• Published 19th Jul 2015
  • 2,650 Views, 393 Comments

My Brave Pony: Starfleet Nemesis - Scipio Smith



Twilight Sparkle died in battle to save Celestia and win peace for the world she loved. Now a clone of Twilight, bred for war, breaks free from her programming and seeks to find the meaning behind her existence

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Setting Out

Setting Out

Pinkie Pie found Twilight in the palace library, sitting at her desk with a baffling array of books and papers spread out in front of her, scribbling away by the candle light.

"Ooh, whatcha doing?" Pinkie asked as she bounced over. Whatever Twilight was up to it was sure was complicated. Pinkie couldn't even begin to understand what all those numbers were up to.

Twilight smiled. "I'm asking myself the same thing a lot of the time, Pinkie. And sometimes I know the answer and sometimes I don't." She chuckled. "But you were asking in a less philosophical sense, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Pinkie replied, sitting down at a nearby stool. "But we can talk about philosophy too, if you like."

Twilight leaned back in her seat, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know. I guess…I'm having second thoughts about joining Starfleet. Sometimes I don't see the point. What can I accomplish, on my own?"

"You're not alone," Pinkie said. "We're all joining with you."

The corners of Twilight's lips twitched upwards. "Yeah. That's true. And sometimes that makes me wonder if I should have... would you have joined if I hadn't?"

"I think so, maybe," Pinkie said. "After all, we have to keep the new Equestria safe for everypony, don't we? Oh, I mean everybody."

"You can say what you like to me, Pinkie," Twilight said. “After all, it’s just the two of us.”

"It seems kinda silly to me, that we have to learn to speak in new ways," Pinkie said. "What was the matter with the way we used to speak?"

Twilight was very still for a moment, the candle light shining upon half her face, while the rest remained in darkness. "I don't understand it myself, Pinkie. I suppose in the end that’s why I'm joining Starfleet: so that I can understand. And if I can understand, then perhaps I can change things. That's my hope, anyway. But, sometimes I wonder if that's realistic."

"If anypony can do it, you can," Pinkie said. "You may not always realise, but you're pretty amazing."

Twilight smiled shyly. "Thanks, Pinkie."

"So, now that we know what you're doing philosophically, why don't you tell me what you're actually doing?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight chuckled. "I've had an idea for an engine. Or I think I have. I'm trying to crunch the numbers to see if it's feasible. Once I'm done I'm thinking of running it by Moondancer, Sunset and the other Twilight to see if I've done the mathematics properly."

"Oh," Pinkie said. "That sounds...about as complicated as it looked, actually."

"It is," Twilight said simply. "But it isn't impossible. I'll get there."

"Would you like me to go?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, you are busy-"

"No, Pinkie, of course not," Twilight replied immediately. "This can wait. Did you need something? Or did you just want to talk?"

"Both, I guess," Pinkie said, her voice going a little quiet. "What did you think of the welcome party for Starfleet?"

Twilight smiled warmly. "Your best effort since the New Ponyville Townwarming party."

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun planning that one," Pinkie said. She giggled. "I knew that everypony would need to warm their house all over again since they're all brand new and I thought... why not warm the whole town at once? It really worked out well, don’tcha think? But... the Starfleet welcome party... I'm not sure that everypony had a good time."

"I thought it went pretty well," Twilight said.

"My Pinkie sense doesn't just let me know when things are about to fall from the sky," Pinkie explained. "I can also tell when somepony is really having fun, and when they're just pretending to smile, because they think they should or because they're forced to. The Starfleet ponies... they weren't really getting into it, you know. They weren't having real fun; they were just... smiling, with nothing behind those smiles."

Twilight was quiet for a moment, before she said, "I know that that must be disappointing for you, Pinkie, but please don’t take it to heart; don't even think about it too much. Not everyone - oh for Celestia's sake!- not everypony can enjoy the same things, and that isn't bad."

"But there were so many things to do," Pinkie said. "I thought that they would have found at least one of them to enjoy. It was like they didn't want to have real fun. Twilight... do you think that I'm a baby? Do you... do I annoy you?"

