• Published 6th Apr 2019
  • 1,537 Views, 594 Comments

Distant Reflections - David Silver



Equestria and Everglow have brushed against one another through the course of their histories, each time fleeting, but memorable to those involved. Many many years later, the unaging Twilight captains a space vessel to explore the universe.

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39 - Responsible Adult

The door chimed in a different way than it did on most of the doors in the ship. Belle had bothered to select a specific jingle she liked, a soft striking of a faux wind chime. "Octavia Melody," spoke the computer, announcing who had done it.

Belle nodded towards the door. "Let 'er in," she beckoned with a little wave of a hoof.

It slid open, allowing the alicorn to trot inside. "Ah, there you are. It's been... quite some time." She closed right on Belle without delay. "Bullette Belle, as I live and breathe. You did so much, for us, and I never thought I'd have this opportunity."

"What opportunity are ya hopin' for?" Belle asked with an inclination of her head. "Yer friendship file's still open."

"To thank you." She sat down a short distance away, studying Belle with one flickering ear. "You... sound different."

"Huh? Nah." Belle waved it away. "Yer welcome!" She hopped up to her hooves, tail wagging. "We're still friends, right?"

"You just said my friendship file is open," she noted with a little smile on her face. "So you know the answer to that."

"That don't tell me if my file is open." She pointed a hoof at Octavia's chest. "Is it?"

"How could I ever?" She inclined her head to the left before she shook it gently. "No, I never forgot you, Bullette Belle. A brave and wonderful person, you rescued us from a world that didn't much otherwise care if we lived or died." She stood up tall. "I even remember your distinctive robotic mode of communication, which appears to have entirely fled you."

"Oh, uh, just testin' new, uh, vocal whatsits. Routines! That's the thing." Belle hopped in place. "Sure is nice to see you again!"

"Bullette Belle," spoke Octavia in stern tones. "Or should I say, Error No Name, I insist you cease your deceptions right this instant."

"She's on to us!" suddenly squeaked out of a nearby closet before Belle fell out of it with a clatter of metal. "Abort mission, abort mission!"

The other Belle chuckled softly. "Ah told her it wouldn't work, but whattaya gonna do? Say no, to her? Can't do that." She shook her head lightly. "Ya got me." With a flicker, Belle ceased to be, replaced by the larger form of Error. "Hey there."


When Octavia had moved off, Twilight was ready to go too, at least until soft paws grabbed her by the shoulders and stilled her. When Octavia had gone, the door closed behind her, Remi pulled the princess back. "Not so fast. I wanted to talk to you, alone."

Twilight looked over her shoulder at the hermaphroditic fox. "What could you want to ask me that you couldn't ask in front of Octavia? I'm given to understand you two have begun a relationship, so it couldn't be that."

"One, that's not true. A little poly didn't hurt anyone."

Twilight's eyes half-lid in skepticism. "A little 'poly' has hurt countless ponies. I've had to counsel quite a number of hurt stallions and mares over the years because their partner was not as faithful as they had promised."

"There you go, assuming I made promises." She ran a claw along Twilight's back. "You're also assuming that's why I stopped you. You do have a nice round bottom that hasn't been tapped in gods-only-know how many... Wait, have you ever?"

Twilight began to color as embarrassment and scandal played across her features in competition. "We are not that close of friends." She looked to the left before it came to her. "You don't have enough friendship points to ask that."

Remi burst into yips of laughter, pulling Twilight back as she sat, soon having a pony in her lap. "You weren't joking when you said Belle was helping you. She's already rubbing all over you."

"It's not my fault she has a very direct way of communicating this social situation." Twilight rubbed her left cheek with a hoof, peering at Remi. "You seem to... be ready to ignore such requirements. I feel certain that if I did not enforce them from my side, you would ignore them entirely."

"That makes me sound like a nasty thing." Remi shook her head firmly. "If you're not interested, that's that. I don't have fun with unwilling targets. But you're alright with a little petting, hm?" She stroked down Twilight's sides and petted down the fur of her rump, caressing her shamelessly.

Twilight vanished, appearing several feet closer to the door. "Stop that! We're barely... friends. A pony's cutie mark--"

"--Cutie mark? That's what those are called? That is... adorable." Remi did not chase Twilight, remaining where she was. "Look, you ponies are like walking sugar with how sweet you are. I want to get to know you better. Is that bad?"

"Touching me without permission, yes, that's bad." She huffed, nostrils flaring. "Wanting to get to know me, no... That's not bad. Can we have one without the other?"

Remi held up her paws. "You can stay over there, well out of touching range, if it bothers you. You weren't shy about the brushes, coming or going."

"Grooming is not the same thing," Twilight hotly denied, huffing and stomping. "Speaking of that, you didn't say if the job had been satisfactorily complete."

"Going to confess," Remi smiled gently, her eyes roaming Twilight. "I enjoyed the act. My fur is nice and glossy too, so a double win right there. Now, really, you came here looking for something. I can smell it."

"This I doubt." She pointed at Remi. "What did you 'smell'?"

"We're all aliens." Remi shrugged as she sat up. "You don't know what I smell or not. You have the stench of desperate loneliness."

