Piercing The Heavens

CHAPTER 1


Day 0

>The darkness in front of you seem endless, but the more you think of it, the more it feels like there has to be an end.
>You exhale and your breath leaves a mark on your visors.
>Looking down to your left you lift your white-gloved hand to the joystick in front of you.
>Pushing it slightly to the left, you hear a hissing noise behind you.
>You slowly start to roll to the side as the thrusters push you around.
>The large orb in front of you glows in a majestic blue color, and the clouds swirl around in patterns you couldn’t possibly comprehend.
>You are Anonymous, captain of the ESS Excalibur.
>It was a beautiful Space Research star Cruisers, one of the first ever built.
>You and a team of six others had been assigned to attend a deep space mission to track down an unknown signal.
>This wasn’t just any other mission though.
>It was also the virgin flight of the Excalibur, and the first ever space mission outside of the solar system.
>The National Equestrian Space Agency, or NESA for short, had spent a ton of resources and many years developing tools for interplanetary travel, and had with an accident discovered the secret of faster than light travel.
>They developed the first ever FTL drive, and have been fine-tuning it for the Excalibur.
>You now possessed the ability to travel farther than any other creature in your history has ever done before, and you have your highly trained, top skilled crew to thank for it.
>You hear static on your com-link connected to your helmet as Applejack’s voice tunes in.
>“Anon, ya still awake over there?” she calls out to you.
>You snap out of your dream like state and look over to Applejack.
>She holds a screwdriver in one of her hands, and her toolbox is floating beside her.

>The grey hull of the large spaceship reflects sunlight straight into your eyes, but your visor blocks most of it.
>Applejack has a concerned look on her face.
>You open your visor with one hand, letting her see your face as you give her a warm smile.
“I’m fine, AJ. How’s the solar panels coming along?” you ask her.
>You had recently been hit by a satellite and sent it flinging out of orbit.
>It had damaged one of the ships extended solar panels in the middle of the charging process and you had lost a lot of power.
>Luckily you had the materials to fix it, and with a skilled engineer as Applejack, you had it up and running in no time.
>Applejack grabbed the side of the hull and pulled her around, facing the panel and tightened the last screw with brute force.
>She dragged her glove across her visor, as if whipping away sweat from her forehead.
>“Well, Anon, looks like we’re good to go on this one! Let’s get back inside, I don’t want mah tools to float away.”
>She grabs all her tools floating around her and crams them into the red toolbox.
>She then turns around with her feet against the hull, and pushes away from the ship slowly.
>She floats out to her thruster pack floating not too far away and gets seated.
>Following her, you both propel your way to the hangar bay doors.
“Twilight, come in. Are you in the bridge? Over.” You ask on the com-link.
>A few seconds pass as you hear static on your radio and twilight tunes in.
>“Twilight here, I’m in the bridge now. Over.”
“Twilight, we’re in front of the airlock now, can you open up please. Over”
>Another few seconds pass as you hear a hissing noise from inside the thick doors.
>Then the maintenance shaft besides the hangar opens with a large clang, letting you inside a dark corridor about three meters long.
>You and Applejack both float inside the hangar airlock and click off your thruster packs.
>The door closes behind you and you are both swallowed by darkness.

>A red light flashes in the roof, and a soft alarm is heard as the room is gassed and de-sterilized.
>You feel a strange sensation in your head, and you and Applejack are pushed down to the floor.
>The After a short period of time, the hissing noise stops, and you feel heavy standing on the metal-plated floor of the short corridor.
>The red light turns into a green one, and the doors on the other side of the airlock opens.
>Applejack hangs her thruster pack on the wall and walks out of the airlock, and you follow suit.
>She takes off her helmet and whips her hair out of the space suit.
>Both of you walk into a wardrobe-like room, and you sigh in relief as you take of your own helmet and put it in a locker.
>It always felt good to be inside the safety of the starship, especially after having been out there for so long.
>You peek over your shoulder and spot Applejack taking off her space suit, wearing only a tight orange and red suit.
>The suits you were wearing were all specially designed to fit the crew’s physique.
>It had hardened titanium plating across the whole body to protect the crew from physical damage.
>You bite your lower lip as you turn around attempting to mind your own business.
>It wasn’t exactly the easiest, considering you could spend time looking at the large apples behind you.
>You shake your head.
>This is your crew god damn it, not your toys!
>You finish taking off your space suit and walk out of the airlock preparation room.
>You notice Applejack had already left the hangar area, so you decided to relax a bit.
>Standing in the large hangar, you look at the big shuttle in front of you.
>It was used to transport crew to and from the surface of different planets and moons, and in emergencies it could pack quite the punch.
>Armed with an energy shield and four missile launchers on the sides, it was one of the most valuable vehicles you had on board right now, except, of course, the Excalibur herself.

>You turn around and walk across the large floor that was the hangar.
>You reach a steel door and notice it was already open.
> You enter it without hesitation and close it behind you, sealing it shut using the crank on the left.
>In front of you was a large hallway leading to all the ships facilities in the front of the ship.
>You had a similar one on the other side of the hangar to the other facilities.
>You sigh as you start walking down the gray corridor.
>Nothing much really happened since the launch of the Excalibur.
>You were there yourself, watching all the part launch upwards into orbit.
>The cruiser was so large it had to be assembled in orbit.
>You were the first one to arrive at the Excalibur, doing all the preparations for the rest of the crew.
>Who would have known the crew you were expecting was your rag-tag group of friends you hung out with in high school?
>HQ had assured you they were all up to the task they were assigned to when you asked them if they were serious.
>Apparently they had all passed the test and received proper training.

>Twilight, your first and best egghead adorkable friend, had responsibility for the science department.
>She was to do research on the things you would come across on your travels.

>Rarity, the upper class fashion designer that you were a bit surprised was your friend actually, had been assigned to work as navigation.
>She was even given her own CNP, or Celestial Navigational Pad.
>She told you it was a scanner so she could see the closest celestial bodies floating around them.
>It was supposedly extremely powerful and could detect objects light years away.

>Applejack, the cute and remarkably perky farmer buddy, was the engineer.
>She would fix and maintain the ship in the best condition.
>She was very skilled from what you had seen up until now, and you had no doubt she could fix even the most complex of machinery.

>Rainbow Dash, sports idiot and top athlete, was the pilot.
>Apparently she had been enrolled in the air force for quite some time before actually receiving an invitation to join the project.
>She had been just as surprised as you when she saw who she was flying with.

>Fluttershy was the shy introvert of the group.
>She had been assigned as the team’s environmental specialist.
>How she got on the group without having a breakdown surprised you, but she was here, and her knowledge of the extraterrestrial was astonishing, at least for someone like her.

>And then there was Pinkie Pie.
>How she was even allowed to join the project surprised you, as she had a serious problem with hyperactivity.
>She was assigned to the offense and defense stations.
>Pinkie shouldn’t even have been allowed near weapons in the first place, but she seems to have calmed down to a certain degree after boarding the cruiser.

>And then it was you. Anon Y. Mous. Captain of the ESS Excalibur.
>It was a proud title, and you had no idea what you were doing, but the NESA research team had no doubts you were up for the task.
>Controlling the first ever interstellar research vessel was a large task, but you were as excited about the mission as anyone else.
>Besides the pay you got for it was completely out of this world.
>That is, if you made it back alive…
>You shake the thought out of your head as you stand before a large door in brushed steel.
>You wave your hand in front of it and the door hisses as it slides open.
>You walk into the empty bridge, and take a deep breath.
>The large amount of blinking instruments and screens that adorned the desks of the crew almost gave you a seizure, but you had learnt to live with it since the ships network systems came online.
>You walk over to a chair covered in brown leather and sit down in it.
>Once you felt comfortable, the chair slid backwards automatically and turned around.
>You now had a good view of the whole bridge, and a gigantic panorama window in front of you gave you a full view of the front of the ship.
>The blue marble below you looked even more spectacular from here.
>You took another deep breath and leaned back into your chair.
>Now all you had to do was to wait for HQ to give you the full briefing for the assignment and tell you what and how to do things.
>What could possibly go wrong.

>A hissing noise behind you awakens you from your slumber.
>You realize it’s the doors , and manage to sit up straight, taking your feet down from the control panel in front of you.
>Steps are heard, and you turn your chair around, facing Twilight who just came up the stairs to your podium.
>She was clad in a white lab coat reaching her to her ankles, and she had a pair of glasses on her while she wrote something down on a tablet.
>She looked up at you and moved her glasses up on her forehead.
>“Good morning Anon!” She said with a warm smile. “So this is where you’ve been?”
>You look at her with a questioning look.
“What do you mean?”
>“Well we didn’t see you since the maintenance mission a while ago, so I was starting to wonder where you ran off to.”
“Yeah, sorry Twi, I think I fell asleep…”
>You get up from your chair and stretch.
>Letting out a yawn you turn to the large panorama window behind you.
>The Excalibur seemed to drift towards the dark side of the planet, and looking down you could see the landmass that is Equestria.
>You gave it a wave as if saying good night to your family down on the surface.
>Suddenly you feel two arms on your chest as Twilight hugs you from behind.
“Woah, what’s with the sudden affection?” you chuckle.
>Twilight puts her head on your shoulder and stares down on the planet as well.
>She sighs in your ear, sending shivers down your spine.
>“I just can’t believe we’ve finally made it this far. I’ve always wanted to go into space. See the stars, the unknown, discover new things. I never thought all of the science fiction stories would stop being fiction.”

“You can’t tell what we’ll find out there. A lot might still be fiction, you know.”>“Yes, I know that. But think about it. FTL drives, space cruisers, interplanetary travel, and all within our own lifetime even…”
>You put your hand in Twilights.
>In a way this made you calm, and the thoughts of what awaited you out in the deep darkness faded.
>Your gut wriggled and twisted, and you felt your face grow hot.
>You could feel Twilights head move into the crook of your neck, and she hugged you even closer.
>The warmth from her body made you slightly nervous, and you felt your heartbeat increase.
>Your sudden intimacy is broken short however, as the doors to the hangar slid open with a whoosh, and the voices of the rest of the crew could be heard entering the bridge.
>Twilight let you go and looked down on the floor with a slight blush on her cheeks.
>She moved some locks of hair from her face and behind her ears.
>“Uuh… I should… go… mission… yeah” she stuttered while pointing in various different ways to her seat.
>She turned on her heel and quickly made her way down the stairs while greeting her friends.
>You sighed as you kicked an invisible rock across the deck.
>“HEY ANON!” you hear Pinkie calling out to you from the deck below.
>You move to the rails and look down where your whole crew is gathered.
>Pinkie is bouncing in the middle, trying to get your attention.
>“When are we leaving, Anon?!” she almost yells up to you.
“Well, I’m not really sure yet…” you say as you scratch the back of your head.
>You look out of the glass window.
>That was when the com-link gave feedback static noises and a voice spoke to all of you asking for your attention.
>“Excalibur, Excalibur, this is the HQ, calling all crew to the bridge. Do you copy, over?”
>The whole crew held their breath.
>This was the first time in days HQ had contacted the bridge directly.

>You walk over to the control panel in front of the captain’s chair and clicked the com-link activation button.
>You stay silent for a moment.
>Your insides twitched once again, and your breath became heavy.
>This might be what you have been waiting for.
>You inhale before you speak in a shaking voice.
“This is Captain Anon reporting from the bridge of the Excalibur. All crew are present and we are awaiting orders, over.”
>You lift your hand from the keyboard and slowly stand up straight.
>You look down at the planet below you, waiting in anticipation.
>“HQ here, we will now begin your mission briefing. Stand by for a message form the project leader, over.”
>The com-link goes silent.
>You turn around and see your whole crew bundled up behind you.
>They are looking at you with excitement in their eyes, but a nervous expression.
>You all had mixed feelings, and it was understandable.
>You were all going out where no one has ever set foot before.
>Farther away than any space flight in the history.And it scared you all to death.
>The large window in front of you grew dark as the sunscreens pulled over it.
>A holographic image began playing over it, and the project leader lit up the room as she virtually stood in front of you.
>Her prismatic hair flowing down her shoulders, she looked at you with an excited expression, but there was still worry in her eyes.
>She began speaking in a soft, almost motherly like voice.
>“Crew aboard the Excalibur. I am head project leader Celestia, and I cannot begin to voice my thanks for your participation in this project.”
>The whole crew turns to the screen and salutes Celestia.
>She raises her hand and tells you formalities weren’t necessary.
>You feel a surge go through your group as they all stand at ease.
>But Celestia wasn’t done talking yet;

>“Since we discovered the FTL drive, our astronomers have looked to the skies for places to go, but have yet to find a place worth visiting. However there are so many worlds out there and we have not even observed half of them. We built the Excalibur in the vision that one day, man would take to the skies and find new places to settle. That mankind would once and for all pierce the heavens itself on its journey to glory! You are our pioneers, the first people to ever escape the boundaries of our planet and venture forth into the great unknown. For that, I bit you all good luck.”
>You and the crew behind you looked at Celestia in anticipation.
>You knew your mission was important, but to hear it from the leader herself gave you a sense of honor.
“Celestia, we can’t even begin to describe what it means to us to be on-board this ship. I think I speak for everyone when I tell you how happy we are that we can be together on this, and reach out to the universe and the stars above.”
>Your crew nods in agreement.
>In the corner of your eye you notice Pinkie Pie almost vibrating in excitement.
>The rest of the group notices too, and they turn their heads to her.
“Are you alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asks with a slight sense of concern in her voice.
>Pinkie looks over to the group and immediately stops her shaking.
>She pokes her fingers together and looks down in the ground with an embarrassed smile.
>“Sorry, AJ. I’m just so nervouscited, that’s all…”
>“And you have all right to be! The mission is more exciting than it sounds like.”
>You all turn to Celestia with curiosity.
>You had all read the mission briefing, but what could possibly be more exciting than the mission ahead?

>“Your primary mission as a research vessel will be to discover and catalogue all information you come across. We want you to write a rapport every day on what happens aboard the cruiser. Once you are out of immediate communications range, you will no longer obtain real time information from us. The farther out you travel, the longer it will take for the information to reach us. That is why you must keep all the information you come across in your database until you return.”
>“Celestia, how long will this mission last approximately?” Rarity asks.
>The leader looks down on her and gives you all a concerned look.
>“That depends. We have a secondary objective for you as well.”
>It felt like time froze for a bit.
>Being excited about a mission in space had you pent up and nervous about everything that could turn out to be bad, and this was no exception.
>You weren’t normally like this, but ever since boarding the cruiser, you have been feeling nervous in most situations.
>“A couple of years ago our communications team picked up a signal.” Celestia continues.
>“This signal was unlike any other we’ve seen before. We do not know who it came from, when it was sent or what it means, but we know its approximate location.”
>Celestia’s image is switched out with an image of the galaxy.
>A ring appears on one of the arms to the left.
>“This is our location.” She tells you.
>The circle disappears and a smaller one appears on the other side of the galaxy.
>This one is almost at the tip of the arm, and it blinks to signal your attention.
>“And this is the location we picked up the signal from. I think you know what the objective is, correct?”
>Fluttershy looks at the image with a nervous expression.
>“You’re not seriously suggesting we… go there and find out… are you?” she asks.
>She fumbles with her words and tries to loosen the collar on her lab coat.

>“I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but that is exactly what I want you to do.” Celestia says with a determined voice.
>Fluttershy emits an “eep” as she tries to hide behind her lab coat.
>You sigh to yourself as you address Celestia.
“With all respect, Celestia, there could be anything there. How do we defend ourselves?”
>Celestia looks down at you with yet another worried expression.
>She seems just as concerned with this as the rest of you.
>She clears her throat and straightens her tie.
>“If you meet with an extraterrestrial race, you will attempt communication. If they seem aggressive, then leave them alone. If that does not work, and they begin an attack on you that could harm you, your crew or the Excalibur, flee at all cost. Fight back only in emergencies, we don’t want to have any casualties aboard.”
>Rainbow Dash, who had been silent until now, gave off a loud sigh.
>“Aww, I was looking forward to the fights…”
>“Rainbow Dash, this is no time to create enemies. If we fight back we could start a war, and that is something we do not want here.”
>The leader looks at Rainbow Dash with an angry expression.
>Rainbow withdraws her attitude and looks away with a frowned face.
>“Now, I believe I have given you all the information you need. I will call you up once we are ready. We still have some preparations to do before your departure, and we have been standing here for far too long. Until then, stand by for further orders. Celestia out.”

>The room falls silent as the image of the project leader disappears.
>Your whole crew stands there and stares blankly at the sunscreen on its journey across the window.
>Nobody said a word, and it gave you time to think about what Celestia had told you.
>Your ship was on its way across the whole galaxy?!
“WHAT?!” you broke out, startling your group of friends.

>“Is something wrong, darling?” Rarity asked.
>You snapped out of your trance and noticed your crew staring at you with concerned looks.
>You bring your hand to your forehead and sigh.
>“Across the whole damn galaxy? Is she nuts?” you mumble as you walk to your chair and slump down in it.
>“I think it sounds fun!” Pinkie broke out. She started bouncing in anticipation.
>“I think it sounds dangerous…” Fluttershy whispered.
>“I guess…” you mumble.
>With a loss of words, you just slide your chair backwards and turn it around, facing your control panel.
>You could hear the rest of your friends mumble, and they all walk their own ways.
>A couple of hand falls to your shoulders, and you feel your chair bend backwards slightly.
>As you look up, a purple cascade of hair falls down around you.
>“You know, captain…” Twilight said playfully. “This journey of ours is gonna take a long time.”
>You sigh as you look down on the night covered surface of the planet below.
“Even with the FTL drive, it would take years just to get there. They know we have to make it back too, right?”
>“But don’t you find it so exciting? Not knowing what expects us, discovering new things. Oh, Anon, I can’t wait!”
>Twilight’s excitement made you smile a bit.
>At least now you got your mood back.
“So what now? Do we just wait?” You gesture with your hand to the lack of Celestia in the bridge.
>Twilight’s face appears beside yours, and she looks into your eyes.
>“We could always find alternative methods to make the time pass…” She whispers in a lustful tone.
>You turn to her and give her a face of disbelief.
“Twilight, what has gotten into you? You’re never this…”
>“Horny?”

>Twilights statement caught you completely off guard.
>You sat there grasping for words to try and form a sentence, but twilights bedroom eyes distracted your mind in other directions.
>After a while you managed to utter a high pitched “…yes”.
>As Twilights face inched closer to yours, you couldn’t help but to back away a bit.
>Suddenly, you didn’t back away yourself, and a different force took hold of you.
>You fell out of your chair and slammed into the deck.
>Like lightning, you are back up on your feet, but Twilight didn’t end her pursuit of your lips yet, and she crawled over your chair and stood up in front of you.
“Are you alright Twilight? I’m not sure we should... you know… “
>“Are you afraid anon?” Twilight asks you.
“No, of course not! I just… wasn’t expecting this, that’s all…”
>“Well, we’re all alone here now, no need to be so shy.”
>She was now just a few inches from your face.
>Those violet irises was enough to swallow your whole soul, but somehow your brain yelled STOP.
>You took a hold of twilights shoulders with a firm grip and pushed her away from you slowly.
“Look, I’m not sure what’s going on here, but this was a bit sudden, don’t you think?” you tell her as you look deep into her violet eyes.
>“What do you mean?” Twilight says, turning her head in disappointment.
>Her attitude changed drastically in a matter of seconds.

>“Calling all crew aboard the Excalibur, all preparations are made. We will not begin the departure phase. All crew report to bridge, over.”
>With renewed confidence, you look into Twilights eyes and give her a warm smile.
“I was about to say that we shouldn’t rush things, but I think we better hurry now.”
>Twilight nods and fixes her lab coat.
>Just then the rest of your friends enter the bridge.
>Most of them looked well rested, especially Pinkie Pie.
>You decide to take the word, and walk over to the railing with Twilight by your side.
“Alright, crew! Looks like the time has finally come. If you can find your stations we can get this show on the road!”
>Cheering is heard from the group as they all rush to their seats.
>Rainbow dash takes the wheel and tests it out before activating the ships navigational systems.
>A noise is heard gradually increasing in intensity as all of the machinery in the bridge activates to full power.
>You sit down in your chair and get comfortable, then slide the chair towards your control panel.
>Twilight stands beside you, but turns to walk down the stairs.
“Wait, Twilight…” you call out on impulse.
>Shit, what do you say?
>She stops in the middle of the stairs and turns to look at you.
>After a short pause you formulate a quick sentence.
“We’ll take this another time, okay?”
>Twilight’s face lights up, and she nods.
>You sigh as she continues her trip down the stairs and gets seated as well.
>At least now there were no hard feelings... you hope.
>The whole crew below you looks at you with anticipation.
>The time has finally come.
>Time to pierce the heavens!

>The silence that followed was almost unbearable.
>It almost felt like HQ kept you waiting to tease you, but you knew the final moments were the most critical ones.
>A crackling noise is heard over the com-link, and the voice of a female could be heard on the central speakers.
>“This is HQ, all preparations for the mission is done. My name is Linda, and I’ll be guiding you out of the solar system.”
“Well Linda, all crew are aboard and ready for launch. Let’s send the bird out of the cage, shall we?”
>“Copy that. Begin ignition of the ion combustors, and turn the ship slightly to the port side. Once you are out of orbit, maximize the power of the combustors for five minutes and start the glide. This should take you a good distance out. We will contact you once you are ready to make the next maneuver. Over.”
“Understood. Dash, do your thing.”
>Your attempt at giving orders fails severely, because dash had already begun shifting the cruiser’s position.
>You shrug it off, seeing formalities only as a burden.
>She was your friend after all, and you didn’t see it as a big problem.
>Outside, the planet in which you called home slowly started drifting away.
>The ship’s nose was now turned towards the great unknown.
>The universe, looking back at you with a cold dark stare, was to be your plane of existence for many years now, and you had absolutely no problems with it.
>You look down at Twilight, who was staring back at you.
>She locked eyes with you and gave you a hearty smile.
>Her gesture plastered a smile on your own face, and you broke contact to survey the rest of your crew.
>Most of them were looking out the window in front.
>Whether it was out of fear, wonder or a lust for adventure, you couldn’t tell.
>The only one truly ecstatic about this was Pinkie Pie, who, even though she was locked in place with safety belts, was bouncing up and down in her seat.

>Suddenly the whole ship nudged forward with brute force, as Dash rammed the thruster control as hard as she could forward.
>The cruiser gave of a noise of discomfort, followed by a loud bang, and the whole vessel shot forwards with incredible force.
>The whole crew started screaming.
>Rainbow Dash too, but hers was a scream of joy.
>Outside all you could see was blur and you realized what had happened.
“DASH, MOTHERFUCKER, DID YOU ACTIVATE THE FTL DRIVE?!” you screamed at her.
>She didn’t respond, but looked back at you with a smug grin.
>You felt gravity normalize in the bridge, but the blur outside continued to swish past.
>At least now you didn’t have to scream.
“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!”
>…or maybe not.
>Rainbow Dash turns her seat around and crosses her arms.
>“Excuse me, but who is the pilot?” she cocks her eyebrow.
“We don’t know the effects of that thing yet, what if you hurt someone?”
>“Relax, it’s not like it killed someone. It’s an FTL drive! We’re in space!”
>“RAINBOW DASH, THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR! What if you ruined my hair…” Rarity started fixing her curl, as her whole hair had been messed up pretty bad.
>“Why are you all such a bore sometimes…” rainbow dash scoffs.
>The com-link gave of static noises as it tuned in.
>The voice of your guide sounded on the speakers.
>“This is HQ, calling all residents on the Excalibur. Cease all use of the FTL drive until you are out of
the solar system.”
>Rainbow Dash sighed and rammed the thrusters back in a neutral position.
>The whole team sighed in relief as the speed slowed down dramatically.
>It became easier to see outside now, and you took the initiative to activate the rear view cameras.
>The window in front of you turned dark and the image of a small blue planet came into view on the virtual screen.
>You sighed as you watched everything you love grow smaller and smaller with every passing second.

>“Oh wow, I never thought I’d see this…”
>“Such a divine colour…”
>“It’s so small...”
>“Ah’ve never been this far away from home b’fore”
>“It feels like I can just reach out with a needle and pop it. I wonder where the poor people would go. Maybe they would just float into space and suffocate. Or maybe if i…….”

>Small chatter broke out amongst the crew members.
>Now that you had successfully broken orbit, all you could do was wait.
>You open a private com-link channel.
>“Linda, this is the captain. Are you there? Over.”
>After a short while you hear the woman respond on the other end on your com-link.
>“This is HQ, you’re talking to Linda. Was there something you needed, sir?”
>“Yeah, I was just wondering how long we have to maintain the glide.
>We’ve been working on and off since we boarded the cruiser, and we could use some R & R over here.”
>“I’m not sure how much time there is for that, but you will need to maintain it for about a week. We’ve been calculating this and you have a clear way out of the solar system with no planets or objects in the way of your path.” Linda sighs, and then giggles a bit.
>“Oh, bugger. I’m sure you have time to relax. You’ve earned it.”
>“Thanks, I think my crew would be happy to hear the news.”
>“Just don’t forget to respond on the com-link. And remember the regular maintenance checks.”
>“Don’t worry, we will. Anon over and out.”
>You break the com-link channel and lean back into your seat.
>The planet on the screen before you seemed so far away.
>Your family, your home, everything you love and hate all fit in such a small bubble.
>Now with your expanded horizons it feels like you had been living inside a prison without bars, only bound by the sheer force of gravity.
>You feel hands on your shoulders, and look up to see six friendly faces looking at you.
>Rising from your seat, you turn to survey your crew.

>The six of your best friends in high school, who out of nowhere joined you in a mission to deep space.
>It seems surreal, almost like a dream.
>You approach your group of buddies and hug them all at once.
“I’m so glad you all came with me” You whisper to them.
>After what felt like an eternity burying your face in soft hair, you let them all go.
>You pull a lever close to your chair, initiating standby mode for the bridge.
“HQ has given us clearance to relax for some time. We still have to respond to com-link calls and do maintenance work, but we won’t be needing to monitor everything.”
>A sigh of relief washes over your friends, and they seem to become more at ease.
“Remember to write your logs, girls. We don’t want to have blank days. The first official day of our mission starts tomorrow!”
>The group nods and turns to walk out of the bridge.
>You turn back to your window and watch your home slowly drift away.
>Stretching and scratching your stubble, you realize you’ve spent two whole days in the bridge.
>You were starving, and your throat was dry.
>A break sounded exactly like what you needed.
>Turning back again, you notice Twilight leaning against the rails.
>You smile as you walk over to her and extends an elbow at her.
“Shall we?” you say, as Twilight puts an arm around yours.
>You leave the bridge in standby mode as you exit through the double doors.

>All that was left was the different noises from the calculating computers, and the image of the large blue marble behind the ship who, in fact, didn’t seem so large anymore.


Day 4

>The hallways of the ESS Excalibur lay dormant.
>The gray metal plating covering the wall made the seemingly endless corridors seem even darker.
>Suddenly, footsteps are heard, low at first, but increasing in strength.
>Around the corner walks a figure.
>Her purple hair gets in the way of her face, as she looks down on her tablet.
>The cruiser had just traveled past a gas giant fifty times bigger than your home world, and you now had clearance into the great void.
>The figure stopped and looked out a window to her left.
>The stars outside seem to glimmer even brighter out here.
>The figure sighed and kept walking, knowing that you all had so much more to travel.

>“DANG FLAB IT”
>Angry curse words fling through the empty expanse of the engine chamber.
>A loud cling is heard as Applejack slams her wrench onto the metal floor and leans back.
>She wipes her forehead.
>The damn thing couldn’t just work!
>Ever since Rainbow Dash forced the FTL into overdrive, a lot of the combustion coils had melted together.
>This resulted in the engines not working properly, and could result in a major fire, Applejack had told you.
>Of course, you had no clue when it came to mechanics, so you were glad to have her on board.
>Rounding a large steamy tank, you spot Applejack leaning against a wall with a flask in one hand and an irritated expression on her face.
“Is everything alright down here, AJ?” you ask, but you already knew the answer.
>“If Ah can’t get the combustion coils separated, the pyronetic indicators are gonna strike wrong and the engines’ll overheat!” She explains, silently cursing Rainbow Dash.

>Having been adrift for a while, you knew it wasn’t long before you needed to make a new maneuver.
>If Applejack didn’t get the engines fixed, nothing could stop you from going onto an accidental orbit straight back into the star behind you.
>You decided to bash Rainbow for it later, having more important things to tend to.
>You open up a com-link with the homeland to try and find a solution.
“This is Captain Anon. Reporting an emergency aboard Interstellar Research Vessel ESS Excalibur, we are in need of immediate assistance. Over.”
>It doesn’t take long before you get an answer, though they probably sent the reply a couple of seconds ago judging by the distance you were from each other.
>“HQ here, what’s your emergency? Over.”
“Yeah, there seems to be a clog-up in the engines, can we get an engineer to guide us through it? Over.”
>“Right away, sir. Over and out.”

>You let your arms fall to your sides and sighed.
>As you walked over and slid down next to her, Applejack handed you the bottle she was holding.
>You took a large sip of it and gave it back.
>Another day waiting.
>You just sat there staring into the empty expanse of the engine room.
>The low-toned noise filling the air makes the room feel even more empty.
>You twist your head slightly to the side.
>Surprisingly, Applejack was already looking at you.
>She quickly turned her head, as if she didn’t think you’d notice.
>The com-link made static noises and a deep voice rang in your ears.
>“Chief engineer here, what seems to be the problem? Over.”
>Applejack quickly got up to her feet and walked over to the panel in the wall.
>She put a hand up to her ear as she spoke.
>“Well, there seems ta be a problem with tha ion coils in ‘ere. After we forced the FTL into overdrive, all of the conductors have melted together. Ah’m not sure how ta fix this. Over”

>The engineer on the other end of the link started giving a detailed description of the exact function of the coils, and how to cool them down and separate them.
>You didn’t really understand much of it, so you patted your blonde buddy on the shoulder and headed for the exit of the engine room.

>You stepped out into a long hallway.
>You know this is the farthest back in the ship you can go without entering the complexity of the engine.
>The things you learned from studying the ships blueprints was that the engine room spanned all the way across the back of the ship.
>It was a large labyrinth of pipes, exhausts, coils, cords, conductors and reactors.
>Every part of it was filled to the brim with heavy machinery that you didn’t understand completely.
>Naturally, you left Applejack with control over it.
>None of the others aboard dared come close to the large chamber either.

>The hallway you now stood in spanned from the port side to the starboard side.
>It acted as sort of a containment wall for the engine chamber, sealing it off from the rest of the ship.
>You turned left and started walking towards the port side.
>In every hallway on the sides of the cruiser there were large glass windows so you could see outside.
>Up until now technology hadn’t allowed windows like this in vacuum without them shattering.
>This ship, however, had large windows everywhere.
>You reached a glass plate and took a peek outside.
>It wasn’t anything too impressive, but it still left a sense of wonder in you.

>Past the research facility was the living quarters.
>Every crew member had their personal rooms furnished and designed after their personal wished to feel more at home.
>You halted for a second, as a thought came to your mind.
>The only room you had seen was your own, so you kinda wondered how the other rooms looked like.
>Slowly opening the door next to you, you enter the large living area “hub”.
>In front of you was a chamber that could remind you of a normal living room, with couches, tables, bookshelves and even a large TV screen.
>The room was oval shaped and had three doors on the back and four in the front.
>You put your ear to the door closest to you and tried listening for any sounds from inside.
>Hearing nothing, you stood up straight and thought about what you were about to do.
>“Ahem”
>A nervous chill is sent down your spine as you quickly turn around.
>Rainbow Dash is standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, a suspicious look on her face.
>“Were you about to sneak into Twilight’s room, Anon?” she asks you, walking slowly towards you.
“Uh, uhm, duh, no uh, of course not…” you look around nervously.
>It was her room?
>“Oh man, wait till Twilight hears about this!” rainbow laughs.
>You perk up at her words.
>She wasn’t seriously considering telling her was she?
>Then you remembered.
“Now wait just a minute!”

>Halting in her tracks, Rainbow dash turns halfway towards you, still with a smirk on her face.
“If it hadn’t been for you we wouldn’t be afloat uncontrollably like this!”
>She turns all the way now, facing you.
>Her smirk has faded from her face.
>“What does that have to do with you trying to sneak into Twilights room, Anon?”
“Absolutely nothing. I just didn’t remember it, but this is far more important right now, and we can’t have any more of that on board my ship!
>“Excuse me, Anon, but who’s the pilot here? I guess if you want to do it your way you’d just have to do it yourself, but I have a lot more experience than you, so you can’t afford it, can you?”
>You feel anger bubble up inside and as a reflex reaction you yell out.
“Atten-SHUN!”
>Almost automatically, Dash puts her hands behind her back and looks straight ahead.
>Her years in the Air Force had taught her so, and your rank as a captain gave you full authority to do so.
>You sigh and put our face in your hands, softly groaning with a muffled voice.
>You look over to your pilot, who is still standing attention, awaiting orders.
>Her face looks downright terrified, and you sigh.
“I didn’t want to do this Rainbow Dash. I thought that on a ship like this where we all knew each other this well we could refrain from taking disciplinary action. You leave me no choice however.”

>You walk up in front of her.
>Your calm voice seems to have put her terrified feelings to a rest.
>You look her dead in the eyes.
“If you’re gonna continue this attitude, I can’t have you near the helm again. If you’d seen the work Applejack had to go through to try and fix the damages you’d caused, I think you would think twice before acting so rash again.”
>Once you mention Applejack, her eyes widen a bit.
>You turn around and walk slowly across the room.
>She inhales slowly, and speaks with a shaky voice.
>“Pr-Permission to speak frankly… S-Sir.”
>Without turning, you wave your hand in a circular motion, signaling her to go ahead.
>“I… I don’t know what to say, Sir. I… Thank you.”
“Don’t mention… what?”
>You quickly turn to face her, disbelief covering your face.
>Rainbow Dash puts a hand up to her neck and scratches it, looking down at the floor.
>“I… I guess if you hadn’t put me in place like this, I would’ve caused more trouble than I wanted to…”
>She looks up at you.
>There is obvious guilt in her eyes, and you can’t help but smile a bit.
>At least she admitted to her faults.
>“I just… I said it alright? I’m Sorry. I was just so scared you know. Space is a pretty big thing for me. I’m used to flying fighter jets at ultra sonic speed, not gigantic space cruisers! Sure, I’ve had training before we came here, but this thing is fucking huge! I guess… I covered my fears with adrenaline. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
“Oh, come here you” You say, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into a hug.
>She appears lightly shocked at first, but returns it quickly.
“You could have just told us. We’re all friends here, no need to hide it.”
>Rainbow Dash breaks the hug and looks at you with furrowed brows.
>“Is AJ okay?” She asks you.
“Of course, she’s just a bit tired. She’s been in the engine room since we departed.”
>This only seems to pain Rainbow further.

>She turns to look at the door, but doesn’t move an inch.
“I think you should go see her, Dash.”
>She stands there for a few seconds.
>Without warning, she sprints out the door and out of your sights.
>All you can hear are her footsteps echoing down the grey hallway.
>You didn’t realize you were holding your breath, and you put your hands before your mouth and screamed with all your might.
>That was closer than you’d like to admit.
>You peeked over at the door that apparently lead to Twilights room.
>You wouldn’t imagine what your crew members would think of you if they found out you were sneaking in their rooms.
>You silently promise yourself never to mix up in other people’s business, and wobble out of the living area.


Day 6

>The sound of the plasma generator cheered you up.
>Beside you you could hear Applejack screaming of joy.
>You tugged one of the cables that was connected to the large metal cylinder, and released them.
>The long cords that was as thick as your fists and could easily smash in your head, fell into the box on the side and you closed the lid.
>Rainbow Dash dusted of her hands and came strolling down the stairs.
>“Oh, you guys, what would you do without me?” she said, her arrogance glowing from her confident grin.
>“Knock it off, sugarcube, this was a combined effort.” Applejack came up the stairs from the walkway underneath you.
>She pulled a lever, and a pulsating light came from the thick tube of ion coils that went into a large circular chamber mounted on the far side of the wall.
>A sharp sound was heard from the chamber that grew in intensity.
>“Yeah, whatev-“ Rainbow couldn’t finish her sentence, as the floor under you and your friends shot forwards and sent you flying into a wall.
>Rainbows eyes, only inches from your own, widened and she jumped up and ran out of the room like lightning.
>You looked at Applejack with a surprised expression and helped her up from the floor.
>You could hear Rainbows voice echoing far down the hallway.
>“GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!”
>You and Applejack managed to catch up with her in the stairway, wheezing form exhaustion.
>Or at least you were.
“What’s… The matter… Rainbow?!” you attempted to yell after her.
>“I forgot to pull off the power switch when we tested the combustors last time!” You heard echoing down at you.
>Rainbows trampling footsteps stopped as she reached the door to the bridge and sprinted through them.
>Reaching the bridge you and Applejack spotted your pilot frantically running her fingers all over the control panel.

>“What’s the matter, Dash?! Just turn it off!” Applejack yelled at her.
>“I can’t! It’s locked in place!”
>Both of you ran over to where Rainbow stood and looked over the panel.
>Nothing looked out of the ordinary, but the power control switch didn’t respond.
“Applejack, shut of all main power systems!” you commanded.
>“But Anon, Ah can’t do that! That means-“
>“I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS, JUST DO IT!”
>Applejack stared at you for a couple of seconds, shocked by your decision.
>She then ran over to her stationed panel and lifted a glass lid off of it.
>Looking at you for your approval, you nod and she slammed her fist into the button underneath it.
>At that moment, everything went dark.
>Not a single sound could be heard on board, and the ship had stopped moving.
>Standing straight, you grabbed Rainbows shoulder and fumbled over to where you assumed Applejack stood.
>You could feel your legs loosing the grip of the floor and floating upwards, so you tugged harder on the railing to your right.
“Alright, can you all hear me?” you asked in a calm voice.
>“Ah’m here, Anon” Applejack answered.
>She turned on a flashlight and pointed it at the floor.
>“Anon, you’re touching my tit.” Dash growled at you.
>Immediately you let her go and watched her slowly float away.
>“So what’s the plan, captain?”
>You looked down at your utility watch.
>You noted the air pressure and temperature.
“Okay, we have exactly four hours to find out what’s wrong before we have to turn on the power again. Let’s be quick about it, what do we know so far?”
>Applejack looked down at her pad.
>She had some notes on it and started analyzing them.
>“Well, ah managed to repair the ion coils and place them back into the Reflux generator. It should give power back to the ion combustors, but we couldn’t shut it off again.”
>“Which means?” Rainbow crossed her arms and tapped her fingers.

>“The engine works, we just need to turn it off.”
>“Oh great! Why don’t we just rip out the cords again!?”
“Okay ladies, let’s not argue about this. This wasn’t any of your fault, we probably just missed something.”
>As you tried calming your crew members down, the rest of the group came floating through the bridge gate.
>“OH MY GOSH, THAT WAS SO SCARY ANON!” Pinkie yelled out at you.
>She didn’t seem like she had lost her mood though, but Fluttershy looked downright terrified.
>Of course, you wouldn’t expect differently from her.
>Poor girl.
>“Anon, what’s going on here? It all went dark all of a sudden, and by Celestia, I believe I stung myself on my needle!” She tugged her middle finger close to her chest.
“Don’t worry girls, we just have a small problem with the left combustor engine, we’ll fix it.”
>“SMALL PROBLEM? You call this a SMALL PROBLEM? We have FOUR HOURS before we FREEZE TO DEATH!”
>You cringed.
>Of course Rainbow Dash had to go on a rampage.
>You watched her thrash about upside down while cursing everything and everyone she could think off.
>This didn’t help with the situation, however, and concerned chatter broke out amongst the crew.
>“Anything we can do to help?” Twilight asked you.
>You gave her a concerned glance and scratched your neck.
“I dunno…”
>Twilight floated over to you and took a hold of both your hands.
>“Look, we might not know much about engines, but I don’t think any of us wants to freeze to death.”
“Argh, we’re not gonna freeze to death! Come on, we’re going to the engine room! You to Rainbow!”
>You took a hold of the nearest solid object and pushed yourself to the bridge gate, grabbing a torchlight on the way.

>After a clumsy flight down the stairs and dark hallways you and the crew reached the engine chamber.
>On the way you stopped by the emergency generator which gave you light.
>It didn’t have enough power to fix the temperature or oxygen problem, however, so you still had a time limit.
>Once you reached the middle of the large complicated system, everyone started looking for something out of place.
>According to Applejack, nothing seemed out of place.
>This worried you all more than it should, and you regrouped to hatch a new plan.
>“Okay, there ain't nothing wrong with the coils, the generator, the transflexor, the panels seem untouched and the core is undented. Hell, I even checked the power supply for the coffee machine!”
>Applejack scoffed, obviously disappointed in herself.
>Every breath she took left some mist hanging in the air.
>The temperature was dropping dangerously quickly.
>“We have a coffee machine?!” Pinkie screamed.
“Okay, Pinkie, focus on the mission. Did we check the combustor chamber?”
>“Three times!” Rainbow declared.
>You sighed and checked your wrist.
>You had already wasted two hours checking the machine room.
“Uuh… well, I’m out of ideas.” You shrug.
>“Well, we can’t just sit here and give up!” Rarity encouraged.
>She had a point though.
>You thought over what you knew.
>Nothing was wrong with the engines, or at least not that you knew about as of current events.
>Suddenly, you got an idea.
“Okay, this might be a bit bold, but I think I know something that will help us find a solution.”
>The girls gathered around you and looked at you with anticipation.
>“Whatever it is, we have to try!” Twilight slammed her fist into her palm.
>The others seemed to agree, so you continued.

“We know that there is nothing wrong with the engines when they’re off, but we haven’t checked the engines when they’re on.”
>“You want me to turn the power back on, Anon?” Rainbow asked, almost as if she knew your plan immediately.
“Yes. We have to move quickly though, or we might lose our course completely.”
>You assigned each of the girls a post where they would watch for abnormalities in the clockwork.
>You set a time limit to 15 minutes of ignition time, or else the vessel would spin out of control.
>You had Applejack explain what they should look for, and then you sent Dash up to the bridge to flip the switch.
>Checking your wrist once more, you saw that you didn’t have much time left, and if this failed, there wouldn’t be much time to think of something else.
>The sounds of the engine room once again started echoing, increasing in intensity.
>After a few seconds, you heard a roar form the back of the ship, signaling the ignition of the engine.
>And then you fell.
>You slammed into the floor below you, but quickly shook it off and got up.
>The systems you had been assigned to check was the main control panel and the reactor, but it seemed to work just fine according to Applejacks description.
>You didn’t hear any of the other girls yell after you either.
>You tensed up and felt a nervous stinging in your chest.
>After a few minutes, there was no changes to the reactor.
>You turned around to check on the rest of your friends and found yourself face to face with Fluttershy, who stood right behind you.
>Both of you jumped and screamed in shock, but came to your senses quickly.
“What are you doing here Fluttershy? Why aren’t you at your post?!”
>“Well…” she looked down at the floor, fidgeting with her hair. “You see… there’s this thing there… I don’t know… can you help me? If that’s okay with you…?”
“Show me” you said, pointing at her post.

>She immediately turned and ran over, you following right behind her.>She had a post close to the right combustor pump, and you noticed straight away that something was off.>Sparks were flying out of it when the cylinder tried spinning, and it was obvious something was stuck inside it.>Yanking off the lid, you grabbed a hold of the spinning part and held it in place.
>Inside you could make out the reflection of some kind of liquid.
>You released the spinning part which you held in place, and noticed that it was pressing the liquid the wrong way.
>On the other side of the cylinder was a drainage pipe where the liquid would fall into and down into another component, but it spun too quickly, and it didn’t get the chance to flow through.
“HEY APPLEJACK!” GET A LOAD OF THIS!” you yelled out after her.
>She immediately caught your attention and came running over.
>Taking a peek down the pump, she knew exactly what was going on.
>“Well I’ll be… Ah hope this is the only problem we have…” she said.
>Picking up a wrench from her utility belt, she began loosening a bolt on the side of the pump.
>A creaking sound emitted from the pump as the spinning component inside the cylinder forced itself around.
>The blue floating substance spilled all over the floor as it was pressed out of the cylinder, and then the inside began spinning freely again.
>The liquid and pump worked in sync again.
>A mighty roar could be heard behind the ship in the combustor chamber.
>Once again, the floor flew forward under your feet, and you got squished in between Applejack and Fluttershy.
>You looked around the room, or at least what you could see, and noticed Twilight and Rarity stumble up from the floor as well.
>You poked Applejack’s side, and she jumped up from you, excusing herself for not noticing.
>Brushing it off, you helped Fluttershy up as well, and headed towards the bridge.

>Joyful chatter rang through the corridors as you made your way to the control room.
>The newly solved problems sparked new adventurous excitement into the crew once again, as you now had clearance into deep space.
>All you had to do now was pick a star and fire up the old FTL drive.
“Okay, girls, gather around. The moment we have been waiting for is finally here!”
>The crew all looked up at you from your captain’s podium.
>Their excitement was obvious, especially Pinkies, as she continued to bounce around like she always did.
“We have just passed the object farthest from the orbit of our sun, and are about to embark on an adventure on alien worlds. The possibilities are many and unexpected, so there is no way of knowing which place to go first. I’ll leave it up to you to decide where to go first.”
>“You mean ANYWHERE?!” Pinkie squealed in excitement.
“Yes, this time it’s literally anywhere. However…” You paused, and the excited chatter stopped.
“After today’s incident I think we all need a break. You can all think about it until the next cycle. I don’t know about you but I need some rest… You’re dismissed. Good night, girls.”
>You walk down the stairs and give them a hug.
>You started being fond of burying your face pastel colored in hair, but you pulled away from them and walked down to the living quarters.
>You walked over to your closet.
>As you opened the door to it, a glass tube made its way through the floor.
>You pushed a button on the chest of your suit and a holographic screen blinked up in front of your eyes.
>You shut the suit down, and it released some steam from the vents around the limbs.
>It then clicked open and you could slide out of it.
>You lifted the suit into the tube and closed the glass door.
>The cylinder slid back into the floor, and you closed the door to the closet.

>It felt pretty good to get out of the suit, and you could feel fresh air on your bare skin once again.
>Now only in your underwear and t-shirt, you crawled under your blanket and snuggled in.
>It had been a long time since you were able to get a good night’s sleep, so you had decided to savior every second of it.
>Before you were about to fall asleep, you could feel a pair of hands slide over your chest and settle in for a hug.
>A warm feeling pressed itself on your back, and your eyes shot open.
>You quickly turned your head and saw strands of purple hair nestling into your back.
>You lay there for a while just looking behind you.
>You reached a hand to Twilights cheek and poked her lightly.
>She reacted by hugging you closer and cooing.
>She was probably asleep already.
>You pondered how she had managed to sneak into your room without you noticing but you really didn’t mind at all.
>You turned your head back carefully and closed your eyes.
>You didn’t want to wake her up, so you decided to leave it be.
>It wasn’t long before the warm embrace of Twilight lulled you to sleep and darkness clouded your eyes.


Day 7

>The endless number of stars in front of your eyes would have blinded you if it weren’t for the even larger amount of darkness in between them.
>You squeezed Twilight closer and stroke her shoulder gently.
“So where do you wanna go?” you asked her.
>She put a finger up to her chin and pondered for a moment.
>There were so many different glowing dots on the sky, deciding on one must be hard.
>Eventually she points to a star in between a less dense area.
>The ball of gas in question was glowing in a strange cyan-like color, and shone stronger than any of the others in its vicinity.
>“Let’s go there, Anon!”
“You like that one?”
>“Yeah! We have to hear with the other girls first though…”
“I’m sure they would agree too.”
>Reaching a hand up to your earpiece, you tuned in to the ship-wide comlink.
“Good morning girls! The big day is here, so prepare yourselves, we’re launching in thirty!”
>“Oh Anon, I can’t wait! This is so exciting!” Twilight started hopping up and down.

>A few moments later you found yourself in the middle of your group of friends once again.
>You showed them the star Twilight had pointed out. They all agreed that it was a good choice.
“Great, I’ve already acquired data on the star from the HQ database.”
>You sat down in a nearby chair and slid your backhand over your wrist console.
>The panorama window flashed with a blue color and a hologram appeared over the glass.
>An image of the burning ball of gas showed up, it’s brilliant cyan light shining strong.
>Some information was written on the side.
>You leaned back into the chair and crossed your legs.
“The star’s name is Klepra 3 according to the astronomers. It has four orbiting bodies, tree of them are outside the habitable orbit.
>The object inside the habitable zone apparently has no vegetation so don’t get your hopes up.”

>The crew didn’t seem to pay attention, as they all stared at the glowing sphere with a glint of adventure lust in their eyes.
>You gave up trying to explain more about it and got up from the comfortable chair.

>After that you had a nice breakfast with your friends in the lounge, chatting about different things.
>The fact that you were well on your way to interplanetary travels sparked quite a bit of good mood in them.
>As you took a sip of your cup and listen to Rainbow Dash brag about her escapades in the air force, you couldn’t help but look out the window to the empty expanse outside.
>It was hard imagining in your head the sheer size of those tiny dots.
>A normal human mind wouldn’t have a chance at comprehending it even.
>You shook the thought, as all it did was confuse you.
>When you turned back, you noticed everyone was staring at you.
>You gave them all a shrug and looked to each side.
“What?”
>“It’s time…” Rainbow said in an overly dramatic tone.
>She waved her arms over her head, which made you chuckle.
“Alright, alright. Back to the bridge I guess…”>You downed the rest of your cup and got up from your chair.
>The girls followed you through the halls, still chatting about different things.
>You wondered why they hadn’t caught up like this before as the previous days had been awfully quiet.

>You stood before your chair in the bridge.
>The white leather and bumpy texture was all too familiar.
>Hell, you even knew the buttons in your head.
>Over it was the large panoramic window where you could see the throat of the Excalibur stretching far out before you.
>Its head with the four symmetrical sails and even its wings were visible too.
>You glanced at it with a look that would almost seem motherly.
>You cared a lot for this vessel, as you had a large saying in the building process as well.
>And now it was about to lead humanity into the future, one burst at a time.
>You sat down in the round chair and turned around.

