Heart of Courage

In an instant, the UEN frigate’s five day long journey came to an end and the universe blinked back into existence. Stillness fell upon Rainbow Dash’s bridge as its artificial intelligence passively scanned the solar system for enemy threats. Seconds stretched by, but no alarms went off.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Captain Fletcher finally spoke after the pregnant silence. “They have absolutely no ships here.”

Twilight Sparkle examined her screen which displayed a top-down map of the cygnul-controlled system. Named Gateway by equestrian surveyors several centuries ago, it had been captured during the first few weeks of the original cygnul incursion and they had held on to it ever since. At its heart rested a white dwarf; a tiny remnant of a star not large enough to blow itself completely apart in its death throes. This one contained the mass of Celestia’s sun in an extremely hot and compact sphere the size of a small planet. Though the stellar corpse had ceased fusion long ago, it had enough residual thermal energy to shine quite brightly.

Gateway, it seemed, contained one other peculiar aspect according to Twilight’s computer. Because of its location in the local neighborhood, it allowed ships to travel to over thirty other solar systems bunched up in five separate clusters. Its strategic status as a chokepoint made it important, but the United Equestrian Nations had never gotten around to seizing it. With hundreds of planets to protect, Harmony’s government always had more pressing matters to attend to.

Their skillful artificial intelligence had dropped Rainbow Dash into real space as far from the solar carcass as she could have managed. By the time their light had spread out to anything in the system, it should have dissipated enough to render them undetectable for the time being. Curious about any planetary bodies in the system, Twilight pulled up a close in view of the few planets that orbited the star. Four small airless rocky worlds managed to survive their home star’s death as a stellar nova. Burned to their cores, there were no distinguishing features on any of them.

Twilight read through a summary list of cygnul forces that Alice had detected in her analysis of Gateway. The only enemy presence consisted of fifty or so fortresses orbiting each of the four nondescript worlds. Luckily the vast distance separating their ship’s position from the closest facility rendered the odds of detection to be extremely minute. Invisible to the cygs, the crew of the Rainbow Dash took advantage of the opportunity to study the system and update their charts.

“Well, Captain, it looks like Twilight’s idea worked.” Alice fizzled into her traditional miniature earth pony form on James Fletcher’s armrest, her cutie mark continuously cycling through random numbers consisting of ones and zeros. “Where should we go from here?”

Dmitri Bearclaw worked on his computer and on the front screen, icons highlighted every visible cygnul station. “Do we even need to leave? Cygnul do not even know we are here. We have plenty of fuel to run on low power until navy take care of cyg forces.”

“Is that true?” Twilight Sparkle directed her question at Alice before James could answer Dmitri.

“About our fuel? Yes it is.” The A.I. pawed a hoof on the armrest as she ran the numbers in her synthetic mind. “Our fuel reserves are nearly full so we could keep all life support systems online for fifty seven months and twenty days, but…”

“…but,” James interrupted her, “the cygnul will come looking for us before the navy can. They will soon figure out where we jumped to.”

“We have a three day head start before the cygnul will scramble to figure out what we did, and I don’t think it would take long to come to the conclusion that we snuck into their territory.” Isamu’s fingers rapidly typed a few commands to zoom away from Gateway and back to the cluster of allied solar systems under cyg attack. “The farthest friendly star we could have traveled to from Valles is the outlier-controlled Skall, and that is an eight day trip.”

James slid a finger across the touch screen of his monitor, drawing a continuous line between stars in cygnul controlled space. After connecting nearly two dozen different points of light, he ended at one that bore an icon displaying the familiar UEN standard. “We will circumnavigate the Nullic Reef, and then make for Pegasopolis. The fifth fleet is permanently on station there now ever since the cygnul tried to take the system from us. They will make it very difficult for the cygs to try again.”

While James discussed the details of their choice of passage with Alice, Twilight scrutinized the galactic map. A long void of empty space separated a wall of cygnul-controlled stars and UEN-controlled stars. Because current warp drive technology couldn’t bridge the immense distance, these regions were labeled as reefs; named for the rocky underwater barriers that hindered the first ancient sailors. These impassible areas were also the reason why a dead star like Gateway was even sought after in the first place. Its position as a bottleneck gave it immense strategic valuable.

Panning back to the second star in line, Captain Fletcher pulled up a detailed readout of a generic yellow sun named Pox. “Look, sitting here and waiting for them to come to us is not an option. We’ll jump from star to star, hiding in the empty outer reaches of each system. The cygnul will have a hard time discerning a small starship traveling alone, giving us enough time to recharge the warp drive for the longer trips.”

“Captain, no one has visited these systems in years.” Isamu Zhang flipped through each star chart. “Some of them haven’t been surveyed since the cygs took them when they first attacked Equestria. That was over four hundred years ago. We have no idea what they’ve built there since then.”

