> Skyborn
>  by That Avi Nerd
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Back To School
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aurora Borealis sat patiently in her seat, waiting for her morning lecture to begin. The white pegasus brushed her cyan and blue mane out of the way of her cobalt eyes so that she could better see her teacher. From her spot on the edge of the thirteenth row, only a few rows away from the wall, it was difficult to make out the canary colored earth mare, let alone the board. Though at the top she could make out the title, Sophomore History, written in bold white chalk.

"I heard that this is the worst class this year," a mare's voice whispered it's way into Aurora's flicking ear from the seat net to her.

She leaned towards its source: a pink unicorn who sat next to her. "My sister said it's basically an extension of all those stories we were told as foals," she replied in a hushed voice. 

"I think I like the stories better," came a third voice from behind Aurora and the unicorn, "we weren't graded on those." The orange stallion leaned in, placing his head between the two mares'. His black mane dominated the right side of Aurora's vision. They were her foal-hood friends Rose and Buck, with special talents in writing and astronomy respectively. Auroras special talent was, well, nothing. A far cry from her unicorn and earth pony friend. And everyday the other classmates reminded her of that.

"Nah," said Aurora, "this'll be a piece of cake. Now chemistry, that's what'll give me trouble."

A gray coated unicorn in front of her turned in her seat, leaning nonchalantly on the back of the chair. "I've got chemistry in the bag," she bragged, looking through the side of her silver mane. "Along with every other class this year... again!"

"We can't all have a cutie mark in studying." It was all Aurora could do to keep from sticking a hoof in Crystal Star's mouth. The uptight filly seemed to instantly memorize information from books, making her high school experience a breeze. She often used it to her advantage, along with several other outside influences.

"At least I have a cutie mark. Actually, you just might have one now that I think about it. It's nothing! Get it? Because that's what you're good at! Nothing!"

Aurora leaned forward in her chair, ready to leap forward and grapple the unicorn to the point that her gray coat turned blue! Rose's arm stretching across her chest was theonly thing that manage to stop her.

"She's not worth it, Aurora," Rose tried to calm everything down before it got even further out of control.

"Just what are you going to do?" Crystal Star dared her. "I'll just have my daddy fire your hard working mummy. I'm sure he can find somepony who's better suited to push a mop!"

"Okay, now she's worth it," Rose growled, releasing her arm from Aurora's chest. Just as she did, the pegasus began to raise her wings, readying herself to strike.

"Is there something you three would like to share with the rest of the class?" Aurora stopped under her teacher's voice. The canary mare's glare was more than enough to snap their attention away from each other and onto her. However, the rest of the class was staring at the offenders. 

"No, ma'am," the three said in unison.

"Excellent. Now, let's start off class the right way, shall we?" Everypony settled into their seats, preparing their materials to take notes with. "Good morning, class."

Aurora used the drone of the bustling class room to cover up her cursing, "Privileged brat," to the back of Crystal Star's head. The gray unicorn may have been book smart, but everything she's read has done nothing to teach her a good attitude. Her father didn't help. He was the district director, thus having a large amount of money and power. Money and power that Crystal Star leached off of.

Lost in her mental rage, Aurora found herself scrambling to pull out her own notebook as Miss Parchment began her lecture.

"As you may have deduced," she began, walking over to the board with a piece of chalk, "in this class you will be learning pony history leading up to the Navis Project, which we will learn more of in the next semester. But in particular we will be focusing on what's known as the Celestial Era."

"Excuse me, Miss Parchment?" A pony in the second row raised their hoof.

"Yes? You have a question?"

"Sorry, but is that the era where Princess Celestia banished Nightmare Moon forever?"

"That's very good! The Celestial Era began at that moment in history and extended for about a thousand years! Can anypony tell me where he went wrong, though?"

Aurora raised her hoof, but Crystal Star blurted out the answer none-the-less, "Because she was only banished for a thousand years."

They gray unicorn turned and smiled coyly at Aurora. When sure faced back to the board, the pegasus merely rolled her eyes. Not like literally everypony knew the answer already, she thought to herself. Aurora wasn't necessarily angry, just frustrated. Everypony already knew most of the stories from the Celestial Era anyway! Hay, she was a fan of the stories surrounding the Elements of Harmony and their Bearers herself. It was Crystal Star thinking that somehow she'd become more popular if she was the one who said it. If anypony else had blurted it out, they would have been yelled at. Her father was half the reason she even got away with so much in the first place! Not because she was smart.

Miss Parchment scribbled on the board, small fragments of chalk breaking off here and there. 

"Once upon a time, about twelve hundred years ago to be exact, in a region that was known as Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. To do this..." Aurora tuned the teachers out for a bit. She already knew this foal's tale. Her mother used to read it to her constantly. 

The eldest sister controlled the sun; the youngest the moon. The youngest became jealous of the attention her sister got because all of the ponies were asleep during her nights. Eventually the youngest rebelled against her sister so Celestia sent Luna to the moon and a thousand years later she came back and tried to over throw Celestia again but was stopped by the Elements of Harmony, again, and transformed from Nightmare Moon back into Princess Luna blah blah blah. The good thing about knowing the story was knowing when to pay attention again.

"...and harmony had been maintained in Equestria for generations since. But that came to an end. Two hundred years ago, Nightmare moon escaped. One particularly talented unicorn managed to stop her with some help. Can anypony tell me who that was?"

Aurora saw Crystal Star opening her mouth and took her chance. "Twilight Sparkle, the student of Princess Celestia who went on to become the Princess of Magic," Aurora spoke confidently.

Miss Parchment furrowed her eye brows, foreshadowing what was to come. "Aurora!" she barked, "do not speak without raising your hoof and being called upon!"

"But!—"

"No buts! Am I understood?"

"Yes, Miss Parchment..."

The teach went back to her lecture while Crystal Star tried to contain her snickering. Thought it was obvious that she wanted Aurora to hear her.

This is going to be a long year... The pegasus slipped down into her seat.



"I thought this day would never end!" Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, hovering above her friends as they pushed their way out of class. The three ponies found themselves standing in a vast yet enclosed space.

The Eighth Ward, District Two. Mainly a commercial ward, it was home to only about fifty ponies. Stuck in what was known as the Interior, the parts of the ship inside the primary envelope that had no view of the outside world, the conditions were less than optimal. 

Wooden homes and business lined both sides of the street. Lights shinned down from the ceiling forty feet above, set to a day/night cycle. At night, they'd shut off and street level lamps would turn on. When it was supposed to be dark out, the upper lights would shut off, and lamps that were at street level flickered on. There was no dusk or dawn for the ponies in the Interior.

The Interior Districts aboard Navis 7 were comparative to slums. Districts One was more residential, with some commerce; while District Three was primarily agricultural and industrial. The mid-ground, District Two, had a mix of both One and Three. It had the hospital, a library, and... that's about it. Each District had its own school. District Two's being in the Eighth Ward. The school was a multistory structure that served students ranging from pre-school to seniors in college. 

"Should we go topside today?" Rose was referring to Districts Four through Six on the top of Navis 7, the only districts with a complete view of the sky, and usually where the upper echelon of Navis 7's society lived. The remaining Districts, Seven through Ten, were each their own separate external pods attached to the bottom sides of Navis 7, allowing the only view o the ground for mos common ponies.

"Nah," Buck said, "let's go to District 8. We could meet Flora for lunch."

"Are you ever going to ask her out?" Rose elbowed Buck's shoulder. She and Aurora both teased him all the time about the crush he held on the green earth pony.

"Well... maybe I'll do it today. I don't know..." He was tracing circles on the floor with his hoof.

"All the more reason to go there, then," Aurora said. "Come on, my mom wanted me to stop by home before we went anywhere first." She led her friends down the street, still hovering despite being weighed down by her school bags.

Being a pegasus on Navis 7 was difficult for her; access to the outside was strictly off limits, and the wards had limited airspace. In Layman's terms: there wasn't really anywhere for a pegasus to stretch their wings. The largest open space on Navis 7 was the central atrium, between Districts Two and Three, essentially acting as a park. But even that was too constricting. To fill her need for flight, Aurora rarely walked wherever she went. Often times she'd get weird looks from passing ponies, as if she were the odd one for actually using her wings.

After a few blocks the trio arrived at the wall between Wards Seven and Eight. A large arch served as the passageway, allowing an easy flow of ponies between the two Wards. It was equipped with a gate that could be shit in the event of an emergency. Aurora and her friends still had to go over one ward, then down two more levels to get to the First Ward, where she lived.

As it happened, her home sat next to the junction that connected District Two to Districts One, down to District Eight, and up to District Four. Allowing her an easy access to all sides of the ship. It was one of the reasons her father had chosen that location. That, and District One, which was closer to his place of work, was full at the time.

"I'm home!" Aurora called inside, opening the door. She sat her bags down next to the door where her friends waited while she tended to her business.

Three steps into the living room and she was tackled to the ground by a blur of blue. She rolled a few times before ending up on her back, with somepony standing on the top of her, pinning her legs and arms to the ground.

"Hey, sis," the blue pegasus said cheerfully.

"Oh, hey Andromeda," Aurora tried to push her elder sister off, but simply didn't have the strength too. "Wanna get off so I can go talk to mom? Please?"

"Nope! You're going to talk to me first. How was your first day?"

"Fine, I guess."

Andromeda frowned. "Crystal Star?" Aurora looked away, and Andromeda sighed. "Want me to go beat her up again?"

"No... it's fine."

"I do, though," Rose said from the doorway.

"But seriously," Aurora continued, "can you get off?"

"Not until you tell me where you're going!"

"Ugh... Mom!"

"Andromeda," their mother called from the kitchen, "get off of your sister and come help me with supper!"

"Aww," the blue pony sighed, "you haven't been any fun since you started high school."

"Nope!" Aurora said confidently. "Now, get off."

Andromeda reluctantly released her sister. Aurora followed her into the kitchen, where their mother was standing next to the stove, using her magic to help cook something atop it.

"You wanted to talk to me, mom?" Aurora stepped up to the cyan unicorn's side.

"Where is it that you plan on going tonight?" she asked, tilting her head slightly towards her daughter while still keeping her vision focused on the meal.

"Well, Buck wants to go see Flora, so we figured we'd go see if she was up for lunch."

"Oh?" Her head perked up as she looked at the entrance between the kitchen and living room. "Are you going to ask her out this time, Buck?" she called in to him.

They couldn't see it, but Buck's face was turning almost as red as Rose's mane.

"We're gonna get him to try. Now what'd you want? We need to go soon..."

"Not so fast young lady, I need you to take this to your father first." She used her magic to levitate a silver metal lapel pin over to Aurora. It was the ship's insignia, a phoenix with its wings spread, rising out of ashes. A vital piece to his duty uniform.

"Why can't you bring it to him?" Just as her sentence was finished, Aurora's ears were pierced by a high pitched scream. She looked for the source and saw Rose tossing a unicorn foal into the air. "Oh... Comet, that's right."

"Three weeks and you still haven't gotten used to your little brother yet,  huh?"

"I haven't gotten used to the lack of sleep... Why can't you just send Andromeda?"

"I've got class tonight, twerp," the blue pegasus entered the kitchen, pushing her way past Aurora while bumping her to get to an already made sack lunch before exiting again. "See ya guys later!" she said as the front door closed behind her.

"Does dad really need this?"

"Yes, really. He's already called home about it twice. Now go, the fore-deck pass is on the table."

"But mom... I want to go hang out with Rose and Buck."

"And you can! After you give your father his badge.

"Fine." Aurora groaned, turning to head into the living room. On her way out she grabbed a plastic card attached by a red lanyard off of the table, placing it around her neck. The pass allowed her access to some parts of Navis 7's fore-deck. Enough for her to get to her dad's office, at least. "I gotta go run an errand..." she said as she hovered over to her friends, both of whom looked disappointed. "Meet you guys there?"

"Yeah," Buck said. Rose nodded and set Comet back on the ground for him to rampage elsewhere. "See you later."

Aurora followed them outside, shutting the door behind her. Where her friends turned left down the street towards District Eight, she flew to the right, to District One. The border between Districts were larger than those between Wards. The size accounted for the security checkpoint stationed there. At this point in the day, it was congested with ponies on their way home from work or school. It didn't matter to Aurora; she just flew over them.

"Aurora, get down!" a security guard at the border yelled at her. Most of the guards surrounding District Two were fairly familiar with her, and all usually in the same way. "You know flying at altitude is prohibited!"

She rolled her eyes and went on her why. It wasn't like he was going to leave his post and chase after her, again. Not during rush hour at least. 

It was a thought that often occupied her mind, but she never really under stood it. Just why can't we fly like we were born to do? On Navis 7, hovering was allowed, and she took full advantage of that, but anything above ten or so feet wasn't, for what ever reason. Maybe because the Overseer was an earth pony and was jealous. Or maybe he just didn't see a point to it. She didn't know. Either way, she didn't care.

As she made her way forward through District One, the air became more clear. With less factories as District Two, and an added bonus of being on the front of the ship where they got the freshest air from the vents. After passing through several Wards she reached the border between District One and the fore-deck. A solid metal door separated the two areas, with security guards on either side.

"Pass?" the guard asked her, looking her over mane to hoof for anything suspicious.

Aurora held up the pass that was around her neck so that the guard was able to examine it in greater detail.

"And what's your purpose here this time, Aurora?" Her name wasn't on the pass; the guard was just familiar with her from all the other times she had visited Navis 7's fore-deck.

"Dad left his badge at home," she showed him the silver object in her hoof.

"Again?" 

"Again."

"Yeah, he's been ducking the brass all day so he wouldn't get caught without it." The guard help up his own badge card that was around his neck and swiped it in a reader slot next to the door. There was an electronic beep as the door slid open. "Make it quick, though," he warned. "The Overseer is out and about today and you know how he feels about civilians on the fore-deck, pass or not."

Aurora nodded and walked into the passageway. It was considerably smaller than Ward she was just in: about the size of a regular hallway in some regular 'ole building. Corridors like this crisscrossed all over the front of Navis 7, creating the fore-deck. Doors lined both sides of the halls with names of ponies or departments on them. Her fathers looked like one of these, but was up a few decks and still more forward. She passed several of the ship's crew along the way, all wearing the same light blue and black two-toned button up uniforms. White chevrons on their arms indicated enlisted personnel; bars for officers. None of them paid her any mind. It wasn't uncommon for Aurora to be seen meandering about this part of the ship.

With time she reached a corridor with a blue sign hanging from the ceiling with "A.I.R. Team H.Q. written in white lettering. Each Navis-Class ship had teams that would venture outside of the ship to take out ice that built up on the air frame. The ship had an automatic de-icing system that would normal take care of it, but that system was high maintenance and as a result was down, a lot, or it didn't work because too much ice had built up for its capabilities.

Manual De-icing Teams regularly patrolled the outer envelope and glass for ice. But every-so-often between MDT sweeps, too much ice would build up. If it caused problems, like on the control surfaces, or rotors, or puncture a hole in the envelope, the Advanced Ice Response Team would take over. Armed with picks, de-icing chemicals, and various materials, they'd remove the threat and repair the damage it had caused. Made up entirely of pegasi, this team possessed the most dangerous job on the ship.

The walls here were a different color than elsewhere, a perk of their high tier status. Written on white letters against the blue walls on the right side of the corridor was the inscription, Through these halls, rests the fate of the future. Other sayings could be found on the other walls throughout this section of ship.

Aurora took a deep breath, continuing forward on the ground through what she considered to be sacred halls. This was the only place she wouldn't fly aboard the ship, purely out of respect and appreciation. She wasn't one of them, not yet, she reminded herself. And even with a full fore-deck pass like hers, not many civilians were tolerated on this deck. So her dad being on the team gave her an added advantage.

A few rights and a left later, Aurora slowed her walk to better see the contents of the ceiling above her. The names of every perished AIR team member was carved into its own individual tile. Being the highest deck on the interior of the ship, these ponies' names were above all. Watching over the ship, even in death. At the start of the hall were the names of the first to die, long ago when the ship was first launched. By the time she got to the end she began to recognize some of the names, friends of her father mostly.

Near the end of the hall an earth pony had climbed to the top of a ladder and was chiseling away with a hammer at a fresh tile. Dust fell onto his formal dress uniform as he chipped in a name; the most recent casualty. LCPL Caelum, Team Two. KIA 01-30-1207. He carried us, so we may carry on. Her brother. Killed just over a week ago when an ice pick was ripped out of another pony's belt by a wind gust, tearing into his wing. Nopony could get to him in time before he disappeared beneath the clouds behind Navis 7.

It took Aurora several minutes to realize that she was standing in the middle of the hall watching as his name became one of many.

What brought her out of the trance was the earth pony asking, "Know him?" as he finished.

"Yeah..." Aurora sighed, proceeding on with her head bowed.

The hall she was in led to a T junction, with paths going left and right. She was interesting in the door directly ahead of her. It was silver in color with Captain Aries, AIR Team Commander, written in bold black letters. Aurora stood in front of the door, in the pest position of attention she could muster. Raising her hoof, she rapped on it three times.

"Enter," came a stallion's voice from inside. Slowly she opened the door and did as told.

A blue carpet provided a soft surface to stand on. The door was centrally aligned with the rest of the room. On either side were three chairs pushed up against the wall. Various paintings and posters of the ship and the AIR Team covered three walls in equal parts. A black desk sat in the center of the room, pushed back more towards the far wall, which was a single bay window. In one corner of the far wall, stood the blue AIR Team flag; in the other was the ship's red flag. Behind the desk in a black roller chair sat a gray coated pegasus will a mane that resembled Aurora's.

"Dad?"

The stallion looked up from a stack of papers, setting down his ink pin. "Aurora? What are you doing here?" She walked across the carpet, passing over a giant white version of the ship's insignia that went from the door to the desk in length and about halfway to the side walls.

"Mom wanted me to bring you this," she set his badge on the desk, next to a couple pictures of her and her elder brother and sister when they were foals.

"Thank you so much," a smile was brought to his face as he picked it up, clipping it to the proper place on his uniform. "I thought Andromeda was bringing it over?"

Aurora shrugged. "I don't know, mom asked me to do it."

"Huh, I told her to have your sister do it... She might as well have, she goes to school near here anyway."

"That's what I told mom!" I said that she should do it so I could go with my friends to eat in District 8."

Her father quirked an eyebrow. "Your usual friends?" she nodded. "Hm. Buck going to finally ask Flora out? She seems nice."

"Rose and I ar—were going to try to get him to."

"Well, if that doesn't work, I'm sure he'd be a good stallion for you—"

"Daaaad... You know I only like pegasi." He mouthed the words along with her as she said them.

"Speaking of which, how's that... Streak... no, Strife? No, uh, Strike? No..."

"Storm?"

"Yeah! When do I have to sit in the living room some night with my ice pick because he's late bringing you home?" He took pleasure in watching her cheeks light up like a Hearth's Warming tree.

"He... doesn't exactly know that I, uh," her voice quieted, "like him."

Aries crossed his hooves on his desk and leaned forward. "You know what to do about that?" She shook her head. "Tell him."

"Gee, thanks dad." There couldn't have been more sarcasm in that sentence if she tried. "Why are you giving dating tips to your high school daughter? Most parents would be threatening them if they tried anything."

"Hey you never know! I'll inform you again that I met your mother in high school." He leaned back in his chair, putting his hooves behind his head. "Those were the days..." he said, reliving memories. "She was the cheer captain, I was the—"

"Jock?"

"—nerd... She and her friends ignored me until one day I asked her to the dance and sh—"

"Rejected you. Rather harshly, at that."

"Ya! How'd you know...?"

"You've told me this story..."

"But nonetheless!" Aries punched a hoof to the air in determined victory, "I was able to woo her under the stars of the observation deck, the northern lights dancing before our eyes."

"Hence my name."

"Sweetie, don't interrupt, it's not polite. For the rest of high school she was with me! Heh, who woulda thought? The nerd and the smokin' cheer captain? Boy of boy was she a pretty mare back then still is, mind you, but wow..."

"Dad."

"I remember our first time together—"

"Dad."

"—it was after some big game our district won—"

"Dad."

"—and she snuck over to my house because I was grounded for that infernal B on my report card—"

"Dad..."

"—and she still had that cheerleader's uniform on... oh sweet Celestia what a night!"

"Dad!"

Aries sat back up right in his chair, Aurora staring at him with wide eyes. "I really didn't need to hear all of that!"

"Sorry dear. You know... she still has the uniform..."

"Dad!"

"Look, all I'm saying is that if he's the right one, he's the right one. Not like that Jericho twit." She gave him a deadpan look. Aries paused for a second. "So how was your first day of Sophomore year?"

Aurora dropped her head on the edge of the desk, causing all of her dad's pens, lose papers, and pictures to bounce an inch into the air. "Ugh... It was awful. Crystal Star is—" She was interrupted by three knocks at the door.

"Sorry," he mouthed the apology to her. She knew that work too precedence over her while he was on duty. Aries cleared his throat. "Enter."