"No!" the objection shot from Twilight's mouth as fast as any spell had ever leapt from her horn, in a tone as vociferous as ever she had protested anything before. "No, Pinkie, who told you that?"

Pinkie looked down at the ground. "Starla," she said. "I kept on seeing her and Lightning and Rhymey rolling their eyes, and when I asked her why she said to me 'Isn't it about time you grew up and stopped bothering everyone with these childish parties?' Was she right?"

"No," Twilight murmured.

"Because all I ever try to do is make my friends smile," Pinkie said. "All I've ever wanted to do is spread some joy around, the same joy that I feel every day when I wake up in the morning. And if it turns out that all this time I wasn't spreading joy after all then-"

"Don't," Twilight said firmly. "Don't say anything else, Pinkie. Don't even think it. You're not annoying, and nopony thinks that you're stupid, or babyish. You... yeah, you've got a bit of a kid in you, but that's a good thing. That's why you're so much fun; it's why you can always pick the rest of us up when we’re down, no matter what."

"But Starla-"

"Is an idiot," Twilight said bluntly. "And she has no idea what she's talking about. You are a wonderful pony and a great friend and I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't met you." She smiled. "And I love each and every one of your parties. And I know that if you asked the ponies who care about you they'd all say the same. And hey, maybe once we all join Starfleet you can teach them all to smile a little, for real. If anypony can do that, it's you."

Pinkie giggled. "That would be something to see, wouldn't it?" She stood up. "Thanks, Twilight. You're the best."

"You're pretty amazing yourself, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Don't ever forget that, and don't let anypony ever tell you different."



Pinkie and Rainbow Dash stood on the station platform, waiting for the train that would carry Pinkie to El-Alamane, the most southerly outpost of United Equestria on the Grevyian border. From there, a group of zebras were supposed to meet her and take her to her destination at the zebra capital, Byrsa. The train was supposed to have arrived ten minutes ago, but the board currently said that it was delayed.

"This is ridiculous," Rainbow spat. "If they're going to take over the country they could at least make the trains run on time! I swear they ran better when they were powered by steam."

Pinkie nodded. "They say the solar powered trains are faster, but there's a kind of magic about steam trains that they don't have, don't you think? That old Friendship Express chugging along. I miss it."

"There's a lot of things about Equestria that I miss," Rainbow muttered.

It wasn't just the trains that had changed. The New Ponyville station was a far more utilitarian place than the homely old Ponyville station had been. It was fashioned of concrete and steel, functional and grey and frankly kind of ugly. Pinkie felt a little depressed just setting foot in it, but apparently it was such good architecture that it had won all kinds of awards. Rarity said it was a symptom of the decline of good taste, and while Pinkie wouldn't claim to know so much about good taste as Rarity did, she agreed that the new station wasn't a pretty sight. The style was called Brutalist, and if nothing else it was aptly named. It was so impersonal it chilled her a little.

Both mares were in uniform, not the battle armour but the parade dress: navy blue jackets over white shirts and black ties, with knee-length skirts also in navy blue, and polished black boots. With Rarity's tailoring they were almost passable, and certainly better than anything else that had ever come out of Starfleet's uniform department. Rainbow had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, while Pinkie's small rucksack sat between her legs. Gummy sat on top of it, staring unblinking out in front of him.

"Are you really taking Gummy with you to Grevyia?" Rainbow asked.

"Uh huh," Pinkie said breezily. Her tone became a little less cheery as he continued, "After all, with Fluttershy going to Canterlot it's not like there's anyone I can leave him with."

"What about the Cakes?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose," Pinkie said. "Besides, I like having him with me. You and me are going to have a lot of fun seeing the sights down south, aren't we Gummy?"

Gummy blinked first one eye, then the other.

"That's a yes," Pinkie said.

Rainbow nodded, glancing below the toothless alligator to Pinkie's bag. "You're not taking much with you, huh?"

"Not a lot," Pinkie replied. "Just my party canon, balloons, recipe book, cake ingredients, streamers, paints, paintbrush and everything else I might need to throw a let's be friends party for the zebras!"

Rainbow blinked. "You... you have a party canon in there?" She smiled. "Of course you do. Don't ever change, Pinkie."

"Never ever," Pinkie said. "Say, Dashie, thanks for coming to see me off like this."