“This gives us a rare opportunity to maybe find out who or what controls the cygnul.” Alice gestured towards the front screen with a semi-transparent foreleg.

Twilight had a flashback to her encounter with the shadowy entity in that dark room far below the surface of Valles. Remembering the almost greasy feeling of its mind touching hers sent a frigid shiver down her spine. With all of the intense events that followed, their escape and then the orbital engagement, she had completely forgotten the experience. I need to bring up what I saw with Victoria later. She thought the medical professional would probably be the best to ask about what might have happened to her.

Lost in thought, the unicorn mare stared off across the bridge and didn’t notice James talking to her until he reached over and pat her shoulder. “Hmm?” She answered in response, rejoining the conversation.

“I asked if you were alright.” All eyes were now on Twilight. “Alice said you looked upset a moment ago.”

Nervous about bringing up her experience in front of everypony, she shook her head and waved off James’ concern. “I will be fine. I’m just not feeling well but I’ll go see Victoria later.”

A few months ago, her protectors might have ignored her plea and addressed any possible problem she might have right away. But after all they had gone through together, all of the trials they faced, Twilight Sparkle had earned the trust of her shipmates. The little pony from a different time bravely stood up against their common enemy and proved that she could take care of herself.

“Very well, Twilight.” James nodded at her and dropped the subject. “Alright Alice, go ahead and start our journey. Pox isn’t far at all and the drive should be able to jump us now. You have the ship.”

“Yes sir,” The artificial pony vanished and her voice emanated over the ceiling speakers. A slight burst of maneuvering thrusters adjusted their vector and the frigate now pointed towards a point of light much brighter than any of its neighbors. “Jumping in five… four… three… two… one… warp drive engaging.” Twilight’s stomach clenched at the unnatural sensation of leaving the universe for another dimension. No matter how many times they traversed the stars in their empty bubble of space, she still had not gotten used to the nausea that accompanied the transition.

The stars vanished and as soon as the ship’s power levels returned to normal, the bridge crew visibly relaxed in their seats. “Five hours to Pox. All hands, stand down. I want a skeleton crew rotation while everyone else can take turns grabbing a decent meal.”

With that, several crew members closed their stations down and shuffled out through the open sliding doors that led to the rest of the ship. James, Isamu, and Dmitri remained behind along with a few others, still monitoring the frigate’s systems. Twilight slid off of her chair and stretched out her legs before stepping off the central raised dais. “James, I’m going to get something to eat.”

“Okay, we will finish up here and see you down in the galley.” The human replied, not taking his eyes away from whatever data readout he had scrolling on his computer.

Alone, Twilight Sparkle walked the passageways that linked the various rooms throughout the patrol frigate. She passed by the galley entrance, choosing instead to take a detour first. Riding the elevator down a floor, the hallways were already empty on this level. The lavender unicorn moved on autopilot to the medical ward, lost in her thoughts about the cygnul.

She slowed her pace just before reaching the sliding entrance to her destination. A hydraulic whine accompanied the steel plate vanishing in the ceiling. Like most doors on the ship, UEN engineers designed them to be able to cordon off sections of the ship in the event of an emergency decompression. That way, a single puncture in Rainbow Dash’s hull would not be able to vent away their entire supply of breathable air.

The first thing to hit the mare’s senses was the smell of cinnamon and vanilla from a wall-mounted fragrance aerator. Nose crinkling at the unexpected scent, she made a quick cursory glance to find the room’s two lone occupants. Victoria Schaefer stood at the end of the rectangular medical suite, typing something into the computer on her forearm. A familiar pegasus sat on the hospital bed in front of the blonde-maned human, rubbing her right foreleg with a hoof.

“Socket! Are you alright?” Twilight’s eyes widened with concern as she broke out in a trot.

Ears perking up at her name, Socket smiled at the onrushing unicorn. “Hi, Twilight! Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Victoria glanced momentarily at Twilight as the mare skidded to a stop next to her before tapping a few fingers on the screen attached to her arm. A golden glow enveloped Socket Wrench’s injured foreleg for a second before vanishing. “Just as I thought; your leg isn’t broken but there is plenty of trauma to the surrounding tissue.”

“What kind of recovery time am I looking at?” Socket asked while leaning over to carefully hug Twilight.

The blonde human dispelled her holographic computer. “If you don’t work too hard, you will be fine after a few days. Or you can take a nano injection and be fine in half an hour.”

Socket Wrench’s nose crinkled up and she stuck out her tongue. “No thank you. I always lose my taste for a couple days after using nanos.”

“That is an unfortunate side effect.” Victoria smirked as she dropped to a knee in order to embrace the new arrival as well. “What are you doing here, Twilight? You aren’t hurt, are you?” The human held her at arm’s length to examine her for any obvious injuries.

“I’m okay.” The lavender mare smiled at the show of concern. “I just wanted to ask you about something I saw in one of my visions.”