The door opened and in came a pegasus a few years older than Aurora. "Sorry to bother you, sir," he said, approaching the desk. Aurora took a step to the side so that he could have center stage. "Ma'am," he nodded to her as he passed. "I have the weather and ice predictions for the net few days like you asked. "The pegasus pulled out a series of files that were tucked away under his wing and slid them across the desk.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Wing." Aires picked up the files and began shifting through them. Just as the Lieutenant began to leave, he stopped him, "Oh, Lieutenant, I don't believe you've formally met my daughter. Aurora, this is Lieutenant Quick Wing. Lieutenant, this is Aurora."

"Pleased to meet you," Quick Wing shook her hoof. "Your father speaks highly of you."

"Thanks." Aurora looked at the unit patch on the sleeve of his uniform. "Team 3, right?"

"Yup. Team leader. And I, uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "sorry about your brother. Caelum and I were good friends in school—"

"You're dismissed, Lieutenant," Aries said.

"Aye, sir," Quick Wing saluted, turning and heading out the door. Aurora watched him leave, and Aries didn't miss on it.

"Drop those wings, young lady," he commanded. Startled, Aurora jumped in her hooves, sheepishly regaining control of her wings, which were slowly rising. "I'll have none of that in my office."

"Didn't you just basically say it was okay if I dated somepony while I was in high school?" she retorted.

"Somepony your age. He's four years older, and not in high school Think about dating him and I'll kick your flank off this ship so fast..." Another series of knocks. "Enter!"

This time the door opened just a crack, enough for somepony to speak through. "Overseer's headed this way, sir," the voice said.

"Whelp, that's your cue," Aries told Aurora. "Go see your friends. Talk to you at home."

Aurora nodded, spreading her wings. Hovering in the air, she zipped out the door, down the hall, through twists and turns, following her path back to District 1.

Aries laughed to himself. She's a lot like I was... he thought. A series of at least four, un-even tempoed knocks on his door annoyed his ears. Only one pony failed to follow his three-knock-rule. "Enter..." he sighed.



"So how cute was he?" 

"Dad called me out on goggling him, that's how."

"Ladies, that's all very interesting, but could we please tend to the matter at hoof?"

"Oh, right."

Aurora, Rose, and Buck all sat at a street side cafe in the 8th District. Gathered around a table, the cafe shop was on one side of them, and a large series of windows were on the other. They stretched from one side of the ship's front right eternal pod that was District 8 to the other, reaching from the floor to the ceiling before making way for the foundation of the floor above them. Three levels high, a quarter of the ship long, this was one of four external pods, each with a local population of several hundred.

Aurora was only idly listening to what Rose and Buck were saying; her focus had turned to the outside world. She could see for miles out into the clear blue sky. I she stood against the window to look down, she would have been able to see grassy plains and snow-capped mountains. As much as pegasi felt they belonged in the air, Aurora felt as though she was couped up inside of Navis 7. She wanted to go back to the earth, to smell its air, to fell the dirt and the snow. To be able to look up into the sky instead of down from it. She seemed to be the only one though.

"Hey," Rose's voice snapped the pegasus out of her fantasy. "Focus, Buck needs our help." The two mares looked over to the fidgeting stallion. Rose said that he had been trying to back out the entire time hey were walking to the cafe. It only seemed to get worse once they arrived.

"I don't think I can do this you guys," Buck confessed, sighing.

"Just relax," Aurora did her best to comfort him, "it'll be fine."

"But what if she doesn't like me as much as I like her?"

Rose and Aurora gave each other sly looks. "Oh," Rose said, "I don't think that'll be too much of a problem..." Rose was old friends with Flora, and had not-so-long-ago discovered that she did in fact have mutual feelings for Buck. Since then, she had been working behind the scenes to push the two together, culminating to today.

The sound of a tiny bell ringing filled the ears of the ponies. They looked to the door of the cafe, where a young mint-green earth pony mare stepped out. She approached the table, greeting the trio.

"Hey guys," Flora said with the usual chipper voice, "sorry about taking so long to wait on ya. Works been busy lately. What can I get ya?"

Buck figited some more before saying, "I'll take a water for now."

Flora nodded, writing the order down on a pad. "What about you two?" she looked at Aurora and Rose.

"We were actually just leaving," Rose said, getting up and grabbing hold of Aurora's hoof as well. "Isn't that right, Aurora?" Rose elbowed her side without Flora's noticing.

"Yeah," Aurora grunted through the pain. "Gotta go foal-sit Comet for awhile. Rose offered to help me with him. You know unicorn foals and their crazy magical abilities."

"Aw, he's such a cute kid. Anyway, see ya later!" As Flora waved goodbye, Rose practically pulled Aurora way. She lead the pegasus around the corner of a nearby building, where they watched from out of sight.

"You didn't have to be so rough back there," Aurora remarked.

"Eh, it was fun," Rose smiled. "Now the real entertainment begins." A soft red aura surrounded the unicorn's horn. She used her magic to telekenetically move a chair behind Flora, pushing it into her legs so she was forced to sit next to Buck. To top it off she moved over several flowers from the adjacent tables and placed them in front of her.

The two mares watched as Flora tried to cover her laughing with her hoof, all while Buck smiled sheepishly. He was saying somethings and she was nodding, but the two observers couldn't make out what exactly. 

"You think he's actually asking her out?" Rose wondered, moving her head around slightly to try to get a better view. 

"Yup," Aurora said as Buck took Flora's hoof in his own. The pair stopped eavesdropping on their friend and gave one another a victorious hoof-bump. "They seem like they'll be happy together." Aurora walked along side Rose back out onto the street, heading for home with a job well done.

They had better be, that was a lot of work getting those two to admit their feelings to each other."

"Hmmhm."

There was a pause between the two."

"So you and Storm ever gonna—"

"Let's not talk about Storm."

"You never told him, did you?" Aurora hesitated to answer, causing Rose to gasp. "You didn't! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to do it on your own! Fine, I'll tell him myself!" Rose took off galloping down the street, leaving Aurora in a daze behind her.

The pegasus shook herself out of it, smiling. A chase, eh?" She quickly opened and stretched her wings. So be it. Aurora ave several powerful flaps, perusing after her fleeing pink friend.
> Fly-Along
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The next day, Aurora was sitting in Career Sciences Class, having a staring contest with the clock. The class orientated ponies various jobs aboard Navis 7. For ponies who didn't know what they wanted to do when they got out of school. It was a decently interesting class. Though for ponies like Aurora who had already fixated on a job, it was a big waste of time. 

The teacher explained the role each species generally kept to on the ship. Earth ponies and unicorns helped with the basic survival of the ponies aboard. Earth ponies planted, while an automated system watered them with condensed air fed in from the outside. The earth ponies would go in and harvest, replant, and repeat. Unicorns tended to use their magic for more delicate tasks or to improve the ship. They would make fine products and help construct buildings, or they would help in the labs as researchers. On of their biggest projects was creating an efficient automated de-icing system for the ship. The only job that required Pegasi was the manual de-icing of the envelope of Navis 7, the rest held mundane, everyday jobs. When ponies used to live on the ground all those years ago, pegasi controlled the weather to feed crops. Now it was almost completely automated. Researchers were trying to figure out how to duplicate earth pony magic to finish the automation process. So most pegasi never even had a reason to fly. The Overseer put flight restrictions on them for 'safety reasons' so that they wouldn't constantly crash into one another. With the exception of those who worked out their wings and were on the external teams, a pegasus would hardly ever use their wings. 

Census reports from the Navis fleet showed that the number of pegasi had been slowly dropping over the generations since the ships took to the air. No pony seemed to have a logical answer. All that was said was that they "weren't needed as much" anymore. Researchers were trying to figure out why their numbers were dropping.

Navis 7 had the lowest population in the fleet. In Aurora's class of fifty-eight students, only seven of them were pegasi. The Navis Project may have saved ponydom, but pegasi were slowly becoming an endangered species.

One by one, the class was asked where their interests laid or what they wanted to do. There were doctors, lawyers, firefighters, security, teachers, farmers; all the jobs you'd expect. Buck said that he wanted to be an astronomer, while Rose wanted to be an author.

Then came Aurora's turn. "I want to be on the AIR Team," she said. Probably at least half of the class snickered at her answer. 

"A-A-A-A-AIR Team?" the teacher stuttered. "Miss Aurora, that's the most dangerous job on the ship. Perhaps you'd be more suited to being a waitress or librarian? You could carry trays and books with your wings!" 

Aurora kept her physical bearing, but emotionally her jaw dropped. Her teach had essentially told her to aspire to nothing. If they were equal in age and authority, Aurora was liable to have slapped her. Not feeling like getting into another argument about job equality, Aurora sat in fuming silence. She could see Crystal Star out the corner of her eye, making snickering motions. The gray coated brat said she wanted to become the Overseer, to which the teacher said that was an admirable and innovative goal to set. Words that almost made Aurora sick.

On the wall hung an aging map of the world, drawn in a time when ponies lived there. Now that they were eternally in the skies. One would think it would be a pegasus' dream. For Aurora, it was a cage. 

And Crystal Star liked to rattle it.

"You, on the AIR Team?" she hissed. Unfortunately she sat next to Aurora in this class. "Ha, the only thing your wings are good for are quills."

"The only thing you're good for is carbon dioxide production for the plants," Aurora retorted. Her response managed to shut the mare up long enough for the bell to ring, dismissing the students to their next class. Proving the stuck up pony wrong, Aurora unfurled her wings, hovering above the flood of ponies trying to leave.

Rose, Buck, and Aurora all had biology next. There they were taught about pony physiology, different cells and their parts, viruses, diseases, etceteras. Focus was spent on understanding the disease the forced ponies into the skies as a civilization in the first place.

It laid dormant for weeks with no symptoms. After that, you would think whoever was infected simply had the flu or the cold. In pegasi, their feathers would molt away one by one when eventually they could no longer fly or walk on clouds. Unicorns magic became weaker until they could do little more than give out a tiny spark of magic. Earth ponies were more clumsy, then they'd lose the ability to walk. Everypony affected would gradually become more tired and sleep through more hours. After three weeks, they'd fall asleep at night and slip into a coma. Approximately a week after that, their hearts would give out its last pulse.

The disease spread quickly through the air. Medicines and magic failed to stop it. It had already spread to every part of the world before it was noticed. Not even the alicorn princesses were able to stop it. They too eventually succumbed to the illness. Before she died, Princess Celestia commissioned the Navis project. She used the last of her magic to spin the entire planet, so that they day/night cycle could continue with out her. Luna did a similar thing, but so that the moon rotated around the planet.

"...and since then," the teacher continued to explain, "pony kind has survived for generations aboard these ships. Does anypony know why?" Somepony raised their roof. "Yes, you have the answer?" 

"Because the air is too cold for the virus to survive?"

"Correct. The weakness was noticed when ponies who lived in the northern plains and at the tops of high mountains didn't get sick. However, the environment was too hostile to sustain larger populations."

"Will a cure be discovered?" a student near the back asked.

"We may only hope at this point. Each Navis ship is equipped with a laboratory dedicated to researching a cure. As technology advances, we get closer to discovering it.

"Are we the only ones left alive?" another student asked.

"Besides the other Navis ships? We believe not. Ground images clearly show vegetation, and we believe there are still indigenous wildlife. As far as sentient life, yes. The dragons and gryphons were hit the hardest. Since the outbreak, they haven't been heard or seen from since." Aurora raised her hoof. "Yes, miss?"

"May I be excused to the restroom?"

"Quickly." Aurora hovered out of her seat, drifting towards the door. "Walk..." She begrudgingly set back down, walking towards the door while grumbling to herself. Once she was in the hall and out of view, she took to the air again. She didn't really need to use the restroom; she just wanted to stretch herself out.

A series of voices reached her ears. Thinking it was a teacher, the pegasus crouched next to a wall, poking around the corner to see who was there. Instead of a teacher, it was Crystal Star. The unicorn was holding a younger, nerdy looking mare upside down by her legs with her magic.

"I told you to bring your lunch money today with you, twerp," she insulted. "Why didn't you bring it?"

"I-I must have forgotten it at home!" the younger pony stammered. "I'll bring it tomorrow, I swear!"

"Assuming you can walk after what I'm going to do to you." With that, Crystal released the foal from her magical grip, dropping her head first. She was just about to kick her in the stomach when Aurora stepped around the corner.

"Hey!" she stopped the rouge unicorn, "knock it off!"

"Why should I?" Crystal Star asked, facing the opposing pegasus. "You're not going to do anything about it. I'll just have you and your family evicted." Aurora steadied her stance, like a track runner waiting for the starting gun to begin the race. "Hay, I'll even have the rotten little brother of yours taken." She flared her wings. "I'm sure you guys will do fine without him, seeing has how you already lost on broth—" The trigger was pulled.



It was Aurora's luck that at that exact moment a teacher happened to emerge from the nearby restrooms. All they saw was the pegasus tackling Crystal Star into the lockers, leaving an imprint of the unicorn in them, and them proceeding to pummel her in the face with her hooves. Within minutes, Aurora found herself sitting in the principal's office with her family on the way. After waiting for an hour, the door opened.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Aries," the principal said from behind her desk.

He took a seat next to his daughter, who was closely examining the floor in front of her chair.

"Where's mom?" Aurora asked, not daring to look over at him.

"At home," she could tell by his voice that he was trying to keep his bearing. "Cobalt was running a fever. I was helping her take care of him."

"Oh... so the uniform—"

"I had intended to go to work today. Your sister hasn't been acting well, either. Then your brother got sick. Then this. Take a guess on how far I got to work."

"Dad, I'm—"

"What? Sorry? Aurora, you put that foal in the infirmary! Your first hit knocked her unconscious. The other punches resulted in a broken nose! The only reason you're getting any breaks is because the filly she was bullying explained the situation. In any other scenario, you would be charged with aggravated assault and thrown in jail. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir..."

"Look at me when you say it." She did as told. His powerful green eyes made her feel very, very small.

"Yes, I understand."

He took a moment to consider her words. "Good." A weight felt like it was lifted off of her shoulders as his gaze was directed back to the principal. "I'll take her from school for the day. Thank you for calling us."

"Not a problem," she nodded. "Aurora is a good student with high ambitions. So long as she keeps her emotions under control."

"Agreed. Come on, we're going." Aries stood up, followed by Aurora. He used his wing to usher her out of the room. She kept her head low as she walked in his shadow through the school's halls. Even once they were out of the school and in the streets she tried her best to stay out of his field of vision. Though there was no escaping it.

They continued on in silence through the wards. Aurora didn't expect her father to say much in the office, not in front of the principal at least. The real chewing would come at home, with her mother at his side, both equally staring her down. At least that's what she thought until they passed their home and continued on to District 1. But they just kept walking...

"Dad?" she kept her head low but still looked up at the side of his head.

"Hm?" he didn't return the glance. The only thing that indicated that he was listening was his flickering ear.

"Where are we going?"

"Don't worry about it." Usually when he said something like that, she did worry.

They came to one of the entrances to the fore-deck. The guards standing at the gate snapped to attention under Aries' presence. Not even bothering to check his pass, one of the guards fumbled to open the gate. The two pegasi entered into the fore-deck's halls, going up and fore ward several levels. A path that Aurora recognized.

In minutes, Aries was leading Aurora through the blue halls of the AIR Team headquarters. Instead of going straight into his office like Aurora had thought, they turned left, heading down another hall that she had only been in a hoof ful of times.

She hadn't been in the crew quarters since her brother had died and they collected his stuff. Now as they walked through the halls, any team member who happened to be there at the time backed against the wall and saluted them as they went by. Some of them Aurora had met before, though she didn't recognize the rookies.

"Dad..." Aurora sighed.

"You'll see. What have I told you about patience?"

"That if you keep it,"

"Good things will follow," the both finished in sync.

"Yes," Aries continued. "All you need to do is wait," he stopped outside a pair of double doors, at the top of which was labeled 'equipment depot', "and good things will come." He pushed the doors open to allow Aurora inside.

Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as she took slow steps in. The large, open space was reminiscent of the locker rooms at her school.

Benches sat in the middle of the room on top of wooden floors. Blue double door equipment lockers lined the walls. Tags were attached to the doors with the names of the AIR Team member whose equipment was stored inside. Suits, tools, air tanks, anything that they might need for their job. A few were empty, with blank tags on the front. The doors shut behind her as Aries stepped up to her side. Looking around Aurora noticed it was just them in the depot. No pony, or any sign of pony, was visible. It was just them.

"And your patience has rewarded you," Aries patted his daughter on the back with his wing, pushing her forward slightly. 

"I don't get it..."

"Who uses this room?"

"Uh, Team Members obviously."

"Indeed. Then tell me, who all comes in here?"

"AIR Team Members. Dad, this isn't making sense."

"So then why are we here?"

"Because you're an AIR Team Member. The leader, actually."

"And why are you here?"

"Because you brought me?"

Aries sighed. "You need to be less blunt with this, it's not fun. No, you're hear because you're destined to be here." Aurora looked at her father with a less-than-pleased look. "Don't believe me?" She shook her head. "Check that locker there." He pointed to the closest locker to her that had a blank name tape.

Rolling her eyes, she proceeded as instructed. The unassuming metal construct sat with the same appearance as all the others. SHe put a hoof on the lever and slid it to the side. A blue body suit hung in the center of the locker. On the shoulder of one sleeve was teh ship's insignia. On the other was a white number 7. There was a blank spot on the chest where a name tape would have gone. The flanks of the suit were also bare where a patch of the wearer's cutie mark would have gone. Off to the side was a set of black saddle bags, containing various peices of equipment used to help de-ice the ship. On the other side was a silver ice pick that sheathed itself on the side of the saddle bags. Above, a pair of goggles hung from a hook. And above that on a shelf was an oxygen tank and muzzle mask.

"Okay," Aurora said, "it's a bunch of stuff for some new recruit. Am I missing something?"

"This," Aries responded. She turned to face him, her eyes widening when she saw what he held in his hoof. It was the missing nape tape that went on the front of the uniform. A blue strip with a velcro backing to attach with. Her name was stitched on the front in white letters.

"There's no way you're serious," Aurora said emotionlessly

"Very."

"You're pulling my feathers."

"Not at all!" He moved past Aurora and placed the tape on the front of the flight suit. "Hurry up and put it on. The weather's clear for now but turbulence is supposed to pick up by tonight." Aries made his way to a locker on the opposite side of the room with his name on it, all the while Aurora gaped at him. He opened it up to retrieve his own gear. A mirror on the inside of one of the doors revealed that his daughter was still staring at him. "Come on now, we don't have all day! Let's go!"

"Go where...?"

"Outside! I'm taking you on a fly-along." Aries had just stepped his hind legs into the suit when Aurora zipped over and gave him the biggest hug in years.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Easy now," Aries pealed her off. "You're still going to have to answer to your mother about your suspension from school. Personally I wish I could have seen you kick that brat's flank." He slid the suit over the rest of his body, closing the zipper that ran down the center. "But keep in mind I don't condone what you did. There's other ways to handle situations like that. This isn't a reward for what you did. I fully intend to put you on my team, but the training will start while you're young, just like mine did, just like your brother's, and everyone else's."

Aurora nodded, returning to her locker don her own flight suit. The interior was lined was white fleece that flushed against her body, feeling like a second coat layer. The insulated suit was already causing her to sweat. Once Aries had buckled his saddle bag, slid his ice pick into place, put the air tank on his back and rested his goggles atop his head, he helped his daughter do the same. "This isn't as heavy as I thought it would be," she remarked as he helped her put the tank on."

"Can't be," Aries said. "We have to do enough out there, dealing with weight would be too much on top of that." He handed her the goggles to set on her head. "The teams waiting on you, cadet," he complimented, rubbing the top of her head. "You know everything there is to know about this job. Hay, you could probably teach a class at the academy. I'm proud of you."

Aurora wrapped her hooves and wings around him again. "Thank you, so much."

"Don't mention it," he smiled. "No, seriously, don't mention it. Especially to your mother; I don't think she would approve of this."

"Got it."

"Good." With their gear ready, Aries led Aurora out of the depot and down the hall, away from his office. They stopped outside a pair of metal doors that slid open into an elevator when he pressed the call button. Inside he pressed a button labeled H. "The rest of the team is in the hangar waiting." In just a few short moments, the doors opened again at the bottom front portion of the ship. "Don't embarass me and do something foolish out there."

They stepped out into the large open space where dozens of ponies were gathering in small grounds. Somepony called, "Captain on deck!" and all talking among the groups ceased at once as they turned to face him at attention. 

"At ease," Aries raised a hoof. "Lieutenant Quick Wing?"

The pony he called for seemed to materialize from thin air in front of them.

"Sir," the Lieutenant saluted.

"Team statuses?"

"Everypony is ready, sir. Just waiting for the brief."

"Tell them this is just a preemptive check. We're going to make sure we get anything the MDT's missed this morning. It's supposed to get cold and windy tonight, I want as little ice on this ship as possible before dusk."

