Dragonfire

Chapters

(Act 1: The Dragonfire) Entry #1
Entry #2
Entry #3

(Act 1: The Dragonfire) Entry #1

Location: Unknown
Date: Unknown

The world can be a very confusing place for a young child. To them, it is only shapes, colours, noises, smells, sounds, and tastes. None of them really have any meaning, merely setting the stage for what they could only truly start to understand when they grow up. Even things as basic as words, one of the simplest aspects of the wider concept of language, which in itself took hundreds of years to develop into something barely recognisable to modern societies, can prove difficult to comprehend. Of course, we begin to understand when we go to school and learn the structure of language, nouns and verbs and adjectives and the more intricate basis of our means of communication, but even then we don't fully realise how it works. If you go up to an adult at random and ask them to select an indefinite article, the chances are that they will struggle to think of one. If this is how much understanding an average adult has of language, it is easy to see then why children, particularly young children, struggle very much with it, and why in turn it can confuse them, especially when taken in conjunction with the more varied and equally incomprehensible sights that the world has to offer.

The three year old boy sat with his knees drawn in, his head tucked down, leaving only his green eyes above to survey the room. He was confused and worried. He didn't know or understand what was going on, only that he had been brought to this room by a tall, imposing man who had woken him up, asked him to get washed and dressed, and then picked him up as he had carried him out of the building and into the warm summer light outside. They had emerged onto a field where other men ran and shouted, and the boy clung to the man as they traveled across the greenery. The man had walked for about five minutes until he reached a tall building which spiraled upwards. The boy tried to look up to the top, but his head couldn't reach for enough back, something which had drawn a quick, deep chuckle from the man. The sound scared the boy, something which the man apparently realised, because he tried to give a soft smile. It didn't work. He had been taken through numerous corridors, turning every so often, which soon disoriented the little boy. He didn't know where he was or what this place was. The man had opened the doors to a large, open room, set the boy down on the floor, and stepped back. The boy had swallowed nervously and looked up at the towering figure, slowly trying to move backwards from the gold-plated man. The man had knelt down, his bulky, metallic knee making a slight clunk as it touched the tiled floor.

"Just wait here," the man had told him in a deep voice, trying to make it sound soft. "Someone will be coming along to see you soon, all you need to do is wait here." He had smiled again, and the boy had swallowed. Sensing his discomfort, the man had hunched down a little lower. "If you need or want anything, I'll be just outside, okay?" The boy had given a slow, cautious nod, then kept his eyes fixed on the man as he had stood up and walked out of the room, closing the wooden doors behind him. Now alone, the boy had looked around, found nothing useful or interesting, and then walked over to one of the corners to sit down, drawing his knees up to his chin.

Some time passed, and nothing happened; the wooden doors didn't open, the windows continued to let in light from outside, and the table in the centre of the room remained unoccupied. With nothing else to do, the boy pushed himself up and moved towards one of the windows, but after a few jumps, determined that he couldn't see out of them. Looking around, he saw one of the chairs at the table and made his way to it, grabbing hold and dragging it across to the window. When it was finally in place, he clambered atop it with a little amount of difficulty, but eventually pulled himself up, and when he did, he put a hand to the glass and looked outside. It looked like a warm, sunny day, the only clouds in the sky being light wisps and trails, leaving the sunshine to caress the world below. A few stories below, people moved through the streets, oblivious to the observer above, who gazed at the buildings which seemed to stretch on and on and on. He wondered where he could find some food in amongst those buildings, and as if on cue, his stomach grumbled loudly, as though raising its voice in protest.

Jumping down from the chair, he turned his gaze back to the room, eyes flickering over surfaces which may have contained food. There seemed to be none present, but he made his way towards the table anyway, looking it over in case he had missed anything when he had first looked. Sadly, upon closer investigation, this didn't seem to be the case. The table remained void of anything edible, and his stomach growled again.

Unexpectedly, he heard voices coming from just behind the door from which he had entered the room, and looked up at it. This was the first time he had found any hint of life since entering the room, and so slinked over to the door to investigate. Reaching it, he cautiously turned his head and put his ear to the door, listening to see what he could hear.

"I sent out the posters and made a broadcast calling for any information about the boy," came a masculine voice. "So far, no one has come forward. I don't think he has any family in Canterlot, or else we would have heard something by now."

"You have done well," replied a much more feminine voice. "You have done everything that can be expected of you, and now all we can do is wait."

"Thank you, your highness. I was only doing my duty as Captain of the Royal Guard." There was a slight pause, during which the boy heard whispering in the background.

"What do we know about the boy, before we see him?"

"Only that he was picked up yesterday by a guard and taken to the barracks to remain under supervision. I believe that was you, was it not?"

"Yes sir," a new voice interjected, and the boy recognised it as the man who had carried him here. "I was called out by a shopkeeper in the commercial district who said that he had found a young boy rummaging through his goods, but that he had refused to speak when caught. He kept him locked in the back until I arrived, when I tried to question him myself, but found that I could get no more from him than the shopkeeper himself. I decided to bring him into the station to investigate some more, but the searches turned up nothing. At that point, I contacted you, sir, and you told me to provide him with sleeping arrangements until we could deal with him."

"Thank you, private," the other man responded. There was another silence as the interlocutors digested this information, and the boy strained to hear any more, again hearing only the whispering.

"Do we at least know how old he is?" the woman asked.

"I'd say three or four," the private replied. "I doubt he'd be any older than five."

"Thank you. If that is all, then I suggest we meet this boy for ourselves."

"Very good, your highness." There was the sound of someone taking a step or two and then a crack as the latch on the door was raised. The boy jumped back as the door opened slowly towards him, followed a couple of seconds later by a line of people walking in.

The first entrant into the room was the man who had brought him here. He took quick strides into the room and then turned and faced away from the wall, staring uncompromisingly ahead. The boy watched him for a moment before switching his attention to the other people who walked into the room.

Next came the other man that he had heard while listening at the door, who, like the man who had brought the boy in here, was wearing metallic plates across his chest, shoulders, arms, legs and knees. Unlike the man he had first seen, whose plates were golden in colour, this man's metal plates were a proud purple. His blue hair flicked over at the front, and his amber eyes fixed on the boy the moment he entered the room.

Following the man, a woman with white and purple striped hair stepped into the room, wearing smart and formal light grey dress clothes which fit snugly over her form and sported a 'tail' matching her hair. She looked the boy up and down before frowning in what seemed to be a sympathetic manner.

The woman that entered next was the person who caught the boy's attention the most. She was tall and graceful, her large stature causing her to stand out among the rest of the group. Her hair was a compound of colours including cerulean, heliotrope, and turquoise, and flowed down her back in a majestic wave. Her dress clothes were a pure white and seemed almost to be a part of her rather than something she was wearing, and her gold necklace seemed to fit her perfectly, shimming almost as if it were her light that was making it do so. Her demeanour was calm and collected, and she seemed to be curious of the boy rather than annoyed or frustrated with him, and in spite of her towering height, she was the first person he felt slightly relaxed around. He didn't feel that he was under threat as long as she was here.

After the majestic woman entered, two children, a boy and a girl, slipped in and stood beside the purple-plated man and the first woman, whispering to each other mixed with glances thrown towards the boy. He realised that these two were the ones who he had heard whispering at the door.