Hearing this, Victoria nodded and took a seat on the hospital bed next to Socket. The pegasus scooted over to make room for her. Both human and pony waited quietly for Twilight to continue, not prodding or pushing her in any way while she climbed onto the next bed and curled up, legs folded underneath her. Taking a few steady breaths, the unicorn prepared herself to relive the terrifying encounter she had faced alone.

“During the meeting with the cygnul envoy on Valles, it broke into our minds. I don’t quite know what they were looking for, but after seeing something in mine, it panicked and attacked us with a powerful psychic assault.” Twilight trailed off when Victoria and Socket shared a foreboding glance. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Well, we have been trying to figure out why the cygnul have been so focused on us recently, and I think we just did.” Victoria’s blue eyes stared at her and shook her head. “They probably know about the Elements now.”

Twilight felt a chill run down her spine. “The cygnul are after me?”

“Don’t worry, Twilight. We won’t let them succeed.”

“Victoria is right,” Socket Wrench reassured her with a smile. “You’re on the most fine-tuned ship in the United Equestrian Navy, if I may say so myself.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smirk at Socket’s pride in her work. Next to her though, Victoria raised a lone eyebrow at the pegasus’ assertion. “Is that right? Then how did a ventilation duct fall on your leg?”

“Uhh,” Rainbow Dash’s chief engineer stammered as she tried to respond. “It was during my fine-tuning process!”

Victoria’s lips showed a ghost of a smile and she let out an amused huff of air. “Try to move out of the way next time. You know I like having these beds empty as much as possible.” Facing forward, the blonde human met Twilight’s gaze. “But getting back on topic, what happened after the cygnul learned about the Elements? How did you escape?”

Smile fading away, Twilight Sparkle’s eyes lowered as she continued recounting the events of the failed arbitration. “The cygnul envoy held all of us up in the air and blocked every one of my spells. I felt so helpless. Nothing I did seemed to work, but watching the two cygnul warriors taking their time as they walked towards James and I…. I just panicked and threw all of my will against the presence holding me and I broke through. ” The mare slowly swung her head side to side and looked back at her companions. “And then I saw, something.”

“What was it?” Socket gently prodded as the unicorn trailed off.

“One second I was in the bunker, and then next, I was somewhere in space.” Twilight then described in detail the glowing gas giant planet and the colorful astral nebula she saw.

Victoria’s face scrunched up in confusion. “You teleported into orbit? That makes no sense. It shouldn’t even be…”

“Wait,” Twilight stopped the human mid-sentence. “I don’t think I was physically present wherever I was. Rather, I think …. I think I was seeing what the cygnul was seeing.”

Across the short intervening distance between beds, Socket Wrench and Victoria Schaefer forgot to blink as they grasped what Twilight has just said. Only the soft droning from Rainbow Dash’s life support cut through the silence. Eventually, the shock wore off and questions flooded their minds. The two U.E.N. sailors stumbled over one another but Socket’s voice eventually overpowered her human companion’s.

“Wait, wait, wait… you saw whatever has been controlling the cygs was seeing? But you just said you only saw stars, a nebula, and a glowing planet? By the way, what did you even mean by that?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged her shoulders, “The planet had no shadow on it but I couldn’t see a local sun when I turned around.”

“And you could see the nebula with your naked eyes? It must have been extremely close and very young then.” Victoria’s eyes lost focus as an idea formed in her head. “You know, next time we exit jump space, we could have Alice look for that nebula of yours. Maybe we can narrow down the star system the cygnul come from.”

“Do you really think she could do that?”

Startling the three girls, a voice emanated through the ceiling speakers. “Of course I could!”

“Alice,” Twilight’s eyes drifted upwards, “have you been listening the whole time?”

“Of course I have. I always keep an eye on all of my crew members.” The artificial intelligence replied cheerfully.

“That is … unsettling.” Twilight earned agreeing nods from Victoria and Socket Wrench.

Ignoring the unicorn, Alice continued on. “Twilight, I would like to get some idea of what I should look for. Can you meet me in the virtual conference center so I can show you a series of different nebulas of various shapes and color schemes? It might help me narrow down the search.”

“That’s a really good idea, Alice.” Twilight stood up and hopped off the bed. As she landed on her hooves, a loud grumbling sound from her stomach caught everyone’s attention. The mare rubbed her stomach and smiled. “Perhaps we should stop by the galley on the way.”

The potent smell of succulent frosting wafted out of one of Canterlot Castle’s smaller kitchens. Once a peculiar pink pony had seized the premises, she kicked out the usual staff quite forcefully, screaming about flour, eggs, and sugar. Annoyed with the unorthodox disruption, they grumbled to themselves as they left, probably to go lodge a complaint with Princess Celestia later.

In a small dining room connected to the kitchen, four mares and a baby dragon made their way in from an adjacent stairwell. Even though it usually only served to give the cooks a place to eat, it still had plenty of room for the five visitors. They sat down at one of the non-descript tables, making themselves comfortable as the clanging of kitchen equipment echoed through Canterlot’s stone walls.