>The girls were all sitting there, awaiting orders.
>Just like when you left home.
>Home…
>You brought up the last image you had of your home world, captured by the back view.
>The spinning blue orb made you miss it a little bit, but knowing you would return eventually, you gave it no further thought.
“Alright, let’s do this.” You said.
>Removing the picture of the planet, you now had the big dark in front of you.
>You raised your hand and pointed forwards.
“Rainbow Dash, bring me those stars!” you said, trying to sound dramatic.
>The girls only started laughing, but turned around and manned the stations.
>This time Dash made sure to thread carefully, and slid the throttle forward slowly.
>You could hear the engines power up the further it went, and the force of gravity pulled you backwards with each click.
>The large wheel started shaking slightly, but Rainbow grabbed it and kept it still.
>The throttle was now at full power, but it took a few seconds for the cruiser to start moving.
>The chunk of metal inched forward, shifting slightly.
>At low speeds, she was hard to maintain the course, as there were no support engines on its sides to keep her steady.
>It wasn’t long before you could see small particles outside flying past.
>Apparently, deep space was filled with the remains of ancient chaos.
>Once the engines were at full speed, Rarity started dialing in the coordinates she had received from HQ, along with a simple “good luck”.
>“Alright, dear, we’re ready to fly!” she said, hitting the input into the system.>Once the computer had finished calculating, it gave a clear sign, and Rainbow crammed the throttle to full speed.
>The noise that followed was almost worse than sitting on the back of a supersonic jet when it took off, and the ship started trembling as the large reactor in the back kicked in for full.

>Before you could grab another breath, your field of view expanded immeasurably, and you could almost see behind you without turning your head.
>The immense force of the gravity being pushed backwards made your sense of direction spin out of control, and you got pushed back in the seat.
>Then it felt like the whole universe came crashing in on your vision, as all the stars in the sky transformed into lines that shot past you.
>The pull of the gravity continued for a while before it stabilized.
>You slowly felt your butt rest down in the comfortable leather.
>As the noise from the FTL Drive disappeared, you could hear screaming laugher from the deck below you.
>When systems were normalized and all checks had been done, you popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
>Someone obviously thought storing a ton of alcohol on board a research vessel in space was a good idea, but you weren’t complaining.

>Once done with small talk and drinking to the point where you were just a little bit tipsy, the crew resumed your normal routines.
>Maintenance checks, cleaning, relaxing, board games and other misadventures.
>It would still be a little while before the ship would arrive to the destination, but at least now, you had time to truly relax and sleep well.



CHAPTER 2


Day 32

>The sight in front of you almost took your breath away.
>The large sphere of crystal white landscape was a sight not many others had seen before, but you were the first to set your eyes on this particular planet.
>An alien world, right before you.
>Rainbow Dash had brought you out of the FTL drift a couple of days ago when you almost crashed into another rock farther out in the system.
>She managed to steer you away from its intense gravitational pull, but just barely.
>After scanning the system, Rarity had personally picked out this world as the one that looked the most interesting.
>Of course, nobody objected, as they just wanted to set their feet on something that wasn’t floating in space.
>Klepra 3b.
>It was a barren wasteland covered in ice and snow.
>According to data, it contained materials, which you couldn’t find anywhere else in the local solar system.
>There were also a large number of underground caverns and chasms in it, which could be worth exploring.
>You turned around and started walking back up from the observation deck.
>This could be fun.

>In the hangar, the others were already busy loading the shuttle with necessary equipment.
>Drills, rations, medicine and even weapons.
>There was no telling what you could find down there.
>As you came walking through the hangar doors, the girls stopped what they were doing and stood attention.
>You just chuckled and waved your hand.
“Come on now, I know we’re professionals, but there’s no need for that…”
>The crew slowly relaxed and looked at you in anticipation.
>The shuttle was loaded and ready to go, and the large hangar gate started opening slowly, revealing the bright surface of the planet below.
“What?” you asked. “You want me to hold a speech for you too now?”

>The girls laughed.
“Of course not. Let’s just go already!” they said in an excited tone.
“Dash, you wanna take the honor?” you motioned for the hatch under the shuttle, which lead to the cabin.

>Rainbow Dash turned to face the now open hatch.
>She eyed the black hull with awe.
>The people who designed it had drawn a lot of inspiration from different sci-fi movies, calling it “a bridge to science reality”.
>You had met them, and they were just a big group of nerds, but they knew their stuff.
>The shuttle balanced over ground on four large retractable legs.
>It had four engines mounted on its sides, two large cylindrical in the back for thrust and two smaller ones in the front for balance.
>The hull itself had the shape of a rhombus, with the cockpit in the front shaped like half an oval.
>It towered 20 meters over your head, and measured 40 meters in length.
>An impressive piece of technology indeed, but you had never flown it before.
>Dash takes a step forward and climbs up into the steel walkway leading into the cabin.
>The others followed her.
>You looked out through the air field to the planes below.
>A thick green blanket lay over it, giving the frozen landscape a green hue.
“Are you coming, captain?” you heard rainbow call for you from the cabin.
>You stepped into the cabin where the other girls were.
>The walls were colored white, and lines of blue ran all over the place.
>They all came together in the middle of the cabin, where a large table sat.
>The surface had holographic images of different data collected from its surroundings.
>There were several doors leading to different sections and rooms of the shuttle.
>In front was the bridge, who looked like a miniature version of the bridge on the Excalibur.
>A small control panel to steer the shuttle had replaced the helm, and six seats were placed behind it, three on each side.
>They all had their own little pads to view information and control different functions of the ship.

>The crew had all found their places, and started fiddling with the instruments to prepare for takeoff.>Once you sat down in your seat, right behind Dash to her left, the hatch in the back of the ship closed.
>You fastened your security belt with a click and leaned back into the comfortable seat.>Dash flipped a few switches in the roof and you could feel the shuttle vibrating.
>The engines powered up, making the shuttle hover up in the air.
>You heard the legs pull up into the hull.>The hangar walls started slowly sliding past you as the shuttle slowly made its way out of the hangar over the takeoff pad outside.
>Once outside the thin bubble that kept the oxygen where it should be, Dash increased the power to the engines.
>The shuttle slowly glided away from the safety of the gray chunk of metal, and into unknown territory.
>Even though you had been in undiscovered space for some time, you still couldn’t shake the pioneer feeling you had inside.
>Once a safe distance from the mothership, Rainbow initiated the afterburners and you shot towards the green atmosphere of Klepra 3B.
>Small chatter broke out in the cabin of what they might find down there, among other things.
>You preferred to just sit back and wait.
>It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes to reach the outer perimeter of its atmosphere, and Dash switched on the landing protocols.
“Atmospheric normalization initiated. Prepare for planetfall.” She told the others to get their attention.
>The girls all sat up straight and watched as the shuttle entered the green-ish blanket of smoke that covered the planes.

>Once it did though, the hull heated up almost immediately, and the outside was covered in burning hot fire.
>You could hear everyone scream in shock but Rainbow.
>She gritted her teeth and cursed while attempting to dive straight down.
>It wasn’t long before you reached terminal velocity, even with the thrusters at maximum power, but fire still clouded your sight.

“Dash, watch out for the surface!” Rarity yelled after her.
“FUCK ME!” Dash responded, as panic swallowed her.
>Instinctively, she switched off all power to the engines, and forced the ships nose upwards.
>After a few intense seconds of falling, the shuttle went into an uncontrolled glide.
>As the speed decreased, so did the heat outside.
>Once you could see something, Dash flipped on the engines and attempted to pull the shuttle into a halt.
>Once it stopped completely, the fire outside had stopped, and you could make out the frozen landscape bellow you.
>Dash leaned back into her seat and sighed in relief.
“Well?” She panted, looking back at Rarity. “Where are we landing?”
>Rarity took some time to scan the terrain, but brought up a simulation of the terrain covering the ground below.
>It displayed a grid along the ground, showing where the flattest area was.
“How about here?” She said, making a small square are flash.
>It seemed like it was in a large plane covered in ice.
>Close to it stood two mountains looming over the area.
“Good enough” Rainbow panted, raising her hands to the control panel once again.
>The shuttle slowly fell downwards.
>The green smoke around you became thinner as you approached the surface.
>After becoming completely free of the layer of gas, Dash began a vertical dive towards the point of interest.
>After a slow fall, you were just a few hundred meters above the icy fields.
>You slid over the landscape, looking at the alien world in front of you.
>It wasn’t that different from the North Pole, really, except the green sky above you.
>Rainbow forced the ship into a stop, and descended towards the ground.
>Careful, like a leaf dropping from its tree, the shuttle came to a rest on the terrain with a loud hiss.
>A few buttons and switches later, and all the systems that weren’t needed any longer had been switched off.
>Dash put the ship in a rest and the lights in the cabin dimmed slightly.

“Landing completed, propulsion systems locked, main power directed do life support systems.” Said Rainbow and leaned back in her seat, wiping her brow.>You heard a few clicking noises behind you.
>Your friends took of their security belts and went to initiate the scanning systems.
>Just like in the countless training sessions you had undergone.>You looked out of the window in front of you.
>The frozen field you had landed on was nothing but ice as far as you could see.
>In the background, two purple mountains rose up from the horizon.
>You got up from your seat and went over to the hologram table in the middle of the shuttle cabin.
>Around it stood the rest of your crew looking at you in anticipation.
>You cleared your throat.
“Alright, what’ve we got?” you asked and took turns to look at each one of them.
“The planet we’ve set foot on is covered in ice as far as we know, and there is very little change in the terrain around us except those mountains in the distance.” Rarity was the first one to speak up.
>She put an imagery of the planets local terrain onto the surface of the table.
“Y-yes… And the ice under us very strange. From the scannings it doesn’t look like normal ice.” Fluttershy stuttered.
“What do you mean “not normal ice”?” you asked her.
>She put a small vial into a slot in the table and a small window of information popped up in front of you.
“It’s too early to say anything, but it’s molecular structure is almost surreal. The extractors could have done something wrong though, but I doubt that…” She stated.
>The information you had on screen didn’t match what you knew as “ice”.
>As far as you know it could be anything but.

“We’ll have to investigate this further. What about the atmosphere?” You looked at Twilight, who suddenly became very busy dropping a few papers.
>She blushed slightly as the gathered them and put them on the table.
“W-Well, according to these readings, the atmosphere here is very strange too. Certainly not capable of holding human life.”
>She typed something on a keyboard, and a table of information popped up next to the one showing information about the surface.
“As you can see, this planet’s air consists of almost 72% methane gas! That must be the reason we caught fire during planetfall.”
“Shit.” You cursed.
>The others looked at you with questions in their eyes.
>The least you wanted to do was scare them, but they already caught wind on something.
>You sighed and massaged your temples.
“Alright, ladies. We’re gonna have to go out there and investigate some more. Grab everything we need, but no guns!”
>Your only means of protection and you couldn’t use it.
>The girls looked at you like question marks.
“Why not, Nonnie?” Pinkie asked you.
>You walked around the table and grabbed your air-tight helmet and the connected hydrogen converter.
“Well, we don’t have those particle guns with us, and anything generating heat above a certain level possesses the chance to blow the sky up. If you need heat we're gonna have to think of alternative methods.”
>You turned and took a small bag of supplies from the other wall.
>You checked in it to note everything was there and stuffed it on a cart together with the rest of the things the girls had gathered.
>It wasn’t much, but enough to not get you killed…
>Hopefully.
>You put on your helmet, and the other girls followed your motion.
>As soon as all of them had put them on properly, you pushed a button on the nearby control panel and held it there.
>The hatch behind you hissed and started slowly descending.

>Almost immediately, you heard the howling winds outside, and snow was blowing everywhere.
>The metal plate hit the ground with a loud bang, and you looked out over the endless landscape.
>Something was wrong though.
>Around your shuttle, a darker colored line stretched from side to side, like it surrounded you.
>You squeezed your eyes together, trying to spot what it was when you noticed the line was slowly getting wider.
>It wasn’t just any other line, it was a crack in the ice!
>Just then you heard a loud splintering noise from under it.
>You quickly grabbed on to something close to you as shock filled you.
>It seemed like your crew felt the same way, as you noticed the ship had tipped somewhat to the side.
>You slowly turned towards the girls and motioned for them to remain still.
>You took a few steps forward without losing your grip on the pole you held on to.
>As you stepped onto the hatch, the ice split under you.
>For a brief second, it felt like time slowed down.
>You noticed the shock in your friends face as they realized you were falling.
>You saw the ice block your ship was sitting on letting go of the rest of it and slowly falling downwards.
>Last, you noticed the screams catching up to your ears.
>You didn’t realize your lungs were empty from screaming yourself until you smashed into a solid layer of rock and blacked out.

>The smooth skin under your fingers twitched as you slid them downwards.
>Whispering gasps of pleasure filled your ears as your face buried itself in her neck and kissed her lightly.
>You felt her curves as your fingers moved down her torso.
>She grabbed your wrist as you reached her nether regions.
>It made you look up from the place between her neck and shoulder.
>Hazy purple eyes looked deep into yours, her lips slightly parted.
>Without taking her eyes of you, she guided your hand further down between her legs.
>Your fingers touched her already soaking slit and rubbed against them gently.
>You watched as her face twisted from one of affection to wincing pleasure.
>Her eyes closed and her mouth gaped wider as she clutched your hand harder.
>You stroked a lock of midnight blue hair out of her face and continued to savior the expressions she made.
>She bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut as your finger slid into her without much effort.
>She moaned into your ear and grabbed your shoulders.
>Your finger slid deeper and deeper into her, you could feel her walls cave in and grab hold of you, urging you to go further.
>Her beautiful lips called you to them as you leaned towards her face and planted them onto hers and slowly pulled your finger back again.
>Your face didn’t meet any resistance, however, but kept moving forward into thin air.

>You shut open your eyes and looked around you.
>Bright dots filled the darkness in the distance.
>You didn’t feel any up or down, and floated around aimlessly.
>Confused, you started thrashing around, but to no avail.
>The void wouldn’t let go of you.
>Your ears perked up when you heard an echo far away from you.
>You tried looking for where it had come from, but it was impossible to judge a direction.
>Then the echo came back, stronger and much clearer than the last one.
>The voice sounded familiar too…
“Anon!” you heard.
>Your name, that’s what they’re shouting.
>You tried calling back out to them, but noticed your lungs were out of air.
>You tried breathing, but nothing would fill you.
>In panic, you started coughing.
>Air would escape your lungs, but not enter.
>Your eyes grew wide, and the feeling of weakness washed over you.
>It was almost… relaxing.
>You were about to give into this new feeling when you heard the echo once again.
>“ANON! WAKE UP, PLEASE!”

>You shut your eyes wide open again and stared into a pair of purple eyes.
>You looked at her worrying expression for a few seconds, and a pressing feeling started building up in your lungs.
>Instinctively, you inhaled forcefully and started coughing.
>You curled your body around itself as you kept coughing.
>Even after it had stopped, you lay there on the ground, the memories from your dream still vivid in your mind.
>A cascade of purple hair fell in front of you as Twilight leaned down to shake your shoulder.
>“Anon, talk to me. Are you okay?”
>You forced forth a rusty “Yes” before you broke out coughing again.
>You sat up and received a pat on your shoulder, which helped stop the violent outbreak.
>“You’ll be fine, I’m sure… How do you feel, Anon?” Fluttershy asked you.
>You still felt a little dizzy, but at least you could think straight.
>Getting up on your feet, you waved it off.
“I… I’m fine…”
>The truth behind it was that you were, in fact, not fine at all.
>Your ribs hurt, and you felt a sharp pain in your left arm.
>You could take care of that when you got back to the Excalibur though, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
>You limped over to the cart and leaned on it, looking around you.

>The walls of ice stretched far above you, trapping you in a large sinkhole.
>You had hit rock bottom though, and purple-ish rock lay sprawled across the floor.
>You looked to your side and noticed the large black chunk of metal laying on the ground.
>Its legs seemed to have broken, but the rest of it looked intact.
>You shook your head to try to clear your dizziness, and noticed only four of your friends were present.
“Where’s RD and Pinkie?” you asked them, who had gathered around the cart.
>“They went down in that ‘ere cave.” Applejack told you, pointing to a dark entrance that seemed to lead further underground.
>You groaned.
>Well, at least they didn’t go alone, you thought. You grabbed a flashlight with the intention of going after them, but Fluttershy took a hold of your arm before you could go anywhere.
>“Anon, you can’t just go down there like this! You’re hurt…” she said, looking at you with pleading eyes.
>You put a hand on hers and slowly opened her grip, holding her hand in yours and smiling.
“I’ll be fine, honestly.” You said.
>She hesitated a bit, but slowly nodded and pulled her hand back.

>The dream was like a movie reel crammed into your head, and you especially remembered the first part all too well.
>It wasn’t before you looked around on your crew members that you realized a vital detail.
>Twilights face.
>As soon as your eyes met hers, your eyes widened and you quickly looked away, back at the entrance to the tunnel.
>Your face was suddenly burning hot.
>She was the one.
>You recognized her eyes sparkling like lightning, her face, the soft frame of it encased in purple hair.
>Why, even her bust size…
>You shook your head and started walking towards the cave in an attempt to give your mind other thoughts.
>“Ya want us to come with ya?” Applejack hollered after you.
>You didn’t as much as turn to face her, only waved your arm.
“F-Fluttershy and Rarity, come with me. You others stay behind.” You stuttered.
>You could almost feel their eyes sting in your back, but you kept walking.

>Soon, you had Rarity and Fluttershy by your side as you descended into the darkness of the cave.
>You had a hard time focusing on the exploring itself.
>The constant images from your blackout kept showing up in your head.
>By now, the choking bit didn’t even bother you anymore, it was the face that you had paid so well attention to that did.
>It perfectly matched Twilights, and you couldn’t help but feel like you did something to her without her consent.
>Rarity and Fluttershy had been exchanging worried looks for some time now, most likely because of your flustered face and heavy breathing.
>Fluttershy’s hand on your shoulder made you scream in shock, and she didn’t react that well either.
>You quickly turned around and noticed her hiding behind Rarity, who looked at you with a determined expression.
>“Anon, what’s going on here?” she asked you.
>You looked from Fluttershy’s frightened face and back to Rarity’s.
>Slowly, you got up from your hunched position by a pair of rocks and dusted of your suits torso.
>You wiped your face, only to find your visor in the way.
>You shook your head and looked ahead, determined to not let this get you down.
>It was only a dream, right?
“I… It’s nothing… Sorry Fluttershy…” You switched your flashlight back on and kept walking down the dark tunnel.
>You heard Rarity’s attempts at getting Fluttershy with her but you decided it was best that you kept your distance from them.
>They had their own lights and if anything were to happen, Rarity could protect her.
>You had seen her in training and she had some surprising abilities.

>It didn’t take a lot of walking in your own thoughts before you spotted bright light around a corner.
>You were about to round it when two figures emerged from it and slammed straight into you.
>It sent you into the ground and you groaned.
>Sitting up, the two dark figures started screaming in shock until you flipped on your flashlight.
>Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie stood there and stared at you like frightened cats.
>When they realized who you were, however, they became increasingly excited.
>“NONNIE, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!” Pinkie yelled in your face as she pulled you to your feet.
>She almost made you fall again when she placed two firm hands on your back and pushed you towards the exit.
>The bright light blinded you, having walked in darkness for nearly 15 minutes.
>You noticed Dash running back to the shuttle before you were pushed out of the cave and onto a cliff.
>You shielded your eyes from the intense sunlight.
>Pushing a button on the side of your helmet, a darkened visor snapped down over your eyes, blocking out the intense light from your weary eyes.

>Your attention was first drawn upwards, where you noticed the roof of crystallized ice reflecting sunlight in the colors of the rainbow.
>Pillars of ice spiraled down from the top and went down into a fiery orange field.
>The whole area close to you looked like an autumn forest, with large trees growing densely.
>Far in the distance, behind a light mist, midnight black pillars raised out of the ground up to the ice cover above.
>They were adorned with intricate golden patterns.
>None of the buildings loomed the same, but they bore an architectural resemblance.
>Far to the right lay a large silver dome looming over the pillars in the background, and in the middle of the area, you noticed a large crystal like structure stretching far above the constructions surrounding it.

>Your only reaction was to drop your jaw and stare at the sight in front of you.
>You could hardly believe your eyes, and you was sure you had made the discovery of a lifetime.
>Pinkie, however, kept bouncing excitedly beside you, uttering small squeaks now and then.
>You managed to tear yourself away from the view in front of you and looked downwards.
>You sat on a tall cliff high above the ground.
>So high in fact, that there was a small layer of mist between you and the floor of the cavern.
>Below it, you could make out the dense forest covered in bright orange leaves, and a small clearing near the rock wall.
>You got up on your feet and backed slowly away from the edge, not wanting to accidentally fall down there.
>A plan slowly started to form in your head, and you decided it was best if the team regrouped and went through this together.

“Alright guys, I’m not sure what you know but we’ve just made the discovery of the decade. Hell, maybe even the discovery of the millennium! I need all the information you have of this planet pronto!”
>As the team scurried around to gather what they had, all you could do was lean over the table in the shuttle and wait.
>Twilight was the first to present her findings.
>“Okay, so I’ve taken some samples of the surroundings, and I have to say I’m very astonished by them.”
>She said as the laid a stack of papers onto the table.
>Different pieces of information about the molecule structures popped up in front of you and you looked at them carefully before Twilight continued to explain.
>“As you can see, the “ice” as we call it, doesn’t seem like ice at all. It doesn’t contain the same combination of hydrogen and oxygen as water does at home, and it certainly doesn’t have the same attributes as it. It’s much more porous and when it melts it becomes this sticky gooey fluid that just reeks of rotten fish…”
>Twilight scrunches her face and shakes her head in disgust.

>This only left you with more questions than you came with.
“well what is it?” you asked her, even though you were almost sure you weren’t going to get a definite answer.>Twilight looked at you with a disappointed expression.
“I… I don’t know… Most of the substances used in this… concoction isn’t even recognized in the system, and is certainly not a part of our periodic table as we know it. It does seem to be a carbon-based fluid, but I wouldn’t say for sure.”
>You shook your head.
>This would only result in more questions than answers.
>You shoved the diagram in front of you out of the way and looked over to Rarity on the other side of the table.
“Alright, what have you got for us?”
>She proceeded to tap her pad and from its side emerged a small chip.
>She placed it on the table in front of her and it immediately began scanning its information.
>Not long after, a detailed three dimensional map blinked up in front of you, spinning slowly so that you could view it form all directions.
>“Okay, I’m not sure how much there is to explain here, but as you all can see this is where we are currently located…”
>A small circular chasm up in a corner started flashing red.
>It was very small compared to the rest of the scan, but there was a miniature model of the shuttle you arrived in there, so there was no doubt.
>“…And this… this is the area in which… whatever we discovered lies.” She hesitated a bit, and you could understand why.
>The shuttle was just a tiny dot compared to the sheer size of the underground cavern.

>Rarity continued.
>“As you can see, the area is a lot larger than we anticipated, but fret not! Most of the floor is covered in a dense orange forest. These constructions that we spotted in the distance takes up about 55% of the total area inside.”
>The map switched perspective to a top down view and you noticed the cavern was perfectly circular.
>An area in the middle of the map started flashing red to indicate the size of the area of interest.
>A ring of forest surrounded it, and it seemed like walls had been raised around the area.
>“Let’s take a closer look in here, shall we? As you can see, this area closely resembles the systematic appearance of a city, complete with streets, buildings and whatnot. I suggest that we begin exploring and documenting here first before considering anything else.”
>The whole group nodded in agreement.
“Great work Rarity. Applejack, what is the status of the shuttle?” you looked at her as she juggled a wrench almost expertly.
>“She’s ready to fly, anon. The landing gear isn’t workin’ properly, but it should be fine.”
>You stand up from your leant position and cross your arms while looking down to the floor.
>Clearing your throat, you start forming a plan in your head.
“Alright, here’s what I’m thinking.” You say, as you scan the crowd. “This ship will serve as our base of operations. We’re going to place it in the outskirts of this… “city” in a lack of better terms. From there on we will explore the place and see what we can find. We’ll do this in three teams which we will decide later. Sounds good?”
>You look to the crew, which seems to agree with your plan.
“Great. Make whatever preparations you need, we’re leaving in five.”

>As your friends are about to leave you lean as close to twilight as you dare and whisper to her.
“C-can I speak to you for a moment?” you ask her, swallowing a lump in your throat.
>She looks at you confused, but complies and you take her to the back of the shuttle where, hopefully, nobody would hear you.
>You could feel your heart racing as she looked at you, waiting.
>You take a deep breath.
“L-look, when I was out… I saw something…” You shook your head, unable to continue. “What happened in the bridge… a while ago…”
>“…was a mistake.” She continued for you, like she knew exactly what you were talking about. “I wasn’t thinking clearly and I had a lot of… pent up… inside…”
>You sighed, glad to finally have that out of the way.
“I’m sorry, Twi. I just… It didn’t really cross my mind until recently.”
>“It’s fine, really.” She said, a smile spreading across her face.
>She put a hand on your shoulder and pulled you in for a hug.
>"I was a bit worried by what you thought of me.” She said in the crook of your neck. “What did you see when you were out, anyway?”
>You felt the blood fade from your head and you tensed up.
>You had hoped she wouldn’t ask.
>Twilight pulled away, looking at your face.
>She then chuckled and waved an arm as she walked away.
>“Never mind, “Captain”” Twilight mocked you.
>You stood there for a while, feeling the nerves slowly return to you.
>At least she dropped it.

>Slamming the hatchet down into the thick layer of ice, the thundering sound of the ground under you reached your ears.
>You grabbed your security rope tighter and rammed the tool back into the crack you had made.
>It went straight through the ice like it was nothing.
>A large white circle of ice collapsed under you and went flying down into the depth below.
>As the rope was reeled back up to the shuttle, you could hear the large shards of ice shattering.
>You managed to climb back into the cabin of the shuttle before Rainbow Dash closed the hatch.
>Fluttershy came to check on you, but you turned her down again as there was no need for medical attention yet.
>You told Dash that it was clear once everyone had been seated in the cockpit, and she disengaged standby mode.
>The shuttle responded by igniting its combustors and slowly descending towards the large hole you had made.
>You watched the thick layer of ice glide past you on your way down and the impressive spirals of frozen mass came into view.
>Once you had fallen past the pillar in your way, you had a clearer of the ceiling in the cavern.
>The roof itself looked like a massive, twisted vortex of ice, which matched the tall pillars in a bizarre way.
>The bared patterns met in the middle, where the crystal tower you had seen before stood taller than all the other constructions in the vicinity.
>You heard a couple of gasps at the stunning view; not every member of your crew had seen it, and it was indeed an impressive sight.
>The shuttle slowly descended through the colorful beams of light reflected in the frozen structures coming to a halt over a small clearing in the bright orange forest.
>Not wanting to ruin the ships hull, Rainbow slowly inched it closer to the ground, careful not to go to fast.

>Even though the touchdown was as gentle as a leaf falling from a tree in an autumn morning, the force from the impact made loose parts lying around the cabin fly forward.>You managed to grab a hold of the panel in front of you to stop yourself from banging your head against it.
>As you looked out of the window in front of you saw the humongous trees crowned with bright orange tops.
>Massive bushes and flowers in all sorts of alien shapes and sizes both towered and dwarfed the shuttle.
>It was a strange sight, but it was almost expected in a place like this.
>You unbuckled your security belt and got up from your seat to see the cabin crawling with activity.
>The crew had gotten up without you noticing and were making every preparations necessary for the expedition.
>It didn't take long before all the supplies were gathered, and you all stood facing the descending doorway once again.
>As it came to a halt, you looked back at your friends.
>They all stared at you with anticipation.
>You took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward.
>The metal under your plated boots clinked with every footstep you made.
>As you found yourself on a small field of what you assumed to be grass, the group immediately went to work with what they had been tasked with.
>Twilight started taking different samples while Rainbow Dash and Applejack scouted the area ahead of you.
>You helped Rarity map the area properly, and once you were done, the five of you followed the safe path Dash and AJ had made.
>The forest was dense and hard to navigate, and little sunlight slipped through the thick crowns of the trees.

>It didn't take long before you stood before a humongous wall, stretching far above the tree line.
>In contrast to the towering buildings behind it, this wall was a perfect white color, only degraded by the growth clinging to its surface.
>Behind a large bush, Applejack had discovered a gate that seemed to lead inside the walls.
>It's hinges was rusty and she easily broke them off and placed it to the side.
>As the protocol had stated so clearly, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were the first to enter through, weapons drawn.
>Or at least what primitive tools you had available.
>You followed shortly behind, not wanting to miss anything.
>As you walked through the white arch, the streets in front of you was a remarkable sight.
>They were completely empty with a vast array of unidentifiable items sprawled across them.
>Plants of all sorts were spread beautifully around in small areas, and the giant black blocks stood tall all around you.
>Some of them had collided with the massive ice ceiling and the tops were completely frozen in them.
>You had a closer view on the golden patterns in the walls, and they reminded you of circuitry, if nothing else.
>Applejack turned to you in anticipation, and so did Rainbow Dash and the rest of the team once they were done staring at the constructions with awe.
“Alright” you said, clearing your throat. “We’re gonna split up in three teams. Rarity, you’ll load the map onto our PDAs so that none of you get lost around here.”
>You turned away from the empty streets and waited as the digital maps were distributed.

>Once she was done, you looked down at the map and noted your position.
“Rarity, Twilight, you’ll come with me. We’re going to investigate the tower in the middle and it’s surrounding areas. AJ and Fluttershy, you’ll take to the dome in the outskirts and find out what it is. Pinkie and rainbow Dash, I want you to scout the walls and the streets close to it. You’ll follow Applejack and Fluttershy to the dome and work your way around back to where you started. You’ll then meet up where you split and make your way back here. Sounds good?”
>They all agreed and made their way to their destined points.
>Rarity and Twilight stayed behind.
>You still had difficulty looking at Twilight the same way you used to, but you needed her for this mission, so you had no choice in the matter.
>As you made your way through the empty streets, the blocks loomed higher and higher above you.
>The shadows became increasingly darker the farther in you went, and you soon found yourself face to face with the gigantic tower.
>The tower stretched farther up than any of the buildings around you.
>The tower itself looked like a perfectly symmetric sky blue tulip.
>Its walls had layers upon layers of flawlessly cut crystals.
>They had the shape of flower petals, looming far above your heads.
>In the middle of the tower, the crystal petals curled outwards, giving way for another large pink crystal.
>This one was nothing like the petals, however, as it looked like raw material, uncut and unrefined.
>The color was dazzling, and at the very top, it curled outward as well.
>The ice ceiling seemed to warp into a vortex, all coming together at the top of the tower.

>“Wow, this is amazing!” Twilight exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “I wish we had architecture like this at home…”
“Yeah, well it isn’t in par with the rest of the buildings here.” You say, putting your fist as close to your chin as possible, only separated by the glass visor on your helmet.
>“What do you mean?” She said, looking around at the buildings around her.
“This tower doesn’t seem to follow the rules of architecture as much as the other buildings around here. It’s really out of place…”
>“Well, the buildings at home doesn’t exactly look the same either.” Rarity said, walking up to the tower and touching the walls.
“Yeah, sure, but this place seems to follow a strict pattern.” You walk up to the base as well with Twilight following close behind you.
>You were too busy looking up at the looming building to notice the small pedestal in front of you.
>As you took a step forward, you slammed into it and fell toppling over it.
“OOF!” you said as your breath was knocked out of you.
>This caught the attention of your friends and they helped you back up on your feet.
>Twilight took a closer look on the pedestal.
>“Wow, look! Inscriptions!” She said excitedly as you and Rarity made your way over to her.
>On top of the rectangular stone sat a golden plate.
>Inscribed in it were a series of strange symbols, presumably some kind of writing.
“Oh great…” you sighed. “Our first clue and we can’t even find out what it means…”
>“Hang on.” Twilight interrupted you. “I think I can decipher this somehow.”
“And just how are you going to do that?” You looked at her in disbelief.
>“Well, there has to be some kind of logical algorithm to this I’m sure it’s like cracking a code.” She crossed her arms and looked at the plate, deep in thought.
>You rubbed your sore elbow as you eyed the tower again, not that it helped that much behind your titanium-plated suit.

>The ceiling of the cavern had begun to give away to darkness, indicating that the sun was about set.
>After you had conducted a series of tests on the tower and explored the surrounding areas, you decided to return to back to the starting point to meet up with the rest.
>Nightfall was potentially dangerous, and unless you found out what the moons could bring forth, there was no way you could let your crew wander around on their own.

>“You know, the days here are significantly longer than the ones at home.” Rarity said as you made your way through the thick jungle outside the walls. >“I’m not sure our circadian rhythm can keep up with 32 hour daylight.”
You shoved some leaves out of your way and spotted the shuttle in the distance.
“We’ll keep at it for as long as we can. If we experience trouble with it we’ll just have to return to the Excalibur to rest up and get back here as soon as possible.”
>The pictures spread up on the wall would shock an entire nation for sure.
>You had documented everything you saw, and so had the other teams.
>Every writing that had been found, all the strange and alien things that you could find out there.
>It seemed like something ripped straight out of modern science fiction movies.
>The only difference were that you had seen it with your own eyes.
>“Time to get to work I guess…” Twilight said, taking down all the pictures containing signs of inscriptions.
>You nodded and left her to her own mind as you decided to rest for a bit.

>You made your way to the main room and sat down in a chair in front of the table.>Placing your feet up on it, you took a sip of your coffee while looking at the map hovering in front of you.
>It was now much more detailed, as the constant wandering had helped scan the place further.
>Hopefully, tomorrow would bring about better results instead of mindless scavenging for something, anything that could help you understand this place.
>Your eyes became droopy, and you soon nodded off in your chair while listening to the quiet whooshing of the oxygen fan in the ventilation shafts.

>The white streets were as empty as always.
>An object you couldn’t understand what could be possibly used for blew past you, rolling into a wall and continuing in in it’s path another way.
>They were as light as a piece of paper and crumbled to dust if you tried picking them up, so you decided it was best to leave them alone.
>You went over to a dark wall and put your palm against it.
>The cold element was flawlessly smooth all the way across.
>Looking up, the black tower over you loomed far above.
>This one collided with the ice ceiling, covering the top in frozen mass.
>It had several overhangs that circled around the building, giving it a futuristic look.
>On closer inspection, the wall was covered in small golden lines in intricate, incomprehensible patterns.
>It reminded you of a circuitry card, only none of the individual lines connected.
>You backed up from the wall and kept walking down the street.
>You jumped as the intercom suddenly gave off static.
>“A-Anon?” Twilights voice tuned in.
>You felt something sink slightly in your stomach, but you tried to shake the feeling.
“Yes, I’m here?” You said with a shaky voice.
>“Anon, I think you need to see this…” Her voice sounded worried.
>Without replying, you started running towards her position.
>The blocks flew past your vision, and you soon found yourself in front of the awe striking crystal tower.
>You walked around it and saw Twilight on the other side.
>As you walked towards her, you noticed that she was looking at something at the base of the tower.
>You followed her gaze and saw a holographic image of a series of symbols being projected in front of you.
>You looked back to Twilight in confusion, but her face was struck by fear.
“What’s wrong?”
>She looked at you, her lips moving slowly as if she was trying to form words.
“Are you okay, Twi-”
>“We have to go.” She interrupted you.

>You cocked your eyebrow and looked back at the shifting symbols.
>The intercom tuned in again, this time it was Rarity who spoke up.
>“Anon? I think we found something!”
“What is it?” you answered them, never taking your eyes of Twilights face.
>“We think it’s an archive of sorts… Hard to tell, we can’t read anything.”
“I’ll be there soon.” You said and closed the channel.
>You slid your hand in Twilights, trying to pull her with you, but she wouldn’t move.
>“Anon, wait!”
“Twilight, we don’t have time for this now! Come on!”
>With a heavy pull you managed to drag her with you, and you ran down a narrow alleyway and out into the outer streets near the wall.
>It didn’t take long before you found a building larger than any of the surrounding ones.
>It took up the space four normal towers would, and those themselves were pretty large.
>The side of the building that faced the walls had to gigantic double doors that had both been opened, and you assumed Rarity had gone in already.
>You wasted no time and started climbing the stairs that lead to the entrance.
>You think you heard Twilight say something about waiting, but you needed to have a look at this archive and gather information.
>When you entered through the arch, darkness swallowed you.
>You scrambled for your torch and switched it on quickly.
>Illuminated in front of you was a large wall covered with the strange symbols.
>As you aimed the flashlight around, you noticed two stairs on each of your side leading up to an elevated floor.
>As you took a step towards the steps on your right, you heard Twilight wander in the door behind you.
>You turned to her and saw that she had a slightly worried look on her face.
>You gave her an assuring smile and continued upstairs.

>“Rarity?” you yelled, announcing your presence.
>Nobody answered.
>You tried tuning in on your intercom, but the thick stone-like walls jammed your signals.
>The torch in your hand only illuminated parts of your surroundings, so you started fumbling around the walls looking for something, anything really.
>Your knuckle hit something hard, and suddenly the whole tower lit up in one flash.
>Covering your eyes, you saw strands of purple hair in between your fingers.
>“ANON, OVER HERE!”
>As you removed your arm, you saw Rarity and Rainbow Dash waving behind a railing far up the tower.
>You also noticed the absurd size of the interior in the building.
>In the middle of the tall building was a beam of light that shot straight up.
>Dotting the beam were several large blue crystals.
>As the beam hit each of them, it spread the light to other smaller crystals floating around it.
>The crystals were formed like a chaotic chandelier, but without anything holding it up.
>Seeing something float without support like this dumbfounded you, but you shook your head, determined to keep going.
“Come on, let’s hurry!” You said to Twilight with an impatient voice.
>She was still making her way up the stairs from the entrance, and you pointed to a wall on the other end of the room.
>You grabbed her arm and dragged her along, and you walked past a pyramid where the beam of light seemed to originate from.
>You looked upwards, but a layer of mist kept you from seeing the top of the tower.
>In the other end of the room was another wall, and two stairs leading away from each other.
>You took the one to your left and almost ran up the stairs, Twilight in tow.
>As you came up the stairs and around the railing, a sight unlike any other met you.
>In front of you, under an overhanging roof several hundred meters above you, stood several rows of shelves.
>Dotted inside them in a hexagonal pattern were lines upon lines of strange bars.

>You hurried in between them and down the narrow paths.
>At the end of the row you saw Rainbow Dash wave at you before disappearing behind a wall.
>You quickly made your way over to the end of the path, where your three other crew members had begun examining the strange bars stuck in the walls.
>“Hey, Anon, check this out!” Rainbow came walking over to you with one of the items.
>As you took it, the weight of them almost overwhelmed you.
>You struggled to keep your balance, as the heavy thing landed in your palms.
>You noticed Fluttershy looking at you with a worried expression.
>She got halfway up to a standing position, but quickly sat down again when you regained balance.
>Taking a closer look at the object, it had the same strange intricate patterns as the walls of the towers around you, but it had a sky blue color instead.
>It was round in one end and had something that looked like a socket in the other.
>The input was unrecognizable, but you figured your team could whip something up.
“What is it?” you asked them, not really expecting any answers.
>“We’re not sure…” Rarity told you as she got up from the floor, reading something on her tablet. “…But they do contain a ridiculous amount of electricity. They could be power cells.”
>Looking back through the narrow shelves you came from, you could see all the way to the fourth floor.
>You noticed that all of the floors had the same layout with narrow shelves, and concluded that all the floors had the same ridiculous amounts of cells.
“Why would this place need so much power?”
>You turned to Twilight, who were shifting slightly in her place.
>She looked impatient and uncomfortable, and you suddenly remembered the instance at the crystal tower.
“Something the matter, Twi?” You asked her, and she looked at you straight in the eyes.

>“Anon, something’s terribly wrong here. I’m not sure I want to stay here any longer than we have to…”
>You looked back at the two others who were busy analyzing the other cells, and turned to face Twilight.
“I know.” You said in a quiet voice. “If this is a city, then where is everyone?”
>“Exactly! The symbols over at the tower. I managed to figure out what they mean, and they’re not letters, they’re numbers!” She whispered to you.
>Buildings with no entrances, a library stuffed with power cells, a tower which was completely out of place…
“Twilight, do you know what they mean?”
>She shook her head.
>“They could be anything. Judging by how the numbers descended, I’d recon it’s a timer.”
>You looked down the path of shelves and noticed the cells were emitting a weak blue glow.
>Had they always been like this?
“But what is it counting?”
>You stood up straight, calling out to the other two.
“Bring with you whatever you need. We’re heading back to base.”
>Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked at you with cocked eyebrows, but quickly gathered a few heavy cells and put them in a satchel.
>With hurried steps, you made it out of the library and out the main gates of the wall.


Day 33

>You stood before the towering crystal construction.
>The holographic symbols slowly shifting in front of you made you slightly nervous.
“Are you sure that’s what it says?” you asked.
>“Yes, I’m positive. I’ve double checked and then triple checked my double checking!”
>You looked back at the hologram.
>“Cycles left until Judgment” it said.
>Whatever that meant, you didn’t want to stick around to find out.
>You reach for your intercom and tune in to the global channel.
“Found anything yet?”
>After a little while, Rainbow Dash answered you, albeit the signals were awfully scrambled.
>“No, we… -seeking... Nothing… Po-…Cells.”
>You had sent them to the building with the power cells, which you had chosen to call the Power Block.
>The signals had a hard time reaching through the thick material that made up the walls.
>After a short while, Pinkie Pie latched on to the channel.
>“We’ve found a bunch of boring paper rolls here, I wonder if I can make a tent out of them? Maybe we could all go camping!”
>You looked at twilight, who was staring back at you with wide eyes.
>Paper rolls could mean anything, but it might contain scriptures from the past.
>You nodded and tuned back into the channel.
“We’re heading your way, Pinkie. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, keep looking!”
>An answer was returned, but it was too jammed to make out any of it, so you decided not to worry too much about it and started sprinting down an alleyway to your left.

>After a short while of running, you found yourself in front of another block.
>It didn’t look out of the ordinary compared to the rest of the buildings around you.
>The only difference was a huge hole in the wall.
>As you walked inside you were once again shocked by the interior of these strange constructions.
>It didn’t look anything like the Power Block, as this building contained a large crystal inside.
>The blue shard looked to be about seven stories tall and was lighting up the surroundings with an eerie blue glow.
>Under it was a complex platform with pipes and gauges swirling around in incomprehensible patterns before ultimately going down into the floor.
>In the middle was a beam of light directed into the bottom of the floating giant as it slowly turned around its own axis.
>You walked up to the platform, but couldn’t wrap your mind around the little information it gave you.
>As you looked behind the platform, your eyes widened.
>Even though this crystal was humongous, it was nothing compared to what you saw.
>In a grid-like pattern behind it were rows upon rows of the same machines reaching all the way to the other side of the building.
>All of the crystals had a unique shape, and were all spinning around its own axis in the same speed.
“What the hell is this place?” You mumbled to yourself before looking around the large room.

>One crystal in particular caught your attention.
>It didn’t look different from the other ones, but there was something about it that just seemed so… attractive.
>As you approached it, the light emitting from it seemed to draw you in.
>“Anon?” Twilight called your name as she followed you across the room.
>You both stopped in front of the giant.
>As you reached out a hand towards the mineral, a cloud of sparkling dust fell from its surface and encased your hand.
>The touch felt wonderful, and you wanted more of it.
>You didn’t really care anymore how or why.
>“Anon, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked behind you.
>You turned to face her, a smile of content spread across your face.
>You noticed her face twisted in horror, and you found it a bit humorous.
>As you started giggling for yourself, a sudden sharp pain in your face sent you rolling in the air and crashing into the floor below you.

>The wonderful feeling you had disappeared as the contact with the dust was broken and gave way to a nagging despair, like someone just killed your pet puppy.
>As you sat up, you noticed an orange and red plated suit standing in front of you.
>“Don’t look at’em Anon. They draw you in like flies to a candle light.”
>Applejack extended a hand to help you up, but you kept looking at her with a confused expression.
>Draw you in?
>No, you wanted that, you were sure of it.
>After sitting there without reacting for a few seconds, she grabbed your hand herself and dragged you up on your feet.
>You stroked your cheek, as the persistent pain wouldn’t leave.
>The glow from the crystals made you slowly turn to them, but Pinkie Pie was behind you in an instant, pushing you away from the lustrous glow and farther into the room.
“Wh… what happened?” you asked with a shaking voice.
>Your feelings were a total wreck, and you couldn’t tell the difference between happiness and depression.
>“We don’t really know what them ‘ere crystals are, except that we should keep a distance fer sure.”
>“Yeah, imagine if your soul had been trapped in there!” Pinkie said in an attempt to sound spooky.
>“They aint gonna trap yer soul, Pinkie. They imprint a desire for them deep in yer bones, slowly feeding of your energy until yer nothin’ but an empty shell.” Applejack shuddered.
>“That sounds… horrible. But how did you discover that?” Twilight asked.
>“We found some research papers up in the fifty sixth level. And I kinda stole your scripture formula…” The engineer admitted.
>Twilight looked at her in surprise, but shook her head.
>“Don’t worry about it. I should’ve given it to everyone when I had the chance.”
>“GUYS, WE’RE HERE!” Pinkie yelled behind you.

>You quickly directed your vision in front of you, and noticed a giant silver pillar in the middle of the hall.
>It was covered in a complex pattern of plates with even more pipes strutting out everywhere.
>Thin strips of transparent panes were systematically put into the surface horizontally, giving you a small view of a platform on its way down the hatch inside.
>As the platform came to a halt on your level, four panels in front of you slid away with a hiss, opening up for you to enter.
>Pinkie abruptly pushed you inside with great force.
>You didn’t have any time to protest as the plates slid back into their place after the two others had entered, locking you inside the giant cylindrical tube.
>You turned to Applejack with a confused look, but all she did was clear her throat.
>Immediately after, the gray, circular platform shot straight up the shaft with incredible speed.
>Through the transparent panels on the wall, you could see the ominous crystals become smaller as you flew upwards.
>As the view outside gave way to complete darkness, you turned to Applejack for answers.
>The look of utter confusion on your face gave her all the information she needed.
>“This shaft reaches all the way to the top of the tower. Or at least the parts of it not frozen solid… Our research indicate an anti grav field and response ta guttural noises.”
“How long have you been here exactly?” you said in disbelief.
>“About four hours.” Pinkie said without hesitation. “Local time of course!”

>Before you could ask any more questions, the elevator came to a sudden stop and the walls opened up to reveal more darkness.
>Applejack cleared her throat again, and lights flashed from the ceiling illuminating the room outside.
>The first thing you noticed was all the paper sprawled across the floor.
>Most of it looked empty and abandoned in a hurry.
>Applejack and Pinkie Pie lead you into the room and in between tall shelves filled to the brim with all kinds of writing.
>Some of the shelves had been toppled over; the materials broken and even charred some places.
>You came to a stop in front of a table which was a bit to tall for you.
>It could remind one of an upside down pyramid stuck down into the floor, and it reached up to your chest.
>Sheets of paper with scripts written all over it was spread across the surface.
>Beside you, Twilight was beside herself with excitement; her eyes sparkling ecstatically as she eyed the hours of work in front of her.
“Have you looked over this?” you asked the two others, who stood beside you patiently.
>“No, these were a bit to complicated fer us, y'see...” Applejack admitted.
>“I’m pretty sure we could still make a good tent out of these…” Pinkie mumbled to herself.
>“Anon, there's so many of these here… I’m not sure we could bring them all back with us.”
>Twilight had a point.
>The sheer amount of scrolls and scriptures in this room was overwhelming, but there was no way you could document it all in time.
>There had to be another solution.

“Why didn’t they record this digitally?” you asked yourself.
>Seeing as how technologically advanced this place seemed, it felt strange that they didn’t have digital storage space or devices anywhere around.
>“There could be a number of reasons for that, but we shouldn’t dwell on it. We need to get this decoded as soon as we can!” Twilight stated.
>“Well, yer sure in a hurry…” said applejack, cocking her eyebrow.
>The only one who knew about this “Judgment” were you and Twilight, nor were you sure it was smart to tell the others in case they got stressed or scared.
“Are you sure we should keep them in the shadow like this?” You whispered.
>“We don’t know what it means yet, or if it even means anything. It’s best to leave it until we’re certain.” Twilight whispered back.
>“It’s just exciting, that’s all!” she finally said, plastering a convincing grin on her face.
>She quickly turned back to the table, avoiding the engineers questioning looks as much as she could.
>Twilight started gathering the scripts in a pile and put them in an airtight plastic bag to keep it from harm.
>You kept wandering the “Archive”, as you chose to call it, for some hours, gathering tons of material which would seem useful.
>You were only interrupted by Rarity on the other end of the intercom, telling you that darkness was falling outside.
>Putting the gathered materials into another bag, the four of you carried it outside, met up with the rest of the crew, and returned to base.

>By the time you had gotten back, the evening sun had begun to set, leaving the little part of the sky in a breathtaking cascade of green and yellow.
>You turned away from the window and saw Twilight looming over the scriptures spread across the table.
>The rest of the team were busy putting away the things that you no longer needed, as you prepared to head back to The Excalibur to resupply.
“Found anything interesting yet?” you said as you wandered over to the table, across from the scientist.
>“Oh yes, Anon, there’s a bunch of things here!” she said enthusiastically and looked up at you.
>“Research papers, history, children’s books… There’s no telling what I might find here! Look here…”
>She grabbed a small sheet and held it up in front of you.
>It showed an image of the crystal tower in profile together with a long text which you didn’t understand.
>“It’s a user manual.” She told you behind the paper.
“User manual? For a tower?” you said in disbelief.
>She lowered the paper just enough that you could see her eyes.
>“There’s more to this tower than meets the eye, anon. I just need to figure out what it does…”
>She flipped the page and started reading the symbols.
>She mumbled some of the words to herself as you sat down in a chair across from her.
>You started fiddling with the different hooks on your suit when you heard a gasp from Twilight.

>You quickly looked over to her and noticed her eyes had gone wide and she held a hand in front of her mouth.
“What’s the matter?” You asked her as you bounced up from your chair and sprinted over to her.
>“No, no, no, no, NO, this has to be wrong!” She slammed the sheet into the table and ripped out the formula for the scripture from under a stack of material.
>The tower toppled over and sent papers flying everywhere.
>She put the two sheets next to each other and started feverishly taking notes on a third one.
“Twilight, are you alright?” Your attempts at communications were futile.
>Twilights angry scribbling didn’t make it any better.
>“I need more time…” She mumbled without turning around. “Something’s very, very wrong.”
>Without any warning, she got up from her chair and walked quickly out of the main cabin.
>You watched her until she was out of sight.
>You had never seen her this upset before.
>You turned around and picked up the paper sheet she had been scribbling on and started reading.
>It contained translations of some parts of this “user manual”.
>It was oddly symbolic, speaking of a combined soul of the earth, the beam of judgment and even the end of the world.
“Wait, what?” you thought aloud.
>Squinting your eyes, you looked at the scripture closer.
>There was indeed something wrong here, like you suspected, but none of these instructions made any sense.
>You put the sheet away and started to poke around in the other material you found but you couldn’t find anything worth your attention.
>You slowly got up and looked at the majestic crystal tower in the distance.
>Suddenly, it didn’t look as shimmering and beautiful anymore.
>It felt like it was surrounded by a dark aura, clouding it’s beauty in darkness and mystery.
>Whatever the hell it was, there was no way you would stay to find out.