"It ain't nothing," Rainbow said dismissively. "I'm sure the others would have come to, but they all had to go. And Fluttershy..."

"I understand," Pinkie said. "I know they couldn't make it. It just means a lot that you came."

"I wasn't about to let you set off all by yourself," Rainbow said. She sighed, as she looked up at the sky above the train platform. "This sucks."

"What does?"

"Everything about this!" Rainbow snapped. "You're getting sent to Grevyia, Rarity's going out into space, I'm being sent to work for some jerk major, Fluttershy's stuck in Canterlot keeping house for that... and Spike and Applejack are going to war! How is any of this right? This is all just so... this sucks!"

"Things will get better," Pinkie said. "I mean, they'll never be as good as they were when Twilight was here, but they'll get better. They have to."

"How can you be so sure?" Rainbow asked sourly.

"I'm not sure," Pinkie admitted frankly. "But I believe."

"How?" Rainbow demanded. "After everything that's gone wrong, everything they've taken from us, how can you believe? I mean, I want to believe too but I... how?"

"Because somepony's gotta keep believing or it will never come true," Pinkie said. "Somepony has to believe that there's something worth smiling about, or nopony will ever smile again. So, as the pony whose mission it is to spread smiles throughout the world, it's also my job to keep believing in a better world we can all smile in. And that world will come. I don't know how or when, but it will come. I can feel it with my Pinkie sense."

Rainbow looked at her for a moment. Then she dropped her bag onto the platform and pulled Pinkie into a wrenching hug.

"Come back, okay Pinkie?" she said, her voice hoarse. "Just... come back. You gotta come back. If we lost you…we’d have no hope. I’d have no hope."

"I’ll be back, I promise," Pinkie whispered, giving Dash a peck on the cheek as they broke apart. "After all, if I don't come back how can I ever throw a welcome back to Ponyville party?"

Rainbow laughed. "I'll look forward to that one."

"And we'll all be there, safe and sound and together again," Pinkie said.

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "That... I'll hold on to that, Pinkie. It'll be awesome."

Pinkie smiled as the two of them broke apart. “Hey, Rainbow Dash, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Rainbow said. She smiled. “I mean, you just did, right?”

“Why did you want to go to Rangiveria, instead of Spike and Applejack?”

Rainbow frowned. “I don’t want to go,” she said. “But…I just think that if someone’s gotta go, it oughtta be me.”

“But why?” Pinkie pressed.

“Because…well, because Spike’s just a kid. I mean, sure he can transform, but he’s still just a kid. I kinda feel like we oughtta take care of him, you know? For Twi’s sake, like it’s what she would have wanted. And Applejack…” Rainbow looked away, bowed her head a little as a scowl disfigured her face. “Applejack has a family to take care of. She’s…she’s got people who are counting on her. She’s got ponies who need her. She shouldn’t be going off to risk her life in some jungle somewhere, not when…I mean, who’d really miss me if I wasn’t here?”

“HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING SO STUPID?” Pinkie yelled, loud enough to startle the pigeons nesting in the train roof. She grabbed Rainbow Dash by the lapels of her jacket, wrenching her around so that they were muzzle to muzzle. “Rainbow Dash! How could you…how could you! Don’t even joke about something like that because, speaking as an expert on jokes, IT ISN’T FUNNY!”

“No, Pinkie, it’s not funny,” Rainbow said, gently removing Pinkie’s hands from her lapels. “It isn’t funny that I don’t know what I’m doing here any more, but it’s true.” She closed her eyes. “I couldn’t protect Twilight from Raven; I couldn’t protect my friends from the Grand Ruler. I used to think that I was your strength for all you guys…but what good is strength if it keeps failing, huh? I’m not strong enough to save anyone!”

Pinkie’s brow furrowed for a moment, before she leaned forward and kissed Rainbow Dash upon the nose. “Dashie, you’ve never been our strength. What you were, what you are…is our faith.”

Rainbow blinked. “Faith?”