“Girls, do you think Pinkie Pie is okay?” A soft-spoken yellow pegasus whispered behind a raised forehoof to keep her voice from being heard in the next room.

“Fluttershy, don’t worry. She is just being Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash dismissed her friend’s concern with a wave of her forehoof. “I’m just happy that she is returning to her normal self finally.”

“Well Rainbow, you can’t say she didn’t have a good reason.” Across the table, Applejack frowned at the brazen pegasus. Sitting adjacent to the farm pony, Spike averted his eyes and turned his head away.

Ears drooping, Rainbow Dash stuttered as she fought to explain herself. “That’s not what I meant!”

“Rainbow,” next to her, Rarity placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder, “I am quite sure that Applejack meant nothing by that.”

Realizing how much her comment upset her friend, the cowpony shook her head and tried to backtrack. “I didn’t mean that, Rainbow. I only meant…” A glare from the cyan mare cut her off mid-sentence.

“Don’t say it, Applejack. Don’t even say it.” Rainbow sharply accented each syllable. Letting out a snort, she refused to meet anypony’s gaze. Instead she glared at the stone floor as she stepped off her seat and walked towards the exit. Pleas from the others at the table went unanswered and Rainbow Dash’s prismatic tail eventually vanished in the stairwell.

“Now, Applejack. Why did you have to go and say that to her? You know she feels responsible for what happened that night.” Rarity glanced sadly between the orange earth pony and the empty doorway. “She holds herself accountable for letting her friend down.”

The orange earth pony removed her hat and placed it next to her on the table. “I know, I know! I didn’t mean to imply that she doesn’t care anymore. It’s not like there was anything anypony could do. Even Princess Celestia couldn’t save her.”

“Rainbow Dash has been under a lot of stress with all of the preparations lately.” Fluttershy quietly spoke, barely loud enough to be heard over the chaotic ensemble in the next room. “We should probably go find her.”

Spike stood up in his seat and leaned forward on the table. “Good idea, Fluttershy. She couldn’t have made it far.” The three ponies went to scoot their chairs back when a loud shrieking voice caused them all to jump.

“I’M DONE! Hey girls!” Pinkie Pie strode out of the kitchen with a large cake balanced on her rump. “Are you ready to eat some cake? Wait, where did Rainbow Dash go? RAINBOW DASH!”

“I’m here, Pinkie.” Rainbow’s unsteady voice resonated from the stairwell. Slowly, the cyan mare reentered the small dining room, staring at her hooves as she walked.

In classic Pinkie fashion, the earth pony kicked up her back legs and sent the cake flying through the air to perform an impossible, yet perfect landing on the middle of the table without a single dollop of frosting out of place. She then zipped forward and pulled the pegasus in for a powerful hug, eliciting a deep groan as the air was forced from her lungs. “RAINBOW! You almost missed my birthday party!”

“Birthday party?” The prismatic pegasus rubbed at the ear Pinkie had screamed into as she reclaimed her spot at the table next to Rarity.

“Of course! You can’t celebrate a birthday without cake, silly!” Pinkie Pie stuck a hoof in her cotton-candy-colored mane and pulled out a long kitchen knife which she promptly used to cut into the cake. Placing the various cut pieces on plates that had also somehow mysteriously appeared from nowhere, each pony at the table received a slice.

Glancing around the table, Rainbow Dash saw confused expressions on everypony but Pinkie. “That’s not what I meant. Whose birthday are we celebrating?”

Before she could answer, Spike spoke up. “It’s Twilight’s.” His unfocused eyes regarded the pink pony as he slowly slid back down into his chair. “It’s Twilight’s birthday today.”

“Yes! Spike, you’re correct! Don’t tell me the rest of you had forgotten?” The overly cheerful pony cut one last piece of cake, stuck a lit candle in it, and then placed it in front of an empty seat at the head of the table. Tied to the back of the vacant chair, three colorful balloons hovered in the air even though nopony could remember them being there before. The four mares and Spike all stared wide-eyed at the lone slice of cake as Pinkie climbed up into the seat on the other side of the table.

Finally breaking the silence, Applejack tentatively attempted to address the proverbial elephant in the room. “Uhh, Pinkie. You do know that Twilight isn’t here, right?”

“Obviously she isn’t here. I think we would be able to see or hear her if she was. Unless of course she was using an invisibility spell, though I have never seen her use one before so I don’t even know if she can turn herself invisible, but if anypony could figure out how to become invisible at will then I think it would be Twilight.” The bubbly earth pony answered with her usual smile plastered on her face. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate her birthday!”