Day 35

>The smell of warm coffee reached your nose as a cup was placed in your hands.
>Twilight smiled at you as she took a sip of her own caffeine bomb and turned to look out over the bright disc below you.
>Sunrays reflected from the vast icy planes gave the darkened bridge of the star cruiser an ominous glow.
>Hadn’t it been for the presence of your trusted scientist and best friend, it would seem lonely, but now it felt almost idyllic.
>You heard a faint growl, and you turned to see your friend scrapping another note and tossing it down below the observatory floor.
“You know, we’re gonna have to swim in paper if you keep that up.” You pointed out and took a sip of your scalding drink.
>“Argh, I just can’t seem to make sense in this!” said Twilight as she turned her chair towards you.
>“Like, what is this ‘World’s Soul’ or ‘Prophet’ they keep mentioning? It’s like reading the bible all over again…”
“You’ve read the bible?”
>“It was for research.” She said dismissively.
>“Well, speaking of religion, do you think it might have something to do with Gaia or Nirvana?” you suggested after a short pause.
>“What do you mean? Those are elements from our culture, there’s no way they could have made it all the way out here.”
>“It still doesn’t mean they could have developed the same ideas…”
>Your suggestion seemed to spur something in her mind as she turned around and started scribbling on her note sheets again.

>Familiar hissing noises from the bridge door made you turn your attention behind you as Fluttershy made an entrance.
>“Oh… good morning Anon. How’s your arm doing?” she asked as she made her way over to you.
“It’s better now after you took care of it.” You said, moving your arm a bit to show her.
>“I-it was nothing. It’s my job after all…” she blushed.
>“Rainbow Dash wanted me to tell you that she’s finished with the preparations and the shuttle’s ready to leave at your command.”
“Oh great!” you jumped up from your chair and chugged the remains of your coffee.
>“You coming, Twi?”
>When you didn’t get any response, you turned around and noticed she had stuffed her face in a bunch of papers containing alien scripture.
“Ahh, forget it. Take care of the ship while we’re gone, okay?”
>You interpreted the following grunt as a yes and headed towards the hangar bay.
>Fluttershy followed close behind you, but didn’t say much as you made your way through the dimly lit corridors.

>The flight out of the hangar was as smooth as ever.
>Rainbow Dash was more focused than she had been the last time you had flown, and the atmosphere in the cockpit was different this time.
>You couldn't put your finger on it, but you had a feeling the discoveries you had made had something to do with it.
>The chunk of rock and ice below awaited your return, but dash seemed to have noticed something.
>“What’s that down there?” Rainbow asked as she squinted.
>Something was glowing on the surface.
>It looked like someone was pointing a mirror at the shuttle.
“It’s probably just a reflection from the surface; don’t worry too much about it.” Rarity assured her and tapped some information in on her tablet.
>“Yeah, but…”
>“Dash, Divert your course!” Twilight yelled through the com-link.

>“Twi, what…”
>A thunderous slam echoed throughout the shuttle.
>From the surface of the planet, you could see a blinding beam of light crashing through the ice, directed straight at your spacecraft.
>With a scream of pure fear, Dash managed to force the ship away from the enormous column of destructive force that flew past you, followed by and immense force, which knocked the shuttle off course.
>You shielded your eyes from the blazing light to protect yourself from going blind.
>The spinning didn't make it any better, but Rainbow managed to get a hold of the spacecraft and stabilized it.
>Once the light had faded, you looked out of the front window.
>The sight that met you was as gruesome as the force from the beam of light.
>From the crater where the city had been, a flaming wall was spreading throughout the planet's surface.
>The flammable atmosphere had been ignited by the blast, and all of what was left down there became scorched by the inferno.
>The ice melted and gave way for a sea of thick, green liquid, which quickly vaporized and drifted off into space.
>Bare rock was all that was left, charred by the intense flames.
>Your arms fell limp, and you felt all hope leave you as days of work had been torched and erased from existence.
>You sat there for a while, watching the wall of fire spread across the frozen planes, thawing the ice and burning everything, which was not yet encased in the frozen mix of carbon-based substances.

>You felt empty inside, because of both the sheer destructive power you had witnessed and the evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, which was no more.
>Of course there was still the sheets and pictures which was still safely aboard the Excalibur, but nothing could compare to physical evidence.
>"Are you all right in there?" Twilight asked calmly over the com-link.
>Without taking her eyes of the burning disc, Dash confirmed that her and the rest still existed, but said no more.
>"FUCK!" Exclaimed Fluttershy from the back row, splitting the bonds between you and your sub-conscious thoughts.
>When everyone turned to look at her, however, she covered her mouth and tried to hide her face in embarrassment.
>"I think you should return to the ship. There’s nothing more for us here..." Twilight assured the crew.
>Deciding she had dwelled long enough, Dash forced the engines out of standby mode and flew back to the hangar.

“You wanted to see me, Twi?” You asked as you closed the heavy door leading to the living room in the middle of the ship.
>The scientist was sitting in the couch in the middle of the room, but quickly got up once you entered.
>Her face was troubled, and you could understand why.
>“Are you and the rest okay?” she asked with concern.
“We’re a bit shaken, but we’re good. The others are gonna demand an explanation though…”
>“I know… There are just some details I don’t think we should share with them. Actually, they shouldn’t be shared with anyone, but they’re too… gruesome to keep to myself…”
>Twilight covered her mouth and turned towards the windows looking out into the nothingness outside.
>Far below you could see the charred remains of a great civilization, destroyed by the raging inferno now long gone.
>“I thought we had more time, but these creatures has a different perspective on time apparently… “
“Is something wrong?” you asked her, walking up next to her.
>“Once there was this creature. He called himself ‘The Prophet’ and seemed to represent a figure in a Prophecy these creatures believed in. He appeared to be a supreme ruler, and built this city we found to serve as his and his loyal followers’ home. His name was Sombra..."

>She paused for a second, her gaze finding its way deeper into emptiness.
>"Something drove him mad, Anon. Something so horrible that he decided to send him and his entire people into oblivion."
>You were unsure of what to say.
>Twilight was clearly shaken by what she had discovered.
"What happened?" you asked her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
>"Oh it's just so horrible, Anon. This tower wasn't just a decorative object, but a superweapon capable of the most horrendous of things..." she trailed off.
>Putting a hand to her head, she sat down in the soft couch, most likely getting dizzy.
>You followed suit and sat down next to her, eager for her to continue.
>"This tower is supposedly a contraption designed by Sombra himself, powered by a network of components found in the buildings of this 'city' or whatever it is. Once activated it strikes down all organic life... melts it all into this primordial ooze..." she explained in a shaky voice.
"Wait, so you're meaning to say..."
>"All of these poor creatures... all the animals, plants, it was all vaporized into a sea of liquid organic material..."
>Twilight covered her mouth and you saw a tear run down her cheek.
>You know understood why you couldn't tell anyone.
>The truth had a lot more to it than it would seem like.

"T-Twilight, are you sure that's right?" You asked as you could hardly believe it yourself.
>"The samples I've gathered from the ice all supports this. The blast from the tower is enough to shove the entire planet out of orbit... Who knows how long it has drifted through space like this, frozen and forgotten." She rubbed her eyes as you comforted her, stroking her shoulders.
>She looked up at you with a serious expression.
>"But what about the jungle we found below the surface?" You asked her, sparking even more questions.
>I-I don't know Anon, it could he anything... a protective energy field, errors in the canon mainframe..."
>Twilight sighed.
>"It might be best if we forget about it too. No one else than those necessary has to know the truth. We just can't bother them with this."
"Don't worry. I'll think of an explanation for them. They won't have to bear the burden." You assured her, bringing forth a smile on her face.
>"Thanks Anon. For putting up with this."
"Ah, don't worry about it. Can't let you do it all by yourself, can I?"
>She just smiled and leaned her head on your shoulder.
>There was something oddly satisfying about having her in your arms like this, but you had duties and couldn't be distracted for too long.
>After making sure she was alright, you returned to the bridge and had a chat with the rest of your crew, assuring them of their safety.
>It had been a couple of hours since the dramatic event.
>Everything had been going better than expected, and the energy storage had been fully charged with solar energy.
>Having wanted to get as far away from the desolate planet as possible, you didn't think too much about where you wanted to go and told Dash to fly wherever she wanted.

>Later that evening, if you could use those terms in deep space, you found yourself in your dark room.
>The large bed was calling for you as sleep weighed down your eyelids.
>You quickly got out of your protection suit and put it in its chamber.
>Crawling under the comforting blankets, you sank deep into the soft mattress.
>You were just about to doze off when a pair of hands wrapped around your chest and something warm snuggled into your back.
"Twilight, can I ask you why you keep sneaking into my room?" You asked without turning around.
>"I don't want to sleep alone..." you heard behind you, her voice muffled from being buried in the sheets.
"I figured as much, but..." as you turned around, you could see her bright purple eyes looking at you.
>"You're not gonna tell me to go, are you?" She asked, giving you puppy eyes.
"Is something wrong?" You asked, sitting up with your blanket around you.
>"I just... can't help but imagine how it all happened. What drove Sombra so mad that he decided to eradicate an entire planet?" She sighed.
"This has really gotten to you, hasn't it?"
>"I think this is gonna take time to work out for all of us. But that's exactly what we have now, right? Time..."
You fell down on your pillow, rubbing your forehead.
>Time was probably one of the things you had most of aboard the ship, as you wouldn't arrive at the next destination for a while.



CHAPTER 3


Day 43

>Streaks of light grazed across your vision, photon particles stretched and distorted by the immense speed you were traveling at.
>The smell of warm metal blended with the roasted odour of the coffee cup you held in your hands, and the only sounds were the low humming of complicated machinery and the creaking of framework resisting the destructive forces.
>It was quite peaceful, something it had been for a while now.
>The research star cruiser ESS Excalibur drifted among the stars once more, determined upon its destination.
>You waved your backhand slowly across the panel in front of you, and with a blip, a hologram appeared before your eyes.
>A lone star in the outskirts of a small cluster.
>It bathed the surrounding worlds in a dim red light.
>Surprisingly, all of the orbiting planets and moons were tidally locked, so even if they were in the habitable zone, the chances for life would be slim.
>It was an interesting find nonetheless, and one your crew would be eager to set their feet upon.
>Especially after the last incident…

>You had sent an extensive report back to your homeworld about the calamity that took place at Klepra 3b.
>You hadn’t heard back from them yet, but you didn’t expect to in the near future anyway.
>Even though your comms were extremely powerful, the signals still had to account for general relativity.
>Your superiors had told you that signals traveled through “hyperspace” to put it simply, but you didn’t think something like that existed.
>You didn’t really bother with it either, since you knew the explanation would be far to complicated for you to understand anyway.
>The bridge door behind you shuttered open with a relieving hiss.
>You turned around to face your crew members, and was pleasantly surprised to find Twilight Sparkle, head of science and archive, and Applejack, your trusted engineer.
>They both beamed at you as they strode over the metal floor to greet you.
>”All systems are nominal, cap!” Applejack said proudly. “She’s sailing smoother than a baby’s bottom after a hard-fought mud wrestling match at her first family get-together, hoo-wee!”
>Infants do wrestling where she came from?
>You decided to shrug it off and nodded.
“Thank you AJ. How’s the rest of the crew doing?” you asked Twilight, who perked up a bit as if she’d drifted off in her own unconsciousness.
>”Oh, uh, seems like they’ve put most of it behind them. It’s nothing they haven’t been through before. Well… I can’t say the same for Fluttershy, but she doesn’t show any signs of stress or discomfort....”
>She paused for a second, before finishing her sentence.
>”...And that worries me a bit.”
>You cocked your head.
“Do you think she’s having some pent-up emotions?”
>”I’m certainly no psychologist, Anon, but everyone else seemed to go through some turbulence after returning to the ship. I didn’t notice that with her…”
>You scratch your neck, a symbolic gesture even though it didn’t itch the slightest.
“I’ll go talk to her, thank you both.”
>You dismissed them, and they returned through the thick reinforced door as it closed shut behind them with a hiss.
>You checked your wrist display.
“Status.” you spoke to it with authority.
>”Optimal Path ETA 1 month and 7 days.” It responded with a feminine robotic voice. “Chief engineer confirms all systems operational. 70% of ship core systems routed to autopilot. Computer workload at 23.4%. Coffee spills in Lounge.”
>Coffee spills?
>”Have a good day.” The screen flickered out and went silent.
>You waved your hand across the control panel again and the hologram disappeared.
>You took the last sips of your now cold dead caffeine drink and set out towards the main living area.

>As you approached the lounge after a long walk through dimly lit corridors, The double doors slid open and revealed a yellow shape hunched over on the floor.
>Beside her you noticed the shattered remains of a white vessel seeped in a watery brown liquid.
>The cascades of pink hair rotated around her own axis, struggling to wipe up her mess with an already soaked piece of cloth.
>As she slowly turned towards you, she looked up at you with a sad smile.
>”Oh, Anon, I’m so sorry, it just slipped out of my hands and…”
>Saying nothing, you walked over to the counter and took a rag from a dispenser.
>Dipping it in water, you sat down next to Fluttershy and began assisting her.
>”T-... Thank you Anon.” Fluttershy humbly bowed her head once the ceramic shards had been taken care of.
“Are you alright?”
>With a sigh, she drooped into a couch and looked at you with worried eyes.
>”I’ve been meaning to talk to you about a problem we have with our greenhouse…”
>You sat down next to her, urging her to go on.
>”W-well, after the incident at Klepra, there have been some… abnormalities.”
>You noticed she stumbled after her words.
>”I think it’s best if you see for yourself.”

>The elevator doors slid open and a foul stench penetrated your nostrils.
>It smelled like rot and death.
>A peek through the doorway revealed a terrible fate.
>Fluttershy hastily assured you that everything had been contained once she saw your expression of disgust.
>The rows upon rows of vegetable plants had all begun to decompose, and unnaturally so.
>Leaves and fruit and all kinds of food items were… melting.
>A slimy turquoise liquid had formed around the leaves, soaking the plant beds and overflowing onto the cold floor.
“What… IS this?!” you exclaimed in horror, covering your mouth.
>”The Calamity Beam hit closer to our hull than we anticipated. I thought they were all safe, and that I could restore them, but they just kept melting, Anon... “ Fluttershy seemed just as shocked as you.
“Well, what do we do?”
>”We have seeds in secure storage on the other side of the ship, but we would be without natural organic foods for quite some time…”
>you put your hands to your sides as you tried to think of something.
>”We’d have to ration our supplies quite sparsely considering what we have now-”
“Well, what other choice do we have, Shy?”
>Your words came out sharper than you anticipated, and you noticed tears started welling up in the scientist's eyes.
>Seeing her like this made you realize the severity the situation might be in, and being angry probably wasn’t the right mindset.
>Grabbing her shoulders, you pulled her into a comforting hug.
>”I’m sorry Anon, I didn’t mean for this to happen…” She sobbed.
“This isn’t your fault” You assured her. “We’ll get through this.”
>After having stood there for a little while, you pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes with a serious expression.
“How fast can you make a ration plan?”
>”I-I’ll need to c-check the storage first, consider our options.”
>She stopped to think for a bit, then, with determination, turned to you.
>”Give me two days.”
>You nodded, turned on your heel and headed into the elevator.
>As you turned towards her and pushed a button, you looked at Fluttershy.
>Her back was straight, a fire was burning in her eyes which you probably hadn’t seen since the high school days.
>She nodded to you and turned on her heel before the doors closed.


Day 45

>The ship speakers screeched to life as you called an emergency meeting on the bridge.
>All six of your crew rushed through the bridge door and lined up in front of you.
>You looked at them all with a serious expression, but you didn’t really know what to tell them.
“As you may have heard, we have a situation at hand.” You started off with.
>They all looked at you with worried faces.
>Even Pinkie Pie, whose normal outgoing nature, had been quelled with a frown.
“The recent… incident, as you will, caused a malfunction in our food storage.”
>A worried gasp went through the six.
“Our organics seems to have… melted. We are still able to grow new items, but it’s going to take a while. Until then, Fluttershy has stepped up to offer a ration plan.”
>”Oh, come on man!” Rainbow Dash expressed. “Does this mean no more Fruit Loops for breakfast?”
“If you wanna stay alive, i suggest you eat something more nourishing, D.”
>You offered Fluttershy to speak up, and she took your place in the front.
>”Uh… s-so this isn’t going to be a walk in the park, guys. I’m uncertain when new items will spring, so until then we have to stay on minimal consumption.”
>You could practically feel the wave of discomfort washing over the group as Fluttershy stammered to deliver the news.
>She had created a recipe for an energy bar with high amounts of calories made from dried food, but the crew would most likely experience dizziness and famine unless they strayed from physical strain.
>Once Fluttershy was done explaining, you took the word again.
“Alright, you heard her. We’ve got no other choice unless we starve to death. It’s unfortunate, yes, but I’ll do what I can to make sure this doesn’t happen again, okay?” You voice changed from one of authority to compassion.
>You wouldn’t wish this upon anyone, but such was life far from home.
“Until then, don’t push yourself too hard. We need all your heads to think as clearly as possible.”

>You dismissed them, and the group murmured as they strode through the bridge doors and it closed behind them.
>You leaned against the railings preventing you from falling down the stairs to the lower level, dreading the future ahead.


>Captains Log: 2145.07.11 16:34 Local Equestrian Time. Identity: Anon Y. Mous Confirmed.
RECORDING...
> I uhh… It’s been three weeks now without the greenhouse operational.
>The effects seem to be wearing on my crew.
>Most of them seems absent and has a hard time keeping a stable mood.
>The cheery confidence and conversations has stopped, and the halls lie empty most of the time.
>I feel trapped in this metal cage, like this ship doesn’t even give a damn about me.
[Distorted coughing]
[Silence]
[Audible Sigh]
>Our biotech told us she’s made good progress in the greenhouse, but it’s uncertain when we can return to our normal diets.
>The pilot sure misses her precious cereal however…
[Weak laughter]
[Silence]
>I sure miss cereal too…
END OF RECORDING.


Day 79

>The cruiser had dropped out of FTL a few days ago.
>A smooth sailing through a sparse asteroid field had revealed seven tidally locked worlds beyond, rotating around the fiery light reactor in the center of the system.
>You sat slouched in your chair, staring out of the panorama window.
>The augmented reality interface highlighted the worlds with a blue overlay, and rows upon rows of information poured out of them like waterfalls.
>You took another bite of your nauseating food bar, trying not to think of the incredibly dull taste, like cardboard soaked in muddy water.
>You tried to switch positions to get more comfortable, but you felt your hip bones rub against the inside of your suit and quickly gave up.
>This sucks.

>The past week had been a nightmare of headaches and low morale.
>At least you closed in on your destination, maybe that would give the group something to focus on other than the craving for something else to taste.
>Your line of thought was broken by a dull hiss behind you, and through the door came all six of your crew members at once.
>They nodded to you as they walked down the stairs and found their places along the long strip of interfaces below you.
“Closing in on Mjölnir KS6, plot in a geostationary orbit above site F.” you commanded.
>Rarity said nothing, but silently typed in a path above a location of interest discovered a few days earlier.
>”Beginning course correction.” She finally said, and a path appeared on the screen in front of you.
>A line of yellow arrows pointed the way towards your destination.
>”Prepare for slingshot and atmosphere break. Disabling autopilot on all systems. The wheel is yours Dashie.”
>”Yay…” The pilot uttered unenthusiastically.
“Focus now, Dash. Don’t let it get to your head.” You tried to encourage her, but she only scoffed.
>”Atmospheric pressure at roughly 400 kPa, prepare for turbulence.” Fluttershy sent some numbers to the screen as Rainbow Dash cycled down the engines slowly.
>”Coming in hot.” She said, and you could feel the ships framework creak slightly.
>To your right, the yellow and green rock came into view, it’s magnificent storms swirling aggressively on the surface.
>You could see flashes of light ignite in the cloud layer, lightning storms rushing across the sky.
>Then, at the front of the ship, the nose and solar sails started glowing red, signaling the vessels descent into the sea of gas and rage.
>The color built up until you could spot the red flares of air molecules skipping along the sails, and you could feel the massive forces have its way with the ship as your insides wished they could escape your mortality and fly forwards.
>But nothing happened.
>The vessel skipped along the atmosphere like a flat rock on a lake, and the maneuver was textbook and perfectly executed.
>You relaxed in your chair even more than you already did, feeling quite impressed that your crew could handle something like this in your situation.
>At least now you felt more confident in the mission than ever.
>After a few minutes, the moon lost its grip on the cruiser, and the rocky world came into view.
>HQ had called it Mjölnir after the mythical weapon due to the theory that it forged its moons out of its own bedrock eons ago by crashing into the other planets, like a hammer striking an anvil.
>Quite poetic if you cared about that stuff.
>After a few short maneuvers the ship settled into a stable geostationary orbit above one of the points of interest.
>It seemed to be a crater of sorts, so naturally you had to check it out.
>Not many people can say they’ve stepped into an alien crater.
>Rainbow Dash cycled down the engines and locked the controls.
>The bridge fell silent as the crew all stared towards the dim rocky surface.
“Wanna take a look, girls?” You asked.
>None of them answered you, but left their posts in silence to prepare for planetfall.
>You sighed to yourself.
>This sucks.

>The shuttle descended effortlessly through the thin atmosphere.
>A small shape against the seemingly endless sky.
>It was another monumental step for mankind to thread on another alien world, yet the cabin was silent.
>Most were in their own thoughts, though you were certain staying focused couldn’t be easy for them in your situation.
>Still, you had a mission to carry out, and you couldn’t let anything get in the way of it.

>The shuttle touched down on a relatively even piece of land.
>Rocks cracked and pulverized under the weight of the landing gear, and at last she settled into the dust and fell silent.
>As was routine in the simulations, everyone left their seats to prepare the ship's systems for long-term stay, only this time mostly in silence.
>After a short while, you gathered the crew around the central table.
>You cleared your dry throat to get their attention.
“So I know how you’re all doing, you don’t have to tell me… You’re all hungry and tired. This food crisis hasn’t exactly done us well, and I can see that on you all.”
>The group nodded in agreement.
>You waved your hand across a lens on the table and a hologram of the planet appeared in front of them all, illuminating the room in a dim blue glow.
“I know everything kinda sucks as of late, but remember it’s all temporary. For now, let’s try to focus on the task at hand. Hopefully that’ll help you all get your mind of things…”
>You made a circular motion with your wrist and some text poured out of the rocky world rotating peacefully in front of you.
>Meanwhile, the crew didn’t seem to experience a morale boost from your words, but you quickly formed a plan which might just do that
>At least for Rainbow Dash.
“Early scans detect a gravitational anomaly and we were unable to image the planet properly, so this is what Rarity assumes it looks like.”
>You looked at the purple-haired navigations specialist and she perked up and cleared her throat when she noticed everyone was eyeing her.
>”Uhhh y-yes, see, the problem here is that the planet is far too large to have this weak of a gravitational field… There must be a massive cave system underneath the surface here which could hold all manner of interesting things.”
>”Well, we got plenty of experience with caves…” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
>She definitely wasn’t wrong.

>The bright fluorescent light flickered on and slowly revealed a large chamber.
>The roof held a comfortable height above your heads as you exited the elevator.
>Four jagged tracks ran clean across the room, and amidst stacks of crates and supplies were two shapes covered by a protective sheet.
“NESA spent fifteen years designing these babies for us to ride around in.” you told the group following behind you.
>With a snap of your fingers, a crane attached to rails in the ceiling started hoisting the sheets upwards.
>Underneath, sitting on six shiny new wheels, laid an orange and white machine with pitch black windows and what looked like a chain with a metallic hand at the end laying across its roof.
“Six wheeled for all-terrain handling, 1200 horsepowers, a powerful mechanical arm capable of autonomous actions or voice commanded, short range environmental scanner system with direct link back to Excalibur herself, and sporting a pretty advanced suspension system!”
>You turned around and saw Rainbow Dash’s jaw practically drop to the floor.
>The others looked pretty excited as well, a fresh sight after so long.
>You gave them a cocky smile and tried to act suave, bowing down with your left hand raised in the air.
“Ladies, may I present HU81NN and MU81NN, or as I like to call them, Huginn and Muninn.”
>You heard some muffled chuckles from your crowd, but it was mostly deafened by Rainbows cries of excitement.
>”When can I drive them?!” she squealed, jumping up and down on the spot.
>”Easy now, we don’t even know the objective yet…” said Twilight as she tried to stop the pilot from crashing her head into a pole.
“About that team…”
>They all stopped and looked at you curiously.
“There really is no objective this time… I mean it’d be nice to know the source of this gravitational anomaly, but we don’t know anything about this place. Just go out and do… science.”
>A huge grin on Dash’s face made you sigh.
“And try not to crash the car…”
>The pilot enthusiastically nodded and grabbed a pair of keys you reluctantly held up.
You then assigned Twilight and Rarity to her team and gave them a crash course in operating Huginn.
>Of course, Rainbow Dash would rather push buttons at random and see what happened than listen to you, which cost you a lightbulb and a crane servo, but otherwise you felt confident entrusting the massive truck to them.
>You decided to let Pinkie Pie watch over the shuttle, which she seemed more than happy to do, and brought AJ and fluttershy with you in the other vehicle.
>As you drove out of the shuttle onto the endless desert, you watched as the dark monolith slowly disappeared over the horizon.

>You stumbled across the rocky landscape.
>The gravel was tainted in a dim red light from the sun at the end of the world.
>It cast long shadows across the barren wasteland, even though it struggled to pierce the thin layer of dust covering the world like a blanket.
>Your suits atmospheric compensation struggled to find a pressure setting which fitted the planet as you stumbled across stones and dirt.
>As you attempted to move your foot in front of the other, you suddenly discovered it to not set down in the place you anticipated.
>You found it to have gotten stuck between two rocks, and powerless to stop it, your entire lower body flipped the other way.
>With a grunt you closed your eyes while bracing for impact.
>Only your face never met any solid object.
>When you opened your eyes, you saw the ground moving slowly away from you as you were floating uncontrollably forward, rather than down towards safety.
>You tried waving your arms, to see if it would help you get back on the ground, but you kept hovering forward.
>Much to your dismay, you noticed a cliff coming up in your path, one you hadn’t seen before now.
>It was hard to discern distances since everything was the same monotone shade of orange.
“Uhh… guys?” you called out in the comm, but nobody responded.
>Suddenly, you felt something tug at your chestplate, and you came to a crashing halt midair.
>You then realized you had been holding your breath, and let go of the air on your lungs.
>You immediately felt the carbon scrubbers in your suit go to work like they always did.
>Looking behind you, you noticed Fluttershy and Applejack attempting to pin you down to the ground.
>You felt solid stone under your boots once more and sighed with relief.
“With gravity like this i doubt a fall off a cliff would kill me” you jokingly said under your breath. “But thanks for that…”
>The refreshing sound of concerned laughter filled your comms as you turned towards the cliff.
“But this is no ordinary crater…”
>Indeed, as you surveyed the area, the shocking sight before you started to sink in.
>The crater was almost as big as a continent, the other side shrouded and obscured in mist and dust several thousand miles away.
>As you carefully stepped closer to the edge and looked down, you swore you could see straight through the hollowed shell of the planet, a hundred stars twinkling back at you from the other side
>Someone or something had taken a cataclysmic bite out of this planet and left it for dead.
“I’ll be…” you said in a lack of anything else.
>”How in 'tarnation did this even happen?” Applejack mumbled.
>Fluttershy squatted down near the edge and studied it closely.
>”How didn’t we notice this from orbit…” Fluttershy said, sounding a bit disappointed and looking back at her friends.
>All of you were clueless.
>”I need to get down there…” Fluttershy said, her voice shaking, scared of herself for even considering such a thing. “P-please.”

>You and Applejack went back to the vehicle to see if you could get further down without succumbing to the depths.
>It didn’t take long before the crafty engineer came up with a plan.
>”How ‘bout we use this here mechanical arm to hoist you two down there? Take a look at those walls?”
“How would we do that?” you questioned. “There's no platform attached to it, and we don’t have such a component on the ship.”
>From the cargo tray, she pulled a thick steel wire out of a net.
>Immediately she received some concerned looks from Fluttershy, but she waved it off.
>”Pfff… I know how to tie a knot, don’t I?”
>”Fine…” The biotech sighed after a while, and let her tie you and Fluttershy together back to back and fit you onto a secure lock on the arm.
>Even though it was covered in titanium plating, you swear you could feel the softness of her plump bottom press against yours.
>You relished in the fact that there was at least some potential to feel it, and left it at that.
>Before you knew it, you descended through the enormous chasm, with nothing but a steel wire to hold you.
>Looking down, you wondered what would happen if you fell.
>Would you come out the other end, or would you simply be stuck in the middle of the planet in an endless gravity well.
>A violent tug ripped you from your line of thought and you came to a standstill.
“Is everything alright up there, AJ?” you asked.
>”This is as far as you go, sugarcube!” Her voice flared to life amidst static noise in your speakers. “Do science… or whatever…”
>Fluttershy had been studying the walls all the way down in silence, so she had already gotten a head start.
>The expression on her face didn’t signal any good news.
>”This doesn’t seem natural…” She mumbled, as if she read your mind.
“No shit, it’s a huge hole in the middle of the planet.”
>”That’s not what I mean, Anon. Look at these markings.”
>She did have a point.
>As you surveyed the dry rock you noticed a reoccurring pattern in the wall.
“They look like claw marks…”
>”Or drills…”
“You think someone mined the entire world?”
>She looked at you, a concerned look in her eyes.
>”Not multiple. One enormous contraption.”
>You raised an eyebrow at her, and she immediately noticed your disbelief.
>She shook her head and turned to the cliff again.
>”Look.” Fluttershy dragged her fingers across the stone, following the tracks until she couldn’t reach them anymore.
>“The pattern is consistent all the way across. It never breaks.”
“Boy, this just keeps getting weirder.”
>Fluttershy signaled to the engineer and she pulled you up from the void below.
>It wasn’t until you got back on your feet you noticed a vial in Fluttershy’s hands.
>A sample of dirt from the cliffside.
>It could just be an illusion, but you swear that it looked darker than the crimson layer of dust on the surface.
>For now, you and your crew got back in the vehicle and suffered a bumpy ride back to the shuttle.
>Staring out across the ocean of sand, the dim glow of the sun smiled on your face.
>It was clear that it was on its last breath, as it didn’t blind or warm you considerably.
>on a world like this, the days never end.
>All you could do was guess, and with that thought slowly fading, your eyelids slowly came crashing down and you lost your grip on reality.

>The massive rock formation looming ahead was enough to keep Twilight interested enough to not fall asleep.
>It covered the valley in darkness, and she could only see the weak sunrays skipping over the edge far above them.
>The only thing illuminating their surroundings were a pair of powerful floodlights mounted on Muninn's roof.
>The interior of the vehicle was quite roomy for a land vessel.
>It was about as big as an oversized camper, but with four seats in the cockpit and a bunch of field research equipment on an island running down the middle of the vehicle.
>At the very back stood a reinforced door leading to a storage room, with only a small circular window to peek through.
>Not much to see in there though, except for a bunch of gear and empty space.
>Muninn made its way onto a tall sand dune which lifted it above the landscape.
>From this vantage point, Twilight could scout across the sea of dirt, far away to the edge of the world where dust storms swallowed the horizon.
>The clouds of pulverized stone swirled aggressively around, quickly making its way through the endless landscape.
>Twilight squinted her eyes, trying to make out the phenomenon more clearly.
>It was hard to make out anything, as it was blurry and quick across the vision.
>Like a cold wave of water washing over her, Twilight finally realized.
>This planet had no atmosphere.
>”Rainbow, stop!” Twilight shouted, and obviously startled by the sudden change of events, the pilot stepped on the brakes in panic.
>Muninn’s wheels stopped dead, and the sands let go.
>For a few moments the vehicle went veering off its path, sliding forwards until the wheels came into contact with solid rock.
>With a scream of discomfort from its tires, Muninn came to a crashing halt on top of the stone cliff they had been overshadowed by for the last hour.
>The cabin fell silent, the only sound being the lashing of arc streams battling in the sandstorm below them, and the frustrated hiss of the trucks engine winding down.
>Twilight sat still for a moment, forcing herself to breathe calmly.
>”What the fuck was that?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, slamming her fist into the steering wheel and turning towards Twilight.
>”There's no atmosphere here…” The scientist said, deep in thought.
>”Yeah, no shit, you just figured that out now, genius? Is that why you nearly got us killed?”
>”Twilight, dear, what’s wrong?” Rarity chimed in, putting a soft hand on her shoulder.
>Twilight managed to look away from the ominous cloud and surveyed the rustled state of her friends.
>Dash was now facing away from her, but the pilots knuckles were white as she tried to contain her frustration.
>Rarity didn’t look nearly as affected, but Twilight knew her well enough to spot when she acted strong.
>The scientist sighed and shook her head.
>”I’m sorry guys…”
>She got up from her chair and leaned over the dashboard and closer to the windshield.
>”But this is really important. Look.”
>The storm below moved enticingly around, but it didn’t seem to shift location.
>Instead, it just sat there with the occasional lightning strike igniting somewhere inside it.
>”Wait, what the…” Rainbow Dash whispered next to her.
>Twilight noticed both of them were staring at the anomaly with wide eyes.
>”How is that even possible in this environment?” Rarity said, baffled by the sight.
>She immediately pulled up her tablet and started typing some numbers in.
>It didn’t take long before the slate flared to life with a bunch of data.
>Rarity looked up at Twilight, a big figurative question mark hanging over her.
>”There has been no recorded changes in atmosphere, not even in that specific area. This shouldn’t exist!”
>Twilight was well aware of their understanding of the laws of this universe.
>With no air or gas surrounding the planet, there couldn’t be any atmospheric movement and wind.
>However, if the previous months had taught her anything, it was that laws were meant to be broken, as demonstrated by both the FTL drive and the Calamity Beam.
>”Uh… Should we…?” Rainbow Dash started, but her sentence faded quickly.
>”Yes, go!” Twilight interrupted her, impatiently tapping on her seat with her hand.
>Almost immediately, Dash stepped on the gas pedal, and Muninn’s monstrous engines flared to life.
>The vehicle jumped in excitement, sending Twilight reeling into the safety of her seat.
>She grabbed onto it as the pilot crammed the gear stick into place and slammed the clutch down.
>The machine roared and its wheels spun until all the dust had been ground away underneath them and all that remained was smooth stone.
>As the tires touched it, the vehicle burst forward, speeding off towards the gentle slope leading down into the valley on the opposite side of where they came from.
>This time the area was soaked in the weak light from the sun, its rays scattering across the gravel which flew by quickly beneath the hurtling truck.
>Twilight had little time to admire the contrast of the two valleys, as the rapid descent put butterflies in her stomach.
>The cloud showed no intention of moving, but it was best to be safe than to sit there and watch a great scientific discovery elude one's grasp.

>Like razors, the sand ripped and tore at Muninns paint, and the strong gusts of ethereal wind threatened to rip the powerful vehicle off its wheels and send it flying into oblivion.
>After speeding across the even landscape for half an hour, Twilight and her friends passed the storms threshold and quickly found themselves braving the hazardous environment.
>Despite being pummeled by microscopic rock, Muninn seemed to tackle the task pretty well.
>With just a few scratches on the windshield, the machine rode on into the depths of the anomaly.
>It made twilight wonder what they actually built the vehicle for in the first place.
>It felt like they drove for ages, every mile they put behind them being the same monotone brown color.
>Yet, Twilight couldn’t help feeling suspenseful all the way.
>The raging storm was nothing short of a miracle, and she could only dream of the scientific discoveries within.
>Suddenly, the monotonous sight was ripped to shreds as a lightning strike tore through the skies and slammed into the desert.
>Sand and rock flew everywhere, and once again Rainbow Dash hit the brakes
>The thunderous explosion sent ripples through their bodies as Muninn once again came to a screeching halt.
>Once the dust had settled, Twilight noticed blue crackles in the distance, flashing through the ever-shifting clouds.
>They were erratic for the most part, flinging themselves everywhere, but there was a pattern in the chaos.
>”You guys see that?” Twilight asked and pointed towards an area straight ahead.
>Some of the lightning rods seemed to strike down in roughly the same area, and as they did, something on the ground lit up briefly.
>It was hard to see properly, but it was clearly a small rectangular object stuck in the sands ahead.
>Rainbow Dash roused Muninn back to life and encouraged it to slowly make its way across the electric field.
>Carefully they inched their way across, as if trying to hide from a lethal predator hiding far above.
>Lightning poured down all around them, sand and bedrock sprawling out across the plane.
>Muninns suspension made sure the trip was comfortable, as the ground was littered with all kinds of unknown materials.
>Why this place hadn’t been turned into one big crater yet was a mystery.

>Twilight didn’t know if it was luck or a blessing, but the arc streams seemed wholly uninterested in them, and at last they strode through the clouds and came out into a clearing.
>The sight that met them was breathtaking.
>Around them, everything was calm, save for the lightning rods curving out from the mile-high walls surrounding the area on all sides and striking a strange object in the middle.
>What attracted all this chaos seemed to be a dark stone of a crystalline manner, reflecting the light from the lightning like cracked glass.
>Surrounding it were perfectly cut rectangular stones, just a hair darker than the desert bed underneath them.
>In contrast to the ground inside the hurricane, this one seemed untouched and fine like flour.
>Logic would conclude that the area were steeped in darkness, as they were now just above the horizon of the sun.
>But somehow everything was perfectly visible, an ethereal light emitting from somewhere unknown ensuring visibility.
>Twilight and her friends were dumbfounded, and sat there a few seconds admiring the view.
>Eventually, Dash put the vehicle in gear and rolled up to the ruins.
>She stopped just outside of a crevice big enough for them to fit through, and in shelter of anything that might drop from the sky and damage their only way back home.
>Granted they get back through the electric barrier of course.

>Twilight was the first one out the airlock.
>She took a careful step off the ladder and watched as her feet sank into the shallow sand.
>It was a bizarre sight, every step she took the powder enveloped her sole like she was stepping in water.
>A few steps towards the monolithic ruins and Twilight noticed something even more strange.
>The shade of the ground changed dramatically, a border clearly visible in the calm desert floor.
>Underneath her feet, everything grew pitch black, only glittering like diamonds when reflecting the light of the violent lightning strikes.
>The scientist stopped for a second, but kept pressing on towards a crack in the rocks looming above them.
>Rarity and Rainbow Dash said nothing, assuming nothing really needed to be said.
>The sight before them told them everything they needed to know, and that wasn’t very much ironically.
>As they stepped up in front of the crevice, Twilight didn’t spare a moment to slide her slender body through the gap.
>It wasn’t hard to squeeze through, and once they got the all clear, Rainbow Dash and Rarity followed suit.

>A few moments passed of wandering in darkness, only guided by the light of their torches shaking about the smooth walls around them.
>The stone blocks encasing them seemed to have been placed at random, and they only found a path through them by climbing and crouching through the wreckage.
>Twilight had already thought of several theories for this place, but none made any sense considering the circumstances.
>Her brain worked hard even as she lifted the athletic pilot onto her shoulders to give her leverage onto a block above them.
>As she turned around to help her friends, a bright flash of light briefly lit up her face somewhere behind her.
>She stopped halfway bent over and flicked her sight towards the source.
>”Seems like there’s something up here!” she shouted after a short moment. “Come on!”
>Rainbow Dash laid flat across the rock and held her hand out, which Rarity grabbed quickly.
>With Rainbow Dash’s strength, the navigator flew up the rock and grabbed the ledge.
>The pilot then diverted her attention to Twilight, who followed suit.
>After struggling up the block and onto her feet, Twilight lifted her head to reveal the sight in front of her.
>In front of her was a giant chasm, encircled by the monoliths blanketing the area around it.
>It seemed to go on forever, the other end being shrouded in some type of mist.
>It had no roof, and above loomed the raging storm trapping them inside the ionized hurricane.
>The ground was covered in the same black sand as the rest of the area, simmering brightly whenever lightning struck in the room.
>The elusive lightning rod was what really caught her eye though, and it sat in the exact center of the ruins.
>Floating in the middle of a vast sinkhole was an island, seemingly defying gravity and staying suspended mid-air.
>On a round podium of stone buried in the islands sands sat a gleaming crystal, perfectly square and untouched by time.
>It was continuously pummeled by lightning, and whenever they hit, it dispersed of the electricity in the dust around it.
>The black sands seemed to absorb the electricity without complaining.

>”Holy shit…” Twilight whispered after catching her breath.
>Her friends didn’t say anything, but they were also breathing heavily after scaling blocks for about half an hour.
>Twilight wandered towards the island, sliding down a hill leading to the edge of the sinkhole.
>As she peaked over the edge, she looked straight into the depths of nothingness.
>The bottom was nowhere to be seen, and she stumbled back from the edge before she had a chance to accidentally fall down.
>Her friends came sliding down next to her, looking around the impossibly large encirclement.
>However, Twilight was too busy studying everything around her to notice.
>She took a second look at the crystal and its relation to the ground around it.
>She noticed how the lightning seemed to be absorbed by it.
>Leaning down towards the powder, she picked up a fistfull of it and noticed how it clinged to her gloves like immobilized ants.
>”See that?” She finally said, quickly getting back up on her feet and pointing at the island.
>Rarity and Rainbow Dash both followed her hand, and shielded their eyes against the blinding flashes.
>”This stuff isn’t sand.” Twilight made her way towards them and held up a mound of sand.
>Upon closer inspection, it was more like microscopic needles, too small to damage the suits fabric.
>”Metal shavings.” The scientist explained. “This place is covered in it, and I think it’s magnetized.”
>”So why isn’t it clinging to our suits?” Rarity wondered, looking down at her legs.
>”Titanium isn’t really that magnetic, but with all the electrons pumped into this stuff, it wouldn’t surprise me that’s the reason that island over there defies the laws of physics.”
>Twilight started walking along the edge of the chasm, looking for some way to cross the gap.
>”Haven’t you guys noticed the change in gravity since we got here?” She asked them.
>None of them answered, but they all knew.
>The climb up here had been increasingly difficult.
>It hadn’t crossed their mind, but something was definitely amiss in this region.
>”This doesn’t make any sense…” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, kicking up a cloud of swarf, watching it rain down into the depths below.
>As her sight tracked it, she noticed something strange underneath the layer.
>”Hey guys!” She yelled.
>Twilight and Rarity turned around to see the pilot furiously swiping away at the ground.
>”Dash, what are you…”
>Twilight stopped dead when the crouching girl swiped away the last layer, revealing a stone floor beneath it.
>She didn’t notice anything remarkable until Rainbow started tracing lines with her index finger.
>Twilight ran over in a hurry and crouched down next to her, taking a closer look at the floor.
>Just as she suspected, the area was filled to the brim with intricate symbols and lines.
>”This has to be intentional, all of it.” the scientist said. “No amount of randomness and natural causes can create this.”
>The pressing silence made Twilight peek up at her friends, who were both giving each other concerned looks.
>”What?” Twilight asked them, raising her eyebrow.
>”You do realize what you’re saying here, right?” Rarity asked Twilight, who quickly stood up.
>”I know what this means damn it!”
>Twilight turned around and put her hand to her visor.
>An audible sigh could be heard from her.
>”Second planet with signs of extraterrestrial life… those chances are astronomically low.” Rarity mused to herself.
>”It’s a hundred percent hit/miss ratio right now, it’s practically impossibl...woah!”

>In her bewildered state, Twilight had wandered too close to the chasm's edge.
>Her foot had gotten caught in a crack in the floor, and she toppled over, losing her balance.
>Flailing her arms wildly, she tried to prevent herself from falling, but to no avail.
>As she crashed towards the depths, both Rarity and Rainbow Dash sprinted towards her.
>As Twilight was about to cross the event horizon and Rainbow Dash lept to grab any part of her she could secure, none of them noticed the black dust had begun shifting.
>The descending scientist approached the same height of the ground when the magnetic sands shot out underneath her in a blinding speed, flying across the chasm to meet Twilight's back.
>Instead of falling to her doom, she instead smashed her back into something solid and soft, abruptly ending the slideshow of her life as she heaved for her breath in terror when the air left her lungs.
>Twilight laid there for a little while, absorbing the situation and heaving for her breath.
>When her breathing had stabilized, Twilight slowly turned her head around.
>Over her shoulder, the swallowing darkness almost lashed out in anger over its missed meal.
>Looking down her torso, her friends shocked expressions were all she needed, and her heart immediately felt relief.
>She turned around and grabbed the ground beneath her to set herself back on her feet, but she stopped halfway through when the realization hit her.
>What had caught her was neither Rainbow Dash nor the actual ground.
>A platform entirely made of metal shavings had formed under her in the blink of an eye, creating a platform which saved her from whatever laid at the bottom of the seemingly endless pit.
>Her heart started beating faster.
>Twilight was now frozen, too scared to move in case she would fall again.
>She could feel a lightheadedness creep in on her, but she tried to shake it away.
>”Are you alright, Dear?”
>Rarity’s calming voice was a relief on her ears, curing her of the temporary paralysis.
>Twilight slowly rolled around and attempted to get on her feet, but whenever she moved, so did the magnets.
>They seemed to cover only what they needed to, and nothing more.
>”Well…” she finally said, her voice shaking violently. “At least now we know how to get across…”

>Twilight fell limp across the dust, attempting to catch her breath as best she could.
>The trip across the chasm had been more than weird.
>Like magic, the microscopic metal particles seemed to follow under their feet as they walked across the endless pit.
>No matter where they put their hands or feet, the shavings would always be underneath them on ground level.
>Such a phenomenon Twilight had never seen before, nor did she believe she could see it again.
>While the three were busy witnessing Twilight nearly tumble to her death, the lightning seemed to have stopped, and she had deemed it safe to access the island.
>Sitting up, she saw her crewmates stumble their way across thin air, Rainbow Dash resorting to crawl across, very, very slowly.
>When they both got over to the island, they dragged the scientist to her feet, struggling to keep her standing.
>”Twilight, you look pale, are you quite alright?” the navigator looked closely at her friends half-closed eyes.
>She smirked as she used Rarity’s shoulder as a crutch.
>”I guess the famine is finally getting to me…”
>They then diverted their attention towards the crystal, and the team started making their way up the steps.
>As they treaded on the crusted rock emerging from an ocean of metal, more symbols became apparent.
>They seemed randomly placed at first, but looking at it long enough and Twilight's brain started seeing patterns.
>Like repeating tiles in an ancient video game, the symbols revealed themselves slowly.
>Figuring out what they meant was another task, however.
>The team quickly reached the top of the stairs, and Rarity set down Twilight next to her to rest.
>The scientist was breathing heavily now, and had gotten a lot paler.
>Rarity wondered how long they could keep this up, as she felt fatigue creep up on her as well.
>”We’ve done this long enough today…” she said sluggishly. “We should call it a day and head back, don’t you think?”
>As the navigator gazed down at Twilight, she only saw the black dust covering the area.
>As she lifted her head, her heart skipped a beat.
>”Twilight, no!”
>The scientist had made her way over to the emerald-colored mineral in the middle of the platform.
>With an outstretched arm, she stared at it, a sheepish smile on her face, and her eyes hazy and drooping.
>”Twilight!” Rarity and Rainbow Dash both shouted, but it was too late.
>Her palm made contact with the mineral, and it immediately reacted by glowing and vibrating.
>Far above her, somewhere in the swirling winds, an energy started humming.
>It clashed and fought for dominance, violently pushing each other around.
>The ripple of this energy flew off in every direction, from electron to electron.
>In the blink of an eye, the sky exploded in a flash of light, a spear of light searing through the empty void above the three travelers.
>Mercilessly cutting through anything in its path, its journey ended as it struck the crystal, the force traveling down the island and back up again, into Twilight's hand.
>The crystal then blew up, splintering shards glowing with electricity everywhere.
>The team was sent flying in every direction, flingin far beyond the chasm and onto solid ground.
>A shard struck twilight in her chest as she bumped her head into something hard, and the world went black.


DAY 4694TR##%*@67

>An orb of fire stretched out across her vision.
>Its magnificent light made her eyes tear up, both in happiness and pain.
>The heat seared through her face, and she could feel her cheeks burn and her eye sockets boil.
>Soon, she could see no more, but she didn’t need to.
>The feelings was all she needed

THE SCREAMING. IT WOULDN’T STOP.

>Around her, it was all pitch black.
>She tried to move, but discovered her body and mind was disconnected.
>She couldn’t see herself, and direction had no longer any purpose.
>In the distance, a small spark could be seen.
>She tried to get a closer look, but instead she shot forward, field of view increasing rapidly until it expanded farther than infinite.
>Everything was in her sight, and sight was in everything.
>A pattern emerged, one she instantly recognized.
>She wasn’t yet far enough gone that she couldn’t recognize a map of the stars.
>As soon as this notion hit her, field of view started rapidly decreasing until everything succumbed to darkness once again.

I SAW THE WORLDS BURN IN GREEN FIRE. HARD RESET. CLEAN WIPE.

>Dark spheres slowly rotating against a navy blue background.
>A grid of lines trapped them in stasis.
>Only a single light source illuminated them all.

>Everything in darkness, everything from darkness.
>Sight was not necessary to understand.
>The continents, the oceans, the mountains and deserts and cities.
>It all goes in repeat.
>It all happens over again.
>A cycle in an endless machine.

>Bright lights.
>It was no mistaking it.
>Earth.
>Thousands of them, all identical.
>Then there was fire, and they burned more brightly than any star in the universe.
>And everything was gone, a charred crust of ash and dust with no memories.

THEY WILL COME BACK. THE CYCLE MUST NOT BE BROKEN.


Day 80

>A sharp pain rocketing up her spine woke Twilight up from the depths of her slumber.
>She gasped for air and felt her entire body resist any attempt at movement, pinning her down to whatever soft surface she found herself on.
>After coming to terms with the aching in her torso, Twilight slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the bright lights above her.
>She struggled to focus, but soon found a few worried faces staring back at her.
>“Twilight?” The light flickered off, and Rarity lowered a small flashlight she held.
>On the flipside stood Fluttershy, her eyes darting between a screen and Twilight’s face.
>Her concerned look made her worry, as she tried her best to assess the situation in her head.
>She may be drowsy, but her mind still worked just fine.
>The last thing she remembered was the giant chamber and the floating island.
>Her memory was clear until she looked at the strange mineral contained there.
>Then everything went hazy, like if she had gotten intoxicated.
>No matter how hard she tried to recall, her mind stayed blank.
>”What happened?” Twilight sighed, realizing she couldn’t possibly solve this alone.
>Besides, a stinging pain in her chest distracted her from thinking straight.

