Starship Equestria
By Goombasa and ChinchillaKingXam

Chapter 2: Away Team

“Attention all citizens of New Equestria,” Octavia's voice stated over the loud speaker. “This is just an update to let you all know that takeoff was successful. We are officially in space now, everyone. The ship is stabilized, and as such it should be safe for you all to leave your designated G-diffusion areas and head to your new homes. Please do so in an orderly fashion and get settled in as quick as possible.”

“As always, Vinyl Scratch, AKA DJ-PON3 is here with my assistant, Octavia Philharmonica, AKA Little Miss Snooty-pants to bring you all the news, updates, and the cool goings-on during our super long trip to a new home! So be sure to leave those radios on and crank 'em up to eleven, because we're all awesome all of the time!” She turned down her mike and sighed, rubbing her face a little bit before putting on a record of electronic dance music. “Ugh, even if we might never find a new home...” she mumbled.

“Vinyl, try to keep a positive outlook on the whole thing,” Octavia said, rolling towards the automatic coffee machine sitting near the DJ equipment. “We have to maintain a positive attitude for the audience.”

“Yeah, and I'll be positive when the mics are off. I can't be positive all the time, Tavi.”

“I wish you would stop calling me that,” she mumbled. “And was the Miss Snooty-pants thing really necessary?”

“Well, I just thought you needed a stage name of your own.”

“I'm quite happy with the name of Octavia, thank you very much.” She smiled and offered her a pot of coffee. “Here.” The white mare accepted it with gusto. “Now where's all that energy I've grown accustomed to seeing from the infamous Vinyl Scratch?”

“Hard to conjure up any enthusiasm when everything I knew and loved was just disappeared into the ether behind us.” She jerked her hand backwards, as though that would have made a difference. She wasn't exactly sure if she was pointing back towards the ruins of their old planet, but she figured it got her point across.

“Everything we knew?” Octavia asked. “Vinyl, our entire world was crumbling to dust behind us. Don't you remember as kids, growing up and seeing even the old Everfree Forest curling up and dying a slow death as the planet seemed to eat itself from the inside out?”

Vinyl gave a shrug, sipping at her coffee, looking down at the time indicator for the song that was playing at the moment. “It was a home, wasn't it? Night clubs galore, all over the place. Everyone was looking for a good time. Everyone needed some cheering up.” She smiled. “Everyone wanted me to play for em.”

“Everyone needs cheering up now,” Octavia said. “You think you're the only one who is feeling dejected or depressed after our entire planet had to be abandoned? Literally every single person on this ship has lost something, probably even more than you. They're all scared, and sad, and worried about the future. If we can bring a smile to their face with our music, or our banter, or just deliver some good news every now and then, I'd like to think that would be worth us being stuck up here in the radio tower for the entire ship.” She smiled.

Vinyl smiled and gave a light chuckle, adjusting her shades. “Thanks, Tavi. Dunno what I'd do without you.”

“You'd probably go and die in a gutter somewhere.”

“Probably, yeah.” She looked down at the song's time stamp. “Well, ready to act enthusiastic for another few minutes?”

“Of course.” She nodded. “Miss Snooty-pants is all set and ready.”

“That's what I like to hear.” She gave her a thumbs up and turned back to the microphone. While she still didn't feel fully convinced that what she was doing was going to make that much of a difference, at least she had Tavi there to remind her of home. That was what mattered.

“This sucks!” Lyra grumbled, crumpling the paper that had been handed to her as she'd been prodded out of the diffusion chamber. “This really sucks! Sucks so much it's a vacuum!”

“Lyra, please, calm down,” said the gentle voice of an off-white mare next to her. She tossed her pink and purple mane to the side, adjusting her skirt and the small pack of valuables and mementos that she had been allowed to bring with her. “And watch the language. There are foals around here.”

The minty green pegasus gave a sigh and toyed with her own frayed mane. “Sorry. Sorry, it just bugs me a lot, all this.”

“It's not like we had a choice.” She held up a slip of paper in her hand. “And don't crumple your paperwork, we need that to prove we were processed properly until they can get all the proper identification cards for everyone on board.”

“Well why didn't they have all of this dealt with before we launched? That would have been the smart thing to do!”

“Did you even hear the announcement? They had to make an emergency launch, Lyra. They'll get everything sorted, but for right now I think we just need to be grateful that we're alive and still together.”

Lyra rubbed her face and sighed. “Yeah... you're right. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just a little rattled from all of this.”

“Everyone is,” Bonbon assured her, patting her shoulder and leaning forward, kissing her cheek. “We'll settle in and everything will start to look a bit better, I promise. Now,” she looked down at her own paper. “According to the papers we were given, we've been assigned to the twenty fourth structure on level three.” She smiled. “It was designed to be a duplex with a sweets cafe on the bottom and a living area upstairs.”

“Whoa, so they're just going to hand over a business to you, just like that?” Lyra asked.

“Well, why wouldn't they? Running the sweets cafe was what I did back in Ponyville, remember? Same as how playing the lyre was what you did. Business owners were supplanted into new businesses here in attempt to keep the normalcy of the society.” She frowned. “Seriously, didn't you read any of the briefing material we were given after we were told we'd be leaving the planet?”

Lyra coughed. “Um, define read?”

Bonbon rubbed her forehead. “Read, as in look at the letters that make up the words and translate them into information.”

“Oh, that's what you meant.” She gave a slight smile. “Because by 'read' I thought you meant 'picture you in that super tight swimsuit I bought for you last month.'”

Bonbon flushed and swat the back of her wife's head. “Ugh, fine then. Did you at least read up on the section focusing on economy?”

She smiled and reached into her pocket, drawing out a small plastic card with a picture of the Canterlot bit on it. “Of course I did. They gave us these cards which contain an electronic reading equivalent to the amount of bits we had back on Equestria, including cash, bank accounts, credits, and of course any other assets we had, like property. So technically I have more money on this than I ever had when we were back on Equestria.”

“That's right,” Bonbon stated. “So don't go around spending it all like you did back home. We're dealing with a bubble economy right now and the last thing we need is send too much money to junk dealers.”

“The things I buy are not junk, they are antiques.”

“Lyra, my great grandmother's super secret chocolate swirl recipe is an antique. A fork that the salesman told you is a relic from before ponies walked on two legs, THAT is junk.”

“Hey, those figurines are not only educational, but extremely collectible!”

“Yes, well at least it's not quite as destructive as your other hobby.”

“If you'd give Light Skating a try, I'm sure you'd love it, Bonny.” She smiled.

“It's stupid and it's dangerous, and one day I'm going to get a call from the medical bay saying that they found you splattered all over the pavement because you thought you could wall jump your way up to the top of the radio tower or something stupid like that. And don't you dare try to pretend that you wouldn't do something like that.”

Lyra smirked. “Oh come on, I wouldn't attempt that. At least, not until I thought I could totally do it.” She winked. At her wife's frown, she sighed. “Look, I know I've had a few accidents in the past, but you know that I am always as careful as can be whenever I'm cruising the streets.”