Fluttershy covered her mouth with both hooves, Rainbow Dash suddenly found the rough stone floor to be fascinating, Spike rested his forehead on the table edge, and Rarity’s eyes opened wide but she could not form a coherent thought. It took the element of honesty to take control of the conversation. “Pinkie Pie, I mean that Twilight,” the farm pony herself wavered only momentarily, “Twilight isn’t coming back. She is gone; for good.”

“Applejack, she’s not gone for good.” The pink pony rolled her eyes as she drew out the last couple words.

Applejack mulled over the thought in her head. “What are you talking about?”

“Twilight is just somewhere else for now.”

Rainbow took this moment to finally overcome her apparent paralyses. “Are you telling us that Twilight is alive?”

“Of course she is alive. My pinkie senses told me so!”

A blanket of silence settled among the room as this information slowly sunk in. “Pinkie, if she is still alive, then why didn’t you say something before? Why would you let us think that our friend had…?” Rainbow’s voice caught painfully in her throat, and she coughed a few times in an attempt to cover it up.

“Because I didn’t know for sure until this morning! I was studying my toothbrush to make sure I did not have an odd number of bristles. That’s a sure way to get cavities by the way if you don’t have the proper number of bristles. You ponies should check your tooth brushes too, just in case. You never know if…”

“Pinkie!” Five voices spoke in unison.

“Oh, yes, so I was about to brush my teeth when I was hit by one serious doozy.” The earth pony mare shook her head as if the recollected memory haunted her. “And I knew it had to do with Twilight finding out something very unexpected sometime soon.”

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike each tried to absorb the news that their friend had not died when their thoughts were once again broken up as Pinkie spotted the still-burning candle sticking out of Twilight’s slice of cake. “Oooo! We’ve got to hurry before the wax melts! Everypony, now. Happy birthday to you….”

Pinkie led the tune, eventually being joined in by her other friends. They shared smiles and real, heartfelt laughter once again filled their lungs for the first time in a long while. Taking turns retelling old stories, the six friends enjoyed their cake while reminiscing the old days.

“Remember when I thought I could harvest the entire orchard myself? Gosh, I was so stubborn. I’m glad Twi brought me to my senses in time.”

“That reminds me of when I thought Owlowiscious was trying to replace me as Twilight’s assistant. I can’t believe I thought she would think that mouse toy was real.”

“Don’t forget about the hero we didn’t deserve, but the one we needed. The Mysterious Mare Do Well! Oooooooo!” Rarity did her best spooky impersonation, waving her fore hooves around in Rainbow Dash’s direction. The rest of the table giggled and snickered as the pegasus tried to flaunt her indifference.

“I knew it was you girls the whole time!” Her response ignited a shouting match as everypony but Fluttershy of all ponies called Rainbow out, forcing her to concede with a happy grin. “Okay, okay, you all win. You got me good with that one.”

Twilight Sparkle’s closest friends continued celebrating her birthday throughout the afternoon. Even with the ominous presence of Lord Moonclaw’s encroaching Wulven, something had changed in the demeanor of five ponies and one little dragon. In that little bland dining room buried deep within Canterlot, the remaining Elements of Harmony felt at peace. With the knowledge that their lost friend had not perished, they finally had something to give them hope.

Eventually though, all good things must come to an end and as their cake supply dwindled to nothing, the party fizzled out. One after another, Spike and the girls said their goodbyes to go deal with some errand or chore they had neglected in order to meet up in the first place. As their number decreased, it finally came down to just Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie darling, I’ll assist you in the cleanup. Thank you again for putting everything together.” The unicorn mare beamed a wide smile at her friend. “It really was quite nice. I haven’t had that much fun in ages.”

“Thank you, Rarity, but that won’t be necessary at all!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed before leaning over and literally licking her plate squeaky clean.

Rarity’s lip curled upwards as she rolled her eyes at the pink pony’s usual antics. “Come on, Pinkie. Let me help you!”

The pink pony scratched her chin with a forehoof as she contemplated Rarity’s request. “Hmmm, but if you help me, how will you be there to walk Sweetie Belle back to your place from school when she gets out in five minutes?”

“Oh no, Sweetie Belle! I lost track of time!” Rarity’s eyes opened wide as took off galloping up the stairs.

Unfazed by Rarity’s hasty departure, Pinkie Pie began picking up after her friends. She hummed a light-hearted tune to herself as she deftly stacked the dirty plates and balanced them on the top of her head. Trotting to the kitchen sink, she leaned forward and the pile vanished under a blanket of soapy water. Silverware followed the plates as the bubbly earth pony did her best to leave the kitchen and dining area spotless for the usual staff. With a final wipe down of the table, Pinkie smiled and nodded in satisfaction at her work.

Her attention then turned to the head of the table where a single piece of cake sat. Its candle had burned down nearly to the frosting. Melted wax pooled off onto the plate, but a small flame still managed to cling to life.