"Hello little one," the tall woman said with a kind smile, and the boy immediately felt at ease. He could feel warmth coming from the smile, and could tell that it came naturally to her. "Would you like a seat?" The boy gave a shrug, to which the woman smiled. She raised her hand and opened her palm, and the boy's eyes widened as a golden glow encompassed her hand. He turned to see where she was gesturing and was shocked to see the chair that he had dragged over to the window floating softly towards him, glowing the same golden hue as the woman's hand before settling just before him. A second later he felt himself ensconced by a gently tugging warmth as he was lifted off the ground and then placed on the seat of the chair that had just floated over to him. After he had been seated, he looked up at the woman who had just performed a feat beyond his understanding. She manually pulled a chair up for herself and sat down, her smile not fading for a second.

"You have no reason to fear, little one," she informed him. "Do you know who I am?" The boy shook his head in response to the question, and the woman nodded as if knowing that this would be the likely reaction. "My name is Celestia, and I am here to help you." She reached into a pocket and pulled out an apple, offering it towards the child. "Are you hungry? Would you like to eat?" The boy's eyes lit up when he saw the apple, leaning forwards eagerly as it was floated towards him and snatching it out of the air as soon as it got close enough. Across the room, the purple-plated man and the other woman shared a glance as the boy tore viciously into the apple, biting great chunks off at a time. The little girl tugged at the woman's formal dress with a confused grimace on her face.

"Mum, why is he eating like that?" the little girl asked. The woman leaned down slightly to whisper her answer.

"Well, I imagine he's very hungry."

"But you make us eat properly at home."

"Not so loud, Twilight," the woman warned as she cast a glance towards the boy, who had by now nearly finished the entire apple. The girl pouted and went back to her fervent whispering with the other boy, watching as the the apple core was devoured in its entirety. Celestia patiently waited for him to finishing licking his fingers and look up at her before continuing with her line of discussion.

"Do you know your name?" The boy looked at her for a moment and then slowly shook his head. "Do you know how old you are?" The boy gave a single, curt nod to her question. Celestia raised one of her hands and lowered all but two fingers. "Are you two?" A shake of the head, and Celestia added one more finger. "Three?" The boy nodded again, and Celestia lowered her hand. "You're doing well, I just want to ask you one more thing." She made sure he was looking at her before she asked. "Do you know where you live?" The boy didn't answer, but looked down to the floor and kicked his legs. Celestia waited for a few moments, but the boy remained in firm silence. "Do you have a home?" The boy didn't look up when he shook his head, and Celestia's smile wavered momentarily before returning to her face. "Okay, thank you for being so honest with me. You have done very well."

"Princess Celestia?" the little girl asked, and the woman turned in her seat to face her. "Doesn't he have a home?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't look like he does, Twilight Sparkle." A momentary silence followed this statement.

"Then he can stay with us!"

"Twilight!" the purple-plated man warned her sternly. "Don't say such things. Of course he can't stay with us, and shouting that out will only get his hopes up."

"Of course he can stay with us!" Twilight protested. "We have enough room at home, and with Shining Armor leaving in a couple of years-"

"Twilight, listen to your father," her mother cut in. "Besides, I don't think Shining Armor wants to hear about your plan to replace him when he leaves."

"I agree with Twilight on this," the other boy spoke up, and the two adults looked down at him in surprise. He pushed his sapphire hair out of the way of his eyes before explaining himself. "I'm going to be leaving in two years, and Twilight could do with someone to spend some time around." His father tilted his head.

"Did Twilight talk you into this, by any chance?"

"She..." Shining Armor coughed and looked over to his sister. "She talked to me about it, quite extensively. But I agree with her! She's right!"

"She's not right," his mother cut in. "We simply can't do this. It wouldn't work."

"But why not?" Twilight asked, pouting.

"Because I said so, now stop-"

"Explain to me why it wouldn't work," she demanded. Her mother sighed and looked at her father, who rolled his eyes.

"Because we don't have the food or room at home to keep him," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We can't-"

"I can do that," Twilight cut in hurriedly. "I can feed him and let him sleep in my room and-"

"No," her father interrupted with an emphatic slice of his hand. "You can't just look after him like you would a pet. He's a person."

"Well then what's going to happen to him?" Nobody responded to the question, unable to find a suitable answer. The father licked his lips and the mother wrung her hands. With a sigh, the father looked over to Celestia.

"Princess, what will happen to this boy after our session?"

The woman in question looked briefly at the boy before turning back to the family, her expression neutral as she pondered the possibility. "He would probably be put into the orphanage until either someone could prove their relation to him or..." She trailed off, and the two parents looked at each other quickly. Twilight took this opportunity to add more to her argument.

"If he's a person, then why aren't we trying to help him?"

"We are, Twilight, it's just that..." Her father's reasoning failed him, and he started again. "We're here to assess the situation. We can't make any definite decisions right now."

"Why are we here then?" she replied, gesturing to herself and Shining Armor, to which her father sighed.

"You always were a curious and overly smart girl," he muttered, gently ruffling her hair. She beamed happily. "I brought you two along to observe and learn, but, it seems like the roles have been reversed somewhat."

"If I may," Celestia spoke up, drawing the attention of the two parents. "If it is the costs that you are worried about, rest assured that the Court will pay for his medical examinations and education, and any amendments to your lifestyle will see an appropriate amendment to your income." The father raised a clenched fist to his chest and bowed his head.

"Thank you, your highness, but I'm not so concerned about the cost of raising another child. I'm just worried about the issues associated with the Captain of the Royal Guard adopting an unidentified child who was found on the streets the previous day. My duties may interfere with the time I can devote to him, the paperwork and process will likely prevent-"

Celestia waved a dismissive hand at him and smiled. "We can dispense with the red tape and the bureaucracy on this occasion. You are a dedicated captain and a spectacular father, Night Light, and I feel that there is no need to complicate this for anyone. I would much rather see the child housed with a loving family than sent to an orphanage because of some convoluted system which does not work in the best interests of the child in question, when I know that you can provide the loving family."

Night Light turned to his wife. "There really does seem to be no reason not to, does there?" She shook her head, and he looked down at his children. Twilight was bouncing in place, clearly giddy with excitement. "From now on, he is your brother in all but blood, okay? As far as you two are concerned, he is in fact your genetic brother, and you are to treat him as such." He raised a finger to emphasise his point, jabbing it every other word. "There will be no preferential treatment, no discrimination, no leniency from me or your mother. This is a permanent arrangement, and if you don't like him after a few months, tough; he is now as irreplaceable as your brother in terms of this family unit. He is your responsibility to look after, and that means playing with him, helping him with tasks he finds tough, and being there to help him when your mother and I can't. If he steals your toy or upsets you, you find a way to deal with it, but you don't denounce him as your brother, resort to telling him that he's adopted, or do anything that we wouldn't allow you to do with each other. Is that clear?"

Shining Armor was sporting a massive grin, and Twilight was jumping on the spot in joy. She nodded rapidly and gave her father a quick hug, then skipped over to the boy sitting on the chair. He had been silently observing the ordeal with curious eyes, and he now looked at the girl bounding over to him and stopping just short of the chair. She was beaming a smile so wide that, to the boy, it seemed to take up a majority of her face. Her eyes shone with glee.

"Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle, I'm eight, and I'm your new sister!" She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Behind her, the boy could see the rest of the family looking at him, the blue haired boy still grinning as he pushed his fringe out of his eyes again and give a small wave. The father and mother were talking amongst themselves, giving quick glances and smiles in his direction. Turning his head, he saw the woman who had introduced herself as Celestia offering him a wide smile of her own. When she saw him looking, she gave a slow nod. Tentatively, the boy raised his arms and returned the hug, feeling the girl pull him in tighter as he did so, and a smile started to spread across his face. In that moment, embraced with the young girl as he was, her violet and sapphire hair pressed against his verdant green, with a family ready to take him home, he felt things he hadn't felt for a while. He didn't have the vocabulary to express it, but the words that came close to what he felt were happy, safe, and loved.