>Fluttershy and Rarity looked at each other, as if trying to decide telepathically how they should convey the message.
>But the scientist didn’t have time for contemplation.
>She had been living her life thinking rationally, and couldn’t imagine not being able to comprehend the situation.
>”Just tell me!” She said after a short moment, staring Fluttershy right in the eyes. “I’d be a lot happier just knowing what’s going on.”
>”W-well…” the pink-haired biotech said after a few seconds of fidgeting with her hands. “There's r-really no easy way of telling you this… It seems you were the victim of a natural phenomena, though that doesn’t even begin to describe your condition. This crystal you found in the ruins shattered and you were struck by one of its shards.”
>Twilight looked around after gaining some control over her neck, and just now noticed you and Rainbow Dash leaning against the wall in the far side of the room.
>But her gaze quickly trailed off as something closer caught her eye.
>”W-we tried all we could, but any attempt at getting near it sets off strange energy spikes.”
>Twilight's eyes focused on a glowing green crystal, humming with a strange light.
>It had an edge which felt like it could cut you just by looking at it.
>”It’s honestly a miracle that you’re still alive.”
>The words coming out of Fluttershy’s mouth seemed to fly right past the scientist once the realization set in.
>Her eyes reached the base of the shard, and the sight of a jumbled mess of flesh, skin and stone made her blood freeze.
>From her perspective, it almost seemed like the shard had fused together with her, sticking straight out of her chest, impaling it where her heart was supposed to be.
>She uttered a groan as she prepared for the pain to set in, but she quickly realized there was no discomfort at all, probably thanks to some anesthetics she was given, she thought to herself.
>No blood was showing either, so it most likely cauterized the wound immediately, but just the sight of it made Twilight’s heart skip a beat.
>And two.
>In fact, she couldn’t feel her heart moving at all.
>Twilight swallowed in an attempt to calm herself, but noticed her throat was as dry as a spoonful of cinnamon.
>”Uhh… I don’t… Think it’s supposed to be like this.” She finally said, her voice shaky and cracking.
>”Your vitals seem fine, and your breathing is normal. However we’re unable to monitor a pulse, and your heart has stopped entirely.” Fluttershy’s voice was calming and reassuring on Twilight's ears, but it was clear she hid just as much distress as everyone else.
>”But I’m still here.” Twilight asserted, earning a nod from the biotech.
>”Right you are, I just don’t understand how. Your blood circulation is fine, but it’s not being pumped around. Instead It’s like a continuous flow…”
>She picked up Twilight's arm and lightly squeezed her wrist.
>She could feel the pressure building up like normal, her blood attempting to flow through a tighter space than usual.
>You stepped up from your position in the back of the room and made your way to the foot of the bed.
“I just need to know of she’s going to be okay.” you said, giving Fluttershy a concerned but stern look.
>The pink-haired woman turned to you and seemed conflicted at first.
>”Everything seems to be fine, and she appears conscious and clear-headed. I think we should let her rest for now though.” Fluttershy put Twilight's arm down carefully before turning towards you.
>”Sure, everything is fine except this freaking rock sticking out of me!” Twilight said dejectedly.

>You stared at the bedridden scientist, trying to soak in the situation.
>Despite being worried for her, the tone she spoke in and her absolutely dumbfounded expression made your mouth twitch a bit until you cracked a short laugh unwillingly.
>It seemed to be contagious, as the others in the room tried to hide their funny expressions.
>”Oh sure.” Twilight threw her arms out in disappointment. “I’m the only one who doesn’t find the humor in this?”
“I’m sorry Twilight.” You said, trying your best to recover and keeping a straight face. “I’m worried, truly, but I just think all this is pretty bizarre. You stay here and let Rarity take care of you until we figure out a way to get that thing out of you.”
>You turned towards Rainbow Dash, who immediately stood up straight, And Pinkie Pie who sat at a table in the corner of the room in silence.
“I’ll have Pinkie fill in their spots on your team, alright?”
>Before Rainbow Dash had time to reply, the eccentric girl bounced up from her chair and stood ready.
>”Yessir!” she shouted, giving you a salute and marching out of the chamber.
>It had been a while since you saw her with this much energy, but you hoped it would raise her mood getting out of this metal box.
“You’ll just have to bring her up to speed, Dash. I trust you’ll handle this?”
>”Of course, Anon, I think I know what I’m doing here.” Rainbow scoffed as she quickly left the room, probably to avoid comments about her snarky tone.
>You decided to ignore it for now and headed towards the exit as well shortly after, but turned around in the doorway to take another look at Twilight.
>It looked painful with the green mineral protruding from her chest, but the warm smile Twilight gave you when she noticed you staring back at her was all you needed to reassure yourself everything was going to be okay.
>Pleasantly surprised your team had  the ability to flip such a dire situation into a good-spirited one, it was time to get back to work again.


Day 81

>Another long day of geological survey boringness had come to a close.
>As of now, you had mapped all kinds of different minerals close to the crater together with Fluttershy.
>Her interest in rocks really surprised you.
>Rumors told of her talking to animals, but this was almost just as obsessive.
>At least it was some entertainment and distraction in listening to her silky voice talk while you scavenged and tagged hundreds of stones.
>It kept your mind off worrying about Twilight if nothing else.
>However, the strangest part about all this was comparing your data to the things Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had discovered.
>The crater held a wider variety of minerals than the rest of the area, like they came from someplace else or had been combined from other sources.
>Fluttershy did point out that there hadn’t been mapped enough material elsewhere to draw conclusions, nor had you had time to research the strange green crystal, but it was enough to raise a few eyebrows.

>You sat at the central table with your feet relaxing on the counter, forcing down a veggie bar and looking over some reports hovering in front of you in a blue ethereal fashion.
>At the corner of your eye you noticed Fluttershy enter the room and silently making her way towards you in a way only she could manage.
>You saw her all the way, but still feigned surprise when she called your name.
>You turned around with a smile, but quickly noticed a concerned look on her face, a glint of excitement shining in her eyes.
“What’s up?” You asked her, and she poked her fingers together.
>”I t-think you should come see this, Anon…”

>The blue hologram flickered in front of you, but you still didn’t really understand.
“I don’t understand…”
>Yeah…
>”I told you…” She waved off the holographic report and revealed the dimly lit chamber containing a mound of mud in the middle of a petri dish.
>”A-according to the scans, this sample contains every known ingredients of an earthly fertilizer, and a potent one at that…”
>This was the sample Fluttershy collected at the Maw, which you had dubbed the enormous hole going straight through the world.
>The implications she was suggesting was huge, however.
“What about foreign materials?”
>”Scans and testing only reveals known elements…
“Alien bacteria?”
>”It’s gone through sterilization seven times now, it doesn’t seem to affect anything in the sample…
>You sighed and pinched your bridge.
“I dunno, Shy…”
>”Come on, Anon…” she pleaded. “W-we have to try!”
>You looked at her with a concerned expression, but was met with determined eyes.
>”I graduated at the top of my class in bioengineering, experimental science and geology! I t-think I can make it work… no, I know it!”
>She certainly did have all the PhDs to prove it, but eating food grown with alien soil did introduce a number of risks…
>You took a bite of your food bar and let the taste of cardboard and muddy water sink in.
>Having eaten these for a month straight to conserve rations, nothing really needed to sink in.
>You were tired as shit of those stupid bars.
>As you turned towards Fluttershy, you picked up the nearest bucked and spat out the dry oatmeal and threw the rest of your dinner in with it.
“When can you get to work?” You asked her, and she beamed at you.
>Fluttershy wrapped her arms around your torso, and you could feel her cushiony chest squeeze against your own.
>”Oh thank you Anon! You won’t regret this, and I know of five other hungry tummies that won’t either!”

>As you exited the field lab you wondered if you had made the right decision.
>Your growling stomach corrected that thought to ‘you made the right choice… maybe.’
>On second thought, maybe throwing away your dinner was a mistake…


Day 82

>The seven moons of Mjölnir KS6 almost lined up perfectly like a spire of bad omens above the Maw.
>Huninn’s mechanical arm graced past your vision, dirt scattering from its newly acquired steel jaw.
>You had decided to arm the truck with a digger claw to gather enough soil  from the depths of the chasm after the biotechs instructions.
>Fluttershy shifted on her legs next to you, seemingly in deep thought.
>Applejack had insisted on manning the arm, so you really didn’t have anything better to do.
>”I’ve been thinking…” Fluttershy said suddenly. “How come this planet still has moons?”
>You turned your head, confused by her statement.
>She noticed this, as she began motioning her arms nervously in front of her, attempting to find words.
>”I-I mean… Unless the moons were captured after the world was hollowed, they would have been gone a long time ago due to the considerable change in mass.”
>You pondered the suggestion for a minute.
>Orbits and celestial bodies are delicate, so it all made sense.
>Unless…
“...Every object changed mass proportionally the same…” you thought out loud.
>Fluttershy seemed startled by this.
>Surely it's a ridiculous claim, but it was the only thing that made sense to you
>Unless there was some magical apparatus keeping it all together, everything would have crashed into the sun by now.
>”Anon, you don’t think…”
>You cut her off by summoning the display on your wrist and Rarity's voice appeared on the other end.
“Can you apply a long range scan to the system using the data we’ve collected here?” You asked her.
>A few moments of silence went by before the navigator's voice flared life into the comms
>”Uhhh… Okay, Anon, but I’m not sure what you hope to accomplish dear.”
>”Anon.” Fluttershy said, stepping up in front of you. “You realize this is i-insane, right?”
“I dunno, we’ve seen some weird stuff already…”
>”Why harvest one tree when you got a whole acre o’ them!” Applejack contributed, who had been listening through the vehicle's open window. “Anyway, we got as much dirt as you instructed, Shy. We ought to be headin’ back to base by now.”
>You and Fluttershy stood there looking at eachother for a little while, soaking in the situation.
>The moons above had aligned perfectly, and everything went silent.
>It had been this way ever since you landed, but at this moment it was even more apparent how pressing the absence of wind and motion felt.

>A dark spot appeared on the pink haired biotechs chin and started creeping across her chiseled and feminine jawline, then her small button nose and at last covered her deep blue eyes.
>Fluttershy seemed startled and had completely frozen.
>You could see her breath strike the visor of her helmet and stain it with vapour.
>”Anon.” she nearly whispered to you. “There are no clouds on this planet… W-what's blocking the light?”
>Soon the shadow had absorbed all sunlight in the vicinity, and you slowly turned towards the dying sun to find a small dark spot gliding across it, casting  long shadows across the surface.
>You touched a plate on the side of your visor and a small section on the glass became framed in a thin blue circle.
>You swiped across the surface and the image in the sphere enlarged dramatically, until your vision was covered in the visage of the star and a strange shape ominously placed in front of it, just sitting there quietly.
>”Anon, I think I’ve found something…” Rarity finally said on the other side of your speaker. “Every object in this system has the same gravitational anomaly… and they contain traces of the materials found near the Maw.”
>The navigator seemed nervous, nearly whispering the last part.
“And I think we just found our culprit.” you mumbled back at her.

>As you applied the UV filter, the sight which appeared on your helmet scope made your heart skip a few beats.
>The silhouette could only remind you of a giant fish, with eight sharp, pointy fins protruding from its mechanical body.
>Plates of some metal substance, charred by molten rock and tainted with dirt, covered its entire cylindrical body and reflected the sunlight in a spectacular manner.
>And the most terrifying sight, on its head, sat a massive complex of churning wheels and jagged drills meant only for chaos and destruction.
>At this distance it was hard to make out its size, but the few sunspots which floated by behind it suggested it was utterly enormous and could probably swallow the Excalibur whole.
>You started breathing heavily, sweat running down your forehead and getting caught in your eyebrows.
>A hand landed on your shoulder, and Fluttershy's touch calmed you down slightly.
>”W-what do you see, Anon?”
>You didn’t answer her.
>You didn't really know what to say.
>You tried opening your mouth to form words, but just as you thought you had something, the chassis of the unfathomable machine started humming with a blue glow, tendrils of light seared off its surface like smoke from an ashtray.
>With a blinding flash and a streak of resonating energy, the machine disappeared into the void.
>You were left speechless, standing amongst the pile of rock.
>It was one thing to witness ancient civilizations with dormant superweapons.
>This was the first sign of something humanity had been searching for for thousands of years, the first sign of active alien life.


Day 85

>”...So what I’m trying to say is that every celestial body is missing a great part of itself, like it was blown or dug away.”
>Rarity showed the new and updated imagery of the solar system's planets.
>Every one of them had a large hole burrowed in them, thousands of megatons of minerals gone in the solar winds.
>Most of the crew had a hard time tearing their eyes away from the shaky footage taken from your visor however.
“The World Eater…” Twilight rolled the word on her tongue next to you.
>She had gotten significantly better since you returned to orbit.
>The emerald spike still rose from her chest like a thorn on a rose, but the scientist had adapted remarkably well to it.
>She even went as far as to cut holes in her t-shirts to fit it through.
>Fluttershy had, remarkably, deemed her fit for duty after she no longer showed any physical distress from it.
>Personally you could never imagine having a stone through your heart, but it didn’t seem to bother her the slightest.
>She told you, that until you found a way to safely remove it, she would rather keep it there than doing anything reckless.
>”That’s what we decided to call it in the reports.” Fluttershy responded, clutching her tablet close to her chest. “I-it’s not too c-cheesy it it?”
>No one answered.
>”So ANY idea what that thing could be?” Rainbow Dash said after a few moments had passed. “It’s pretty freaky-looking…”
“Well, it eats planets.” You said sarcastically, evoking some nervous laughter among the group.
>”I think it’s kinda cool!” Pinkie said enthusiastically.
>However, a few suspicious looks made her perk down.
>”Okay maybe not THAT cool…” she whispered.


Day 88

>Once again you found yourself staring down a bar of compressed and dried food.
>A few days had passed since you left Mjölnir behind which had given you some time to get over what you saw and come to terms with it, especially with the help of Fluttershy.
>She was an excellent emotional support, and knew just what to say.
>One thing you never could come to terms with, however, were these bleak meals you had been chewing on for too long.
>Looking down the table you could see the rest of your friends thought the same.
>Strangely, Pinkie Pie seemed like the one who had the least problem chowing down on them, yet she was the one mostly affected by them both emotionally and physically.
>You had noticed certain features of hers had been drastically… diminished during this period.
>And by that you meant the constant jiggle of fluff whenever she walked around enticingly of course.
>The lounge door hydraulics broke your comfortable train of thought and through the arch from the corridor came a pink blur clad in a lab coat.
>”Good news everyone!” Fluttershy said as enthusiastically as she could manage.
>Without another word, she pulled up a net filled to the brim with all sorts of freshly grown foods ranging from fruit to vegetables to even synthetic meat.
>”This World Eater seems to turn anything into a perfect replica of earthly fertilizer, and the newest crop has grown up healthier than ever!”
>A synonymous roar of excitement filled the lounge as everyone drooled over the possible meals you now could make.
>Fluttershy put the net down on the large oval table and all sorts of colorful stuff rolled out.
>Five pairs of hands eagerly reached out and grabbed whatever they could get a hold of.
>It didn’t matter what it was as long as it didn’t taste cardboard and muddy water.
>As the captain you decided to restrain yourself a bit, and instead stood up to congratulate the biotech who relished in the crews happiness.
“Great job, but there's more than this, right?”
>”Oh, yes Anon!” she nodded with a gentle smile. “The samples we gathered taught me enough to keep the greenhouse going practically indefinitely. I don’t believe we’ll have any shortages in the near future!”
>You smiled back at her in relief.
>Anything but those awful bars would satisfy you for now.
>it seemed like your crew agreed as well, as they chowed down on anything they could get their hands on.

>Captains Log: 2145.24.11 18:04 Local Equestrian Time. Identity: Anon Y. Mous Confirmed.
RECORDING…
[Audible belch]
>Pardon me, whoever’s listening. I haven’t eaten that well in about a month now.
>I was sceptical using alien soil to grow our food, but our biotech assured me it was no different from Equestrian soil.
>Either way it seems to work out for us for now, until someone starts laying eggs or having other symptoms like aliens breaching their stomach…
[Laughter]
[Silence]
>This World Eater worries me still…
>It turns anything into earthly dirt, but why?
>And why did it only burrow through the center and not just eat the entire planet?
>And last but not least, can it eat stars?
>That would explain why the red dwarf was so close to its death…
[Silence]
>Yeah, I won’t get any answers by talking to myself.
END OF RECORDING…

>The elevator doors slid open and revealed the dimly lit laboratory.
>It was bigger than the one aboard the shuttle, but it surprised you how much space was reserved for the greenhouse farm.
>Standing in front of the windows overlooking the crops stood the woman of the hour, Dr. Fluttershy, busy taking notes on her tablet.
>As you walked towards her, she turned around and looked over the edge of her glasses.
>The lenses and thick obsidian frame accentuated her eyes well, and made them seem a bit larger than they actually were.
“You’re all alone down here?” you asked her, looking around the room a bit closer.
>”Twilight took the day off, said she had some reports to write. How are you doing Anon?”
>She put down her tool and approached you.
>Almost immediately she started studying you from top to bottom, looking for signs of wear or injuries.
>You chuckled at her concern but dismissed her.
“I’m fine, really.”
>The doctor blushed and took a step back.
>”Oh, right… please excuse me.”
>A few moments of silence passed before you decided to speak up again.
“But how about you?”
>She looked at you with curiosity and cocked her head.
>”W-what about me?”
“I’d say most people would lose their shit over being shot at by a giant beam which melted their livestock, not to mention seeing something capable of eating planets… I wanted to talk to you about it when I found you on the floor cleaning up your coffee puddle.”
>”It just slipped, Anon, it happens. There's nothing to worry about!”
>You looked at her suspiciously, but couldn’t find anything about her which wasn’t sincere.
>The biotech sighed with a weak smile and turned to towards her greenhouse, staring longingly at something far beyond the dimly lit grey walls.
>”I may not be as brave as the others,” she continued, still watching over the garden. “...but I’m not as easily affected by things like that anymore. I’ve changed a lot since we were kids, Anon.”
>You didn’t say anything.
>You didn’t feel like it was necessary.
>Fluttershy practically radiated confidence, something you didn’t really expect from her person.
>”But I do appreciate the concern, at least!” she turned back to you with a gentle and kind smile, like she used to do back then.
>Her long hair flowing in the breeze from the ventilation was hypnotizing to look at, but her voice kept you tethered.
>”If anything, I think it’s Applejack you should be concerned about.”
“Applejack?” you echoed, bewildered by her statement. “Since when was she affected by anything like this?”
>”Maybe not what we’ve experienced, but she’s showing signs of depression and have denied my offers for counseling.”
>You scratched your stubble.
>Applejack didn’t seem like she had any issues being on this ship at all.
>The last month had everyone feeling down though, but you had every reason to believe Fluttershy due to her medical expertise.
>It was the reason she was brought onto the program in the first place.
>”Thanks Flutters, I’ll talk to her when I get the chance.”
>A bright light shone in the corner of your eye, and you winced at the sudden change in luminosity.
>You turned towards the glass plates separating you from a jungle of nourishment, and on the other side of the green fields you could spot the virtual sun rising above the flora.
>It was surprisingly lifelike, reflecting colorful rays off of the synthetic clouds and scattering them in reds and pinks across the room.
>You felt soft fingers caress your hand as Fluttershy took it in her own.
>It was impossible to know what tomorrow would bring for you and your crew, but judging by the recent events you were sure it would be more than interesting.

>Blue lights illuminated the hull of the Excalibur as the impressive ship slowly made her way through the void.
>The distant stars twinkled welcomingly, inviting curious minds to ponder their existence.
>Strangely enough, were you anything but human, the universe would be humming with an ominous energy.
>You did not tread the stars unnoticed.



CHAPTER 4


Day 108

“So… what is this thing?”
>Rows and rows of pipes, chambers and who knows what covered most of the area of the engine room.
>For you it was just a chaotic mess of twisting metal and chemical reactions, the end result for some reason being the propulsion of the giant vessel which kept you safe from the deadly void of space.
>The one thing you did recognize, the centerpiece of this magnificent and infinitely complex machine, was its physics-defying Gravity Core, though you couldn’t say you knew how it worked exactly.
>It stood tall and proud on a thick steel pillar in the middle of the room, humming with a low frequency which felt pleasing on your eardrums.
>Inside a glass chamber sat a smooth iron orb which seemed to twist and bend space around it as it vibrated with immense energy.
>Your head started hurting when you looked at it, as you felt your pupils stretch and contract far beyond what was meant for a normal person, so you quickly turned away to a more comfortable sight.
>Inside a tight corridor about the height of your knees sat the gifted engineer on all fours facing away from you.
>Her hands were busy gripping the shaft of an oversized wrench as she tried to force a bolt to rotate.
>You were too busy being enthralled by all the ripples in her denim-covered behind as the metal piece suddenly gave in to the brutal force applied to it for a short moment before getting stuck again.
>Applejack, who now had nothing to resist the weight she put on the wrench, promptly crashed forward, and as the torque came to a sudden standstill, her elaborately put together ponytail whipped forward into her face.
>She took a break, wiped her forehead with a greasy forearm and sighed before looking over her shoulder.
>”S’quite simple actually.” she finally addressed your question as she struck her head on a pole.
>The metallic sound reverberated across the complex, but she didn’t seem to mind and happily kept talking.
>”The FRNDSHP-A Drive, or Fast Rotatin’ Nano Distributed Super Hadron Particle-Accelerator.”
>You stood there like one big question mark, but she didn’t seem to notice as she kept going.
>“It’s an improvement on the aged Alcubierre drive concept. HQ spent a ton o’ cash makin’ this baby a reality…”
>Applejack trailed off as she noticed you staring into a wall, your brain going into overdrive.
>You took a second, making an attempt to soak it in, but to no avail.
“What?”
>Applejack eyed you with a look of disappointment before struggling her way out of the maintenance shaft.
>Her ample bottom wiggled enticingly as you tried your best to hide your stare.
>She managed to crawl out of the blazing chamber after a while and sat down on a nearby outcropping to rest, laying her huge wrench beside her.
>”The drive uses cuttin’ edge tech to compress space-time in front of the ship and expand it behind us, pushin’ us forward beyond realistic velocities!” Applejack uttered in excitement and waving her hands in all kinds of illustrating manners.
>You hadn’t really seen her talk about advanced physics like this before, so it caught you off guard.
>At high school she always were your average southern belle, not caring much for anything unrelated to agriculture or things that didn’t concern her friends or family.
>Although it was that time she joined a band, but nobody seems to talk about that for some reason.
>”We’re essentially breakin’ the laws of physics with this here sumbitch!”
>You scratched your stubble for a second.
“Yeah, I still don’t think I get how it works…”
>Applejack waved her hand at you dismissively before turning back towards the seemingly endless shaft leading deep into the heart of the machine.
>”Ya didn’t exactly build a portable particle collider in yer garage either, Anon.” She mocked you as she crawled back into the tight space. “Males ya wonder how ya got into the academy in the first place.”

“Did you… need anything from me?” you sighed, slightly annoyed by her attitude.
>You also completely forgot what you were doing there in the first place, but it all came back to you when you noticed Applejack was just sitting there on her knees, staring longingly into the distance.
>You squatted down in front of the hole, trying your best to endure the heat.
“Hey…” you said, and paused a bit when Applejack turned towards you, not with a smile this time. “You all right in there?”
>You could almost physically feel the emotional tone shift in the air, and Applejack scooched closer to you and leaned against the pipes.
>”It’s not that I regret leaving, Anon, I don’t want y’all to think that.” She started, resting her arm on her knee with the wrench hanging loosely in her hand. “It all just happened so quickly, none of us really had any time to prepare.”
>You remembered how much she cared about her family, and would always be excited for the next annual reunion.
“Is this about Applebloom?” You asked, embarrassed that you barely even remembered her name.
>Most things you knew about her family had passed into oblivion.
>You do remember spending long summers with your friends in the fields, relaxing under a blazing hot sun.
>Her grandmother would make a wide assortment of apple-based treats for you all and you’d sit in the shadows of the giant apple trees and chat or just relax.
>”I just kinda left them all behind to go on this crazy adventure.” The engineer said, breaking your trip down memory lane.
>”Applebloom and Granny Smith… T’was the middle of harvestin’ season too. ‘It’s all right’ they said. ‘Follow yer dreams, don’t take life fer granted!’”

>You crawled into the shaft and leaned against the wall opposite of Applejack.
>She gave you a weak smile, fond memories of her cherished family flooding back to her.
>”Big Mac had just gone off to the big city too when NESA came knockin’ on our doors. Told me he followed some pink-haired sweetheart.”
“You’re worried you left them behind when they needed you the most?” You asked the engineer, attempting to sort out how she felt.
>She didn’t reply, but stared into a wall in silence.
“Seems like you have some regrets after all.”
>She was holding the wrench between her index and thumb, swinging it back and forth restlessly.
>”I mean lil sis just turned 20, so I’m sure she can handle herself, but we’re talking over a hundred acres o’ trees here…” she finally said after a short pause.
“But they wanted you to pursue your own career, right?”
>”That’s just something people say, Anon…”
>You both sat there for a while in silence, listening to the humming of the machine.
>You watched Applejack's face and could tell she enjoyed being surrounded by metal and moving parts.
>”You remember the old barn we had back at the farm.” She finally said, breaking the silence. “One day dad brought home an ancient tractor and parked it in there before the engine died. Couldn’t get ‘er rollin’ so it just sat there.”
>Applejack smiled as she remembered.
>”Once mom and dad were… gone, I decided to fix ‘er up. Took me six months to get ‘er running again. That’s how I decided what I wanted to do, masterin’ that old machine. Took the agency ten more years after that to get me on the program.” She slowly glanced over and locked eyes with you, her head resting against the warm metal behind her. “So here I am, Anon. Left my sis and gran behind to go on crazy adventures in space.”
>Not really knowing the right thing to say, you both sat there in silence again.
>It took the engineer a couple of minutes before she started moving again.
>”I better get back to work, Anon. This place ain’t gonna maintain itself.”
>She slapped you lightly on the knee on her way up before crawling back to the pipe she was working on.
>You got up and struggled out of the shaft as well, but on your way out you turned around one last time.
“We’re all here if you need to talk some more you know.” You said in a last ditch effort to cheer her up, or at least feel appreciated.
>When you didn’t hear a response, you turned around and made your way up some stairs towards the exit.
>The bridge was your next stop.


Day -6517 (Day 157 of the year 2018)

>The sound of millions of crickets chirping across the small town did nothing but accentuate the blazing temperature that warm summer day.
>The sun loomed high in the sky, vaporizing any shadow that dared step into its gaze, and cooked the pitch black asphalt almost to its boiling point.
>All across the schoolyard you would see girls dressed in skimpy clothing and boys using the weather as an excuse to show off.
>Even some of the teachers wore some slightly revealing clothing.
>You had no reason to complain.
>Watching people scurry past underneath you like ants was amusing, wondering who they were, where they were going, how they reached this point in their lives…
>A chill breeze gently washed over your face, as your vantage point up on the school's roof gave you more benefits than just the amazing view.
>From up there you could see all the way to the docks, a thousand brightly colored roofs sticking up from the concrete jungle, trying its best to stand out from the crowd.
>The seas glittered like teal crystals, bouncing light away from it with every bob and weave, and white sails crowded the waves, like a perfect replica of the sky above it.
>You closed your eyes, just content to sit there and listen to the multitude of sounds around you.

>”You’re gonna miss class again you know…” a bright voice spoke behind you.
>From your spot at the edge of the building all you could do was turn your head halfway around.
>In the corner of your eye you could see a fountain of deep purple hair flow down the person’s back.
>Instantly recognizable.
“Oh, It’s just you.” you answered Twilight, turning back around to gaze across the horizon. “What about you, miss Encyclopedia?”
>”I think you just answered your own question there.” she said in a snarky tone, dangling her feet over the edge next to you. “Figured I’d find you here. Not many other places you go when ignoring your responsibilities. You’re getting predictable.
”I’m comfortable in my own company. Don’t like to socialize.”
>”I know, you’re introverted, gain energy from yourself instead of others. Keep a small amount of close friends instead of many acquaintances…”
>The girl trailed off when she noticed you looking back at her, frowning.
“Don’t analyze me.” you ordered her. “It freaks me out.”
>”Don’t wanna know yourself better, Anon?”
“Just don’t.”

>A few moments of silence pass by, the winds once again gracing you with its cool touch and calming down the aggressive heat.
>It wasn’t an awkward silence, however.
>You had known each other for probably over three years now.
>Ever since you were grouped up with her and her little circle of buddies on that science project and chords were struck across the board.
>You never thought you’d come to enjoy the presence of other people that much, let alone the six of them.
>Looking over at Twilight smirking at her own smart-ass comments while enjoying the cold breeze made you sentimental, and memories of your time at the academy flooded to you.
“Just a few more weeks, huh?” you said, ending the comfortable stillness.
>Those words seemed to perk up Twilight considerably, as if you woke her from a deep dream.
>”Oh, I almost forgot!” she said, breaking her thousand yard stare and turning towards you. “We’re all meeting up at AJ’s farm next week to celebrate. You’re coming, right?”
“Of course I am, do you take me for some shut-in or something?”
>Twilight clapped her hands together and grinned so much her eyes closed together.
>You always loved seeing your friends cheerful.
>Even if you weren’t very expressive yourself, a smile from someone you knew always brightened up your day.
>”Great!” Twilight cheered, jumping down to the safety of the roof and dusting off her skirt, making sure it was properly in place.
>”Anyway, you should probably hurry to your lecture. I’ll see you at lunch!”
>Twilight turned on her heels and headed back towards the roof access.
>Your eyes followed her for a little while before you turned your attention back to the view.
>Of course, you had already read every book in your syllabus three times over, not that you didn’t know most of it already.
>This was just a formality to get you into the prestigious Equestrian Astronautical School of Science.
>You were basically waiting for their letter of admission at this point.
>You were sure a few more skipped classes wouldn’t be the end of you.


Day 108

>The thick steel-plated doors parted ways to reveal the bridge command center floor, and the slipstream generated by the Excalibur beyond that.
>It was a tunnel of light, seemingly endless and whizzing past you at impossible speeds.
>The power of spatial compression also brought with it the distortion of sight, and you could feel it as your eyes started to hurt slightly.
>You continued through the portal and heard the familiar hiss as the doors closed behind you.
>Setting down your mug with coffee you picked up on your way up, you slouched down in the captain’s chair and sighed.
>Finally a moment's peace without anything breaking or going wrong otherwise.
>Those moments seemed few and far between these days.

>From your position in the chair you could see all of the ship's stations lined up next to each other.
>The bridge consisted of two floors.
>The top deck hosted your panel, with monitors connected to most of Excalibur’s systems.
>On each side of your island ran two stairs down to the lower bridge floor, where a crescent-shaped table ran from one end to the other, each station separated by slim gaps between them.
>All three of them were outfitted with special equipment and systems they would need to do their jobs.
>From left to right were the navigation and course console, weapons systems, which you thankfully had yet to find a use for, and propulsion and machinery control.
>At the very front sat the helm, a glorified steering wheel for manual control over the vessel.
>Right below you were two seats with access to every external scanner array and Excalibur’s science computers and compendium.
>It was a pretty impressive lineup, like a dream created by stacks of sci-fi books and a whole lot of steel.

>You waved your hand across the control panel in front of you and watched as several windows popped into existence above the board.
>A bright sphere was also born from the motion, rotating calmly around itself in front of you.
>Your next destination had basically been picked at random, as HQ had been quiet for weeks now.
>You still hadn’t gotten an answer regarding the report on your lack of food, which was already resolved.
>Maybe you had just traveled too deep into the unknown for signals to reach its destination fast enough.
>Protocol was clear, so technically you didn’t need instructions, but it’d be nice to not feel so neglected.
>”Anon.” Twilight's voice buzzed through your comm.
>”You really need to come see this.”

“What’s going on?” you asked as you came rushing through the labs doors.
>Twilight stood in one end with a bunch of wires hooked up to the rock she had thrusting out of her chest.
>On the other end were Fluttershy, bent over a vast array of holographic windows floating above a desk.
>The pink-haired woman waved you over, and as you rounded the desk, you could see they were all different analytics of the crystal.
“Okay, what am I looking at here?”
>Twilight seemed to eagerly move towards the desk, but Fluttershy was quick to intercept her.
>”We talked about this, Twilight!” she said, managing to somehow nearly whisper and yell at the same time.
>”Right.” the other scientist said, making her way back to her previous position. “No moving.”
>”This is hard enough as it is with the whole ship in motion.”
“Alright, theories, great, but I still don’t get what this is about.”
>”Basically, we believe the stone is transmitting some sort of signal.”
>You raised an eyebrow, but the slight insanity intrigued you.
”Go on…”
>”We don’t know how, but there's clearly some sort of pattern to the light and static radiation emitting from it. I’m not able to isolate and translate it though.”
“We aren’t being tracked, are we?”
>Your nervous thought only garnered patronizing looks from the two scientists, and you immediately felt slightly dumber.
>”With the amount of wireless equipment on this ship, anyone would be able to track us easily enough as is.” Fluttershy said, and immediately turned back to her monitors.
>”No, I believe it’s attempting to relay Information to any nearby receivers.”
>”That might explain the sudden malfunctioning navigation systems, dear.”
>The new addition to the conversation made everyone perk up towards the source.
>Through the lab doors strode Rarity in her usual graceful manner, her arms wrapped around a tablet which displayed some twitching, flickering graphs tainted by a lot of white noise.
>”I’m not getting any readings from our computers, just a lot of interference. I thought maybe you had some answers and here we are.”
>Fluttershy looked at Rarity’s tablet, then back at her own data.
>She seemed deep in thought, her eyes darting around.
>”Maybe if…” Twilight started, slowly making her way towards the table, only to be halted by her fellow scientist once more.
>”Please, don’t move!”
>”At least let me look at the data!”
>”She does have a knack for translating the incomprehensible.” Rarity chimed in. “Wonder what that’s all about, don’t you darling?”
>Fluttershy seemed to snap out of her train of thought, and with a reluctant flick of her wrist, sent the holographic images flying towards Twilight.
>”I won’t make much sense of this on my own at least…”

>A few moments went by as the scientists discussed the various forms and graphs.
>For the most part it was a lot of big words and terms you hadn’t been trained to understand.
>Not wanting to interrupt the heated conversation, you quietly withdrew from the lab together with Rarity, leaving the scientists locked in discussion.
>On the way back to the bridge, you decided to break the silence.
“What did you mean by Twilight ‘translating the incomprehensible’ anyway?”
>”What, you mean you haven’t noticed?” she answered almost immediately. “Don’t you remember back on Klepra 3b, how she somehow managed to translate all those texts in just a few days?”
>You hadn’t really thought of it that much, as other things about the incident stuck with you more.
>After giving you some time to think, Rarity kept going.
>”I’m just saying, if you had nothing to do with this, there's something we aren’t being told.”
>Racking your brain about it, you almost didn’t notice her taking a sharp turn and making her way down an adjacent corridor.
>You stopped to observe the navigation specialist weave her way down the long hallway, turning her head halfway around and looking you in the eyes.
>”I’m completely fine being kept in the dark, it’s not my job to question it. But what about you?”
>Before you could think of an answer, she was gone around another corner, whipping her curly and perfectly kept hair around her back just before disappearing.
>As if you didn’t have enough to think about already, now even more questions had been planted in your head.
>She made some fair points though, you thought as you continued on your way back to the bridge.


Day -6508 (Day 148 of the year 2018)

“Wait, are you serious?”
>”Of course darling, why would I be joking about this?”
>You looked around the hallway in a slight daze of disbelief.
>All the other students were too busy making their way to the next class, had their nose buried in a locker or stood arched over their love interest.
>You turned back to Rarity, who kept eyeing you with that same passionate and serious look she had given you since approaching you about this a few moments ago.
>You had no reason to doubt her sincerity.
“You know I’m not exactly the most attractive person at this school, right?”
>”Well, no, but you’re my friend and I need your help. So what do you say?”
>You gritted your teeth, thinking it over.
>”I could always ask Flash Se-”
“Okay fine, I’ll do it.” you said, interrupting her. “But don’t go around telling people about this.”
>You’ll be damned if she would have to go asking that guy because you couldn’t handle it.
>Not because he’s a bad guy or anything, but the thought of him doing something like this made you more queasy than you having to do it yourself.
>Rarity nodded with a smug look on her face, and expertly turned around on her heel.
>”Thanks Anon, It’s always nice to know I can count on people like you!”
>Without looking back, she made her characteristic weaving stride down the hallway.
>You couldn’t help but think she exaggerated a bit more than usual this time, but you only rolled your eyes.
>Before rounding a corner, she whipped her meticulously styled hair over her other shoulder, looking back at you.
>”See you at six, darling!” she said before making her disappearing act once again.
>”Gee, what did you get yourself into this time?” Rainbow dash asked you behind her locker door.
“Shut up.” you barked back under your breath, not daring to think how much of that conversation she had heard.

>”Why the long face, Nonny?” Rarity teased you, sliding a needle effortlessly through the fabric she held between her fingers.
“If you ever tell anyone about this…”
>”Yeah, yeah, you’ve been making empty threats all night darling, I get it.” Rarity suddenly appeared under your arm, giving you a wide grin. “Let a girl have her fun, hm? Not always I get to dress people like you up in extravagant garment from Lady Rarity. What do you think?”
>Looking in the tall mirror ahead, you saw a strikingly beautiful violet dress with two brighter colored silk bands starting from the middle waist and arching all the way to the back where they culminated in a bow seemingly held up by magic.
>The skirt reached you to your ankles, where two plain high heeled shoes were put on matching the color of the silk bands.
>The top had two straps holding it all up, and a loose tube of a soft material covered up the chest.
>Your hair had a clip in it with a bright purple orchid in it, finishing off the look.
“I hate it.” you said bluntly.
>”Oh come now, It can’t be that bad.” Rarity pouted, but quickly went to fix up a couple of needles here and there.
>”I believe everyone should be able to enjoy a different side of themselves from time to time.”
>Rarity once again appeared from behind you, this time looking at you in the mirror while correcting the straps.
>”I think you look positively dazzling, my dear.”
>Another look brought to your attention the dedication which had been put into the makeup on your face.
>You didn’t look like yourself at all anymore, as if someone had swooped in and replaced you with a different gendered version of yourself.
>Was all this really necessary?
>”Of course it is, darling! How else would I get an idea of the finished product!”
>Did you say that out loud?
>You turned around and crossed your arms, nearly slapping the bouquet of flowers you held right in your face.
“Am I done soon? I don't want to stay in this thing for much longer.”
>”In fact…” Rarity stood up and clapped some dust off her hands. “...I think that’s all for today!”
”Thank god!”

>As you entered the room again after changing back into your normal clothing again, you saw Rarity still buzzing around the dress, measuring and adjusting restlessly.
>Despite her aloof and posh nature, you could tell she worked harder than most people in her situation.
>It was kind of therapeutic watching her do her thing.
>Before you knew it, several minutes had gone by without you moving an inch.
>You snapped out of it and moved closer to your hard working friend, careful not to startle her.
>”Thanks for helping me out tonight, dear.” she said without turning around, apparently already knowing you were there.
>She put down her box of needles and strung the measuring tape around her neck before addressing you.
>”I really do appreciate it a lot. It’s good to know we have friends like you.”
“We?” you asked, confused by her choice of words.
>”Yes, we. Twilight, Applejack, all of us. We all appreciate you.”
“Sticking me in a dress and poking at me with needles isn’t exactly what I’d call feeling appreciated…”
>”No, perhaps not…”
“But that’s what friends do, I guess, right?”
>Rarity grinned and pulled you inn in a big soft hug.
>She then grabbed you by the shoulders and looked you in the eyes.
>”And don’t you ever go forgetting that, Dear. We’re all here for you, and you’re here for us. We always stick together!”


Day 110

>You put your cup of now chilling coffee down at the desk and slouched down in your massive chair.
>You stood up for your friends, right?
>You were there when they needed you?
>It wouldn’t be characteristic of you not to.
>Staring out into the gravitational vortex dragging you through emptiness, you tried thinking back to something that would make your friends lose their trust in you.
>If Rarity was right, and some truth really was kept from you, there had to be a way to mend the wound.
>No, that wasn’t it.
>The real question was, if Rarity was correct, what kind of abilities did Twilight really have, and where did she get them?
>Your line of thought was cut short when Fluttershy and Twilight burst through the bridge doors.
>”I think we figured it out!” Twilight said trying to catch her breath.

“Okay, so let me get this straight.”
>The two girls looked away from the holographic images suspended above the table and glanced over at you with curious looks.
>You bit your cheek mulling over the facts that had been presented to you, before speaking up.
“You’re telling me that this rock transmits morse code which translates to latin words and numbers because it reads Twilight’s mind?”
>”That’s the gist of it, yeah.” Twilight said after a short pause.
“You realize how ridiculous this sounds, right?”
>Fluttershy and Twilight glanced at each other in a flash before turning back to you again.
>”With all do respect, Anon, we’ve been at this for two days mapping all the different patterns.” Fluttershy said, standing up from her leaning position and crossing her arms. “This result best lines up with our perception of reality.”
>Pinching your temple, you slouched down in a chair behind you and sighed.
“Alright, I’ll bite. Indulge me.”
>The two scientist stood there for a few moments before Twilight suddenly perked up and cleared her throat, like she just realized what you said.
>”Uhm, right, so we discovered that there were 36 unique patterns emitting from the rock, 26 letters and 10 numbers, and the most plausible translation is what you see here.”
“And you’re sure this isn’t the result only because it makes the most sense?”
>”We calculated it using every pattern to letter map possible.” Fluttershy said. “Out of all the different possibilities, this is the only one which correlates with data from our celestial database.”
>Looking at the hologram, it displayed a word and a lot of different numbers which you couldn’t recognize as anything familiar to you.
>You had never seen the word before either, and to you it just looked like a strange combination of letters.
“Scutum?” you asked out loud.
>”It means Shield in Latin.” Twilight answered, poking at it with her finger.
>The hologram reacted by pulling up different images of the night sky back home, and drew lines between four bright points.
>”It also most likely references the Scutum constellation.” Twilight continued. “All the different numbers correlates with locations of the different stars there.”
>Fluttershy proceeded to show you a list of seven main stars from the constellation, and they appeared in front of you, revolving peacefully around themselves.
>”Rarity pointed out that every location matches perfectly, but there is one major star missing.”
>An eighth star appeared, a dim red sphere which dwarfed the others, but its light couldn’t compare to its neighbors.
>You glanced over to Fluttershy and expected her to continue.
>”This is UY Scuti.” She kept going. “It’s the largest star we’ve discovered thus far, so it’s pretty strange that they kept it out of the signal.”
>”That’s when it hit me.” Twilight spoke up. “That star must be where the coordinates lead, why else would it be missing?”

>You reached up and scratched your stubble.
>No matter how you looked at it…
“...This still seems like a pretty big coincidence.”
>Even if this hypothetical translation coincided with reality from the perspective of Earth, the fact that the largest star in the galaxy was omitted left some doubt in your mind.
>This idea might very well have been constructed and forced to make sense, because if you knew anything about the human mind, you knew it would do anything to make sense of the incomprehensible.
>”That’s true, but what if it isn’t?” Twilight asked enthusiastically.
>The thought of some magical rock transmitting cryptic messages did leave you with a sense of wonder, that much you could agree on.
>Even if what the girls were telling you weren’t the truth, this incident had brought a potential scientific endeavour to your attention.
>The largest star in the galaxy would make for quite the tourist attraction.
“Screw it.” You said and sat up in your chair. “Even if you’re right, I don’t want to pass up this chance to visit something like this.”
>Twilight and Fluttershy both nodded and grinned from ear to ear.
>You dismissed the hologram which by now had turned into a jumbled mess of diagrams and informational text, and stood up.
“Ask Rarity to set course for UY Scuti. Let’s see what we can find there!”
>Your two friends celebrated silently and left the bridge in a hurry after gathering up their equipment and exchanging the usual pleasantries.
>As they disappeared, you were left to your own again, and you turned your chair around to look out into the endless tunnel.
>You always found yourself looking out into the distance whenever you were alone, like this was some sort of deep cinematic psychological study of your own head.
>Maybe in some ways it was.
>You wouldn’t really know unless you saw it from another perspective.
>But that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
>For now you only had to brace yourself for a long journey to this Shield constellation.
>If your previous ventures were any indicator for the rest of your stay in deep space, this would be interesting indeed.


Day -6520 (Day 160 of the year 2018)

>”And then I said ‘it’s in the refrigerator!’”
>The pink-haired girl burst out laughing on the other side of the table.
>You politely chuckled, and you noticed Rainbow Dash did the same.
>Even though you didn’t find everything that came out of Pinkie's mouth hilarious, if she didn’t get a reaction from her crowd she always seemed to get mopey, so you tried your best to play along.
>Luckily, she didn’t seem to notice you faking it, and happily kept talking after she was done gasping for air.
>”Anyway, I gave it back to her, I don’t think she got too hung up about it.”
>”Pinkie?” a voice called out from behind the counter, and your friend’s eyes seemed to widen as she heard it.
>”Oh shit, I’m still on duty! I’ll catch up with you later, alright?”
>Like a pink blur, she flew out of her seat, grabbed her apron and before you knew it, Pinkie Pie had disappeared from your table.
>You turned around to take another sip of your milkshake when you noticed Rainbow Dash sighing in relief.
>She pushed her own drink aside and leaned over the table, getting as close as she could without leaving her seat.
>”Thanks for coming with me today.” She whispered. “Lately she’s been getting kinda… clingy.”
>You let go of your straw and put the glass back down on the table before leaning back in your seat and crossing your arms.
“Well, it IS the end of the semester. Everyone’s going their own way now, I don’t exactly blame her.”
>She stared down into the checkered tablecloth and sighed again.
>”I know, I know, but the air force thing isn’t exactly trivial. I’ve been working towards this my whole life.”
“I don’t think anyone’s asking you to give it all up. Just don’t distance yourself from everyone, you probably won’t see them again for some time.”
>A few moments of calming silence passed where all you could hear were the distant humming of fridges and clashing of ceramic back in the kitchen.
>The fluorescent lights illuminated the dining hall of Sugarcube Corner, and it bounced off the shimmering checkered floor, leaving behind bright spots, like windows into a mirrored world.
>The brightness of the room was only enhanced by the large windows looking out into streets soaked in darkness and the deep purple sky left behind by the sun.
>After the sudden break-in a few years ago Miss Cupcake decided to renovate the place.
>If anyone would tell you it had seen better days, there was no way you could believe it.
>In your eyes, the corner had never looked better.
>It had taken the look of a retro diner, complete with neon lights, clashing cyan and red color schemes, and even an old mechanical cash register.
>Now they served more than just pastries and sweets, as students from your school would often pop in for lunch or just to have a place to stay after classes.
>None of those were your favorite parts about the new corner though.
>You grabbed your ice-cold glass and took another sip of your fluffy beverage, watching the bright crimson cherry sink farther down towards the bottom.
“God damn,” you said after putting it back down. “That’s a pretty fuckin’ good milkshake.”
>Your reminiscence was cut short, however, when a radio on the counter a few feet away flared to life, whining and chirping as if it was an old dial-up modem.
>Amidst the white noise you could make out the voice of a man, probably a news anchor based on his tone, broadcasting a message.
>”...appears to be an unidentified rotating aircraft above sweet apple...residents to exercise caution…”
>Around the corner from the kitchen emerged Miss Cupcake, hasting over to the radio to shut it off.
>Judging from her expression, she clearly seemed bothered by what she heard, and wiped her hands on a towel she had hanging around her waist while shaking her head.
>”Those darn feds and their fear mongering.” She sighed, giving you and Rainbow Dash a warm smile before returning to her duties.
>You shook your head and turned your attention back to your drink, but what awaited you instead was Rainbow Dash’s intense look of wonder.
>”Didja hear that!?” she whispered to you as best as she could in her state.
“The broken up and obviously non-discernible message? Yeah, I think everyone did.”
>She shook her head quickly, dismissing your uninterested tone immediately.
>”No, you doof. Didn’t you hear what they said? ‘Unidentified rotating aircraft!’”
“So what.” you scoffed.
>”Last time I checked, aircrafts didn’t rotate.”
“Look.” you said, leaning over the table just like Dash was and met her halfway across. “Twilight forced me to stay for lectures for hours on end today, and I have a nice glass of some really nice milkshake I’d like to finish, so…”
>”No way.” Rainbow Dash cut you off before abruptly standing up and grabbing your hand. “I’m gonna check it out, and you’re coming with me!”
>Before you could announce your dismay with the situation, you were already standing up and sprinting out the front doors, your hand locked behind the fastest person you knew.
>This wasn’t going to be your night.

>Layers of leaves softly crackled against the forest bed as you rushed between the trunks, leaping over roots and dodging the occasional branch.
>In the corner of your eye you saw the rainbow colored blur leading you on through the dim woods.
>The night muffled and blinded you like a blanket, but Rainbow Dash seemed to know exactly where she was going, and you followed suit.
>You ran for what felt like forever before the forest grew brighter around you.
>Ahead you noticed the moon peaking over a dark cloud, illuminating a forest clearing.
>Through the trees you could see the morning haze already covering the ground, obscuring it and bending the weak nightly glow in all kinds of hypnotizing manners.
>Your friend slowed down and came to a halt at the edge of the woods, crouching down near the base of an oak while catching her breath.
>You took the opportunity to look around you in an attempt to find out where you were, and immediately you spotted the familiar sight of the Sweet Apple orchards.
>A wide and open glade separated you from the farm.
>Everything had taken on a dark blue shade, and from your position you could see the moonlight bouncing off of the apple trees, outlining them in a brilliant crescent light.
>You never went outside this late at night, so these sights were fairly new to you.
>The lack of light pollution in the area also granted you a sight which you had never seen before.
>From behind the moon, a celestial chain of stars swerved across the sky, linking one end of the horizon to the next.
>You hadn’t seen this many lights in one place before in your life, and the thought of how far away they were sent chills down your spine and made you dizzy.
>Your train of thoughts were cut short as Rainbow Dash backhanded you in your leg, granting her your attention.
>You looked down at her, and noticed she was pointing towards the orchard ahead.
>As you followed her gesture, you saw something more peculiar.
>A cloud of dust made its way across the landscape, kicking up gravel and pebbles along the edge of the farm.
>Over one of the hills, a pitch black van rose from the tall grass, rocketing through the clearing towards the mountains to the west.
>Just before it came clear of the farm, it slowed down to a full stop aggressively, and three people in white overalls hopped out of the back doors.
>Before you could blink, they were gone among the trees.
>”I think we just found our destination.” Rainbow Dash said schemingly as she rose to her feet, dusting off her bright blue hoodie.
>She waved you along as she set off on a mad dash through the fields, and you sighed to yourself as you once again followed after her.