Bonbon just sighed. “Fine, but please, just help me get settled in our new home before you go out and do something stupid, okay?”

“I will, I promise.” She smiled gently. “You planning on keeping me on a short leash the entire time we're here?”

“No, just until I'm sure you won't start making trouble,” she stated as the approached a large, crowded area. Bonbon sighed. “Well, looks like we've got quite a wait ahead of us.” She motioned to the large elevator structures moving up and through the ceiling. “Those will take us to the third level of the city, but it looks like they're quite backed up right now.” She looked around. “It might just be easier for us to just try and wait for the stairs to open up, what with how everyone's crowding the elevators.”

Lyra groaned. “We don't have time for that. I wanna get there and get unpacked.” She sighed and put her hands on her hips, thinking for a second.

Her wife shook her head. “Well you're just going to have to wait. Patience is a virtue after all.”

“Patience, shmatience. We had enough of that while we were waiting to get onto the damn ship.” She slipped her pack off of her back and undid the front, pulling out two large, bright green skates. She sat down, tugging her shoes off and sliding the skates on.

Bonbon frowned. “You'd better not be doing what I think you're about to do. This place is way too crowded for that. And didn't I just ask you not to do anything stupid or dangerous.”

“I'd rather like to think it was brilliant,” she said, hopping up to her feet, testing out the skates by moving in a slow circle around bonbon.

Bonbon sighed as Lyra shouldered her pack again. “Lyra, think for a second, everyone's still getting settled in here, and nerves are probably riding high right now. I don't think it's best to aggravate them. Besides, even if you did get up there, you'd still be waiting on me. I'm the one with the key to the house.”

“Hmm, good point.” The green mare grinned and leaned forward, grabbing her wife and tugging her up into her arms. “Better bring you with me then.”

Bonbon gave a squeak and kicked her legs out as she was held bridal style. “What? Wait, wait, wait, you... don't you dare!” She gulped as Lyra gave a soft grin. “Lyra Heartstrings, if you do this, I swear you are going to be sleeping on the couch until we find a new planet to live on!”

Lyra ignored her. The mare kicked off, dashing forward, holding Bonbon tightly, whooshing past everypony near her as she started to pick up some speed on her skates. She ducked through the crowd, ponies quickly parting way as the crazy mare dashed past. “Sorry, excuse me, coming through, gotta get home!” She grinned. “See, Bonbon? Ponies respect a mare on a mission!” She laughed.

Bonbon gave a loud squeal as she started towards a very long flight of stairs. “No! No way! There's no way we can get up there, Lyra, look how crowded it is!”

Lyra chuckled. “You underestimate the power of my training, dear Bonbon!” She continued to dash forward, bobbing and weaving her way through the crowd with near expert precision. Ignoring the cursing and the shouting for her to slow down, she got the stairs in her sights and gave a slight hop. “Her we go.”

Bonbon squeaked and threw her arms around Lyra's shoulders. “I don't even like roller coasters, what makes you think I'm going to enjoy this?!”

“Never said you'd like it, but it sure beats waiting in line for an hour!” She leapt up and onto the railing between two sets of stairs and grinned clicking her skates as they started to slow during the uphill grind. “Now for the fun part! Activate!” A small neon puff burst from the back of each skate and the two ponies were launched forward at an intense rate, leaving a rainbow colored trail of smoke behind them. Lyra gave a whoop of joy and Bonbon a squeal of terror as the shot upwards. The rail was narrow, so keeping balance wasn't easy, especially with a squirming mare in her arms, but Lyra had been in worse situations and come out fine.

They reached the top of the long stairway without incident and Lyra could feel Bonbon letting out a long sigh of relief, but as soon as they leaped off of the rail, Lyra spun around. “Time for round two!” she announced with a grin.

Bonbon turned a few shades lighter as she paled in fear. “Wh-what?”

“We're only on level two after all!” She laughed and smiled, getting a running start before leaping back onto another rail leading up to the third level. Another shriek from Bonbon, another round of annoyed and angry shouts from the ponies forced to walk up the stairs, and another whoop from Lyra culminated in the two of them arriving at the very top of the stairway. She hopped down and did a soft little circle before setting her wife down. “Whoo!” she said, pumping her fists in the air. “Was that awesome or what?”

Bonbon clutched her pack to herself, giving her a glare before she answered with a hard slap to Lyra's flank, making the unicorn jump up with a loud yelp. “Don't you EVER do that again!” she scolded.

Lyra blushed and rubbed at the spot where she'd been smacked. “Hey, come on, I got us up here, didn't I?”

Bonbon just huffed and placed a hand on her hip. “Let's just get to our house before the mob you left in your way decides to toss you out the air duct.”

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Yeah, yeah.” She snickered. “You were totally getting into it,” she observed as the two of them began to move down the makeshift streets towards their new abode.

“Was not.”

“Were so.”

Bonbon smirked and bumped her flank against Lyra's. “You're so sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“Aww, and here I was hoping to christen the new sheets with you.” She stuck out her tongue only to be met with another, though much lighter, swat on her flank. “Would you stop doing that?”

“I'll stop when you stop giving me reasons to,” Bonbon answered back.

Lyra giggled and leaned against her. “You're literally a pain in my flank, but I still love you.”

Bonbon smirked. “Ditto, Lyra. I love you too.”

“Captain Twilight,” the security officer said, saluting her.

Twilight blushed, still not used to being treated this way. She returned the salute, though her own was much sloppier than his. “Um, at ease, officer. What can I do for you?”

“Luna asked me to bring you this.” He handed her a large folder. “She had this prepared prior to launch for the captain's inspection.”

She raised a brow and flipped it open. Inside were several reports on a large selection of different ponies, many of them in important positions on the ship. The only real common thread was that each of these ponies had some form of expertise in their own specific fields, but those fields were so wildly varied that it seemed very odd that they'd all be grouped together in one folder. “What exactly is this?” she asked.

“A suggested group of ponies for your away team, ma'am.”

Twilight gave a blank stare. “Uh...”

The security officer gave her a patient smile. “Sorry, I forgot that your position was only recently awarded to you and you probably haven't been briefed on all the specifics yet.”

The lavender mare blushed, the reminder of her inexperience causing the confidence she'd been gathering since the launch to waver. “No, no I haven't. Um, please, continue.

“Well, while the primary function of this colony is to give us a home, it is only meant to be temporary. We've stored all the supplies we can, but even with careful rationing, supporting an entire colony of this size will take its toll on our food stocks and other such necessities. As such, whenever we find a planet that might prove habitable, it will be the job of the away team, led by you, Captain, to ascertain whether we might make a permanent settlement there. Even if that is not a possibility, it is still worth noting whether or not the planet has resources that we might find useful. Food with transferable seeds, fresh water, and so forth.”

She nodded. “I see. And Prin... er, Luna decided that these four might make the best candidates?”

