• Published 27th Jul 2016
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Harmony Among The Stars - tom117z



The ES Harmony, the pride of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Equestria's first FTL capable starship. It is due to make its maiden voyage to travel further than anypony before it, and yet its first mission... may be its last.

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9 - The Ship

Commander Iynx’s Personal Log, August 19th 3382 AD.

It has very nearly been a month since we first detected the mysterious object, and as predicted we are closing in on it rapidly. I am told that it should soon be mysterious no longer, as it will come fully into range of our damaged sensors. Once that happens we should be able to identify it; will it be a ship? A station? Some ancient piece of technology left behind by some ancient precursor race? That last one was Nimble Star’s theory, but it’s just as likely to be a sensor ghost or anything equally underwhelming.

Oh well, at least it has given something for the crew to focus on other than… everything else. For a while it may feel like we are actually exploring and seeking as we were supposed to do rather than simply surviving out here. There are actually a few quotes from griffon philosophers that could be given to this situation, too bad I’m not overly into that crap.

If whatever is out there is a ship, I hope it's friendly, we could all use a morale boost.

Then again, however damaged our sensors are they have shown the object has moved very little. Wouldn’t a ship have used FTL to leave by now? There is very little else of interest here, hay, even a sleeper ship running on thaumatic drive would have moved further. I think we are proof of that by this point.

I suppose only time will tell.


ES Harmony, Mess Hall



“I suppose only time will tell,” Iynx finished with a sigh.

The Commander was sitting in one of the ship's two mess halls, though it was the only one with a sealed environment, the other missing a few windows and part of the roof. This mess hall was located on the left hand side of the ship and was situated towards the bottom of the saucer at the very edges, and the window Iynx sat at offered a vast view of outer space.

Iynx pressed on the pad she held in her talons and ended the recording, a copy being saved to the pad and another being uploaded into the ship’s computer automatically along with all the other logs. Iynx placed the pad down onto the table and leaned back in her seat, her gaze turning towards and piercing out the window as if it could cause a micro fracture in the glass.

“If you’re trying to break the window, you might want to try a torpedo. It’s designed to withstand a lot,” Princess Twilight remarked, still without her regalia as Iynx noted, the only set she brought aboard being little more than a smouldering mess.

“Princess,” Iynx arose from her chair at her approach. “What do I owe the pleasure?”

“No need to stand on ceremony, I was just touring the ship seeing how my little ponies are coping,” Twilight explained.

“Not just ponies here, ma’am,” Iynx smirked, sitting back down.

“It’s a turn a phrase,” Twilight rolled her eyes in a very non-regal manner, sitting on her haunches the other side of the table. “You look tired, how are you holding up?”

“Tired?” Iynx blinked. “I suppose I am a little. Rough night, that’s all.”

“Nightmare?”

Iynx shrugged. “Perhaps, don’t remember it though. Doubt I’m the only one anyway.”

Twilight hummed. “It didn’t happen to involve singing sunflowers, did it?”

Iynx looked rather confused. “Um, excuse me?”

Twilight chuckled. “Never mind, just… reminiscing.”

“Alright…” Iynx said slowly. “It’s just a shame Princess Luna can’t reach our dreams all the way out here. Anyway, I was just adding to my personal log.”

“So I overheard. I must thank you for the suggestion to begin my own, it’s kind of like keeping a diary.”

“I find it hard to imagine you having a diary,” Iynx stated curiously.

“I did once,” Twilight responded. “A very long time ago, and it wasn’t just for me either. Still though, I imagine these logs are going to become an important part of history when we get home.”

“I can already feel the reporters stalking me,” Iynx shuddered. “I mean, launching the first FTL starship was already a big deal, but when this story breaks… Most won’t believe what they’re hearing.”

“It’s a once in a lifetime even to experience,” Twilight said. “Though for me it’s more like a Saturday, a very long Saturday albeit but still a Saturday.”

Iynx raised an eyebrow, though with a slight smirk. “What’s so great about Saturday?”

“Everything happens on a Saturday!” Princess Twilight laughed. “It gets rather… episodic at times.”

Iynx chuckled with Twilight for a few moments, before it died down. The Commander’s eyes moved over the mess hall as she looked towards the other inhabitants. There were very few at that time, just a few off duty ensigns and two other officers.

Silver Wrench and Geneser.

“Have you ever noticed those two spend quite a bit of time together?” Iynx asked.

“What, like you and Nimble Star?” Twilight smirked.

Iynx looked a little bemused. “And? He’s been a good friend since the academy, what of it?”

There was no deception from her, as Twilight noted. “Fair enough, so why is it odd they do?”

“Nimble and I talk regularly, making small talk or working on something ship related, occasionally over a meal in here when necessary. But those two always eat together, when off duty they are very rarely apart.”

Twilight gave a knowing smile. “So you noticed too? Cadance would have a field day with them.”