>With complete disregard for your non-athletic condition, Rainbow Dash was already on the other side of the field as you waded through the impossibly tall lawn.
>You could barely peek over the straws, and you moved as quickly as you could without being careless.
>She just got lucky, you thought, there had to be something down there that could have tripped her over had she stepped a little to the side.
>Luckily, you made it across without plummeting into the depths of the grass jungle as well, and ran over to your friend who hid behind the nearest tree.
>Looking around the corner, you saw a bright glow coming through the forest, and many other cones of light frantically waving around, lighting up the tree crowns and along the ground.
>It was impossible to see what was happening on the other side, as the lights covered the entire woods.
>Your eyes had been so adjusted to the warm and dark night that you had to shield yourself from the fluorescent wall.
>”Well?” Rainbow Dash inquired bellow you as you came back around behind the trunk.
“Well what?” you answered back, trying to rub away the pattern which had burnt itself into your eyes.
>”Well, are you done analyzing everything? Let’s go have a look already!”
>Before you could say another word, she had already taken a firm hold around your wrist once again and dragged you out through the orchard.
>The trees had all been planted in straight lines, so melding with the shadows was fairly easy in case anyone were to be on the lookout.
>You kept hopping from tree to tree, staying low and out of the floodlights until you reached a security tape with a strange pattern on it.
>Having adjusted to the new level of illumination, you could clearly make out what looked like stylized wings embracing a triangular shape repeated along the tape.
>There were no letters or abbreviations, so whoever was behind this operation clearly wanted to stay anonymous to the public.
>”Woah!” Rainbow Dash whispered next to you, almost right into your ear.
>You both had curled up close behind an apple tree, hidden from sight from most directions.
>You looked over to her peeking over your shoulder, and saw her jaw had dropped.
>You quickly looked around the trunk as well, and it didn’t take long before you followed her example.
>Suspended in the air above the orchard hovered what looked like a shimmering metal disc, perfectly still and unresponsive to its surroundings.
>It was an organic shape, with round corners and clean, flat surfaces.
>Its body seemed to reflect light back even brighter, and its hull was glittering in all manner of different striped patterns, rapidly changing and evolving.
>Underneath was a thick ring of blue light surrounding a circle with the same surface as the rest of the outside.
>The incredible sight almost left you blind to the bustling crowd underneath the object.
>Different crates were set up along the ground with an array of different scientific equipment, and a small army of people in white hazmat suits stood around waving metal rods towards the floating object.
>Surrounding them were a few men in black kevlar suits and masks, all of them sporting rifles strapped around their chest.
>They were all wandering circles around the security tape, so it was a wonder you hadn’t been spotted yet.

>”Is that what I think it is?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as loud as she could while still whispering.
“Haven’t you seen enough movies to know by now?” you answered, trying to keep your cool.
>”This is so cool, dude! Look at those soldiers! These people must have some resources to pull this kind of operation off.”
“I’m kind of worried. They don’t have a name, and I’ve never seen this symbol before…”
>”Pff… This shit’s all over the news. If officials have been sent here, these are probably the ones.”
>You found yourself worrying more about the people on the ground rather than what you actually came here to see.
>Rainbow Dash sighed in disappointment behind you when you didn’t pay attention to her talking, so she grabbed your head and lifted it towards the floating object.
>”Look dude…” she said, slightly annoyed. “If you’re gonna analyze stuff, analyze this for me!”
>She pointed towards the impressive looking craft, and you were immediately pulled out of your thoughts when you noticed something strange.
”Wait a minute.” you said to yourself.
>On closer inspection, what seemed like an outside hull made of a brushed metal seemed to be vibrating slightly.
>But there was something more to it than that.
“Oh shit.”
>”What? What do you see?”
“Look at the sides. The brushed patterns rapidly changing.”
>”Yeah, and what about it?”
“It’s not changing… It really is rotating!”
>”HEY! What are you doing here?!” a voice beckoned from the clearing.
>Both you and Rainbow Dash’s attention were ripped from the craft instantly, and your heart started racing.
>One of the soldiers had spotted you, and was quickly making his way over to where you sat hunched behind a tree.
>”Shit, move!” Rainbow Dash yelled, smacked you on the shoulder, and tore up the ground under her as she hightailed back through the orchard as fast as she could.
>It didn’t take long before you sprang up yourself, launching yourself up from the trunk and sprinting into the darkness.
>Whatever care you took in treading the ground before were now completely disregarded, as you dug your feet into the soft forest bed and whipping up whatever dead plant matter unlucky enough to find itself beneath you.
>Every step you took felt like a hammer against an anvil, slamming into the ground and ripping it apart just to gain some extra speed.
>You didn’t even bother looking behind you as you flew through the woods in a whirlwind of leaves and barnacles.
>This organization was unlike any you had seen before, and if you learned anything from that one miserable year at law school, you knew they could probably do anything to you and get away with it.
>You were not about to get locked up for something like this.
>As you rounded a tree, you felt something claw your arm into an iron grip, and you almost flew forward before being dragged behind it and silenced with a strong palm around your mouth.
>You wanted to scream, but your heightened senses quickly picked up on the familiar high-pitched heavy breathing behind you, so you managed to silence yourself.
>As you tried to restrict the amount of noise you made catching your breath, you could hear a dozen heavy footsteps galloping through the woods, shouting orders to each other.
>The flickering cones of light searched through the trees, attempting to lock onto anything that moved.
>So you kept still.
>For what felt like hours you stood there, your back pressed against the assuring breaths of your friend.
>Her nervous heart beating was the only thing which kept some sense of safety in you.
>Eventually, her hand slipped away from your mouth, and she removed her iron lock around your waist.
>Carefully, you both listened.
>Looking around the corners revealed the torchlights of the bloodhound soldiers had subsided, and not a sound could be heard except the warm summer breeze rustling through the treetops.
>You still didn’t feel safe, but at least you didn’t feel hunted anymore.


Day 109

>With no bottom in sight, you fell endlessly through a dark void.
>Suddenly, a soft surface appeared beneath you, and your head fell backwards as you gasped for air.
>Your back twitched as you struggled to regain balance.
>Immediately your eyes shot open and you grabbed your chair as you sat up straight, clutching your chest expecting your heart to stop any moment.
>Just your imagination, you thought as you attempted to get your bearings.
>The cozy interior of the living quarters were illuminated with in a dim glow from some unknown source.
>The pale parquet which covered the floor was nicely accentuated by the dark ebony walls encircling the room.
>On one end were large windows giving you a nice view of the starlit cosmos outside, flinging past you at impossible speeds.
>On the opposite side were eight doors, all but one containing you and your crew's personal quarters.
>You hadn’t actually set foot inside your own in months.
>Too much to think about.
>The last door lead outside to the endless corridors of the ship.
>This room was a nice change of pace in contrast to the metal gray industrial feel of Excalibur's guts.
>Not that this ship was built for comfort anyway.

>The familiar sound of gas being decompressed redirected your attention towards Rainbow Dash’s quarters as the pilot stepped out rubbing her eyes.
>She stretched an arm into the air while catching a yawn with the other, scratched her cheek and slowly looked over at you with half-closed eyes and a groggy expression.
>After standing outside and surveying the room for a few moments, she silently walked over to a couch on the other side of the table in front of you and dropped down, landing heavy amongst the soft pillows.
>Her head fell onto the backrest, staring into the roof.
>”What are you doing here?” she said after a few moments, her voice rusty after hours of inactivity.
>You realized you were sitting kind of awkwardly on the edge of your chair, like you were ready to run, so you slouched down into its comfortable embrace and sighed.
“Had a bad dream.” you answered stoically.
>Rainbow Dash forced her head upright, but didn't say anything.
>You noticed she wasn’t wearing much other than a t-shirt which seemed five times her size, hanging loose around her torso and reaching down to her knees.
>It looked more like a nightgown than a shirt, but knowing her style she probably bought it that big on purpose.
>Her hair was a jumbled mess, like someone had dropped a paint bucket on her head and she hadn’t bothered cleaning it up.
>To top off the look, her eyes were darkened to the point where she looked like a wandering ghost.
“Rough night?” you asked, only to get a scoff in response.
>”I never had any fear of heights..” she answered after a while. “...but this is somethin’ else.”
“it’s been like three months.”
>”I know right!” she exclaimed and sat upright, gesturing with her hands. “The worst part, I don’t think it’s gonna improve any time soon.”
“Yeah, I get you.” you sighed, sliding further down into your fortress of comfort.
>A few moments of relaxing silence passed by, but your condition didn’t improve much.
>You were still tired, and hadn’t slept properly in weeks.
>Somehow you couldn’t get yourself to sleep in your own chambers.
>There was still a lot to do around the ship.
>Not only that, but you could never shake the feeling something wasn’t right at all.
“Hey, Dash…” you asked into the wind.
>You got a grunt as confirmation she was still awake, so you kept going.
“Remember that incident at Sweet Apple right before we left?”
>You didn’t get an answer, but you improved your sitting position once again and saw her looking at you, so you knew you had her attention.
“Those guys, I could never figure out who they were. I never saw that symbol again anywhere.”
>”We agreed not to talk about it again, you know.”
“We’re a bajillion miles away from home, I doubt they would send people looking for us up here.”
>”Not even time-traveling space agents?”
>You gave her a dumb look, but Rainbow Dash kept the same stoic expression she had since coming out here.
“Anyway, I haven’t heard from home since we left, and I’m starting to worry…”
>”And you think these mysterious people have something to do with it?”
“I dunno, but if that thing was all over the news, and still they were the only ones on the scene, who knows what kind of an influence they have.”
>”Look dude, what would anyone have to gain from cutting ties with us? And why are you telling me all this now?”
“Well…” you said, your arms dropping limp over your knees when a vague feeling of hopelessness washed over you. “You’re one of the very limited selection of people I know who’s seen these people that I trust, and I don’t want to be lost out here without anyone taking my side if it turns out to be true.”
>You both sat there for a moment in silence.
>Finally, Rainbow Dash got up from the couch and headed towards the exit.
>”This really isn’t the right time. I’ll think about it, but right now I need some caffeine.”
>The door to the ship hissed, then hissed again, and she was gone.
>Either signals took far longer than anticipated to reach back home, or someone had been screwing with the transmissions.
>That someone could either be a force of influence back on earth…
>Or someone on board wasn’t telling the truth.


Day 116

>”No, pull that one!”
>The plug was firmly secured in its slot, and no matter how much force you applied to it, it wouldn’t budge.
>You sheepishly put your foot up against the wall and let your whole body weight hang against the plug in an effort to increase the pressure.
>Much to your surprise, the plug immediately let go, and you were blinded by an explosion of sparks and lightning rods shot out of the pegboard.
>You found yourself soaring across the floor for a few short moments before you came crashing down on your back, knocking the air out of your chest.
>In between your coughing fit, you heard Applejack’s concerned shouts coming up the stairs, and her face appeared above you, looking confused and uncertain what to do.
>With a weak grin you held up the now toasted plug and half-chuckled, half-coughed at her.
“I got it…”
>The engineer seemed to calm down a bit and you laid there catching your breath as she examined the component.
>She carefully took it in her hands and stared at it up close before tossing it over her shoulder and shrugged.
>”Busted.” she said and got up to her feet. “I reckon we’re gonna have to install a new one.”
“I’ll have you know it wasn’t easy getting that out of there.” you said mournfully while staggering to your feet.
>Applejacks lack of concern for your wellbeing wasn’t surprising to you.
>She hadn’t changed at all since you were teens, and in some way, you appreciated that.
>At least she was honest about her emotions instead of pretending to care.
>You knew that when it mattered, she would be there for you all, and not get hung up in small things like being electrocuted or choking in an alien atmosphere or burning up during re-entry.
>You laughed to yourself at the thought.
>”You alright there, Anon?” Applejack asked and turned towards you.
>”Don’t… worry about me.” You waved an arm dismissively at her while rubbing your back with the other. “What’s our next move?”
>”The plasma combustion chamber won’t stay stable without the circuitry crutch, so we’d better start restorin’ this thing right away. C’mon!”
>Like a whirlwind, she flew down the stairs and left you literally covered in burnt dust and toasted fabric.
>It didn’t take long for you to regain your bearings and head after her.
>You dreaded to think what a ‘plasma combustion chamber’ would do if it ‘destabilized’, so listening to your engineer was the smartest thing you could do right now.
>She had never failed the Excalibur before, and you doubted she’d fail her now.
>Halfway down the stairs, you noticed the engineer silently standing above a strange cylinder near the back wall.
>You sensed a dark cloud hanging over her as she stared down into the empty tank.
>This had been going on for quite a while now.
>Every solution you and Fluttershy had attempted to cheer her up had ultimately failed.
>The only thing which seemed to work was keeping her mind busy with working, but she hadn’t taken a break in days.
>Not only her, but you had noticed the same symptoms on some of your other friends as well.
>No contact with HQ also meant no contact with family members.
>At this point, you were almost certain that was the root of the problem, even though nobody wanted to admit it.
>If this kept up, you dreaded how things would end up.
>You ran down the stairs and past Applejack, smacking her in the shoulder lightly in order to bring her back to reality.
“Come on!” you encouraged her. “We’ve got a Combustion thingy to fix!”
>Her face seemed to light up, and after tightening her ponytail, she sprinted ahead of you, leading the way to the spare parts chamber.


Day -6519 (Day 161 of the year 2018)

>”It was right here! I swear!”
> The empty clearing rested easy beneath the tree crowns and the dull, hot summer morning.
>Not a single drop of dew was left, as it all had disappeared and drifted to the deep blue sky above.
>The absence of clouds allowed the sunlight to pierce through the atmosphere, the only refugee from its rays being in the protective embrace of the apple trees.
>Applejack looked around the area with a sentinel’s gaze, her hands resting firmly on her wide, muscular, denim-covered hips.
>The contrast from yesterday was remarkable.
>Even in your sleep-deprived haze you could still see how well they covered their tracks.
>”Sorry, Dashie, but I ain’t never saw nobody come down ‘ere last night. Let alone a… rotatin’ thingemadoohickey.”
>The unkempt and tall grass would have left marks from all the heavy equipment the mysterious people brought with them, let alone the centrifuge from the aircraft, but now it didn’t seem like anyone had been here in months.
>You probably would have thought it was a dream by this point if Rainbow Dash hadn’t been at the scene with you.
>The two of you watched Applejack shrug empathetically and wander off between the trunks back to her chores.
>Once gone, Rainbow Dash lowered her shoulders in defeat, and you walked up next to her.
“I guess we’re at a dead end now. Except Miss Cupcake yesterday, nobody seems to have heard about this.”
>”I bet they covered it up.”
>Rainbow Dash kicked the grass in frustration, and somehow managed to hit a rock which went flying across the clearing, nailing a trunk on the other side with a hollow smack.
“Well, what are you gonna do… I really don’t wanna get into trouble with these guys. Besides, if the government wanted to cover this up, my experience tells me it’s best to leave it be.”
>You clapped Rainbow Dash friendly on the shoulder, attempting to cheer her up.
>As you looked up at her though, you got the feeling she didn’t need it as much as you thought, as her face had taken on quite an indifferent expression.
>”Oh well.” she sighed, staring up at the endless sky. “It was a pretty cool date though.”
“Well I… date?”
>”Race ya to the barn!”
>Before you could question her, she was gone into the shadows of the orchard, a trail of leaves gently floating to the ground left behind in her wake.

>You stood there for a moment while waiting for your brain to recharge.
>You hadn’t slept well, and suddenly everything seemed to fling past you quicker than you could react.
>All around you, the crickets chirped, and an occasional bird or two swooped far above, singing songs of solemn solitude.
>With the same lack of ocular movement, the hand you had suspended in the air in front of you slowly made its way back to your side, hanging loose from your shoulder as a gentle breeze ruffled your hair.
>You sighed in tune with the wind, and found yourself submitting to a certain sense of mellowness.
>You would miss these times in the future, you thought, fooling around with your friends without a care in the world.
>”Things are always in motion” you remembered Fluttershy would occasionally tell you. “Like the trees in the forest and the squirrels preparing for winter, you just have to accept change and keep going.”
>You and Rainbow Dash didn’t happen upon Sweet Apple acres just to investigate yesterday’s incident.
>This week was the last week of the semester before summers tides of heat washed over the hemisphere.
>Every year since you moved here, you and your six friends had held an end-of-semester-party to commemorate another successful educational year.
>Or, Pinkie Pie insisted on hosting one that is.
>In her defense, they were pretty good parties.
>You didn’t really think too much about how it would be like when it all came to an end.
>Yet, here you stood.
>You hadn’t really talked to your friends about the future.
>They didn’t yet know that they probably would never see you again.
>In your pocket, your hand clenched around your letter of admission which you for some reason had kept on you since you got it.
>’A prodigy’ they had called you.
>Where you were going, people weren’t known for returning back home for most of their career.
>But it was an opportunity you couldn’t pass up.
>’The Millenia Galactica’ project had asked for you by name.
>It was an opportunity for you to partake in something bigger than yourself, to help humanity in ways you couldn’t help your own sorry ass.
>But as long as you could leave knowing your friends were happy, that was all you could ask for.
>You had to make sure Rainbow Dash kept quiet about that mysterious organization before she got herself into some kind of trouble before you could help her.
>After clearing your mind you set on after Rainbow Dash, bracing yourself for your third exhausting run this week.

>”Where ya off to in such a hurry, Anon?” you heard a bright voice call out to you from in between the trees.
>You slowed down from your sprint and looked around the orchard, trying to find the source, but to no avail.
>You stood awkwardly in the middle of the road, not too far from the main barn of the farm, scanning the area before noticing a pink ribbon poking out from the branches.
>When entering into the shadowy embrace of the trees and looked up into the tree crowns, you spotted a little girl in a bright yellow tee and a short pair of jorts hanging upside down by her feet from one of the branches.
>Her childish face had an innocent, curious look, framed in by her abnormally long hair cascading down towards the ground like a bright red waterfall.
>Her signature ribbon still sat firmly on top of her head, like it was a part of her.
>In one quick motion, Applebloom grabbed the branch and swung herself around, landing safely into the soft grass.
>She dusted off her hands and turned her attention to you, wiping her forehead with her wrist.
>”Are ya gonna answer me or stare some more?” she asked, placing one hand on her slim hip.
“Oh sorry, I was just…” you fumbled with your words, still befuddled by finding her there. “Have you seen your sister?”
>The girl nodded energetically and motioned towards the old beat up shack on the far side of the farmhouse which acted as Applejack's workshop.
>”She n’ Dash headed up there, said she was showin’ her some projects or somethin’ or other.”
>You thanked her for her help, and was just about to set off again when…
>”Anon, wait!”
>Turning around, you noticed the redheads eyebrows converging upwards in a worried expression.
>She stared into the ground, seemingly having trouble forming words.
>”Is… Is it true yer leavin’ town after summer?”
>You made your way over to her, crouching down to her eye level.
“I’ll probably be gone by next week actually. I’ve got some important things to do.”
>”You’ll look out for my sis, won’t you?”
>Perplexed by her question, you sat there like a question mark.
“I mean… I’ll do my best, but I’m not sure if I’ll see her again for some time.”
>”Some strange men came to our house last night. I got scared so I went up to my room, but I think somethin’ weird’s goin’ on.”
>You patted her shoulder to comfort her, trying your best to hide how this new information shocked you.
>It seemed like whatever happened last night, Applejack was perfectly aware of it.
>You couldn’t recall the last time she had lied to you, but if she did hide the truth, you had no doubt she had a very good reason to.
>”But you’ll be there for her, right? You always have.”
“Of course I will.” you answered, giving the girl a warm smile.
>This seemed to comfort her enough, and with a grin and a pat on her head, she gave you a hug before disappearing into the orchard..
>Just as you got back up on your feet, you noticed a certain familiar silhouette making its way up the main road from the farm gates.
>Purple strands of hair flowed behind her as she cheerfully waved a hand at you.
>Behind Twilight followed three others, the rest of your merry group.
>You smiled, waved back, and waited for your friends to catch up before heading towards the main barn together.

>Walking along the dirt road, you found it hard to keep conversation with the others, and chose to walk a few steps behind by yourself.
>Applebloom was right, something was definitely off.
>It seems as though whoever those people were last night, they were so determined to keep it a secret they supposedly threatened the local farm.
>You didn’t know exactly what they said of course, but you imagined they could pull something like that off.
>The strange part was that the Kingdom was widely known around the world for being transparent with its actions and operations.
>An agency operating like this wasn’t very characteristic of the Monarchy, so you suspected that these people acted outside of government jurisdiction.
>Now the question remained why they would want to keep a discovery like this a secret.
>Of course, a lot of questions remained, but one at a time.

>During your walk you kept mulling over the events of the past twelve hours.
>They seem to have had a greater effect on you than you thought, and it didn’t help that Rainbow Dash was the only person you could turn to either.
>You were considering talking to Applejack about it, but it could bring about more trouble than you could handle right now.
>However, if there were any person in this world you could trust, it would be her.
>”Anon?!”
>The voice snapped you out of your deep thought, and in front of you, all four of your friends were looking at you with concerned expressions.
“Uh… Yes!”
>No reaction.
“No…?”
>Twilight planted her palm into her face and sighed in disappointment.
>”We’re getting set up at the usual place in the orchard.” Rarity parroted. “Would you be a dear and get Applejack for us?”
>You hastily nodded before they suspected you lost yourself again.
>You watched your friends make their way down a side road before turning your attention towards Applejack’s workshop.
>If you were to confront her, now would be as good a time as any without the others around.
>With heavy determined steps, you made your way towards the old shack, this time hopefully for some answers.

>With a careful grasp around the flimsy door handle, you slowly opened a crack in the entrance and announced your presence.
“Hello?”
>The dry wood walls and hay-covered floor of the shack dampened the acoustics, and your voice quickly disappeared into the room.
>When you didn’t get any response, you opened the door further.
>It didn’t move much further, however, as it struck something heavy behind it and stopped dead in its track much faster than you anticipated.
>A racket of metal came crashing down, and you winced as you endured the tremendous amount of noise generated from the debris, and you stood there hunching behind the door until a circular plate rolled around the corner and came to a standstill in front of you.
>You opened your eyes slowly and looked around, only to be met by a mess of wires and pipes sprouting from a central table, and several different metal objects laid sprawled across the floor.
>A clear path had been carved through the oxidized junk, and at the end of it stood two people staring at you with wide eyes.
>You leaned against the entryway for a few moments before realizing what was actually going on.
>At the other end of the room stood Applejack and Rainbow Dash facing away from each other while looking at you with worried expressions.
>In a hurry, you cleared your throat and leaned against the nearest support beam.
“Hello ladies.”
>”You alright, sugarcube?” Applejack inquired, completely ignoring your attempt at being funny.
>You dusted off your jacket and nodded before navigating over to the two girls, stumbling over heaps of what seemed like mostly useless machine parts.
“I knew you had a passion for engineering, AJ, but I never realized it went this far.” you stated, accidentally slamming your toes into a particularly heavy part and grabbing hold of a table to support yourself.
>Rainbow Dash grabbed a hold of your arm and helped you get back on your feet again.
>”What are you doing here?” she asked once you had stabilized.
“Was about to ask you the same thing.”
>Rainbow Dash looked at you for a second, then pinched her bridge and sighed.
>”Alright, let’s cut the fake shit, let’s talk about the UFO.”
>Applejack looked at her with a surprised expression, and it seemed like she grew more uncomfortable.
>She started fidgeting with the end of her braid, aggressively tugging on the red ribbon at the end.
>You were pretty shocked about how she went straight to the point, but this was the purpose of your visit too, so you decided to go along with it.
>”I ain’t got no clue what y’all talking about, honest!”
>”You had a giant silver spinning disc in your backyard and a bunch of creepy guys with rifles, I find it pretty hard to believe you didn’t see anything.”
>”You do realize I’ve got almost a hundred acres of land ‘round here, right?”
“Please, AJ, just talk to us about this, I know you’re aware of this. I already talked to Applebloom.”
>This seemed to catch her off guard, and she became completely silent.
>The farm girl slowly turned around and leaned onto a nearby workshop table, sighing to herself and closing her eyes.
>You and Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything, and let Applejack take her time.

>After a short while, she turned around and crossed her arms.
>”Alright, don’t y’all go fucking talkin’ ‘bout this to anyone, y’hear me? This is serious.”
>Both you and Rainbow Dash nodded in sync, and Applejack steeled herself before continuing.
>”I never did see this aircraft thingy, but they did come to our front door in this black truck. They call themselves Homefront, had all matching suits and everything.”
>You raised an eyebrow.
>The name ‘Homefront’ was completely new to you, and you couldn’t think of anything related to it.
>Your partner in crime seemed just as perplexed about this new information, but you didn’t say anything.
>”They didn’t say much, only that if we talked to anybody ‘bout the events in our orchard that night, our family would face some pretty serious consequences.”
>You covered your mouth and started pacing around.
>Everything that Applejack said just confirmed all your suspicions, and things just seemed more and more grim to you.
>Rainbow Dash also seemed pretty shook up about this.
>”So now y’all know why i couldn’t tell anyone about this stuff.”
>”You know, I wish I hadn’t asked.” Rainbow Dash groaned and sat down on a bucket on the floor.
>”It’s not that we’ve got some information to leak, but the fact that someone like that can stand up and threaten my and my family’s livelihood… I’m scared, honestly.”
>You sat down with your back against Rainbow Dash’s, scratching your neck.
“I really think there's just one thing to do about this situation.”
>You felt both of your friend’s gaze pierce you in the back, and you turned halfway around while throwing your hands in the air.
“Well, we have to be quiet about it!” you stated as if it would be obvious.
>”You just wanna forget about it and let them do what they want?” Rainbow Dash spoke up.
“You want to go up against someone like this? Be my guest, but remember you’re endangering your friend’s family business in the process.”
>The room went quiet, and you turned back towards the wall.
>After a few moments, you bounced back on your feet and put a firm hand on Applejack’s shoulder, looking deep into her eyes under the rim of her hat.
“I promise.” you vowed. “These people will not get away with this. But right now, there's nothing we can do except keep quiet. One day when we have more information on these guys, I’ll be by your side and help you to take these sons of bitches down.”
>Applejack nodded, a determined look on her face.
>For now, Homefront had silenced you, but if you had anything to say in the matter, this wouldn’t be the last time they had to deal with you.
>You had a plan brewing, even though it was a slow burn.
>It was pretty obvious that Homefront concealed important information about the nature of the universe, but to what extend you were unsure of.
>But until then, you had an end of semester party to attend to.
>After taking a vow of silence among yourself, you, Rainbow Dash and Applejack made your way to the clearing, determined to enjoy your last week together with all your friends.


Day 127

>A blazing orb of fire burnt away at its core, letting its light dance around the empty system to no audience at all.
>In the distance, another flash ignited for just a second before a giant dark ship cut through into the glow and entered a slow cruise.
>After staying seemingly dormant for a moment, only drifting slowly with no reaction, countless panels at the side of its three wings opened and glittering blue sails emerged.
>The sails spiraled around on an axis until they formed a dish around the ship, and were locked in place with huge magnet mechanisms before steam was ejected out of exhaust lanes behind the vessel.
>”Solar sails in place!” a bright voice called out from the lower deck.
>You tapped your fingers on the side of your chair impatiently, waiting for results.
>Suddenly, the entire ship nudged forward, slamming your head into the neck rest as the force from the surprisingly powerful solar winds grabbed a firm hold of the Excalibur and pushed her forward.
“Woah, keep her steady helm!” you called out to Rainbow Dash, who seemed to struggle to keep course due to the sudden acceleration. “Open the blinds by five percent, let some wind through.”
>By your command, small square increments of the solar dish twisted around, and immediately you felt Excalibur’s frame rest comfortably against the force of the massive clump of gas locking you in place around it.
>”It seems the solar emissions are more powerful than we expected” Twilight chimed in.
>You stared into the distance, towards the local star, and noticed how extremely bright the light from it appeared, even with the UV filters on.
“How big is this thing anyway?” you asked to your crew.
>”UY Scuti is approximately 1700 solar radi.” Twilight spoke up.
>An enlarged image of the star slowly rotating around itself was projected onto the front window.
>”It’s the biggest star currently known in our galaxy.”
>You seemed a bit unfazed by this information.
>From this distance it seemed just like any other star.
>Besides, this desolate system wasn’t exactly what you expected to find here.
>”So now what?” Rainbow Dash quipped.
>You thought for a while, then sighed.
“Set an intercept course towards the star. I’d like a high-altitude orbit, far enough away to not fry our systems.”
>Without another word, you got up from your chair and headed towards the bridge doors.
“Let’s just hope this journey gives us some answers.”

>A metallic knock tore you away from your deep thought.
>As you turned your chair around, you just witnessed Fluttershy make her way through your office entrance.
>”Oh, I hope I’m not intruding, Anon.”
>You shook your head and motioned towards a seat on the opposite side of your desk.
”I was actually hoping you’d pay a visit.” you pointed out as the pink-haired scientist made her way across the small chamber. “Something’s been on my mind for some time now, and I need some second opinions.”
>”Of course I’ll help, dear. What’s the matter?”
>You put your pen down, which until now had been used for nothing more than fidgeting, and planted your elbows into the mahogany surface of your desk.
“As I have no doubt you’re aware of, we have been unable to get in touch with NESA ever since we left Klepra.”
>”Malfunctioning comm equipment wouldn’t be a surprise to me over this large of a distance.” Fluttershy stated, folding her hands into her lap.
“Yeah, see, that’s the weird part. According to Rarity, the tech behind them is sound and it shouldn’t take us more than a few days to get an answer. I’ve sent a report every week since we came aboard this ship, but none of them have been met with any replies.”
>Fluttershy went quiet.
>It felt to you like she had already accepted the situation and didn’t seem worried by it.
“Well,” You said while you got up from your chair and started pacing around. “To be honest, I’m not really worried about the Agency here. What worries me the most is that we haven’t gotten any messages from our families or anything in months. We’re completely in the dark about what’s going on at home, and they probably haven’t heard from us either.”
>You stopped in front of your window, where you had a prime view of the desolate star system.
“I think it’s putting some emotional strain on the others, and I wouldn’t want that on anyone.”
>”Well, what are you suggesting?” Fluttershy finally added to the conversation.
“I think someone at NESA changed their mind on this mission and didn’t feel like telling us…” you turned around and saw Fluttershy with the same indifferent and innocent expression. “Or someone is sabotaging us from this ship.”

>After discussing your concerns further with Fluttershy, it seemed to put her into a state of unrest as well, but she appeared more convinced something fishy was happening aboard Excalibur.
>You could only hope you hadn’t convinced her of a threat which only existed in your head.
>For now, you had no concrete evidence to support your case, but you still made Fluttershy promise to keep her eyes open.
>In your head, if Fluttershy saw your concerns as being purely psychological, she would most likely tell you about it and help you solve it because of her profession.
>The fact that she didn’t act on it convinced you further that you were on the right track about this problem.
>After she left to her duties you thought about the risks of telling her about this.
>One thing was clear to you now, and it was that Fluttershy seemed sincere enough to trust for now.
>A sneaking suspicion crawled up your spine during your talk, something you hadn’t thought about for years.
>Like foam rising to the surface in the cup of a hot drink, repressed memories came rushing back to you.
>You didn’t tell Fluttershy about that detail, but you knew exactly who you needed to consult about it.

>”Okay, we’re here, what’s the big idea?”
>Rainbow Dash constantly readjusted herself to find a comfortable position, but nothing seemed to work.
>For now, she appeared forced to keep one limb pressed against any four sides of the rectangular ventilation shaft to keep herself stable.
>It was an unconventional meeting place for sure, but you had to make sure nobody else listened in.
>Not that this didn’t make you feel any less of a lunatic paranoid, but it was your way to make sure nobody suspected your awareness of the problem.
“Okay, until now I’ve kept most of the crew in the dark about this, but I doubt it has gone unnoticed. We’ve had some communications problems recently.”
>”What kind of ‘communication problem’?” Applejack asked, casually leaning against an inactive air pump.
“Well, to put it bluntly, we haven’t had any contact with Earth since Klepra. I’ve periodically sent reports back, but I haven’t heard anything at all.”
>Applejack and Rainbow dash looked at each other before diverting their attention back to you.
>”That’s… worrying…”
>Yeah, I thought the lack of messages from back home was ‘cause of a busy period or somethin’. Do we know what’s the problem?” The engineer asked, but you shook your head.
“If we did, we would have it fixed already. Rarity has run multiple diagnostics and keeps telling me the systems are fine.”
>”And you think some outside force is in our way?”
>Taken by surprise that Applejack figured all that out just from what you told her, you slowly nodded and informed them of your suspicions.
“It’s the reason I called both of you here. I think Homefront is behind it.”
>Just as you uttered those words, you heard Applejack silence a giggle.
>Baffled by what she found so funny, you raised an eyebrow.
>”Look, sorry partner, but you wanna bring up those guys now?”
“Is this a bad time?” you asked stoically.
>”We told them off as just another wacko conspiracy theory years ago when we didn’t find anything on them.”
“You might not have, but I did.”
>Your statement seemed to silence the engineer, and she looked at you through the corner of her eye.
“During my time stationed earthside at NESA, I read multiple statements from people claiming they’ve been in contact with them, and the cases are always related to supernatural phenomena. Every time they have always gone out of their way to silence people.”
>The two didn’t take their eyes off you.
>”How do we know this isn’t more crazy conspiracies or made up stories?” Rainbow Dash said, shifting her pose again to no avail.
“We don’t, of course, but you saw the same thing as I did, Dash, and you heard them even state their name AJ. Now I don’t know what they hope to gain from this, but somebody intends to silence us.” The two sat there in silence, looking at you with what could only be described as disbelief.
“Okay, listen, I traveled around for a bit and paid some of these people a visit. All the details check out. I don’t think these Homefront guys are just a big coincidence.”
>”I’m havin’ a hard time believin’ all this.”
“I won’t demand that you do, but I just ask that you keep your eyes open to anything unusual. I need to figure out what’s going on aboard my ship, and I intend to fix this.”
>Your friends grew silent, but after a short while nodded in agreement.

>After making them promise to tell you if they saw something and struggling your way out of the engine room maintenance shaft, you all went your separate ways.
>None of this would solve the problem immediately, but maybe you’d figure out what was actually going on.
>And if Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy or Applejack had been compromised by whatever intended to silence you… Well, you’d pretty much be screwed.
>Nice plan asshole.
>”Anon!” a voice called out for you from behind you and ripped you from your thoughts.
>You turned around and noticed Rarity dashing towards you down the corridor, a worried expression plastered across her face.
“What’s the problem?” you asked as she stopped to catch her breath in front of you.
>”It’s Twilight! Something’s happening!”

>You rushed through the door of the sick bay only to find Twilight unconscious on one of the medical tables with Fluttershy frantically scanning her with a wide array of tools.
>Twilight’s lab coat had been ripped open to reveal the pulsating stone in her chest, and you finally got a good look at the impact point.
>Where the mineral met her skin, it almost seemed like the wound had been cauterized, and the area where flesh joined rock appeared almost seamless.
>The stone seemed almost lodged diagonally between her breasts, piercing directly through where her heart would have been.
>Whatever kept her alive was way beyond you, but now it seemed like the fantasy you were living for the past weeks was slowly torn to shreds.
>The green crystalline object had now begun pulsating rapidly, and bright flashes illuminated the room around you.
>You had to shield your eyes from the light as you made your way across the room to her side.
>For some reason, Twilight seemed like she was in a deep sleep.
>She showed no sign of being present at all.
>You looked over at Fluttershy with a worried expression, but she only returned it with a frown and a shake of her head.
>”I don’t know what’s wrong with her, I’m not getting any response. It’s like she just flatlined out of nowhere. Since she doesn’t have any pulse, I would have declared her dead on the spot, but I’d say the circumstances are quite extraordinary.”
“Don’t give up on her yet.” you said and bent over the unconscious scientist to get a better look at her..
>Looking down at Twilight’s face, she seemed calm, serene even, like she fell asleep after a long day of hard work.
>Putting your hand over her nose and mouth, you felt no breath or noticed any response from her whatsoever.
“Damn it.” you cursed, slamming your palm against the table. “Why didn’t we order a more thorough medical exam after she got struck.”
>”I did to the best of my ability, Anon.” Fluttershy apologized with a shaking voice. “I’m afraid there was nothing to examine at all. She seemed perfectly healthy in every way. You know, except for the lack of a pulse of course.”
“And now look at her.” you mumbled to yourself, standing up and turning away from the table.

>Just then, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie entered the chamber.
>”Is she gonna be okay?!” Pinkie bawled as she ran over and kneeled next to the table.
>Her mood abruptly changed however, just like everyone else in the room, when the crystal suddenly lit up the entire room and a thin green beam blasted out of the tip of the rock and swept across the room in a flash.
>Everyone cowered at the sudden change of events, but slowly got back up and lifted their head from the protective embrace of their arms.
>Everything had been drenched in a bright green tint, and the beam from Twilight kept a constant line directed straight towards the bow of the ship.
>You looked around and saw your other friends were just as baffled as you.
>Carefully, you moved your palm through the beam, and found it to be just light when it passed through and cut it off from the wall.
“It’s alright guys. I don’t think we’re in danger.” you spoke up to calm the others.
>”What in tarnation is going on here?” Applejack demanded to know. “W-what is that thing!?”
“Anyone an expert on laser-shooting minerals?” you asked in a weak attempt to be sarcastic.
>Everyone got quiet, and you could hear a weak high-pitched and pulsating hum emitting from the stone.
>Probably not the right time.
>”I think…” Fluttershy finally said. “...If this thing gave us co-ordinates before, maybe it’s trying to guide us towards something again?”
>You really wanted to know what thought processes she had gone through to reach that conclusion, but for now it was the best idea anyone had come up with.
“Alright, let’s try and get her up to the bridge. I want to see how far this thing shines, because right now it’s leading us straight into a medbay wall.”
>The others silently agreed, and Applejack scooped the unconscious scientist into her arms and made her way out of the lab.

“Quick, over here!”
>On your command, Applejack put Twilight carefully down in the command seat.
>The entire way up to the bridge, you and your friends had witnessed how the beam emitting from Twilight's chest had been consistently facing the same direction around every corner.
>Now that you had a better view, it became clear that it was aimed at the star.
>It seemed to go on forever endlessly into the ball of fire ahead, aimed slightly to the left of its core.
>You looked around with your mouth half agape, clueless as to what the next step should be.
>In truth, the answer was obvious, but you couldn’t bring yourself to believe all these events were deliberate.
>After all, it’s still just a rock… right?
>”I guess our purpose in this system is quite clear now, wouldn’t you agree?” Rarity finally said, breaking the silence which had persisted since you left the medical bay.
>You nodded and nervously scratched your stubble.
“To your stations. Let’s follow that beam and see what the hell is going on.”
>Without hesitation, the crew sans Twilight, whom you left in your chair, rushed to the lower bridge and booted up their consoles.
>You assumed a standing position behind your own panels.
“Alright.” you announced. “Dash, heading two two eight mark four, declination six. Bring her up to maximum sub-light speed until we are a thousand light seconds from the star.”
>”Aye!” Rainbow Dash shouted before removing the thruster actuation locks.
“Rarity and Fluttershy, I want you to scan that star and see if you can spot anything unusual about it.”
>”What about me?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“Uhh… Make sure no foreign object approaches us during transit. If you spot anything, notify me immediately.”
>The eccentric girl saluted you with a grin, probably just happy to bring some meaning to her otherwise inactive station, and dove nose-first into her monitors.
>Almost quite literally so.
“Alright, let’s find out what’s the meaning of all this.”
>You felt gravity displace itself as the ship’s thrusters kicked in.
>Only small increments of boosts were needed, as the solar sail dish caught the solar winds with ease.
>Through the window you watched as the nose of the ship slowly turned around to face the enormous star.
>It was hard to see it properly this far away, but as you got closer you would be able to see the true scale of it.
>You looked at Twilight’s unconscious body with worry, mentally crossing your fingers that whatever had put you out here could also fix her.


Day 128

“Shouldn’t we be practically next to it by now?” you asked, looking at the enormous orb of light towering far above you.
>The sheer size of it almost gave you vertigo, but you held fast to your desk so you wouldn’t fall.
>”We’re still quite far away. Any normal person wouldn’t be able to comprehend the scale of something this massive, so don’t be surprised.”
>You glared over at Fluttershy thinking she tried to throw a snarky comment your way, but she stared back with sincere innocence.
>”Wait, Anon, something isn’t right here.”
“What’s the matter Rarity?”
>She turned around from her station and looked at you with worry.
>”Since we got here, my computer has been registering anomalous luminosity drops all across the star by up to 0.2 per cent.”
“And this is noteworthy because…?”
>”Anon, 0.2 per cent is quite significant, at least with a star as large as this. It most likely indicates passing or obstructing objects.”
“So you’re telling me there is something out here? I thought this system had no satellites.”
>Rarity nodded and brought a few images with several scan results up to the main viewer.
>”Preliminary scans show that there shouldn’t be any other object out here, but these new discoveries prove otherwise.”
>You followed the green ray from Twilight's chest and all the way out beyond Excalibur’s nose.
>If you didn’t know any better, you’d think it was leading you into the celestial lamp itself.
>Something was hidden in the light, you just had to get close enough to see it.

>You had now been circling the star for two hours trying to figure this mystery out.
>During this time you had already made three cups of coffee, moved an additional chair from the living area to the bridge out of fear your knees would give up, and applied four layers of UV filters to the view screen.
>It was still nearly impossible to see anything beyond the wall of fire which now covered your vision, and the beam showing you the way seemed to go on forever in a strange spiral-shaped orbit.
>Twilight had not showed any lifesigns since she fell asleep either.
>You were worried for her wellbeing, but refused to give up on her.
>The only sign you had that she wasn’t gone was the fact that her hand was still warm.
>”Oh. OH!”
>Some movement from the lower bridge deck caught your attention, and you could see Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down in her chair with her arm stretched into the air.
>”Anon, I’ve spotted something!” she exclaimed. “A long curved object is heading towards us! I can’t make out its dimensions, it seems to span the entire horizon.”
“Shit, shields up! Arm the main canons!”
>”Don’t!”
>You nearly jumped and yelled like a little girl, and turned around in shock to see Twilight sitting up in your chair, sweat pouring down her forehead and breathing heavily.
>Without skipping a beat, Fluttershy made her way up and did a check up on her to make sure she was alright.
>The ray was still pouring out of her like a beacon, rising and falling as Twilight attempted to calm down her breathing.
>”I can’t find anything wrong with her.” Fluttershy said as she put down her tools.
>Suddenly, Twilight’s head turned to you with an expression you could only interpret as panic.
>”We do not wish to harm you. Allow us to show you hospitality and welcome you to our society.”
>You sat speechless next to the scientist who now seemed to spout nonsense to you.
>Looking at Fluttershy, she seemed as blown away by this as you, gripping her mouth trying not to scream.
>”Pardon me. This is your prefered method of communication, is it not?”
“Twilight, are you okay?” your voice was shaking.
>The purple-haired womans expression of fear did not match her monotone voice at all.
>You mostly feared for her safety rather than yours and the crews.
>This was far from normal behaviour.
>”Twilight…” She mulled over the word for a short moment. “Is this the name of the bearer of this vessel?”
>You had calmed down a bit, starting to believe you had gained a vague understanding of the situation.
“The one who speaks now is not named Twilight?” you attempted.
>A few moments of silence passed by.
>You saw Twilight's glossy eyes stare pleadingly at you, and you touched her shoulder with a calm hand.
>”I am Asakitt of The Concord. We have been expecting you to arrive.”
>You felt chills run down your spine.
>This couldn’t be possible.
>”Your vessel is emitting strange readings. This reaction was not accounted for.” Twilight spoke again with the same monotone voice. “We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding your culture. Please hold your position. Our orbits will intersect shortly and we will explain further.”
>Like unplugging a lamp, the green ray severed its connection with Twilight's chest, and she immediately heaved for air and grabbed your shoulders for support.
>”Oh my god oh my god oh my god I’m freaking out!” She screamed while gripping her chest. “Please tell me this is real!”
“You’re okay Twilight, we’re here, calm down.”
>She dumped her head onto your chest while clamping down on your shoulder so hard that you would surely feel it the next morning.

>After sitting there for a few minutes, Twilight finally let go and leaned back into the seat.
>Fluttershy made her way over to her side once more, but again couldn’t find anything wrong with her physically.
>”I had that dream again. It felt so real.”
“What dream?” you inquired, but didn’t get an immediate answer from the poor exhausted woman.
>”She had some sort of vision when she was struck by the crystal.” Fluttershy explained, caringly brushing through her friends hair. “It’s nothing we can explain right now. Apparently they have been growing more frequent lately.”
>You reached out and put a hand on Twilight's knee.
“Are you feeling alright?” you asked.
>She nodded slowly, sighing while wiping a drop of water from her chin.
>”These things I was saying, I had no control over myself. I didn’t know what to do, and even if I did I couldn’t even move.”
“I’m just glad to know you’re with us again.”
>Twilight tried to stand up, but didn’t come far before she fell back into the chair.
>With a longing gaze, she stared at the star ahead.
>”Dash, make a full stop.” Twilight instructed. “Something tells me we should listen to what this thing has to say.”
>Without question, Rainbow Dash did as she was told, and the Excalibur came to a full stop.
“Divert some power to the heat shields too.” you continued. “Let’s try not to get fried up out here.”
>”Aye!” Applejack saluted and went to work right away.
“You’re sure about this?” you asked Twilight.
>She gave you a determined nod.
>”I have a feeling that what I’m seeing isn’t just a dream. I need some closure.” the scientist sighed and put a hand to her forehead.
“Alright then. Let’s see what this Asakitt guy wants.”

>Your hand was firmly placed on Rainbow Dash’s chair as you tried your best not to succumb to vertigo.
>The field of view at the helm was amazing, and from your point right behind the pilot you could really appreciate the scale of your ship.
>To your left and right you could see the lower wings make their way from the thruster engine barrels, angled down about 30 degrees from the main body before concluding in weight equalization compartments built for atmospheric flight.
>Thankfully, Excalibur hadn’t been required to enter the atmosphere of a planet yet.
>You had a feeling it wouldn’t bode well for the ship’s structure anyway.
>In front of you, the thin and sleek bow reached out towards the star blocking your path.
>At the end of it sat the front-facing railgun accompanied by the curved, shielded plating protecting it from any stray debris or other things which could harm it.
>Again, you felt grateful for the fact that you hadn’t found use for it yet.
>Starting an interstellar war was definitely not one of your top priorities at this point.

>Above you, past the top wing and its weight compartment, the immense curved structure slowly made its way towards you.
>It seemed to circle the entire star like a containment field, rotating vigilantly around the only solid body in several lightyears.
>It was hard to make out the details, but some scans have showed it to be a ring-shaped tube which encircled the star, and rotated on 35-day cycles, both on a lateral and horizontal axis.
>How someone could build a structure in this close proximity to a star baffled you, but then again, their technological advancements probably far exceeded yours.
>The fact that you treated this situation with such calmness worried you slightly.
>If this turned out to be what you suspected, it would be an important step for your country... no, your entire planet.
>In truth, you weren’t really ready to accept that responsibility of introducing yourself to another intelligent alien species.
>A new thought crept into your mind.
>What if they aren’t friendly at all?
>Maybe they were looking to extort information about your species and your defences.
>The risk was there that all they wanted to was to destroy you.
>But, in the pursuit of science, everyone on board had agreed that this encounter had to be carried out.

>”500 kilometers till approach, Anon.” Rarity informed you.
>You turned around and started pacing through the lower bridge, addressing the crew.
“Disengage auto cruise, collapse the solar sails.” you ordered. “I trust you can bring us in on impulse, Dash?”
>”No problem!” the pilot enthusiastically saluted you and grabbed a firm hold of the manual control stick.
>You took a standing position in the middle of the bridge where you could see most of the screens and still have a good view of the outside.
>This was something you wouldn’t want to miss.
>”450 kilometers till approach.”
>The ship’s frame shifted as the glittering blue sails retracted into the large wings and the shielding closed them in.
“Alright, bring her in steady.”
>Gently, Rainbow Dash increased engine power, and you felt the world tilt slightly forward as the powerful thruster barrels ignited.
>Slowly, the vessel picked up speed and entered a slow glide.
>”350 kilometers.”
>You observed as the giant ring approached you slowly and several small details were slowly revealed to you on its surface.
>The massive structure soon brought you into its dark embrace as it blotted out the starlight, and its true size became apparent to you.
>”250 kilometers.”
>As the massive star disappeared behind the towering structure, you noticed a long rectangular part of its hull was shimmering in an eerie blue light.
>Four other hollow squares were projected outside if, flickering in a way which appeared to be motioning towards the structure.
>On closer inspection, the rectangle was revealed to actually be hollow, much to your surprise.
>”Anon…” Twilight appeared next to you with a pulsating tablet and directed your gaze to the portside of your ship.
>Again, you were taken aback when you noticed a strange tear-shaped vessel with a blue streak following behind it.
>The surface of what you could only assume was an escort craft glittered in magnificent silver as it reflected the pulsating blue lights from the structure ahead.
>It almost seemed like jewelry, molded with polished and smooth metal.
>The object danced playfully around the ship with impressive maneuverability, curiously observing the Excalibur.
>You found yourself becoming slightly embarrassed, like showing up dressed in a casual outfit at a high class galla as Excalibur clumsily spewed out rocket fire from its engines just to keep a stable course.
>You had only seen one other ship at this place, and already you felt like you were flying in a pile of junk.
>And this was supposed to represent the peak of your species technological evolution.
>”150 kilometers.”

“Dash, home in on the glowing section. I think they might want us to dock there.”
>Like a clumsy whale, the ship started rotating by firing its powerful RCS thrusters along the bow.
>It soon became apparent that what looked like a small hollow section on the destination’s hull actually was a gargantuan spaceport, and you could see thousands of ships several times your size laying dormant while small drones buzzed around outside tending to their needs.
>Countless black towers stood tall against the back wall inside the illuminated space, sectioning off areas of all shapes and sizes for ships to dock.
>The sheer diversity of the dormant ships sent your jaw flying towards the ground as you stood there in awe.
>”100 kilometers.”
>You had now passed the threshold of the dock.
>The ring had embraced you fully, and you noticed a transparent blue force separating you and the shipyard from each other.
>Just as Excalibur’s bow came into contact with the field, its entire frame shook violently, and you had to grab a hold of a nearby pole to keep you on your feet.
>Twilight came veering towards you, and with a swift motion you grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close to you, saving her head from knocking into a nearby desk.
“Status report?” you yelled out as the ship finally calmed down.
>”I uhh… seem to have lost control of her.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, desperately trying to move her flight stick and throttle to no avail.
>”We’re still moving, Anon.” Rarity pointed out from the other side of the bridge.
>You awkwardly helped Twilight get back on her feet before you looked outside.
>The ship seemed to have entered a gentle glide, heading directly towards an empty slot at the very back of the spaceport.
>”I’m detecting a massive energy surge along the hull.” Twilight informed you.
>”I-if I may...” Fluttershy carefully pulled your sleeve in an attempt to gain your attention.
>You turned around and waited for her to continue, although you had to wait for a few seconds before she took the hint.
>”O-oh, well, I’m detecting no system malfunctions. I think this is some sort of tractor beam technology.”
>You stared back in confusion.
>But after mulling it over, you realized it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.
>From what you had seen, the technology of these species far exceeded anything you had developed at home.
>The new proposal carried you down from your panicked state, and you now noticed your giant hulking mass of a spacecraft gently flying through the crowded dock.
>After having observed the alien vessels closely as you sat along for the ride, you finally noticed an empty spot coming up as you rounded a structure which seemed like someone jammed a bunch of giant metal spikes into a pink slimy ball.
>You watched as the Excalibur slowly slid into place, like a jigsaw puzzle piece fitting perfectly into its slot.
>You had to admit, this port amazed you with its automated logistics, something you would have never dreamt of seeing back home.
>Excalibur eventually came to a full stop, and three giant metal claws emerged from above and gently pressed against the hull, locking it in place.

