no end of questions, it seemed. "I can't uproot Dinky's life again, and there are good ponies here that are part of our lives now. We can't just abandon them."

Twilight nodded slowly. She could understand the other mare's position. Astral was already onboard the ship, the nice doctor from yesterday had accompanied him to make sure he got set up properly, and to make sure Twilight knew what to do for just about every possible complication. It never even occured to Twilight to leave him on Tirassa while she dealt with the museum, then return for him. "Princess Celestia will be arriving later today with a communication device that will let you reach me just about anywhere in the galaxy."

"A subnet relay?" Ditzy smiled at Twilight's surprise at her knowing. "Playing maid was just for show, so there was an excuse for why I was always with Catch and Dinky. I've been studying everything. There's millenia to catch up on, and some of the technology here is incredible."

"Well, there's even more advanced technology out there, and I don't even understand it all. So, keep it up, and I'll come to you if I need something explained."

"Dinky's learning it all faster than me, no surprise, so you might want to ask her."

Twilight nodded slowly. "I'll keep that in mind." She kept nodding, opening her mouth to speak, then quickly shutting it. She could feel her eyes water, and her voice cracked when she finally managed to speak. "I... I don't want to say it."

The grey pegasus smiled her. "I know." Hugging her former princess, Ditzy added, "I don't either. But, it's ok. It's not forever, and we can keep in touch via subnet. Celestia does have your contact info?"

Twilight nodded quickly. "I'll come back and visit as soon as I can. Stay safe, Derpy."

"Thanks, Twi." Ditzy let go of her, taking a step back. "But, you know," she smirked, "you do have to say it."

Twilight laughed, despite the tears, and rubbed at her eyes. "Really?"

Ditzy nodded. "Really."

Taking a deep breath, Twilight lifted her head, looking her friend in the eye. "Goodbye, Ditzy, be safe."

The grey mare gave a short bow. "Goodbye, Princess, and thank you, for everything you've done. Not just for me and Dinky, but for all ponies. You've seen us safely from Equestria to our new home." She started walking away. "I'd call that, mission accomplished."

Twilight fell to a sitting position. She couldn't hold back tears anymore, even though she was smiling wide. Mission accomplished. Not once had she thought of it like that. There was still so much to do. So many ponies still missing. How long would it be until she could say that for real? Years? Decades?

But, it was true for at least two more ponies now.

Twilight was still lost in thought when another set of hooves wrapped around her. She looked up to see Dinky hugging her. "So, mom says you've got to go, but Mr.Catch says he'll try to get communications set up with the rest of the Galaxy as soon as possible. So, we should be able to talk again soon. It would be nice to get magic lessons from you again."

Twilight hugged her back. "Mr. Catch isn't teaching you now?"

Dinky shrugged. "He tries, but he's better at explaining history than magic. Don't tell him I said so, but I think Miss Kettle is better at magic, he's just stronger."

"Well, Miss Kettle's an alicorn now, so we don't know if he's still stronger or not."

Dinky leaned in and whispered, "He teleported us to a space station earlier for breakfast, just to see if he could. He might even be stronger than you."

"Oh really?" Twilight smirked. "Well, Astral and I teleported down from one of the space stations a few days ago. And I bet he can't do this." Twilight looked to the sun, and concentrated, hard. Her horn lit, and a small ball of roiling fire appeared in a flash beside her. It was contained in a small bubble, but glowed bright as it was shrunk down. Twilight fed it magic, heat and energy as she crushed it flat on an atomic level. When she was done, she dispelled the excess heat, and released her forcefield, presenting Dinky with a tiny metal disc. "This is pure iron, made from a piece of this world's sun."

Dinky took it carefully, checking to see if it was hot, and showing her surprise that it was only mildly warm. "Isn't iron an end stage fusion product, like when when a star is dying?"

Twilight shook her head. "In a sense. A star can make iron a lot earlier than that, but when there's too much, it gets harder and harder to maintain fusion. I sped things up a bit to make this, this star has a long life left ahead of it." She ruffled the filly's mane. "Just like you. You're going to shine bright as a star, no matter what world you're on."

Thoroughly embarrassed, Dinky attempted to slink away, but Twilight caught her in a wing. "One last thing, then you can go. Get your mom to put that on a chain of pure silver, or cold iron, if anypony on this planet knows how to make it. I made it to match your magic, and it should be a strong protective amulet once you learn to use it."