“So they…?” Iynx’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Silver Wrench and Geneser? He’s an engineer who seriously loves his job and she’s a zebra shamaness for crying out loud! What do they have in common?”

“Opposites attract, as some would say,” Twilight pointed out. “Besides, I don’t thinks its official or anything… yet.”

Iynx groaned. “Well as long as we don’t have a mini Silver Wrench who can only speak in rhymes running about I’ll leave them be…”

“I’m sure you will live, but if you are feeling left out I am sure Nimble Star will-“

“I’m going to stop you there,” Iynx deadpanned. “Where did you get your teasing streak from? Your mother or father?”

“Neither,” Twilight grinned. “I learnt a lot from my mentor.”

“I’ve heard the rumors,” Iynx grimaced, before glancing back to Geneser and Silver Wrench. “I wonder what they are talking about…”

Over at the other table, the unicorn and zebra were unaware of their onlookers, Silver Wrench had a childlike grin on his face while Geneser herself looked rather annoyed.

“Come on,” Silver Wrench pleaded. “Just one sentence, that is all I ask.”

“To not speak in rhyme, you ask of me,” Geneser glared at him. “I’m sorry, but it’s just not to be.”

“Come on,” Silver Wrench repeated. “You know you want to, I see the rebellious look in your eyes.”

“It is not a look of rebellion you witness, but disapproval to this childish business,” she dismissed.

“Please?”

“Stop this silliness, before I fall into a fit of dizziness.”

“Just one-“

“No matter how much you are maddening, it is simply not happening.”

“-sentence is all I-”

“Stop this, and allow me a state of bliss.”

“-ask for,” Silver Wrench finished.

“You have to be the most maddening stallion on this ship and I will not listen to this any longer,” Geneser decreed.

Silver Wrench sighed in defeat. “Very well, I’m sorry I… wait a second?”

“Yes?” Geneser asked casually.

“You didn’t rhyme then…” he realised.

“Didn’t I?” Geneser took a sip of her glass of water, a small smirk on her face.

“You did it again! You’re not rhyming!”

“You must be imagining things, Silver my dear,” Geneser stated. “Perhaps a result of your jeer?”

Silver stared at her for a few moments, before snorting in amusement. “Huh, I wanted this, but somehow you made me feel like the one being made fun of…”

Geneser gave a light hearted chuckle, with a small wink added in.

Silver smiled at her, leaning back in his chair slightly as he entered thought.

“Say, Geneser? Would you like to-“

He was interrupted as the intercom on the wall began to beep, and Silver Wrench and Geneser looked over towards the device as Princess Twilight answered it.

“Princess Twilight here,” she spoke into the intercom.

“Your highness, this is the bridge,” Nimble Star’s voice spoke out from the device. “Our sensors are finally beginning to pick the object up in greater detail, you may want to get up here.”

“On my way,” Twilight turned off the intercom, motioning towards Iynx to follow.

Twilight exited the mess hall, and as Iynx went to follow she passed on by Silver Wrench and Geneser’s table.

“If you two lovebirds are finished, we may be plenty busy soon,” Iynx smirked as she passed.

The unicorn and zebra both blushed as the griffon exited shortly behind the Princess.


“Nimble, report!” Iynx ordered as both she and Princess Twilight stepped onto the bridge.

“We’ve entered sensor range, we’re getting data in, more than enough to put it up on the view screen,” Nimble Star reported. “Orders?”

“Any sign of activity?” Twilight asked.

“None so far, but we are still receiving data so that may change,” Nimble responded.

Twilight nodded, looking towards the view screen.

“Alright then, put it up.”

The view screen shifted to an image of a small green coloured ship floated lifelessly through space. The ship was quite bulbous in appearance with two engines protruding closely either side of the hull. As the image panned it could be the ship had engines at the back of the ship as well as the two nacelles, though none were alight. They could also tell from the windows the ship was very, very small indeed. Around five to eight rooms maximum.

“A ship?” Nimble snorted. "What were the chances of running into a ship out here at sub-light?"

“Low,” Iynx muttered. “And look how small it is, could that thing really have FTL?”

“Technology does sometimes tend to get smaller the more advanced it gets,” Twilight noted. “It is possible it could have FTL capabilities.”

“Well I haven’t a clue,” Nimble sighed. “The ship, according to these readings, is running on minimal power. However, just like the ships that attacked us it isn’t magical in any way, none of the systems I can see are.”

“It certainly doesn’t look like the ships that attacked us,” Iynx observed.

“We could learn so much from a ship like this,” Twilight said in slight awe. “A ship able to run without magical assistance… Any life signs?”

Nimble pressed a few buttons and narrowed his eyes in concentration.

“There is still some interference so I can’t get an exactly accurate reading, though if this is correct I am reading a single life sign, maybe more but it seems to be only one right now.”

“One?” Twilight said in surprise. “Even with a ship that small I imagine there would be at least a few others on boards.”

“There is something else, Princess,” Nimble spun his seat to face her. “According to these scans, the hull matches up with the fragment we recovered from that debris field.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “The Sharin?”

