The First Equestrian Starliner

by computerneek

Chapter 12

Author's Note:

Note to all who have been waiting for this chapter:

With the publishing of this chapter, I rewrote the end of the last chapter. To be more accurate, I rewrote half of the last chapter; I wasn't satisfied with how the ship handled the get-us-out-of-here order. So I rewrote.

You'll be safe if you start at the last horizontal rule of last chapter, about halfway through. If you don't go back to find out what I changed, this chapter isn't likely to make too much sense- but I'm pretty sure I put in enough hints for a non-backreader to at least have a general idea of what happened, without boring any backreaders to death.

Twilight wakes up.

At least, one could say she woke up. One could also say she was awakened.

In any case, she became awake very quickly when she hit the ceiling- just in time to twist herself in midair to bounce off the bed and catch herself against the ceiling, before floating back down to the ground.

Princess Luna is not as lucky. She became awake at the same moment, but had a slightly slower reaction time. As a direct result, she strikes her head on the headboard on the way back down. Unfortunately, this knocks her right back out again, before she bounces off the bed to hit the ceiling again, then the bed… before floating back up to the ceiling. Twilight might have levitated her back down to the bed, or utilized a quick spell to restore function to her craneum- but unfortunately, the purple alicorn rediscovered the pain of a broken horn instead.

Twilight shudders, watching Princess Luna float back up towards the ceiling in the dim, amber light, before blinking and coming to a more complete awareness. “What happened to gravity?”

The answer comes back a second later. “This vessel is operating on Critical Overheat Lockdown. All gravitational systems are necessarily offline.”

Then she blinks again, shaking her head and looking at her hooves, still stuck to the floor. Right, pegasus magic, she can walk on the ceiling. “What just happened?”

“System Failure Incident Repo-”

“A quick summary, please!”

“One minute ago, a Critical Fault was detected in the Thermal Distribution Grid, resulting in excessive temperatures in Magazine Four. Ammo Dump was 97.31% complete when thermonuclear cookoff occurred. Magazine Four and surrounding compartments lost. Zero casualties detected in immediate area; Princess Luna, Rarity, and Fluttershy have experienced severe head trauma from the resultant motion; no lasting damage detected. Rainbow has experienced a wing sprain from the resultant motion. Applejack has experienced a dislocated left shoulder from the resultant motion.”

Her eyes go wide as she starts walking towards the door- not trotting, her hooves will come free if she does that. “What about Princess, uh, Midnight?”

“Princess Midnight sustained no injury.”

“Right. How’s the ship?”

“This vessel is operating on Critical Overheat Lockdown. All noncritical systems are necessarily offline.”

---

Princess Midnight wakes up.

For her, it’s definitely a wakes up. She was fully awake even before she fully left the bed, no matter how fast that occured. Her legs reflexively lash out to grab onto something- and her unfamiliar wings somehow get involved in that effort. The thin blanket she’d found gets ripped in two by her unrestricted strength before the claws at the joints of her unfamiliar wings find purchase on the sides of the mattress.

The mattress that, for some reason, is firmly anchored to the frame- which, in turn, is anchored to the floor.

Thus, Princess Midnight effortlessly formed her own replacement for the inertial compensator even before she began actually processing the situation. By the time she does fully process her situation, the room has already stopped shaking- and her unmitigated strength has successfully held her firmly against the bed… At the expense of shredding the mattress. She shrugs, pulling her wings free of the mattress flipping herself quickly to the floor next to the bed- between it and the wall. A small space, from which she can kick off in almost any direction, should the need arise.

After all, she does have a lot of experience with emergency situations in zero gravity.

Next, she remembers that Princess Twilight’s ship is willing to talk to her no matter where she is- she doesn’t have to head out and find a bridge officer first. She’d verified last night- it actually is the ship, not somepony on a radio.

“Are we under attack?” She demands.

The response comes back instantly. “Negative.”

“Are we in danger?”

“Negative.”

“What just shook the ship?”

“Thermonuclear cookoff occured during ammunition dump.”

“Why the ammo dump?”

“Magazine Four was overheated as a direct result of a Critical Fault in the Thermal Distribution Grid.”

“Do any dumped warheads remain?”

“All dumped warheads will self-destruct at a safe distance in seven seconds.”

“Will we feel it?”

“This vessel may experience minor vibrations; maximum distance, zero point three millimeters.”

She waits about a second. “Have they detonated?”