"Aye, sir," he saluted before turning to inform the team leaders.

Aurora followed Aries as he walked through the center of the hangar, inspecting each team as the went by. Aurora caught several ponies glancing at her. Some were puzzled looks, coming from those who wondered why she was there. Others were confident smiles from veteran members who had known her for most of her life, wishing her the best of luck.

"Stand by my side," Aries told her as they stood in front of a pair of thick metal doors. Aurora felt her nerves fire up. What laid beyond those doors was a place she had been waiting to visit for years.

"Ears!" Aries' voice boomed through the open space. Him and almost everypony else pulled their attached hoods over their heads. After watching him, Aurora did the same, taking a little longer to put her ears in the right place. She felt something pressing against them that felt like headphones.

"Eyes!" He pulled his goggles over his eyes, tightening the straps.

"Masks!" He reached down and pulled up the oxygen mask over his snout, securing it in place. At first it was difficult for Aurora to breathe. She felt claustrophobic with it on. But seeing her father and everypony else do it, she quickly got over it.

"Comms check," Aries said, but his voice was different. He had spoken through a radio built into the mask, and head by all with the headphones that were in their hoods. One by one, the leader of each team responded through the same devices.

From, "Team one, check," through, "Team nine, check," everypony sounded off that they were ready.

Aries looked at Aurora, his green eyes barely visible through his goggles. "Your radio working?"

"I think?" she replied. Her voice sounded like she was speaking into a plastic cup.

"Good." He faced back towards the doors. "Control, AIR Teams ready. Open the hatch."

"Flight has been approved by Admiral Hawkins," a female voice replied. Aurora knew this mare was somewhere on the bridge of the ship talking to them. "Hatch is opening. Clear skies, twenty below, winds from the east with a chill factor of negative seventy. Good luck and be safe.

A loud bang made its presence known. Aurora watched a strip of light run through the center of the two massive doors as they parted. A blast of wind and cold air nearly knocked her back. She didn't notice everypony brace themselves first.

"You heard the mare," Aries said. "Be safe. Everypony comes home!" The few bits of Aurora's coat that was exposed to the air, in the areas around her goggles and mask, became very cold from the wind. The same happened to her exposed wings, so she flexed them to counter it. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she continued to stare at the expanding light, waiting for her first glimpse at the unobstructed sky. If only she could smell the air... "I'm sure."

"Then let's fly!"

Aries flared his wings and galloped towards teh light, disappearing within it. Aurora stood in hesitation as the others ran by. She soon found herself alone in the hangar, the only sound coming from the wind rushing through the open doors.

Swallowing her nerves, Aurora took off running. For a moment everything seemed to be quiet, save for her beating heart and the clop of her hooves. The light grew bigger as she approached. She held her eyes shut when she leapt through the threshold.

The familiar sensation of falling wafted over her. She could no longer feel a metal floor on her hooves. Leveling her wings, she felt them catch air. It wasn't visible because of the mask, but she had the biggest smile of her life when she finally opened her eyes.

No longer was she caged in by metal walls. She was free. Surrounded by an infinite space. So mesmerized by the sight of the endless sky that surrounded her she nearly forgot to flap her wings. Forgot to fly in general, really.

Somepony slammed into her from her blind side, yelling, "Watch it!"

Aurora was about to curse the pony out when she realized that it was her father. He had just pushed her out of the way of one of the ship's many rotors that propelled it forward.

"I told you to stay by my side."

"Sorry," Aurora bowed her head, "it's just..."

"Beautiful? I know. We've all been entranced by it at some point or another. Come on, I gotta go check on the teams."

Aurora nodded, chasing after him as he soared up the side of the envelope. She saw reflections of herself in teh passing windows of the ship.  She couldn't help but stare at her passing image, how the sun behind her seemed to give her a bright aura. The sky and it's clouds provided a perfect frame. What caught her eye the most was the uniform. She couldn't believe that she was wearing it. Finally she had made it, she was on the outside of the ship. All thought about her numbing face and wings left her mind.

She was free.

When Aurora reached the top of the ship, her dad flew over while she skidded to a halt. Her eyes had fixated on a cloud far in the distance. Before, they had only been distant objects that would forever remain distant objects. Now they were within reach. All she had to do was fly to it.

"Well..." Aries said, floating up to her side. "What are you waiting for? Go get it!" She gave him a puzzled look, making sure it was visible even through the goggles. "Go on..." He could hear her emit a slight squeal over the radio before zipping off towards it.

Quick Wing dropped next to Aries, hovering up-side-down his head level to the other's. "Remind of you somepony?" he asked.

"Heh," Aries shook his head. "She's like we all were on our first flight. You remember the first time you touched a cloud, Lietuenant?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I thought it'd catch me but I just blasted right through it. You, sir?"

"Oh don't remind me. It was a thunderhead. Nearly took my feathers off with a bolt of lightning. Shift commander almost took me off the team that day."

They hovered, watching the adolescent pegasus revert back to a foal and play with the bits of a could as if it was sand. Then she disappeared inside of it. After a minute or two of waiting, Quick Wing spoke up. "So should you—"

"Yeah I'll go get her."
> Class 2-47
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	About an hour later the AIR Teams returned to Navis 7. Aurora had eventually gotten past her fascination with the clouds and assisted the rest of the team in clearing the ship of ice. Though there wasn't very much, she was still able to find enough to keep busy while shadowing her father. He pointed out sections of the ships covered in ice, which were difficult to spot due to their clarity and the white skin of the ship, and showed her how to carefully remove them with chemicals and picks without damaging the ship. The morning's MDT had done a fairly good job in clearing the previous night's build up off of the ship.

Aurora landed on the hangar deck with a heavy heart. She didn't want to bring her wings back to her side. She didn't want to take her mask off, or the rest of the flight suit. All of it meant that her expedition in the outside world had come to an end.

She followed her father and the rest of the Teams through the main hatch that lead out of the hangar. Aurora stopped just before passing through to catch one final glimpse of the outside world before the main hatch was closed.

"Amazing, wasn't it?" Aries asked her as he removed his own mask.

"Tell me you're going to take me on another flight," Aurora demanded as she removed her own. "Preferably soon?"

Aries ushered her out of the hangar and into the corridor. "We'll see what I can do. It took a fair amount of convincing with the admiral in order to even allow you to go on this one. This was just a routine mission, too. You're definitely not going on any emergency flights." They headed towards the locker rooms to change out of their flights suits, an act that Aurora was now almost desperate for. Although they provided great insulation to keep them warm outside the walls of Navis 7, inside, they turned you into an oven.

"Don't get it twisted," he said as they walked. "I can't tolerate what you did at school today. That flight was not a reward for your actions. Do something that stupid again and I'll make sure you're never on my Team. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Look, I understand that it was in the defense of another pony, and that loyalty is something I can respect. However, you need to have the discipline to stop before you take things too far. Next time, show that you're the better pony. Don't stoop to their level. I know you, and you're on a pedestal so much higher then they can imagine. They're jealous, which is why they try to bring you down with them. Don't let them."

"I won't. Thanks, dad."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for. Come on, we'll get out of these suits and head home, alright?"

"Okay."



Soon after the two ponies had arrived at their home on the edge of District 2. Ariel, Aurora's mother, was already hard at work on the family dinner. Andromeda was helping her with the preparations after having been grounded at home for starting her own fight; her being the aggressor and not the defender, however.

While they waited, Aries and Aurora entertained Cobalt in the living room. While the colt was occupied with his toys and not his family, the two pegasi turned to a book set out in front of them. It was an instruction guide on being a member of the AIR Team, something Aries had brought home from work that day. In it were all the vital subjects a potential candidate for the Teams would need to know: How to use the flight suits, the radios, how to properly fly, how to withstand the cold, safety precautions, emergency plans, eteceteras. 

Though reading was spuratic due to the ball of magical energy zipping around and laughing in front of them, demanding their attention, the two ponies were making some progress in it. Aries told his daughter first hoof accounts of nearly everything the book covered and even went in depth to further develop her understanding of the material. Before they were finished with the third chapter they were called to supper by Ariel. With a minor bit of chaos the family was finally sitting as one around the dinner table. Aurora helped to feed Cobalt while in his high chair next to her. It was one of the few things she did to distract herself from the only empty seat out of the six available at the table. 

Towards the end of their meal, Ariel dismissed Andromeda, leaving her with instructions to take Cobalt into the other room. Aurora sank into her seat at this news. This is it, she thought, my turn to get yelled at...

"So," Ariel began, putting her silverware atop of empty plate and pushing it off to the side so she could have ample room to lean forward on the table with. "I heard about what happened today."

"Look, mom," Aurora began, trying to figure anyway out of the situation she could. But with her father there, it was nearly impossible. "I'm sorry."

"I understand, it's not your fault..." Her cyan head turned towards the only other pony at the table. "How could you let this happen?!"

The sudden turn of emotion caught Aries off guard as he struggled to formulate a sentence. "I-I-I, dear I don't know what you're talking about! I don't understand how I could have prevented her from getting into a fight!"

"That's not what I'm talking about." She turned back towards Aurora, her horn lighting up with a magical glow. Aurora remained still, unsure of what to do. From the corner of her eye she saw a white piece of fabric float past, having been plucked out from behind one of her wings. Ariel floated it over to in front of her father. "You know what this is..."

It was Aries' turn to sink into his chair. "I can explain—"

"Explain what? That you took our daughter outside of the ship! You took her on one of your flights, didn't you? I pull this fabric off of you all of the time! Don't even try to say she was just trying the suit on because she was curious, I can see the mask lines around her face!"

Aurora's eyes widened as she covered her head with her wings, parting a few feathers so that she could just barely see. The mask leaving marks wasn't something that she had thought of, and apparently neither had her father.

Ariel sighed, "but I can't blame you, either of you. It's something that runs in the family it seems. I'm just afraid of loosing another one of you..."

"It'll be fine," Aries said as he scooted his chair over to the mare, draping her in a wing. "I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

"I know, and I trust you. I trust both of you." She paused in thought. "What's the next step?"

"Huh?" Aurora asked, cautiously moving her feathers back.

"Well, what's the next thing we have to do to get you on the Team?"

The young pegasus blinked at her mother, unable to response coherently. That's when Aries took over with a plan that he had obviously already thought of before.

"Next, we get her into the academy, where she can officially begin her training. Granted, on paper it'll be quite a ways away for you to be able to leave the ship, but the training will make you far more adept at it than you were today. It won't be easy, either."

"I don't..." Aurora stammered. "I don't know what to say, really."

"You could ask when you start."

"Okay, when do I start?"

"Tomorrow. Don't bother going to sixth hour. I'll be by after your fifth class to pick you up and take you to the academy. Your application has already been approved and the school knows. It counts as credits, so you won't have to make up any of your other classes."

Aries got up to head to the living room, while Ariel began cleaning up the dishes, leaving Aurora in shock to what she had just heard.

"Wait, dad, what?" she got up and chased after him. "Are you serious?!"



The next day seemed to drag on for Aurora. Crystal Star stared at her all day and the classes didn't feel like they would ever end. All that was on her mind was it was her first day at the academy, already. Her biggest dream was about to start to come true. The anticipation was thrilling to her. Who all was going to be in her class? They academy was small, and there weren't many pegasi as it was, so who all could have been selected? Who even applied? Would she be the best? She wasn't the greatest physically but she definitely believed that she knew the most about the job. Would her father being the Captain have any influences on how she would be treated? Would she be treated differently because of him? So many questions. All swirling in her mind until finally the bell rung to signal the end of their fifth class of the day.

Aurora was without a doubt the first pony out the door, taking to her wings and using the walls to jump off of to make tighter turns through the hallways. Her dad had said to meet in the gymnasium, where she would meet the other cadets, and where he would be to lead them to the academy.  The gym door, along with her future, was in front of her; a spectre of light at the end of a long hall. She blew so fast overhead of the ponies walking through it most of them were dropping their papers. 

Two ponies waited in front of the door for her. Aurora set her hooves on the ground and skidded to a halt along the slick linoleum surface of the school's hall. She was only about a food away from Rose and Buck when she finally stopped.

"Oh my gosh!" Rose gasped, bringing her best friend in for a surprisingly tight hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

"We knew you could do it," Buck added, watching from the sideline. 

Aurora had to push her pink friend off of her. "Thanks guys, it means a lot."

"You'll do great," Rose encouraged her as she and Buck stepped off to the side to allow the pegasus through. 

Nodding, Aurora calmly walked past and into the gymnasium. There she was stopped in her hooves, even being slammed in the rear by the closing door. Having seen that the door failed to close the rest of the way, Rose poked her head in to see what was going on. "Hey, you alright?" she asked, seeing Aurora's frozen expression. "What's the—oh."

In the center of the gym was five other pegasi: four stallions and a mare. Four of them were in their grade, and another was a level higher. The two recognized the mare from their classes, she was quiet, made sure not to make her presence known, and to Aurora's knowledge had shown no interest in the AIR Team. They weren't even sure if they knew her name. A couple of the stallions they knew from the hoofball team, but there was one in particular that caught their eye. Although he had an average build, he stood with confidence and bearing that made him seem powerful. His coat was brown accented by a soft tan main that was spiked. His yellow eyes were warm and comforting. His flanked was labeled with a yellow lightning bolt. Though his last name was unknown, the mares knew his first by heart: Storm.

Aurora felt something pushing her from behind as she was force ably moved to the center of the room. She turned to see Rose pushing her, a grin plastered on her face. 

"What are you doing!" Aurora gasped, trying to back peddle with futile results.

"This is your chance! Come on!"

"Nope! I'm out! I'll be a waiter at a restaurant! I'm not doing this anymore!" Aurora could already feel her cheeks turning red.

"It'll be great! You two will be able to be side by side, working together, talking..."

"That sounds absolutely awful! I will have none of it!" She tried to unfurl her wings and fly away but Rose caught her in her magic.

"Look," the unicorn explained in a very serious tone, "We've gone through a lot of work to get Buck and Flora together. Look how happy they are now! It's great! We're already seeing amazing changes in Buck's day to day self. Now you're going to go out there and you're going to talk to Storm. You're not going to mess with my shipping."

"Your what?"

"Just go!" With a heave Rose pushed Aurora the rest of the way into the gym, sliding the mare across the floor on her hind quarters with a slight spin. 

Aurora watched the gym go by in a dizzying blur. When everything refocused and she ceased to spin, she found herself in the center of the court with Storm looking down on her. At that moment she felt very small, part of it even escaping to show on her expression. 

"Well hi!" Storm said, taking a step back in pleasant shock. "Making quite the entrance, eh?"

Aurora struggled to keep a slight 'eep' from escaping the corner of her mouth. He actually talked to me, she thought in a gasp. Nothing came to mind as to what action to take. This had never been one of the many contingencies to enter her mind.

"What's wrong?" he laughed. "You look like someone just grabbed onto your heart and won't let go!"

No, they wont... The white pegasus could feel her heart blushing. She only hoped that it wasn't showing on her cheeks.

"What's your name again?" He outstretched a hoof to help her up with. "I've seen you in class but I don't quite remember it."

"A-Aurora," the mare managed to spit out, shakily taking his hoof and accepting his assistance.

From behind the gymnasium's doors, an earth pony and a unicorn were casually observing the entire incident. 

"Good things are happening?" Buck asked.

"Oh yeah," Rose happened. "Very good things are happening. This is almost as good as when we put you and Flora togeth—"

Buck slowly transferred his gaze from inside the gym to the pink unicorn that was leaning on him so she could see in. "What do you mean, "put me and Flora together"..."

"I didn't say that!"

The stallion moved out from under her hooves. "You were about to." 

"No I wasn't!" She desperately looked around for some type of an escape. "Well would you look at the time! It's sixth hour! Whelp, gotta go to history! Catch you layer, Buckeroo!" Rose took careful steps back in the direction of her next class. Buck casually followed her.

"You forget we have that class together..." he casually reminded the mare, whose ears fell back."

In the meantime inside the gymnasium, Aurora had regained at least some of her composure. Just in time for her father to step in from the opposite door from which she entered, too. The quiet bickering among the gathered ponies trickled off as they turned their attention to Aries. 

"Good afternoon, cadets," he said with a smile, approaching the group. "How are we feeling this afternoon?"  His answer was everything between 'Good' and 'Fantastic', nothing came from his daughter. "Well with any luck, it won't stay that way. Follow me and I'll take you to your first lesson."



The ponies reached the fore-deck swiftly, breezing through the checkpoints with Aries' authority. There he took them to a part that Aurora had not seen before: the training facilities which were located on the lower portions of the fore-deck. Waking through the white halls they passed by various classrooms where they could see other small groups of pegasi studying. Aries said that these were the classes ahead of them, some of whom were about to graduate. Most looked at them with hope and determination. Aurora looked at them with jealousy.

After the class rooms they passed by what appeared to be a physical training area. Places designed to build on coordination and wing strength. Besides you're average weight lifting and endurance gym, there was a tunnel that had a pegasus tethered to the center of; he was being blasted with a continuous stream of powerful air and was trying to fly through it. Another chamber had a similar concept except the pony inside of it was hanging upside down from what appeared to be a replica of the ship's hull and was trying to climb forward on it, but the wing was beating them back with every step they took. Out of everypony she saw her Aurora noticed something. They were all wearing their suits. Even the ones in the class rooms.

Aries took his charge to a locker room, filled with dozens of lockers. He explained that this is where the cadets came every day at the appointed time to change into their gear and begin their classes. They would put on their flight suits and wear them the entire time they were there training. 

"It's to add stress," he said, looking at every one of them. "They get extremely hot to be in when you're not outside the ship. So when you're sweating your feathers off, both literally and figuartively, it makes test taking difficult. It's supposed to. Depending on how hard you're working outside you'll even start to burn up out there too. You'll be tempted to take the suit off, but don't, it's the easiest way to get third degree frost burn if that cold air gets inside of your suit. It's your life line. We can't do what we do with out it. So you're going to respect it, love it, and live in it. Questions so far?"

The other mare raised her hoof. "When do we get them?"

"Right now, that's why we're here." Aries pointed to a series of six lockers next to him. "If you look here, you'll notice that these lockers all have your names on them. Inside you'll find everything you'll need on the daily job. Put on your flight suits. If you have any questions or get tangled up in them, don't be afraid to ask, it happens to the best of us."

The ponies nodded, taking to their assigned task. Aurora's locker was on the far end, and to her surprise Storm's just had to the one next to her. While a couple had a little difficulty putting the suits on, most did it in a decent amount of time, with Aurora being the first to put it on. 

"Good," Aries said, inspecting their flight suits to make sure nothing was amiss. "Now we can begin our first lesson. You'll learn just how important those suits are."

He lead them out of the locker room and down another hall way. There was a single door at the end of it, made of metal and covered with a warning sign. The glass that made up its only window was frozen to the point you couldn't see through it, and the walls next to it were also developing a layer of frost. Aries explained that it was their environmental chamber. A room designed to plumet its temperatures to well below normal. With it, they can replicated how cold it is outside the ship, with or without wind factors, make it warmer if need be, or even make it colder than the coldest outside temperature record.

Aries turned the hatch-style door knob counter clockwise several rotations to unlock the room. The students immediately felt a blast of cold air that sent chills down their spines. "The room has already been set at a temperature that's warmer than the outside air, but most definitely colder than what you're used to. This is just to give you a taste."

Aurora was the first one to step in, thinking that she had the experience that she would be able to handle the temperatures. Especially if these ones were supposed to be warmer than it really was outside. She quickly realized how wrong she was. Something that she didn't take into account was that her adrenaline was pumping when she went out the first time, causing her to be numb from most of the cold. Here she was relaxed so she was feeling the full effects of the frigged temperatures.  The other ponies filled into the rectangular room behind her as they took positions along the walls. Aries moved to the center as he shut the door.

"Sit," he commanded, to which they obeyed. Aurora was vaguely aware that he was talking, she was mainly focused on watching her breath turn to visible vapor. Soon she was overcome with cold chills and shivers, like everyone else. The only one who remained still was Aries. "Notice that you're wearing suits and I'm not, yet you are the ones who are showing signs of the cold," he said. "This isn't your fault. By the end of your training, you'll be able to bear almost what I can. I simply have experience on you. I've felt much, much colder."

"Ho-ho-how-how-how long do we have to stay in here?" Storm managed to chatter out.

Aries looked around thoughtfully. "Eh, I think you guys could last an hour at the least." The answer to the question drew the older pegasus a series of unbelieving looks. "You only think it's bad because you're stationary. Go ahead, move around, get the blood pumping. You certainly won't be sitting still out there I can guarantee you that much."

Aurora took to doing some wings up to stretch out her flying muscles, Storm was running in place, and the others were doing various exercises. Aries continued to sit in the middle, but instead with his eyes shut and his breathing under steady control. It wasn't long before the ponies could feel themselves start to warm up and the room didn't feel quite as cold. The time they were in there seemed to drag on but before they knew it the door was opened from the outside. 