“Potentially,” Nimble responded.

Twilight focused all her attention to the ship and statistics appearing on the view screen, taking in every detail.

“How long until we arrive?”

“A day,” Nimble stated.

Twilight nodded. “Prepare a boarding party in the meantime, I want to get on that thing.”

“Are you sure that is wise?” Iynx asked.

“They are on low power, drifting through space. They may be in trouble and I intend to help them if possible. Making at least one friend out here would be a victory in my book.”

Iynx nodded. “Understood, we’ll be ready on arrival.”


One year ago



A Sharin Scout Ship flew through space at warp six, on route to their homeworld many light-years away. The scout ship was a small vessel capable of warp six cruising speed and warp nine for short burst when necessary. Currently six crewmembers were aboard, all located on the bridge at the front of the ship.

The Sharin themselves were equine in nature, though lacked fur and had rather bony facial features with sharp looking points at the end of their ears. The crew wore black coloured uniforms with some dark blue highlighting.

“Status?” The Captain asked his tactical officer, who was at his station.

“Ship is running smoothly, deflector is at a hundred percent and everything is well.”

“Very good,” The Captain nodded. “We’ll be back home in no time.”

The helm officer shook his head. “The quicker, the better. Next time I better be assigned to a cruiser, this ship is far too cramped for my liking.”

“I don’t know, I think this ship is rather… charming,” the tactical officer remarked. “Besides, most of it was spent in cryo.”

“That’s the worst part,” he rebuked. “Give me a bed any day.”

“Come on, what’s a few weeks? You’d complain even more if we only could travel at warp one.”

The other four crew remained focused on their stations as the helm officer turned to the tactical officer.

“You would think that, you-”

A small alarm from the helm caught all their attentions, and the helm officer spun himself back around to see why it had sounded.

“There is a small destabilisation in the warp bubble, adjusting antimatter flow to compensate.”

More alarms began to sound as the while ship began to shake.

“No effect!” the helms officer reported with increasing alarm. “We’re going to shake ourselves apart!”

The Captain leapt from his chair and over to the help, looking over the readings.

“We need a solution, now!”

The chief engineer quickly left the bridge, heading towards the core towards the back of the ship.

“Captain!” the tactical officer shouted. “There has been a malfunction the warps core’s antimatter containment, adjusting the flow has only increased the issue! If we don’t fix this we risk a warp core breach!”

“Shut it down!” The Captain ordered.

“Attempting an emergency core shut down,” the tactical officer reported, face scrunching in concentration.

“We’re slowing. The core is beginning its shut down sequence,” the helms officer reported with a relieved tone.

The warp effect out the view screen began to dissipate as normal space came into view.

But then more alarms began to blare out loud.

“Captain!” the tactical officer reported. “There’s a power surge throughout the ship, I don’t think I can-”

Sparks burst from the bridge’s various panels, quickly followed by explosions rocketing throughout the vessel.

The ship jumped out of warp in the middle of space, starting to drift as its engines cut out.

The tactical officer awoke slowly, his vision fading in and out. Finally he came fully to consciousness, and a quick examination of himself revealed little injuries but a nasty bruise on his head from a piece of debris that had knocked him out.

Slowly and painfully he got to his hooves, and a loom around the bridge revealed the devastation. Everything was dark with little light to allow him vision, most of it coming from a few small fires. Most of the consoles were burnt out and wires hung from the ceiling, most notable was the smell of death in the increasingly stale air.

“Computer,” he croaked out. “Status report.”

A monotone voice spoke, albeit among static. “Hull integrity at twelve percent, life support is failing, engines are offline, communications are offline. Eighty three point three percent crew fatalities.”

“Eighty... that’s all but me,” the officer realised.

A quick search confirmed this, he found the bodies of the other four inhabitants of the bridge, and he could guess the final was in engineering.

“Warning, life support failing,” the computer warned.

The tactical officer had little time to mourn, he made his way out of the bridge and down the corridor, passing by two doors and going through the one straight at the end. Just as predicted he found the chief engineers body in there, the warp core itself was heavily damaged, though thankfully inert. He moved past here too, right to the room at the very back of the ship. Two large windows either side gave a view of empty space, and at the end a cluster of cryogenic pods waited.

“Computer, divert all power to cryogenic pod one, and save power so it will last for as long as possible.”

“Acknowledged.”

There was a chance he would never be found, but his people would search when the vessel failed to return home. So there was a chance, and he would take it.

As the ship began to darken further, the tactical officer stepped into the cryogenic pod and breathed steadily in and out as it closed down onto him. The air chilled as ice began to grip onto his skin, soon his eyes closed and consciousness left him.

Author's Note:

Here is the Sharin Scout Ship:

I've made the decision that while Equus will have thaumatic drive and FTL, all other non-magical more traditional races have warp drive and impulse full Star Trek style. The Sharin are loosely based on Vulcans after all... just without the hardcore logic.