Twilight let go of her, and Dinky darted off. But, only a few steps, then she stopped. "Thanks, Miss Sparkle, I'll miss you."

Dinky finished running off, right past Steel Catch as he headed over to Twilight.

"You better take good care of them," Twilight said as she extended a hoof.

He accepted it, and smiled as they shook. "I plan to, but you already knew that." He looked back at the two, as Dinky excitedly showed Twilight's gift to her mom. "I still believe they would be safer with you, but Ditzy has put her trust in me, and I shall endeavor to live up to it. So, are you all set for your journey? I had the ship stocked with food and supplies, enough for a month for a crew of six, and ordered a cleaning yesterday. If there is anything else you require, just say the word."

"I'm sure we're fine," Twilight reassured him, "it's only a few day's journey. I actually wanted to ask you about something else."

Steel Catch nodded once. "Of course, anything."

"Veritas..."

"Ah." Catch shuffled his wings in discomfort. "Veritas. Quite the spell, is it not?"

"Indeed," Twilight agreed, "it's an amazingly impressive spell. I've been trying to figure it out since I saw it, but I couldn't understand any of it. And, the runic language is completely different from any I've ever studied, were the runes part of the primary function, or the secondary?"

"Secondary?" Catch chewed his lip for a moment. ""How do you mean?"

"Do the runes aid in determining the truth?" Twilight clarified. "Or in binding the spell to one's life force?"

Catch glanced around nervously, checking to see if anypony was within earshot, then, just to be safe, he threw a soundproof barrier around him and Twilight. Then, he threw another one around that. "What I am about to say can never be repeated, understand?"

"Oh, yes," Twilight quickly agreed, "absolutely. Any mage would be protective of a spell like that. It would've been legendary back on my world, worthy of Starswirl himself, or even the princesses."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Catch sighed. "It was a bluff. That spell is not at all what I described, and I got very lucky that it worked the way it did, or that it held up when you interfered."

"I'm not sure I follow. Lie detection spells aren't even difficult, but yours reacted to things the subject wasn't even aware of, that's what made it so impre-"

"It's a debate timer," Catch confessed.

"A what?"

"A debate timer." Catch pulled his hoof down his face. "It's a spell I came up with in school. You assign a number of points, and the points count down if you stop talking without asking a question."

"Then, it..."

"Truth or not, if you make a statement, it counts down. If you ask a question at the end, it doesn't. The runes don't mean anything because they're just decorations I made up on the spot, and they were so massive and bright because that's what I attached to your magic, and Green Hoof's. You both would have felt a slight pull as it used your magic to light up, giving a vague feeling that I did actually connect something to your, 'life force.' That's also why I made sure I dispelled Green Hoof's counter before it zero. Nothing would have happened."

Twilight blinked. "That whole thing was an act? It sure had me fooled! Why didn't mine count down? I didn't ask any questions."

"You have to cast the counter at the start of a conversation," Catch shrugged, "you can't just add a pony in the middle. Recasting the entire thing would have reset the points, and I didn't know what you would say, so I just put the decorations on you and hoped you wouldn't notice."

"Which only worked because I didn't lie." Twilight shook her head. "If I had lied, I would have known immediately that the spell was a trick. If I had said something you knew to be untrue, I would have exposed your spell to Green Hoof."

"Indeed." Catch gestured to the insulating bubbles around them. "So, I trust you understand that this is a secret that must be taken to the grave? I had only hoped to keep Green Hoof silent, put on display that he would not trust himself to speak without lying, thereby undermining any remaining sympathy for Wingless and other such groups. Your interference turned it into so much more, and the stakes are that much higher should the deception be revealed."

Twilight gave a slow, solemn nod. "I understand. I will never speak of it again."

"Excellent." Catch started dismantling the soundproof fields, but Twilight stopped him before he took the second one down.

"There is one other thing, I wasn't even sure I should ask, but while the soundproofing is on, I may as well." She scratched at her neck, wings shuffling. "There's a spell, a specific one, I could use your help with."

"Of course. After everything you've done, and all our planet has put you through, I will render any assistance possible."