"Time's up, sir," the pony who was standing on the other side said. "Can't have y'all in here any longer."

"Aww," the stallion stood up, ushering the ponies under him to leave, "I was have a good nap, too."

"Well they're your rules," the other pegasus laughed. "Nopony's allowed to be in past three hours on their first day."

"Three hours?!" the new cadets gasped as one.

"That's how long we were in there?" Aurora questioned.

Aries nodded. "And you all did a great job, too. Now go home, be in the gym tomorrow at the same time so we can get started on the next series of training. That was just a taste. Now you're going to learn your actual job, how to do it, and how to get back alive. Good job today, Class two tack four seven. Keep it up. I wan't you to be the first class to not have any dropouts!" 

The ponies shot each other quick glances. Drop outs? Somepony wasn't going to make it through the course. But who would it be?

"You're free to go home," Aries continued. "Go get some rest. You'll need it."

They said their good byes, to each other and to Aries, leaving one by one through the halls of the training facility. Aurora was left behind at her father's side.

"What did you think?" he asked her.

She looked at him and smiled. "This'll be easy."

Aries rubbed the top of her mane, turning it into a mess. "That's what they all say, I love getting to prove them wrong. Come on, hopefully dinner is ready."
> Turbulence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Aurora sat in the school's cafeteria during lunch with her friends. While Buck was asking her about the training and what it was like, Rose was more focused on who her friend was training with, particularly a specific stallion. 

"All we did was sit in a box for three hours trying not to freeze our flanks off!" she told them for the umpteenth time. 

"You guys were locked in a room together?" Rose tilted her head. "Sounds romantic!"

"Not really, we didn't even talk any."

"Oh," Rose's tone was one of disappointment. "What all are you guys doing today?" 

Aurora shrugged. "Don't know, dad didn't tell us."

A few minutes of silent eating passed by until the bell rang, telling the ponies that their time was up and that they didn't have much longer to get to their next classes. Aurora and her friends filled out in a group and walked through the hall together. They made their way towards their biology class. 

"Hey, Aurora?" Hearing her name called, her ears perked up. She looked behind them to see who wast trying to get her attention. To her disbelief it was Storm, coming up behind their group, struggling to carry a bunch of books beneath his wings. Rose took some in her magic to help him while she and Buck got out of the way. "I was looking for you at lunch but I couldn't find you!"

"You... you were?" Aurora slowed to a stop in the middle of the hall way. "For me? Why?"

"I found these books in the library, they're about the AIR Team and how they operate and their history. Do you maybe want to go over them with me some time?"

"Uh—" Behind Storm, both Rose and Buck were furiously nodding their heads. "Yeah... sure..."

"Sweet, where do you want to meet?"

Aurora continued to stand in shock, having never expected the conversation to go this far, or any conversation with him in general. Was this secretly a date? What if it wasn't and he really didn't like her? But what if it was and she was just too chicken? Where would they go? It would be so awkward! So many questions, so little answers.

"She can meet you at her place after you guys are done training!" Rose so politely suggested. "I'm sure she'll be free then!" Aurora tried to mouth her words to her friend silently, asking what she was doing. "Right?" The unicorn said sternly.

"Yeah, that works..." Aurora sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with Rose present.

"Great!" Storm exclaimed delightfully. "Can't wait!" With his final words he took the rest of his books from Rose's magic and continued on towards the biology class room, leaving behind a very stunned and flushed white pegasus. 

"What just happened?" Aurora asked, trying to snap herself out of the daze.

"Your crush is coming over to your house tonight," Buck said as he and Rose walked past her. Their walk showed just how satisfied they were with the turn of events.  

The news took a while to set into Aurora. The bell ringing, telling her that she was late for class, was what pulled her the rest of the way out if her daze, sending her running for the biology class room. After being assigned extra work for being late to her lesson, Aurora took her seat in the room and started to count down the minutes until the next bell rung. The lesson was long, dry, and boring, per usual. Never mind the fact that Crystal Star was trying to get under her feathers the whole class period. But the satisfaction when the bell finally rang was well worth it. Aurora repeated the previous day's steps, and was quickly the first one out the door and to the gymnasium, ready to start the next day of training.



After donning their flight suits in the locker rooms, Aries took the students to a nearby classroom to meet the pony who would be their lead instructor, after explaining that he was only there to explain the course and introduce it to them. This left Aurora feeling uneasy. She had been under the impression that her father would be the one training them directly, not some other pony who she may not have known, or may not have known her. When they were introduced to their new instructor, she was relieved. At least until Aries further introduced the pony.

"This is Lieutenant Quick Wing," Aries explained, making sure to glance at all the cadets as he did. "He's the leader of one of my AIR Teams, my second in command, a good friend, and the best instructor we've got. Don't let that think he's going easy on you, though. I can guarantee it would be easier to have any other instructor here." The Lieutenant scanned his new students, his eyes hesitating when they reached Aurora, then moved on. Great, Aurora thought, Now that he knows I'm here, he's going to make it worse on my because I'm, well, me! "I'll leave them to your charge, Lieutenant. If you need anything you know where I'll be."

"Aye sir," Quick Wing nodded as the eldest pegasus left the classroom, heading for his office on the levels above them. "Normally this is where most instructors would take you into the class room and tell you about what was going to happen." He motioned with his head for the cadets to follow him as he walked down the hall. "I like to do things differently. I prefer more hooves on training."

"What's up first?" One of the pegasi asked. Aurora could see the beginning of a smile form at the side of Quick Wing's mouth, even though she was behind and to the side of him.

"Probably my favorite simulator that we have." He stopped outside the viewing window of a small room. The same room Aurora saw a pegasus trying to hold onto a piece of metal while enduring blistering winds. "I haven't been able to think of any neat names for it, but its purpose is to simulate what its like being on the outside of Navis 7, in any situation, and under any circumstances that we want. 

"Now I'm not going to throw the crazies of scenarios at you, especially the ones that have never been passed by ponies before. At least not at first. We'll be starting with the basics: how to move along the hull of the ship. You'll learn by using ropes and grapples to keep you tethered to the side of the hull; they're a life line. If you get tired or a gust of wind comes in, then being attached with that cord will save your life. The MDTs use it for their regular job, but we mainly use it for high risk situations."

"Like what?" another pegasus asked.

"Every so often a storm will pop up. The flight crew does their best to avoid it, but sometimes you can't. Depending on how bad it is and whether or not it's producing ice, it's likely that we'll have to go out in the middle of it and knock anything off that's damaging the ship. In the past there have been cuts that have been torn into the envelope and we'd have to go repair those too. Regardless of our skill, in those situations, everyone had their lines attached."

"Did they all come back? The Team members that wen't out?"

Quick Wing hesitated. "For the most part, yeah." The face of the pegasus who asked visibly paled, along with several others. Storm showed no external response to the situation, and Aurora already knew the risks. "Anyway who wants to be first?" Aurora and Storm both raised their hooves, both thinking they were first and giving each other accusing looks when they noticed the other. "Good," Quick Wing nodded, "no hesitation. I like that." He opened the door for them and motioned for the pair to step inside. "Real basic. You'll put the harnesses on, attach yourselves, and I'll add a little wind. From there I'll give you some tasks. Understood?"

"Yes," said Aurora while Storm nodded. 

"Good, put your hoods on and head inside." 

The two cadets did as they were told. Storm held the door open for Aurora as she walked by, at the same time they were pulling their hoods up. Storm came through after her and locked the door behind him so it was nice and secure. Through the window they could see Quick Wing standing behind a small control panel with various knobs and switches. The other cadets were around him in a half circle. 

"Attach yourselves to the hull and we'll begin," Quick Wing said over a headset that he was wearing, transmitting his voice to the sets in Storm's and Aurora's hoods.

At the bottom of their flight suits was a metallic "D" ring, connected to what looked like a bungee cord. It stayed flush with their suit, but it was fairly easy to stretch out to a certain extent before it caught. Next to it was a second ring and cord. Aurora used her wings to give her an extra boost in jumping up onto the hull piece, shortly followed by Storm. They found that it was covered in half rings.

"Those are were you connect your tether," Quick Wing explained to them. "Start by positioning yourself over one of the attachment points." The pair did as told. "Then bring down one of your tethers. Pushing in on the hook end of the ring, slide the opening through the attachment point and let go. You have about eight feet of movement before they won't let you go any further. The way you move around is by keeping yourself connect to an attachment point at all times. You make the initial connect, then you move in the direction you want and find the nearest attachment point and connect your second tether to that. Then you go back and get your original tether, unhook it, and leap-frog past your second hook and keep going, repeating the process.

"I know that it's slow and that it's meticulous, but trust me it will keep you alive. Are you ready for your first task?" They said yes. "Good. detach yourselves and go back to the first point and we'll start." Quick Wing waited a few seconds for them to move, figuring out how to use the tethering equipment. Slowly he turned a dial. The result was that a large turbine on the far wall of the room began to spin, creating a simulated wind force.

Storm, having never experienced the winds before, staggered back a few feet, nearly slipping off the edge of the hull piece. Aurora faced the source and lowered herself to the hull, making herself more aerodynamic. The stallion was quick to recover however, seeing what the other pegasus was doing and mimicking her. Quick Wing gave them instructions through the radios to move from their starting point to the other end. Between them and their destination were outcroppings of metal and various other obstacles.

"They represent external pieces of the ships," their instructor explained. "The large one on your left, on the far side, represents an engine shaft. Inside is a shaft driven by a motor that spins the giant propellers on the tops of the ship to help with the lift, and the many smaller propellers along the side and bottom for propulsion. Be careful around them, they tend to build static electricity. Hit them with your pick and your liable for a shock.

"The same applies to the antennas. We use them to pick up radio signals from the other Navis ships, to help determine our position, and to gauge the weather around us. They can hurt you if you get to close with their radiation, so if you feel yourself buzzing then back away. Its best to use chemical sprays on these when the ice is thin. That goes for the envelope of the ship too. The only time we use the picks is when we are in a hurry and the ice is thick. If you're not careful with them you can punch a hole in the envelope and damage equipment. Now get moving."

Aurora took the first steps. It felt like several ponies were holding on and that she had to drag them forward with her too. The first steps were frustratingly slow, but she got used to the resistance. Storm, on the other hoof, demonstrated his superior strength by passing her. His coordination though wasn't as good. So when he went to attach his second tethering ring in front of him so he could progress, he missed, and slipped along the surface of the envelope. Caught by the wind he tumbled backwards until the tether he was connect to went taught, violently stopping him in place.

"That hurts!" he said with little breath. 

"It keeps you alive," Quick Wing added from outside. 

Storm caught back up to Aurora while she waited for him at the end where she completed their assignment first. While catching their breath, Quick Wing gave them another objective. Survive. That's all he said.

Aurora felt something comparable to a rock slam against the side of her face. Then something hit Storm. Aurora could see the mark it left, a dark wet spot. It was water. Looking at the source of the wind Aurora could see that there were sprinklers built into the air ducts, and that they were starting to turn on. The lights in the room dimmed, to a level of light akin to a stormy day. In a flash they went to their full brightness, quickly dimming back down to simulate lightning. Predicting what was next, Aurora covered her ears from the thunder that shook the entire room. 

The rain picked up, pelting the two ponies. Quick Wing said that storms tended to create turbulence that could become fairly severe. His words foreshadowed the envelope moving beneath the ponies' hooves. Aurora would have described it as an earthquake from the books she's read. They were knocked into the air where the wind caught them. It blew Aurora into Storm, who caught her, but was in turn blown into the propeller shaft casing, which began to shock his back, through his arms and into Aurora. She scrambled to get off of him, grabbing on to his tether and pulling him away from the device. 

"Thanks," he panted. 

"Don't worry," she said, getting back on her hooves. At the same the envelope they were standing on began to rotate.

As the two ponies found themselves at a thirty degree angle and ready to slide off of the wet surface, Aurora acted quickly. She moved next to storm, taking one of her tethers and stretching it out as far as she could to her left and attaching it, then doing the same to the other tether but to the right so that it crossed over Storm. The tension of her straps kept the two ponies glued to the envelope ever as the ship continued to rotate to where they were completely up-side-down.

It didn't matter how hard the two ponies held on though. The rain was chipping away at the straps, and the storm was only growing more severe. Aurora looked to her right and left to see that her tethers were starting to fray, cut to pieces by the water. At these speeds, the rain might as well have been rocks.

Storm and Aurora held together when the tethers holding them to the envelope finally broke. They fell a foot and a half and landed on the hard floor on their backs. The wind caught them and pushed the two up against the back wall. 

Quick Wing shut everything down once he saw the straps break. It took several minutes for the wind turbine to spool down before it was safe to enter the room. When it was, he was the first on to open the door and step inside.

"That was highly impressive," he said to the ponies as he helped them up. "It doesn't count as a fail. By that point the entire ship would have been lost." Quick Wing nodded at Aurora with a smile. "That was some quick thinking. Bought you extra time. Most of the students I put through here and do that too will panic and end up falling off. Nicely done."

"Thank you, sir," Aurora panted, trying to regain her breath. Both her and Storm were barely able to stand, having been fatigued by the simulated conditions.

Quick Wing instructed the two to lay down on the benches in the hall way outside of the simulator while the other students took their turns. Storm passed out almost before he could hit the bench. Aurora started to doze off, listening to the drone of the turbine in the next room, imagining herself being on the outside of the ship. It wasn't long before she too fell into a deep sleep, one that she would be in for hours while the other ponies tried and failed multiple times to complete the first stage of the simulator. Proud of her efforts, Aurora slept with a smile.

Aurora and Storm were finally brought from their slumber when the others' lessons had finally ended, hours after theirs. Feeling groggy it took the two pegasi a few minutes to get to their hooves. Quick Wing explained to everypony what all they did right and wrong, and what they could improve on in the future. For most he covered their coordination and strength, but there wasn't much advice he could think to give to Aurora and Storm other than "Use more straps." Then they were all dismissed.

The ponies trudged their way to the locker room, taking their time when removing their flight suits. Having been pelted by the wind and rain, the ponies were sore and throbbing. Any time something brushed against their fur it hurt. Having finished putting away her gear, Aurora sat on a bench in the room, regaining her strength so that she could head home. With time it was only her and Storm who remained.

"So are we still good for tonight?" Storm asked, pausing at the door way. "If not I completely understand. Today was rough and if you just want to sleep it off its fine by me, I'm about to go do the same!"

"No," Aurora sighed, "it's fine. I want to get ahead of everypony else anyway."

"Great, see you later then!"

"Yup..." Aurora could feel herself ready to pass out. Then the full weight of the conversation came down on her. "What?"



Several hours later Aurora was sitting with her family at the end of dinner. Dishes were being put away and the ponies were beginning to wind down, save for Cobalt, who was rapidly becoming energetic. Ariel had been quick to ask how everything went when her daughter first came home. Aurora told her about the simulator and what all had happened, about the praise she received from her instructor for her quick thinking, earning her more praise from her mother.

Aries told her how proud he was, and that Quick Wing was too. She had done better than most of the cadets to have ever gone through there on their first try. But he also warned her that she wasn't anywhere near to being done and to not get complacent. She wouldn't be the best at everything, and they both knew it. A knock at the door caught Aries' attention.

"Now who could that be at this hour?" he asked, walking towards it.

Aurora's eyes grew wide with realization. She ran in front of her father to stop him. "You know," she said. "Maybe I should get that! You uh— you can go get some coffee or talk to mom. Or something other than answer the door!"

Aries squinted his eyes. "Why don't you want me to answer the door?" There were more knocks, and his head tilted to the side. "Who is it...?"

"Nopony!"

He pushed his way past her. Aurora was helpless to stop him as he turned the door knob and pulled. A few feet from the porch, Storm stood in the pathway, his face paling, and his ears falling back on his head. It was clear that Storm wasn't expecting to see the captain of the AIR Team on the other side of the door. 

"I can explain dad—" Aurora said, interrupted by her father.

"What do you think you're doing?" Aries asked with a squint in his eyes. Storm seems to lower himself, cowering form the stallion's gaze. "Why are you standing outside my door... When you could be sitting in my house? Get in here!" Aries' voice went from serious to chipper in only a sentence, taking both Aurora and Storm by surprise. "Why didn't you say he was coming earlier? Ariel and I could have made a plate for him too!" The elder stallion walked out to the younger one, ushering him inside from behind with a wing. "Your name is Storm, right?"

"Uh, yes—yes sir, it is."

"Great! I heard you and my daughter kicked flank in the simulator today! First time too, eh?" The two walked past Aurora, who's jaw was hanging open. "Come now dear, you're going to catch a fly! Join us in the kitchen so we may learn more about this young colt." 

Aries reached the room first and pulled out a chair, motioning for Storm to sit in it. Then he did the same for Aurora with the chair beside the first. Just as he was about to sit down a phone on the far wall began to ring. The stallion went over to answer it, speaking several affirmations after a few moments of listening to what was said from the other side. "I'll be right there," where his final words as he hung the phone back on its cradle.

"Dad?" Aurora looked up at her father in question, though she already knew. This wasn't the first time a call like this had come through.

"I'm sorry sweetie," Aries gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead, moving with a lowered head towards the door. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Promise?" she called back causing him to pause before closing the door.

"Promise." 

And like that, he was gone, leaving Aurora to return to her original position and sigh, sinking into her seat. Storm could see the disappointment on her face. It was clear that this isn't the first time something like this happened. Not by a long shot. He felt pity for her. He had been lucky enough to have his parents around all of the time. But her father was likely going in and out of her life, at the most random and most inconvenient moments, with no guarantee to return.

Unsure of what he could possibly say to comfort the mare he looked around the house awkwardly. In the living room, sitting on top of the hearth next to the door, he could see a picture of a stallion he hadn't seen in the house. Beside it was a candle that had been lit for quite some time. Next to that was a triangular shadow box, the glass of which contained a folded AIR Team flag. It didn't take much more than that for it to click inside his head. That photo was of somepony in the family, who was a member of the AIR Team, and hadn't returned. He stared at the side of Aurora's head wondering what the mare was thinking. He could tell she was afraid that her father wouldn't return, and that one day she may not return. His sorrow for the mare expanded slowly to the other members of the family as well, to what this household must have had to endured on a nightly basis.

"Is there anything I can do?" he couldn't think of anything else to say. Everything felt awkward.

"No..." It shocked him how incredibly soft and empty Aurora's voice felt. It lacked her usual pride and bearing.

"Do you want me to go? Its okay, I underst—"

"No!" Aurora looked at him with wide eyes, her sudden answer catching them both off guard. "It's just that... let's just study, okay?"

"Okay."

Storm went to the living room and sat on the floor, immediately being tackled and harassed by Cobalt while he waited for Aurora to return from the second floor with all the books she had on the AIR Team. So many in fact that it took her several trips. She set the books in front of him and sat on the opposite side. Just as she plumped to the ground, everything shook slightly for just a second, so much so that vases and glasses shifted. Storm raised an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look," Aurora said, "I'm not that big; ask my sister if she did it."

"I'm not!" Storm was quick to defend himself from any possible rage she may throw against him.

A few seconds again, what the ponies knew was turbulence struck again, only a little more powerful this time. Aurora sighed, knowing exactly where her father would be about now. Moving past it she opened to the first page of the first book in front of the two, beginning by discussing the fundamentals of the deicing chemical agents used on the envelope of the ship and how to use it so that it didn't eat away at the surface and create a tear that they would have to fix. The two became transfixed in there studies that they no longer noticed the turbulence, only each other.

Many hours would pass by. Everypony else had long since gone to their rooms for rest, but Aurora and Storm stayed in the living room, reading through nearly every book. She would eventually lay her head unconsciously on a stack next to her, pulled into the soft embrace of slumber. Storm remained, however, reading through the rest of the texts, waiting to be there for her in the event that she awoke and her father hadn't yet returned. 

Storm himself was about to lose the battle against sleep when the door opened, stirring the two ponies from their dazes. They saw Aries step inside. In the light they could see that he was battered and bruised. His mane was a mess, his feathers disturbed to the point that they could no longer possibly provide lift, and his face showing severe signs of exhaustion. It looked as though the stallion had flown through hell.

"Dad..." Aurora ventured, bringing herself to her hooves and taking a step towards her father, who didn't seem to hear her and continued to the kitchen. "Dad?"

Still, nothing. The stallion took a seat on the table, resting his head in his hooves and letting out a tired sigh. Both Aurora and Storm could hear a sniff as Aries took in a large breath. It was clear to both of the young ponies that something had gone terribly wrong.

"You should go..." Aurora said mornfully to Storm, casting a slight glance to him.

"Are you sure, maybe there was something I could do?"

"No... there's nothing. I'm sorry."

"I understand," Storm sighed, heading towards the door. "I'll see you in class?"

"Yeah. And Storm?" She caught the pegasus before he could leave. "Thank you."