“You always believe in all of us, and in yourself,” Pinkie said. “That’s why we need you. That’s why I need you. Because…you say that I’m your hope, but…but your mine. And it’s not just me, it’s Scootaloo and Fluttershy and everypony else. We all need you. So please…please don’t…please, you have to-“

“I get it,” Rainbow murmured. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…I was an idiot. Forget about it, okay? And don’t tell anyone else.”

“Tell them what?”

Three bongs preceded a voice beginning to emanate from out of the station tannoy. "The next train to arrive at platform three will be the delayed 6.50 service to El Alamane. We apologise for the delays on this service and for any inconvenience caused to your journey."

"Any inconvenience?" Dash asked. "Who isn't inconvenienced by delay?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Pinkie said. "I'll be okay."

The train came around the corner and began to pull into the station.

"So," Pinkie murmured. "I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?"

"I guess so- oh, wait!" Rainbow yelled. "I can't believe I almost forgot this." She bent down the opened up her bag, pulling out a gift wrapped package with a gold ribbon wrapped around it in a bow. "This is for you."

"Ooh, what is it?"

"A birthday present."

"Did I forget my birthday again?" Pinkie said. "That means that I forgot to throw Gummy a birthday party too!"

"No, it's not your birthday for another two weeks," Rainbow said. "It's just that I won't be there for that, so I thought I'd give you your present now. But don't open it until your birthday, okay?"

"I won't," Pinkie promised.

Rainbow smiled at her as the long metal train slid into the station like a long, winding metal snake, before coming to a stop and letting the doors open with a hiss.

Pinkie picked up her bag - and Gummy - and stepped onto the train, turning back to look at Rainbow Dash. "See you around, Dashie!"

Rainbow waved. "See you, Pinkie. Have fun!"

"You too!" Pinkie yelled as the doors slid shut with another hissing sound.

They carried on waving to one another as the train pulled out of the station, until the speeding of the train had left New Ponyville far behind and Rainbow Dash was far out of the sight of Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie sighed a little forlornly as she went to find her seat. "Still. At least I've still got you, right Gummy?"

Gummy blinked, first one eye and then the other. That meant yes.


As the train pulled away out of sight, Rainbow Dash turned away with a scowl. Beside her, her hands clenched into fists.

“Dammit,” she growled. “Why is this happening to us? What did we do to deserve this? Was it so terrible that we were happy that we had to get punished with all of this crap?”

She looked up, careless of the other ponies on the platform. “Twilight, I don’t know if you can hear me. I don’t know if…I don’t know if you’re there or not, I…but if you are there, if you can hear this, if you can do anything at all…watch over the girls, okay? Take care of them, if you can.”

The way that we couldn’t take care of you.

“Rainbow Dash.”

The voice was soft, barely louder than a whisper, but Rainbow’s keen ears picked it up nonetheless. She turned towards the sound of the voice, calling her name, that voice that was familiar, and yet at the same time absolutely impossible.

She turned…and saw Twilight, old Twilight, in her four-legged form like she’d had before Starfleet came and turned them all into these freaks, Twilight sitting on the platform looking at her.

Rainbow Dash blinked. It couldn’t be. Twilight was dead, she’d seen Lightning carry her broken body into the throne room and lay her at the feet of the Grand Ruler, but…but there she was, she was standing right there, Twilight!

It was impossible, but she could see it with her own eyes.

“Twilight,” she murmured. “Twi…is that you?”

Twilight said nothing, but raised one hoof as though she were reaching out for Rainbow Dash.

A passing earth pony got between them and when she had passed…Twilight was gone.

Rainbow pushed through the crowds, looking this way and that, searching for some sign of her friend.

“Twilight? Twilight, where are you?”

There was no sign of her.

Rainbow turned in place, looking across this platform and the next, heedless of the strange looks that some ponies were starting to give her.

After a few moments she had to concede that she had imagined the whole thing.

“Great,” she snapped, as she turned to go. “Now I’m losing my mind. Like this couldn’t get any worse.”


Apple Bloom's eyes were wide as she stared up at Applejack. "So you really gotta go? Right now?"

Applejack's smile was tight and taut across her face. Mostly because she didn't feel like smiling. Still, this was hard enough without Apple Bloom getting really upset. "Yeah, little sis, I gotta go. Now. I don't much care for it myself, truth be told, but-"

"Then why?" Apple Bloom asked.