Location: Canterlot, Equestria
Date: 157 A.C.F.

"So...how does it look?" Shining Armor asked, spinning slightly to show off his new outfit. The white cloth suited him very nicely, fitting his form snugly and showing his vaguely toned muscles as he moved and flexed. The tail flowed thickly and neatly behind him, stopping at his calves, the fabric softly brushing against the backs of his legs.

"It looks gorgeous, dear," his mother replied with a smile, to which Shining rolled his eyes.

"I'm not meant to look gorgeous, mum, I'm meant to look smart."

"Well, you do. You look very dapper." She moved closer and pulled one of the sleeves around slightly, smoothing out a crease with a firm slide of her delicate hands. Twilight giggled at his obvious discomfort, then glanced down as she felt something tugging at her arm.

"What is he wearing, Twilight?" the small, green-haired boy asked, looking towards the squirming teenager who was trying to escape his mother's persistent attempts to re-iron the entire garb by hand. Twilight smiled at him, happy to impart her knowledge on the subject.

"He is wearing a formal gown known officially as a 'Coat'," she answered. "It is made specially for each individual, measured to fit their body, and is usually woven from cotton. When someone orders their Coat, their dimensions are measured, and they choose the style and length of the tail, which is the fabric joined near the base of the back." She pointed to the sapphire blue yarn swishing about as Shining attempted to move out of the way. "Any other questions, Spike?"

"Yes," the young boy replied, looking up at her. "Why is he wearing it?"

"It's tradition. Coats are worn by ponies in formal situations by any social class, as it is recognised as the national dress. It's an important part of our society and culture. I can't wait to get mine."

"That should do it," his mother acquiesced at last, finally accepting that the Coat wouldn't mould into any better shape. "Are you ready to go?" she asked Shining. He nodded and looked to his two siblings, smiling as he walked over.

"Take care of yourself, Twily," he told her as he embraced her into a hug. "And make sure to look after Spike while I'm away too."

"I will," the girl replied from next to his chest. "Take care, BBBFF." The two pulled away from each other, and Shining turned his attention to the smaller boy standing next to Twilight.

"Take care, squirt," he grinned, ruffling the boy's green hair affectionately. "Make sure to look after Twily for me, Celestia knows she won't remember to eat or sleep if she finds an interesting enough book." The comment drew a minute glare from his sister, which he ignored nonchalantly. Spike wrapped his arms around Shining's waistline.

"Will you be coming back?" he asked. Shining smiled at him.

"I'll visit whenever I have the chance."

"I'll miss you, Shiny."

"I'll miss you both too," he confessed, motioning for Twilight to come closer and pulling her into a hug with him and Spike. "But I know that you'll look after each other while I'm away, so I won't have to worry." He looked over to his mother, who nodded at him, and he pulled away from the duo and walked slowly over to the door where his mother was waiting.

"Are you sure that you're staying here Twilight?" she asked. The girl nodded enthusiastically, her eyes flicking over to Shining Armor and quickly back again.

"I'll keep an eye on Spike and make sure he stays safe," she informed her. "Plus I have some reading to do." Her mother smirked at this.

"Well, okay then. I should be back within the hour, but if I'm not-"

"If you're not, make sure that the oven is set to two hundred degrees for at least ten minutes before I put the pie into the oven," Twilight finished, which drew a giggle from her mother.

"Yes, exactly. I love you honey, see you later." And with that she closed the door, Shining Armor waving through the diminishing gap for as long as he could, with Twilight and Spike frantically returning the gesture, until, with a click, the door closed, and he was sealed off from them. The two of them stood watching the door for a few moments after it closed, visualising Shining Armor waving from beyond the wood. Eventually, Spike broke the silence.

"Is he really coming back?"

"Yes, Spike. He's only gone off to start his training with the military, he hasn't moved away permanently."

"What does 'permanently' mean?"

"A definite or perpetual event."

"What does 'pertual' mean?"

"Not 'pertual', per-pet-ual. The state of lasting or being forever."

"Oh, okay." There was a brief pause. "So, if he's not moving away per-pet-uality-"

"Perpetually."

"Per-pet-ually, then does that mean he'll be coming back?"

"Yes, he should be coming back soon to visit us."

"How soon is soon?"

"As quickly as he is able to."

"How soon is that?"

"I don't know."

"Tomorrow?"

"No, but I know that he wishes he could."

"I want soon to be now. I miss him."

"Me too, Spike. Me too." She sighed, then smiled wanly down at him. "Do you want some ice cream?" Spike looked up, a slow smile beginning to spread onto his face. "I guess so," he replied timidly as though unsure whether or not he was allowed to have fun so soon after a family member had left home.

"Well, maybe we should wait for dinner first..." she started, and Spike's face dropped again, but then the girl grinned. "...but how about this; whoever can read the furthest into the first Daring Do novel before mum comes back can choose what flavour of ice cream we have after dinner?" The little boy looked up in surprise, then beamed.

"Sure!" he responded excitedly.

"Okay, three two one go!" The girl zoomed off, racing up the stairs before Spike even registered that the competition had started. He blinked, then looked up the stairs after her.

"Hey!" he shouted out, scrambling up himself. "That wasn't fair!"

"I can't hear you!" came the singsong reply. "I'm too busy reading the contents page!" Hearing this, the boy positively scampered the rest of the way up onto the landing and burst into their shared bedroom, snatching his copy off the shelf and sitting down on the floor while flipping the book open and staring intently at the first page. In fact, he was so engrossed that he didn't notice Twilight looking over her pages at him with a smile on her face.

"Shining may be gone, but I still have Spike," she thought to herself. "And that's one thing that will never change." She returned to her book, removing her bookmark from the thirteenth chapter. "I wonder what flavour ice cream he'll choose tonight?"

Location: Canterlot, Equestria
Date: 167 A.C.F.

Spike rummaged through the shelf, taking out a book, skimming the contents, putting it back, and then repeating the process, each one adding to his frustration. This procedure had taken up the better part of two hours, and still he hadn't found any results. He thought he had found a lead not too long ago, but the source had turned out to be a history book with a single mention of the phrase that he had hoped to find. Sliding the ladder along, he tried the next shelf, reaching up to grab books from the utmost shelf and working his way down, his motions growing sharper and more irate as he went.

"Ugghh!" he groaned as he reached the last shelf, slamming the final book back into place. "Trust a library to not have the one subject you want to find."

"Which subject would that be?" inquired a voice from below him. Startled by the sudden noise, he faltered and slipped from the ladder, hurtling towards the ground. Just before he impacted on the tiled floor, he felt himself slow and then stop, suspended inches above a painful landing. Looking up, he saw Twilight standing at the top of the stairs, her hand ensconced in a light raspberry coloured aura, the same which was surrounding him.

"Thanks," he muttered as he pushed himself up, the aura fading from around both him and Twilight's extended hand.

"No problem Spike, but you really should be more careful." She crossed over to a table, picking up some notes she had left there. "Now what subject can be so important that you can't wait until I get home to help you look for it?" Spike sighed.

"I was looking for a book about dragons and their origins, but..." He shrugged and looked up at the towering shelves, each crammed with books. "I didn't find anything. I can't believe that there's nothing here, nothing at all. I mean, how could a civilisation which prides itself on research and knowledge not know anything about another civilisation? They've been in contact for more than one hundred and fifty years!" He waited for a response from Twilight, but she remained silent. Looking down, he found her looking over her shoulder at him with a concerned and sympathetic expression.

"We've already talked about this," she reminded him gently. "I searched the entire library and I didn't find anything. If I had, I would have told you."