He nodded as well. “Of course, as captain you do have the right of final say, and can alter the team as you wish, but Luna thought she would give you a place to start.”

Twilight smiled and gave each of the reports a quick skim before she gave another salute to the officer. “Thank you. I'll put together the team as soon as possible.

He nodded, saluting her again. “If that is all you need me for ma'am, I will return to my duties.”

“Very well. Before you go,” she held open the file. “Can you tell me the fastest way to the Agriculture Biome?”

The guard gave her a quick set of directions and she started off, looking over the first file in the folder. “Hmm... Applejack Apple.” She rolled her eyes. “Creative naming,” she muttered, glancing down over the more detailed description. “Former farm pony, from a long line of apple farmers. Certified as a biology specialist in the field of flora.” She looked a little further down. “Open an honest personality, but known to be stubborn.” She bit her lip as she noted that she had a disciplinary write-up concerning working with a group of other ponies who had different ideas about farming than her. It was a minor offense, but it was something that Twilight would have to take into account when she made her final decision on the team.

Then again, Twilight wasn't sure why she had to be a part of the team to begin with. Certainly her position as captain would serve the ship better if she were actually on the bridge, assisting from the air? Working with a team of ponies seemed... a little intimidating to her.

She made her way down from the center of the ship, out past the crew quarters and down into the agriculture biome, a huge and sprawling area made to simulate acres upon acres of farmland. Rows of tilled soil, perfectly measured for optimum growing conditions contained hundreds of little seedlings, rapidly growing to maturity to help feed a colony of hungry ponies. Twilight had to marvel at the sight. It was almost like stepping out onto a real farm.

She wrinkled her nose a little. It certainly smelt like a real farm, that was for sure. After hitching a ride on one of the hover tracks set up to make moving from one end of the area to the other, she found herself at a rather unassuming building made to resemble a traditional farmhouse. The sign above the door identified it as the Farmer's Barracks. She assumed that had to be a nickname given to it by the inhabitants, as it certainly didn't sound like an official title. Giving the folder another glance, she walked up to the front door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

“Come on in!” someone shouted from the other side.

Twilight did so, stepping inside and giving a slight shiver at the sudden change in temperature. While the farmlands outside had been quite warm under the glow of the artificial sun, the inside of this building felt as cool and breezy as a mid-fall day. It made her glad she was still wearing her long skirt. Rarity had yet to get back to her about her uniform. The inside of the farmhouse was plain and dull, with a few labeled rooms such as the seed repository, the cellar, and of course the aforementioned barracks where many of the farm ponies would be staying during their long shifts, and Twilight surmised that there must have been more buildings like this scattered all along the biome for the comfort of the farmers.

In the center of the room stood a plain looking table, covered in stacks of paperwork and half-spent pencils. Most of it looked like reports to Twilight, probably hastily written out only a while before the launch. Next to the table stood a tall orange mare with a blond mane and tail, her face bearing freckles from a life out in the sunlight. Her outfit certainly didn't reflect the technological bent of modern farming. Tight, tough blue fabric hugged her legs and a pair of large boots covered her feet. Her shirt was button up, and flannel. Twilight remembered it was very much a stereotypical farmer's uniform from several years back, before many farms began augmenting their output with automated machines. She was speaking to another mare, bright orange with a fluffy, pink mane and tail. She was dressed a bright white uniform more in line with crew regulations. A badge on her chest signified her as a high-ranking officer in the wildlife biome.

Twilight blinked and flipped to the back of the folder she'd been given. There was no mistaking it, this was also one of Luna's suggested team members. Fluttershy, the file read. Twilight gave it a quick scan before nodding. “I'm sorry to bother you...”

“Ah, not at all!” the orange mare declared, walking over and grabbing her hand, giving it a might shake, making Twilight rattle a little bit. “Nice to meetcha. The name's Applejack, by the way.”

“Er, yes,” she said, coughing and drawing her hand away. “My name is Captain Twilight Sparkle and...”

“Oh, so yer the one who's running things 'round here now?” she asked with a smile.

“To a point, yes,” she said. “I am in charge of the captain's duties on the ship, though I don't think my purview with extend out this far. I won't be making every executive decision anyway.”

“Ah, right, ya started up some sorta council ta help out with the big decisions, right?”

Twilight blinked. “Um, yes, I did. How did you know.”

“Was broadcasted over the radio bout an hour ago.” She pointed to a small box sitting near the windowsill. The volume was turned down low, but the sound of a gently thumping base and electronic treble could still be heard faintly in the background.

Captain Twilight blushed lightly. “Ah, right... Vinyl and Octavia.” She smiled. “Yes, that is true, but that's beside the point. I'm actually here for a different, but still important reason.” She cleared her throat. “As captain of this vessel, I've been charged with assembling an away team that will accompany me on any missions requiring planetary exploration and reconnaissance.” She held up the folder. “Your name came recommended to me as an expert in flora.”

Applejack raised a brow. “Really? Shucks, Ah ain't nothin' but a lil' ol' farm pony.”

“A farm pony who aced the exams given to everypony who applied to work in the agriculture biome,” Twilight stated with a small smile. “Perfect marks on every single question. I'd say that's a bit more than just a farm pony.”

Applejack blushed a bit. “Aww, go on.”

“I wish I could,” Twilight said with a shrug. “But I need to keep this brief. You are free to refuse a spot on the team, of course, but I do think that your knowledge would be invaluable when we need to determine whether or not we can find edible foods or not. Provided you work well with other ponies, I think you'd be perfect.”

The mare frowned. “What's that last part supposed to mean?”

Twilight gave a soft shrug. “Well, I'm just noting down at the bottom here it says that you were given a disciplinary write up for a heated argument with a group of other farmers and...”

“That entire thing was full of horse apples,” she grumbled. “Ah'd rather not go into the details, but suffice to say, it ain't gonna happen again, and it was on a very touchy subject about farmin',” she said. “Ah doubt you'll be havin' any trouble from me when we go planet side.”

Twilight didn't appreciate the hostility over the write up, but she smiled after a moment. “Well, all right then. Thank you. I'll keep in contact with you and let you know well in advance when we find a planet we think might be worth scouting.”

“Alrighty then.” She smiled. “Lookin' forward to workin' with ya, captain.”

Twilight nodded and smiled back, turning on the timid mare still in the room. “And you... you're Fluttershy, yes?”

The mare gave a soft squeak. “Er, yes, I'm... Fluttershy.” She hid behind her pink mane, shuffling to the side until she was behind Applejack's muscled form.

Twilight frowned and tried to re-position herself so that she could at least see the pony she was addressing. Every time she moved, Fluttershy shifted to hide again. “Um, yes, well, your name came up as well when the files were drawn. I believe your expertise is in animal care and behavior, correct?”

“Er, um, yes, that's right.” She shifted again, though Applejack was tired of being used as a wall and walked out of the way. The shy pony squeaked and seemed to shrink under Twilight's even gaze.