The Apples were gathered in front of the barn in New Sweet Apple Acres, the land given to them on the new world after the old one had been destroyed. It wasn't exactly the home she had grown up in, but they had done their best to rebuild the farm to look like it had before, and Applejack had to concede that it was good soil, and fertile. Good farming land, able to produce a good crop.

It would have been ever better if she could have spent more time there.

Big Mac, standing erect, looking like he was trying to hold back his feelings, had one big hand placed on Apple Bloom's shoulder. Granny Smith looked paler than a sheet hung out on laundry day. Buddy Rose and his cousin Daphne Dill... Applejack couldn't rightly read what they were thinking. She couldn't exactly say she cared either.

Applejack knelt down, so that she and her little sister were at eye level. "Come on, now, Apple Bloom, you know we all gotta do things that we don't wanna sometimes, but that don't mean they don't have to be done. I have to do this, it's my duty. I may not want to leave y'all, but I still have to; I got my orders."

"Can't you do something to get them changed?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Perhaps I could," Applejack conceded. "But would that be right? If I did that, and talked to Queen Celestia so that I could stay home while so many other ponies are going off to war, I'm not sure that I'd be able to look at myself afterwards. Is that the kind of sister you want?"

"I just want you to be okay," Apple Bloom cried, pulling away from Applejack's grasp and wrapping her arms around her sister's neck.

Applejack patted her gently on the back. "Don't you worry about your big sister none now, Apple Bloom, why I'll be back buckin' apples in the west field before you know it." I surely do hope so, anyway. She took the hat off her head and placed it lightly atop Apple Bloom's red locks. "Now I want you to take care of this for me while I'm away."

Apple Bloom felt the brim of the hat. "Applejack, why...?"

"I reckon I'll be getting some kind of helmet for when I go into the woods anyhow," Applejack said, rising off her knees and onto her feet. "There won't be much call for me to wear it. And I know that you'll take good care of it."

Apple Bloom beamed. "You betcha Applejack. I'll keep it safe and I won't let nothin’ happen to it, I promise. So you really mean to come back?"

"I mean to come home," Applejack said, with more confidence and certainty than she felt. "Just as I am now; and faster than a hopping hare in springtime, too. So you work hard at school, and if you find anyone who you and your friends gotta help find their cutie mark reward you work hard at that, too, and don't you waste a second worrying about me, because I'm going to be just fine." And if I'm not, I won't be able to hear you calling me a liar.

Big Macintosh held out his hand. "You take care now, Applejack."

Applejack grinned. "You know me. I'll never start a fight with nobody but I can handle myself in a brawl once someone else starts it up."

"Eeyup," Big Mac said. "I know."

Applejack turned to Granny Smith, bending her back a little to give her grandma a hug. "Granny. Take it easy on those pins, now, you hear?"

"You take care to hide behind those trees real good," Granny Smith said firmly. "And don't go showing more courage than sense, understand? Be smart out there. I'm not... I don't wanna... just come back."

Applejack nodded solemnly. She understood what Granny Smith wanted to say, but could not say in front of Apple Bloom, not after Applejack had just been so reassuring to her little sister just a moment ago.

A shadow fell across the earth of the field as Buddy Rose approached her. "You're very lucky, Applejack, you realise that."

If Applejack had ever considered anything about this situation lucky then it slipped her mind as she looked up at the red space pony standing beside her. He looked a little like Big Mac, if Big Mac was an alicorn, only Buddy was a little wirier in the frame, without so much of the natural muscle that came from a lifetime doing hard work on the farm. Not that he needed so much muscle, seeing as how he still did basically no work on the farm beyond throwing a few of his leaf attacks around and doing more harm than good in the process; and in battle he used Starfleet tech to make up the difference.

Seeing him standing there in his Starfleet armour, telling her how lucky she was to go to war while he continued to live rent free on her property, was enough that if Applejack had been the kind of pony who started fights instead of finishing them she would have busted him in the snout.

Instead she simply said, in as deadpan a voice as she could manage, "Lucky?"

"Getting to go out there into the field and stick it to those caribou scum," Buddy said. "Boy, I wish I was going out there with you."

