Amongst the Stars

I was running.  My lungs felt as if they were on fire and each breath drained me a bit more.  I didn't know what was chasing me, but I know it was right behind me.  As I ran, the corridor seemed to stretch farther away.  I kept telling myself that this is a trick of the dim lighting, but I should have found a door or run into somepony else by now..  I took a quick glance back to see if anything is behind me.  When I turned around, I found myself against a wall.  I turned to face the darkness and... I woke up.

I awoke covered in sweat.  The bottom of the cot above me had never been a more welcome sight.  I had been having the same dream for some time now.  I heard a voice from the cot above me.

“Starchart, did you have the dream again?” the voice asked.

“Was it that obvious?” I responded.  The voice belonged to the ship's cook, Savory Sweet.  She was a magician in the kitchen and the crew loved her for it.  Between the excellent meals she could make out of seemingly nothing and her vibrant peach coat, she truly brightened the mood around here. She and I had known each other for years.  To be honest, I doubt I would have gotten my position as the navigator if it had not been for her help.  I'm not sure how she did it, but she got a good word in for me somewhere.

“Yeah, you were screaming.  Again.”  She sounded rather upset.  Perhaps this was because she was up late cleaning the galley.  Or it could be because she had to be up soon to prepare breakfast.  Or was it because there was nowhere on board for a pegasus to spread their wings? Either way, she had every right to be a bit cranky.  At that moment, the intercom crackled.

“Starchart, can you get your ass out of bed and come up here?” it called.  The quality of the speaker wasn't the greatest, so it could be hard to identify the voice, but judging by the time, I would have to say the voice belonged to our pilot, Cosine “Cosby” Beta.  I swear, that pony never slept and where he lacked in magic or wings, he made up for in brains.  He could do math in that pale golden head of his that caused my calculator to wave the white flag.

I rolled out of the cot and put my uniform on, careful not to provoke the still grumbling Savory.  I couldn't help but wonder what Cosby might want.  I was still trying to figure it out when I entered the bridge with a yawn.

“You called?” I asked, trying to sound more awake than I really was.

“Yeah...  Come take a look at this.” he had is face to a screen and didn't seem to fully realize I had entered the room.  I nudged him out of the way and took a look.

“So what am I looking at?”

“You don't see it?  Right there?” he jabbed his hoof at the screen.  “That thing there?  The big glowing rock just out in the middle of nowhere?”

“Yeah, I see it,” I replied.  Wayward asteroids were not unheard of.  I was puzzled as to why this one- wait, did he say glowing?  “Why is it doing that?”

“Beats me.  Maybe it's in your fancy map somewhere?”  The map he was referring to happened to be my special talent.  I focused, my horn glowing with a dark blue light as a sphere of stars surrounded us.  I focused a bit more and stars seemed to fly by, zooming in on the ship.  I could see the few nearest stars, the closest, Ulysses, was still a few days off.  I began scanning the scene and quickly found the rock in question.

“Here it is!” I focused, giving us a more detailed view than his screens ever could.  “It looks like it might be a bit heavy on the radiation.  Maybe that's why it hasn't been touched?”

“Hm, you might be right,” he replied, pushing his intercom button.  “Hey, Captain, I got something for you to see.”  The captain, All Heart, was probably the nicest pony I had ever met.  Her yellow coat was easy to spot a mile off.  The way the green and of her mane always drew the attention of everypony in the room.  Not a bad quality for a leader.  She had the respect and admiration of the entire crew of the Big Iron.

I took my leave of Cosby, keeping my chart up while I walked.  I focused on one star in  particular.  Celestia Prime, the birthplace of ponykind and the seat of an empire that spanned half a galaxy.  But more importantly, it was my home.  I had born on the planet of Equestria, near the city of Canterlot.

Lost in my thoughts, I nearly ran into the captain and her first mate, Lemondrop.  Just a quick glance could tell you they were related.  They both had the same yellow coats and vivid emerald eyes.  Of course, that was where the similarities ended.  Whereas All Heart was more easygoing and understanding, Lemondrop was impulsive and sometimes a bit reckless. To be honest, I should have heard them long before now.  The bickering between them was constant.  Hell, I doubt they had even noticed me as they barreled towards the bridge.  I'm not sure what this argument was about, but I thought I heard mention of various types of cheese.

After they had passed, I took myself towards the observation room.  I enjoyed coming down here when I wanted some alone time.  The glass cupola offered a view that was unequaled.  Of course our medic, Paramedic, had advised that I take some time to get away from some of the stress of navigating across the galaxy.  I think he was afraid I might crack and murder everyone.  Looking out at the stars, I called on my magic again, focusing on that one lone star I called home.  I hadn't seen it in years and I wondered what my old friends were doing...