“I know you aren’t here with us, Twilight.” The pink mare took a seat on her haunches and she glanced up at the ceiling. “Even though you are super-duper far away, I still want you to know that we all miss you tons. I know that the birthday pony is supposed to make a wish, but with you not here and all… I thought I would make a wish for you.”

Pinkie Pie squeezed her eyes shut and sat uncharacteristically still. After a long moment, her mouth curled upwards in a smile and she inched her face closer to the candle. Opening her eyes, Pinkie released a large pent up breath and the candle flickered out.

Twilight Sparkle shot upright in her bed, clutching at a mass of covers damp with her sweat. Sucking in large gulps of air, she ran a hoof through her forelock before searching for Socket Wrench, but the absent butterscotch pegasus must have started work early today. An empty, impeccably-made bed replaced the typical chaos in her cotenant’s corner of their living space.

Pushing off her covers, she rolled off the edge of her bed and landed on all four hooves. Even though Socket’s position afforded her a private room, it became quickly crowded if both of them were present while trying to get ready in the morning. Even so, the pegasus had still managed to fit an extra bunk that the ship’s printer fabricated for her.

The lavender mare stifled a yawn as she checked the time displayed on a wall mounted screen. Eight thirty-three? Gosh, why am I still tired? Twilight did not have anything planned until after lunch so she debated going back to sleep, but after considering the chances that she might have another episode of her time-bleeding syndrome, she decided not to. Instead, she reached underneath her bed and pulled out a large trunk that contained the few possessions she had.

A couple nondescript uniforms were neatly folded and stacked in the corner. Next to them sat the box in which her descendant, Azure Lightning, kept her pistol. Though, it was currently empty of course since the pistol was stored in the ship’s armory for safe keeping. Finally, she had a picture of her and her five friends together in Ponyville. It had been taken not long after the first time she realized that friendship had been the one thing missing from her life, the one thing she had needed.

That picture was one of the first things given to her. Victoria even designed a lovely picture frame for her to keep it in. She would have kept it on a bedside table if she had one, but then again, with all of the intense maneuvers Rainbow Dash had been forced to perform during her stay, the frame would not have remained intact for very long.

Twilight ran a hoof over the photo, thinking about her friends. She felt deep in her heart that she would never see them again. In fact, will I ever have the chance to see Ponyville again? Blinking away the moisture in her eyes, the violet mare grabbed a clean uniform, and left for the lavatory.

Alone in the bathroom, Twilight changed from her nightgown into the uniform she routinely wore on the frigate. Its nano-fabric assembler automatically adjusted itself to fit the pony’s body shape perfectly, like it had done every single day for the past few months. Without looking, she replaced her sleepwear in the trunk before pushing it once again under her bed.

“Alice, what does my day look like?” The unicorn pony made her way into the empty hallway, glancing above her as he walked.

A sparkling green cloud in the corner of Twilight’s eye caught her attention as it materialized into a full sized ghost-like earth pony, keeping in stride with her. “You have a training session scheduled at fourteen hundred hours.”

“Hmm, so two PM?” Twilight only took a moment to convert the modern way of telling time in the military to something she knew better. “Do you know what we are practicing today?”

“An orbital insertion onto a floating city on Pegasopolis under attack by cygnul forces.”

Failing to suppress a shudder, Twilight met Alice’s eyes when the A.I. stopped to see why she had slowed down. “You know I don’t like drop pods.”

“Why not?” Beaming playfully, Alice hopped into the air and floated around the frowning unicorn. “It’s just like flying.”

The violet mare’s eyes narrowed. “Are you serious? It is nothing like flying.” Twilight remembered her first time experiencing an orbital drop in the simulator. The claustrophobic environment combined with gut-wrenching turbulence and sweltering heat bleeding through the armor did little to calm anyone’s nerves. Except Dmitri; nothing seems to phase that stallion.

Alice giggled cheerily and led the way into Rainbow Dash’s mess hall. Usually bustling during this time, especially while their ship remained safely hidden in the warping dimension, not a soul inhabited the common area. Only a single janitorial drone remained. It sat alone, parked in the corner until something triggered its automated cleaning protocols.

“Where is everypony? I thought we didn’t arrive in the next cygnul system for another couple of days?”

“You are correct. We should drop out in orbit around the binary stars Yama and Yami in about seventy six hours. There is a skeleton crew overseeing each department, but most are at a strategy meeting right now.”

“Oh,” Twilight thought of the small conference room and how crowded it must be with so many ponies and humans, “I don’t envy them then. Are you sure they don’t need me there?”

Alice gestured to the back wall where all the meal fabricators were located. “James wanted you to have breakfast first.”

Twilight’s ears perked up and she made her way over to read the daily menu. Though the ship’s food processor could technically create any ingredient and combine them in any possible arrangement, standard galley protocol limited the crew to half a dozen or so choices. Interestingly, having fewer selections helped hungry sailors pick something they might actually enjoy. Alice had explained on her first week aboard, that it is generally easier to make a satisfied decision when there are fewer options on the table.

