The Unknown Daughter's Reunion:Part 1

by Disembodied_Pony

Chapter 8: Zero Hour

Coming closer to the flagship, they all took in it's grand size. Five times larger than any ship built to date.

Moon thought 'My little ponies made a village into a ship! well nearly.' This was exciting, she couldn't deny

After making two passes around it, the shuttlecraft made their way to the landing bay.

Seeing the captain and bridge crew waiting in the bay as they came in, the craft came to stop on the locking pads. Once all of the craft were inside, the outer door closed. Once the outer door was sealed, the pilots were cleared to open the shuttlecraft's doors and deploy the ramps.

Her highness unbuckled her harness, and followed Shadow Blade out to greet the crew.

Standing in front was Captain Solar Wind,
behind him, Comets Trail; his second in command,

In line was Commander Diamond Cut, navigator Trajectory, engineering ensign Warm Glow, ensign Trail Blazer, and ensign Forest Path

"Your highness, I welcome you aboard the Homecoming. We are at your service eminence" the captain greeted her

"Thank you captain, It's a pleasure to be here. How do you like your new ship? I hear tell they put nearly everything into it they could find?" she asked

"That, they did. We could even find a pin on your moon from here with the sensors they installed! In fact, we found a couple traces of plastics a considerable distance from the old landing site"

"That brings back such sweet memories. When my ponies first set hoof there, I was so proud!"

"Hopefully we'll make you some more this voyage. Another landmark occasion; the first of the empire to set hoof in a nation of other ponies" he offered

nodding "I have no doubt captain."

Moon had known the captain for many years now, having offered him the position as her personal flight crew captain. Before this, he's captain'd transport ships across the empire for over a decade, running passengers and supplies between the colonies.

"If you'd follow me your highness, we'll give you the grand tour!"

As the group left the landing bay, the rest of the ponies were dismissed and made their way to their quarters which would be their homes for the coming weeks, perhaps months.

After the tour, her highness was shown to her personal chambers. Where she parted ways with the captain and crew.

Walking through the door, she walked around the rooms and investigated the furnishings

'Truly, they spared nothing with this ship' she thought, in awe at the size of her chambers. Though slightly smaller than the one in her castle, it was by no means less extravagant.
This in fact not being an exception. In her tour, she was shown an example of a typical crew quarters. The interior space nearly that of a home, each.

---

The crew, returning onto the bridge, looked to the captain as he issued the order;

"Make to break orbit, lay in the course for the Equus Gate." he commanded.

The bridge officers tapping away at their consoles, the grand ship turned away for the green and blue planet, toward the blackness of space.

---

Watching her highness's shuttle lift off and into the sky; Ponies across the empire wished her good luck.

"There she goes.. And all of our best wishes go with her."
"Buzz? Aw, c'mere Buzz."

Indistinct words came from off camera

"No, nopony is going to mind a few tears on camera. You're fine, come on out here."

A teary eyed Buzz Word slowly walked into frame. Blowing loudly into a handkerchief.

"..iit's just so beautiful!" she croaked out

"It sure is" Her co-host smiled, looking at the pinpoints in the sky, on the monitor

---

Across space, even at distant colonies, ponies watched the feed live. Only a few hundred milliseconds delay between what was happening, and what they were seeing.

"Do you think they'll show the ship? I hear it's amazing!" a stallion asked, just to get a hoof to his leg

"How can you think of ships at a time like this?" the hoofing mare asked

"What do you mean?" he asked, offended

"This is such a beautiful moment, and your thinking about ships" she chastised him

"It is a beautiful moment. And now I want to see the amazing ship she's going to get there on." he defended himself

Shaking her head, she looked back at the monitor

'Good luck, your highness!' she wished her

Author's Note:

Thus ends Part 1; the lead up and beginning of the the mission.

Part 2 is the mission and reunion itself. As one would expect, the tone will be different, as our reformed villain returns to the place of her birth, over nine centuries of mystery and old wounds to be faced.
It will be intense compared to this one, with mature themes, so I've split them up.

Comments

[Disembodied_Pony]

11219844
I've gone back through my chapters and re-examined my "you"s. Hopefully I got them all?

[Legioner8]

So is this story complete?

[Disembodied_Pony]

11230289
Plot wise, yes. However I want to add something from the empires ponies' pov. Seeing their empress head off into the unknown, etc.
That's why I haven't changed the status yet, I feel it needs something 'a little more' to round it out