>You stood still for a second, expecting something else to happen, but the spaceport grew completely dormant.
>Except for the occasional drone flying past, taking some confusing looks at your ship and moving on, nothing else hinted at future events taking place in your vicinity.
“Soooo…” you said after a while.
>”It appears we’ve reached our destination.” Rarity commented.
>”Indeed.” Twilight agreed.
>In the corner of your eye, you noticed some slight movement.
>It was so miniscule that you didn’t even think to pay attention to it at first.
>But when it was almost halfway across your bow, you snapped your head in its direction as it nearly startled you.
>Like a creature curiously sniffing at something new, a white pipe stretching far off into the distance had approached your hull and started poking it.
>You didn’t really know what to think at first, as you stared at it probing every inch of your portside for something.
>”Pardon the intrusion, humans, but could you direct me to your airlocks?”
>In shock, you turned around and emitted a weak “eep”.
>Twilight rolled her eyes at you and looked downwards.
>It took you a few seconds, but after numerous attempts, you finally figured out that she was looking at her own mouth.
>When you also realized that she was unable to move any other body part, you slapped yourself in the forehead, disappointed in your own stupidity.
“Give us a moment, we’ll give you a signal.”
>As if invisible strings were cut from her, Twilight suddenly shook her head and grabbed her temples with both of her hands.
>”Oh, I’m gonna give that Asakitt guy a piece of my mind!” she exclaimed through gritted teeth.
>Your attempt to calm her down was futile, as she paced around the bridge deck almost with visible tufts of steam rising from her head.
>”What gives him the right to intrude on me like that!”
“Look, I’ll talk to him about it, alright?” you said when Twilight finally slouched down in a nearby chair. “At least I think I will... AJ, can you flash the portside airlock emergency lights?”
>With a silent salute, the engineer turned around and typed something on her console.
>Almost immediately, you noticed the pipe shooting off and out of your line of sight.
>You took it as a cue and walked towards the front of the bridge so that everyone could see you.
“Well, what do you all say we go greet our new interstellar… uh… ‘friends’?”
>The atmosphere in the chamber grew awkward almost right away.
>The thought that this would be the official first contact with an alien species on behalf of humanity probably hadn’t occurred to anyone yet.
>You weren’t quite ready for it yourself, but at this point it was inevitable.

>Steeling yourselves, the entire crew made their way to the portside maintenance airlock and outfitted yourself with your spacesuits and oxygen supply to last you quite a while.
>Who knows what kind of environment they had engineered on board the station.
>Better to be safe than suffocating, as Applejack used to say during your orbital maintenance checks before leaving Earth.
>All of you stood in the airlock for a few minutes in silence, looking at each other.
>The reality had finally caught up to you.
>With heavy breaths you tried to calm down your beating heart, but it kept on striking hard against your ribs.
>At several points your visor became so foggy you had to drain your helmet.
>Finally, you grabbed the release handle and looked at your friends.
>When they all nodded, you pulled the lever, and instantly the red room lit up in a bright white light.
>Shielding your eyes, you turned towards the circular exit and noticed the tube that had attached itself to your ship was, in fact, a ridiculously long tunnel.
>With careful steps, you slowly made your way onto the floor which seemed to be composed of a strange grating of sorts.
>It felt solid as you applied your weight to it.
>Nearly ominously so.
>You didn’t even feel a slight wobble as you curiously walked around inside the nearly three meter tall tube, and it felt strange when you thought about how long this tunnel stretched across empty space.
>Some distance in you looked behind you and saw your crew loyally at your heels.
>They seemed just as nervous and curious as you, staring at the glass-like white surface which covered the tunnel.
>After having walked in a straight line for around five minutes you arrived in front of a large metallic gate.
>It had complex engravings all over the two-piece door, but there was no way you could possibly make out what they meant.
>As the last crew member arrived into the narrow chamber, an aperture-like gate closed the tunnel off behind you.
>After nervously standing around for a few seconds, a crack in the metal door ahead revealed itself with the hiss of pressurized gas being released.
>Slowly, like a dramatic movie scene, the two chrome doors slid apart in tune with the sound of heavy mechanical parts ticking inside the walls, and as your eyes adjusted to the light your entire crew gasped in awe of the sight before you.

>Past the doorway, a shimmering pavilion was laid out, covered in a matte amber material.
>Four thick pillars stretched upwards, colliding with the bottom of another floor far above you.
>They seemed almost organic in nature as if it had been grown, with rounded edges and no straight lines to be seen anywhere.
>But most impressive was what laid ahead outside the platform.
>Beyond the railing of the terrace ahead, a giant silver wall towered on the other side of a massive gap in the middle of the station.
>Floor upon floors revealed epic diversity, like someone had taken a knife and cut through a planet-wide shopping center.
>You couldn’t even begin to comprehend everything that was going on on the other side.
>Stepping up to the edge, you noticed just how far down the central ravine stretched.
>The curvature of the station was also apparent from your vantage point.
>As you followed the bottom with your eyes, eventually you met with a thick fog which obscured most of the structure past it except the outlines of the floors.
>Looking up, you saw a large curved window giving you a good look at the outside, mainly the star which covered most of the view.
>Crossing the ravine were hundreds of bridges of all shapes and sizes.
>They seemed quite active, with an ocean of shapes drifting across them.
>They linked the two sides of the station together so it seemed kind of obvious that they would be.
>Moving through them along the empty ravine were countless different crafts, each looking equally alien.
>They zipped around and through the gaps between the bridges like nimble insects.
>Each had their own purpose for being there, but you couldn’t even begin to imagine what that might be.

>You turned around and saw your friends looking around just as dumbfounded as you.
>Their eyes were darting around, always finding something new and more interesting to look at than the previous thing.
>You walked past them, but they didn’t seem to notice you.
>Staring down the seemingly endless hallway on both sides, you saw nobody coming to greet you.
>In fact, the entire floor felt absent, devoid of life.
>You started worrying if they thought you were the hostile ones, and if they were hiding to observe you.
>It appeared that the crew weren’t equally worried about this as you, so maybe it was just your way of rationalizing things.
>”Anon.” A voice called for you.
>You turned to see Fluttershy pointing upwards.
>As you followed her gesture, you saw seven small silver orbs floating above you, each with three holes in a triangle shape at the bottom.
>They were hanging silently in the air, swaying in sync with each of the crews movements.
>You took a step to the right, and as you expected, the orb followed suit, perfectly like it was attached to you.
>”I’m reading… atmosphere. No, oxygen!” Rarity said in shock.
>You turned to her in surprise.
“Wait… Are you serious?”
>”I believe she speaks the truth, my earthly friends!”
>The new addition to your conversation made everyone turn around.
>A large creature emerged from a door in the wall which was previously invisible to you.
>By your estimates, the creature appeared to tower about two and a half meters.
>It also seemed to have the body of what looked like a centaur, with two limbs attached to its torso which you presumed to be arms, complete with fingers and opposable thumbs.
>Its lower body had four massive legs ending in circular stumps like that of an elephant.
>On top of its shoulders sat a rather small head with a likeness you could only compare to a moose without its antlers.
>Hanging on both sides of his head were two long flaps which you assumed were ears.
>Its whole body was covered in long fur with strange red and white patterns, and to top it all off, two small horns just barely peeked above the coat on his head.
>It was impossible to see any eyes, as they were obscured with two massive hair growths sticking out where you presumed they would be.
>It also had what you could only assume was a long white mustache hanging down below its snout.

>The creature stopped in front of you and stroked its chin thoughtfully.
>All of you stood there in silence and waited for a reaction.
>Suddenly, the creature made a short guttural noise and the corners of his mouth moved away from each other.
>Was that supposed to be a chuckle and a smile?
>”Humans!” it suddenly said in a deep rumbling voice while moving his hands out. “My name is Asakitt. I welcome you to The Concord.”
>It motioned towards the impressive view while putting his other arm behind his back.
>You were quite impressed how well this Asakitt mimicked your language.
>”I have no doubt you have many questions. You are free to roam the ring as you see fit!”
>You looked back to your crew, and they all returned your gaze with worrying glances of their own.
>”Oh, and I was told to inform you that your natural breathing environment has been replicated successfully. You won’t require those helmets as long as you stay aboard our station, friends.”
>You eyed your friends, and they looked around on each other as well.
>It felt like a standoff.
>Who would dare to remove their helmets first?
>Finally, you sighed and grabbed the edges of your own.
>With a worried audience, you slowly unscrewed the safety locks and lifted it above your head.
>Once it came off, you inhaled deeply, more for show than anything.
>The air felt sweet, like a distant field in the morning, untouched by modern society’s pollution.
>Surprised that they had been able to replicate it this well, an involuntary smile grew on your face.
>Seeing this, your crew one by one removed themselves from the safe confines of the spacesuit helmets and tasted the air around them.
>As they breathed, you noticed the orbs started hissing, and it became clear to you that they were the ones generating the atmosphere around you.
>For once, it felt like you had entered a safe space, that you had found some sort of understanding with these beings.
>You turned to the large creature behind you to thank him, but were cut off before you could say anything.
>”Now with that out of the way, I would like to have a word with your commander alone. I believe we have some things to discuss.”
>Asking Asakitt to wait a second, you gathered all your friends a few paces away from him in a circle around you.
“Alright, we need a few rules when it comes to all of this.” you told them.
>”Oh come on.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in dismay. “We’re not twelve!”
>”Maybe not, but we don’t want to cause trouble because of misunderstandings.” Twilight defended you.
>Rainbow dash pouted and crossed her arms.
>”Fine…” she finally said reluctantly.
“You can do whatever you want, of course, just don’t eat anything weird before you scan it or do anything that’s illegal back home just in case. And most importantly, stick together.”

>After the crew gave you their word to stay safe, you watched as they wandered off down the corridor together with the orbs hovering above them.
>Once they were out of sight, you turned and saw Asakitt observing you with curiosity.
>You scratched your head as you approached him.
>At least you presumed it was a he.
“I uhh…“ you finally said. “We were trained back home on how to act around alien lifeforms, but this is way above my paygrade.”
>Asakitt cocked his head to the side.
>”Yes, I am sure this is quite a lot to take in.”
>You looked out over the ravine and nodded.
“I guess we went from oblivious to overwhelmed in just a few minutes.”
>Asakitt walked up next to you where you stood leaning over the railing.
>The sheer diversity of absolutely everything you saw almost felt like sensory overload to you, and you quickly turned around.
>Looking up at Asakitt, he seemed to proudly observe everything as if he saw it all for the first time.
“So what is this ‘Concord’ anyway?” you inquired.
>The massive creature turned his attention to you and smiled.
>”Walk with me.” he motioned towards the corridor opposite of the way your friends went.
>You followed him as instructed, quietly observing the impressive logistic of his legs stomping around on the floor.
>It felt more like a spider than a horse to you, each stump hitting the ground individually in perfect cycles.
>”This station was built as a symbol of peace.” Asakitt’s deep voice snapped you out of your thoughts.
>Looking up at him, you could see him observing you back.
>”A long time ago, most species aboard this station was at war with each other. They fought for precious commodities, clashing ideologies or misunderstandings. After one of them developed super weapons which could tear stars apart, we knew it was time to end it all or we would surely meet our demise. The Concord was created to ensure a mutual ground where all peaceful species could walk.”
“So it’s like a forum.” you suggested.
>Asakitt nodded.
>”Of course, this concept is entirely within your realm of understanding.” Asakitt chuckled to himself. “This is a place where everyone can come to discuss, trade or socialize.”
>These aliens had managed to achieve things not even you could among yourselves, you thought.
>It was quite obvious why you were brought to this place.
>But you still had some burning questions.
“Why are you showing us all of this now?”
>”It has been a rule of our governing forces not to intervene with non-spacefaring species, as it would destroy the natural progression of their culture. Your planet, however, is the source of many a discussion on that topic.”
“And why is that?”
>”Well, let’s just say you have been visited quite often during your years of development.”

>You stopped in your tracks.
>What was he implying?
>Asakitt noticed you weren’t by his side anymore and stopped as well.
“What do you mean?”
>The alien raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised you got hung up about the issue.
>”I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to discuss that.” he said after a while.
>Your mind started drifting towards all the tales you had read about of alien encounters that had been suppressed by Homefront.
>That was when you started to remember Sweet Apple Acres.
“Can you at least answer one question?”
>Asakitt looked down, seemingly deep in thought.
>After a few moments, he turned back towards you.
>”I am sure I can make one exception.
“June 9th 2018 local time, a rotating craft appeared over my friends farm. I want to know what it was doing there.”
>Asakitt chuckled again.
>”Pardon me, but I would have to look it up in the registry to answer that. But you have my word that I will do so as soon as I am able to.”
>You sighed, more in slight disappointment than relief.
>”We really should not be discussing unsolicited visits to your planet. There are more pressing matters I’m afraid.”
>You raised an eyebrow.
“What could you hope to gain from us? Compared to all of this we’re pretty underdeveloped.”
>”That is true, but it has been brought to my attention that one of your crew members does not function as a natural human.”
“Are you talking about Twilight?”
>”Yes, I believe that is her name. When I contacted you, your reactions was not what I had expected, but it was the only interface we were compatible with. We believed that was your natural way of communicating.”
“No, that isn’t the case here…”
>”Would you care to explain?”
>Asakitt motioned towards a corridor leading further into the station, away from the ravine.
>You walked over to his side and he lead you down the path.
>It seemed like an abandoned section, and the walls were absent of any doors or arches leading to other rooms.
>You found comfort by brushing it off as being the same types of doors as Asakitt had entered through, seeming like they were at one with the walls.
“Well,” you continued. “We were investigating gravitational anomalies on a planet when her group came across ancient ruins. Their report stated that the crystal in question was floating on an altar before the chamber suffered an explosion. Twilight was apparently struck through the chest and survived. Humans can’t live without a heart, but it seems like the crystal is keeping her present even without life signs.”
>”I see…” Asakitt mulled.
>He grew quiet, mulling over what you had just told him.
>”It seems she has suffered the fate of an old weapon. I can’t say we are familiar with its origin, but we have sightings of similar ruins. Maybe visiting them will grant you answers.”
>You thought about his suggestion.
>During your travels, all you had come across was nothing but destruction and danger.
>You felt conflicted.
>On one side, you were all primarily scientist, and the pursuit of knowledge should be your primary concern.
>But on the other side, you were only scientists.
>The pursuit of knowledge in this new plane of existence had put your and your crew’s lives in danger so many times during your mission.
>There was also a creeping suspicion that there was more to Asakitt’s suggestion than to save your friend.

“Is this the real reason you brought us here?” you finally said stoically.
>Asakitt seemed confused by your statement as he cocked his head once again.
>”I must have misunderstood you previously. You did not appear in this star system on your own accord?”
>Your slight frown vanished in an instant as he said those words.
>It felt clear to you that this creature acted genuine, though you couldn’t tell if it was due to differing cultural habits or if he was actually speaking the truth.
>But what reason would he have to be lying to you?
“Let me get this clear. You didn’t guide us here with those cryptic coordinates?”
>”I’m afraid I am unfamiliar with what coordinates you speak of. Had we wanted you to come here this soon we would have been quite obvious about it.”
>You fell silent, your mouth half agape.
>Here you stood, certain that you had met those pulling the strings.
>But now, your goal seemed to drift farther away by the second.
>This was quite obviously where you had been guided, and now it became clear to you that this was only another piece of the puzzle.
>”It seems something else is guiding you, and all the evidence points back to your friend Twilight and her condition.”
“Yeah, I think that was pretty clear.”
>”Ah… sarcasm. How amusing!”
>This really didn’t feel like the right time to be making jokes.
>”Do excuse me, we may have an understanding of your language, but your ways are still a mystery to us.”
“What do you suggest?”
>”The ruins I spoke of are still an option.” Asakitt reached for a belt which hung wrapped around his waist and pulled out a clear and shining orb. “Follow it, or blaze your own path forward. It’s up to you I suppose.”
>You reached up and took the orb in your hands.
>Touching it felt like the surface of a still lake, and in your perception you believed your gloves were getting wet.
>When reaching down to dry them off on your suit, there were no sign of them being damp at all.
>Looking into it, the way it refracted the light appeared hypnotizing, as you twisted and turned it around to observe the various paths the light took as it bounced around playfully inside the ball.
>Asakitt chuckled to himself, amused by your reaction to his foreign technology.
>”It is quite a common reaction. If your crystal works the way we predict it, touching it with the orb will give you all the data you need to find the ruins.”
>You stopped rotating the orb and looked at Asakitt with a worried expression.
“Last time we received data from the crystal it knocked Twilight unconscious. I wouldn’t wish more danger on my crew.”
>”Oh, do not worry. If any of you fall ill, return here and we will see to it that you receive proper treatment.”
>You sighed in relief.
>There were no guarantee these people had any remote understanding of your biology, but just the fact that you had any allies out here lifted some weight off your shoulders.
>”Now.” Asakitt announced. “I have some more things I wish to discuss with you.”
>You looked up at Asakitt, who motioned for you to follow him down the corridor again.
>”Have you ever heard of World Eaters?”

>From her perspective, the drop seemed endless, as if it had no bottom at all and just lead out into empty space.
>The countless shapes flinging past her vision didn’t help with the sense of vertigo building inside her either.
>None of them stayed still for long enough to clearly make out their details, but the sheer speed at which they were traveling at enhanced the sense of scale greatly.
>”Twilight!”
>She looked to her left and saw the others standing there, waiting for her.
>Pinkie Pie waved her hand enthusiastically with a wide grin on her face.
>Twilight stood back up, trying her best not to succumb to the swelling feeling of dizziness.
>These bridges really were something.
>All the different types of creatures wandering in pilgrimage across them at all times...
>Something told her that people back home would call them architectural marvels.
>Of course, in all essence this station really was just that.
>At least in a human's limited understanding of the universe.
>She let go of the railing which separated her from the abyss and wandered over to the others.
>”Well?” she asked. “Where should we go first, guys?”
>”It’s not like we know what’s out there…” Applejack said.
>”So why don’t we go find out!”
>And with that, Pinkie Pie blasted off towards the towering silver wall, carelessly disregarding the advice you had attempted to give them previously.
>”Pinkie!”
>”Oh, lighten up farmgirl.” Rainbow Dash walked up and threw a friendly knuckle into Applejack’s shoulder. “I’ll race ya!”
>It didn’t take long before those two had also ripped themselves away from the safe confines of the group.
>”Oh, Anon said to stick together!” Rarity tried shouting after them, but to no avail.
>”Well…” Twilight finally said. “Better keep up then!”
>In a new spark of adventure lust, it didn’t take long for the three scientist to find themselves running down the bridge as well.
>Worry soon turned to giddy as they pursued their friends through crowds of horned, snouted, sticky, dry and strange shapes.

>Eventually, they had reached a small clearing devoid of most of the traffic.
>One by one they burst through the ocean of creatures, desperately trying to regain their breath.
>After finally regaining some amount of their attention span, Twilight started looking around.
>It seemed to be an empty lot, with a few spaces fit for setting up trading posts.
>There was also a large hole in the roof leading up to the second floor, and three walkways spiraling around each other.
>A large white plate was mounted in the ceiling far above, shining warm light down on some strange potted plants littered around the walls.
>It seemed to be a dead end, but the space felt so open and free that it wasn’t at all claustrophobic.
>At the opposite end of the entrance, a lone figure sat on a blanket in silence, seemingly oblivious to the girls’ presence.
>The crew all looked at each other for answers, but one by one they shrugged, uncertain of what to make of it.
>Without warning, Pinkie Pie made her way brashly across the empty space, waving at the creature with an innocent smile plastered across her face.
>”Heya!” she yelled, much to the dismay of the others.
>Reluctantly, they all followed Pinkie Pie, trying their best to make her stop yelling.
>Soon, they found themselves encircled around the creature.
>At first glance, it seemed cat-like, with abnormally large eyes taking up most of his facial features.
>It had a lavender coat covering its entire body, at least what you could see of it.
>It was also wearing what seemed to be an elaborately patterned poncho in striking colors, and to top off the look, a flat headpiece sitting on top of his proportionally large head.
>It didn’t seem to pay attention to its new guests at first, as it looked like it was in a deep state of meditation.
>Its eyes were closed and its legs crossed, with its hands placed firmly on its knees, unmoving and not reacting to any of the girls attempts at communicating.
>”Geez, what a bummer this guy is…” Rainbow Dash said as she sighed in disappointment.
>It hadn’t taken them long to get used to all the strange people wandering the station.
>After having seen so many different alien forms of life in such a short span of time, they eventually grew jaded and it became more and more like visiting a foreign country.
>It also helped that they started thinking of the stations’ residents as just other people with lives of their own.
>Although for some crew members that was easier than others.
>Carefully, Pinkie Pie approached its face with her finger and poked its bony cheek lightly.
>When it didn’t react to even that, she slowly turned to the others, a few tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.
>”Y-you don’t think…” she stuttered. “You don’t think it’s dead? Right?”
>Fluttershy quickly made her way to Pinkie Pie’s side in an attempt to quell her tears, but at this point it was hard to tell.

>”Quechma?” the creature suddenly burst out.
>Synonymously, the entire group backed off five feet and yelled in surprise.
>The creature opened one of its large round eyes, the yellow surface and flat vertical pupil piercing them with its intense stare.
>”Quechma?” it asked again, still keeping its other eye still shut.
>”Q-quechma?” Fluttershy asked back, her voice shaking.
>”Yes. Would you like Quechma?”
>A crushing silence fell on the group as they heard the cat speak their language, although in quite a broken tonality.
>When it didn’t receive a satisfactory response, it visibly sighed and got up on its tiny feet.
>It was revealed that its legs and body seemed quite sprawny compared to its humongous head.
>It also seemed to be wearing nothing but a square piece of cloth to cover up whatever it had between its legs.
>Before they could react to this new fact, the creature turned around and grabbed something from behind it.
>As it turned back, a strange cylinder container was brought before it.
>It slowly put it down and pressed a button at the front.
>Immediately, the lid popped open and smacked against the amber floor.
>Inside it lay eight red orbs of exactly the same size.
>The strange contents made the crew move in slowly to take a closer look, although very carefully.
>Pinkie Pie seemed like she was the most interested, as she almost dipped her head into the crate before she received a swift but admittedly soft paw to her forehead.
>The cold limb gave her quite a shock as she veered off backwards trying to regain balance.
>”A sample. Only for you.”
>With a quick swipe of its claw, the cat dug out a small portion of one of the red orbs and reached out towards Pinkie Pie.
>She looked at it for a moment before taking it between her fingers.
>It was soft like foam, but firm enough to keep its form.
>Before she could do anything rash, Rarity grabbed Pinkie’s arm and presented it before her wrist.
>The band around her arm started furiously calculating something.
>A few moments later, she released it.
>”I detect no poisonous substances. These are all chemicals we are familiar with. I think you should be fine, dear… If you really want to eat it, that is.”
>Fluttershy, who stood right next to Pinkie Pie, seemed to become quite distressed by Rarity’s encouragement.
>”O-oh no, I don’t think you should…”
>Pinkie Pie looked at it for a mere moment, and before Fluttershy could continue, she threw the small clump into her mouth.
>The others observed her carefully as Pinkie took her time to chew the substance, Fluttershy especially as she seemed almost shocked that Pinkie Pie would do something so rash.
>However, it didn’t take long before Pinkie Pie’s face twisted into one of horror and disgust.
>As Pinkie tried her best not to wince too hard, Rarity moved closer to the strange orbs in the container out of curiosity.
>Just then, the merchant reached out another small portion of the peculiar substance.
>”A sample. For pretty lady.”
>Rarity stopped in her tracks for a second before bursting out laughing and waving her hand at the cat.
>”Oh.. My, why if you insist dear.”
>Flattered, she took the sticky stuff between her fingers and immediately seemed to regret it.
>Rarity looked back at the four others who stood piled up, gripping each other to feel safe, and gave them an uncertain smile.
>”Well… Bottom’s up!”
>And with that, Rarity’s sample was gone as well.
>But contrary to Pinkie Pie, Rarity seemed to enjoy it quite a lot.
>The sample disappeared quite quickly, and she turned to the others.
>”My, it’s not that bad! It tastes just like…”
>”Avocadoooo…”
>Rarity was immediately interrupted by Pinkie Pie, who laid rolling around on the floor seemingly in visible pain.
>”I hate avocado.”

>”Ucha gitogjk Quechmar.”
>A strange figure had approached the merchant while the friends were not looking, much to Twilight’s surprise.
>She quickly turned around to have a look at the source of the raspy voice, and soon found herself eye to eye with an otherworldly bi-pedal wolf creature.
>It looked exactly as if someone took a canine and balanced it on its hind legs, except its arms were that of a human, and its head had features of a goat, complete with horns and loosely-hanging ears.
>Its getup consisted of a brown vest which hang loose over his shoulders and a pair of orange pants reaching it only halfway down its backwards ankles.
>Around its waist hang two belts with vibrant colors.
>On top of its head sat a massive orange hat, which could easily conceal its face if it were to tip it slightly forward.
>Its eyes were cold and blue, piercing Twilight with its sharp gaze.
>Eventually, it looked away, waiting for the merchant to complete the transaction.
>”Yer not from around these parts, are ya?” It said with a strikingly accurate southern american accent.
>More out of instinct than anything, Twilight turned around but couldn’t find any support as the rest of the crew had encircled Pinkie Pie who seemed unable to recover from her reeling disgust.
>Unable to respond properly, Twilight only shook her head.
>A smirk developed on the creature’s face as its right arm flipped away the poncho hanging over his torso and placed it on his hip.
>He reached out to receive the strange red orb from the merchant with the other, but Twilight was focused on something else entirely.
>Hanging heavily from one of his belts was a strange leather piece which resembled a holster.
>Inside she could see something shimmering with silver, and a handle with a bent metal part which could fit an index finger around it.
>It was clear to her that it was a pistol of sorts, but she couldn’t be completely sure in this strange place.
>The stranger’s hand hovered ominously close to it at all times, leaving Twilight to believe this person was attempting to threaten her.
>Looking over her shoulder again, Twilight saw her friends still standing in a circle, completely oblivious to her swelling distress.
>She didn’t want to start calling for help either, in case it was just a misunderstanding.
>Surely, her considerate ways would one day be the end of her.
>She swallowed and looked back, only to find herself locked into the ice cold gaze of her new acquaintance again, whose eyes barely peeked under the edge of his hat..

>”Didja know Quechma is a delicacy from the world this guy’s from?” he said in a calm but tense voice, gesturing towards the merchant with his thumb.
>”I-is that so…” Twilight responded, her voice shaking slightly.
>She had started moving back towards the others now, but only incrementally in case the stranger would notice.
>The creatures attention seemed focused on his newly purchased orb as he gripped it tightly between his clawed fingers.
>”It’s a strange thing, really. It’s meant as a gift to someone ya really love…” His piercing blue eyes appeared under the ridge of his hat again, looking deep into  Twilight’s soul. “...Or someone who’s about to die.”
>With a swift and flashy move, he reached out his arm, the smooth crimson ball shimmering in the chamber’s light.
>Carefully, Twilight took it in her arms, feeling the strange texture stick to her suits gloves.
>”I prefer to believe it’s usually the former, but that’s just cus’ I’m a romantic. Reality works differently.”
>As Twilight observed the item in her hands, she noticed how it cracked open and different parts of it bloomed outwards into an otherworldly shape.
>It was almost mesmerising to see all the different parts of what she only thought was a strange food rotate around each other to create various abstract shapes.
>When it stopped moving, it almost resembled a scarlet lotus flower, the petals glistening in the rooms natural lighting.
>Through the corner of her eye she noticed the merchant looking at her in disbelief, completely baffled at what had just transpired in front of him.
>She looked back up to try and find some answers with the stranger, but was shocked to find that he had now gripped the handle of his sidearm tightly.
>His eyes were once again hidden, but a sick grin had spread across his snout, his sharp and bright white teeth fully visible.
>”I had really hoped I wouldn’t need to carry out contracts on such a fine group of pretty women, but times are hard. Do send my apologies to whoever’s in charge in the next realm.”

>As if time had slowed down, Twilight watched as the stranger drew his weapon from the holster.
>She could see every detail on it as it was dragged out of its confines, the shimmering silver-like metal blinking as it reflected the light.
>She could see the strange triangular barrel slowly being directed at her, a strange green glow building inside it, and how the triangular chamber near the back of the cannon started rotating like a classic revolver from back home.
>The green shimmer started intensifying, a pulsating noise emitting from it and becoming stronger by the minute as the stranger lifted his gun higher and higher towards her.
>Twilight, frozen in fear and unable to move, could only stand there and watch as the strangers vicious grin grew wider.
>Even though she was terrified, the situation was more clear to her now than anything had ever been.
>She was going to die.
>Although, she didn’t really want to die.
>She had been here before, hadn’t she?
>Her thoughts went to the crystal stuck in her chest, how she should have actually been dead months ago.
>Twilight had gotten so used to it being there that she didn’t really think of it too much anymore.
>She had these same thoughts as she laid bleeding against the chamber walls as well, watching helplessly as her friends panicked around her.
>She recognized the way memories played out before her like a movie, reliving moments of her life over again, but for some reason most of her thoughts returned to the crystal and not her friends.
>There was so much mystery surrounding it, and she hadn’t even scratched the surface yet.
>She didn’t want to die now!
>There was so much more to do!
>There was no way she would lay down and accept her demise!

>The hammer dropped, and with a surge of power, the energy inside the stranger's hand cannon built to critical levels.
>The rotating mechanism came to a sudden stop, and in an explosion, a green beam raced through the battery, into the barrel and out the muzzle.
>It accelerated to near light speed as it exited the weapon, kicking it back with brutal force which would surely break the wrist of any normal human.
>A sonic shockwave was sent blasting through the room, the mysterious killer lacking any and all subtlety in his methods.
>The gun’s projectile flew through empty space, evaporating any particle it came into contact with.
>The blast tore Twilight out of her panicked state, as she witnessed the beam flinging towards her.
>Survival instincts kicked in, adrenaline started pumping through her veins in an instant.
>Her senses became heightened, energy levels peaking.
>Twilight gained complete awareness of her surroundings.
>She could see every hair on the stranger's hand rippling as he tried to correct the extreme recoil of his weapon.
>She could smell the air turning toxic as the projectile seared through anything in its path.
>She could feel the shock of her friends as they started turning around to see what was happening.
>They couldn’t help her, there was no time to react.
>The merchant was now fully awake, his large eyes staring in shock at the scene which unfolded around him as he reached to protect his wares.
>All this Twilight perceived in just a few milliseconds.
>With no time to think, she instinctively reached out a hand towards the green beam.
>She could feel a surge building in her chest and several points along her arm.
>Her muscles tensed, and she could feel something blasting through her body, an energy completely foreign to her.
>It traveled from her chest and through the points along her arm until it reached her palm.

>Then, everything fell into chaos.
>The projectile struck Twilight’s palm with such force that it sent her flying backwards.
>Through sheer will, she kept her poise and tensed her arm harder, straining herself as much as she could.
>Her feet slid across the smooth floor as the soles scraped against its surface.
>Another blast occurred, this time the projectile had split against whatever force Twilight had conjured, sending splinters flinging through every corner of the room.
>Around her, glass shattered, walls crumbled and everything fell quiet.
>A few seconds passed, and when she opened her eyes, Twilight could see her attacker staring her down, his eyes now burning with fury.
>Wind was being whipped up all around the room, her long purple hair blowing behind her and whipping against her back.
>But it was the source of this power which turned Twilight's skin cold.
>From her hand and in a meters radius around it, a transparent green barrier was projected.
>It seemed to hum with an ancient force, and Twilight could feel the energy surging through her.
>It was like she had instantly gained complete knowledge of how to use it.
>Even though at this point it felt as natural as walking to her, she dared not move from her position in case the connection would break.
>The merchant had already packed up his few belongings and legged it out of the chamber, and from her position she couldn’t see her friends.
>Hopefully they had hid somewhere safe, Twilight thought, and turned her attention back to the stranger.

>The gunman’s vicious smile had now twisted into him furiously grinding his teeth, the stranger’s face now fully visible under his hat.
>He carried a look of both confusion and anger, his gun still smoking from his first shot.
>Twilight had slid several meters backwards from only one bullet, so it spoke volumes of the power he wielded.
>However, Twilight had traveled this far.
>She wasn’t about to be killed of by some hitman.
>Twilight forced herself to think in the moment, deciding that any scientific discoveries had to be made later.
>”What the bloody hell is this? Is this some kinda joke?!” The stranger screamed at her, veins almost visible under his grey coat.
>With a roar, he put the silver cannon up again and the chamber rang with the blast of several shots being furiously slinged towards Twilight.
>Her shield absorbed every projectile, the beams shattering upon crashing with Twilight's impenetrable shield.
>Every time they struck the shield, an alien sound reverberated as the bullets pushed Twilight further back and shattered against the barrier.
>Splinters were sent flying everywhere in a never ending storm of shrapnel destruction as deadly rain of glass shards and sparks covered the empty hall.
>A stray piece flew into the ceiling, crushing the panel and plunging the room into darkness as sparks fell slowly from above like fiery snowflakes.
>In the confusion, twilight noticed some movement in the corner of her eye in her adrenaline-fueled state.
>She had been pushed back several meters again, and now had a good angle at every corner of the room.
>Twilight quickly turned her attention towards the movement and through the dimmed lighting she saw the familiar sight of her friends huddled behind a staircase.
>When she made sure the stranger wasn’t looking, Twilight broke the barrier and made a dash towards the others, just barely sliding behind cover as the emergency lights kicked in.
>They seemed happy to see that she was okay, but still distressed over the situation.
>Twilight quickly put a finger to her mouth, quietly telling them to not make a sound, before peeking back around the corner.

>The stranger seemed to breathe heavily, as if his gun actually tapped into his strength to function.
>Either that or he was enraged beyond belief that his contract was proving to be this much of a fight.
>After a few moments of calming down, he spun the silver piece around his finger a few times and clamped down, directing the barrel upwards.
>With a forceful whip to the side, the gun’s chamber popped out.
>Twilight almost expected bullet casings to fall out, but instead, a powerful tuft of steam shot out at the back of the cylinder.
>It took a few seconds before it subsided and the stranger whipped the chamber back into the gun’s frame again.
>He took some time to reposition his hat and make sure his vest sat on properly before scanning the room with a vigilant eye.
>”Now… Where’d y’all go…?”

>Twilight came back around the corner again and leaned against the wall.
>Looking at her hand, she could feel the surge of power inside her still within reach.
>She sighed in relief and turned towards the group of frightened friends next to her to seek some answers.
>”How do we fight this guy?” Twilight asked as quietly as she could.
>The others looked around at each other, but none spoke up.
>The situation seemed more bleak by the second, until Applejack finally came forward.
>”Yer all gonna hate me for this…” she whispered.
>The engineer reached down her suit through the neck and rummaged around for a bit.
>Twilight curiously watched as her friend struggled, but it became very clear to her once Applejack pulled out a long, polished metal revolver.
>It had beautiful rose engravings along the barrel, and a rotating chamber adorned with streaks of black.
>Its handle was a mix of mahogany wood and tanned leather, and a silver emblem was engraved at the bottom.
>No matter how beautifully detailed the weapon was, Twilight couldn’t help but stare at it in shock.
>The others didn’t seem to grasp the fact that Applejack brought a revolver either, as they stared at it with as much disbelief as Twilight.
>The engineer blushed and tried to hide her shamed expression as her hands fell limp into her lap.
>”It’s a family heirloom…” she said apologetically. “I bring it with me everywhere I can.”
>The friends sat in dead silence and Twilight was uncertain of their next step as she could hear the stranger sneak around the plaza.
>It would only be a matter of time before he found them again, so she decided to save this discussion for another time.
>”I sure hope you know how to use that thing.” the scientist whispered.
>Applejack sighed as a weight appeared to be lifted of her shoulders, then she gave Twilight a nod and spun the empty chamber of her revolver in anticipation.
>”So what’s the plan?” Rainbow Dash wondered.
>Honestly, there wasn’t much of a plan, Twilight thought.
>With this newfound power, she still wasn’t sure what she was capable of or how she was able to do it, but that was for another time.
>She looked around the corner and saw the wolf-like gunslinger jump around a corner and give of a frustrated snarl when he found it to be empty.
>Then a quite risky plan emerged in her head.
>She called upon the energy into her hand again, and watched as it developed into a small green blob, its surface fleeting and unstable like water.
>She closed her eyes and focused, concentrating hard on a shape as she pictured it over and over from every conceivable angle.
>She honed its texture and weight in her head, and revised it several times to ensure perfection, all while directing energy into her palm.
>It took some brainpower, but when Twilight opened her eyes again, six cylinder bullets lay in her hand covered in a green tint.
>She rolled them around and felt their presence, their smooth texture and cold metal heating up against her skin.
>They rattled with the signature metallic ringing, and she could barely hear the gunpowder rustle inside them.
>She made a mental note of this discovery, and handed the six bullets to Applejack.
>Without hesitating, she flicked out the chamber and swiftly plopped them into place.
>Twilight delighted over how they fit perfectly, mentally patting herself on the shoulder.
>She peeked back around the corner and saw the stranger now making his way to your hiding spot with a watchful eye.
>Then she instructed the others to hide on the other side of the column.
>Twilight and Applejack squeezed together in the shade, trying their best to remain hidden.
>And then they waited.

>The two tried their best to calm their breathing, forcing themselves to inhale and exhale slowly against their adrenaline-filled heart’s protests.
>With instinctively enhanced senses, Twilight listened for their attackers footsteps against the cold amber floor.
>It wasn’t too difficult to locate him as every step he took made his belts ring like metal chains as they crashed against each other.
>His powerful weapon hummed in a low frequency, the charged chamber still ready to obliterate anything its wielder desired.
>Twilight was also prepared, keeping an open channel from her energy source to her fist, ready to react to anything.
>She could hardly keep still as her eyes darted around trying to soak up any information they could find.
>In all her years she had never felt this alert or scared.
>Sure, she had felt the looming threat of death before, but it was something else being threatened by a living thing.
>If only she could discover his motivations, maybe she could find a diplomatic way out.
>At this point, however, she wasn’t actually against the idea of killing someone if it meant her survival.

>The outlaw approached the second pillar while keeping a watchful eye on the others.
>He always finished his contracts, and wasn’t about to make an exception today.
>If only they had opened up on that the Fulcrum was really able to do.
>The purple-haired lady didn’t seem to know that either, so it shouldn’t pose too big of a hindrance.
>He’d be sure to give his contractors a piece of his mind when he returned at least.
>He flicked his gun forward and swung around the corner, ready to strike.
>Empty.
>”Damn.” he said to himself behind gritted teeth as he turned around again, making sure they didn’t move around without him knowing.
>The stranger tugged his vest back into place and continued on his path.
>At this pace, it shouldn’t be long before he could collect his bounty.
>The last column was just a few paces ahead, painted crimson by the emergency lighting.
>He looked at his firearm, inspecting it and making sure it was ready to do his bidding.
>The chamber still glowed aggressively with a green hue, pulsating with a force matched only by few.
>Sadly, the Fulcrum had to be one of those few.
>Swiftly, the gunslinger positioned himself with his back against the cold pillar and went quiet, listening for any signs of life around the corner.
>A few moments pass by and not a trace of activity can be sensed.
>He can feel presence, but from where, he was uncertain.
>He mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do and gripped the handle of his weapon tightly.
>Suddenly, two figures appeared from around the corner, an energy barrier separating the pair from the surprised stranger.
>Applejack squeezed the trigger of her trusty six-shooter, and the hammer slammed down against the casing, igniting the gunpowder and flinging the small bullet out of the barrel.
>For a split second, Twilight lowered the barrier, allowing the bullet to pass through at blinding speeds before raising it again instantly.
>With only a short time to react, the stranger instinctively threw himself away from the bullet trajectory, transitioning into a desperate swan dive as far away from the pillar as possible.
>The bullet barely grazed him as it pierced a hole in his hat and crashed into the wall opposite of them.
>Twilight lowered the barrier again and another shot was fired.
>This one bounced off the floor a few millimeters from the stranger's foot, ricocheting across the chamber and shattering a glass panel somewhere.
>A final shot was made before the gunslinger ducked behind cover, ripping off the tip of his poncho and smashed into a light, sending sparks flying across the room.
>Twilight and Applejack made for cover again, just in time for a green blast to sear off the edge of the pillar next to them and lodge itself in the nearby wall where the heated slug rotated furiously for a few seconds before coming to a stop.
>For half a minute straight, Applejack and the outlaw exchanged shots, emerging from their cover to sling bullets before ducking back and waiting for the counterpart to finish their own flurry of projectiles.
>After a while, the room went silent, and only Applejack’s tired breathing could be heard next to Twilight’s.
>On the other end, the sound of steam being released could be heard.
>”Why are you doing this?” Twilight shouted around the corner.
>He already knew their position, so there was no point in playing it stealthy anymore.
>”Somebody wants y’all dead.” she could hear around the corner. “I’m just the middleman.”
>Twilight looked at Applejack in confusion, but she only received a reflection of her own emotions.
>Twilight tried to think back to their experiences up to this point, and even if she didn’t want to, she could find numerous things which could piss someone off.
>From scorching a frozen planet to stealing an old crystal now stuck in her chest, maybe their adventures had been a little reckless prior to this point.
>”Why won’t they just confront us themselves?” Twilight asked, six new blobs or energy slowly forming in her hand.
>A few moments pass by, and Twilight was able to create a whole new magazine for Applejack before receiving an answer.
>”Look, I just get orders, ‘aight? The galaxy’s a rough place, this is just how it has to be.”
>A green ray blasted through the corner of the column, melting away a small hole before joining its predecessors in the wall opposite of them.
>”If you’re so hellbent on killin’ us, what does it matter to you if we know their names?” Applejack shouted back, popping the chamber back in and pulling back the hammer on her hand cannon.
>She placed the barrel into the newly created hole and took aim right above the strangers cover.
>She stood perfectly still, holding the barrel steady.
>Nothing seemed to happen for a bit, until the outlaw finally spoke up again.
>”They call themselves Xenos. I don't know anythin’ about ‘em other than that.” he said hesitantly.

>A crushing silence sweeps the hall.
>The outlaw crouching behind his small cover listened intensely for any activity on the other side of the battlefield.
>Shattered glass-like shards lay sprawled across the smooth floor, reflecting the pulsating emergency light around the punctured walls.
>Dozens of bullet craters littered almost every surface in the vicinity, clearly indicating the struggle which had taken place.
>The stranger pulled up his arm, looking down at a wrist mounted chronometer strapped around his wrist.
>A growing nervous tingle swelled up in his bowels as he saw his deadline drawing closer.
>Failing a contract of this caliber would have serious ramifications on his career.
>If he didn’t hurry up, authorities might find their way to the crime scene as well, which would add yet another layer of complications to his already crumbling plan.
>He quietly scolded himself for trying to be such a romanticist, noting to himself never to be so careless in the future.
>He gripped his gun tightly, feeling the slight vibrations shaking his hand as the weapon shuddered in anticipation.
>With time running out, his brain started working hard on a solution to his little problem.
>The Xenos had told him that acquiring the Fulcrum shouldn’t be harder than ripping it out, but with the women’s protective suits it was hard to find out exactly where it was.
>The original plan was to kill the vessel and take it before the others noticed, but they had put up more of a fight than anticipated.
>It was clear that he had to get in close, but that was currently the biggest problem.
>Just then, an idea popped into his head.
>He winced at the thought, as it was quite a cruel plan.
>But, if it had to be this way, then it seemed to be the only logical way to go about this.

>”Look, they didn’t really tell me a whole bunch about this contract.” the stranger shouted around his cover. “I don’t know what you’ve done, but y’all don’t really look like criminals to me.”
>Twilight looked up at Applejack, who seemed unwavering with her sight locked onto the top of the outlaws hat, prepared for any movement  which could land her a shot.
>”We don’t really know anything about these Xenos, but if we angered them we would be ready to settle things in a different way!”
>Twilight’s voice reverberated against the chamber walls, slowly disappearing into nothingness.
>She received no response at first, the other side having seemingly gone silent.
>The scientist raised a hand against Applejack’s leg, making her stand down with her weapon.

>He couldn’t believe his own ears!
>The bitch had just opened up a golden opportunity for him.
>They really didn’t know anything about how things worked around here, he thought, and the stranger wasn’t about to let this slip through his fingers.
>He flipped his weapon and effortlessly slipped it back into his holster, feeling it slowly calm down against his leg.
>”Maybe another time, amigo.” he whispered.
>He slowly peeked over the knee-high wall, searching for any sign of hostility.
>Instead, he found his target looking around her cover equally curious.
>He mentally patted himself on the back, convincing himself everything was going to be fine, before getting up on his feet with both of his arms raised.
>This was either incredibly stupid, or incredibly smart.
>Good thing luck favored him today, he thought to himself, as the two women also rounded the corner, carefully stepping forward.
>It didn’t seem like they suspected anything.
>The gunslinger waited patiently for the two travelers to make their way across the glossy floor.
>He noticed the blond one was carrying a peculiar shimmering firearm akin to his own, but with a strange thin barrel instead.
>He pondered the mechanisms of this strange device, but he didn’t have all the time in the world.
>Twilight and Applejack soon stood face to face with their attacker, staring him down suspiciously.
>The purple-haired one kept darting her eyes around the room, and all too often landed a gaze onto his beloved weapon.
>Her friend still gripped hard onto her piece, a piercing stare fixated on him and absorbing every small move he made.
>The stranger crossed his arms, trying to keep them as far away from his weapon as he could.
>”I’ll be honest…” he said after a while. “I was against acceptin’ the contract at first. I dunno what y’all did, but it sure pissed off my client pretty bad. They paid well, and desperate times calls for some unconventional jobs.”
>The two didn’t move their eyes one bit, and seemed wholly unfazed by his attempt to appeal to their empathy.
>When he didn’t elicit any response, the stranger cleared his throat and adjusted his hat.
>”I can’t say how willin’ these guys are for conversation, but I’m convinced there might be some misunderstandings here.”
>The pair stood just as still.
>It felt like he spoke to a wall, and he clenched his fist trying not to lunge out and punch them in their stupid faces.

>In truth, Twilight was quite frightened.
>She stood face to face with the person who tried to kill her, and although she had a growing faith in her newfound abilities, she wasn’t certain they could protect her from everything.
>At least not until she had done extensive research on it.
>She could feel Applejacks heavy breath on her neck, and the creaking og her glove as she held fast to her loaded pistol.
>If they truly could solve things peacefully, she couldn’t help but wonder why they had ordered their execution in the first place.
>It all smelled fishy, but she was bound by an oath not to use violence as a means to an end.
>The two stared down the gunslinger, waiting for his next move, frankly too scared to speak up.
>”I’m sure y’all don’t know how it works around here. The galaxy is a wild frontier, lawless where the Concord don’t have their iron grip firmly rooted in their systems.” he said, moving his hand towards his hip.
>Instinctively, Applejack flicked her gun towards him, her finger ready on the trigger.
>The stranger stopped in his tracks and looked at the engineer in surprise.
>Slowly, he continued moving his hand past the gun holster and into a pocket hanging from his belt.
>From it he procured a long roll of a cloth-like texture and put it in his mouth between his sharp fangs.
>With a quick swipe of his claw against the fabric, he conjured some sparks which lit the opposite end of it.
>Twilight and Applejack watched as the smoldering embers ate through the cloth, turning it to ash in its wake.
>After a moment of silence he picked it up between his thumb and index finger and flicked off the scorched tip, sending sparks flying across the floor.
>A tuft of black smoke rose from the stranger's lips as he appeared to lower his tense shoulders, and he turned his attention back to the girls.
>”Us lowly folks have to make do with what we can get our hand on. In my case, it’s killin’ criminals.”
>Applejack lowered her weapon and seemed insulted by his statement.
>”Excuse you mister, but we ain't no lowlife criminals!” she said.
>The stranger seemed unfazed by her statement, taking another drag of his strange cigar.
>”I never said you were...” he answered as he flicked another speck of ash onto the floor. “...But somebody does. I usually only accept contracts if the target deserves it, but I’ve had some… financial issues lately, and you’ve got a pretty hefty price on your heads.”
>Twilight’s head started racing again, revisiting all the times she suspected they did something to deserve this.
>Being that she didn’t even know who the contractors were, it was hard to reach a conclusion.
>”Tell ya what. If purple-locks here comes with me, I’ll arrange a meeting and y’all can talk it out or whatever it is you guys do. I’ll receive my compensation and we can all be on our way, hmm?”
>”Hey, nice try, but…”
>Twilight cut off Applejack before she could continue.
>”It’s fine, AJ, I can handle myself. Let’s just see what they want and get off this station.”
>The engineer looked at her friend, befuddled that she could agree to something like this.
>She grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her aside.
>”Twi, I really don’t think this guy’s tellin’ the truth…”
>”I know that, but I don’t think we have a choice. The oath we took when we assigned to this mission clearly states…”
>”I don’t give a flamin’ cockatrice turd about the damn oath, Twi! I care about you not dyin’!”
>Twilight grabbed both of Applejack’s shoulders and looked her deep in the eyes.
>”You have to trust me.” she said, mustering up all the confidence she could.
>Despite her best efforts, her voice still sounded shaky, but she kept her posture.
>”I’ll be fine.”
>After a moment, Applejack sighed and reluctantly let go of her friend.
>She knew that when Twilight had decided on something, swaying her choice would be like shaking the pillars of the earth itself.
>She stood by and watched as Twilight approached the stranger.
>She appeared confident in her stride, but deep down she knew that her friend shared her anxiety.
>’Oh, Anon…’, she prayed in her head.
>’Where are you when we need you.’