Cinnamon glazed donuts, bran muffins with steel-cut oatmeal, strawberry-banana pancakes…. Mmm. Twilight Sparkle read each breakfast dish in her head. They all sounded delicious in their own way, but the problem ended up being that she just did not feel hungry enough to eat anything. Her stomach curdled at the mere thought of food. “I think I will just have a cup of tea for now.”

It took a lot to surprise a hyper-intelligent artificial intelligence. “Are you feeling alright, Twilight?”

“What?” She worked a touch screen to initiate the rapid brewing process before smiling at the holographic pony. “Oh, I’m fine. I just don’t feel like eating right now.”

Alice chose not to respond, waiting patiently for Twilight to finish mixing her steaming mug of tea. The hot cup floated through the air with her magic and settled on a nearby table, a whispering trail of steam marking its flight path. The violet pony held her drink close to her chest. Its warmth helped chase away the seemingly perpetual wintery chill of the warship.

Twilight sipped at her tea, visibly relaxing as the therapeutic drink worked its magic. Her aches and pains washed away, leaving her mind clearer than before. Letting out a long sigh, she earned a raised eyebrow from the immaterial pony sitting in front of her.

“Feel better?”

Nodding mid-sip, Twilight downed the rest of the mug and set it down in front of her. “I feel much better. Thank you, Alice.”

The A.I. phased through her bench seat to stand upright. “Are you ready to join in the meeting now?”

A dissatisfied huff of air blew through Twilight’s nostrils. That tiny room must be so unbearably packed. A kernel of regret took hold in her mind, but she dispelled it right away. No, even though they might not need me, I still should be there. Especially if I am supposed to take up my Element again.

“I shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer. It was nice of James to let me sleep in.”

Alice took off out of the mess hall and Twilight barely had enough time to return her empty tea mug to be washed before losing sight of the A.I. “Wait, Alice!” She broke out in a canter and gave chase.

The two ran throughout the empty passageways of the frigate. Alice led the way further back towards the stern, moving quick enough for her pursuer to never quite catch up. Her non-corporeal body had no limits on endurance, or speed. Always a few strides behind, Twilight leaned forward and ran for all her worth. Luckily the Dash wasn’t the largest ship and she knew the chase would have to end soon.

Twilight Sparkle ducked around a protruding bulkhead and spotted Alice standing in front of a large set of doors. She planted all four hooves into the deck and slid to a halt just next to the glowing green pony. Staring the reinforced armored slabs, she tilted her head. “This isn’t the conference room. It’s the hanger bay.”

Alice didn’t answer, instead choosing to smile at her before extending a forehoof towards the doorway. A harsh mechanical whining filled the air and the sliding metal slabs slowly retracted into hidden recesses on each side. Twilight stared intently at the widening entrance, but her eyes couldn’t pick anything out inside. All of the lights had been shut off.

Eventually, the armored doors fully opened and all Twilight could see was the darkened hanger entryway. “I don’t understand. Where is the meeting?”

At that moment, the hallway filled with a simultaneous fusillade of blinding light and a deafening chorus of “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Overwhelmed, the little lavender unicorn leapt back, legs and tail flailing in the air. She landed on her rump hard and nearly flopped over backwards in a very clumsy display. Even so, she curled up a foreleg in front of her heaving chest as she surveyed the new scene in front of her.

The usually spacious hanger bay was filled to the brim with ponies and humans. It looked like nearly every single soul aboard the ship was in attendance. A sea of grinning, smiling, and laughing faces all stared at the little pony, still reeling in shock. Colorful streamers, balloons, and party favors adorned each wall, the ceiling, and even the two parked shuttles. Along one side of the room, a long table boasted a series of uniquely decorated cakes and sweets with no two sharing any likeness.

“Wha… I don’t understand?” Twilight stammered as the crowd moved towards her. Crew members cheered, clapped, and pat her shoulders and back. Out of the surrounding mass, Victoria Schaefer pushed her way up front, a huge grin on the blonde human’s face as she helped the jumbled lavender pony to her hooves.

“I hope we didn’t scare you too bad. It wasn’t my idea to have a surprise party, but Dmitri was quite persistent.”

“Hey!” Twilight turned towards the shout just in time to have her field of view filled with by the grinning face of a large-statured earth pony. “Twilight! I throw you big party, da?” Dmitri Bearclaw drew the smaller unicorn into a powerful hug, earning a squeak from her as he squeezed the air from her lungs.

Luckily, Socket Wrench fluttered into view and lightly smacked Dmitri’s shoulder. “Hey, you’re hugging her too tightly!” As he released Twilight, she acquiesced to her body’s demand for oxygen.

“This is… all for… me?” She sputtered between breaths. Her eyes studied the circle around her where James and Isamu finally nudged their way in.