"I know," he grumbled. "But I thought that you might have missed something, or maybe another book had turned up since you last checked, or-"

"Spike," she cut him off. "I don't know anything, and we don't have any material here that can help. I'm sorry, you know I would do something if I could." She placed her notes back down and turned to face him fully. "Why is this on your mind? What made you come back to this?"

"I'm a dragon, Twilight," he pointed out curtly, kicking at the floor dejectedly. "You're a pony, Shining Armor's a pony, mum and dad are ponies." His mood had notably soured, and Twilight's face fell as he spoke. "I don't want to be ungrateful - you've raised me and played with me and made my life the best it can be. You've always included me, and I've always been a part of your family, but...I'm not. Not really. It doesn't matter if I was raised in the Sparkle household, or went to school with ponies, or was raised by ponies, or lived like a pony, because I don't have pony genetics. I am a dragon, and I don't know what that means. I know everything about being a pony, but all that means is I know everything about what I'm not. I want to know about what I am." He fell silent, and Twilight continued to stare at him for several seconds before she strode over to him and wrapped him tightly in a hug.

"You are my brother, Spike," she told him, holding him closely to her. "I wouldn't care whether you were a pony, a dragon, a griffon, a zebra, or some other life form we haven't met yet, I would love you all the same. You are Spike, that is all that matters to me, and I wouldn't have it any other way." She lapsed into an emotional silence, pulling Spike even closer to her. She wouldn't let him go, not ever, and she wanted him to know that. Spike had let his head fall against her arm, finding her embrace comforting and relaxing as well as actually soothing to his melancholic mood. "How about you take the day off?" Spike pulled his head from her arm to look up at her.

"Really?"

"Yes, I don't see why not. I don't need anything else done around here, and all I'm going to do is re-write these notes." She motioned with her head to the papers on the table behind them. Spike tilted his head to look, then raised an eyebrow at her.

"Aren't they already re-written?"

"They need to be constantly refined until I reach the pure information so I know what I understood from the textbooks."

"Okay," Spike acquiesced, not wanting to be drawn into a lecture about the importance of revising revised revision notes for studying purposes. Twilight may be a genius, but her methods weren't...comprehensive, in Spike's opinion. He let himself out the embrace and started to head for the stairs.

"Actually, just one thing," she called after him. "If you're going out, would you mind buying me a coffee? I'll give you enough money to get yourself one, too."

"White with whipped cream on top, no sugar, and a shot of whiskey?" Spike queried with a grin, backtracking to collect the money. Twilight gave a sheepish smirk as she rummaged through her handbag.

"You know me too well. Luckily, so does Mrs Cream, so you won't need to share the order with the rest of the queue. I hate the looks I get when I ask for it."

"Uh...is this Sweet Cream we're talking about?"

"Yes...why?" Twilight asked, looking up suspiciously. Spike coughed into his hand.

"Well...I may have ordered a shot of whiskey when I was thirteen on the pretense that it was for your coffee and then forgotten to move out of sight before I downed it," he confessed, rubbing his arm ruefully. Twilight's eyes bulged and her mouth fell open. "I haven't gone back there since."

"Spike!" she scolded with a disapproving frown. "Are you telling me that you illegally bought alcohol and then drank it while using me as an excuse to do so, and as a result have been avoiding the cafe for two years?"

"Uh...yes?"

"Did you learn anything from it?"

"I learned that I didn't like whiskey." Twilight blinked at his response, her frown remaining for several seconds as she fixed Spike with a glare, before it slipped from her face and she burst into a fit of giggles. Spike found it infectious, and soon the pair of them were laughing together, tears of mirth sliding down their faces. Twilight was the first to recover, wiping her eyes to clear her vision.

"As I would have been eighteen at the time, it made for a perfect opportunity," she admitted to the still chuckling Spike. "I guess that it was clever in its own way, and cleverness does seem to be a Sparkle gene."

"Well, my cleverness means that I'll need my citizen card. I might have been able to get away with it, but after that charade, she'll definitely ask for identification this time."

"Yes, she will," Twilight confirmed, handing over his plastic card and a handful of coins, which he took from her and stashed into his pockets. "That's twelve bits, will that be enough?"

"It should be. I'll be back soon."

"Okay, take care." She watched as he took his leave down the stairs and opened up the front door, stepping into the sunshine outside, before she returned to the table and sat down, ready to work again. She glanced up at the clock, the luminescent digits showing it to be 14:23. Spike should take no longer than half an hour, which gave her more than enough time to get through three pages of notes before she could take a coffee break. Clicking her pen lid into place, she began her revision.

Spike blinked as the sunlight continued to press harshly into his eyes. It was a wonderful day, but that wasn't beneficial for his sight, not for a boy who spent a lot of his time indoors. He walked away from the tower that he and Twilight shared, moving through the mildly busy streets on his way to the cafe. It was a location he had visited many times when he had lived with mum and dad, but since he had moved out with Twilight five years ago, the workload and the changing lifestyle had seen to it that he had found himself frequenting it less and less. The last time he had visited, he had been heckled by Mrs Cream as he'd slammed the shot glass onto the nearest table and ran off, coughing and spluttering, a thought which made him both grin and grimace. To go back would almost be taking him back to his old life, before he had wondered or cared about what being a dragon meant.

He took a left at the end of the road, then turned right into an alleyway, a shortcut he had learned at some point he no longer remembered. He hadn't even thought about being different before he was eight, but even then, it was only a concept, something which held no importance or relevance to him. When he had first gone to school, he had found the other children to be different, so sociable and outgoing. They had played and shouted and laughed with each other as though it were the most natural thing in the world. They had kicked balls around the grass, they had jumped into squares drawn onto the ground in chalk, and they hadn't taken any notice of him, not because they had disliked him, but because he hadn't come forward and made himself noticed, preferring to sit alone on the wall and watch them with curious, suspicious eyes. In class, more children started to become aware of him, and then came the interactions. They had come up to him, asked his name, smiled at him, introduced themselves, and, after some encouragement from the teachers and his parents, he had reciprocated. Surprisingly, he had found everyone else to be very obliging, and so he had joined in. He had kicked balls around the grass, jumped into squares drawn onto the ground in chalk, and played and shouted and laughed with them, almost as though it really were the most natural thing in the world.

After a few years, the other children had become curious. They wondered why his hair was so rough and stiff, why his face was a little different to theirs, why he was so good at throwing and running. He had asked his parents about it, to which they had laughed and sat him down, explaining about growth and hormones, and the changes he was likely going to go through. They had told him it was natural, that everyone experienced it, and that the children hadn't been cruel, but were merely curious, as many children were. Spike had agreed with them, thinking that he hadn't known the answers either, and that they just wanted to know, as he did. The children had listened to him when he had explained, and held him in awe for his knowledge. The entire issue had been no problem, just something that passed in and out the mind of a child. Each year, he became a little more curious, but still thought nothing of it, in very much the same way that the other children did; he was Spike, a boy that they knew. There was nothing wrong with him.

Then came his pre-teen years, and with it, a whole new insight into how the world worked. He was taught about more complex issues, about science and how the body worked, about the organs and their purposes, about cells and their importance, and, of course, about genetics. Twilight was always eager to exceed her lessons, and, being older, was the figure that he went to for answers and advice wherever knowledge was concerned. She had helped him understand issues that he had found difficult, expanded on what he had learned in the classroom, and improved his academic ability outside of school. Spike had grown into a considerably smart student, his eager and curious questions always explained in depth by his pleased teachers, building his mental capacity at an exceptional rate. The final piece of the puzzle clicked when he reached thirteen, when it was determined that the children were old enough and had been educated in the precursor subjects sufficiently to be capable of learning one vital aspect of their lives, something which had likely already begun to, to various extents, demand their attention.