“Affirmative. Resultant hull vibration is as expected; net vibration in Passenger Quarters is below measurable values.”

She raises an eyebrow. “I take it the passenger quarters are vibrationally insulated?”

“Affirmative.”

“So if we were in, say, the bridge, acceleration would have been lethal?”

“Acceleration from cookoff, as measured in the bridge, would be lethal for freestanding ponies.”

“Ponies?”

“The race to which all crew belongs to, and to which you appear to have been transformed.”

“Same race? Even though we look so different?” She glances back at one leathery, claw-tipped wing.

“Genetic match is ninety-nine point nine seven percent; phenotype difference caused by minor genetic differences. Genetic compatibility is confirmed.”

She blinks. She’d never understood much of what her scientists told her, only that it worked. The engineers were much easier to understand. “Uh, okay.”

Then she pauses, looking at the floor she’s standing on, and retracting her wings fully. She lifts a leg quickly, but stays attached to the floor… even though her mane- she never had one of those before- is floating everywhere in zero gravity. “Uhh… is there a personal gravity effect or something…?”

“This vessel is operating on Critical Overheat Lockdown. All gravitational systems are necessarily offline. Ground adhesive effect is intrinsic to all known pony breeds in possession of wings; often labeled ‘pegasus magic’.”

Blink. “Okay. Is everyone else okay?”

“Negative. As a direct result of the motion resultant from thermonuclear cookoff, Princess Luna, Rarity, and Fluttershy have experienced severe head trauma, Rainbow has sprained her wing, and Applejack has dislocated her left shoulder.”

“Ahh.” She puts her hoof back down. “Uh, how fast can I move without breaking the… whats-it-called effect?” She lifts the hoof again, waving it slightly.

“Ground adhesive affect appears to remain in full force at all times, provided at least one hoof remains in contact with the walking surface.”

“Alright.” She starts walking to the door. Then she pauses to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She figures sweat probably comes with the fur- and doesn’t remember it being quite this hot last night.

Then her hoof comes into contact with something attached to her forehead, sending a spike of pain straight into the same.

She gasps, shifting her hoof- carefully- to rub her forehead… and tracing out the solid object. Which she then traces out from her forehead with the hoof. “Wha- What’s stuck to my forehead?”

The answer is immediate. Again. “Nothing.”

She scowls. “Then what is this?”

“Your horn.”

“My… Horn.”

“Affirmative. Direct thaumic manipulation through the horn, most commonly expressed in levitation, is an ability intrinsic to all known pony breeds in possession of horns; often labeled ‘magic’.”

She blinks. “So… In my transformation, I’ve not only gained a natural weapon in my tail, but a natural… do anything device sticking out of my forehead?”

“Affirmative. Thaumic manipulation is limited by the manipulator’s specific capacity.”

“... Ahh. And that would be?”

“No known metric applies to such capacities. Specific capacities of breeds in possession of both horns and wings are notably higher, on the order of three orders of magnitude, than that of breeds in possession only of horns.”

“... So, very, very high.”

“Affirmative. Your capacity is comparable to that of Princess Luna, the second-greatest on record.”

Blink. “Who has the greatest?”

“Princess Celestia.”

Another blink. “Uh, how many princesses do they have?”

“Four. Only two are aboard.”

“Ahh… Um, you mentioned some lockdown status earlier. What’s that mean?”

“This vessel is operating on Critical Overheat Lockdown. All noncritical systems are necessarily offline. Critical Overheat Lockdown was set upon reaching Critical Overheat status.”

“Okay. How long until we cool down?”

“Expected release of Critical Overheat Lockdown, twelve point seven nine days. Expected return to safe operating temperatures, one point three six months. Expected return to normal operating temperature, three point seven three months.”

Comments

[LostArchivist]

Well, that's more boring (I am guessing the Bridge would normally be safe as well, but the protections are down to save energy? It seems silly to make the main command center less safe otherwise...). It does, however, answer my questions of whether or not she was a "princess." Yes to both cases, apparently...
I wonder what her aspect is?

On the upside, they only have to teach their new member of the Illumarenati how to cast "Cure Major Wounds" and the prosthesis issue can be solved for good.

[computerneek]

9270608
Yet, with Luna not being able to cast that spell and Rarity being reportedly unable without going back to Equus to study... Oh, and with Twilight being unable to demonstrate. Oh yes, that'll go smoothly.

XD Plot ideas, yes!