"Well, I just need you to cast it. It's no big deal."

Catch squinted at her. "I'm fairly certain you are still quite a bit more powerful than I, at the moment."

"Eh, maybe," Twilight said, less inclined to brag to his face than she had been for Dinky. "We should at least be close enough in power levels for it not to wear off immediately."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

Twilight winced, seriously debating just letting it go at this point. But, she may not come across somepony this close to her in magic power for a long while. She needed to get over her embarrassment, and think practically. "I'd like you to cast the contraceptive spell on me."

"Ah." Catch suddenly wouldn't look Twilight in the eyes, and she couldn't blame him. Clearing his throat before speaking again, he asked, "You don't know it then?"

"Well, of course I know it, basic magic health class stuff, but, um..." Twilight suddenly felt really worried. Dinky may have been spot on in her assessment of Catch. "Why would you ask that?"

Catch looked back at her, thoroughly confused. "I might ask the same of you."

"Oh boy." Twilight cleared her throat. She did her best to slip into teacher mode, but it wasn't so easy. "The contraceptive spell can't be cast by anypony... involved in, um, the reason for needing the spell." She coughed lightly. Why is her mouth so dry after a single sentence. "And, well, the larger the power difference, the shorter the spell lasts, though it will eventually wear off in time no matter what."

Catch was staring straight at her now, an intense look on his face. "What do you mean, it can't be cast by anypony involved?"

Twilight felt herself wither under the glare, but answered. "Exactly that. It's almost impossible to make a pony's magic act against their body's natural cycles and processes." Catch was starting to sweat by this point, and Twilight got the feeling she was giving a life lesson a little bit late. "If a mare casts the spell on herself, nothing will happen. And if it's the particular stallion she's, um, intimate with, well, it's his... you know what, I think you get the point."

"I believe so." He took a long, slow breath through his nose. "I need to go," he said quickly. In rapid succession, he dispelled the final sound bubble, cast the spell Twilight asked for, and ran across the landing platform, over to Dinky and Ditzy.

Twilight sighed as he borrowed Ditzy from her daughter, pulling her to the side for what was likely going to be a long serious discussion. Without another word, she walked up the ramp and onto the ship, tight-lipped smile stuck on her face.

"Welp, that was quite the goodbye," she muttered to herself as she shut the door behind her, retracted the ramp, and headed for the cockpit, "now, on to Galvedon!"

Comments

[xDHannibalxD]

So, Dinky could possibly be a big sis soon?

[Piemaster128]

Ok, I know I said I wanted more but I didn’t think you would upload it THAT quickly. Thank you very much

A little surprised Twilight isn’t waiting for Celestia, but give the Cryo pod at risk, I can understand why they need to leave so quickly. No telling who might try to steal it

[Valkyrie]

I am both rejoiced that we have another update (and there's one more fic that has been recently raised from the grave after exactly 6 years), but at the same time saddened we did not get a continuation on the previous cliffhanger... yet.

Also, something tells me that Catch just had a bigger "oh s***" moment than during the actual combat or, you know, the spell bluff when Twi joined in.

[xoid]

I wonder… It’s easy to imagine a scenario where that little caveat is forgotten about over time; the ponies who know it assume it’s common knowledge and gloss over it, two or three generations down the line — and with cheap, non‐magical alternatives to choose from — it starts to become esoteric trivia that is only known by those who least need to know: turbo‐nerds with no sex‐life and Trivial Pursuit champions… but I repeat myself.

[Noobblue]

Catch. Catch my friend. You have done what can only be described as: Woops. May your soul rest peacfully.

[Ytak]

Generally the whole conversation with Catch made me smile. But for different reasons. His countdown was clever. Misdirection is always an acceptable thing in times of war (and it was still a fight). And Twilight's request was funny for how uncomfortable it made the involved parties. XD

[Mr Swanky Hat]

10186468
And dinkie might be getting a brother or sister in the near future too!

[Turquoise pony]

Catch was staring straight at her now, an intense look on his face. "What do you mean, it can't be cast by anypony involved?"

[Timuri]

Poor Catch. "What do you mean it can't be cast by the ones involved!? Oh shit! Ditzy~!"

That was a brilliant bluff with the debate spell. And it actually does him credit that Twilight mistook his made up runes for actual runic script.