It was learning about sex which had chilled Spike's core, and drawn giggles and eew's from the other children. He had raised a shaky hand and mumbled a question, which he then had to repeat. He had asked if it was necessary for two people to have sex to make a child, to which the teacher had confirmed that it was in fact necessary. He had asked if they were sure, which had prompted more giggles, and the explanation that genetic material must be present from two people for a life to be created. He had then asked what happened if a child wasn't made by two particular people, a line of questioning which had concluded in a very uncomfortable answer, namely that the child wasn't, at least genetically, that couple's child; although it didn't matter who the material came from, society saw biological links as family links, and so a child made in the 'natural' way was often considered to be legitimate offspring, with the family being determined by the lines of procreation.

The confrontation with his parents had been awkward, but he had needed to know. Had he been made naturally, by his parents? No, he hadn't. Had Shining Armor and Twilight been? Yes, they had. He was the only member of the family, that, in reality, wasn't a member of the family. This revelation had left him drained, and when he returned to his home, he went straight to his room, not coming out for dinner or to see Twilight. He had told her that he was ill, that he didn't want to eat. When she had left him alone, he had cried into his pillow, painfully aware that the tears dampening his sheets were not chemically the same as those from the people he was crying over, the eyes that made them unrelated to the people from whom he was hiding his pain.

Since then, he hadn't been able to stop calling his parents mum and dad. They may not have been his genetic family, but they were the only ones he had. He had asked Twilight about dragons, persisted as she had searched for information that might have helped him, with nothing turning up. When Shining had come to visit, Twilight had pulled him to one side and whispered furtively to him, the secret conversation ending in an unsure nod and a forced grin towards Spike. Shining had taken them both out, treated them to sweets and coffee, and just talked to them. After Twilight had retreated behind a book, Shining had asked Spike about how he was doing, and whether he had his eyes on any girls, to which the younger boy had just grinned. Afterwards, they had gone kite-flying, the three of them laughing and running around the park. It had felt like just when they were younger. It had felt like they were a family.

But Spike had never shaken the yearning for information about his identity, and he wondered if this was why he unknowingly wandered into the recruitment centre. His feet walked by their own accord, and he only really noticed where he was when he was mid-way across the lobby, heading towards the desk. He stopped. What was he doing here? He was meant to be buying coffee, not job hunting! For some reason, his feet had brought him here, and he had no idea why. Maybe it was Shining's influence. His big brother had always talked about joining the military, with his goal being to reach the ranks of the Royal Guard, and in his younger days, Spike had been enthralled, listening to every word with an avid interest. Maybe it was a lack of commitment; he, like everyone in Equestria, had finished his compulsory schooling when he reached his fifteenth birthday, and now he had a year to decide what to do with his life. At the age of sixteen, you could continue with further education, as Twilight had done, or you could find employment, like enlisting in the military, as Shining had done. Spike had no idea what he wanted to do, always considering himself to have more time.

"Can I help you?" The voice plucked Spike out of his reverie, and shook his head to clear it. The receptionist had noticed him standing in the middle of the lobby, and was looking at him, waiting for his response. Walking over nervously, Spike cleared his throat.

"Yes, I, uh, I..." Spike searched his brain for a reason, trying to find a cause for him to be here. "...I would like..." He scratched his head. "...I would like...to enlist." The receptionist nodded and looked down at the holographic keyboard in front of her, and Spike smiled to himself. At least, until he realised what he had just said, at which point his eyes widened.

"Name?" the receptionist asked, not looking up. Spike just gawked. What should he do? Should he explain the situation to her? After all, his only intention was to go and get coffee, not to become a cadet. Sure, he would see Shining more often, in all likelihood, and he would actually have something to do other than pine over his heritage, but...military? He wasn't cut out for that! Was he? How did he know, until he had actually tried? But he was here now, ready to sign up, with no thought put into it! This wasn't the time to consider, that should be before he had given an answer! And yet...he didn't know why he was so opposed to the idea. Sure, it was sudden, and any commitment this big was bound to cause shock when thrust onto someone, but, really, was it such a bad move? Maybe he would even have a chance to get off the planet, to search beyond Equestria for his answers, seeing as no one here knew. "Your name, please." The receptionist spoke again, looking up to see why he hadn't responded. Thinking quickly, he made up his mind, and gave his answer.

"Spike," he stated, with a small amount of confidence. The receptionist nodded and typed it in, her touches coaxing bleeps from the little holographic pads.

"Age?"

"Fifteen."

"Ethnicity?"

He hesitated, before answering, "Dragon." The woman paused, and then looked up.

"Race?"

"Dragon."

"Have you got any identification on you?" she asked, looking him up and down. "Accepted forms of identification include an Equestrian citizen card, a birth certificate..." Spike stopped listening as she made her list, and dug into his pocket, fishing out his identity card, which he handed over. The woman stared hard at it for several seconds, and then at him, before she shrugged and began typing again. Spike saw 'Dragon' appear on the translucent display, then the screen minimised and she turned back to him, handing over his citizen card. "Your enlistment has been submitted, and you are expected to return here in a week, on the Saturday. You will be required to undergo a medical examination, unless you receive a medical check-up from a certified medically trained professional and provide appropriate evidence to the relevant authority. You may choose to unsubscribe for service at any point up until you sign your contract, at which point you have pledged yourself to the Equestrian government and must fulfill the terms of your contract, unless otherwise stated by an appropriate authority for reasons such as health. You will be expected to turn up in a Coat and show the proper signs of etiquette for your induction. Do you understand?" Spike nodded, and she smiled. "Good. Have a nice day." And with that, she looked back down to her desk and left him to stand there.

Spike looked around, and, realising that he wasn't needed any more, turned and walked out, determined to head over to the cafe to get the coffee for Twilight and himself. Oh no, he had gone out to get coffee, and had ended up enrolling for military service? What had driven him to do such a thing? And what about Twilight? At this thought he groaned, not wanting to imagine her reaction when he returned home to tell her what he had done. She would be livid, that much was obvious, but even worse, he was worried that she would be disappointed in him. After all, what reasons could he give? Sorry about that, but I wandered into the centre and then felt pressured to say 'yes'? She wouldn't accept that, and it sounded weak even to Spike. He was screwed. He knew from experience that nothing could compare to Twilight's rage, and he would rather boil in Tartarus than have to face anger like that.

"Well, if it isn't little Spike," came a disgruntled voice from ahead. Spike winced and looked up, spotting the irate woman behind the bar, cursing himself for not realising that he had already reached his destination. "What will it be this time? Some absinthe?"

"Aha," Spike manged, forcing out an uncomfortable laugh. "Hello Mrs Cream. You're looking particularly, uh, vitalised today."

Location: Canterlot, Equestria
Date: 168 A.C.F.

Spike pushed open the door to the barracks and strode over to his bunk. He had undergone a long exercise that morning, and it now he only had half an hour to prepare for the next. He supposed he could have a quick shower in that time, which would bring at least some relief to his muscles, the thought of which made them twinge as though asking for sympathy. If he was quick enough, he could manage to grab a meal from the canteen too, although that was probably pushing it.

The sound of the door creaking open again put an end to his train of thought, and he turned around slowly, knowing who it was likely to be. Three ponies walked into the barracks, the last three people that Spike wished to see, all scowling as though that were the way their faces were naturally crafted. When Spike had first joined, they had proven themselves to be less than hospitable, mocking Spike for his lack of physical ability, and in turn Spike had learned to steer out of their way. Recently, however, he had come out on top in terms of his strength and stamina, adjusting to the training better than most of those around him. The instructors said that he had an aptitude for it, but these three in particular had seen it differently. When they walked in, Spike felt a resignation settle inside him. It was going to be another confrontation by the looks of it.