He nodded, exiting the home and shutting the door behind him. He paused for a moment and sighed, making sure everything would be okay. A moment later he heard a plate shatter from inside and saw that the upstairs lights turned on. He was tempted to return, but thought that maybe he would only cause more damage. Nothing could be done but wait till the morning.
> Skyborn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Storm sat in class the next morning glancing occasionally at the empty seat on the other side of the room. After the previous night he had gone home and laid in bed awake all night. His mind was on Aurora and her family, on what could have possibly happened last night that made Aries return to his home so distraught. It eventually came to his mind to pose the question of: "If not what, then who?" Had something happened to somepony? Given the conditions of last night's storm from that Navis 7 had flown through, then it was likely. 

Next to the empty seats he could see the friends of its occupant. He was aware that Rose had also looked towards him once or twice, so he decided that he would speak to them after this class was over. Sure enough the bell rang to dismiss them after another boring forty-five minute lesson.

Buck and Rose were seated more towards the front of the class, and so they were able to escape before he could. Storm finally caught up to them in the cluttered hallway traffic. 

"Hey!" he called to them. The two ponies smiled when they saw it was him, and the group stepped off to the side out of the way of everypony else.

"Hey there Storm," Buck greeted, "how was las—"

"How was last night?!" Rose cut in, frustrated by how slow Buck was asking the question she was fidgeting all morning to hear.

"It was great!" said Storm. "For the most part... Something happened though, so I was wondering if you two had seen Aurora this morning? Or maybe heard something from her at least?"

"No, we were wondering the same about you, actually..."

"We usually all meet in District 8 at a cafe for breakfast," Buck continued to explain. "Us and another friend. Aurora never showed up. We thought that maybe she was with you... until class started at least."

"Why," asked Rose, "what happened?"

Storm shook his head. "There's nothing I can say for certain. Aries was called out to go into the storm last night, and when he came back something was off about him." He explained to them about how Aurora's dad had gone to the dining room and sat down, seemingly crying, and how Aurora looked sullen when she told him to leave. He described how he thought he heard something break when he leave, and how the lights in the upstairs rooms had turned on and prompted his thought that everything would be handled and that he would only get in the way.

Buck was trying to process everything he had heard while Rose gasped "Wow." 

"The only place I think she could possibly be is still at her home," Storm proposed. The ponies in front of him nodded, agreeing to his plan.

Storm and Buck hid in the colts bathroom while Rose hid in the fillies' across from theirs. They trio waited until the second bell rung, signaling that everypony had to be in their respective classes and out of the halls. When the bell finished its toll, they counted to two hundred in their heads, then emerged. The hallways were completely empty of both students and faculty. If they were going to make a move they didn't have long, the teachers would be finishing roll call about now and would soon discover that they were missing from class. Storm nodded for the others to follow him as he ran down the hall.

They came turn a corner to be confronted with the last hallway that stood between them and the main door of the school. However the office just so happened to be positioned there, with glass windows on all sides so the staff could see all around. The ponies stayed low, skirting against the wall below the windows so that they went by undetected.

It only took them about a half hour to reach their friends house while galloping down the streets. The building looked alien to them. Whether it was just because it was an odd time of the day for them to be there or it was the lighting they didn't know. But regardless the warm home looked still. 

"So who wants to knock?" Rose asked, warranting a look from the two stallions that clearly said this wasn't the time. "Just trying to break the tension." 

Storm hoped up the stairs, pausing in front of the door before rapping on it three times. "Good morning miss," he said to Ariel, who answered it in a timely manner. "We were wondering—"

"My goodness!" Ariel interrupted him, "what are you kids thinking?!" She used her magic to bring them inside the house, quickly closing the door behind them. "Somepony might see you! What are you doing out of school?"

"Well we were looking for Aurora," said Rose, "is she here?"

"No, she left this morning to go to school. Why? Wasn't she there?"

Rose shook her head. Storm was honest, "We didn't see her. Quite frankly, we have no clue where she is, this was our best hope."

"After last night I can't say I'm surprised she didn't show up for school... Here, I'll go look in her room and see if she snuck in through her window again."

The pegasus left the three others standing in the living room while she went up stairs to look for her daughter. To help relieve the awkward tension their eyes shifted around the room. 

"Hey guys," Rose whispered to the other two. The unicorn was staring at a nail that had been half buried into the wall. "I think I know where Aurora went."

"Where?" Storm asked, taking a step towards the pink mare. "What goes on that hook?"



A lone pegasus walked through the halls of the fore-deck, having been granted access by the bridge pass she now sported around her neck. She was careful to avoid members of the AIR Team, even though it was their hallways she was walking through. There was one member she had her eyes set on, the same one that she had been following since she had left her home earlier that morning.

He turned to enter his office at the end of the corridor and she casually continued by as if she was supposed to have been in the hallway in the first place. Her destination was in the locker room, where she knew she could get hold of a flight suit to better disguise her self. The mare went to the first locker on her left, which had the name Aurora on the front of it. She pulled out the flight suit from inside, being sure to remove the velcro nametape that identified the owner from the front of it. Then she thought of an idea: If she brought the oxygen equipment with her, then she could cover her face with the mask. Though the mare had worn it only a couple of times it didn't take her long to don it and continue with her agenda.

When her father returned home the previous night he bore a look that she had hoped to never see again. It was the same look he had the night he told her about her brother passing. Though this time he wasn't saying what it was. So in her mind she was going to do all she could to find out. Something happened last night and it was big.

Carefully Aurora left the locker room, being sure to remove any trace evidence she may have left behind to tell somepony she was there. The pegasus pulled her hood up, placing her all weather goggles on top of her head in ready position to bring down to help cover her face. Her oxygen mask was half strapped so that it hung on to one side of her head in a place she could easily pull it up and hook it in a hurry. She walked back down the office towards her father's office. Passing a small group of cadets, she turned her head in the off chance they might have known her.

Outside the office she waited with her ears at attention to pick up any noise that came from within the room. She was able to pick out her father's voice and another that she had never heard before. Though the latter was probably facing away from the door, and she couldn't hear what was being said. That didn't keep her from hearing part of what her dad was saying.

"This isn't supposed to happen..." Aries said harshly. "This was never supposed to happen!" There was a force behind his voice that caused his daughter to flinch.

"I know!" shouted the unknown voice. "Its all being..." the voice trailed off into a whisper that hid its words.

"Fine. But so help you Celestia if this ever happens again..."

Aurora heard hooffalls on the other side of the door that were growing louder. Somepony's coming... She looked around in a desperate place to go. The hall ways were too long for her to zip down, who ever was about to exit would have seen her fleeing regardless which one she chose. Then she looked up. The ceiling tiles were comprised of large squares that could be pushed up for maintenance access. She pushed herself off of the wall behind her and used her wings to angle to the nearest one, putting her hooves in front of her to push it up. The space above the ceiling was cramped and dark. The only way she could fit with the aluminium tank on her back was to lay on her side, but that prevented her from moving the tile back into place to cover the hole.

The mare held her breath as the door opened, afraid that any movement what-so-ever would give away her position. It was several very long seconds after the door closed again for the hoof-steps to fade away down the hall. Aurora used her hooves to push her self out and back through the hole. She fell several feet and landed on the tank on her back, making a loud and metallic "thunk" sound. She got to her hooves before anypony saw her and took off down the hall, following the pony who had just left the office. 

She could see that he was a unicorn stallion, with a golden coat and a blue mane. He wore a blue suit similar to her dads, however there was a fancy gold trim around the seems and buttons, along with several gold hashmarks on the sleeves. Thought Aurora had never seen this pony in person before she knew by his uniform exactly who he was: Admiral Hawkins, the Overseer of Navis 7. So what did he of all ponies have to say to my father that would bring that side of him out...

The hallway Admiral Hawkins walked through intersected with three more, and he chose to go down the left one. This was a section of the ship that Aurora hadn't been on before. The Admiral was unknowingly leading her towards the bridge of the ship. At the intersection he was joined by a couple of other ponies who startled Aurora. She hung back while they continued on with Admiral Hawkins, giving herself room to breath so she would remain undetected.

"Sir," one of the ponies said, "about—"

Hawkins stopped, quickly sending the pony a vicious glare that cut his sentence. "Not here you idiot."

After staring for a second more Admiral Hawkins continued down his path. Aurora waited till she couldn't hear them any more before moving to the next intersection. She was sure to move both ways so that she wasn't seen. The group was just ahead her in the next hallway segment. When Aurora saw that they turned a corner, she briskly walked to the same corner, leaning around it to see where they had went.

"What are you doing?" the entrance of an unexpected voice nearly caused the pegasus to jump out of her flight suit. Aurora turned to see a pair of bridge security guards scrutinizing her. She turned so that they couldn't see her missing name tape.

"Uh-Uh-Uh..." Her mouth was moving, but words failed to be vocalized. "I-I I'm here to see Admiral Hawkins," she quickly regained her composer, standing tall. "Could you tell me where his office would be?"

"Ah, yes," the other guard nodded. "This must be about the storm last night."

"Ye-Yes... The storm... I just came from outside, I have damage reports for him."

"Nothing too severe I hope?"

"Nope! Everything's A-Okay!""

Even though the second guard seemed to lighten up, the original continued to judge Aurora while they waited in silence. "Alright," he said, causing the pegasus to breath a sigh of relief internally. "Its down the hall on the right. Can't possibly miss it."

"Thank you." Aurora was quick to turn around and walk away, putting as much distance between the guards and her as she could. 

By now she had lost the ponies she was following, though she did have a good idea of where they would be. Aurora followed the directions given to her by the guards and came across a door that seemed to be made of bronze with a plaque on it that read Admiral Hawkins, Navis 7 Overseer. 

This guy's worse than I thought... she thought to herself. Aurora could hear the same voices coming from inside the room but yet again found herself in a position where she could make out exactly what. This time she meant to resolve the situation.

The idea felt like a light bulb turned on in her head, instantly warming her with happiness and joy! She looked to the ceiling above her. Sure enough it was comprised of the same tiles as in the other hallway. It only made sense that the space above them would be the same as well. Aurora looked to her left and then to her right. With the hallway clean she opened her wings, hovering into the air. She steadied herself just below the ceiling and carefully push the tile up and slid it to the side, mindful of making any unnecessary noise. Confident that she wouldn't be caught the pegasus took cover in the dark space, being sure to leave herself with room to move around so she didn't nearly get stuck like last time.

There was barely any room for the mare to squeeze into the space, the top of the tank scraping against the bottom of the floor above her. She crawled on all fours in the direction she thought the office was. In front of her she could see the housings for the room's lights with wires leading from them in a tangled mess to their power source. Aurora guided herself through the web-like maze, being sure not to get caught up in anything, and centered herself in the middle of them, hoping that that would be the middle of the room.

It puzzled Aurora for a minute or two as to how to remove the tile in front of her from this side of it. The tops of the tiles were raised an inch or two, while the sides were flush with the frame of the roof. She put her hooves on either side, grabbing hold of what precious inches she could of the tile. Very carefully Aurora did what she could to pull it up. She could feel it lift off the frame beneath it just as it slipped from her right hoof, slamming back down into place. 

Please tell me nopony heard that... she prayed silently. 

The voices below her didn't seem to change, so she tried again. This time her plan was successful. She moved the tile an inch or two forward just so that she could see partly inside the room.

The group of ponies she had been following earlier were in a half circle around the front of a dark wooden desk. Sitting behind it in a black chair was Admiral Hawkins, leaning forward on his hooves demanding information from those before him. His words were sharp and crisp, while the replies he received were shakey and full of fear.

"How is this possible?" Admiral Hawkins yelled. 

"It isn't sir!" stumbled one of the ponies. "We were sure it wasn't!"

"Well it's pretty obvious that it is, isn't it! So who can explain to me what happened last night?"

"We quite frankly don't know sir," said another. "The reconnaissance aircraft were designed so that they couldn't reach anything near the altitude of the Navis 7, let alone enough to where it could dock..."

"Did you see to it yourself?"

"Yes sir, I—"

"Well because of your failure I have to keep a thousand ponies from finding out about this little incident. If they did it would be something akin to a mutiny! And I've already got enough who know."

"Captain Aries will not pose a problem," the last follower said. "He will obey your instructions like everypony else."

"No... he's too spirited for that. Even know he's battling his conscious as to what to do: Tell everypony or not. He's too much of a good guy to not risk. If anything he'll be the one to lead the mutiny..."

"So what do you want us to do?"

Admiral Hawkins paused. "I'll send him an order to have the AIR Team deploy and check for any damage from last night's little 'storm'. I want you to ensure that he goes out on the assignment, but doesn't come back." Aurora held her breath, eyes widening in shock. She started to pusher herself back in a desperate gambit to get away from the whole situation. Little did she realize the cracks forming on the tile beneath her. "And do a better job at this than you idiots did with the recon aircraft!"

"Yes sir!" The three ponies began to leave. Just as they did, the tiles above them could no longer hold Aurora's combined weight. First chips of the tile fell first, a few even landing on one of them, enticing him to look up just in time to see the rest of the tile give way. He jumped to the side out of the way. 

Aurora landed hard in the center of the room, the breath being knocked out of her. She struggled to regain it and look around at the same time. It was clear to her that none of the ponies had expected to see her, let alone see her enter in such a fashion.

"Well well, who might we have here?" Admiral Hawkins asked, standing from his chair and walking around his desk. "I have one question for you pegasus, and your answer will determine everything that happens next..." He stopped in front of Aurora as she got to her knees, leaning in close to her. "How much of our conversation did you hear, exactly?"

The pegasus could sense the other ponies closing in around her. She knew exactly what the admiral had meant with his question. Defiant as ever, Aurora answered, "Everything."

He sighed. "That's unfortunate. Get rid of her, please." 

As the admiral moved back behind his desk, the ponies he had been meeting with closed in on Aurora. They tried to tackle her to the ground but she jumped up and away in time so that they only tackled each other. Aurora landed on the pile they had created and used it as a point to push herself off of, through the doorway, and into the hallway. There she came face to face with the two guards she previously ran into. 

"I told you there was something about her." The first guard shot at his partner.

Before they could react Aurora had taken flight in the opposite direction, praying that it wasn't a dead end. Although she was faster than the ponies chasing her, she was at an disadvantage not knowing where she was or where specifically she was going.

Gotta find somepony... she said to herself, desperately looking through open doors as she flew by. All she saw were guards and bridge personnel; all ponies directly beneath Admiral Hawkins' influence. She needed to find somepony who she knew she could trust. I need to find somepony on the AIR Team...

A few rights and a left later Aurora found herself at the end of an observation hallway, cornered. She slid to a halt along the ground while turning around to face her pursuers. Her oxygen tank made a "tink" sound as it bumped the glass behind her. Without realizing it, a spider-web crack in the glass formed where the two objects met. Aurora fought desperately to devise of an escape plan. Every path she thought of was covered by the ponies in front of her.

"What is going on here?" a voice demanded to know from behind the group of gathering ponies. They parted ways so that it's owner could come before them. 

"Quick Wing!" Aurora gasped as the fellow pegasus came into view. "Look, you gotta help, Admiral Hawkins is up to something and—"

"Shut it," he interrupted, glaring at the mare harshly. Quick Wing turned to the others with an equal gaze. "Somepony explain to me why this is taking so long?" His challenge was met with silence, to which he rolled his eyes. "For Celestia's sake she's not even out of high school!" He turned to approach the younger pegasus.

Aurora tried to step back, but was stopped by the glass yet again. "Quick Wing..." the only place she could go was down. "What are you doing?"

The lieutenant used a hoof to grab onto her by the neck, lifting her off of the ground and against the pane. Aurora kicked her legs in a desperate gambit to either gain traction on the floor or to kick the pegasus that was now choking the air out of her. 

"Stop... please..." she begged through quiet gasps.

"See?" Quick Wing turned to look at the ponies behind him. "Not that hard." Facing Aurora again, she could see what she thought was pure evil behind his eyes. "Not that hard at all." 

Aurora became more desperate as the color of the world around her began to fade. Her hoof hit the glass. She could feel the vibrations it created as the cracks on the glass grew. What came to mind wasn't a good idea, but it was her only option. She kicked it again and again. It was clear that Quick Wing was too focused on her to notice.

With one final kick the glass gave way in a shower of sparkling shards. Quick Wing had been pushing her against it, and with nothing to push back, his balance was thrown off. The two were pulled out of the hall by the change in pressure. 

Quick Wing still managed to hold onto her, but only until they hit the side of Navis 7's envelope. The two pegasi slid along it for a good distance. Aurora grabbed hold of an antenna as it passed by, clinging to it with all of her strength. Quick Wing lost his grip for a moment and let go of her, but managed to catch her leg.

Though he was no longer choking her Aurora still couldn't breath. With her free hoof she tried desperately to put her mask on, all the while Quick Wing was climbing up her side. She clipped it onto the other side of her hoof and at once color returned to her world. She was again able to think, to react.

Aurora looked back at Quick Wing, using her free hoof to kick him in the top of the head. That did work, so she changed targets to his hooves. The first one let go and he feel back a few inches. Then the next one slipped off as he let go completely. The wind mercilessly took him in its grasp, carrying him into a swirling vortexe created in front of one of the ship's main engines. 

Aurora adverted her eyes in time to not see the engine combust into a ball of fire, rocking the entire ship, jolting her free of the antenna. Now she was trapped in the wind's grasp. She fell end over end as Navis 7 turned away from her. 

Shrapnel and other pieces of fiery fell with her. Aurora stabilized herself so that she was no longer spinning out of control. Instead she staid with her back towards the ground, looking up at her home that grew smaller and smaller, a trail of black smoke coming from one side. Damage that she had caused to it... 

Her entire world seemed to shift as the realization settled in her mind. I'm trapped out side of the ship... she lamented to herself. Though she wanted to be free of it, she didn't want it to happen in anyway like this. Then another though occurred. I'm falling!

The pegasus turned to face the rapidly approaching ground. It was so much bigger and expanded for so much farther than she could ever have imagined. The closer she got the more details she could pick out: individual patches of tress and fields, hills, not mountains, hills! From Navis 7 she could only see some of the larger features, now she could see all of the smaller ones!  

Aurora fell below another layer of clouds, the lowest she had ever seen the white puffy objects. Below her was a mountain that rose from the ground, the top quarter of it seemed to be covered in a white powder. The pegasus flared her wings out to bring herself into a downwards glide. She purposefully moved closer to the mountain's slope. Extending a hoof, she was close enough that it ran through the soft powder, which even through the insulation of her suit she could tell was cold. 

The powder faded away into what she knew was grass as the slope became more and more gradual. Though this grass was unlike anything she had ever seen in the farms aboard Navis 7. It was taller, greener, and it flowed with the gentle breezes that pushed it. Aurora slowed herself down so she too could feel the soft wind. On her wings she could feel it's warmth. All entirely knew and foreign sensations to her.

Ahead of her the soft slope ended in a sharp and rocky cliff. Aurora flared her wings and landed at the pentacle of it. She took off her mask and pulled down her hoof, taking in a deep breath of the freshest air she had ever breathed. The wind relaxed her as it blew through her mane. She looked out on the world in front of her and all its beauty: as far as she could see there were trees and grass and plants that ended in a mountain range on the far horizon. The ground beneath her felt warm and alive. 

Closing her eyes and taking in another deep breath, she held it in thought before slowly releasing it back to the wind. Her ears twitched to pick up a noise from behind her. 

"Don't move, skyborn." The next breath Aurora took was very sharp and short.
> The New Old World
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"No."

"Please! Can't you just let us in? It's an emergency!"

"I said, 'No,'."

Rose, Buck, and Storm stood before the steadfast decision of a guard to Navis 7's foredeck. After discovering their friend, Aurora, missing from class, they went to her home and found that the bridge pass was missing as well. They're conclusion was that she had come to the foredeck, however the guard was preventing them from entering to find her.

"Our friend is missing," Storm explained yet again. "And you're going to stand here and keep us from finding her and making sure she's safe?"

"Look," the guard said, "if your friend is on this part of the ship, then I can assure you that she's safe. If she isn't supposed to be here, then she'll be escorted home. You kids have nothing to worry about."

Buck sighed, taking an aggressive step towards the guardpony. "We're going to make sure for ourselves, okay?"

The guard in turn stepped forward with his chest buffed out, forcing Buck to take a step backwards. "You are not going to be allowed on the foredeck. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait for your friend to come out."

"Is there a problem?" A stern voice spoke from behind the guard, rapidly changing the stubborn pony's expression.

He turned to face the scrutiny of Captain Aries, a pony who's pay grade was far, far above his own. The guard's ears fell back on his head as his jaw dropped. "Uh, uh-uh-uh—" he stammered

"Maybe you can explain to me why you're ignoring these children when they're trying to report to you, a Sergeant of the Guard, a missing pony that you're doing nothing about. Especially when that pony is my own daughter." Aries was practically leaning over the pony, who was now looking towards the ground with his eyes sunk low. "Consider yourself relieved of all duties, Sergeant," the Captain hissed. He took the three school foals with him through the checkpoint, turning his head to issue one final command: "I want your badge on my desk by lunch."