Twilight's cheeks lit up. "I do not!"

"Do so, all over." Remi wriggled her fingers. "It's kind of obvious. If you didn't, why are you still here after being touched in a way you don't want? You could have marched off. You could have at least demanded an apology. Instead, here we are, talking."

"I was trying to be nice." She turned for the door. "But that's obviously not wanted." She trot for the door firmly, at least she thought so.

Remi watched the pony stiffly march out the opening door, letting her go. "It'd hurt her feelings anyway," she decided once it was closed. She'd be happy with her Octavia. "Better balanced anyway." Which was entirely her fault, she decided more silently.


"We are en route," noted Dawn Event, tapping at unseen buttons. "The object has not responded to our approach."

Steel shook his head slowly. "I would be surprised if it did this far away, but keep an eye on that and alert if that changes. Also, stop our approach immediately. No reason to set off any alarms if it seems upset by us."

"Which will be impossible to tell," added Fast. "At least right away. Better to stop and take stock of the situation if it begins reacting."

Soft agreements echoed as the plan was set in motion.

Wandering leaned back. "While we're waiting, another issue appears to be arising, captains." Both captains looked towards him. "We have a champion interacting with a different generation of herself." He gestured at the main screen and an image popped in, showing Spike walking down a hallway, flanked by Sonja, with another, younger, Sonja riding him. There was no audio.

"I set a monitoring task to inform me if different generations were in contact for an extended period," explained Wandering with a sheepish smile. "You know how it can cause... issues."

Steel frowned, watching the video. "This ship is, in many ways, unnatural. We aren't supposed to meet those who come before, or after, but in such a small place, it's impossible to entirely avoid."

Fast waved a hoof at the main screen. "They look so happy! Why would we stop that? I thought the problem was the two getting into fights."

Steel rubbed behind his head. "When I encountered my younger during the away time, we both felt awkward and uncertain, but she had diverged sufficiently from the... template for a lack of better word, that I didn't feel she challenged my identity, and I don't think I caused that feeling in her. It was more like we were cousins, rather than looking into the eyes of my clone."

The feed suddenly cut out. Several sets of eyes went to Wandering, who was shaking his head. "I didn't do it. They were moving to a private location; Spike and Twilight's quarters. Continuing to watch would be a violation of privacy."

Fast leaned back in her chair. "Let them have their fun. If they're not hurting anything, I say leave them alone. Besides, Spike seems to have taken a liking to her. He brought her to the bridge, if you recall."

Under chuckled at that. "Difficult to forget. She is too young to keep quiet, and he is too lax a parent to force the matter. Still, they both seemed happy with the other's presence."

Dawn's left ear quivered. "Only the gods know where this will lead. For us mortals, we can only watch, and prepare."


Spike sank down on his bed and Young Sonja sprang off of him. "Well, hey, welcome." He swept a hand out. "My place. It isn't much, but..."

"I've seen it," noted Older Sonja, moving directly for some of his carefully assembled figures and studying them. "Still, seeing it... outside a memory is different. The memories are so fresh, I feel like I've been here before." With a careful hoof, she picked up the little ship, balanced preciously between hooves not meant for fine manipulation. "You were quite proud of this one, Spike."

"I still am." He watched her intently, eyes darting between the figure and the hooves holding it. "Uh, like it?"

"I told you it was--"

"I said things. This is your first time here," corrected Young Sonja, sticking out her tongue at her older self.

"Right." Older Sonja put it down where it came from. "I like it. It shows you have precision, and that happens to be a quality I favor." She turned towards Spike. "It must be so confusing for you, in a different way. I can focus on my current, but your current is hundreds on hundreds of years. How do you live so long without going insane?"

Spike inclined his head. "The same way. I focus on the current. Just because I don't have a death to book end it, doesn't mean I can't draw lines in the sand." He tapped his chest. "Boarding this ship was a new start, so I don't think that much about before-that unless I have to. I became a new Spike when I left our old ship, met you all... Started doing new things." A little smile spread on his face. "It's a good life."

Young and Older Sonja both let out an aw in sync, moving to touch noses to Spike. The older went for nose to beak, the younger touching his side, both pleased with their friend/boyfriend. Spike was caught between them, chuckling softly. "I... could get used to this, sure. Oh! Hey, I kinda have a roomie." Both backed a step. "Twilight, remember her?"

Young Sonja rolled her eyes. "That nerd?"

"Dweeb, more like," corrected Older Sonja. "What did you see in her?"

"She's my adopted sister," he huffed. "She took care of me, and I took care of her. We're family."

Older Sonja had the sense to at least look embarrassed. Younger Sonja did not have that drive. "She's so nerdy!"

The door slid open without a sound. The reason became clear as Twilight trotted inside. "Hey, Spike. I'm b--" She cut off abruptly, coming to a halt on spotting the two zebras in her room. "Is... Am I interrupting?"

Spike's face lit up. "It's not what you think?!"

Twilight fixed him an amused look. "That never makes it sound better. Spike, kindly explain."

Author's Note:

Can roommates work like this? I hear it has before...

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