"Well, if it isn't our little friend, running to bed after a morning exercise," sneered the pony at the front.

"Can I help you?" Spike asked, keeping his voice level. The three of them continued to snarl at him. The ringleader seemed to grew even more irate from the question.

"Yeah, you can as a matter of fact," he spat, contempt saturating his words as he stepped forward aggressively. "You can stop acting like a self-obsessed jerk for a start." Spike nearly burst into a cacophonous symphony of a laugh at his demand, but barely manged to control himself, instead raising a confused eyebrow at them. Apparently they didn't know the meaning of the word 'hypocrisy'.

"Self-obsessed?" he asked, equal parts confused and satisfied as the rage induced scowl on the other boy's face turned so deep that it would probably take reconstructive surgery to rectify it.

"You know exactly what I mean! Today, in the exercises, and every day for the past week!"

"You mean my performance in the training exercises?"

"Yes!"

"You're getting angry with me because I keep beating you?"

"You beat everyone! It's like you can't keep yourself from winning!"

"I..." Spike didn't know how to reply. Sure, they had been obnoxious and arrogant in the past, but this was truly a new low for them. He felt the anxiety in him seep away as he realised that he was now truly at the top, that he had nothing to fear from these three. He had already proved his prowess on the field, what did he have to fear? "So what do you want me to do about it?"

"Stop winning," the pony growled. "I assume your ego can take that." He looked to his friends, who all nodded and smirked in response. Spike crossed his arms, feeling a confidence overcoming him.

"Get better, then." The room fell into silence, none of the three aggressors apparently possessing the capability to respond to such a blatant retort. Finally, the leader managed to gather himself enough to formulate language.

"What?" he demanded in a confused and subdued tone. It was almost as though he had been struck hard across the head, and Spike couldn't help but take pride that three simple words had achieved that effect.

"If you want to win, try harder. I'm not cheating, all I'm doing is trying. If you want to be the best, earn it."

"You're a dragon!" the pony hissed.

"An astute observation," Spike replied apathetically, causing the pony to seethe even more.

"You have an advantage, one that we don't have access to! That. Is. Cheating!"

"Just give it a rest will you?" Spike had lost patience with them, their persistent whining grating on his brain. "I didn't choose to be born a dragon. You chose to join the military. You can't blame your problems on something like genetics just because you don't like losing. It's a part of life, so live with it, or do better. Whichever you choose, I am not to blame, and I don't want to hear any more about it."

The dragon started to turn around but was spun rapidly back to face his tormentors. The ringleader had strode up to him, more quietly and quickly than Spike had thought possible, and was now breathing in Spike's face, his eyes awash with rage and a burning desire for retribution for his perceived offences. Behind the boy pinning Spike to the bunk, the other two ponies were stepping forwards, looking like they too were readying themselves for a fight, their shoulders hunched and their eyes narrowed. Spike's breathing started to pick up. He hadn't been expecting this! He thought that they would just back off. The boy holding Spike pulled a clenched fist back, readying it to strike the dragon squarely in the face.

The barracks doors swung open, bubbly voices carrying through from the outside, and the three ponies jumped in surprise as they were abruptly reminded that they weren't isolated. The boy holding Spike gave a glare as he stepped back, letting go of the dragon's uniform. Four more ponies stepped in from outside, two pegasi and two earth ponies, chatting among themselves, although they stopped as soon as they saw the occupants of the room. After a brief silence, the ringleader of Spike's tormentors gave a disdainful sniff, turned, and strode briskly out of the barracks, his two cronies following. Another silence followed.

"What was up with them?" asked one of the newcomers, turning to Spike. The dragon shook his head and sighed.

"They don't like me, in short," he responded, looking the new group over. The one who had spoken was one of the earth ponies, his long brown hair cut into a messy and yet expertly styled fringe at the front. The other earth pony was rather, well, chubby, his dark brown hair curly and thick. The two pegasus ponies were equally different from each other, one having grey-ish blue hair which had been slicked back, and the other a bowl cut for his light brown hair, as well as a gap between his two front teeth.

"Well, it's their loss," replied the earth pony who had spoken previously with a shrug. "We came to speak to you, actually. You were amazing out there! How'd you do it?" The others nodded their agreement at the earth pony's words, and all turned to Spike. The dragon was taken aback by their praise. He had had others praise him before, but they were instructors, and ponies didn't tend to pay him much attention.

"Well, I...I just tried, and I achieved it," he replied. "It wasn't a big deal."

"Wasn't a big deal?" The earth pony repeated incredulously. "Nopony I know can sprint that fast with that much weight on their back!" He gave the fatter earth pony a quick glance and grinned mischievously. "Well, 'cept maybe for Truffle 'ere when he smells a pie baking." The other ponies burst into laughter while the pony in question blushed, although Spike could still make out a smile breaking out onto his face. At least it wasn't a case of bullying, because that wouldn't have sat well with the dragon. "In all honesty though," the pony continued after the laughter had died down, "that was brilliant. You'll need to teach us sometime."

"I'm just a recruit, not an instructor," Spike informed them.

"I know, otherwise I would 'ave caught your name earlier," the pony grinned, extending his hand. The dragon looked at it for a moment before grinning himself and taking the proffered appendage. "This pony," he thought to himself.

"Spike."

"Pipsqueak."

"A pleasure."

"Pleasure's all mine, mate." Pipsqueak gestured to the others. "This is our little group; Truffle Shuffle, Featherweight, and Rumble," he introduced, pointing the the chubby earth pony, the pegasus with the bowl cut, and the pegasus with the slicked back hair, respectively. "Say 'hi', lads."

With the introduction made, the others felt more at ease to come forward and talk to Spike, and he found himself genuinely enjoying his interaction with these ponies, realising that it was the first time since he had arrived here that he had actually spoken to someone else in a normal way. It was immensely refreshing.

Location: Canterlot, Equestria
Date: 171 A.C.F.

"What's this for?" Spike asked, looking over the book he had just been handed. It was a relatively thick book, no doubt one of Twilight's light bedtime reading choices. The woman smiled.

"Just something for you to read while you wait," she replied. "The princess is very busy, and it's likely that the appointment before yours will run over. I thought it might interest you."

"Thanks," he said, turning the book over in his hands. Equestria: An Academic Study. It didn't seem too bad as far as passing time went. "I'll have a read through when I get the chance." He turned to leave, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Just one last thing," Twilight started, stopping to find her words, and then looking him in the eye. "Whatever happens today, just remember, I'm always here. Your family is always here. No matter what, you can always come back and we'll be here, waiting to accept you back with open arms."

"Thanks Twilight," he told her with a grateful smile. "It means a lot to me."

"And you mean a lot to me, Spike. To all of us." She looked over his form, admiring his purple Coat. "It suits you."

"No it doesn't. It's good, but it's not for me." Spike ran his hands through the green tail, frowning.

"It reminds me of when Shining left," she confessed. "That was fourteen years ago."

"Really? It doesn't feel that long at all."

"Time sure does pass by without us noticing, doesn't it."

"It does seem to." A moment of silence passed before Spike announced, "I should get going." He opened the front door and stepped outside, but looked to Twilight before he closed it. "I'll come back here to-

"Please come back and tell me what happened!" Twilight interrupted suddenly.

"-to tell you what happened," Spike finished with a bemused smirk. Twilight responded with a sheepish smile. "I'm not going away just yet," he reminded her. "I'll be back. See you later." With a smile and a quick wave, he closed the door.