Captain Aries hurriedly led the ponies through the halls of the AIR Team home. "I appreciate what you did back there for us," Storm thanked him along while the others nodded in agreement. 

"Keep in mind I didn't do it just for you. Did anything happen over the past few days that would have upset her in anyway?"

Rose shook her head. "Nothing that I know of. She's been completely normal."

"If not happier," Buck added.

Aries noticed Storm's hesitance, and glanced at the young stallion. He saw the pony's eyes darting back and forth as they searched his own mind. Realizing he couldn't hide his thoughts, he sighed and explained, "Last night... after you returned sir. I could sense that something was off; she completely changed. She looked worried but at the same time determined."

The captain opened the door to his office, briefly looking around before closing it. "Well usually when she gets upset she'll be waiting for me in my office. This isn't the first time she's gone missing. There's really only two other places I could think she would be at. Come on." He turned and led the students further down the hall. It wasn't far to the locker room. Inside he found the room devoid of ponies. Rose used her magic to pick up Aurora's name tape from the floor. Buck opened the missing mare's locker, showing everypony what all was missing.

"She went somewhere..." Storm said with a soft breath.

"Further towards the bridge," Aries said, "there's a spot I would occasionally find her when her days were bad. We could go check there."

Storm posed the Captain a question as they left the room. "If she isn't there sir?"

The stallion let out a long breath, bowing his head. "I'll have to file a report and have the entire ship searched... and pray she didn't get out somehow on her own..." Rose and Buck glanced at one another, the same worse-case scenario playing through their heads.

A few tense and silent minutes passed while the ponies hurriedly traversed the halls of Navis 7. Though this wasn't the first time Aurora had gone missing, they couldn't help but worry. Some more than the others. Storm hadn't gone through this before and worried at every possibility. Buck and Rose were used to their mare friend disappearing from school several times before, but all those times she at least told them and said where she was headed. Aries knew she disappeared every so often. Whether she liked it or not, he always knew; whether it was from the ponies under his command seeing her in the halls or if it was himself. His eyes darted up and down halls as they passed them, eager to find her. 

From beneath their hooves the ponies felt the ship rumble as if thunder had sunk its claws into the hull itself and shook it.  The ship violently shook without warning. Buck caught Rose before she was thrown into the wall, pulling her into his chest instead and positioning so his back hit it instead. Aries and Storm tried to hug the floor as best they could, but it was too much. All of Navis 7 seemed to list towards where the crash had come from. The hallway became one giant linoleum slide. Though instead of bouncy balls or a soft surface at the end, this slide led to a rather thin glass window.

Ceiling tiles above them broke open, lights and wires jerking from their housings and whipping about haphazardly. Storm rolled onto his stomach, desperately beating at the floor in an effort to grab onto something. Rose clung onto Buck, who in turn wrapped his hoof around a fallen light fixture's wire. Aries zipped past them, gravity pulling his superior weight down faster than the younger ponies. The captain slid by Storm, and as he did used his legs to kick the pony into a door that had come open so he could grab hold. The force pushed the stallion into the wall, where he was able to grapple onto a fire extinguisher that was still bolted to the wall. A filing cabinet had managed to find its way out of a room and came tumbling past the ponies, breaking past the window below. A brief gust of wind tried the suck the ponies through the gaping hole before a large metal structure blocked the newly formed opening.

It took a few seconds for the chaos to resend. The ship groaned and moaned as it righted itself, its structure crying under the stress it was never designed to handle. Aries let out the air he had held in his lungs as Navis 7 corrected herself. 

"Everypony okay?" Aries shouted, shakily rising to his hooves. 

"Yeah!" Buck managed to cough, helping Rose stand on her own instead of on him.

"Storm?" the captain looked over his shoulder, "you good?" 

The darker pony nodded, wobbling out from the room he had been thrown into. "What the hell was that?" he yelled over the ringing in his ears. 

"No idea..." Aries looked around, trying to regain his bearing. He could hear more shouting form other ponies in various parts of the corridors. "Aurora!" he called, hoping for a reply that didn't come. 

Running through the hall that led to the bridge, Admiral Hawkins ran up to the group. "Captain!"

"Sir, what's going on?"

"One of the engines blew up, Alpha section's decompressed and sealed off from the rest of the ship."

"How many ponies?"

Admiral Hawkins hesitated, looked to the side.

"How many?" Aries pressed the question further. 

"Several. It's hard to say... Lieutenant Quick Wing was there..." Both Storm's and Aries' eyes widened. "Captain I'm sorry... but..." The stallion was waiting on edge for what the overseer had to say. "I was talking to him myself, and the explosion happened right after I left... Aurora was there too... I'm so sorry..."

Everything went silent as Captain Aries' world collapsed around him. "Kids..." Aries looked to the three that looked back with equal shock. "You'd better go home..."

Buck and Rose nodded, slowly turning and heading back, looking over their shoulders to make sure he was okay. Storm hesitated, his head bowed. "You'll update us, right?"

"You'll be in the loop, I promise. Now go home..."

"Yes sir..."



On the edge of a jagged cliff near the top of the earthly world, a pony whose coat matched the clouds she had come from found herself in a dire situation. She he her back turned to the rocky drop off as she faced a half-circle of creatures that surrounded her. When Aurora first heard something approaching behind her she had expected it to be one of the wolves she had read about before. Certainly the possibility of it being another pony was far from her mind. Yet here she was, a young mare who had been told her whole life that she was an endangered species that only survived about their ships in the air, was staring at three more.

Slowly Aurora took in the details of those who stood before her. All three were earth ponies, with faded coats of dull earthy colors. Their manes were frayed at the ends and dried out from the long exposure to the sun. Two of the three held spears made of sharpened rocks and sticks under their armpits, wrapping their arms around it to stabilize the weapon. The pony in the middle, who seemed to be in charge of the group, wielded a bow of wood a string, and a leather quiver on her back. On top of her golden coat were even, patterned blue streaks of what looked like pain. All across her legs and arms, head, neck, and body, this was shared by the others in her group. Beads of blue hung down from a bang of her orange mane, covering part of her lavender eyes.

As she continue to examine the ponies across from her, Aurora came to the realization that they were staring at her with just as much attentiveness and curiosity as she had them. Their eyes were darting across her flight suit and the oxygen equipment on her back. The vibrancy of her coat seemed to catch their eyes the most, along with her mane. She could tell they were regarding her with curiosity, but also as a threat.

These ponies aren't from Navis... Aurora thought to herself slowly, fearful that even a quick thought would startle them into an attack. Have... have they lived down here their whole lives?

The wind swirling gently around the ponies was the only thing that moved for a few minutes.

They took a step forward, while Aurora took a step back. Her rear hooves were barely hanging off of the edge of the cliff as loose rocks began to peal off of the surface, bouncing down the side of the cliff face. 

"I said, don't move," said the leading mare. Her voice was quick and firm, though Aurora thought she could hear a bit of hesitance in it as well. "Explain yourself, Skyborn."

"You first," Aurora retorted, raising her posture in an attempt to seem confident. There was a pause, the other's debating their options.

"Shut it!" the only stallion in the group barked. "You're coming with us."

Aurora felt a smile pull at the corner of her mouth. Her wings slowly lifted off from her side, flaring themselves to show off to the group in front of her. "About that... I have these." Their eyes were widening, one of the ponies' mouth began to fall open as well. "And you don't." With a great push, Aurora freed herself of the cliff, shooting several feet back. "See ya!" she called out at the last second before turning herself over to dive along the path of the rocky cliff.

The pegasus tucked her wings and legs in, turning herself into a large aerodynamic bullet as she built up energy. She pulled her goggles down so she could see through the wind beating her face. Looking back a smile showed itself while the ledge she had jumped from grew smaller. Just on the brim of it she could see the outlines of the ponies watching her fall. Aurora snapped her wings open and looked forward as she began to level out her dive. The cliff below her smoothed out into a plain of tall grass, dotted by flowers of many colors. The dance they preformed was memorizing. She felt at ease with the world seemingly to calm while drag slowed her down and the wind rocked her gently. 

The warmer air reminded her of a comforting embrace. Aurora closed her eyes to focus on the new feelings. Opening them she took in the wonders around her. The world seemed flat and extended on for forever. She rolled onto her back and watched as the mountain reached for the cirrus clouds she once knew as her home.

She drifted to the right, following her own gaze. Running through the field of grass and flowers was something off colored. Instead of green, blue, red, yellow, or violet, it was gray with stems of green sticking out from between cracks. The color formed a rectangle several feet wide that Aurora traced back towards the mountain where it zig-zagged back and forth up it. Aurora landed on the color, hearing the clop of her hooves as she touched down on a stone road; a pathway made up of large rocks packed closely together and smoothed along the top. There wasn't anything like this on Navis. There everything was made of metal.  

The path stretched in the opposite direction as well, reaching into the nearby forest before disappearing beneath the canopy. Curiosity got the best of the young pony as she unfurled her wings, took to a hover and leisurely glided above the path. 

Slowly the forest enveloped the mare on her journey. Aurora had expected the same silence she experienced in the plain only a few minutes ago. Instead she was greeted by more than just the rustling of leaves in wind; something in of itself that was still quite new to her. At seemingly spuratic intervals, several tones of short, high pitched sounds echoed through the trees. Naturally her eyes scanned the canopy, trying to find the source. Movement at the corner of her eye gave away its origins.

Sat on a branch of a tree that extended out above her and the path, were several small objects. They were all about the same size, about as big as her hoof. Aurora could see they were creatures covered in feathers. One was primarily blue, another red, and a third a mix between brown and green. Their bodies narrowed into heads that ended in a golden beak. They're birds! Aurora realized, bringing back memories of a book that had been read to her when she was younger. Turning into a filly again Aurora's curiosity got the best of her as she moved up to them, careful to be slow and not startle them. 

Their chirping had come to a stop when they noticed the pegasus approaching. They too were just as curious. The birds allowed Aurora to get within only a couple of feet from them before she stopped, not wanting to risk getting any closer. Occasionally they would puff out their wings, allowing their feathers to part and not stick together and air to get into the glands where their wings met their bodies. Aurora's eyes widened. They had wings! A creature other than a pegasus, alive, in front of her eyes! In her excitement she reached out with a hoof too quickly and scared them off. With a mixture of awe and disappointment she watched the birds zip quickly away through a gap in the tree canopy above her. Though out of sight, she could still hear their chirping, as well as the calls of others hidden away in the surrounding trees. 

A smile formed beneath her mask as she set down on the stone path, choosing to walk and take in and process all the new sights and sounds. The path was winding, wrapping around beds of gravel and rock, around hills and through clearings. It was broken occasionally by rivers and ponds, where bridges had once stretched across but had since crumbled to the passing times. 

One river in particular had a slow current, with clear and shallow waters. Aurora hovered over it, careful not to disturb the crystalline surface. She looked down in the hopes to see her own reflection but instead found something more. Creatures moved effortlessly through the waters. Their bodies varied in colors: golds, blues, reds, purples and greens. Some were small and short while others large and long; their bodies moving side to side to propel themselves through the river. Aurora reached through the waves and tried to touch one of the fish, only to have it turn and zip away.

She wanted to stay longer but a gust of tail wind continued her on her journey. But soon the stone tapered off into tall grass. The trees around her became more sparse, allowing room for the sun's light to shine on patches of the forest floor. The tall grass began to fade away, its height shortening until it went up to Aurora's knees. The forest ended, opening up into a circular field. 

Crumbled stone made up organized patterns of squares throughout the field, with spaces between them where paths once laid. Even to Aurora's untrained eye they looked like the foundations of what were once homes. It slowly occurred to Aurora that she was standing in the remnants of what was once a town from the civilization that predated her own. In the center was a large and old tree. It had died long ago, but its bark still held its weight. Its branches no longer produced leaves to shield it from the elements. 

Dug into the front of the tree's trunk was an arch shaped hole that led to a hollowed out interior. Other holes were spread throughout the trunk, however these were small and square. Aurora thought that they could have once been windows and a door. The idea intrigued her: living in a tree. At the same time it didn't seem all that strange, after all she lived in a ship in a sky. Curiosity got the best of her as she started to move towards the tree. She wondered what might be on the inside, what somepony might have used it for. What kind of history could be contained within its hallowed bark? What were the stories of the pony who lived in the town that once stood here? 

Aurora was quick to stop walking. She watched as a four legged creature not much smaller than she was crawled from what used to be a window and perched itself on one of the larger branches of the old tree. It had pointed ears and a pointed nose and its fur was mostly gray with a white underside. Its eyes were an ice blue that froze Aurora to the bone when they fell on her. For a moment the two stared at one another. Aurora could feel its power and prominence over her. Its face was relaxed where hers was tense, and its eyes were steady compared to her wide ones. She had seen a picture of something that looked similar to this before, but she could quite think of its name.

The creature jumped from the branch to the grass below. It took a step towards the white pony, who intern took a step back. In a fluid motion it stood tall on all four legs and raised its head high, aiming its nose to the sun high above. The front of its mouth parted as it gave a distinctive call that left no doubt in Aurora's mind as to what it was. The call was long and drawn out; a piercing drone that froze the forest itself /-with every echo. The only thing that moved was the hairs on the back of Aurora's neck. By the end of the of the howl, several more had appeared. Some had coats of varying colors of brown and tan while others were mixes of grays and blacks. All were staring at the pony.

Wolves... Aurora remembered the name of the stoic beats with dread. She lifted a hoof to take a step back, mirrored by the lead canine as it stepped forward with its left paw. Another step, and again it was copied in reverse by the wolf. Aurora could see the other wolves forming a large, spaced out half circle around the wolf Aurora had come to dub the Alpha. By this point her retreat had become a normality. She found herself enveloped in the forest again, with the wolves cutting her off from the open field ahead. The canopy above was too thick to guarantee her being able to escape through it... I'm trapped... Aurora's ears fell back on her head. 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a wolf on the far flank charge at her. Aurora jumped up with the assistance of her wings, letting the wolf pass below her. The pegasus orientated herself vertically, using a large tree branch to push herself off of and catapult away from the wolf pack that was now barreling after her, howling and barking. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for an escape. She was flying close to the canopy to stay as far from the wolves as she could, but blowing through the branches was taking its tole on her wings. Though the deeper into the forest she flew, the thicker the foliage became, and the lower she was forced to fly; all the way until she had no choice but to run on her hooves, jumping on and over and under logs and fallen trees. 

Aurora could hear the wolves behind her but dared not look. She was tunnel visioned on trying to find the best escape route that would allow her to lose the pursuing canines. A gap revealed itself to her right. It was a gamble as to if she would fit through it, but she was quickly running out of options. She dove for the small opening, getting stuck briefly by the oxygen tank attached to her back. Aurora took a step back and charged, breaking through the branches with her tank. In the process a thorn had sliced its way through her flight suit, causing her to bleed from a six inch gash along her left shoulder.

Unfortunately her brutishness had created a hole big enough for the wolves to slip through and continue chasing her. Cursing herself Aurora continued to flee from the Alpha and its pack. Though she was built for speed in the sky, the were built for speed on the ground, a trait that was showing itself well. 

Aurora lose her footing on a muddy slope she didn't notice until it was too late. She toppled hoof over head several times, nearing the water-y bottom below. The pegasus was able to correct herself so that she was sliding on her hooves instead of completely uncontrollably. Nearing the bottom the slope jutted out in an upward angle that had been corroded away into a rushing creek. The pegasus unfurled her wings and jumped at the last second, skipping over the body of water. Coming to a skidding halt on the other side, Aurora looked back, watching with a smile as some wolves slipped down the slope and into the water, while the others including the Alpha remained in the forest above. 

"Ha!" she cheered, jumping up and down. She turned and pranced away from the scene, her head held high and her nose pointed up. In her ego she failed to see vines on the ground in front of her that formed a circle. Aurora stepped in the center, triggering the snarl that wrapped itself around her hoof and dragged her along the ground towards a nearby tree. She thought she would hit it until the vine pulled her up towards the branches. For a moment she hung in the air, swinging back and forth upside-down in the gentle breeze.

Aurora inhaled, exhaling her breath in a long sigh with closed eyes.

	
> Embers of the Old
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Aurora opened her eyes to a world blocked by a blue haze. Moving her mane out of the way she found that it was still swaying in the wind up-side-down. She could feel the rope cutting into the bottom of her right leg as it held her to the tree branch. The sun was beginning to set behind the far mountains and the sky slowly changed colors. It had been several hours at least she guessed since she passed out. She secretly prayed to pass out again so she wouldn't have to feel her pounding migraine. Taking a deep breath the pegasus assessed her situation. The wolves were no where to seen. She listened closely to the different species of birds chirping, to the crickets and frogs. It seemed as though she was the only thing in the area. 

A snap. Somewhere nearby a twig was broken in half with force. Aurora held her breath with the rest of the world. Everything became maddeningly quiet. Her own heart's pounding seemed to echo through the trees. Oxygen deprived she let out an exhausted breath before inhaling deeply. I have to get out of this, the pegasus panicked. She crunched herself forward, bringing her head and arms towards her tail. Aurora fiddled around with the rope around her leg for a few seconds before giving up after it didn't budge. Following it up to where it connected to the branch, she thought she could see a gab. Maybe I can slide it off of the branch... Unfurling her wings Aurora levitated herself up to the branch's height. She grabbed onto the knot and pulled the loop towards the thinner parts of the branch with all her might. It took several heaves before it gave way, sliding a few feet until it was caught by a small branch sticking out. She wrapped a hoof around the smaller branch, tucking in her wings and using her body weight as she fell to break it. 

The main branch bent slightly, dragged down by the relative stick Aurora had just broken. The pegasus found herself hanging by the rope still. She attempted to fly back up to the branch but couldn't. A sharp pain had shot its way around her barrel and her wings had snapped to her sides. The world fell back up-side-down. The force of her fall swung her like a pendulum into the trunk of the tree, worsening her migraine. 

"Ow..." Aurora groaned. She looked around to find out what happened. Around her waist was a rope that was wrapped around her several times. Had part of it broke and entangled her? When she inspected the rope still holding her up it seemed undamaged besides a few frays. The air behind her seemed to shift. It felt warmer and the gentle breeze had stopped. Aurora drew a sharp breath as something touched the back of her shoulder. Slowly the forest spun around until it turned into a pair of orange and gold emblazoned eyes. She could see the smile in them which countered her own scowl.

"Greetings, Skyborn," the feminine voice said. With a strained snap the fibers of the rope frayed apart to release the pegasus from her captive tree. Like butter on toast Aurora fell on the last place she wanted, her head. At least from here she could better see her new captor. An earth pony who looked no older than her. The new mare's coat was orange, highlighted by a long reddish-brown mane that had a slight curl in the end. She too had what seemed like blue cuts along her body. Though being this close she could see a texture to it that resembled paste. "Ash," she looked to a pony Aurora couldn't see, "test her."

Aurora struggled in the ropes that bound her. She could see the gray legs of a pony approaching from the side. Black hairs of  the pony's mane blocked her vision as the pony leaned down towards her. Something cold and runny  ran along the side of the pegasus' neck. It even had a somewhat rotten odor to it that seemed to fade away, that or she had just gotten used to it. The pony moved away and Aurora could see again. The orange mare was standing over her again. 

"Looks negative," said the gray mare. 

"So it looks like," said the orange pony with an inquisitive expression. 

"Hoping for something different?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "Now we can't just leave her. Osiris want's to be all goody and help everypony. So, Skyborn, looks like you get to come with us."

Aurora glared back at the mare. "Wanna take the ropes off? Then I will!" 

The gray pony started walking towards Aurora, and for a moment she thought that it was going to work, at least until the other spoke up.

"Hey!" she barked, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Undoing the ropes, Ember, so she can get up."

Ember, as she was apparently called, put her hoof to her face. "You twit, Ash, she's a pegasus!"  There was a moment of silence. Judging by Ember's stare it would seem that the other pony, known as Ash, wasn't getting the point Ember was trying to make. With an expressive hoof, she continued, "She has wings! If you take the ropes off she'll just fly away. Leave them, and tie one around her neck so we can walk her back." 

Ash fiddled with a length of rope for a moment, tying off a loop in one end into a knot. She slid it over the neck of Aurora as if it were a noose before tightening it flush with the pegasus' fur. Taking the other end of the newly created around her fore-arm, Ash lead Aurora, following Ember through the woods and back onto the path. 

"Where are we going?" Aurora interrogated them, but to no answer." 

She thought that they might be headed towards the village ruins that she had originally fled from. That maybe somehow they were with the wolves and that the latter were guards of some-sort. Preposterous, she thought, shaking her head to expel herself of the silly idea. No, they were headed deeper into the forest. The local wildlife gave no heed to their presence, continuing about their days normally, chirping and buzzing and flying about. 