Twilight scratched her head. “Uh, yes, okay.” She cleared her throat and flipped open her file. “So, would be interested in a place on the away team as our animal expert?”

“Oh, well, I dunno,” she mumbled, toying with a long strand of her hair.

“It's a very important position,” Twilight pressed. “We have no idea what sort of wild creatures we might be encountering when exploring potentially habitable planets, and someone with a well versed knowledge in several different types of animals would be a very large boon to us.” She tapped her papers. “According to this, you were one of the most celebrated biologists in the fauna department, to the point where you were also awarded an honorary degree from the Mareheart School of Veterinary Practices despite taking a masters in Biology at the time.” She smiled. “Not many ponies can say they've ever received such a high honor.”

The blush on the mare's face soon overpowered her light yellow coat. “Oh, it wasn't really that big of a deal,” she mumbled, shifting from foot to foot, still trying to look as small as possible, as though hoping she'd disappear completely.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah think yer bein' way too modest, Flutters. Y'all always have a knack for downplayin' just how good ya are. Ah really think you should give this a go.”

“Well, but, I mean... I don't really think I could do very much for the team.”

“I beg to differ,” Twilight said. “Aside from your crippling stigma against social situations, I'm very impressed with your abilities when it comes to animals. You don't have to decide right away, and if you'd prefer, we can treat our first landing, whenever it happens, as sort of a trial run. If you still don't feel comfortable after that, then you're free to refuse. Of course, your status as a member of the away team will not affect your job as a staff member of the wildlife biome. You can still continue your work there, regardless of your final decision.”

Still shuffling nervously, the pegasus ran one finger over her wing in a half preen motion. “W-well... I suppose that would be okay. Um, do you have any idea when that first landing would be?”

She shook her head. “No idea. As of right now, we're still in what is considered familiar space. The scanners are going and our navigators are working on setting a course for what would be the first planet that might potentially house some sort of habitable area. If we're lucky, it won't take very long at all, but that really depends on how accurate our instruments are and how close we are to another star system with conditions at least a little similar to Equestria.” She smiled. “Still, I have your information and I'll be sure to let you know that anything comes up, as I promised with Applejack.” She offered her hand to the rapidly shrinking pegasus.

Fluttershy winced as the hand was stretched out to her, and, after a moment of fiddling with her own fingers, she reached out and gave Twilight's hand a weak, gentle shake. “It's um... it's very nice to meet you, captain. I-I'm looking forward to working with you,” she said, in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

“Likewise,” Twilight said, trying to sound as personable as possible. Truth be told, she was anything but looking forward to working with this timid little mare again. The words in the report did her no justice in describing just HOW timid this mare really was. In the back of her mind, she was silently wondering if Luna was of sound mind making such a suggestion for such an important position. She didn't voice any of this of course. Turning to the obviously more capable of the two ponies, she offered her hand to Applejack. “I'll be in touch with you as well, of course.”

Applejack nodded and took her hand in a firm grip. If she squeezed any tighter, Twilight worried that her hand mind crushed. She shook hands with the farm pony, or rather, she allowed herself to be shaken about like a martini being mixed by an overzealous bartender. When her hand was finally released, she needed to grip her wrist with her free hand in order to keep it from jittering anymore. She clenched her fist a few times to reinstate feeling in the fingers before she nodded to both of them. “Well, if either of you have anything to report you know what to do. Um, have a nice day.”

They both nodded, giving her a brief salute as she excused herself from the farmhouse area. She let out a deep sigh, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. “Well, if this is the best that I have to choose from,” she muttered to herself, “I think we're in real trouble here. Well, maybe the next pony will be a bit more pleasant to deal with.” She flipped through the folders to the next one down the line, opening it. The hope in her eyes died almost immediately and she scowled down at it. “Oh, you have to be kidding me...” she muttered.

The hangar bay might as well have been its own air port what with how large it was. The thing was, it was only one of two different hangars on the ship, so of course it had to be large, if it wanted to accommodate everything that was required to fit in it. Of course there were the standard fighter ships that had been created in case the need to defend themselves came into effect, as well as evacuation pods and transport shuttles in the hopefully unlikely event that they needed to abandon the colony completely. However, one section of the hangar was made specifically for the storage and launch of mechs.

Mechs could be considered the big, hard hitters of their arsenal. They were durable and capable of wielding a multitude of powerful weapons, but they lacked maneuverability and were really only as viable an option as the pilot. Mech pilots had to be some of the most physically fit and coordinated of any and all pilots, to compensate for the lack of maneuverability. Of course, the gap between an average mech pilot and, say, a Wonderbolt Fighter Pilot was astronomical, but apparently this one pilot was quite an exception... though her file made Twilight wonder if a mental evaluation wasn't a part of the recruitment process. Rainbow's file was the thickest of the ones that had been handed to her back before she'd started slogging around the ship, and the only reason for that was due to the numerous disciplinary reports she'd had written up since becoming a pilot. Fights, backtalk, unauthorized launches of and alterations to her mech... it looked like a real disaster. How she'd kept from being kicked out of the combat forces was something of a mystery.

Twilight walked into the hangar to the sound of a loud torch billowing in the distant. She frowned, following the sound. No one else was in the hangar at the time, nor were they supposed to be. What with the recent launch, everyone on the crew was supposed to be in the center section of the ship to make sure they were present and accounted for.

Judging by her file, Twilight had a good idea of who it was that was down here.

Indeed, her hunch seemed correct, as she came across a mech near the back that was a finely detailed bright blue. It was one of the older models, a Lunar Scouter, known for being 'glass cannons' among the regiments. Twilight was surprised. She didn't know much about mech warfare, but she'd been under the impression that such an old model would have been discharged and discontinued, especially since newer models with thicker armor didn't have to sacrifice their greater mobility. She looked upwards. Sitting on the edge of the upper railing, wearing a large welding mask, and holding a torch to the exposed internal mechanism of the mech's left arm, was a cyan pony with a rainbow mane. Her mane, quite long and impressive, if a little unkempt, was currently tied into a tight ponytail against the back of her head. Twilight glanced back down towards her file. Yep, that was her pony all right. “Excuse me,” she called up to her. “Rainbow Dash?”

No response.

“Rainbow Dash?” she called a bit louder.

Still, no response.

Twilight frowned and took a deep breath. “RAINBOW DASH?!” she yelled.

The pony jumped a little bit, switching off the torch she'd been working with and flipping her mask up. She glanced down, off the side of the railing. “Someone call my name?” she asked in a slightly gravelly tone.

Twilight huffed a little bit. “If you have a moment, I'd like to talk to you about something.”

“If it's about the graffiti on Commander Spitfire's locker, I swear I had nothing to do with it.”

The captain frowned. “I wasn't even aware of that.”

“Oh... okay.” She shrugged. “Hang on, I'll be down in just a sec.” She got up onto her feet and, much to Twilight's surprise, leaped off the railing, spreading her long, powerful wings and giving them a flap, stopping her descent as easily as though the laws of artificial gravity didn't apply to her. She alighted on the ground easily in front of her.