You lying sack of fertiliser! It was with great effort that Applejack bit back her immediate response. Instead she muttered, "Well I'm sure you'll get your chance some day."

"I hope so," Buddy said affably. "If you don't grab all the glory before I get out there, that is."

"Glory, huh?" Applejack said, with a scepticism that bounced off his Starfleet armour. "Gee, I'll sure try and save some for you, Buddy."

"Thank you kindly, Captain Applejack," Buddy said.

Applejack reluctantly came to attention. "Permission to dismiss, Major Rose?"

Buddy gave her a salute. "Dismissed, Executive Captain."

Applejack gave her little sister one last reassuring glance before she turned away, and strode stiffly to the boundaries of the farm, where Spike was waiting for her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm leaving my home and my family to go to some war I might not come back from, do you think I'm okay?" Applejack asked. She sighed. "Sorry, Spike, none of this is on you, I got no cause for snapping at like some kinda alligator."

"No, I get it," Spike said. "It was a stupid thing to say. I don't feel so great myself."

"Hey," Applejack said. "I promised you you wouldn't die, didn't I?"

"Yes."

"And I am a mare of my word," Applejack declared. "So buck up and take comfort, Spike, and let me take comfort too in knowing that at least one of us is gonna make it back home."

She gave him a pat on the shoulder, and they started down the road together.


"So," Scootaloo murmured as the Cutie Mark Crusaders stood together in one corner of the playground. "Applejack's gone, huh?"

"Yep," Apple Bloom said as she sat on the fence. "Spike too."

"Rainbow Dash left as well."

"And Rarity," Sweetie Belle added. "I don't know when we're going to see them again."

"Applejack told me not to worry," Apple Bloom said. "But how can I not worry about her, she's my sister."

"I'm sorry, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said. Of the three of them, it was Apple Bloom who definitely had it worse. Rarity was going into space, and that wasn't great but at least she'd have a ship with all its guns and armour and stuff to keep her safe and sound. And Rainbow Dash had been posted to New Canterlot, and there was no fighting there. It was only Applejack who was being thrown into the fire. Well, her and Spike too, she felt slightly ashamed for having forgotten about him.

"I don't understand it," Sweetie Belle said. "Wherever they had to go, why couldn't they have gone there together? They've always done all their amazing things together!"

"Maybe when Twilight was still around," Scootaloo replied glumly. "But not any more."

"Even without Twilight, they're still stronger together than they are apart," Sweetie Belle said.

"We all are," Apple Bloom said softly.

Scootaloo nodded. After a moment, so did Sweetie Belle.

"Crusaders?"

The voice came from Diamond Tiara, who approached the three of them with an unusual degree of diffidence in her voice and bearing, quite unlike her usual self-possessed and thoroughly self-confident self. Of course, since so much of that self had turned out to be an act, Scootaloo couldn't help but wonder how much of what they were seeing now was the real Diamond Tiara.

Whatever the case, the days were gone when the mere sight of her had filled them with foreboding of dread and feelings of hostility. She was a friend now, if not as close to them as they were with one another, and they were all able to muster smiles quite easily at her approach.

"Howdy, Diamond Tiara," Apple Bloom said. "There ain't nothing wrong, is there?"

"Oh, no, no," Diamond Tiara said quickly. "I just... I head about Applejack, and I wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you, that's all. If there's anything that I or my family can do, just let me know."

Apple Bloom nodded. "That's real kind of you, Diamond Tiara. I don't need nothing right now, but I'll remember it."

Diamond Tiara smiled, but before she could speak the school bell rang for the start of class.

"I suppose we'd better go in, hadn't we?" Diamond Tiara said, gesturing for them to go first.

All the colts and fillies filed in to school. The space pony students, mostly sons and daughters of the Starfleet garrison, all sat in one block at the back of the class; Scootaloo found it hard to escape the impression that they sat there to better keep an eye on everyone else. Diamond Tiara was not such a good friend that she felt any need to sit with the Crusaders, instead sitting on the second row with Silver Spoon. The Crusaders themselves could only find three seats on the second row from the back. Scootaloo could feel a space pony breathing down her neck.

Miss Cheerilee was sitting at her desk at the front of the class, next to the board. She had tears in her eyes, and the tracks were staining her cheeks.