>Once again, Twilight stood face to face with the stranger, observing as he unenthusiastically inhaled the fumes of his cigar.
>Thick plumes of smoke fell like a waterfall through his teeth and towards the floor, and Twilight could smell the horrid chemicals as they punctured her senses.
>It was like sticking your nose into a burning bush covered in boiling paint.
>As she tried to ignore it, she could feel sparks ignite in her fists, but she focused on keeping the energy contained.
>The stranger flicked the remaining stub of his addiction away, watching as it shattered into a dozen smaller glowing dots against the floor.
>He then tugged his hat, making sure it sat correctly.
>”This way.” he said, motioning towards the exit of the hall where the now empty main hallway of the station was.
>After waiting a few moments with no response, the stranger sighed and started walking ahead.
>Looking back, Twilight saw the worried faces of her friends.
>She gave them a weak smile before turning away, forcing herself to keep going.
>Deep down she knew this was madness, but she knew she wasn’t completely helpless.
>The pulsating warmth of the crystal in her chest gave her a slight feeling of confidence, and with her head held high, she marched after the stranger.
>She wasn’t about to die like this if she had any say in the matter.
>Eventually they stood below the arch leading to the once busy main hallway.
>The stranger darted his eyes around the dark corridor, searching for any signs of movement.
>”What’s with the caution?” wondered Twilight as she looked at him suspiciously.
>”Uhm…” he replied, appearing as if he was distracted by something distant. “I ain’t exactly on good terms with the Peacekeepers in this quadrant.”
>Twilight scoffed.
>At least he wasn’t treating her like his prisoner.

>Why the security hadn’t flooded this area yet befuddled the stranger as he scanned the area.
>In fact, something told him they actively avoided his arrest.
>With the agility of a snake, he leaped from the archway and slithered behind a pillar against the corridor wall.
>he peeked around the corner, and when he didn’t find what he was looking for, he turned back around and saw his side was empty.
>Further back, his target stood leaning casually against the arch, looking at him with a mocking sight.
>He clenched his fist, resisting all the urges flooding to him telling him to just shoot her right then and there.
>In a quick motion, he waved Twilight over, and she reluctantly stood up and walked over to his side.
>”This is pretty unnecessary…” she pointed out, crossing her arms.
>”Maybe if you kept quiet for one goddamn…”
>”I’m not the outlaw here.”
>”Twilight?”
>The distant voice made both Twilight and the stranger look up in shock towards the source.

>Around the bend of the corridor, through the crimson light, came a man and another four-legged creature sprinting towards them.
>The stranger could feel his stomach drop as he saw them, his eyes darting desperately around for a way out.
>Twilight had other ideas, however, as she instantly recognized the two approaching characters.
>”Anon!” she shouted, waving her arm enthusiastically with a dumb smile on her face.
>The short bipedal creature waved back, his speed increasing as he approached them.
>The gunslinger, however, recognized the other one quite easily.
>He quickly came to the conclusion that there was only one way out of this.
>”Goddamn this…” he said, his hand not so gracefully reaching down to his side and drawing his powerful weapon in one quick motion.
>Twilight wasn’t too distracted by seeing her friend again to not notice this, though.
>As the stranger swung his barrel around to meet Twilight, she instinctively shouted a warning to her friend.
>In a matter of seconds, the corridor lit up with gunfire, bullets bouncing aimlessly around and crashing into the walls with deadly force.
>When the flashes finally subsided, both Twilight and the gunslinger had disappeared from view, a large hole torn out of a wall being the only thing left from where they stood.

>You lowered your hands when you decided it was safe enough.
>It wasn’t that you thought your feeble human arms could protect you against whatever power that guy wielded, but instincts are instincts.
>You looked around, scanning the area for any signs of Twilight but unable to find her.
>With Asakitt at your heels, you made your way to the chamber archway and looked through the newly made breach in the hallway walls.
>It was like someone had fired a massive heat beam which had melted through the station hull.
>You stood there in confusion, unable to comprehend what had just taken place.
>Across the floor of the large chamber to your left came five humanoid shapes dashing towards you.
>Relieved to see the rest of your crew safe, you greeted them with a relieved sigh.
>”Where’s Twilight?” asked Rarity, her face twisted i concern.
>You reflected her emotion, but stumbled after your words.
“She just… disappeared…”

>The bullet smashed hard against her conjured shield, knocking her further back against the cold floor.
>She dismissed the protective field and sprinted towards the gunslinger who stood on the other side of the bridge.
>He fired another shot, Twilight nimbly dodging it as it whizzed past her head.
>She reached the stranger, charging up her fist and slamming it into him.
>The force was crushing against him, blasting the gunslinger into a wall behind him.
>As he tried to recover, he felt something grab a hold of his left arm.
>Before he could react, he was already several feet into the air.
>His body had been tossed clean across the ravine of the station in an impressive display of strength.
>As he flailed uncontrollably through the air, his foot clipped the edge of a balcony railing five floors above where he last was, and he flew several feet further before crashing into the floor and sliding against it into a hallway.
>Using his momentum, he quickly recovered back to his feet.
>The stranger wasted no time in readying his firearm.
>When Twilight finally appeared down the hallway in a flash of light, he shot three rounds in rapid succession.
>Twilight barely had time to react, raising another energy barrier just as the first round shattered against it.
>Two more quickly followed, and she could feel herself growing more fatigued with every strike to the barrier.
>She wasn’t too surprised by this discovery, as she had already concluded that the crystal in her chest, the source of this incredible new power, also was the reason she was still alive.
>Twilight looked up and was immediately met with a fourth and fifth round.
>They bounced off spectacularly, crashing into the nearby walls and sending colorful sparks flying across the floor.
Again, she lowered her barrier and set off on a mad dash to reach the outlaw.
>Twilight wasn’t skilled in hand to hand combat, so rush tactics were the only crutch she had at this point.
>A bullet flew past her again and she could feel its high-pitched whoosh ripple against her skin.
>She conjured a small plate of energy around her wrist and blocked another projectile, knocking it straight into the floor as she jumped above the small crater it had made.
>When she landed, Twilight found herself losing her footing against the smooth floor, stumbling forward.
>In a lightning-fast decision, Twilight twisted her foot around, sending her careening off to her side.
>She lifted her other leg and gathered all the energy she could muster in her foot.
>Before the outlaw could react, Twilight’s leg came crashing down upon him.
>Instinctively, he raised his gun against her, the barrel humming with an overcharged shot.
>With all his speed he pulled the trigger, the bullet launching up against Twilight’s strike.
>For a few moments, it felt like time slowed to a crawl, as the energy field slammed down against the bullet.
>The impact covered the corridor in a blinding light, and then everything went silent.

>”I would strongly advise against entering that area, Anon.” Asakitt stared into the hole in the wall with just as much confusion as you.
>Through it you could see complicated machinery that had been cut clean through.
>It was hard to discern what was on the other side, but one thing you were certain of was the absence of Twilight and her associate.
>With a sigh you stood up and looked at your friends, their faces reflecting your worry.
“What even happened just now…” you said, still not quite grasping the situation.
>Nobody spoke up, so you turned to Asakitt, who seemed deep in thought.
>He kept staring at the red hot crater in the wall, the metal still dripping down on the amber floor like volcanic syrup.
>”I see…” he finally said, stroking his facial hair.
>He then turned his attention to you, and even though reading the emotions of an extraterrestrial being didn’t come naturally to you, it was clear that he expressed great sorrow.
>”It pains me to say this.” he said, his words not coming easily to him. “Your friend’s condition seems to be worsening.”
“What do you mean?” you asked, feeling your stomach drop.
>”This stone she possesses. We called it a Fulcrum. We thought we had destroyed or deactivated them all, but I suppose we were wrong.”
“You suppose?” you said, feeling a drop of frustration grow inside of you.
>”There was a reason we tried to get rid of them all. You see, a Fulcrum was a weapon used to turn soldiers into living killing machines with unimaginable powers. It seems your friend Twilight has discovered how to tap into its power source. If we can’t stop it, surely the Fulcrum will eat her alive.”
>You expected to be more shocked at this revelation, but in truth, you had a feeling that this would be the case.
>Having a stone replace your heart shouldn’t have become the commonplace that it had, and you started silently scolding yourself for not dealing with the issue properly.
>Now it felt like due to you trivializing it, you had failed to see the consequences it would have.
>But it was your job to keep your crew safe and bring them home safely, and that was exactly what you planned to do.
“What can I do?” you asked Asakitt, determination resonating in your voice.
>”If you wish to save her, I believe that the coordinates I have provided you, that and your wits, are your only options.”
>You nodded and turned around.
>Your friends stood there, having heard it all.
>They showed concern as well, but none of them were ready to give up on Twilight.
>It was finally time to take action and not stand idly by and observe the universe go along its course.
“Let’s go.” you said firmly, and the crew nodded.

>Just as you took a step towards the end of the corridor, The left wall burst out in a spectacular explosion.
>Through the newly made hole, a figure came flying and struck the opposite wall, falling limp onto the floor.
>Through the smoke it was hard to make out who it was as it tried to get up in its weakened state.
>A powerful gust washed over you as you covered your eyes, shielding yourself from the dust which slowly drained away from the scene.
>As the smoke dissipated, you peeked over your arms, and what you saw both frightened and amazed you.
>Appearing from the crater came Twilight, seemingly hovering in mid air with a strange distorting pulse emanating from her waist.
>Her hair looked to have a will on its own as it lashed out behind her in reaction to this newfound power, and in her chest sat the Fulcrum, harrowingly glowing in a sinister green light.
>It seemed to have seared right through the fabric of her suit, now fully blotted through the burnt suit.
>”Such a terrible sight…” said Asakitt under his breath. “To see death walk among us once again.”
>All you could do was observe as this strange alien creature raised his weapon in despair.
>He seemed to be bleeding heavily from his side, but his face was twisted in anger.
>With a final pull of his trigger, the last bullet he had blasted off towards the scientist.
>With inhuman reflexes, Twilight raised her palm, and suspended the projectile in front of her.
>The two opposing forces sent shockwaves through the station and you could feel the ground rumble beneath you.
>When the light disappeared around the bullet, you could see it still spinning, a tuft of smoke rising from its metal body.
>With a sigh, the stranger’s arm fell limp against the floor.
>His anger seemed all but gone now, replaced by a neutral expression and glossy eyes.
>The corridor fell silent as the only sound which could be heard was the bullet leaving suspension and hitting the ground with an empty metallic ring.
>Twilight also seemed to catch up to her own reality, breathing heavily as if she had just recovered from exhausting physical strain.
>Carefully she approached her opponent, but all he did was lie still and look at her, his face seeming almost peaceful and tranquil like.
>She kicked his gun out of his reach before squatting next to him.
>”You weren’t gonna… let us talk to your contractors… were you?” Twilight asked as she tried to catch her breath.
>The stranger only answered in a weak laugh before wincing in pain and grabbing his side.
>Most of the bleeding had stopped, but his vest was drained in the warm crimson life essence.
>”It’s that obvious, huh?” he said with a smug grin. “It’s still a harsh place out here. I’d say you’re more than prepared though.”
>Twilight sat next to her attacker for a few moments as if she struggled to plan her next step.
>Eventually she got up, and without a second look at the stranger, walked towards where you and the rest of the crew stood dumbfounded by what had just taken place.
>”Hey, miss magician.”
>The scientist abruptly stopped and turned halfway around.
>She met the gunslingers eyes, which for once seemed convincingly serious.
>”I need to ask you a favor. I’m pretty much doomed to rot in a cell at this point, so I don’t want you to do this for me.”
>He paused for a second, and when Twilight didn’t walk away, he sighed and rolled over on his side.
>”It’s my son. Can you make sure he’s doin’ alright? You don’t need to promise me, but if you’re interested, he lives on Yola 4. Ask for Daina, you’ll find ‘em.”
>Without acknowledging his request, Twilight just turned away and kept walking, leaving her opponent bloodied and beaten in a rubble.

>The scientist approached you and the crew, but none seemed to ecstatic over your reunion.
>At first glance, Twilight seemed like she hadn't slept for days, and you could only speculate about the cause.
>Still, it was pretty obvious it had something to do with this Fulcrum.
>Applejack, Rarity and the others stood huddled up in a group, not daring to say anything after what they had witnessed.
>It didn’t go unnoticed by Twilight either, as she seemed quite embarrassed over the display she had put on.
>It was also the first time you had seen her act like this about the crystal, seeing as she had seemed quite excited about it before.
>Now only dread surrounded it as she had fully realized what she was capable of.
>”How do I get rid of this?” She finally said, not able to look anyone in the eyes.
“Twilight…”
>”This isn’t a toy Anon, it’s something much worse. We have to destroy this thing.”
>Next to you, Asakitt approached your distressed friend, putting a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder.
>She looked up at him, and was met with a reassuring smile.
>”I have no doubt that you will find a way out of this.”
>His deep voice felt calming, like a grandfather telling stories by the fireplace.
“I have coordinates to a place which might help us.” you told her hopefully. “I promise you we’ll fix this!”
>”Yeah, Twi, we’re not giving up on you!”
>”Oh, you guys…”
>One by one the girls approached Twilight and embraced her.
>As they piled onto each other, you noticed how the green light from the Fulcrum slowly faded and returned to the empty, lifeless husk it used to be.
>With a relieved sigh, you faced Asakitt, who seemed to observe the crew curiously.
“I can’t thank you enough for the help, Asakitt.” you said, reaching out your hand.
>The beast only dismissed it, shaking his head.
>”Don’t thank me yet, human. You still have a long way to go, and the darkness yields for no one.”
>You tried to make eye contact, uncertain of what emotion he was expressing.
>When this proved to be futile, you lowered your hand.
“Still, you’ve helped us this much. I can only give you my gratitude.”
>He nodded, still appearing to be deep in thought.
>”I have to ask you something.”
>Twilight appeared next to you, speaking in a serious tone.
>Asakitt diverted his attention, looking down at her from his towering posture.
>”I have to know where Yolda 4 is.”
>”Ahh yes!” he answered almost immediately. “I was wanting to speak to you about this, Anon. We have been scanning your ship and believe we have an understanding of your computer architecture. I will see to it that you get a copy of our maps if you need it.”
>”And what will you do with him?”
>Twilight motioned towards the stranger, but Asakitt only looked back at her with confusion.
>She noticed this, and upon looking back at the stranger, he was gone.
>The pile of twisted metal held nothing but the whisper of battle and a bed of empty shells left behind by the stranger's hungry weapon.
>Twilight turned back, equally as confused, but was met with the reassuring gaze of Asakitt.
>”Worry not. Hasan is a regular here. I’ve dispatched every remaining Peacekeeper to sweep the station. I’ll personally make sure he answers for all he’s done.”
>Hasan?
>All this time and Twilight didn’t think to even ask what his name was.
>She looked at the towering creature and thought she saw something reminiscent of a wink, but she couldn’t quite make it out.

>Having bid farewell to Asakitt and his crew of mechanics, who you had mistaken for scavenging your ship for spare parts, the Excalibur undocked from The Concord and raised her sails.
>You could swear that the ship handled differently now, but it wasn’t initially clear what had changed, or if something had changed at all.
>The mechanics, who all looked like greased up giant apes, had done something at least.
>Asakitt had reassured you that the changes would only benefit you.
>To be honest, you didn’t quite know how to feel about strangers messing with agency equipment, however there was nothing you could do about that now.
>Excalibur silently slipped out of the dock and was left to her own engine power for the rest of the transit towards the warp point.

>”Anon?”
>Twilight appeared in the doorway to your office.
>Through your window you had stared at the giant space station until it was swallowed by the starlight, and even then you kept looking.
>A whole new world had been revealed before your eyes in the span of a couple of hours, and the new map you had been gifted made it even more apparent that loneliness were the least of your concerns in the universe.
>You ripped your eyes away from the vista and turned your attention to your friend.
“What’s the matter?” you said softly, inviting her into the small cubicle.
>Twilight wasted no time in grabbing your favorite recliner and dumping her limp, exhausted body into its cushions.
>She took some time soaking in the relaxing atmosphere of the ship, something she felt she had taken for granted previously.
>Her content smile soon vanished, replaced by an empty stare into the metallic roof.
>Eventually, she sat up straight and looked you in the eyes.
>”Back there…” she said and paused to collect her thoughts. “I felt like I lost control. The things I could do… The rush was unlike anything I had felt before.”
>She sighed when you didn’t muster up a response.
>”You weren’t scared, were you? Of me?”
>In truth, you were quite scared, although it wasn’t fear of her.
>It was more fear for her.
>You had witnessed a side of her personality which you had never seen before.
>It scared you to think about what she was capable of with the Fulcrum lodged inside her like that.
>You weren’t even sure if this was her or if it was the crystal showing its true colors.
>When you didn’t answer her, Twilight looked away in shame, the relic which once had been the center of her research now being the subject of great embarrassment.
>”Do you plan on going to Yolda 4?” you asked in an effort to change the subject.
>She shook her head, the cascade of purple locks rolling over her shoulders and covering her face.
>”Hasan managed to escape. If he really cares about his son, I think he’d go see him on his own.”
>You nodded, and the room fell silent.
“Sooo…” you said after a while.
>”Yes, Anon, we’ll go to this ‘Newhaven’ you never kept quiet about…”
>You sighed in relief, half expecting her to insist on seeing her assailant's son.
>Maybe Twilight was just as worried about her condition as you were, but it was honestly hard to tell.
>At times, she could be quite reclusive of her thoughts and feelings, but that didn’t matter anymore.
>You let Twilight stay in your office for as long as she wanted, and eventually she left to get some rest.
>You sat down with your newly acquired map which really was just a strange crystalline orb sitting on your desk.
>Its data had already been transferred to a readable format on your computer, however, so for now it was just a trophy of your achievements as an explorer and diplomat.
>Looking through the files, you pulled up everything you had on the destination and cast it onto the futuristic, holographic equivalent of a corkboard which floated in the middle of the room.

>Newhaven.
>Supposedly it had been a weapons research facility right before the wars started.
>It was now abandoned, but the people behind it left all sorts of documentation intact.
>There had also been some strange gravitational anomalies detected there recently, which you immediately connected to those giant planet-eating machines.
>Either way, this quickly started turning into a race against time.
>You hated stressing, but for your friends you would go to any length.
>If that length was across the stars, then so be it.
>You had the means to travel wherever you wanted, see things you could never dream of.
>You would have given all of this up if it meant the safety of those you cared about.
>Part of you wanted to go back home to ensure the safety of your crew against this harsh reality you found out here.
>But you knew everyone would protest and insist the mission run its course.
>After all, HQ had told you that the mission comes first unless you were in mortal danger.
>And so, you would press on.
>”Coordinates set for Newhaven, Anon.” your comms chimed with its characteristic screeching filter. “Are you certain about this?”
“Of course I’m sure, Rarity. Why wouldn’t I be?”
>”I feel like we won’t be coming back from this. Just a gut feeling.”
“As long as we stick together, we have nothing to lose. Activate the warp with maximum velocity.”
>”Aye.” Rarity answered after a second of pause.
>It didn’t take long before you heard the machinery across the ship come to life, pumping fuel, combusting, converting, rotating and whatever else it did.
>Once more, with a thunderous crack of energy, the interstellar arrow that was Excalibur shot of against its next target with haste.
>This time, it was personal.



Chapter 5


Day 162
>The red toolbox wrung itself out of your grip and stuck to the black plates beneath your feet.
>You stood upright, making sure your boots were magnetized before making any sudden movements.
>”Alright, there should be a panel to your right that you can lift up.”
>Your comms flared to life with the familiar voice of the engineer.
>Bowing down, you could indeed see what she was talking about.
“Got it.” you affirmed. “Just remove and pull, right?”
>As you kneeled against the hull, you could see a small segment which was separate from the rest of the exterior.
>You managed to press your fingers through a slim opening, and with a sharp pull upwards, every clamp on the adjacent plate released its grip.
>Through your boots you could feel the reverberations of the metal pieces slamming into the hull, letting go of the panel it kept secure.
>With no gravity to hold it down, the thick, sturdy piece slowly drifted apart from its slot, only lightly guided by your hands until it rested a comfortable distance from its origin.
>Looking down, the exposed machinery seemed daunting to you, but thankfully you weren’t alone in this endeavour.
>”Alright, you should see three pipes running beside each other into a shiny box.”
“Uhh…”
>Your eyes darted around, scanning every inch of the mechanical mess for anything resembling the vague description.
>Eventually, you could see something glistening in the slim cone of your suit’s flashlight.
>You laid down, gently pulling aside some rubber hoses to find your target.
“Oh, got it!”
>”Sweet, now imma need you to tighten them bolts you see on ‘em! A 5 millimeter should do the trick!”
>Pulling yourself over the red toolbox magnetized to the hull next to you, you lifted the security on the lid and opened it to find all the tools inside carefully nestled into their own spot.
->You grabbed a hold of a wrench and wrestled it out of the rubber clamp before returning your attention to the pipes.
>”Just keep tightening until I tell you to stop.” Applejack informed you as you started turning the bolt.

>On your way to the next destination, your ship had run into a bit of hardware problems.
>According to Applejack, the main reactor had grown increasingly unstable for every jump, and if you kept going, you would eventually lose power.
>You decided it would be best to stop at a nearby star to recalibrate the engines, and maybe it could be an opportunity for some R&R as well.
>What you hadn’t predicted, however, was that this system was completely desolate and only contained a few couple fields of space rocks sparsely orbiting a class D star.
>It was a pretty depressing sight, so regretfully any recuperation had to be done inside the ship, the walls of which you and everyone on board had already been staring at for close to a month straight already.
>At least the star radiated a ton of energy, so the ship could charge its auxiliary batteries while you aimlessly floated around.
>”You’re good, An!” your comms suddenly chimed in. “Just hang tight while i do some tinkerin’ in here!”
>You dragged yourself back out in the open and sat down against the hull.
>At least as well as you could sit in the vacuum of space.
>From your perspective you had a great view of the left stabilizer wing extending out from the main body of the ship.
>Looking to your left you could see the nose running outwards from under the bridge, ending in the barrel of the massive railgun built in under the curved shielding.
>Even this close, the Excalibur was an impressive sight.
>Even more impressive was that it only took seven people to operate, something that didn’t even cross your mind until recently.
>”Somethin’ on your mind, cap?” Applejack broke the silence again.
“I dunno… Just feels like a lot of things changed after Scuti.”
>”Well, we did become aware of other intelligent aliens and such. I’d think that qualifies as ‘changed.’”
“I’m more talking about the mood of this ship in general.”
>”You wanna talk about it?”
>You sat in silence for a moment, then reaching up to your neck, pushed a switch on your suit.
>”Did you… just transfer us to a secure channel?” Applejack asked.
“I’ll be honest, I’m mostly concerned about Twilight…”
>You paused for a moment to collect your thoughts and expected the engineer to fill the silence with some reassuring words.
>To your surprise, she kept patiently silent.
“I only think I’ve seen her outside the lab once or twice. She doesn’t talk to anyone, barely eats or sleeps, and whenever I try to ask her about it she just shrugs it off…”
>”I’d imagine havin’ a weapon stuck in my chest would make me weary too.”
>”I believe these are more signs of depression, Anon.”
>Even though the new addition to the conversation was quite timid and soft, you jumped a bit and nearly de-magnetized your suit.
“Jesus, I thought this channel was secure!”
>You heard Fluttershy giggle at the other end.
>”My apology, Anon, I use this channel all the time. I’ll switch to a different one now.”
“No no, you can stay, it doesn’t matter that much anymore.”
>”Oh… Well, if I could offer my insight. I think she has gone reclusive because she is afraid to hurt anyone.”
“The what?” you asked in confusion.
>”She did cause a great deal of damage aboard the Concord, remember? I have yet to talk to her alone, but all signs point to her distancing herself for that reason.”
>If it was true, it would make a lot of sense.
>Of course, you couldn’t really think of a better reason yourself, so you trusted Fluttershy’s judgement.
“Isn’t there anything we can do to help though?”
>”For now, maybe it’d be best to leave her to her own devices. At least she’s trying to figure this Fulcrum thing out instead of moping around, so I see no reason for alarm just yet.”
>You sighed.
>This wasn’t a state you liked seeing your crew in, so you hoped this recalibration wouldn’t take so long.
>In your mind, what you needed the most now was a good old excursion.
>”Not to ruin the moment, Anon, but I’m gonna have to ask you to start with the next bolt.”
“Oh, right!”
>You quickly dug up the pipes again and located the next point.
>”I’ll leave you to it then!” Fluttershy chirped.
>Before you could react, she had left the channel, and it was now just you, Applejack and the cosmic background radiation sitting as a constant reminder at the bottom of the feed.
>”Just a little bit more, Cap. The coils are almost aligned!”
”I’m on it!”

“Hellooo?”
>The sterile, white interior of the lab seemed desolate from your position at the door.
>Fluorescent lighting illuminated the environment with an almost nauseating indigo hue, the glow only enhancing all the objects strewn about the chamber with excruciating detail.
>Yet, you didn’t see anyone inside.
>Still not hearing any answer to your call, you took a step through the door, making extra sure your presence was obvious.
>You had grown increasingly weary, so against Fluttershy’s judgement you had decided to pay your friend a visit.
>As you walked past the desk, you noted how every piece of equipment stood lined against the wall, seemingly untouched.
>You assumed Twilight didn’t have a use for them, because when you reached the medical table, it was clear that it had seen heavy use.
>The scanner ring had been pushed halfway across the table, and a tablet hanging from a swivel in the roof had a document open with incoherent notes written sporadically all over it.
>Dark crimson streaks had been smeared and dripped over the table, some stray drops even running over the edge and forming dried up puddles on the floor.
>Next to the table was a metal tray with a wide array of scalpels and knives in all shapes and sizes, however they all seemed perfectly clean.
>The faint smell of iron and vinegar hit your nose, but it was hard to discern where it came from.
>”Anon?”
>Just when you started to fear the worst, the voice coming from behind the far wall of the room made you jump.
>Turning your head slightly bewildered towards the source, you could see Twilight standing just off the corner, her lab coat draped over her bare chest.
>It wasn’t the fact that she was barely wearing anything which affected you however.
>Her torso was covered in precise scars running along key points around the crystal, which seemed melded with her skin.
>In her hand she held a syringe which you instantly recognized as the remnants of a painkiller shot.
>She seemed slightly concerned, and her hair looked more ruffled than one of Applejack’s brooms during fall season.
“Fucking hell, Twilight, are you alright?” you said as you approached her and took the empty syringe out of her hands.
>You noticed how all of her scars had an inherent lack of blood trails coming from them.
>”I’m fine Anon.” she answered dismissively, walking past you and straight to the medical table.
>Without another word she pulled down the tablet and closed all the documents and windows, leaving only the life support monitor visible.
>”You shouldn’t be in here.” she said in the same monotonous tone, avoiding eye contact at all cost.
“Oh bullshit. It’s my job to know everything that’s going on around here. I can’t have people going around performing surgery on themselves unsupervised!”
>The scientist didn’t appear to have an answer for you, instead staring embarrassed into the ground while rubbing her arm.
>You sighed and put down the syringe on a nearby desk.
>Admittedly, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened since you left the Concord.
>It was, however, the first time you had seen it this severe.
>Twilight moved over to a cupboard and pulled out a roll of bandages from a shelf.
>She then dropped her lab coat on the ground, her torso now completely exposed, and started to unroll the white cloth.
>It startled you how little she had come to care about privacy, and even though you knew each other well enough, this was highly unusual behavior for someone like her.
“You know, we’re all here for you if you need to talk to someone.” you said as Twilight kept covering her scars.
>She didn’t really give you any indication that she was listening at all.
>Your attention eventually diverged on the crystal horn jutting out of the scientist’s chest.
>It was obvious that it was the source of the problem, but you kept wondering if it had changed her on a fundamental level, that it had somehow altered her personality.
>Your persistence proving to be futile, you started to move towards the lab exit.
>”I didn’t feel anything.” you could hear behind you.
>Stopping in your tracks, you immediately turned around to see Twilight looking back with the same emotionless expression.
“You didn’t… feel anything?” you repeated.
>”I thought I could figure out how I was connected to the Fulcrum, but the radiation rendered any scan a scrambled mess. So I did an incision. And another one. And another one…”
>Her gaze shifted towards the medical table, her entire torso now covered in white, tightly bound bandage.
>”No matter how many times I cut or how deep I went, I still couldn’t feel anything.”
“But the painkiller…”
>”I thought I could reverse the effect somehow. Nothing I do seems to change my condition. I’m convinced now.”
>A silent break followed as you waited for her to continue.
“Convinced about what, Twi?” you asked when she didn’t show any signs of providing an answer.
>She looked at you, and you could see tears starting to well up in her eyes, but her expression never changed.
>”I’m not supposed to be here, Anon. I should have died back in those ruins. I’m just a walking anomaly.”
“Hey, now.” you approached Twilight and wrapped your arms around her, making sure not to impale yourself on the crystal.
>Quietly, she buried her teary eyes in your shirt as you comforted her.
“I promise I won’t give up until we get you out of this. We know where to go, we just have to find what we need to fix this.”
>You stood there for a while until you were sure Twilight wouldn’t pull off another stunt like that again.
>You weren't quite sure what you were looking for, truth be told, but it felt like you would know once you found it.
>All you really needed to do was get to your location and look for it.
>Eventually you let go of her and helped her put the lab coat back on.
“Promise you’ll at least go talk to Fluttershy. You can’t go on being reclusive or stuff like this happens, okay?”
>Twilight didn’t answer you, drying her cheeks with her coat.
>You had already realized that trying to force her to do something was useless, so the least you could do was make sure she felt alright before leaving her.
>Not that you wanted to leave, but if everyone had to follow their personal feelings on board this ship, nothing would be done at all.

>As you headed out towards the bridge, you couldn’t help but think about her condition.
>While having superpowers could be cool at first, she was basically stuck in a limbo between life and death.
>You weren’t even sure if she slept or ate like a normal person anymore.
>The coordinates you received from Asakitt lead to a relatively low-trafficked star system on the outskirts of the current sector.
>It was only a few light years away now, so you should be arriving within a few days.
>With what you just witnessed, the motivation to get this over with only increased, and you were sure the others were just as eager to find a solution as you were.


Day 8&75G@#2#

>A hundred beams glittered from the canons of the war moons, striking the chitin armor of the opposing dreadnoughts with vicious force.
>Seemingly untouched by this gesture, the black ships returned fire with howling blasts of insidious energy, cutting the corvettes into smoldering pieces as they pierced their weak frames.
>Like stars in the night sky, the vessels blinked out of existence in spectacular explosions, their final cry into the night not lasting any longer than a few seconds before they were no more.
>The queen observed the battlefield, saddened by the destruction that took place before her.
>So this was the power the enemy withheld from them?
>A scribe scurried to her side, his face twisted in panic.
>”My queen, they have wiped out five of our war moons! We can’t keep this up for much longer, or we will surely perish!”
>She slowly panned over with sorrow in her eyes, looking at the poor young scribe panting exhausted next to her.
>Compared to him, her tall, slender figure towered far above him, her body lightly draped in ethereal garbs fluttering in a non-existent wind.
>Most people would have been afraid to approach her like this, but this one didn’t seem to be fazed by her figure the slightest.
>Then, unexpectedly, a gentle smile spread across the woman’s face.
>Confused, the scribe seemed to lose his sense of dread and looked at his queen in anticipation.
>”Worry not, my boy.” She said, her voice warm and calming like a mother speaking to her child. “Their power may have been unexpected, but they played their best cards far too early. Let me show you what true devastation looks like.”
>With an elegant flick of her wrist, the sky split apart, and thousands of white towers of unending complexity descended upon the black ships.
>Their hull shimmered in the sudden starlight, almost organic in nature with armor flowing over their surface like liquid.
>In the center, a spiraling blue light sparked aggressively inside cogs of epic magnitude, rotating slowly and methodically.
>The queen snapped her fingers, and the tip of the white spears lit up with a blinding flash.
>Countless beams filled the skies vertically which hit the ground far below them.
>In an instant, the planet became scorched, its ecosystem unable to withstand the fiery rays torching every biomass in the vicinity with deadly radiation.
>When the relentless assault finally let up, the battlefield lay silent.
>The railguns hissed as they cooled down in the toxic atmosphere, the beam cannons lay dormant against the hull of smoldering war moons with attack coordinates locked in, ready to fire.
>But not a sound could be heard.
>The queen looked at the scribe, who gazed back in awe.
>”Our work here is done.” she said.
>By her word, every ship and derelict belonging to her forces raised back into the sky, leaving the dark army reeling after her invisible assault.
>”But my queen, the enemy still lives!” the scribe said respectfully, dumbfounded by her sudden decision.
>”Worry not, my boy. I have granted them something far worse than death. Once they understand what just took place here, they would not dare oppose my forces again.”
>And with that, the white fleet disappeared into the dark night, becoming one with the stars.


Day 177

>”Anon!”
>You jerked up from your seat, your feet flailing wildly until you felt them smack into something hard.
>Instinctively, you leant over your desk and frantically grasped after your falling cup, only to helplessly watch it crash into the floor.
>Looking up you could see spunky pilot leaning over you with an expression of disappointment.
>”Geez, do you do anything aboard this ship except sleep and walk around all day?”
“Of course I do!” you said amidst a heavy yawn.
>Rainbow Dash leant back up and placed a hand on her forehead.
>Before you could defend yourself she turned on her heel and walked down the stairs to the lower bridge.
>”Whatever, man…”
>You tried opening your mouth numerous times, but eventually decided that arguing with her would be futile.
>”We’re closing in on the exit point soon. I got us as close to the destination as possible, but you do know jumping this far into a system is a huge risk, right?”
“I trust your intuition, RD. You’d never run us into anything solid, would you?”
>She turned to you with a smug grin on her face.
>”I do have that power, you know!”
>Behind you, the familiar hiss of the bridge door announced the arrival of someone else.
>”By my calculations, we should have safe passage into the system without any obstructions!” Rarity claimed as she walked past your post.
>Apparently, the star system was only a few local years away from a planetary alignment event, something that you’d never seen even at home.
>It was a pretty strange coincidence, you thought, but you doubt you’d stay on site long enough to see it.

>You nodded in greeting to the rest of the personnel who silently wandered towards their stations.
>This was routine at this point, so having to give a formal greeting each time you entered the bridge would get tiring after a while.
>”Dropping out of warp in 5!” Rainbow Dash called out from the helm.
”Alright, everyone to their posts. Let’s get this done and our feet on something solid.”
>You watched everyone funnel into their seats and pull up the information they needed.
>”The gravity distortions should be pretty heavy at the drop point, so brace yourselves!” Rarity announced after plugging her tablet into her desk interface.
>You heard the ship’s frame creak under the sudden pressure when the single point of light at the end the tunnel rapidly expanded.
>The ship effortlessly slid out of the wormhole exit... and into a dense field of asteroids.
>”Shit!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she pulled the flight stick hard towards her.
>The ship’s engine roared as they tried to keep up with her aggressive turn.
>The bridge was flooded with a hoarse sound, as if someone slammed the breaks on a rapidly spinning cheese grater.
>You could feel the forces strain on both you and the ship, as you were squished into the seat and the hull groaned.
>A stray rock smashed into the bulletproof windshield, bouncing away as every retrograde engine stood on maximum burn in an attempt to stop the ship.
>”Diverting reserve power to main engines!” Applejack shouted over the main core whirring in distress.
>The outside became a blur of brown and black as the ship tilted backwards.
>Eventually, you came to a full halt, the ships exhaust vents blasting superheated gases into the frigid vacuum in an attempt to expel all the used energy from the maneuver.
>Everyone in the room was dead quiet, only broken up by the sigh of relief from the pilot as she leaned back in her seat.
“AJ, I want a full damage report. Rarity, find out where the hell we are.”
>The crew frantically got to work without hesitation.
“And RD… Get us somewhere safe. That was too close.”
>”Anon, I’m detecting hull breaches on decks 6 and 9, they’ve been sealed off for now.” Applejack said without taking her eyes of her screen.
>”Minimal oxygen loss, but our velocity sensors are going haywire. I’m worried the array might be damaged.” Twilight informed the rest.
>”You’re not the only one, Twilight. I can’t get a lock on our position.” Rarity told the science officer. “I’m reading incredibly heavy magnetic interference.”
“I need to find out where that interference is coming from ASAP.”
>”I think I can help with that, Cap. We got some kinda junk in the hangar bay…”
>You looked over to Applejack in confusion.
“Some… junk?”
>”Aye, can’t confirm what it is, but it’s there and it sure is heavy.”
“Alright, Pinkie Pie, with me. We’ll check it out. The rest of you, stay on the comms. Let’s get out of here.”
>”Aye!” everyone shouted in unison while Pinkie bounced enthusiastically up from her seat, quickly making her way up from the lower bridge.

“Ready?” you said behind your respirator.
>Pinkie Pie nodded inside her suit’s visor, taking a firm grasp of a nearby support beam.
>With the push of a button, the heavy hangar bay doors slid open to the sound of hissing gas, which quickly faded once the atmosphere inside the airlock got sucked out of the expanding gap.
>You could feel the pull of vacuum tugging at you, but thankfully your magnetic boots kept their grip.
>Once the force of nature had dissipated, you took a peek inside the bay.
>At first glance, you couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
>The dark shell of the shuttle rested proudly in the middle of the launch pad, and at the far end stood a towering wall of unopened supply crates.
>”Hey, Nonny! Over there!” Pinkie Pie whispered harshly.
>You followed her gesture, and near one of the force fields separating you from the cold embrace of space sat a small orb nestled in a crater.
>The force field seemed intact, any damage it had taken most likely self-mended already, so you wondered where the lack of oxygen came from.
>You’d have to ask Applejack to inspect it later.
>You pulled out the geiger counter from your utility belt and made your way down the metal stairs with Pinkie at your back, keeping your eye on the rapidly changing numbers on the display.
“It must’ve crashed in here through the field. That takes a lot of force.” you said as you made your way across the large empty room.
>”I don’t like it. It’s looking at me funny.”
“Let’s just figure out what it is.” you said dismissively.
>As you approached it, you started noticing strange artefacts on the geiger counter display.
>The closer you got, the more severe it became.
>Eventually you stood right next next to it, and while the radiation level hadn’t increased, the display was now almost impossible to read.
>Pinkie Pie carefully moved closer to the object, almost sneaking up to it.
>When you couldn’t get any more information from it, you gave up and strapped the counter to your belt.
“Alright, let’s have a look at you.”
>On closer inspection, this thing didn’t look anything like the space debris outside.
>It was smooth and perfectly spherical with a matte surface.
>You moved closer and reached out to it with your hand, when suddenly a few inches away from it, you jerked forward and your palm slammed into it.
>Immediately you lost your footing and fell to the floor.
>”Anon!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed anxiously.
>You wrestled yourself onto your knees, but for some reason you were unable to move your arm.
“What the hell is this?” you said as you attempted to yank your hand away from the sphere.
>Much to your dismay, it was firmly stuck to its surface.
“Well then…” you sighed when you realized force wasn’t helping. “I think we found our magnet.”
>You looked over to your partner for help, but was only met with a strange expression.
>Suddenly, she burst out in a hearty laugh and slapped her knee.
>”You should have seen yourself! You went like ‘THUMP’!”
>Pinkie smacked her palm down in her other hand to illustrate your involuntary faceplant, and you couldn’t help but elicit a nervous laugh yourself.
“Well… I’m still stuck…”
>You tapped your helmet control with your free hand to try and contact the bridge, but everything digital seemed to be jammed by the magnetism.
“Fuck.” you said under your breath, in a lack of other words. “I don’t suppose you’ve got any experience with magnets?”
>”Not these kinds at least!” The bubbly girl shrugged with a concerned smile.
“Alright, well I need you to-”
>”Oooh! I know!” she interrupted you. “Twilight probably knows what to do!”
“Thanks, great idea.” you said sarcastically while attempting to find a comfortable position to sit in.
>”Hey Twilight!” Pinkie called out over the radio as if she tried to sound as innocent as possible.
>What better time to joke around than this, you thought to yourself.
>”We’ve got a bit of an… attractive problem down here.”
>”What’s the issue?” the science officer replied.
>”Uhh… I don’t really know, but Anon is kinda stuck to this orb we found.”
>The comms were quiet for a few seconds before Twilight gave an answer.
>”I-... What?”
“It’s magnetic, Pinkie…” you told her, gesturing to your palm which refused to move.
>”Oh, right! It’s magnetic!”
>You groaned and laid down on the hangar floor.

>Pinkie knew advanced weapons and targeting systems in the back of her head, but ultimately she wasn't the brightest on board.
>You recalled the struggle of finding a place for her on the ship, as you hadn’t really planned to shoot a lot of things while on this mission.
>She was mostly a safeguard, but you felt bad just keeping her on standby so you tried to give her as much to do as possible.
>In the end, she was kept mostly on the sidelines anyway.
>”It’s fine!” she had told you, giving you her signature grin. “I don’t mind it, really. I can easily find stuff to do when I’m bored!”
>However, those things usually ended up as extra muscle for AJ or Twilight or cleaning up throughout the ship.
>You rolled your head around as you observed her receiving instructions from Twilight about what to do.
>When Pinkie finally did get something to do, you could count on it being done properly.
>At least she was good at that.

>”Okay, so magnetize the suit and do the thing, yep, got it!”
“Well?” you said, sitting back up.
>”Twily said if we polarize your glove with the same pull as the orb, you should be able to free yourself.”
“Oh great, that doesn’t sound tedious at all.”
>”Now we just need some magnets…”
”I certainly haven’t seen any.”
>”Really? Aww, that's…”
>Suddenly Pinkie stopped, then looked over to you with a grin while pointing finger guns in your directions.
>”Oh, you smartypants, you!”
>Then, she stopped again, her expression going blank as if she was in deep thought.
>”Ooh! I’ve got it!” Pinkie lit up and snapped her fingers, except you couldn’t really hear anything without an atmosphere.
>”Quick, gimme your geiger counter!”
“Are you serious?”
>”Trust me, Anon! It’s broken anyway. Gimmie gimmie!”
>Reluctantly, you reached down to your belt and pulled out the small box, handing it to her.
>Immediately she grabbed it and ripped it open, tearing out a long blue wire.
“Pinke!” you exclaimed while watching the guts of the device spill out on the floor.
>The girl pulled out a wire clipper and removed the enamel from the cord and entwined it with another.
>She now had a wire about three meters long.
>Satisfied, she curled it up and ejected five small 1.5 volt batteries from the device and crammed them into her pocket.
>”C’mere.” she said as she squatted down next to you.
>She reached over your lap, careful not to get too close to the orb, and started wrapping the long wire around your glove.
“What is this, a science fair experiment?” you asked, but she didn’t seem to hear you.
>All you could do was sit there in anticipation, but her determined expression at least gave her a facade of confidence.
>Once the wire was coiled around your arm, she connected the two loose ends into the remains of the geiger counter, placing the batteries back into the box.
>”Alright, here we go!”
>Carefully, Pinkie moved her hand to the switch and flipped it.
>Suddenly the device burst into sparks as electrical current surged through the wire.
>Without warning, your hand was violently pushed away and blasted your entire body in the opposite direction.
>You fell into Pinkie Pie on your way, and you both flew across the hangar bay, landing about half a football field’s length away from the orb.
>You could feel your everything pulsate faintly with pain as you and Pinkie Pie laid sprawled around each other.
>Thankfully the suits and each other’s bodies had dampened the fall.
>You rolled over on your back, groaning, and so did your partner.
“Jesus, what the hell was that?”
>”Electro… magnetism.” She said between heavy panting. “Maybe... I used too many batteries.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works.” you said as you struggled to get back on your feet.
>You looked at the orb to see if anything had changed, but you were too far away to make out something.
>Turning around, you reached out a hand towards Pinkie, who happily grabbed it.
“Maybe I underestimated you.” you said as you dragged her to her feet.
>”You’ve been doing that for over 20 years, I’m used to it.”
>Nonchalantly, she picked up your left hand and inspected it.
>You stood there astonished, observing her moving your glove around.
>Thoughts about what else she might be capable off started to creep into your mind.
>Maybe there was another reason she was here other than ‘weapons specialist’.
>”Electromagnetism only works as long as there’s current running through the wire. Doesn’t look like it’s damaged, either, so you should be-”
>Suddenly she stopped speaking.
>It seemed like something had distracted her, as she started looking around the room.
>”Did you hear that, Nonny?”
“Hear what?” you replied, not entirely sure what she was referring to.
>But then you noticed it.
>Faintly, like in the other end of a long hallway, something reverberated throughout the hangar.
>It was hard to put your finger on it, but it almost sounded like someone striking a hollow steel pipe with a hammer.
>You looked at Pinkie Pie for some sort of confirmation, but she only stared back with the same expression.
>There it was again.
>As if you had the same thought, both of you turned towards the orb.
>It was faint, but you could swear something was glowing on its surface.
“Come on.” you said, moving towards the strange object.
>As you approached it, there was no mistaking it.
>Something had been activated inside it, and you were almost certain it had to do with the magnetization of your suit.
>“Shit, this might be a problem.” Pinkie said quite uncharacteristically.
“Are you sure?” you asked.
>”I think there are two options here.” She moved a bit closer to it, careful not to get too close. “Either this is a signal beacon of sorts…”
“Or?” you asked impatiently.
>”Or it’s is a magnetic sleeper mine.”
“A what?”
>Pinkie turned towards you with a serious expression.
>”This thing reminds me a lot of a design I learnt about back home. It attaches itself to metal stuff, and when you try to remove it or depolarize it… BOOM!” Pinkie started making a wide array of explosion noises with her mouth, gesturing with her hands.
>Once she noticed you staring back unamused, she cleared her throat and put her arms down.
>”Either way, this is a party I don’t want an invitation to.”
“So we need to get rid of this thing.”
>”Basically.”
“Okay, so I’m assuming the explosion is what activated it, but is it still magnetic?”
>”I dunno, let’s check.”
>From her belt, pinkie dragged a small screwdriver whom she promptly threw at the orb.
>It didn’t seem like she was gonna stick the landing, but a few inches away it suddenly changed direction mid-air and smacked into the sphere.
“Well then…” you said.
>”I guess that settles that.”
“So what do you think?”
“Well, if it’s still magnetic, I’m guessing it’s stuck in it’s countdown phase.” Pinkie started circling around it, careful not to trip on any of the cracks it had made upon impact.
>Suddenly she lit up.
>”Oh, lookie! The geiger counter is stuck to the thingy. I’m guessing it’s generating a magnetic field somehow?”
“That doesn't sound very reassuring.”
>”Nope, I barely know what I’m talking about!” Pinkie looked up at you with an innocent grin, and you couldn’t help but smile back.
“Alright, alright, let’s assume this is an explosive. We need to switch off the geiger counter and somehow move it off this ship before it blows.”
>”Don’t worry!” Pinkie said enthusiastically, spinning up a handgun from a holster on her leg. “I’ve got the counter!”
“Are you insane?!” you exclaimed. “You’re going to shoot at a bomb?”
>”Relax, Nonny, If it got through the hangar forcefield unscathed I doubt a bullet would harm it.”
>You sighed and placed a hand on your visor.
“Fine. But if we all blow up I’m blaming you.”
>”Okay, you ready?”
>With a nod, Pinkie Pie took aim at the box stuck to the black orb.
>With a squeeze of the trigger, the barrel flashed with released pressure, and so did the geiger counter as it exploded in a cloud of splintered plastic and broken circuitry.
>Right away you noticed the screwdriver drop to the floor, and you ran over to the sphere and started pushing it.
>Even with all your might you couldn’t even nudge it.
>Pinkie quickly joined you, but the sphere refused to budge.
>You kept going until you felt the veins in your forehead were about to burst, but to no avail.
>Falling to the ground, you took a few seconds to catch your breath before looking over to your friend for ideas.
>She seemed out of breath as well as she laid sprawled across the grey surface.
“Man, this thing is heavy for its size.” you remarked, but didn’t get any answer.
>Through your visor you could hear the familiar sound again, ticking down to your inevitable doom.
>From your position you tried looking around for anything that could help, and then an idea struck you.
“Wait, I know!” you said, bouncing up on your feet.
>Pinkie was quick to follow, waiting for you to instruct her.
>You walked up next to the orb and motioned for her to approach you.
“Quick, hold on to me! Turn on your mag boots and weigh me down!”
>She did as you told without question, taking a firm hold of your torso as she switched her magboots to maximum force and planted them into the floor.
>You also switched on one of yours, but kept the other one lifted above the ground.
“Ready?” you asked, and felt her head nod nervously against your back.
>You took a deep breath, and with all your might, you kicked the black sphere with the magnetic sole of your boot.
>Just as the sole made contact with the sphere surface, you flipped on the boots magnetics.
>In an instant, Both you and Pinkie got blown to the floor as the orb tried to resist the force in the same way it had before.
>Your added velocity, however, also blew the orb in the opposite direction, at a speed you couldn’t possibly have predicted.
>It careened off towards the horizon at blinding speed, effortlessly crashing through the force field once again.
>Before you knew it, it had disappeared into the labyrinth of stone which surrounded you.
>Quickly, you tuned into the emergency channel on the comms.
“Everyone hold on, we’ve got an explosion at starboard-”
>You were cut off by a blinding light appearing outside the ship, out-matching every star visible from here.
>It lasted several seconds, hanging there like a newborn sun.
>You had to shield your eyes as even your UV filters weren’t strong enough to protect them.
>Then, a quake passed through the ship.
>You felt the frame shift under you as Pinkie tightened her already breathtaking grip around you.
>The ground shook violently as everything outside started rotating.
>The bomb alone was enough to move the entire ship, and you started feeling relieved that you had gotten rid of it before you met your demise at the hands of that infernal weapon.
>Once the shaking had stopped, you finally calmed down your tense muscles and released yourself from Pinkies grip.
>As you rolled off the weapons specialist onto your hands and knees to catch your breath, you noticed her UV filters were also set to maximum.
>She laid there without any apparent intent to get up, but you didn’t blame her.
“You okay?” you asked.
>You didn’t receive any answer right away, but eventually she nodded.
>You sat down on the ground as your radio flared to life.
>”You guys alright down there?” Fluttershy’s voice asked.
>”We-... We’re fine!” Pinkie answered as her breath finally caught up with her. “Just a lil rustled that's all! Not every day you see fireworks like that!”
>You smirked at her analogy and turned toward the hangar opening.
>Curiously, everything in the wake of the bomb had been transformed into a dark grey, smooth surface, almost as if the heat from the explosion had melted whatever was unlucky enough to be in its path.
>At least this experience gave you a vague indication of what this place would be like.
>To you, this seemed like the remnants of a warzone, and not one that turned out positively for either side.
>”Anon, look!”
>Pinkie was on her feet next to you, staring into the abyss beyond the force field.
>You slowly got up next to her, gazing out to try and find what she was looking at, and it didn’t take you long.
>As the ship ascended through the dust and rock, it surfaced above a sea of asteroids into bright sunlight, as if breaking through a thick layer of clouds after a rapid ascent.
>A towering yellow orb with bands of multicolored clouds draped across it like rope and chains rose from the belt.
>The nearby star peeked over its horizon, its light scattering across the surface and illuminating the violent storms below.
>As the ship rotated in an attempt to meet stable orbit, another celestial body came into view, this one also floating inside the belt like its mother seemed to be.
>Behind it followed a trail of emptiness in its wake as it absorbed everything in its path.
“There it is.” you said, pointing at the moon. “Newhaven.”