Twilight scowled. “You realize there's a lift that would have been much safer, right?” she asked, pointing towards the lift in question.

Rainbow shrugged. “But it also would have been super slow, and I don't have time for that.” She jabbed her thumb backwards, towards the mech. “Got a lot more work to do on Tank.”

“Tank?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Well yeah.” She smirked proudly. “Tank might not be as super armored as all those newer mechs, but he's seen me through more than my fair share of battles, and I haven't taken a single hit.”

“Yes, I've seen your combat record. It is quite impressive.” Though, Twilight thought to herself, that's about the only impressive thing about you I've seen so far.

Rainbow eyed the file and crossed her arms. “You some kinda bureaucrat?” she sked.

“No, I'm your new captain.”

“Same difference,” she countered with a small smile. “So, what can I do for you?”

Twilight cleared her throat. “Well,” she started. “As captain of this vessel for the duration of our journey, I have been instructed to form an away team for the purposes of exploring potentially habitable planets we'll be coming across during our journey.”

Rainbow raised a brow. “Mhm, okay. What's that got to do with me?”

She sighed. “Well, for reasons that I am still not sure of, your name was recommended to me, specifically for security purposes.”

“Seriously?” Dash gave a wide smirk. “Wow, that's awesome. I'd love a chance to blast some actual aliens!”

“Yes, well, we'll see how the trial run goes.”

“Trial run?”

Twilight nodded. “While you and several others were recommended above others, I'm not fully convinced you'd be a good fit for the away team. In fact, I'm not fully convinced you should even be piloting a mech at all.”

That got Rainbow's eyes to narrow. “Excuse me?”

Twilight cleared her throat, attempting to stand her ground against the rather threatening glower the pegasus leveled at her. “Well, just looking over your file doesn't really give me a good first impression. You have so many disciplinary write ups, it's a wonder you're even kept on as an active crew member.”

“Most of those are super minor offenses.”

“Minor or not, you don't seem to have much of a respect for authority, which I'm fearful might cause a lot of problems if we go planetside. There's everything in here from simple and minor pranks to outright brawling with fellow soldiers to even disobeying orders in the middle of a battle.” She looked up. “How have you not been court marshaled by now?”

Rainbow sniffed. “I had my reasons for disobeying orders. And you'll notice that even when I disobeyed, it was to do something that ended up saving a lot of lives.”

“Almost at the cost of your own.” She sighed and tapped the list. “Charging headfirst at a diamond dog mercenary mech after being ordered to fall back. Telling a superior officer to kiss your flank, followed by outright mooning him, after he ordered you to remain in the reserves. Almost knocking out a fellow pilot's teeth after he made a comment about your wings...”

“Hey, that guy deserved what I gave him, and I even helped pay for the dental surgery afterwards.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes and sighed. “I'm merely trying to understand why prin... er, why Luna would recommend someone like you to me when you're obviously too much of a loose cannon to be dependable.”

“Hey!” she raised a finger, getting right in Twilight's face. “I am always dependable. I won't ever have someone questioning my loyalty to Equestria, or to my fellow pilots. Everything I've done on the battlefield has been in defense of other people's lives. I've learned that trusting my gut is one of the best things that I could do.”

“And did your gut tell you to punch one Flitter so hard in her stomach that she couldn't keep a meal down for a full day?”

Rainbow blushed. “Okay, that one might have gone a little too far, but everything else on that list, I have no regrets.”

Twilight sighed. “Fine then. Luna's a smart pony, I'm sure she has her reasons for wanting you on the team. But if you mess up, at all, or I have any reason to feel that you are putting the rest of us in danger, you can not only forget about a spot on the away team, but also your mech license as well.”

The pegasus flapped her wings in irritation. “Whatever! Geeze, it figures we'd get a hard-ass captain.”

“I'm not a hard ass, I'm just practical. There isn't room in a well run machine for a wild component that runs off of hot air and pure dumb luck.” She took out a pen from her breast pocket. “Also, expect another reprimand coming your way for being in here when you are supposed to be in the center ship. And a second one for modifying your mech without approval.”

“Oh come on!” she growled, giving her foot a stomp. “That's such a freaking little thing!”

“Little, but it still matter's Dash. If there were an accident while you were making modifications...”

“I have a life force reading in my communicator.” She held up the wrist-watch like device and pointed to it. “If anything happened to me, medi-droids would be on their way in a flash. “It's standard issue, or did you not know that, Captain?” she asked, the condescension clear in her voice.

Twilight laid her ears back and held up her own wrist, showing off the communicator she was wearing. “Of course I know that, but that's no excuse for stupidity. Even with the medi-bots, there's no guarantee that help would arrive in a timely manner, and even if you don't end up killing yourself with your own stupidity, there are still plenty of other consequences for injuring yourself when there's no one else around to assist.” She huffed. “Anyway, I'll have this filled out and you can expect a visit from security once it's filed. I'm going to allay punishment, but you can expect to be banned from the hangars for about two weeks.”

“What? Oh come on, what about if there's an emergency?”

“If there's an emergency, a solitary mech fighter with a penchant for doing stupid things won't make much of a difference. Besides, I doubt we'll run into anything too dangerous during our first month. The warp engines might be able to take us out pretty far in each leap, but I doubt we'll be running into any big alien fleets before then.” She scratched a few notes down into the file. “However, if this behavior doesn't stop, you can expect more severe punishments, Rainbow Dash. Now, collect your tools and report back to your quarters.”

Rainbow crossed her arms.

“That means now!”

“Yes... Captain,” she grumbled, walking past her, towards the exit.

Twilight sighed as she watched her leave, looking like a filly on the verge of a tantrum. She glanced back at her file and groaned. “Luna, what the heck were you getting at with her?” she asked.

Twilight banged against the door far harder than necessary, but her frustration with Rainbow Dash had yet to be let out, and the door to Luna's personal living quarters made quite a tempting target. She knocked against it several more times, so hard that she felt her fist growing numb from the exertion.

At last, the door began to open, and she stepped backwards, attempting to wipe the fuming irritation off of her face. It wasn't hard as she saw the former princess in a bath towel, her mane still wet and dripping, clinging to her back and shoulders. She looked only slightly less annoyed than Twilight. “Can I help you?” she asked, after a moment of silence.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Ahem, yes. So sorry to bother you...”

“You certainly didn't sound sorry.”

Twilight sighed. “Alright, fine then. I'm not sorry. I want to know exactly you mean to accomplish by recommending these ponies to me for an away team.”

“I have my reasons.”

“And I need to know them!” the lavender unicorn argued. “I mean, really, Applejack has been relatively agreeable, and all things considered I can see her working out, but Fluttershy? Her crippling anxiety around other ponies is going to put a lot of stress on her, even worse when we're in hostile environment. I worry that she'll end up snapping like a stale pretzel.” She tapped her finger against the files under her arm. “And don't even get me started on Rainbow Dash. She has to be one of the sorriest excuses for a soldier I have ever seen. Did you even LOOK at her file before recommending her? Yes, her combat records are very impressive, especially for somepony who hasn't been in action for very long in comparison to more senior soldiers, but that doesn't excuse her rudeness, her lack of humility, her foalishness...”