"Is something wrong, Miss Cheerilee?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"No," Cheerilee replied, her voice trembling a little. "No, thank you, Sweetie Belle. I'm fine." She stood up and walked to the front of the class. "Welcome, children. Pipsqueak, would you lead the class in the pledge, please?"

One of the 'perks' of being student council president that Pipsqueak enjoyed since Equestria had become United Equestria was having to lead the class in the Pledge of Devotion. Pipsqueak stood up and walked around to stand next to Miss Cheerilee at the front of the class. He was so small that Scootaloo could hardly see him, but his voice managed to carry all the way to the back of the school room.

"All rise," Pipsqueak said, and there was much scraping of chairs upon the floor as everyone stood up.

Scootaloo couldn't see Pipsqueak place his hand on his heart, but she didn't need to see it as they had all done this so many times that they could recite the pledge by heart.

"I pledge that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty the Grand Ruler, child of the gods and rightful master of all things under heaven, his heirs, and successors. I pledge that I will, as in duty bound, honestly defend His Majesty the Grand Ruler, his heirs, and successors, in Person, Crown and Dignity, against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty the Grand Ruler, his heirs, successors, and appointed officers set over me. I pledge my faith, honour, service and life to United Equestria and do solemnly vow to give my life in its defence or service, if my life should be required." Strangely, it was the space ponies at the back who said the oath most quietly. Scootaloo suspected that, just as they sat at the back to spy on those in front of them, they spoke the pledge softly so that they could better listen to who was not saying it with gusto and enthusiasm.

Cheerilee's face twitched with something that might have been displeasure, or something stronger still, but she hid it well as she said, "Thank you, Pipsqueak. Thank you class."

"All sit," Pipsqueak said, and more scraping of chairs ensured.

Miss Cheerilee also returned to her seat. "Now, class, before we begin the lesson I must also complete another than... another ritual that is still infrequent for the moment. I have to inform you that two former students of this school have given their lives in the service of United Equestria.

"You are all probably too young to remember Lemon Drizzle, but I remember a very bright young filly with a passion for baking and a talent even greater than that of Pinkie Pie. Some of you may have fond memories of Theorem, who was a very intelligent and industrious student here only a few years ago. I remember that he was always driven, and always happy to help other ponies any way he could.

"They were both brave, loyal, good people. They both wanted to help others. That is why they both enlisted in Starfleet, where they gave their lives to protect all of us. For that, we should not mourn them, we should... we should..." Cheerilee sobbed, and for a moment Scootaloo thought she would break down in tears, but she rallied to finish. "For that we should celebrate them." She forced - and it was quite clearly forced - a smile onto her face. "And now, let us begin the maths lesson. Take out your books and turn to page thirty-seven."

Scootaloo opened her textbook. Her eyes were drawn to the exercise near the bottom.

If one Starfleet warrior can kill nine brutes, then how many brutes can ten Starfleet warriors kill?

Scootaloo sighed as Cheerilee began to talk about the lesson ahead.


Pinkie was looking idly out of the window as her train pulled in to the station at Trottingham when she saw a familiar figure standing on the platform.

"Maud," Pinkie murmured. She got up from her seat and made her way through the largely empty train to reach the doors as they slid open. "Hiya Maud! It is you, isn't it?"

Maud Pie looked at Pinkie. She was standing on the platform looking nervous, with her hands crossed in front of her, looking unusually agitated about something. She walked briskly towards Pinkie.

"Hey, Pinkie," she said, and though she looked a little nervous her voice was as still and calm as ever. "It's good to see you."

"What are you doing here? Did you come to say hi?"

"Can we talk on the train?" Maud asked. "I don't want to get stuck on the platform when it leaves."

"But then you'll be on the train with me."

"Yes. That's the idea."

"Cool!" Pinkie said, giving her big sister space to get on. "It feels like it's been ages since we've had a rail trip as sisters!"

"I don't think we've ever had a rail trip as sisters," Maud murmured.

"Then it really has been forever since our last one!" Pinkie cried. "So what made you decide that you wanted to ride on the trains with me?"