The forest became darker and thicker the deeper they went. Above them the thick canopy nearly blotted out the sunlight completely to create an unnatural night. Even the bark of the trees themselves became darker. The leaves on bushes were replaced with thorns, forcing them along the stone path. It twisted and swirled through the forest. Aurora lost all sense of direction. For a few hundred feet she swore they were headed back the way they came. Throughout the short journey her mind was a myriad of questions. Who where these ponies? Where are we? More importantly, how have they survived, and did we not see them for so long? Aurora's captors had been bantering  back and forth for sometime, but she only now cared to listen. Mainly because it involved her.

"Why does Osiris want a Skyborn so badly?" Ash had asked. In her voice Aurora had noticed the youth in her voice in comparison to Ember.

"Beats me. Guess she's fascinated with them. She's the only pony who doesn't hide when their ships go by." 

The path opened up to a small clearing just before a ravine. A well maintained rope bridge seemed to be the only way to cross. Ember was the first to start the cross, shortly followed by Ash and Aurora. Midway across Aurora looked down. Albeit it wasn't as rickety as the bridges in her swashbuckling stories from the library, she was still worried that one of the planks might give way at any moment. She wanted to fly, she didn't trust the ground. Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. In the mist that hugged the bottom of the valley was something large and artificial.

A skeleton, made of metal. Deformed rings long since rusted out and warped in the sun. Beams had once connected the rings together, but most had severed over the years. Sheets of torn fabric stuck to some of the pieces like shredded skin. At one point they were as white as clouds, but now were stained by nature. The rings were biggest in the center, tapering off gently in size on either side until they disappeared entirely into the mist. On one end, a maze of metal scaffolding shot crookedly up. More canvas covered its side, and emblazoned in white paint that was chipping away at the edges, was a large number. Despite being led on across the bridge, Aurora managed to slow to a stop, her eyes fixated on the symbol. 

Navis 8... It was the sister ship to Navis 7. The pair were the largest of the projects, carrying more ponies, more supplies, more research. Despite the success of the Navis project not all of the airships survived the last 200 years. Only a hooffull had crashed. Most were located, but Navis 8 had been unheard-from for the past five decades. Ash stopped to see what was the matter with her charge. She followed the pegasus' eyes.

"Crashed years ago," she said as-a-matter-of-factually. "The technology helped us."

"Did anypony survive?" Aurora asked. Each ship had life pods on board, for both water and earth landings. Had these ponies survived the disease outbreak, or were they decedents of survivors from this ship?

"No," Ember's words were cold as she stood by the pegasus. "Though you Skyborns may be different from us in many ways, you're still ponies. Don't worry, they were all given as proper-burials as we could manage. We see these ships many times a season. This is the only one we've been able to touch. So far."

Aurora wasn't sure what to make of her final sentence. All of her attention was back to her home, to Navis 7. The last she saw of it was a gaping ball of fire ripping from the side of the ship. If the emergency repair teams on board didn't fix any holes in the skin on time, they'd end up just like this. Her family... Mother, father, sister, brother. Her friends... Rose, Buck, Storm. Hundreds of ponies, years of research to end this terrible plight, gone. 



The trio of ponies had exited from the fore-deck. Their return trip had been dominated by silence. All their minds were wondering. What had Admiral Hawkins told Captain Aries? Where was Aurora? What happened to the ship? Since the explosion, the ship had been sent into temporary chaos. In all the districts alarms had gone off. Ponies were still running around, trying to find loved ones and repair damages. Street lights had been toppled. Build's walls had been cracked. Street stalls and anything that wasn't secured to the floor had been tossed about, completely demolished. Slowly ordered was being restored at the guard's directions.

"This is bad..." Buck muttered.

"Our parents are going to be worrying about where we are," Rose pointed out. "We should all go home like Aries said." The two looked to Storm, waiting his turn to say something. The stallion looked intent, his brows furrowed. There was a slight frown to his lips. Almost anypony around would have been able to see the gears turning in his head had they paid enough attention to. "Storm?"

Rose poked the side of the pony, asking again, "Storm?"

"Meet me outside Aurora's house tonight. After lights."

"You got a plan you want to let us in on buddy?" Buck asked.

"No. But if you want in, be there. If not, I'll go alone." Storm took to the air, flying back down the district corridor towards his home in the seventh ward. Rose and Buck exchanged glances, shrugging, before continuing on their own paths home. 

Several hours later, the lights across Navis 7's interior had shut off. Only what street level lights were left turned on. Just as they did, Storm's window opened. He swiftly glided out, not bothering to shut it behind him. Across the district, Rose's phone rang. Thankfully for her her mother had answered it, per the plan. Buck had called asking for a book. Being the good friend she was, Rose was quick to help a friend in need, leaving the house quickly under the promise of being back soon. Between the two, Buck had hung up the phone, telling his own parents that Rose needed something from him, and proceeded to act out a similar scene to a near award worthy performance. The two ponies met up quickly, sticking to the shadows. Generally ponies were expected to be out after lights. If seen, surely they would be stopped and questioned.

Storm waited patiently outside his pegasus friend's home. This time of night it looked deserted completely. He wondered if Captain Aries had returned home. Aurora wasn't in her room at least, that much he had already checked into when he flew up to her window, peering inside. His ears flickered to the sound of ponies whispering around the corner. Storm flew up to the roof of the house behind him, landing gently as to not be heard. From the adjacent street Buck and Rose turned, gently jogging towards Aurora's house. For a moment the stood in the middle of the street looking around for their friend.

He pounced from the roof behind them, gliding to a soft landing just between them and Aurora's home.

"You made it," Storm said with a raised brow. It wasn't that he think that they wouldn't come along with his half-hearted plan, but that they couldn't. 

"You've got an idea," Buck started out, "and it involves helping our friend. Of course we're in." 

"So what is it?" asked Rose with a tall posture.

Storm bent forward, allowing the saddlebag that was on his back to slide off and over his head, landing in the center of the group. Opening one flap revealed rope, a flashlight, and various other tools. The other had dark clothes, and a plastic card with a metallic clip. He picked the card up in one hoof, showing it's face to the others.

"Snagged it off Aries during the commotion," a coy smile facilitated his words. "We're going in. To find out what happened to the ship. And to our friend. You still in?" His eyes shifted back and forth between the two.There was barely a pause before they nodded their heads. 

Outside the entrance to the fore-deck, a single guard pony dutifully stood his post. His eyes swept from right to left, looking for anything, or anypony, suspicious. Since the ship's sudden course change, things had been quiet. Normally he had a partner with him. Tonight however he was running around with patrols trying to restore order and survey the damages, leaving the other guard to himself. Hours of methodical silence passed. Then finally something happened. Something different Something he could run to and investigate! There was a clash of commotion next to a nearby shop, just across the street, within sight of him too! A darkly cloaked figure sprinted behind the street light. A burglar! the guard thought. In search of stories to tell the others, he took off after it. To his dismay it had disappeared behind a building around the corner. Head held low, he trotted back to his post, turned around, and continued to look right to left, over and over again until his relief came in a few hours.

Inside of the white-lit corridor, Rose used her magic to swoop a black cloak around and on to her. Buck and Storm stood by her side, the duo clad in all black sweats. Storm nodded in appreciation at her idea to distract the guard. He led them down the hall carefully, taking hesitant steps forward while listening for anypony. It was nearly two in the morning, so the hope was that most everypony would be asleep save for essential workers. They twisted and twirled their way through the maze of corridors. 

Around one corner Storm halted the group. At the end of the hall were a group of ponies surveying the damages near the far wall of the ship. Shattered glass was being swept up, light fixtures being put back in their places. The walls seemed scorched near the edges that connected to what would have been the outside but was now covered by a metal blast door. As soon as the ponies looked in the opposite direction, Storm ushered the group across. Traveling deeper into the fore-section of the ship they found themselves standing in the sacred hallways of the AIR Team. They slowly trotted through, most of their attention scowering the names on the tiles above.

Storm's point of interest was up ahead. The door to Captain Aries' office. He tried the knob, which rattled in his hoof but wouldn't turn. His next attempt involved him slamming his shoulder into it in an attempt to force it open.  Rose and Buck were behind him keeping watch down the hall, each hit increasing their paranoia that some pony would turn up and catch them.

"Let me try?" Buck changed spots with Storm. He pushed on it with a hoof to see how much give it had as is. Seeing that it barely moved he took a step further back than where Storm was. Angling his head away he charged at the door. Under his weight and force it gave way with a mighty crack as the wood notch for the lock gave way to splinters. Storm and Rose hurried themselves inside, while Buck did his best to close the door, re-locking it. 

The room was dark. A sliver of moonlight slipped through the gap in the middle of the closed curtains. Peeling them back to look outside Rose saw an infinite blackness above and below. The moon light reflected off of wave caps, the only clue to the ocean below. Buck kept an ear pressed against the broken door, eyes closed in silent concentration, waiting to hear any clue of somepony's approach. With Rose's help, Storm searched the desk.  Papers and file folders were strewn about the top. Weather reports, mishap reports, injury reports, damage reports, gear reports, reports, reports, reports, more reports. Nopony would have thought that survival would have been so beurocratical. 

Storm noticed the picture frames off to the side while Rose started to go through the various drawers. It showed his whole family: mother, father, daughter, Aurora, son, and another stallion he hadn't met. He had heard rumors about the death of Aurora's brother, an AIR Team member, but he never heard Aurora herself talk about him.

"Anything?" Buck asked from the door, his voice slightly hushed as if somepony in the hallway would have heard him.

"No," Rose moved on to the line of filing cabinets along side the wall. Storm shook his head, changing his focus to elsewhere around the room. Pulling out each individual drawer and searching the names on the tabs of the folders was meticulous. After several Storm came over to help her. They met in the middle, and neither was able to pull it open. In the top right corner of the drawer was a keyhole. "Locked," she cursed under her breath.

"Can you open it somehow?" asked Storm. Another his questioned was directed at Rose, Buck managed to hear and reply.

"Got it," he trotted over to the pair.

"I would like what-ever contents are inside to survive, thank you. Rose, can you do it?"

The mare had been dwelling over it. "I've got an idea for it," her horn lit up as much as her grin. Her reddish-pink magic wrapped itself around the lock, most of it slipping inside of the hole. After a tense minute, a gentle click, and the magic disappeared. "Care to do the honors?" 

Storm stood where she had, and pulled back on the handle. The drawer glided open seemingly on its own. It contained a single minella folder, about a half an inch in thickness, layed flat on the bottom. 

"More reports..." Buck sighed.

The label, however, read Reconnaissance reports.

Luck would have it that that was the moment the door opened. Light washed in, blinding the trio before the shadows of two ponies fell on them. A flip of a switch and the lights turned on to reveal their identities. 

"You shouldn't have opened that," said Captain Aries in a sharp tone. At his side, Admiral Hawkins.



Night had fallen, bringing a relief to Aurora, who had been starting to burn up in her suit and gear. The group approached a second ravine, though not as wide or deep as the last. This too had a well maintained rope bridge stretching across it. On the other side was the broken remains of a castle. A tower on each side still stood, but anything higher than them had collapsed inward long, long ago. It seemed vaguely familiar to the pegasus. 

"Where are we?" Aurora asked to satisfy her curiosity.

"Home..." Ember sighed. She was the first across the bridge. 

One the other side Aurora noticed a flickering light escaping from inside the castle. She swore she saw a shadow slip by one of the windows. The closer they got the more details she could see. For instance the recent woodworking on the sides of the castle in the weaker areas. Ponies had placed them to help maintain the structural integrity. The pair of doors opened for them when they were a few steps away. A warm glow of light and the smell of freshly baked bread wafted through. Aurora took a deep sniff of the scent, a smile growing on her face as much as the hunger in her stomach. Only now had she realized it had been almost an entire day since she's last eaten. 

Inside, various ponies milled about. Shop-like stalls lined the walls, all with their own goods. Fabrics, junk, rocks, gems, clothes, food. Ponies were flowing in from a set of stairs on the far side that spiraled down, while some came from another set of stairs on the other side that went up to a second floor. This seemingly abandoned castle from the outside was a thriving town. Just how many ponies live here? Aurora had wondered.

Ember took them up the stairs and to the second floor. It contained a library far larger than that aboard Navis 7. The sight of it nearly made Aurora drool. But to her dismay she wasn't allowed to stop. Ash would push her on a chance whenever she tried to take an extended gaze at a book or two. She was lead to another pair of doors at the end of the room. On the other side was an elongated room with a large table in the middle. At the head of it say a yellow mare, who was signing different papers and forms, talking to the group of ponies around her.

The mare looked up and saw the three standing at the door. "Everypony please excuse me," she said, standing up, "I have business to attend to. Ponies took their signed and unsigned papers, making their way out the door. Ember, Aurora, and Ash weaved past them. Once they reached the table, Ember and Ash stood on either side of Aurora.

"So you're the Skyborn I've heard so much about..." said the mare. When she stood from her chair, Aurora could see her elderly mane. Her coat was faded with a slight sag, and her gray mane was dull. Her eyes seemed deep.

"Who are you ponies?" Aurora questioned her.

"I am Osiris. We are survivors. Pony's who have banded together. Fighting, everyday for one another, for the future, so we can see tomorrow's light. And we've done it without your... ships."

"How, though? Everything was wiped out 200 years ago!"

"Our ancestors managed to survive. They isolated themselves from the population centers, the town. They came here, to the Everfree Forest. Magic as it's known doesn't exist here... there was nothing for the virus to feed off of. So we survived. We built. You and your ships... You abandoned us."

"Why didn't you signal the ships? Try to contact them?"

"We have... but we've been ignored. The crashed ship we found, there were smaller crafts inside of it. We tried to pilot them but most of them broke. One was able to get airborne, a few months ago. We never heard from the crew." She took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. "Our people were abandoned. Celestia, Luna, your 'project.' So many ponies died... But it isn't your fault. You, and your ships, are our last hopes..." She looked at Ember, "Take off her suit and gear, store them with the others. Remove her restraints, too, she will no longer require escort. She will accompany me."

"Yes, ma'am," Ember nodded. 

Ash removed the ropes, and just as they fell from her wings Aurora felt the need to spread them. To fly. Fly away from this castle. From the dark forest. Back home, to the ship, her friends, her family. Back to the sky! Or maybe even just to some random cloud to sleep it all away. But curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to know more. And she still needed a way to get home in the first place. She undid the harness holding the tank to her back. It fell to the floor with a hollow thud, the release of the weight relieving her back. She pulled down her hood, letting her mane breathe for the firs time in hours. Undoing the zipper, it took the help of the other two to peel the suit off. It had been stuck on like a second layer of fur. But once it flopped to the floor, chills shot down Aurora's spine from the change in temperature. Everything seemed so much cooler, better.

"Come with me," Osiris said, stepping past Ember and Ash as they retrieved the fallen gear. "Somepony want's to meet you."

Aurora followed the yellow mare. They went down to the first floor and retraced her initial steps back outside. A dimly lit path branched off next to the bridge, following the side of the ravine where it zig-zagged downwards. She wasn't sure what to make of it. Osiris seemed to follow the path with swagger, as if she took it every day to and from work. Even as they were enveloped in mist. The bottom was sandy and damp. The mist gave the impression of slight rainfall. She stuck by the mares side as to not lose her. They approached the entrance to a cave, the gaping hole covered by vines.

"You first," Osiris said, parting the vines with a hoof.

Aurora hesitated, then stepped inside. For a few moments all she could see was blackness. But everything lit of with a blue glow. The walls were tall and arced up to the roof. Purple crystals twinkled with their own essence. The floor was covered in vines of dark blues. In the center, was the last thing she thought to see. A single tree. Seemingly made of blue crystals. Thought its branches were leafless, it hung what seemed like diamonds from class string. She had never seen anything like it. But more importantly was what laid in front of it.

To her side, Osiris bowed, "Your highness.

	
> Mutiny
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Osiris..." The pony's voice was soft and raspy. "Please, your formalities are not necessary. But I appreciate it..." Her purple eyes fell on Aurora. "Skyborn..." Her head perked up with reserved strength that strained her to a soft coughing fit.

Aurora could help but gape at the regal mare. Despite having never met her before in her life, she knew exactly who laid on the rock platform in front of her. She was double the height of anypony she had ever met. Her mane was an ethereal mix of purples in pinks that twinkled in the crystalline light of the cavern. Her coat was a faded lavender, sun bleached and worn with time.  Unlike all the ponies she had met in the castle who were earth ponies, this mare had a horn. It was significantly longer than those of her unicorn friends on Navis, however. Most notably, she had wings. Wings far larger and far fuller than her own. But the feathers seemed dry, weak from lack of use. It could have been years since they were last preened. On her flank, she bore a cutie mark with a six pointed star of reddish purple, surrounded by five smaller white stars. Aurora's mouth twitched as she struggled for words. She was face to face with an alicorn. And the Princess of Magic at that.

"You're..." she stumbled out.

"An alicorn?" The princess finished for the pegasus. 

"Princess Twilight Sparkle..." 

Aurora fell to a bow as a smile grew on Princess Twilight's face. She slowly rose to unsteady hooves, her soft hoof-falls echoed through the cavern as she approached. A gentle hoof pressed against the bottom of Aurora's jaw. It pulled her head and posture up to the Alicorn, who had bent her head down so that it was level with the pegasus'. 

"Please do not be so formal with me," requested the princess. "I'm but an old mare now."

"But how..." Even this close to her, even feeling her presence and fur it was impossible to imagine the reality of the alicorn in front of her. "The virus, it killed everything! The Alicorns! Equestria! The world!"

Princess Twilight's head deflated with a sigh, her gaze turning to the ground off to the side. "Sometime's I wish it had taken me as well. I've had to bear to see all I've known and loved be taken from me. My family, my friends..." Her eyes made their way to Osiris. "It's these ponies, and the hope they brought me when they found me here that's kept me well." 

Osiris stepped up. "My ancestors were residents of Ponyville," she told. "One was even the mayor while Her Highness lived there. During the outbreak, they sought the help of a zebra who lived in the woods here. It was unfortunate, but she couldn't take the whole town. There simply isn't enough resources here to sustain a town's worth. She created a material that turns green when it comes in contact with the virus, and taught them how to make it. It's what we use today still. Beyond that, she couldn't help much. Our ancestors moved on to the castle of the Royal Sisters to seek knowledge to defeat it. They never found anything... But the virus has never found us, either." Her eyes closed. "Generation after generation a select and brave few venture outside the forest to tell of what is happening to the world. But once they leave they do so knowing they may never return, for they would carry the virus with them."

"The ponies I ran across on the mountains," Aurora thought back. "They had this paste on them as well. It was still blue! Maybe the virus died out?"

"They're lucky so far then. We sent them to the mountain to see the world around us, and to pass along the information. The virus can't live in the cold, as I'm sure you're well aware..." Aurora could taste the disdain. "It is unlikely however they would survive the return trip. But we can hope, and pray."

"A group came to explore the ravine and discovered the cave," Princess Twilight continued, walking back to her crystalline tree. "They're who discovered me here with the Tree of Harmony." Aurora cocked her head slightly. "It's what gave Princess Celestia and Luna the Elements of Harmony to defeat Discord. What defeated Night Mare Moon. What saved Equestria over and over."

"Why didn't it stop the virus?" Aurora wondered. It was a question that was asked over and over in school, but never properly answered other than the usual 'We don't know.'

"The virus targeted magic itself. It fed off of it. It drained us. It's why there are no more pegasi or unicorns, why earth ponies lost their powers. We tried to use the Elements on all of Equestria but it only made it stronger..." Her head and eyes turned away from the other two, her words became broken and whispered. "My friends were among the first in Equestria. It was a miracle I even survived, even today I don't know why. But with their deaths' we lost the Elements, and the hope for Equestria. 

"Princess Celestia told me to take the Elements here and return them to the tree, that one day they may choose new bearers. I stayed in the hopes of meeting them, and helping them. For years I stayed here alone with only the tree's light to accompany me until I was found."

"That sounds horrible..." Aurora said.

"All I can do is keep waiting." The princess used her magic on the tree, resulting in a flash of blue and white light. The ends of the branches opened up to reveal five different colored crystals while the center of the tree revealed a crystal that looked like Twilight's cutie mark. Aurora noted how the room seemed to pulse with energy. The roots themselves seemed to glow a dim blue. Though the one nearest to her was brighter than the others. 

The energy flowing through it brought it to life. It slithered and snaked slowly towards the pegasus. Curiosity kept her still. The crystalline tendril wrapped gently around her hoof once instantly turning to a glowing white. A shock of energy sent its way through Aurora's body, perking up her head and wings, tracing chills down her spine. She let out a pleasant gasp. It wasn't pain she was in, rather a warm and comforting embrace reminiscent to her mother's. Osiris looked on at the mare as her eyes turned to the same glowing white, her pupils washed out by the brightness. The same appeared to be happening to Princess Twilight at the base of the tree. 

As quickly as it happened the phenomenon ceased. The glowing dissipated, the roots returned to their original places and the two ponies were released from their trances. Aurora's stance drooped slightly while Princess Twilight collapsed to the floor. Within seconds Osiris was by the royal Alicorn's side, Aurora stumbling towards them. 