Twilight was cut off as Luna cast a glare over her, making the mare squeak and back up a step. “Captain,” she started, the impersonal and professional nature of the word causing Twilight to fold her ears back against her head. “I understand that these choices certainly may seem unorthodox, but I can assure you that these ponies were chosen as potential members of the team because their unique skills and abilities far outweigh their personal problems and negative quirks.”

Recovering, Twilight cleared her throat and held up Rainbow's file. “Well, you could have fooled me.” She tensed as she saw Luna's glare grow more intense. “Er... I-I trust that there was no favoritism involved?”

“No,” she answered plainly. “I've put my trust in you as captain. Can't you do the same for me as an adviser?”

Twilight sighed. “You're right. I'm sorry. It's... just been a long few hours.”

Luna nodded, drawing the towel tighter around her frame. “I couldn't help but notice you didn't have anything to say about Pinkie Pie.”

“Ah, yes, Pinkamina...”

“Pinkie Pie,” Luna corrected. “Just Pinkie Pie.”

“Er... of course.” She cleared her throat again, flipping through the file. “I've looked over her file, but after the last few encounters I've had, I just needed a break.” Pinkie's file was rather less damning than Rainbow's but it still didn't paint a pretty picture of her beyond her abilities as a navigator. The file stated she was top of the line when it came to navigation, with intimate familiarity with several different ways of tracing a path, even some of the more antiquated ones. Her mathematics and astrology scores were some of the highest of any crew member. Twilight's jaw had almost hit the floor when she'd seen her score in mathematics rivaled her own. However, a majority of the rest of the report made her out to be a very flighty and bubbly pony, with several filed complaints from co workers and crew members concerning her talkative and eccentric nature. Her flights of fancy had led to many near-misses during journeys on smaller vessels, most notably an air ship that had grazed the top of Canterlot castle while she was attempting to advise the pilot on his rout. As it turned out, the two of them had been swapping cupcake recipes during the time of the incident. No real damage had been done, but the scrape along the bottom of the ship had needed to be repainted.

Luna smiled. “Well, you should go and talk to her. She's probably up near the bridge, studying the star maps.” She sighed. “After all, she needs to be as intimately familiar with the surrounding space as possible for when we make our first leap into warp space.”

“Of course.” Twilight wasn't looking forward to activating the warp drive. While Rarity had been the one behind its design, it remained untested, and it was far larger than any warp engine built before it. Heck, the technology itself had only really been perfected about a decade ago. Dozens of things could go wrong. Artificial gravity failure. Pressure alleviation could go haywire. The entire warp drive could just collapse in on itself and create a miniature black hole. These scenarios played through the pessimistic unicorn's mind a few times before she finally shook it off. “I'll go and speak to her then. Sorry to bother you, Luna.”

“Not at all. I just need you to trust me, Twilight.” She gave her a light grin. “After all, captain,” this time the word was spoken much more playfully, “If anyone can make this work, I know it's you.”

The praise made Twilight turn red with a blush. While she appreciated the vote of confidence, she's just as soon rather not deal with any troublemakers during her tenure. “Thank you again, Luna. I, uh, should probably go and speak to this navigator.”

“You probably should, yes.” She smiled and tapped her chin. “Should I send out word to Octavia and Vinyl Scratch to let the general populace know about the warp?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “Tell them we'll be warping in...” she looked down at her watch. “Twelve hours.”

“Can do, Twilight.” She nodded. “Now, if it's all right with you, I'd like to go and finish my shower.”

Twilight felt another blush creeping up on her face and she looked down, embarrassed. “Yeah, uh... sorry about that.” She gave a nervous chuckle and shuffled backwards a little bit before turning on her heel and shuffling off, nearly tripping over herself as she headed off. To her further embarrassment, she could hear Luna letting out a soft giggle at her expense as she left.

The trip to the observation deck was far and away the easiest that Twilight had had all day. She was quite looking forward to a chance she'd have to just sit down, and maybe fall asleep. This had been far more legwork than she'd thought it would be, and no doubt her position as captain would require her to do a lot more running from one part of the ship to the other, but for right now, she was content to just sit and let the elevator carry her up to the very top of the central pillar that served as the ship's middle. “Observation Deck,” the automated voice stated as the doors rolled opened. “Please watch your step. No hoofballs allowed beyond this point.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. Whoever had recorded these floor names was obviously not taking their job very seriously. She walked out, looking around. The observational deck was a wide open area, rimmed with extremely reinforced glass windows and delicate equipment meant to recreate an accurate map of known space. To this end, holographic images of known star clusters and planets drifted past Twilight all around, always shifting in a set pattern that would mirror the actual orbit of the galaxy. The entire deck had been scaled to the supposed edge of their own galaxy, meaning that anything beyond the walls of the deck would be unknown space.

Which was where they'd eventually be heading. Twilight gave a soft sigh and walked through several of the planets, looking around for this supposed master navigator. The deck itself was pretty much empty, as most ponies were probably either asleep or just had something better to do at this hour than stargaze.

Well, except her, of course. Not like she could be doing paperwork or studying up on procedural protocol or the inner mechanical workings of the ship. Nope. She was up here, looking for a navigator.

And boy did she find her.

Near the back of the deck, bouncing back and forth, tapping planets and tracing long lines between them, muttering to herself with a large smile on her face, was one Pinkamina Diane Pie, otherwise referred to as Pinkie. Twilight cleared her throat as she approached. “Excuse me? Pinkie Pie.”

The pink earth pony stopped and turned towards her. Twilight could see she was a slightly heavier set pony. Not overly so, but she had more of a waistline than other mares she'd seen wandering about. She was also wearing a pair of metallic gauntlets. Twilight recognized them as Tracers, specially designed hand-wear that allowed a pony to basically draw on thin air. Beyond her, Twilight saw that she had been using them to trace paths between planets, as well as around asteroid fields and giving stars a wide berth. She gave Twilight a curious look before she suddenly leaped forward, grabbing both of her arms and pulling her close, their noses touching as she let out a surprised gasp. “Are you psychic?!”

“Uh...” Twilight, momentarily flabbergasted, blushed a little at the closeness of the other mare, and shook her head. “N-no. I just uh...” she looked down at the ground, at the scattered papers of her dropped files. “I'm captain Twilight Sparkle and I...”

“Oooh, the captain!” Pinkie said, quickly letting her go and snapping a goofy salute. “What can I do for you, mein cap-ee-tan?” she asked, a false germaneic accent slipping into her speech.

Twilight steadied herself, attempting to process the mare's unusually high energy. “Ah, yes, right.” She sighed and bent down, starting to pick up her papers and files. “I'm here to talk to you about the potential of being a part of an away team.”