Maud blinked. "Can we sit down?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Pinkie said, bouncing happily as she led Maud to a pair of free seats. "It's so great to see you, Maud."

Maud smiled slightly. "It's wonderful to see you, too, Pinkie. Thank you for sending me that message letting me know where you were going. I've passed it on to Mom and Dad."

"Thanks," Pinkie chirruped. "So what made you decide to come down here and share a train ride with me? And what about your studies? How are they going?"

Maud was quiet for a moment. She shifted uncertainly.

"Come on, Maud!" Pinkie cried. "I'm your sister, you can tell me anything; you know that."

Maud looked her in the eyes. "I love you, Pinkie, but I'm afraid that this isn't purely a social visit."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I got kicked out of university," Maud said, her tone trembling on the verge of showing some emotion.

"WHAT?" Pinkie yelled, making everyone else in the train compartment stare at her. "HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO YOU? YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT ROCKS THAN ANYPONY ELSE IN-"

"Pinkie, you're supposed to say anybody," Maud said mildly. "And please don't shout. I can hear you just fine."

"But why did they kick you out?" Pinkie demanded. "Had you not done your homework or something?"

"My grades were consistently extremely high," Maud replied.

"Then why?"

"I was told that some of my mannerisms were off-putting to the other students, and that in my bearing and behaviour I was not the kind of model citizen that the university required," Maud said. "I can't imagine what they meant."

"So they expelled you because... because you didn't smile enough?" Pinkie yelled. "That is so... I love smiles more than anypony and even I know that that's wrong!"

"I didn't come here to look for sympathy from my little sister," Maud replied, her tone still not wavering from its general stillness. "I came here, because when they expelled me from university they also ordered me to attend a mandatory psych evaluation, and depending on the results they said I might qualify for state sponsored personality reconstruction."

"...Personality reconstruction?" Pinkie murmured, horror filling her voice.

"I think it's were they rewrite your brain to make you a better person," Maud said. "I've heard they use it on criminals sometimes. I... I'm scared Pinkie. So, when you told me you were going to Grevyia, I thought that maybe I could come with you. Because," her voice shook despite her control of it. "I know that some people look at me and they think that I'm slow, and I know that poems about rocks are outside the comfort zones of some people, and I know that maybe I could stand to be a better person but-"

She stopped, because Pinkie had flung her arms around her sister and hugged her tight, and burying Maud's face in Pinkie's luxurious mane.

"No, you couldn't," Pinkie whispered. "You're perfect to me, just the way you are."

Maud sobbed. "I'm scared, Pinkie. I don't want them to rewrite my mind. I don't want to not be me any more."

"Then it's a good thing were leaving United Equestria, isn't it?" Pinkie said. "Don't worry, once we get to Grevyia no one will be able to do anything about giving you any personality reconstruction, bleh!" the very idea revolted Pinkie to the depth of her very soul. Every pony was unique and special, every pony was a potential friend, every pony had their own smile that was theirs and for a party pony there was nothing more satisfying than seeing hundreds of smiles, each unique, each different, each special in their own way, beaming back at you as you brought joy to each and every one of them. To change people so that they were more like what you wanted them to be, to stamp out the uniqueness of them was wrong. It was...wrong. It sickened her.

What have we become? What are we doing? Twilight, how can we understand something like this? How can we live with it?

The only thing stopping Pinkie from expressing her revulsion was Maud. Her big sister had always been the strong one, the reliable one. But now her sister was relying on Pinkie, and she needed to be strong for her.

"Don't worry," Pinkie said. "I won't let anything happen to my sister. Everything is going to be just fine."

Author's Note:

The first part of the pledge that the kids recite (the bit pledging loyalty to the Grand Ruler) is taken, word for word in parts, from the oath given by volunteers joing the British and Dominion forces in the Great War. Shortly before my grandfather died we found his father's enlistment form, with that oath on it, and it made an impression on me. There's nothing sinister about the oath itself, just the fact that it is being given by children.

Next chapter will focus on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and will introduce a sympathetic Starfleet officer.

Rewrite Notes: More mostly low-key changes this time around, but a better look into what I've 'realised' about Rainbow Dash as I've been writing her. And keep an eye on that wild Twilight, she'll be important later.

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