"Princess," Osiris panted, "are you alright?" 

"I'm fine," she groaned, slipping from Osiris' help and returning to her hooves under her own power. Her eyes locked with that of Aurora's.

"What..." The pegasus voice faltered. "What was that? It... it felt amazing! I saw so many things; a new world!"

"That was Equestria. The old Equestria before this cursed virus. As for what you felt, that was the most important part. That was the magic lost long ago."

"I don't understand..." Osiris confessed.

There was a never-before-seen smile to Princess Twilight. "The virus feeds on our magic. So does the Tree of Harmony..." The group looked back to it. It still had a slight glow to it, though not nearly as intensely as before. Within minutes it would fade away completely. "I thought before that it was just the Everfree forest's different magic that kept the virus out."

"But there's places in the forest that are still infected! And it only seems to be gaining ground, slowly." 

"Exactly. It isn't the Everfree's magic that's stopping the virus. It's the tree. Our magic. Osiris, quickly, get everypony down here."

"At once your highness!" She bowed and took her leave with haste.

After a pause, the princess turned towards the pegasus. "Thank you, I feel like you may have helped save the world. What is your name, by the way?"

"I'm Aurora Light, your highness."

"Aurora... Well, Aurora, I'm Twilight."



When Rose opened her eyes the next morning she was greeted by a warm and blinding light that washed out the rest of the world. She raised a pink hoof with difficulties to shade herself. The light game from a slat of glass near the high ceiling, assuredly out of reach for her. The walls of the room were decorated by a gray paint that matched the hard floor. A simple green cot was placed against the wall with the small window. On the adjacent wall was a water fountain, and on the other side a crude rest room area. Opposite of the cot were black iron bars that stretched from floor to ceiling. The middle section of the bars were offset slightly and followed along a track. It had a lock that connected it to the rest of the bars and held it securely in place. 

In the apparent prison cell across from her she could see Buck laying on the cot. A bubble of saliva stuck to his mouth, expanding and contracting with every snore. His eyes were motionless and his legs and arms were sprawled about. There wasn't any sign of Storm, however. She resevered the thought he may be in a cell parallel to hers. The thought slowly sank in. She was in a prison cell of some sort. More importantly, they had been betrayed.

"Psst!" she hissed. Approaching the bars she could see that she was in the middle cell of six, with three cells on each side of a small walkway. On either side were locked doors but no signs of guards. "Psst!" She glared at Buck in the hopes of it helping to wake him. When the stallion rolled away from her, she deflated. Staring at the lock in front of her another idea came to mind.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. Envisioning the lock in front of her and all its intricacies she attempted to use her magic to force it open. A wisp of pink magic flowed from the tip of her horn inside the metal construct, feeling around for a way to unlock it. It seem enchanted in of itself however. Whenever her magic examined one side for a solution, it changed itself. The lock was fighting against her magic actively. 

"Unicorns..." she sighed. Though she hadn't given up yet. She still had one more idea that Buck might have appreciated. She stood on all four hooves and turned around. Putting her weight on her front hooves she raised her hind legs and kicked back as hard as she could, aiming for the keyhole of the lock. A resounding thud echoed through the cell block and throughout her bones. For a moment while she limped around in circles from pain she had worried that just maybe she had broken something other than the lock. But the only thing damaged was her pride and hope. The lock in front of her was completely unscathed.

"What the hay?" Buck was startled from his slumber, the bubble popping in his face. He looked around desperately for the source when his eyes landed on Rose in the cell across from his. The stallion didn't have to look around to figure out where they were; his ears fell flat on his head as he slumped back against the wall. 

"It'll be okay!" Rose told him confidantly. "We'll find a way out. Our parents will find out we're missing, they'll look for us too!"

"And end up in here with us?" Even Buck's voice was resigned in defeat. "Hawkins and Aries threw us in here. They'll lie to our parents and say something we didn't do and they'll believe them. At best we might get a visit from them."

"If you keep thinking like that it will. Come on! We need to get out! We need to save our friend!" Disregarding her previous lesson Rose turned and bucked the bars three more times before her bones screamed at her to stop. "Where's Storm?" she panted. Buck nodded in the direction of the cell parallel to her own. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's awake. He's just sitting there."

"Storm? You alright?" A sigh was her reply. "Storm..."

"Face it..." his voice had an unexpected gruff to it. "We failed."

"But Aurora might still be somewhere! Maybe she'll find out and save us!" Even around the corner she could hear him scoff, an infuriating reaction. Before she could bark at him though a metal clank and jingle gave precedence to one of the cell block doors opening.

In walked Captain Aries, his bearing and uniform just as preserved as the previous night they saw him. The tension in the room tightened. Buck immediately barked at him, labeling the pegasus as a traitor while trying to claw at him through the bars. Rose tried to spit on his face but only hit his uniform to her disappointment. Aries ignored the two ponies and stopped in between the two center cells. His face was blank and his eyes were opened only partly. Storm noticed that his ears wren't as tall as they normally were, nor was his posture. Under his slightly drooped wings were a set of skeleton keys. It wasn't until that the fury of the ponies on either side of him died down that he spoke to them.

"I didn't want any of this..." His words were quiet and soft, with a reserved stutter hidden in them. "I'm so sorry."

"Explain, Aries." Storm wanted to know. Something about the Captain's current persona was off. 

The older stallion exhaled a cold breath. "Aurora is dead." And the air became heavier than ever. "Admiral Hawkins told me. The explosion yesterday was her doing. She had been fighting with the guards on the command deck and shattered a window in an attempt to leave. Several ponies were killed as well when they were pulled from the ship, including my daughter, your friend." 

Aries reached under his wing with his mouth and took out the keys. One by one he unlocked their cells and slid open their doors. Storm's knowing glance at Buck and Rose prevented them from attacking the stallion on the spot. Aries turned and continued towards the door without another word.

"Why release us?" asked Storm, slowing the pegasus to a stop just before he crossed the threshold. Without looking back Aries replied.

"None of this was your fault. There's so much you do not know, and you only scratched the surface when you discovered those files. The truth is kids... Every orbit we do over Equestria we send a patrol outside the ship. They're meant to example the land and see if the virus is there or not, and to see if there are any survivors below."

"We know about them, thought," Rose pointed out. "They're in the paper every few months. Those ponies are regarded as heroes. None of them have returned." They watched Aries' shoulders fall slightly. "They have returned... haven't they."

He looked over his shoulder at them. "The last patrol returned, with sightings of a pony settlement deep within a forest, near an abandoned castle. There's protocols for a scenario like this. We're supposed to return to the docks Navis 7 was built in, land, and rebuild Equestria. To restart."

"Why haven't we?" Buck tilted his head slightly.

"Admiral Hawkins..." there was evident hatred in Aries' voice. "He's been covering it up. He had those ponies thrown out during the last storm, dooming them. Anypony who knows was threated with the same result if they spoke up. That pony is obsessed with power. With thousands of ponies aboard Navis 7 he feels like a god. He controls the time of day like the royal sisters did, the weather like we pegasi did, what is made and the food that grows. He has absolute control over everything and fears that if we return to the land that he will lose that power. Hawkins doesn't just want to lead everypony he wants to control them like puppets."

"How do you know all of this?" Rose took a step forward.

"I helped him do it." Aries turned back towards the door, concealing the tear trail that escaped his right eye. "My AIR team acts as his secret police. We sent those ponies to their doom. We've kept these horrible secrets from the rest of the ship, from our families, you. Meant to be it's guardians; we became the ship's jailers, and Hawkins' it's warden." 

"What now?" Storm approached the peagsus' side, making sure to be seen in the side of his vision. "He'll know you set us free, he'll do the same thing to you that he did that patrol and everypony else."

"That's why I'm going to tell everypony first. I'll try to bring him down with me as well..." 

Captain Aries crossed the door's threshold and turned right down the narrow corridor. The three ponies he left behind were letting the news sink in. Buck stood next to Rose with his head on top of hers, tears coming from both of their eyes. Storm stood apart from them with his gaze on the ground. On the other side of the door something caught his eye. He walked forward to investigate and discovered the unconscious body of a guard who had been posted outside their door. Around his neck was a broken lanyard. Storm looked back at his only two friends. They tried to recompose themselves and return the knowing glance.

"You want to help him don't you." Buck said.

Storm shrugged. "I don't have any other plans tonight." 

Rose inhaled deeply and smiled. "We've followed you this far. I'm in."

"Me too," Buck walked towards him, Rose quickly behind. "I know Aurora wouldn't have let this stand."

"Neither will we." Storm lead the ponies past the unconscious guard and down the hall. It broke off to the left and right, but it was nearly impossible to tell where Aries had gone. Buck tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the right. At the start of another intersection the ponies could see the end of a yellow tail laying on the ground. With a quick step they ran towards it to discover another unconscious guard. Around the corner they could see Aries disappearing up a flight of stairs. "Come on!" Storm charged down the hallway with his friends hot on his hooves, transitioning to flight midway. 

By the time they reached the top of the stairs they were just behind Aries. He turned left into the familiar blue halls of the AIR team section of the bridge. Without warning he stopped and about faced, looking down on the three younger ponies in front of him who had skidded to a halt. With a slightly cocked head he asked:

"Why follow me?"

"Your daughter would have helped you," Rose stepped forward, placing a hoof on his chest. "So will we." 

Aries looked each of them deeply in the eye. "I won't tell your parents." He turned back and continued down the hall.

"What's the plan?" asked Buck. 

"Grab some picks to use as weapons from the locker room, and attempt to gain control of the bridge. At the very least get to the P.A. system to tell the whole ship at once what's happened. You may leave at anytime, I won't ask you to take the life of another."

But the three ponies stayed at his side as they neared the locker room. It was the next door on their right. Aries hesitated a moment before opening it to contemplate the treason he was dragging himself and the kids with him into. "Into the breach," he whispered under his breath, pushing open the door. The group shuffled inside the dark room. When the lights finally came on they discovered they were encircled by about thirty or so ponies, all wearing the blue AIR Team flight suits. Aries pushed the ponies in his charge behind him, flaring his wings and assuming a defensive stance. Looking left and right he summed up his enemy. They would be defeated in a heartbeat but he was sure he wasn't going down without a fight. One team member pushed through the crowd to stand in front of his Captain.

"Sir," spoke Sky, the team 3 leader, and third in command. "We know what happened, with Aurora. Quick Wing was behind it, and fell with her." The pegasus took a closer step towards the senior officer in front of him. "You're not the only one who's been threatened by Hawkins. It's time we ended this, together. You just happened to stumble upon our own mutinous meeting."

Aries posture assumed a confident and commanding form. His moral was boosted by words of encouragement around him, whooping and hollering.  "We'll fly with you to Tartarus, sir!" shouted one motivated pegasus.

Aries' smile grew. "Then let's fly." He turned and left with his new miniature army. They turned down the hallway making their way directly for the bridge. 

He lead his miniature army in a march towards their objective with Sky abreast to his left and the younger three directly behind him, shortly followed by the rest of the AIR Team. Not long after they left the locker room they encountered a group of three bridge guards patrolling towards them. When they noticed the team of approaching pegasi one turned tail and ran towards the bridge. Sky and three other of his ponies were quick to tackle the other two to the ground, effortlessly knocking them out with well place blows to the head. Aries took off after the other with everypony following suit. The guard who ran away surely would warn the bridge and put it on lock down.

At the end of the maze another group of guards, this time five strong, waited in a defensive formation in front of the main entrance to the bridge. The door was still open but probably wouldn't be for long. This time they reacted first, bravely charging the outnumbering formation. Aries delivered a stern hit to the chest of the lead guard, giving him enough time to take flight over top the ponies and break for the door. Rose jumped onto Buck's back to use it as a platform to jump over the clashing parties and follow the captain. Just as she landed the door began to seal. Horn radiating, Rose held it in place with he magic. Buck and Storm charged through the commotion to rejoin with her and Aries. Behind them the fight had resulted in a second victory, though with a few wounds to their sides. Despite this the injured ponies refused to give up. 

Captain Aries was the first through the door. Navis 7's multilevel bridge was expanded out in front of him. The ceiling was mostly glass allowing for great visibility. Catwalks lead to areas with desks and control facilities in order to keep the ship aloft. At the center was a chair that could see the entirety of the bridge and in front of that were the ship's steering wheels. Stairwells connected the upper section to the lower area of the bridge where most of the navigation work was done. The front of it was glass that extended below them that let them see what was underneath the front of the ship. Dozens of guards roamed the catwalks, protecting the crew who manned their posts. The chair in the center spun around, revealing Admiral Hawkins sitting in it. The AIR Team formed up behind Aries, while more of the bridge guards yelled and converged towards them.

"Admiral Hawkins," Captain Aries took an aggressive stance forward. "I am placing you under arrest for treason and for murder. And I'll be taking command of Navis 7. We're going home."

The unicorn rested his head on a hoof that was propped up on an arm of the chair and watched the unfolding scene as if it bored him. He waited while his guards surrounded the mutinous ponies, these ones armed with batons that were within easy reach of theirs hooves. A speech came to Hawkins' mind, growing a smile in the corners of his lips. The grand vision played through his mind like a personal marionette show. 

First he would rise slowly from his chair and take a step forward. Standing taller than before in the face of the enemy he would become a beacon of hope to the ponies whom he commanded. With a laugh their threats would mean nothing to him and to his plans. He would mock them subtly at first before hitting Aries personal about his daughter and son being failures to the family line. The deaths of the school ponies he dragged into this would be on his conscious and he would have to suffer through all of their deaths. He would have to watch as his precious AIR Team fell to the superior unicorns. The Admiral would curse them for trying to stop him from saving ponydom and finding a cure for the virus while they selfishly sought out the land. It would bring thunderous applause from throughout the bridge in support of him from the ponies in his charge. Today would be his day of triumph over the last obstacle.

Hawkins rose from his chair, premeditated plan in mind. Just as he opened his mouth and the air from his lungs began to formulate words Areis' wings snapped open and pushed down with a great thrust. The pegasus was upon the corrupted unicorn in a blink.  Aries grappled onto the pony by the shoulders, sneaking in an elbow to the jaw. Latched together they whipped past the Admiral's chair and scraped the control wheels. The large ornately carved wooden one in the center directly in front of the chair was sent into a dizzying clockwise spin. Navis 7 shuttered and screamed into the violent turn, slowly listing to the side through five, then ten degrees with no sign of stopping. Everypony across the ship found themselves losing traction, desperately trying to grab hold of things.

"The controls!" Storm turned to his two friends. He leaped to the air and shot forward towards the wheels. The ponies who were stationed their were quick to flee. Buck and Rose charged through the formation of AIR Team members just as the guards made their moves, batons in hoof. The AIR team unsheathed their ice picks and the melee began despite the ship's deathly bank.

When the three arrived in the control section in the forward part of the bridge Buck ased a very imporant question. "Do you know how to fly this thing?"

"No idea!" 

Rose took the initiative, wrapping the out of control wheel in her magic. She tightened her telekinetic grip on it until it came to a halt. The ship was listing 45 degrees to the right and turn relatively sharply. Storm noticed another wheel to the right and perpendicular to the first start to rotate clockwise. The ship listed tighter and tighter into its turn. Buck helped Rose turn the center wheel in the opposite direction to level out the ship while Storm tried to take charge of the new controls. But the ship's elevators were still pitching the ship up, sending it soaring into the heavens. 

Aries and Hawkins rolled and jabbed around one another despite the violent lurches from their home. They fought on top of the glass of the lower section of the bridge.  Hawkins, on his back, tucked in his hind legs and took aim at the chest of the pegasus on top of him before giving a mighty buck. Aries flipped up head over hooves before catching himself and diving back down at the pony. The unicorn was able to roll to the side a split second before impact. Without his target in front of him Aries shot through the glass and into the freezing, choking high altitude air. The bridge depressurized as air rushed through the whole, threatening to drag ponies out through it. Hawkins assumed he had been victorious and began making his way back towards the fight, and the controls of his ship. In the chaos he failed to notice that in the level above him, Aries had pierced through the glass at the top of the bridge and took aim at the unicorn's side.

The two connected with a marvelous thud as the pegasus' momentum slammed them against the wall. On the level above them in the control section Storm, Buck, and Rose were still trying to gain control of the ship. Though they had cancelled their roll they were stuck in a steep climb. Storm used all his might to push the wooden wheel counter clockwise against the wind that pushed down on the control surfaces outside the ship. 

One of the ship's guards had broken off from the melee and made his way towards the three. Buck caught sight of him before he could attack them by surprise. The two earth ponies engaged one another, the guard swinging first from the right with the baton in hoof. Buck bent his knees and dropped below the strike. The guard hit a series of levers instead, slamming them forward. With a great lurch everypony seemed to be tugged slightly towards the back of the ship by gravity. Buck sweeped his hind legs around and tripped the guard in front of him. While he was off balance he reared his legs and kicked, pushing him over the railing towards the floor below. The skirmish over, Buck helped Storm with the wheel. Together the two ponies were able to pull the ship out of it's deathly climb. No longer was she the homesick angle at 35,000 feet. Instead they had over corrected, and at the apotheosis of her climb arched into a dive. Only 20 degrees down, it was a far cry from their climb, but still one of the most severe maneuvers the ship had ever pulled. 

"Guys!" Rose called out, afraid her voice wouldn't reach her friends in time. She pointed out through the glass in front of them. They were over the coastline of a desert and their height had allowed them to see far beyond the normal horizon. In the distance, barely visible over the planet's own surface was the iconic tip of the mountain that had stood as Equestria's heart. But she was more concerned with the ship's trajectory leading them into the burning sand.

Together the three tried to pull the ship up, but their decent was rapid. In addition the controls were starting to freeze up at the high altitude. Navis 7 dove towards it's death at thousands of feet per minute. 

In the mean time most of the fighting had died down, with the AIR Team emerging on top. Aries and Hawkin's continued their grudge match on the floor below. After crashing into the wall Hawkins blasted the pegasus off of him with a brutal beam of magic. Aries in response took to the air to evade more strikes. He flew towards the wall, flaring his wings at the last moment and using his leads to jump off of it. He pushed himself down towards the corrupted unicorn. Hawkins manged to get off one more spell before being tackled with a resounding snap. Hawkins writhed in pain, his hind legs bent backwards. 

Aries stood above the squirming pony, panting for breath. "It's over," he grunted before delivering his final punch across the unicorn's face. Hawkins body fell limp with closed eyes to the ground. The pegasus waited for a moment then flew up to the second level of the bridge. He saw AIR Team members helping one another and tending to their wounded. Judging from a couple of the small grounds, he could tell that a few brave pegasus' had been lost. Exceptional results compared to the state of the guards. Then he spotted the struggling teens in the control area.

"What's going on?" he asked, landing in the center between the wheels and the chair.

"Look!" Buck said, taking his hoof off of the controls for a moment to point towards their impending doom.

"Oh my," Aries felt his lips move but heard no words. He leapt back and stood atop the Admiral's old chair. "Storm, that wheel controls the ship's elevators. Turn it towards the back of the ship will cause us to go up, forward will go down. Look at the dial above it, when the red arrow is on zero then the surfaces are centered and we will neither climb nor dive. Rose! Go to the wheel in the center, it's our aerilons, it'll bank us left and right and the same thing applies for the dials. Just turn the wheel left or right and the ship will follow. That gold lever to the side will control the speed of the ship, the more forward it is the faster we'll go. Buck, take the wheel on the left. That will control our rudder and slew us left and right. Back goes to the left, forward is right. The levers you see next to it are for ballast. They control the air in the ship to make it rise or fall without having to pitch. Ready?"

"Yes sir!" Storm said, steadying his stance on the wheel as the others took to their positions.

On the arm of the chair was a microphone, attached by a corkscrewing cord. "Ponies of Navis 7," took it into hoof and spoke. "This is Captain Aries." His messaged echoed throughout the miles of halls and open spaces in the ship. Ponies across Navis 7 peaked up from their places of cover and grapples to hear. "Admiral Hawkins is no longer in command of this ship, he is a traitor and has been lying to us all. Today we return to the earth, to Equestria, to our homes." 

He set the microphone down. Ahead the desert quickly approached, if they didn't deviate now they would surely become melted with it. Slightly to the right, there was the unmistakable grand canyon of the badlands.

"Rose, tilt the ship five degrees to the right. Throw that lever as far back as possible." She did as told, turning the wheel a hoofful of times to the right until the dial read +5. The lever was pulled back, a ding sounding out as it passed each speed indicator. "Storm, give us full elevators up, put that thing as far to the right as you can." The pegasus stood on the right side of the wheel, reaching up as high as he could for a hoof-hold and pulling it down towards him, repeating to process until it spun in a blur of motion. "Buck! You too son, and flip those levers up to get as much air into this thing as we can."

Aries again picked up the microphone, speaking into it with an urgent and commanding voice. "All ponies brace for impact!"

Equestria was about to reclaim it's ponies.