“An away team?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Um, yes. While your specialty appears to be navigating ships, we do need someone who knows how to move around easy on the ground. I also see that you've taken minor mediator and diplomat rolls in minor scuffles with some borderland settlements and government officials.”

“Yep! That'd be me! Everyone always gets happy when Pinkie's on the scene.”

“Mhm.” She nodded slowly. “Right, well, your name came recommended, so I'm here to ask if you would be willing to be a part of a test run.”

“Is it multiple choice?”

“Huh?”

“The test. Or is it long form? Will I need a number two pencil or will it all be on computer? I don't really have an easy time concentrating on written tests, so I'm hoping it'll be open book...”

“I mean a trial run of the current away team.” Twilight explained, rolling her eyes.

“Oh.” The pink maned pony smiled at her brightly. “Well, why didn't you just say so, silly filly?”

“I was going to, until you started musing about potential written tests.”

“Details, details.” She waved her hand lightly. “Yeah, I'd love to be a part of that. Who else is on the team?”

“Besides you and me?” she asked, sighing. “Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.”

“Ooh, Dashie's gonna be coming?”

Twilight blinked. “You know her?”

“Yeah! Dashie and I graduated in the same class!”

“But wasn't she a year ahead of you?”

“Nope. Just a year older than me.” She smiled again.

Twilight sighed and shrugged. “Whatever, that doesn't matter.” She flipped a few pages. “Anyway, I'm not anticipating too much trouble from you, I don't think, though it does say you've received a few write ups for annoying a few co-workers and that you might have a bit of an obsession with partying.” She frowned. “You aren't a heavy drinker, are you, Pinkie?”

Pinkie gasped, actually looking a little offended by the question. “Drinking? As in alcohol? Nope, never touch the stuff. Well, except for cider, but only on special occasions.” She smiled “As for partying, who doesn't like a good time now and then? A chance to kick back, relax with friends, and shake your flank a little bit!” She demonstrated by doing a little shimmy to some unheard tune.

“I, uh, see... well, so long as you can maintain a certain level of professionalism while we're on task, I think that we can safely say that you'll be a welcome edition to the team.”

“Oh, it's gonna be an honor working with you, Twilight!” she said happily.

“Er, yes, I'm sure it will be.” She smiled. “So, can you tell me exactly where we're headed at this moment?”

She nodded and hopped about, following the path she had been tracing back to its origin point, the space that Equestria used to occupy in the galaxy. “Well, right now we're about here,” she said, circling a small space in the air. “And once we're ready to jump, it's expected to take us at least here.” She took one huge bound to the other end of the three-dimensional map covering the room, drawing as she went. “We'll still be a few thousand light-years from the edge of the known galaxy, but there is at least one planet out here we think might be worth exploring.”

“Not a single one between this point and the planet?” Twilight asked, looking at all the other star systems floating around them.

Pinkie gave a light shrug. “Oh, there are plenty of other planets that we could be exploring, but based around simple sciences, we don't think they would be suitable for Ponykind.”

“Ah, I see, so they would be a little too close to the sun, a little too far away, a little too big or too small...”

Pinkie nodded. “Yep! Most of them just don't come close enough to replicating Equestria for us to investigate. So, in the interest of finding a new home ASAP, most of the ship's navigation staff, if it's still okay with you, caps, will be avoiding a lot of planets along the way.” She poked a few of the planets. “Too big, too small, super ugly, super tall.” She giggled.

“Well okay then.” She nodded. “I'm aware that a planet needs to be in the perfect placement in relation to their sun to support life, so I'll defer to the science team when it comes to that. But this planet we're heading towards, what can you tell me about it.”

“Well, it's on the edge of the known galaxy. If we have to go past it, we'll officially be in unknown space and we'll have absolutely no idea where we're going after that. We've decided to name the planet COR-2. It's the second planet in the system.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“What else do we know about it?”

“That's about it.”

“Uh...” Twilight blinked. “Really? That's it?”

“Yep!” At Twilight's groan, Pinkie poked at the planet's holographic representation. “Well, when a planet lays right on the very edge of the known space, it's kinda hard to get a probe there,” she said. “All we know is that it's in the best possible position for our needs.”

“But other than that, we don't know anything about its atmosphere? Foliage? Fauna?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Nope, not a bit.”

“I suppose it's better than nothing,” she mumbled. “Anyway, thank you for your time, Pinkamina.”

“Pinkie,” the pink mare said with a frown. “Just pinkie, please.”

“Er, sure.” She held out a hand. “It was nice making your acquaintance. I'm sure we'll be talking to each other again before long.”

“Oh definitely!” Pinkie grabbed her hand and shook it up and down, hard. Twilight gave a soft squeak and pulled her hand away, rubbing at it while Pinkie just smiled at her. “Have a good day, Captain. If you need me, I'll be here!”

“Er, yes, thank you.” She forced a quick smile and nodded to her before turning and shuffling out, offering a quick wave to the hyperactive pony. When she was outside the observatory, she sighed and leaned against the cold wall. “Ugh... what have I gotten myself into?”

Before the universe could take time out of its busy schedule to give her an answer, the communicator on her belt began to let out a loud beeping noise. Blinking, Twilight picked it up and flipped it open. “This is Captain Twilight.”

“Sorry to bother you ma'am,” the stallion on the other end answered, “But all preparations for light warp are ready.”

“I see. Prep the colony. I'll be up in ten minutes. We warp in thirty.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

She closed her communicator and sighed again, placing it back on her belt. “Okay, let's do it.” She smiled and started heading back towards the bridge.

“...and we'd like to thank Mr. Char Coal for his lovely call in request of the Blue Danube, by the Electronic Orchestra. You certainly have good taste, Mr. Coal.”

“Yeah, but it needs a bit more bass.”

Octavia sighed. “You say that about every single song we play that doesn't have an obscenely overbearing bass line already pulsing through every single bar.”

“Well there isn't even a drum beat in the song. What's there to hold my attention?”

“The strings, Vinyl.”

“Strings Shmings. Give me something with some power behind it.”

Octavia sighed. “Let's not get into this right now. We have more important things to do than argue about what makes a song good.”

“Yeah, specially since you'd lose that argument pretty hard.” Vinyl snickered.

“Shut up.”

“Sorry, sorry.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, let's see... just a reminder to everyone that the newly formed New Equestrian Council will be holding its very first meeting tomorrow, so if you have any pressing matters you think should be addressed by them, be sure to fill out a Q&A form at one of the many mail kiosks in the colony, and hopefully our new leaders will make life here a little bit better for us. But I doubt it.”

“What do you mean?” Octavia asked with a snort. “I'm on the council too you know.”

“Thanks for proving my point, Tavi.”

“Ugh, I wish you wouldn't call me that.”

“Anyway, second bit of news that just came through. We're gonna be hitting warp speed in about a half hour. The jump is expected to last about twelve to fifteen hours, under the best conditions. Just be aware, that when the jump starts, you might feel a bit of a quaking.”