It only took five minutes to reach the palace, including the verification of his identity to the guards standing resolutely outside, their golden armour shining in the sun, meaning that by the time he had jogged up the stone steps, passed through the oak doors and stepped into the marble foyer that separated the throne room from the rest of the palace, he had fifteen minutes until he was due to be seen. He gave his name and appointment time to two guards, and was told to take a seat. Looking around the circular foyer, he sought out a cushioned chair and sat, pulling out the book he had been handed by Twilight. With little else to do, he opened it to the first page and began to read.

Equestria: An Academic Study

Introduction- A brief history of Equestria

Located in the Equinox solar system, Equestria is a planet which is home to millions of species, the most abundant and dominant being ponies. It has a single moon which has been colonised by the ponies of Equestria, who have established interstellar travel and are in the current process of exploring the galaxy. A single day in Equestria lasts twenty-four hours, with a year consisting of 365 days.

Although there has been frequent academic debate in regards to the age of Equestria, most scientists and geologists accept and agree that the planet was formed between 4 billion to 4.5 billion years ago, with life appearing within the first billion years of its existence. The appearance of single-cell organisms and bacteria is believed to have contributed to forming the various layers of atmosphere which protect the planet from the dangers from outer space, including (but not limited to) meteors and solar radiation. This in turn has allowed the planet to form vast sways of varying geographic landmarks, from jungles to forests, from oceans to lakes, from mountains to valleys, and from deserts to arctic wildernesses. This diversity of geography has given rise to a diversity of life now visible throughout Equestria.

It is difficult to say when life as we know it first formed. Estimates have turned up results ranging between 3.5 billion years ago to 1 billion years ago due to discrepancies with the archaeological findings, but it is known that ponies had started to develop civilisation at least 45,000 years ago, as discovered by ancient transcripts. The three races of ponies lived separately for an indeterminable amount of time before they met two and a half millennia ago. This is something that we will cover in more detail in the next chapter.

From their union into the United Kingdom of Equestria 2,500 years ago, ponies established a worldwide nation, resolving to live in peace due to their previously violent and hostile encounters (this will be covered in the next chapter). As such, technological innovation soared, as new minerals and their uses were found and developed into further tools for scientific study. Progress was made in metallurgy as techniques such as hardening and tempering were discovered, which then lead on to the development of alloys and their uses, which in turn encouraged research on chemical elements and their properties. The co-operation between the pony races allowed the quick development of technology such as steam and electricity, and generated social movements which were usually accepted wholeheartedly by the public and government, such as the rise of the industrial era and the drive for environmentally friendly energy production. Advancements in these areas has left Equestria as the most environmentally stunning and preserved nation in the galaxy as well as the most scientifically advanced, as ponies value technology which works in conjunction with nature.

Equestrian culture is also something which has been admired by other civilisations for over a century; setting aside warfare at such a crucial point in their history not only allowed the rapid advancement of pony technology but also gave rise to a unique social identity for the ponies, one based on peace, compassion, understanding, and a drive to fix issues and improve life in any way possible. It was this mentality which enabled Equestria to successful negotiate with the other species upon its expansion into space and therefore furthered the founding of the Interplanetary Galactic Council, the date marked by the inception of the council calendar (0 After Council Formation, or A.C.F.).

Chapter 1- The evolution of ponies and the Unification

Ponies share the same basic form with the rest of the species of the council, the dominant lifeforms seeming to share simple anatomy; two arms, each with an elbow joint, a hand joined at the end of each arm by a wrist, four prehensile fingers and an opposable thumb per hand; two legs with a knee joint per leg, a foot at the end of each leg, joined by an ankle, and five toes per foot. The arms and legs are connected to the upper and lower sections of the torso, respectively, and a head sits atop the torso, attached by the bone, muscle, and vessels in the neck. A pony's face (and body) is roughly parallel, each eye sitting in an equivalent position on the opposite side of the face, for instance. This has been labelled as the 'Equine' form, with the label acknowledged throughout the council.

The three races of ponies evolved separately from each other, although they do share common genealogy, and thus have common features, despite remaining ethnically distinct. This ethnic division has remained despite years of interaction between the races, a fact which was widely unacknowledged until DNA was discovered, upon which the mystery became more important to scholars. It was discovered that the genetic traits of the three races were locked in with each other, meaning that a pony could only be one of the three races, not a mixture, despite having two parents from separate races. Unlike eye colour, hair colour, or other minor genetic factors, race appears to be a random selection based on the genes available, with the racial genes taken in bulk from either one side or the other, the remaining alleles merely adding to the gene pool of that individual. How this works is as of yet unknown.

Ponies can be identified by their oblong/oval shaped heads when viewed from the front, their narrow, thin, straight noses, and their pale to tanned complexion, as well as their natural tendency towards growing an abundant supply of hair all over their bodies. There are more subtle indicators of individual race; earth ponies tend to be tall and broad-shouldered, and are most suited for building muscle, pegasi tend to be slender and athletic and are the most agile of the races, and unicorns usually have slender and delicate fingers, and are the only race to have bio-kinetic abilities.

Earth Ponies

Originating from Scavanac, a triangular-shaped continent in the north of Equestria, earth ponies started as a group of small, self-sufficient communities who survived independently of each other, but gradually expanded their connections across the continent. With all of the ponies embracing an agricultural lifestyle in the frozen northern territory, there was little to divide them, and as such it is acknowledged that the earth ponies developed the first draft of what came to be democracy. Initially, they worked well without governance, but desired to co-ordinate their efforts in order to better thrive in their cold environment, leading to the formation of mediation meetings to formulate plans, trade routes, and much more. This was so essential to the earth pony way of life that it quickly evolved into councils, and then an assembly for all the ponies of the land. Equality of voice was highly valued, given that they were all in the same situation, and thus not only was it considered that everypony had a right to put forward ideas, but that nopony would consciously make a harmful decision, lest they harm themselves in the process, and as such it has been argued by scholars that the earth ponies were the first in Equestria to discover the benefits of harmony and mutual prosperity. Based on the ideals of honesty, fraternity, and co-operation, the population of Scavanac agreed that regular meetings were inefficient, and that the best course of action would be to choose an individual to represent their interests - this became elections, the process of which was perfected over centuries, to varying degrees of success.

In 2505 B.C.F. there came a shift when a great winter overcame the continent, reducing the available harvest for the pony population. It was at this time that a new chancellor was elected; Chancellor Puddinghead, a.k.a. The Mad Chancellor. She proposed that the earth ponies should explore beyond The Great Sea (now known as The North Sea) and find a solution beyond the known world. At this time, Scavanac society had become organised enough to build ships, but nopony had actually crossed the sea or sought out any land other than Scavanac itself, and so this concept was met with a mixture of apprehension and desperate interest. The expedition was launched, led by Puddinghead, and earth ponies finally left the land to seek out another. After a few weeks, they landed at the north of what they called 'Jord', and made plans to settle this new continent. News was sent back to Scavanac of the new world across the sea, and the crisis seemed to be averted.

Unicorn Ponies

Beginning their reign in the western region of Eurus, the ponies there formed a very structured, ordered, and complex society, establishing themselves as civilised, cultured, and diplomatic. They adopted a close-knit society in which wealth and resourcefulness was highly respected. Those who had the privilege of knowledge or foresight, or perhaps a good upbringing, founded quarries and mines with the promise of work for the unlucky who had nothing. Over time, some poverty stricken ponies volunteered themselves into service in exchange for shelter and food, which the rich happily accepted, changing their conditions into outright slavery. With the labour at their disposal, the most affluent ponies built up castles filled with grandeur, leaving the workers to sleep in stone huts in the grounds, which they had to build themselves. Slave trade became commonplace, as well as the lust for gemstones and riches mined deep from under the ground. The rich became richer and more liberated, and the poor became poorer and more oppressed.

