Where no Sunset has been before

by FieryUnicorn42

If this the best of the worlds, where are the others? (It's a working title!)

Devastation, that was the first-word Sunset's brain was able to form after they stepped out the citadel gates. It was cold, not a single tree or creature to see, just debris of older buildings and the only sound she heard was the wind. She looks back to the gate and the citadel isn't there, only the black basalt arc that they crossed seconds ago remains.

"Where we are?"

Nova walks some steps and starts to talk. "The castle of friendship used to be right here. Over there where Sugarcube Corner used to exist, and I think you know how Ponyville used to be."

"This is... Equestria? It couldn't be true." Sunset sat on the ground feeling weak and Starlight sit at her side.

"But is. This probably was your Equestria, and I'm sorry for it."

"What happened?"

"We don't know. Each of us has different stories, but one thing is constant: One day Equestria will suddenly cease to exist and only one of us will remain."

They stay in silence for some minutes, while Sunset tries to process that her old world and probably all friends that she had there are now dead. Tears began to flow from her eyes, but she wipes them with her arm and starts to walk.

"Where are you going?" asked Sunrise worried.

"We came here to get on my ship and take medical supplies to heal Down. Once we're done this, you will tell me all that happened, so I can try to find a way to bring my friends back."

Fifteen minutes later, they see the spaceship crashing site. The ship's body was shattered, which means that they don't explode on the reentrance, but most probably during the landing procedure. The sun was setting on the horizon so Sunset looks to her watch and notice that is only 3 pm.

"Without somepony to control the night and day cycle, the day is a total mess, we only have something between 3 or 5 hours of daylight, sometimes we won't see the sun for weeks." Answered Nova to Sunset's unspoken question.

"And I thought that couldn't be worse. Look, the largest part of my ship's body is over there."

They walk four more minutes and when reach the ship front part is night already, Sunset closes her eyes lift her left hand and so a light sphere appears and floats around her, she then takes two steps back and almost falls.

"Gotcha" said Nova, "I didn't know that you could do magic in this form."

"Yeah, it's not a big thing." she said standing up again "I hope that medical section wasn't destroyed."

Sunset tries to open the docking bay from the outside, but there's no response. 'energy is completely off, I guess.' she thought.

"Girls, could you lift me to that broken window?" she said pointing upright.

Nova grabs Sunset in her magic, with Starlight doing the same with Sunrise and they float to the cockpit's inside.

"Watch your steps girls, I don't wanna you get a hoof injured."

Walking past a corridor, they reach the medical unit door and Sunset starts to type in some kind of equipment that Sunrise and Starlight don't recognize.

Starlight stands on her rear legs and looks inside "So, what's this?"

"An automatic medical treatment unit. It performs the majority of surgeries without human interference."

"I thought that it exists only in fiction" Said Nova approaching the machine.

"The first of it kind was finished ten years ago, that one is a 3.2 version."

The light suddenly turns on.

"Reinitiation complete. Running diagnostics."

"I'm glad that you are on-line again, HAL."

"It's nice to hear your voice again, captain."

Sunset notices confused looks on Starlight and Sunrise faces.

The young unicorn was the first to speak. "Where that voice is coming out? What it says?"

"What? You don't understand?" a click occurs on Sunset's mind, she and HAL are speaking English, not ponish!

"Don't worry girls, it's just HAL, an official of navigation and A.I. of the HARMONY ONE."

"HAL?"

"Yes, captain?"

"Change language to modern ponish."

"Language changed to modern ponish."

"Nice to meet you, captain's friends. Diagnostic complete."

"HAL, report."

"All the engines are offline. First reactor core: safe. Secondary reactor core: safe. Drones 2, 4, and 5 are operational. Drones 1 and 3 are offline. Unable to contact escape pod #1. Data loss of the last 16 hours, loading backup. Vital support with 73% of capacity. Dorm rooms 3 and 4 destroyed. Botanics: operational. Farm: operational. Kitchen: Not found."

"Aw man, I had an entire quesadilla on the fridge!"

Nova felt a shiver on her spine.

"Ok, HAL, why we crashed?"

A series of images are shown on the wall. Sunset and Down on the cockpit with fear in their faces. They run and reach the docking bay, they argue, Down punches Sunset's jaw and throw her in an escape pod. She punches a pannel, grabs the pod, and then disappears with a flash."

"Where's Dawn, Sunset?" HAL interrupts the silence and Nova and Starlight note sadness on its voice.

"She's alive, in a citadel a couple of miles west. We will put her in this crib and she will be totally ok. HAL?"

"Yes, captain?"

"I need a toolbox #3, and a portable power unit."

A rectangular aperture appears on the right wall and two boxes slide next to Sunset's feet.

"Come on girls, we have to take this crib to the citadel."

The girls loosen all screws from the crib's base and in less than five minutes, Nova and Starlight are levitating it.

"When Harmony one will be able to fly again?"

"About 36 hours, captain."

"Right. when you're done, track my signal and meet me in the citadel."

"As you with, Sunset."

"And, HAL."

"Yes, Sunset?"

"I swear to my life she will be fine, I promise.