“Not quaking,” Octavia huffed. “Just some minor turbulence. Maybe some rattling, but not enough force to bowl you over or anything.”

“Pity, that would really help out my handicap at the bowling alley.”

“Vinyl, now's not the time for jokes.”

“Tavi, we're acting as glorified DJ's on the only radio station in existence right now. Joking is pretty much written into our job description.”

“Ugh...”

“Anyway, that pretty much covers the recent news, so I think our audience would rather hear some sweet tunes than us arguing back and forth.”

“Agreed. So, for the next hour or so, we'll be throwing in an eclectic mix of tunes from the past thirty years of Equestria's top pop acts. Starting with the ever wonderful Sapphire Shores and her smash hit Born This Way. We hope you enjoy.” She snapped a few switches and turned down the mics as the song began to play. She leaned back as Vinyl loaded up the playlist to fill in the rest of the hour. “Please tell me you're putting more on there than just a bunch of dubstep and electronica.”

“Well duh. I'm not that narrow-minded Tavi. Don't worry, there's plenty of your soft and fluffy music mixed in there too.”

“Thank you.” she sighed. “I hope, for my sanity, we reach a new home soon.”

“Aww, I'm not that bad.”

“No... I suppose not. Just don't prove that your worse.”

“Hehe, I'm not. Can you man the console for a bit? I'm gonna take a power nap.” She hopped up and walked back to the fold out futon that was protruding form the wall in their recording studio. “Wake me if you need me!”

“But I thought it was my turn to sleep!”

“You can have your turn when we do the next marathon. I'm tired, Tavi.” She gave a soft yawn and flopped down onto the futon.

“Well I'm not exactly spry either!”

“No idea what that word means, Tavi. You gotta use actual words I understand if you want me respond.”

“But Vinyl...” She was interrupted by the sound of gentle snoring from the futon. Octavia gave a soft groan and rubbed her mane a little. “It's just like we're roommates all over again. Well, I suppose I might as well and go have a shower while she's sleeping. Not like we have anything to do for another hour.” She got up and moved to the door, smirking at her sleeping roommate. “At least your back to normal, Vinyl. Being all somber just wasn't like you.”

“And so Twilight met with all the potential members of her team?”

Luna nodded over the video phone. “Yes, sister. Though, unfortunately, she was less than impressed. I'm worried that we were a tad too quick with our choices.”

“You know as well as I that they are some of the most qualified ponies on the entire ship.”

“True, but Twilight didn't seem to see it like that.”

“Twilight's always been a very quick and analytic pony. Once she's had a chance to talk with them, and spend some time with them, I'm sure that she'll warm up to them.” At Luna's worried glance, she smiled. “Especially Rainbow Dash.”

Luna relaxed a tad. “Ah, thank you. Though I do wish you would have come out and talked to her as well. She might take the choices a bit more seriously if you were the one who confronted her about it.”

“She doesn't find your word to be good enough?” Celestia asked.

“She does, to a point, but after her first meeting with Rainbow Dash, she was already at my door, questioning the choices.”

“You didn't tell her that I helped you to choose those mares, right?”

“Of course not, though I do wish you'd let me.”

“No,” she stated. “I've already made my stance known. I will not make any more public decisions. If I do, it will be anonymously, and even then, it won't be decisions so much as suggestions. I refuse to take the chance that my involvement will ruin our home a second time.”

She sighed. “Celestia, you had no idea what was going to happen. I wish you would stop blaming yourself and...”

“A world is only as strong as its leader. I should have seen the signs. I could have done something to stop this, sister, and my negligence led to this. I'm sorry, but I feel it is best for all of my little ponies if I stay in the background from here on out and let them lead themselves.”

“But you and I can still do so much more...”

“Then do what you can, Luna. I am doing what I feel is right.”

“And what about Twilight?”

“Twilight...” she bit her lip and lowered her head. “She doesn't need me anymore.”

“She does. They all need you. I just wish you would realize that.”

“How long before the jump?”

“Ten minutes now.”

“I see. I'll talk to you when we reach our destination.”

“Celestia, I'm not done talking to you.”

“There's something else going on on the ship that we must discuss?”

“Well, no, but...”

“Then I bid you a good day, sister. I am tired.”

Luna gave a soft sigh. “If you are certain. Rest well, Sister. I'll talk with you soon.”

“Indeed. Watch over Twilight for me.”

“I will. Though you should...”

“Goodbye, Luna.”

“Yes... goodbye.”

Celestia sighed again and hung up, rubbing her head, brushing a few fingers through her mane. She winced as she hit a knot.

Dusty slowly walked into the room, smiling as she held up a large tea tray. “I thought you might want something to drink, Celestia.”

Celestia blinked. “Oh, uh, thank you.” she smiled and moved to the side of the bed, reaching out and taking one of the two steaming cups sitting on either side of the large tea pot in the center. “I didn't ask for it.”

“But you wanted it,” she stated, setting it to the side. “I know you fairly well at this point, Celestia. I know when you could use something to relax you.” She sat down next to her, taking her own tea cup. “Though I think you should be sharing this with Twilight or Luna.”

“Dusty, please, I just got off the phone with Luna, I really don't want to discuss this right now.”

She sighed. “Well... if you're certain.”

“I am. Let's just enjoy our tea.”

“If you insist.” They sat in silence for a long while, sipping their cups. Then, the ship began to let out a soft, soothing rumble. “Looks like it's time for warp.”

“Yes. Time to leave the known space behind and leap towards the unknown.”

Dusty smiled. “Nervous at all?”

“Just a little bit,” Celestia stated. “But I have confidence that we'll all be just fine.” The sound of the massive warp engine revving up could be heard even in her enclosed chambers. “I might not be active anymore, but I can still be with my ponies. That's all that matters.”

Dusty laid a hand on Celestia's. “I'll be there with you, Celestia. You'll always be my princess, no matter what you say.”

The former monarch gave a wry smile. “Silly Dusty... Thanks for that.”

“Anything for you, Tia.”

They both relaxed and wrapped their arms around one another tightly in a friendly hug as the black space around them turned to white, and the Gemini made its very first jump into the unknown. It's first true step in a search for a brand new home.

END OF CHAPTER 2

Author's Note

This is the second half of the Pilot arc and was written by Goombasa. While I was able to handle introductions to the series, I saw Goombasa far more fit to describe much of the technology of this world and the main characters as they're introduced. As you can see, there are also several side stories that occur alongside the main storyline. This is for fun and to explore the lives of side characters, but there's no telling how they'll play into the main storyline in later chapters.

You might notice slight differences in how we write the characters at times, and that will happen when two different writers work on the same story alternating chapters and story arcs. Speaking of which, the first story arc will be written completely by me. Story arcs will usually be four chapters long. To give you a hint of what to expect, the first story arc will be called the "Dragon Planet Story Arc".

Look forward to it everyone! And we hope you enjoy the story so far!