Day 178

>After many attempts, Rainbow Dash had managed to get the ship into a stable orbit just outside the gas giant’s ring, during which you had enough time to repair most of the damages done to the ship’s exterior after having subjected it to a bombardment of space rocks.
>It hadn’t been an easy task according to the pilot, but Excalibur now floated within shuttle distance of Newhaven at all times, always in the shadow of its bigger sibling, the gas giant Eidolon.
>Everyone had gathered in the hangar bay to help load the shuttle with supplies.
>There was no telling how long you’d spend down there, so you decided to take as much as you could carry.
>On the far end of the bay you found Applejack looking around the exposed machinery in the walls as if she was searching for something.
“You alright over there?” you asked as you approached her.
>”Just doing some preliminary checkups.” she said, not taking her gaze of the roof above.
>”I raised the solar array and put every system we could spare in sleep mode.” she looked down on a tablet she held and scribbled some notes before focusing her attention on you. “Every room except the greenhouse is drained of oxygen and power. Nothing wasted Cap!”
“Good job. And the nuclear fusion reactors are all fueled up I hope?”
>Applejack shot a disappointed glance at you.
>”An, I treat this ship like my darn child, of course she’s got fuel!”
“Of course…” you said sarcastically, unable to resist smirking at her attitude.
>You turned towards the hangar opening where you could see Newhaven gently rotating inside the asteroid ring.
“We should be ready to go in a minute.”
>”Don’t worry ‘bout me Cap. I’m almost done.” The engineer mumbled without taking her eyes of her work.
>You nodded as you started heading back towards the shuttle, where you spotted Pinkie Pie driving Huninn, one of two of your exploration vehicles, onto the lower shuttle cargo bay.
>It seemed like she got a tad bit enthusiastic, as the massive truck suddenly revved to life and nearly crashed into a stack of crates.
>You heard Rainbow Dash fuming at her as Pinkie attempted to get the car into its proper position purely by trial and error.
>You chuckled to yourself at the spectacle as you made your way across the large empty space.
>As you wandered in your own thoughts, you eventually noticed that you had gained a companion.
>To your left appeared Twilight, jotting down a few things on a slab before putting it away, greeting you with a gentle smile.
“Good morning to you too, science officer.” you greeted. “Are you feeling any better?”
>”I’m well enough to perform my duties at least.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I need you to be in tip top shape, physically and mentally. Can’t really have you drifting off or becoming unstable even if it’s involuntarily.”
>It seemed like Twilight became a bit offended by your statement and crossed her arms.
“I’m sorry, but you locking yourself in for almost a month doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence. I’m asking as a friend, how are you feeling?”
>”I’m fine.” Twilight answered you as reassuringly as she could.
>You couldn’t exactly say you were convinced, but there wasn’t much you could do but trust her right now.
>It wasn’t like you could ask Fluttershy about it either due to her confidentiality agreement to every crew member.
>Or, technically you could since you were the captain and all, but you respected people's privacy enough not to go digging in their personal matters.
>At least not until you had no other choice.
>You sighed.
>She was your friend after all, ideally you would trust all of your crewmembers unconditionally.
>Your belief in a censorship conspiracy on board your ship made that sort of hard to do at this time though.

>Eventually you reached the shuttle, now loaded with all the supplies you would ever need including both of your vehicles Huginn and Muninn.
>Rainbow Dash ushered you and Twilight inside the cargo hatch before raising it, sealing you off from the outside world.
>As were routine, you made your way through the makeshift command center and up to the cockpit, funneling into your designated seats.
>The other four of your crew had already taken their seats and secured themselves with belts.
>You sat down and greeted Rarity with a nod as you strapped yourself in next to her.
>”Commencing pre-flight checks.” the pilot informed, and you could hear the machinery ruse to life with the flip of a switch.
>From your seat you could feel the shuttle’s frame start to vibrate.
>Rainbow Dash and Rarity went through a list of systems as they booted up, checking them all to make sure the vessel was functioning properly.
>The monotonous sound of turbine engines spinning up zoned you out for a second as they made their preparations.
>When you came to, you found all your crewmates were staring at you.
>You shook your head, realizing that the pre-flight had been completed without you noticing.
“Uuuh, clearance code Sigma Alpha Ultra 2453!” you splurted out into the idle voice activated lock. “Clear cargo bay for shuttle departure!”
>As if you had casted a spell, the magnetic locks on the shuttles landing gear deactivated, and slowly the heavy tin can lost its grip on the mother vessel.
>Honestly you didn’t really need this type of lock, but this was expensive equipment, so safety precautions were required.
>And it also prevented some zealous adventurers from going out on their own if they didn’t have permission.
>Through the front window you saw the forcefield dissipate, giving you access to the great beyond.
>”Alright, initiating forward thrusters.” the pilot said as she gently pushed the throttle.
>You were glad she had learned to shed some of her rash intentions at least.
>”Do make sure not to poison the entire cargo hold with exhaust this time.” Rarity sighed sarcastically, eliciting a few snorts from the rest of the crew.
>”Yeah yeah…” she responded, waving off her friend’s remark.
>The shuttle effortlessly slid through the narrow gap.
>Before you knew it, you were staring at the river of stones from a perspective outside the ship.
>The dull waves of debris danced around each other in slow motion as they traveled along their endless path around the bubble of gas holding them prisoner.
>It was like watching countless sleepy fish in a stream, each layer of the ring moving at a different pace than the rest.
“Seal the cargo hold, AJ. Make sure the entire thing is on lockdown. Don’t want anyone getting too curious.” you ordered.
>The engineer nodded and turned to her computer.
>Had you not been aware of how the galaxy was brimming with life right under your noses you might not have considered securing the ship at all.
>Times had changed since you left home, that much was clear.
>If only you could tell Earth about everything you’ve seen.
>Looking at your crew, it was hard to believe anyone would actively try to hinder your mission, but it was very clear that it couldn’t be anyone else.
>A strange sensation started welling inside you, something you hadn’t felt in a while.
>Looking around, it was obvious you weren’t the only one.
>Eventually most of the cabin was a mess of floating hair and bewildered hands attempting to gain control of it.
>If there was one thing you hadn’t gone through during routine checks it was zero gravity, and now you regretted omitting that part.
“Girls please…” you pleaded.
>At least you were strapped in to your seats or the lack of gravity would have gotten even more chaotic.
>When you cleared the ship perimeter and made sure everything was in order, Rainbow Dash cranked the throttle and you shot off towards the moon.
>It was quite the scenery that awaited you, and hopefully it’d look even more spectacular from the moon’s surface.

“Well?” you asked, finding yourself getting a little impatient.
>Your adventure lust started getting the better of you, and your feet itched to set down on solid ground.
>”I don’t know what to tell you, really.” Rarity's eyes stared at the information in front of her with shock. “I wouldn’t believe it had I not seen it for myself.”
>”I’m reading the same thing.” Twilight added from across the room. “78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, various trace gases. It’s like we’re back home…”
>The shuttle had touched down in an area with heavy flora, an unexpected turn of events after a rather rough entry into the moon's atmosphere.
>It now stood as a towering black monolith against a lush green field, the skies scattering the sun’s rays in a fresh chartreuse hue.
>The smooth, jagged, industrial look of its hull juxtaposed the chaotic and untamed forest surrounding you.
>Against the looming silhouette of Eidolon, a constant shimmer of asteroid rain could be seen burning up in the lower atmosphere, disintegrating before they could touch the ground.
>Behind the layer of gases covering the crust of this hidden garden you could see the rings spread out in a 40 degree inclination from where you had landed, giving the impression that you stood on a titanic buoy overlooking a cosmic lake.
>For countless eons this moon had been a sanctum for sprawling wildlife, and even now it felt like an enigma why such a place even existed in the shadow of its older sibling.
>”It’s perfectly breathable.” Twilight turned to you with an expression of giddy and surprise.
>Instead of excitement, your mind turned towards scepticism.
>It was one thing braving the outside to explore, but to brave the outside without helmets on would be to throw caution to the winds.
>You shook your head.
“Sorry, until we can determine that its undeniably safe, keep your helmets on and follow safety precautions. I don’t want another Mjölnir incident, understand?”
>Reluctantly, all six of your crewmates nodded, some silently sighing to themselves.
>You knew they understood however.
>These weren’t just children going out to play, they were highly trained scientists.

>The metal slab that was the shuttle cargo hatch slammed into the lush grass with a muted ‘thonk’.
>Outside it was completely silent.
>The only sounds were the winds rustling the crowns of the uncanny and bizarre trees surrounding the vessel.
>At first you found it strange that there were no animal sounds to be heard, but quickly you realized that this environment must still be in its primordial stage.
“Alright, bring ‘em out!” you shouted back into the cargo bay. “Keep them silently running, we don’t want to disturb any natural order around here.”
>From the shadow of the bay, two brightly colored, eight-wheeled trucks emerged.
>Their engines had been switched to electrical power only, and while that compromised on speed and power, at least you wouldn’t poison the environment.
>As you waited for the vehicles to clear the cargo hatch, you pulled out the orb Asakitt had given you.
>The coordinates within had been pretty specific, and you had already tracked it down to what you believed to be a hidden facility nearby.
>Now all that remained was getting there.
>”Let’s go Anon!” Pinkie called out as you looked up from the orb, waving you over to the truck.
>Muninn had already veered away from the shuttle, beginning its trek through the deep woods.
>Without a moment to spare, you climbed on board Huninn, leaving the shuttle to cool its hull against the gentle breeze of the forest.

>The path Rarity had laid out was slow and bumpy.
>There was a time when a road used to be here, as evident by the cracked cobblestone, but nature had long since reclaimed it.
>Now it was filled with roots which even your advanced suspension had trouble circumventing.
>You had strapped yourself in a seat, but the constant shifting horizon and lack of consistent movement made you feel queasy.
>Just when you started wondering how much more you could take, the cabin suddenly stopped shaking.
>You looked over to Pinkie Pie in the driver seat, but she seemed as puzzled as you were.
>The other vehicle had stopped a few feet ahead, showing no intent to continue.
>You tuned into the comms.
“What’s happening over there?”
>”We… We’ve arrived at the coordinates.”
>The seatbelts came off with a single click and you stood up, leaning out of the windows.
>All you could see were trees and bushes all around so dense there was no way you’d be able to navigate them.
>You sat down on the window sill of the door and got a good view of your surroundings in the process, but nothing out of the ordinary stood out to you.
>Well, aside from all the twisted and untampered vegetation, that is.
>Had you not had a purpose here you might have taken the time to study them.
>”If the overgrowth is any indication…” Fluttershy mentioned from inside the cabin.
“I was thinking the same thing.” you replied, swinging down to open the cabin door and head outside.
>The team from the other vehicle jumped out at the same time, curiously looking around the immediate vicinity for anything that could resemble manmade.
“Alright!” you called out for everyone’s attention. “We’re looking for a small colony based around a central building. Look for anything which could have been housing, accommodations, anything. It should be within 200 meters of this spot, so don’t wander off too far.”
>The crew acknowledged and scattered out to search the area as you sighed to yourself.
>This wasn’t going to be as easy as you had hoped.
>”This is like looking for a needle in a forest!” the comms sparked to life with Rainbow Dash’s groan.
>”At least yer not lookin’ for it blind!” Applejack answered.
>You sat down against the massive wheel of Muninn, checking your wrist display for any updates on Excalibur.
>”This seems to be a building block of some kind. It’s definitely in this direction.”
>It seemed at first glance like all the systems had been unchanged since you left.
>”My, am I glad this place is not teeming with any creepy insects. I shudder just the thought of it!”
>As you swiped further into the status charts, however, a strange artefact caught your attention.
>Something didn’t seem right.
>”Weeee! This place is so refreshing after being stuck in a tin can for so long!”
>”Ooh, please be careful or you’ll… fall…”
>”Don’t worry! I’m fine!”
>Yes, now you were sure of it.
>One of the inquiries had been removed from the log.
>Every log was categorized after date, but one of the days was mysteriously absent of activity.
>Someone had tampered with the instruments and deleted an element from the manifest.
>A chill ran down your spine.
>With all traces of the element in question having been wiped, there was no way of knowing what had been deleted or by who.
>But one fact remained clear.
>Someone was messing with the computer on board your ship without your permission.
>”Alright, this is hopeless. Let’s try echolocation, maybe they hid it underground.”
>”I got sumthin! Looks like a tent made of stone.”
>You perked up.
>Finally some results.
>”Transmitting my location now.”

>The sad little structure laid slanted on the forest bed, turquoise moss and god knows what having taken the liberty of making the decrepit formation its home.
>A layer of vines separated you from a dark entrance, but it seemed like there was no proper way inside.
>Even if it was, a mound of dirt could he seen emerging from its shadow, separating you from whatever used to be inside.
>”You’re sure there are no other formations of this material anywhere else?” Twilight asked.
>Rarity shook her head.
>”Other than the cobblestone we arrived on, I can’t find anything on the preliminary scans.”
>”Echolocation turned out a dud.” Pinkie said, swinging a repurposed metal detector over her shoulder.
>The seven of you stood cross-armed encircling the sad, lonely ruin, your brains racing to figure out a solution.
>”God damn it!”
>A pebble whooshed past your helmet and smacked into a tree further into the forest.
>Twilight grabbed her helmet and dragged it off aggressively, kicking another rock and planting her face in her other hand.
>”Another dead end…”
>”Twilight!” you exclaimed, a burst of panic spreading through you as you saw her remove her helmet.
>She only turned to you with a defeated look, pointing at her mouth.
>”I don’t need to breathe.” she said nonchalantly before returning to her palm.
>Your arms fell limp against your sides as you sighed.
>”I’m sorry, Twilight.” you tried to console her, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
>”I’m going back to the trucks.”
>Before you could say anything else, the scientist was gone through the thick flora.
>One by one the rest of your crew also removed their helmets.
”Shit.” you whispered, following the others’ lead.
>At this point, you were desperate from some fresh air.
>With your helmet under your arm, you turned to your crew who all seemed to expect something from you.
“What?” you said, for once not really sure what to do. “Got any ideas? I sure as hell don’t.”
>The silence thickened the air as everyone exchanged glances.
>It seemed like this find would be at least a little promising, but whatever used to be here had long since been reclaimed by nature.
>Until you were sure where to look, there was no use in starting to dig up the entire moon.
>You sighed again.
>”Like she said, dead end. There’s nothing out here but plants.”
>Rainbow Dash walked past you with a pat on your shoulder and a quick apologetic look before retracing Twilight’s trail.
>The others stood there for a short while longer, but when you didn’t protest to the pilot leaving, they followed her example.
>You decided to stay there for a little while longer, staring at the depressing husk which laid crumbled against the roots of an ancient tree.
>A slow gust rustled through your hair as you stood there, carrying with it a faint alien scent which was impossible to describe.
>If you were to draw a conclusion, whatever was here had most likely been built underground to prevent interference with the plantlife.
>It must have been abandoned eons ago, and the weight of the forest ground the remains to dust and rubble.
>The fact that this was probably the only lead to returning Twilight’s body to normal must have taken a toll on her, and you couldn’t help but feel anything but sympathy for her right now.
>Realizing there was nothing more for you here, you tore yourself from the visage of the ruins and headed back through the chaotic foliage.

>”Exc...bur…...an……...me?”
>Static filled your ears as a strange transmission intruded your channel.
>You nearly tripped over a root as the sudden interference came out of nowhere.
>You stood still for a moment, listening to your radio without making a sound.
>”Are any of you moving out of range? I’m getting some strange interference.” Rarity asked after a short period of silence.
>”Anyo…..ere? Pl……..pond!”
>There it was again.
>The forest laid as dormant as ever, the psychedelic trees swaying gently in the wind.
“Rarity, is there any way to boost our receiver signal?” you shouted as you burst out of the woods and climbed back into one of the trucks parked neatly in a row on the ruined cobblestone road.
>”Theoretically yes,” she responded, peeking out from between the two vehicles. “...but you’d have to move to a higher spot…”
“Got it!”
>The airlock hatch on Muninn’s roof came off with ease and you climbed up by balancing yourself on one of the chairs.
>In your rush you nearly fell off, but managed to clamber up to the roof near the satellite dish.
>”Thi...s cap...ra H...Duran…”
>From your vantage point you had a pretty good field of view over the forest and the sky.
>You looked around everywhere you could, scanning the stars for anything out of the ordinary.
“I need to amplify my signal, Rarity. Can you do something?”
>A moment passed by, and suddenly the navigations officer appeared from over the edge of the roof, staggering to her feet as she tried not to look down.
>”Alright, grab a hold of anything metal on the satellite dish. I’ll try something.”
>You took a firm hold of the dish stem without hesitating.
>”Drawing power from battery now. Releasing initial field dampeners…”
>Above you, a bright flash appeared for a split second.
>You both looked up towards the point, but were unable to spot anything with your naked eye.
>With some quick thinking, you slapped on your helmet loosely and moved your free hand over to your helmet interface panel.
>A small segment of your visor became encased in a circle.
>Slowly you swiped forward, and the section magnified toward an area in the sky.
>”Crew of Excalibur, do you copy?”
>Suddenly the stranger’s voice was crystal clear.
>It had been so long since you had heard perfectly fluid english from someone other than your team that you almost convinced yourself it was synthesized.
>The more you zoomed in, the more convinced you became.
>There was another ship approaching this moon.

>”This is Captain Anon. Y. Mous of the Earth Starship ESS Excalibur.” you finally said in an open channel. “Who is on this frequency?”
>You stood on top of the truck for an uncomfortably long time before they answered.
>”My god, it’s really you!” the voice said in utter disbelief. “For ten years we thought you were all long gone.”
>You frowned to yourself.
>Was this some kind of joke?
>”Ten years?” you replied. “I’ll ask again, who is on this frequency?”
>”Oh pardon me!” the voice apologized. “I am Captain Lyra Heartstrings of the Earth Starship ESS Durandal, Sir! You have no idea how glad we are to see you.”
>You stood in silence for what felt like hours.
>There was another ship?
>What did they mean by ten years?
>At this point, so many questions were churning in your head that you didn’t know where to start.
>Most prominent of them all, however, was if they were telling the truth.
>You tried opening your mouth several times to formulate a response, but every time your words failed to pass through.
>Looking over to Rarity, she seemed as stupefied as yourself.
“Durandal?” you said at last. “I never heard of a second ship being constructed.”
>”Captain, we have a lot to discuss.” Lyra replied. “We’ll be arriving in orbit of Eidolon within the hour. I’d suggest you come aboard. You’ll want to hear what I have to say.”


Day 179

“I don’t believe this!”
>You slammed your hands into the ebony table and stood up.
>This had to be some sort of cruel misunderstanding.
>”I’m afraid it’s all true.” Lyra said from her chair at the end of the table.
>You started wandering around the room while pulling your fingers through your unkempt hair.
>The interior of the Durandal was slick and polished, a complete departure from what you had on board your own vessel.
>It was leagues ahead of what the Excalibur had, but the telltale signs of NESA engineering was obvious.
>Or at least that’s what Applejack told you.
>Durandal’s halls were covered up with functional yet sleek walls, and it seemed like the ship was an overall upgrade to your own without compromising on comfort and aesthetics.
>The exterior still kept the signature three-wing design, but this time the ship looked more like three revolvers welded together thanks to its missile and scanner racks as well as the three main guns at its front.
>You sighed to yourself as you turned towards the captain.
“You’re sitting there telling me that we’ve been missing for ten fucking years?” you exclaimed, feeling the anger seethe within you.
>”Look, captain, I’m as surprised as you are after hearing your perspective.”
>Lyra’s voice was empathetic, but you could tell she started getting a little ticked off at your outburst.
>You took a deep breath and exhaled, attempting to regain your composure.
>You still had a hard time believing what you had heard, but all the evidence was there, and you had no reason not to believe them.
>As reality started to sink in, you slowly slid back down into the seat, dragging a palm across your bearded face.
“Ten years.” you finally said. “This mission was supposed to take five. For us, we’re not even a year in. Unbelievable.”
>”Be glad we found you when we did, or that would have been fifty.” Lyra said, leaning over the table on her elbows.
“How did you find us anyway?” you asked, desperate to think of something else.
>”We tracked your emergency signature to this location. We had been detecting it for years, but the closer we got, the more it faded.”
>The captain shrugged, leaning back into her chair.
>”At first we thought we had a malfunction, but when we arrived here, lo and behold, there you were.”
“Strange. We never activated an emergency signal.”
>”We know.” Lyra stared at you impatiently. “Which is why I suggest we leave this place immediately.”
>You shook your head.
“We can’t.”
>Lyra sighed, but you leaned in before she could protest.
“I have a duty to protect my crew. There is something I have to find before we do anything else, I cannot leave without it.”
>You poked your finger into the glossy table to emphasize your point.
>”Fine.” Lyra finally said after burrowing her bridge in her palm. “What are you looking for?”
“We… don’t really know.”
>The captain’s expression of disbelief showered you with doubt, but you waved her down.
“Please, we have coordinates, and we know vaguely what we’re looking for down there, just give us time.”
>She sighed again, dragging her cyan bangs over her head as she stared out of the windows overlooking the moon below.
>”I’ll give you two days.” she finally said. “But after that we’re leaving with or without you.”
“We’ll have it by then.”
>Lyra nodded, and it seemed like she immediately regretted saying that.
>”Now I’d like to bring the rest of your crew in for debriefing of the past ten years.”
>You nodded as the captain rose from her seat.
>You weren’t sure if letting your crew know about this so soon was a good idea, but it was better to have them know the truth than keep them in the dark.

>“So as you can see, after you lost contact, everything pretty much went downhill.”
>”This is insane!”
>”It’s the truth I’m afraid.”
>Once again you found yourself in disbelief over the situation.
>According to Lyra, only the first three transmissions sent from Excalibur made it back to Earth.
>After trying and failing to establish contact, NESA was eventually shut down and the Excalibur program deemed a massive failure.
>When dormant communication equipment started picking up the emergency beacon, however, NESA initiated a secret underground operation with funding from a neighboring kingdom and started construction on the Durandal in an orbital shipyard around the moon.
>It was an unsanctioned operation and was kept from the public eye until the ship stood ready for duty, and by the time it was complete it was too late to stop the ship from launching.
>Applejack had seemed quite impressed by the engineering on board this reiteration,and she even seemed to realize what faults in Excalibur’s engines caused the involuntary time dilation.
>At this point you had come to terms with the time you had lost, but you worried for your crew who had families and loved ones waiting back home.
>”How could this be…” Rarity said with her head in her hands.
>Most of the others stared blankly at nothing.
>You imagined they thought hard about the reality of things.
>”We know time dilation and relativity is a very real thing.” Twilight finally said. “But I thought our coils compensated for that…”
>”There was a flaw in the engine design.” Applejack explained, her voice barely audible. “I just wish I coulda done somethin’ about it sooner.”
>”Don’t blame yourself sweetie.” Fluttershy patted the engineer on the shoulder.
>She seemed strangely unfazed by what she had just been told, but you didn’t think too much of it.
>”How do you expect us to believe this shit?” Rainbow Dash suddenly yelled, flying out of her chair.
>”Miss Dash, please…” Lyra started, but was soon cut off by the pilot’s tantrum.
>”How do we know this is the truth, huh? How do we know you’re not just some aliens disguising yourselves as humans?”
>”Dash…” Fluttershy appeared next to the fuming pilot, but she shrugged her away, slamming her palms into the table.
>”This can’t be happening…” you heard her sob. “I promised…”
>Fluttershy silently embraced Rainbow Dash from behind, soothing her with a few words.
>The pilot slumped down in her seat aided by her friend, and sat silently for a few minutes.
>”Captain.” a voice appeared from Lyra’s chest ornament. “An unidentified object has appeared on our radars. You’re needed at the bridge immediately.”
>She seemed just as surprised as you were to hear the news, and without a moment’s hesitation she leapt out of her seat and headed for the door.
“Oh, god damn it.” you mumbled to yourself, rushing out after her.
>You had yet to share any information you had gathered on your trip with this crew.
>If this turned out to be another spacefaring creature, they would be in for a surprise.

>Durandal’s bridge seemed visually different from the one on your ship, but most of the same stations were still present.
>Here, they were all on the same floor and closer together, and the window to the outside had also shrunk down to accomodate for the smaller room.
>”What’s the status of the object?” Lyra shouted out as she briskly stormed into the bridge with you right on her tail.
>”It came out of nowhere Sir. It should be within visual range in a few minutes.
>The rest of your crew came wandering into the bridge as well, and it seemed to you most of them had recovered from the news, at least on the surface.
>”Visual contact established, Captain.” a young man said from one of the consoles in front of the main window.
>”Enhance.” Lyra sat down in a chair in the middle of the room and flipped open a small screen from her armrest.
>At her command, the entire window zoomed in to a small area in the sky where a strange, unidentifiable shimmer moved in your direction.
>”Scanners show high levels of metallics and traces of silicon-based material, but no organic lifesigns.” another officer said behind you, this one with a strong, angled jawline accentuated by his long, indigo colored hair.
>”ETA in two minutes.” said a third officer sitting at the front, left of the first one.
>”Alright, shields up.” commanded Lyra. “See if you can hail them on all frequencies. Let’s hope they can speak Earth.”
>”Two new signatures just appeared on our radar!” the first crewmember exclaimed as he feverishly typed on his screen. “Make that three! No, four!”
>As you turned your attention towards the window, you could see small green flashes appear next to the object.
>The flashes multiplied and spread out across the sky like ripples in a lake during rainfall, and several other ships clipped through the void.
>”Their speed has increased. ETA 30 seconds, Sir!”
>”What in the queen’s name is this?” Lyra muttered to herself.
>You found it hard to rip your eyes off the screen.
>The fleet now numbered in the dozens, and you helplessly stood by and watched them race towards you.
>”Wait a minute…” Twilight mumbled. “Captain Lyra, what is the maximum magnification you can achieve?”
>”We could go a lot closer…” the captain started.
>”Can you focus in on the original object?”
>Lyra sat in her chair and only looked at Twilight for a second as if she tried to read what she was thinking.
>”Make it so Lieutenant.” she eventually ordered, and the woman at the second front console started typing on her screen.
>The window zoomed in to three times normal magnification, and started focusing its lens.
>As the image grew less and less blurry, a chill started creeping down your spine.
>The silhouette was immediately recognizable, and a feeling of dread washed over you.
>There was no mistaking it.
>A fleet of the ships you had seen on the moon of Mjölnir KS6 was locked on to your coordinates, their jagged maws churning hungrily at empty space and their sharp fins cutting scars in the void.
>”ETA 10 seconds. We’re outnumbered one to twenty seven.”
>”My god.” Lyra said as she slowly stood up from her seat and wandered to the window.
>”Lyra, we have to move!” you pleaded. “From what we’ve seen, you don’t stand a chance against those things!”
>The captain suddenly turned to you.
>”You’ve seen them before?”
>Reluctantly you nodded, swallowing a clump of anxiety.
”They chewed up moons like it was nothing.”
>Lyra’s face turned pale.
>”How much do you know?”
“There’s more out here than any of us could possibly imagine.”
>In one swift motion, lyra whipped around and addressed her crew.
>”Shields to maximum, man all battlestations!” the captain yelled out as she ran back to her seat.
”No, we have to run!” you tried to persuade her.
>”This is my ship, you have no jurisdiction here!” Lyra said over the emergency alarms blaring all across the ship. “Besides, judging by the speed these things move, we have no way of outrunning them with these engines. Power up all ordnance! Prepare to fire on my order!”
“Captain, this is insanity!” you cried out in protest.
>As if the opposing Eaters could hear her, the middle ship emitted a blinding light from its jaw.
>At first it seemed like it was just a flare, but it quickly became apparent that the enemy had taken the first shot.
>Their intention was clear.
>”All powe-!”
>Lyra’s command was cut short as a massive beam of light crashed into the shield dome surrounding the Durandal.
>The floor shook violently as the gravity field became misaligned, and you instinctively grabbed a hold of the metal railing ahead of you.
>Eventually, gravity stabilized itself, and you dragged yourself to your feet.
>”Damage report!”
>”Energy shield has taken heavy damage. We’re down to 37%!”
>”37% in one hit?”
>Lyra rotated her chair around and looked at the indigo-haired officer in disbelief.
>”How is that possible?”
>”Incoming!”
>Your hands tightened their grip the railing in front of you in anticipation, your knuckles gradually turning white.
>The second beam of light came from one of the upper ships, and struck the shields with spectacular precision.
>Like glass you could almost see the energy barrier shatter against the overwhelming force, and the beam was free to tear itself into the shield dome.
>What followed was a chaotic blur of sparks and shouting as the bright ray smashed into Durandals nose, cracking its hull with ease.
>When you came to, the bridge was filled with smoke from overloaded computer panels, and the alarm screaming in panic throughout the ship.
>”Status!” Lyra coughed as she dragged herself back up in her seat, but received no answer.
>When she turned towards the window, the sight outside was all she needed to know.
>The nose of the ship had been snapped clean off at its base and set adrift among various hull shards and machinery parts floating in a cloud around the impact area.
>The twisted metal was still red hot after having been torn off with excessive force, and liquid plasma was venting out into space through ruined pipe systems.
>Lyra dumped herself into her chair, falling limp against the backrest as she surveyed the scene.
>”What gods did we anger to deserve this retribution?” Lyra said with a shaky voice.
>Your crew clambered onto their feet next to you, surveying the scene ahead.
>Was this the end for you after everything you had experienced?
>You turned to the six of your friends surrounding you as they looked back to you for answers.
>In all honesty, you had none.
>At this moment, you felt utterly powerless to perform your duties as captain.
>Even traveling back to the Excalibur was impossible, as your shuttle was now drifting across the battlefield together with the other half of Durandal.
>At least you would spend these last moments surrounded by your crew.
>The young man at the helm turned around and looked at his own captain, his face surprisingly filled with resolve.
>”Waiting on your orders, captain.” he said in an unusually calm tone.
>The two other bridge personnel mimicked him, their eyes shining with fearlessness.
>As you took another look at your friends, you saw the same look in their eyes as they awaited orders from you.
>In that moment, you finally understood the importance of your role.
>Lyra seemed to as well, and as half of her ship drifted into Newhaven’s atmosphere, so did her fears and doubts.
>”Activate impulse engines, Ensign.” the captain finally said, the uncertain, terrified tone completely vanished from her voice. “Bring us into the heart of that fleet, evasion protocol Delta 6.”
>Delta 6.
>You gawked, realizing what the captain was about to do.
>Looking over, you noticed Rainbow Dash with a nervous smirk on her face as she stared down the obsidian swarm ahead with intense eyes.
>From your time in the national guard, you recognized protocol Delta 6 as a last resort movement.
>Lyra was about to ram the enemy.
“Captain, are you sure about this?” you asked as the countless alarms faded.
>She turned her chair around to stare you directly in your eyes.
>”Do you have a better idea, Captain?”
>You gazed back intently, racking your brain for anything that could help you.
>There were nothing else.
“Hold on girls.” you said, realizing this might be the last thing you got to say to them. “The beyond is expecting us.”
>”Anon!” Twilight exclaimed, but you stopped her.
>A sigh escaped you, feeling blood leave your head as the reality of the situation set in.
>You had to take another hold of the railing as you tried to overcome your dizziness.
>This was all new to you, a situation where you were faced with absolute certain death.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t fix you, Twilight.” you said after a moment. “I’m sorry it had to end like this.”
>The ship’s frame creaked under the sudden and intense forces exerted upon it by the engines.
>As they roared with the last of their life, you saw large chunks of steel fling off Durandals snubbed nose as it started careening forward.
>Newhaven came into view as the handicapped ship started turning.
>The ship reached terminal velocity as it skimmed the atmosphere, surfing on thin air.
>You looked down onto the endless forests one last time, and just as you were about to look away, you saw it in the distance.
>The shattered, mauled husk of the Excalibur illuminated the twilight skies as it lit ablaze in the moon’s embrace.
>The cone of fire surrounding it made it hard to see, but through the blinding flash you noticed several impact points along its hull.
>You smiled as you observed it crash from the sky like this.
>It broke your heart to see it like that, and in the intense gravity forces, you managed to pull a final salute for the ship as it faded from the window.
>”I’m scared Anon.” Fluttershy said next to you, climbing in under your arm as you packed it over her shoulders.
“Me too.” you replied.
>”First officer, I’d like you to send a message home.” Lyra said as the young girl turned around. “Tell them we won’t be home for dinner after all, but at least we stabbed the enemy and twisted the knife too.”
>Without hesitation, the officer turned her attention back to her console.
>Lyra locked eyes with you.
>It felt like you had an understanding, and you knew why she was doing this.
>This wasn’t an easy decision for her, sacrificing her ship like this, but it was the only decision she could make.
>Every means of escaping this ship had been blocked, and life support was rapidly failing.
>It was either this or suffocation.
>”Gravity sling complete. Energy levels at 14% and rapidly decreasing.”
>”Can you maintain acceleration?”
>”Aye.”
>”Then let’s show them a thing or two about Equestrian customs.”
>Lyra pulled at her jacket lining, making sure it sat properly, and brushed a flake of ash from her shoulder.
>The gravity field had finally caught up to the intense velocities, but you could still feel the ship slowly tearing itself apart.
>Looking out ahead, you could see the jagged Eaters fire a volley of massive beams at you.
>While most of them missed miraculously, those that did hit didn’t manage to slow you down.
>One of the beams pierced straight through the left wing and detonated the missile racks, ripping it off from the main body, but the Ensign expertly corrected for the loss of mass.
>You were actually quite impressed by these officers devotion to a suicide maneuver.
>The closer you got, the more apparent it was how absolutely massive those ships were.
>Their rusty bodies and uneven hull made these machines seem like ancient superstructures.
>Durandal didn’t falter regardless, and the massive jaws of the Eater ahead approached rapidly as the ship increased in speed.
>”Ready core detonation sequence!” Lyra commanded.
>With the push of a button, the bridge became soaked in red.
>The Eater’s mouth now fully enveloped you, and you could see hundreds of layers of teeth rotating in opposite directions like a giant inwards drill.
>As you got closer, you could see what these machines actually were like.
>There was a giant funnel at the bottom of the jagged abyss, leading into what seemed like a cosmic furnace.
>You realized these machines weren’t just destroying worlds, they were collecting its materials.
>Your explorer instincts kicked in, and you found yourself wondering where they were bringing these countless tonnes of rock and dirt.
>”On my mark Ensign!”
>A pair of arms packed itself around your waist and kicked you off your train of thought, and as you looked down you saw Fluttershy taking a firm hold of you.
>It didn’t take long before the rest of the crew had clumped themselves together around you.
>Nobody said a thing as the huge ship wrapped itself around you, and light slowly faded from the world.
>You could see the bladed teeth start to churn away at the tip of the wings outside, flinging metal shards in all directions.
>The ship shook violently as both of the remaining wings snapped off at their base, colliding with the walls of the Eater and became crushed from the sheer force of its cogs.
>The tiny capsule which was the remainder of the previously massive ship suddenly gained a boost of power now that it was unobstructed and plummeted into the abyssal furnace.
>There were only seconds left before the machine would tear you apart, and the captain stood up despite the unstable gravity and pointed forward.
>She walked forward next to the helm and stared the beast directly down its throat.
>There was a faint feeling of admiration for the captain, but in reality you knew she was just as terrified as you.
>”Now!”
>You held your breath as you heard the detonation alarm.
>Then all went silent.
>No sounds could be heard, nothing could be seen or felt or smelled.
>You tried opening your eyes, but it felt like you had none.
>And then came the warmth.
>It was an instant flash of heat, and all that was black turned white.
>A weak rumbling was heard in the distance which increased in strength rapidly.
>Eventually it became all-consuming until you felt like you couldn’t take it anymore, but you weren’t able to scream.
>Still you felt their arms around you, refusing to let go.
>And then, silence once more.
>Only this time, it was cold.
>And dark.
>And lonely.


Day -4183 (Day 283 of the year 2016)

>Crimson leaves had already blanketed the entire region.
>Surprisingly, the only rain you had seen for a while had only been light, playful drizzles.
>Nearly every student had clumped together in front of the cafeteria window watching something outside like curious children, leaving every table in the hall empty.
>You scoffed.
>Whatever it was, it didn’t interest you.
>”Woo! Kick his butt!” a particularly lively pink-haired girl shouted, jumping up and down like a hyperactive adolescent.
>Had you known the first year would be like this, maybe you would have applied to another school.
>The sound of scratching plastic caught your attention, and as you moved to see what the sound was, you found yourself face to face with a girl you had never seen before.
>She didn’t seem to notice you at first, carefully tending to her tray as she started picking apart her food.
>You could only stare at her with morbid curiosity as she dissected her sandwich like a science project, fishing off a soggy tomato with her index and thumb and placing it into an empty cup holder.
>She then put the loaf back on and lifted it up to take a bite without even acknowledging you.
>Right before she put it in her mouth, she stopped, closing her jaw with a snap.
>”It’s rude to stare, you know.” she suddenly said, looking up at you.
>The glittering, violet eyes met with yours in an awkward stare-down, and you found yourself growing even more curious.
>They weren’t so much intense as they were observing and inherently analytical, and honestly, really pretty.
“E-excuse me?”
>”You were staring.”
“I know…”
>”Do you usually stare at people?”
“I wasn’t expecting company.”
>”Ugh.” she put down her food and rested her head against her fist, drearily looking at the excited crowd at the end of the room.
>”Anything to get away from those knuckleheads.”
>You huffed in agreement.
“Too much noise.”
>”Apparently some rainbow-haired scene kid on the athletics team got into a fight with another jock.”
“Really.” you said sarcastically as you took a bite of your own half-eaten meal.
>”The name’s Twilight by the way.” the strange girl reached out a hand across the table.
>You looked at it for a while, as you’ve never seen anyone at a high school introduce themselves with a handshake.
>Still, you grabbed it with a humorous smile.
>”Twilight Sparkle.”


Day ##&EPISODE::ERROR$3

>The familiar sound of the door opening caught your attention.
“Hielluu?” you yelled, listening for a reply.
>”I’m home!” a bright, bubbly voice called out.
>Around the corner appeared a pink-haired woman and she made her way across the living room floor.
>With a heavy sigh, she plonked herself down into the couch next to you, spreading her legs across the table and leaning her head as far back as possible.
>”Great jimny, those customers just don’t stop coming!”
“Shouldn’t that be a good thing, dear?”
>Pinkie Pie rolled her head around to meet your smiling eyes.
>”Yeeeaaah, I guess so. But I’m exhausted!”
>You gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, dragging your fingers lovingly through her surprisingly silky hair.
>It always looked like a mess, but in reality, as you had realized so many years ago, it was like touching cotton candy made out of gossamer thread.
>She closed her eyes, grinning at you with that signature happy attitude.
“Well, I hope you’re not too exhausted for tonight.”
>She sat up abruptly, a concerned expression on her face.
>”Oh, honey, no! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”
>You mouthed the words ‘thank you’ and gave her another smooch before getting up from the couch.
>It had been so long since last time you saw the others, now that they all were close by at the same time, you had called in a little reunion to catch up.
>They were all so busy around the world that you never got to see each other on a regular basis.
>The door to the bedroom came open with ease, and you walked into the cool tempered room, heading for the closet.
>’SHKRRT’.
>The sudden noise made you jump, and you turned around.
>It felt like it appeared right inside your ear, but behind you the room was empty.
>You were about to start chewing up Pinkie for playing another prank on you, but she was nowhere to be seen.
>Then, a slight motion turned your attention to the window.
>To your surprise, there was a cat outside, its black coat shimmering in the sunlight.
>It stared at you with a look you hadn’t seen before in any animal.
>Its eyes was seething with some strange, intense emotion.
>It stood perfectly still as you stared back, its tail slowly swaying from side to side.
>The more you looked at it, the more uneasy you started feeling.
>Then the realization hit you like a pile of bricks.
>Its entire face was covered in one large, unblinking eye staring deep into your soul.
>”Mroow.” its eye split apart in the middle, revealing a row of jagged teeth as the feline called out behind the glass.
”YEEP!” you screamed at the hellish creature, falling backwards.
>You landed with a muted thump on the carpet floor with your heart beating hard and your breath heavy.
>The cat leapt down from the window into the garden and scurried across the grass like a frightened insect.
>Just as Pinkie Pie barged through the door, it slid into a bush and was gone.
>”Oh my gosh!” your wife shouted out as she ran over to you. “Are you okay?!”
“I… I’m fine. I think.”
>She helped you to your feet as you took to your head.
>You could feel your skin pulsating under your palm.
“I think I just need to lay down for a bit.”
>”Maybe we should stay home tonight?” Pinkie suggested caringly, but you shook your head.
“No! No. We’re going.”
>For some reason you felt an insatiable pull to see your friends.
>You brushed it off, thinking that you were just missing them all so much.
>”Alright, bubblepop, but don’t push yourself.”
>You nodded as you sat down on the edge of the bed.
>”I’ll get you some water.”
>You smiled as Pinkie rushed out the door.
>Sometimes it didn’t feel like you deserved her, the way she always cared so much for you.
>’Oh no!’ she would always say. ‘Don’t worry too much, I don’t need to be pampered with!’
>You chuckled, looking over at the closet.
>Now which dress should you wear?

>The street lights illuminated the whole island as dusk crept over the skies.
>From the hill you could see the coastline as a long strip of light weaving its way across the border, separating you from the dark ocean.
>High above, the moon peeked through a thin layer of puffy clouds, reflecting its rays across the still waves.
>Sea enveloped you on all sides, and the mainland was too far away to see, so the community was left to fend for themselves.
>In all the years you had lived here though, you had always thrived, relishing in the isolation and sense of family you had grown with the other residents.
>”Are you coming?”
>Further down the street, Pinkie pie stood patiently waiting for you.
>Her silver blue shirt fit her like a glove, and she kept the two topmost buttons undone due to the tropical warmth.
>You always felt it was a bit tacky, but she never listened.
>Besides, a little exposed chest never hurt anyone.
>You nodded and kept walking.
>As always, she waited patiently until you were on her side before proceeding.
>It wasn’t far until you reached the bakery, which you had managed to reserve all to yourselves for the remainder of the evening.
>A gleeful feeling welled up inside you, and you grabbed a hold of Pinkies arm, leaning onto her shoulder.
>She might be a little shorter than you, but everything about her felt like a walking pillow.

>”Anon!”
>You rounded the corner and saw Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy standing outside the venue waiting patiently.
>As soon as she saw you, Twilight ran over and threw herself around you, much to your surprise.
>”Oh, it’s been so long! How are you?”
>She eventually let you go with a hearty pat on the back while Pinkie Pie fished out a pair of keys to unlock the front door of the bakery.
“I’m doing well, thank you!” you answered, looking over to the others. “I’m so happy you all came!”
>”Well…” Fluttershy said, staring into the ground. “Not everyone.”
>You frowned.
>It was true, you were missing one, but there were just some things you couldn’t forgive.
“I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but don’t let it hold you down.”

>Pinkie ushered everyone inside and switched on the lights.
>The shop still smelled sweet of pastries, the heat from the ovens still lingering even now.
>Pinkie headed straight for the kitchen behind the counter as she entered the bakery, disappearing behind a wall.
>You and the four others sat down at one of the tables.
>As you looked at the checker-marked tabletop, a strange feeling of deja-vu washed over you.
>A smile spread across your face as you remembered all the late nights you had spent at this table when you were younger.
>The fluorescent lights rapidly blinking as they struggled to switch on contrasting with the full moon rising over diminishing, pink skies evoked strong nostalgic feelings deep inside you.
>You sighed as you leant back into the deep red couch, looking at your friends exchanging remarks and telling each other what they have been up to.
>You had been feeling a bit agitated lately, but now that you were surrounded by your old friends you finally found a sense of peace you could relish in.
>Just as you were about to reply to a question about your choice to stay behind on the island, a deafening roar shook the bakery.
>You recoiled at the sudden sound, whipping your head around searching for the source.
>Pinkie emerged from the kitchen with a tray of milkshake glasses, but stopped and dropped her jaw once she looked outside.
>You followed her stare and became blinded by an incredibly bright light coming from the street.
>The racket revved up again before abruptly stopping and the light disappeared.
>As your eyes adjusted to the light, you shot up from the couch in shock.
>An obsidian black, two wheeled machine had rolled up to the sidewalk outside, the street lights reflecting off the metallic finish on the dozen steel pipes twisting around its motor block.
>A leather boot smacked down on the pavement, kicking up a stand from under the massive motorbike and leaning it down in it.
>Next to the boot landed a glooming cigarette, and a second foot slammed down on it, squishing it against the cooling street.
>The figure moved their gloved hands to their head, dragging their fingers through a messy, multi-colored mullet, then pulled off the gloves and crammed into the pockets of a leather jacket.
>In the orange light of the streetlamp, you could see the engravings of two wings on the back of the jacket spanning the distance from the shoulders and down the back.
>The person then looked back over their shoulder, but you already knew who it was.
>”What’s she doin’ here?” Applejack asked, but you were unable to answer her.
>Then, the biker locked eyes with you, and you stared at each other for a while, you in confusion and her expression completely unfazed.
>She didn’t seem to care that much that five people were staring her down.
>Instead, she nonchalantly wandered over to the door and swung it open.
>The cheery bell ringed brightly as she headed inside.
>Without acknowledging any of you, she headed for the counter and climbed onto a bar stool.
>”One Corona please.” she said in a monotonous voice.
>Pinkie still stood there with the tray in her hands, staring at the woman.
>She elevated her gaze when she didn’t get a response, looking directly into Pinkie’s eyes.
>”You do have that here, right?”
>Suddenly, Pinkie returned to life, propping down the tray on a nearby bench and dragging a translucent, yellow bottle out from a small fridge.
>She placed it in front of her, taking a step back and pretended to mix ingredients into the tray of now lukewarm milkshakes.
>The woman took a swig of the bottle in peace, staring directly ahead.
>”If you’re gonna say something, just say it.” she spoke up unexpectedly without diverting her gaze.
>You stood there for a second, unsure how to react.
>”All these years, and you have the gall…” Rarity finally spoke up, rage boiling behind her calm facade.
>She didn’t seem to react, but took another swig of her beer.
>”You think you can just come in ‘ere after what ya did, Rainbow Dash?”
>Applejack stormed across the tiled floor, her steps heavy with anger.
>As she approached, Rainbow Dash swung over her chair facing her old friend, a smirk appearing as she cracked her knuckles.
>Applejack stopped a few inches from her, gritting her teeth as she stared down on the shorter woman.
>”Please don’t fight in here!” Pinkie squeaked as she covered her face in terror.
>”I was thirsty.” Rainbow Dash responded, tipping her head to crack her neck as well.
>”You lucky I ain’t callin’ the cops on you, girl.”
>”Maybe you should? Haven’t had that happen yet.”
“Alright, enough!” you shouted, your voice reverberating through the small room.
>Applejack stared at the biker for a moment longer before breaking eye contact.
“What are you doing here, RD?” you asked dejectedly.
>She sat back down on the bar stool, returning her attention to her bottle.
>”You say that every time.” she said under her breath before interrupting herself with a mouthful of the bottle’s contents.
>”Excuse me?” you said, confused by her statement.
>”What did I do?” she asked out loud, getting up from her chair again while throwing her arms to the side. “Does anyone know?”
>You stood and watched her walk around the room while glancing over at everyone.
>”Are you even asking that question?” Rarity said.
>You could tell she felt quite offended by Rainbow Dash’s sudden brash attitude.
>”Can anyone give me a straight answer?”
>She seemed to ignore your purple-haired friend completely.
>”Well… I…” Applejack looked down into the table, furrowing her brows as if she thought hard. “I can’t… seem to recall...”
>The biker smacked her hands together, pointing at the farmer.
>”Fucking great!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, seemingly slightly agitated. “Why am I even here? How did any of you get here? Where did this island even come from? Am I the only one asking questions around here?”
>The others only stared at her as she strode across the checkered floor rambling aloud.
>”Ooh!” Pinkie suddenly perked up cheerfully. “Is this one of those quizzes?”
>Rainbow Dash stared at Pinkie in disbelief for a while, and then seemed to lose her burst of energy in an instant, going back to her depressed self while waving dismissively.
>”Fucking forget it.” she sighed, swiping her bottle from the counter.
>Just as she was about to head out of the door, she locked eyes with you, an unusual determined look in them.
>”Just think about it, Anon. All this around you, where did it all come from? I can’t go through this one more time.”
>Before you could answer, the street outside was flooded with light and noise.
>All you could do was stare as the roaring machine boosted off over the hill towards the coast.
>You followed the light for a while until it was out of sight, still not sure what she meant by that last sentence.

>The rest of the night was spent mulling over the encounter you had, only partially paying attention to the conversation around you, which grew increasingly more cheery the further from the visit time went.
>As the night grew older, you eventually parted ways with your friends, heading home together with Pinkie Pie.
>They were to stay in a hotel for the rest of the week as a storm was brewing on the mainland making it impossible for them to head back just yet.
>As you wandered the empty street with Pinkie at your side, you couldn’t help but think about one of the things Rainbow Dash had said.
>’Am I the only one asking questions around here?’
>The sentence kept bothering you, as did all of her disturbed ramblings.
>Looking over at your wife, it didn’t seem like she was bothered too much by what happened, at least not on the surface.
>You frowned.
“Where did this island come from…?” you mumbled to yourself.
>”’scuse me?” Pinkie responded, looking over at you.
“It’s kind of just always been here, hasn’t it?”
>”Well, yeah, it’s not like they could build this place overnight.”
“Yes, but who’s in charge? What’s our street name? I can’t seem to remember anything…”
>”Oh, are you still worrying about Rainbow Dash’s quiz? That was weird.”
>You sighed.
“I can’t get over some of the things she said.”
>”I’m sure it was late and both of you are probably tired. Besides, you did take a nasty fall this morning. Let’s get you some sleep.”
>Pinkie’s arm wrapped around your shoulder, pulling you tightly into her warm embrace.
>You smiled, always delighted by how much such an eccentric woman could care for another person like this.
>The moon sat high like a watchful eye as you walked home together.
>The experience you had still haunted you, but at least you could look forward to a good night’s sleep.