Rainbow Dash’s captain shot her a toothy grin. “Don’t tell me you forgot your birthday! I know having a few thousand years under your belt can affect your memory, but you still look pretty good for your age.”

A surge of quiet laughter washed through the crowd. Twilight’s lips curled upwards before she swiveled her head to meet the content faces of all of those around her. “I don’t know what to say. You put all of this together for me? Thank you. Thank you all so much.”

“Twilight Sparkle, when you came to us, you left everything you have ever known behind. But that isn’t the case anymore.” Isamu Zhang raised his arms, gesturing to the sea of ponies and humans around them. “You are a crew member of the Rainbow Dash. You are a part of our family.”

The little unicorn pony sucked in a choking half breath and the faces around her grew blurry. It took some rapid blinking to clear up her vision as she tried to think of a worthy response. Luckily for her, Dmitri came to her rescue. “Enough talk, not enough celebration! To the cake!”

A collective cheer went up from the crowd and Twilight found herself lifted up by the humans surrounding her. Pegasi ponies took to the air, and swooped around the hanger bay as cries and shouts for cake echoed against the armored walls. Several of the crew carried her on her back towards the end of the temporary table that had been set up to showcase the dazzling display of desserts. At its end, she finally noticed a massive tiered birthday cake absolutely covered in candles.

Walking in front of the group, Isamu Zhang rolled his arm around in a flourishing display. A soft white aura encompassed his hand before he snapped his fingers. Sparks erupted at once from every single candle on the cake as they lit spectacularly, much to the enjoyment of the crowd.

When they rounded the frosted mountain of sugary bliss, her carriers plopped her down on a tall stool at the head of the extensive buffet of sweets. The massive cake took up most of her field of view. Though each individual candle may have been small, together they emanated a warmth strong enough to seep through the film of tears on Twilight’s face.

“You know,” the birthday pony started, and the hanger fell silent around her. “It is technically morning. I don’t think this is exactly the healthiest breakfast.” She waved a foreleg at the spread before her.

Humans and ponies alike laughed heartedly. Next to her, James cheerfully spoke up. “Come on, Twilight. Have you never had cake for breakfast? It’s your birthday! Make a wish, break some rules, and live a little.”

The corners of her mouth curled up and the unicorn pony nodded wordlessly. Twilight concentrated on the wall of flickering flame and she focused on breathing long, deep breaths. She had a lot going through her head, and as it turned out; it became troublesome to come up with something to wish for.

She thought about the little gathering five ponies had put together to remember the loss of one of their own. Separated from them by not only an unfathomable distance, but also by aeons of time, they still gathered together to celebrate her birthday. Knowing they continued to care for and miss her tugged at Twilight’s heart, but she didn’t break down again like she might have a few months ago. It may have taken her awhile, but Twilight had eventually managed a reluctant acceptance of the inevitable passing of her friends.

Even though Twilight Sparkle still yearned to see them again and part of her wanted to make that her birthday wish, she ultimately chose not to. It hurt to let go of the hope she had to go home, and it resolved itself as a sharp twinge in her chest. A small truth can be hard to admit sometimes, but she could not dwell on the past anymore. Now, more than ever, she needed to focus on the future.

Patient faces waited quietly around her. Sailors who volunteered to put their lives on the line to keep the United Equestrian Nations safe. Far away from their homes, they risked everything to protect all they held dear. Out here on the front lines, there were no divisions based on race, creed, or even what species you were. These ponies and humans on board the Rainbow Dash stood shoulder to shoulder with one another. More than that, Twilight could see something else in the eyes of those watching her; something shared by each and every crew member.

They believed in her.

They believed in a little pony, torn away from her former life and thrown headlong into a strange new world fraught with danger by the likes that she could never have imagined before. They believed she could awaken the Elements from their slumber once more and bring an end to the centuries-long conflict. They believed in her because she truly was their last chance for peace.

With the weight of civilization bearing down upon her, Twilight Sparkle began to understand the gravity of the situation she was in. The future of this ship, of Equestria, of all of the souls who lived in this part of the galaxy; they all rested their hopes in her. Such a burden might have caused a normal individual to surrender to despair, but Twilight chose instead to sit a little taller. She was an Element of Harmony after all, and she had to fulfill her role accordingly. One did not become a bearer by being weak.

For the first time since she had arrived here, Twilight Sparkle stopped feeling like an outsider. She now knew her place in this world and it brought her a sense of harmony. With that, she had an idea of what to wish for, so she closed her eyes.

Please let us get back home safely. Please let me have the strength to take up the Elements again. Please help me save them.

Twilight opened her eyes and she sucked in a deep breath. Horn glowing, she combined her exhale with a magical burst of air that washed over her birthday cake, neatly extinguishing every candle. The rambunctious cheer that followed slightly hurt her ears, but she couldn’t stop smiling. They had a long journey ahead of them, but deep down in her heart, Twilight felt confident. We are going to be okay.