Unknown to the ponies at the time, those who were sent underground to recover gems and jewels were also being exposed to harmful radiation, leaving them sick and weak. The owners had to send more down into the pits in order to make up for the lull in output, leading to even more ponies becoming sick. Although many died as a result of their exposure, some lived to develop beneficial mutations. At the time, the rich considered the powers gained by the mutations to be magic, and fearfully started executing any who showed signs of this new phenomenon, considering it a threat to their rule. However, they were not very efficient at it, and the genes were passed down over several generations, until in the end, the slaves who had mutations which allowed them to bio-kinetically manipulate the world around them (proto-unicorns) outnumbered those who didn't. The slaves eventually revolted and overthrew their masters, and the entirety of the ruling class. Now free, the proto-unicorns set up their own government, considering themselves to be blessed with a gift from the gods, one which entitled them to rule, and set about forming a new order; slavery was outlawed, anypony who couldn't display their 'magic' was shunned, and those who were affluent were stripped of their titles and privileges for them to be handed to former slaves as a form of compensation for the maltreatment afforded against them.

In spite of their seemingly progressive attitude, these proto-unicorns soon fell into the same vices as their tormentors - lavish, luxurious lifestyles, elitist mindsets, and an insatiable hunger for riches. Noticing that their bio-kinesis was passed down from parents to children, they immediately sought to create records of lineages, believing the bloodline to convey abilities and powers, and in this way, founded a dynastic monarchy, while ordering all 'non-magic wielders' to submit to insemination by a 'gifted individual'. Within three generations, the modern unicorn race had been formed, all now capable of bio-kinesis.

Several centuries later, the supply of gems in Eurus began to dwindle, much to the shock of the unicorns. Desperate to hold onto their wealth, the monarchy ordered that an exploratory expedition be made to seek a new land for more riches, led by the daughter of the King, Princess Platinum. With the ponies under her command, she set sail and reached an uncharted landmass, immediately prospecting the area and declaring it a colony of Eurus. The new land, rich with undisturbed treasures, was a solution to all Eurus' problems.

Pegasus Ponies

In the southeast, in the land of Asthenia, ponies strove to survive in the barren, arid environment, often living in small tribes or as wandering individuals, scavenging, hunting, or fighting for the resources that they needed. With the most food and water found high up in the mountainous areas, be it streams of water, high trees thick with fruit, or the wildlife who survived up there, the ponies evolved to scale and traverse the rocky, inhospitable terrain with efficiency. Their agility served them well as hunters and wanderers, especially given that societies in Asthenia were largely governed by whoever had the biggest stick; tribes often changed ownership overnight, and only stayed with one leader if things were going well. At this time, the pegasi were quick to lay the blame on the leader if something didn't work out, from hunting trips to raids against nearby villages.

Somewhere between the years 3500-3000 B.C.F. a tribe organised itself into a strong fighting force, and set out across the desert, assimilating all and any tribes they found into their army. Over the course of several years, all of Asthenia fell to the conquering faction, which established itself as the sole governing body of the land and its ponies, as well as enforcing a strict conscription, allowing them to forge a strong, self-perpetuating military force. Every pony was required to enlist for a minimum of five years, and remain active as a soldier until they found other (government approved) work, such as blacksmithing, mining, and construction. This resulted in the pegasi developing a fierce sense of honour and competitive pride, supplemented by their effective military-centered lifestyle.

Several hundred years later, having ensured their dominance in Asthenia, the pegasi turned their attention towards conquering new lands, one filled with more natural resources, better able to support their population. They launched many expeditions, most failing, but the final one, lead by Commander Hurricane, landed in the east of a land they called 'Mundus'. With plenty of space to settle, as well as fertile land to grow crops, it seemed like a perfect land to lay claim to.

Contact and war

The pegasi expanded the quickest, and if it hadn't been for their late arrival, they would have most likely colonised the entire continent before the unicorns and earth ponies had even moved on from their initial landings. Instead, Commander Hurricane landed at some time during 2503 B.C.F. while Princess Platinum and Chancellor Puddinghead made their landings in 2505 B.C.F. As a result, the pegasus scouts came across semi-constructed settlements mid-way across the continent. Although initially successful in their raids due to their element of surprise, the unicorns soon fell back to their coastal settlement of Unicornia, located near what is now known as the Whitetail Woods. From there, they proved themselves to be successful in defending against the pegasi, who were unable to reach the unicorns due to their bio-kinesis. Not making any progress and suffering losses, the pegasi instead tried a pincer movement, sending their troops north and south in an attempt to circle the unicorns and besiege the final city.

The troops who were sent north encountered the earth ponies and their expansive, fertile lands, which they immediately tried to seize. Much like the unicorns, the earth ponies had no idea that there were other settlers in this new land, and were unprepared for an attack. However, unlike the unicorns, the earth ponies had not had a history based on struggle that had been overcome by battle or revolution, and so were pushed out of the land entirely by the pegasi. Returning to Scavanac, they told the tale of the slender warriors from over the seas who wore metal skin, who had plundered and chased them out of the only hope of sustaining the earth ponies. Immensely angered by this perception of deep injustice, they amassed a larger expedition, armed with implements of war derived from their array of farm tools, and journeyed back to Jord to reclaim their lands.

With their pincer movement complete, Unicornia was surrounded and cut off, its defences slowly eroding from a lack of supplies. In spite of their efficiency in defence, the unicorns were losing in a war of attrition, and had little hope of remaining on the continent. Fortunately for them, the earth ponies returned to the land, armed with large axes and a sense of justice, this time prepared to take the land by force, a move which surprised the pegasi; they had suspected that nopony would dare attack them after their display of military might. The counter-attack meant that many pegasi were called to the north to repel the now invading earth ponies, weakening their hold on Unicornia.

The clash between the pegasi and earth ponies was almost a stalemate; the pegasi were trained warriors, and had superior maneuverability and unit tactics, their army being capable of employing advanced strategy, while the earth ponies were naturally tall and strong, and could handle their axes and tools with surprising dexterity for their humble agricultural origins. Furthermore, the terrain and climate was not best suited for pegasi; back home, the pegasi were used to a warm, dry climate, with large expanses of desert and wilderness in between the sparse cities, but here, it was cold, frosty, rainy, and mountainous, and hilly between the steeper areas. However, while it was the location which inhibited the pegasi warriors, it was their lifestyle which hindered the earth ponies; they were used to having an equal voice and relatively free reign to do what they wanted within their lives, and so a hierarchy necessary for a military operation was absent from their planning, and as such little progress could be made, even when Chancellor Puddinghead and her subordinate, Smart Cookie, tried to take charge of the situation; they were unfamiliar with military tactics, and the process was shrouded by an informal type of bureaucracy as they attempted to organise a group which had no capacity to organise itself.

The bloody stalemate was broken when the unicorns, indignant at their treatment, launched a counter-offensive, catching the pegasi off-guard for the second time. The soldiers in the north were caught in an accidental pincer movement and had to withdraw east, away from the dangers of the earth and unicorn ponies who were advancing after them in anger and vengeance. Suddenly, the warriors of the east were on the run from two armies who had sprung up with startling readiness. In kind, the soldiers in the south had to retreat, joining up with the rest of their army, an action which left the three factions in control of a third of the continent each, and another stalemate that none of them could break.

With a harsh winter pressing in, and all sides losing patience and momentum, a final assault was launched upon the mountain range at the heart of the continent, all three factions hoping to gain control of a strategic defensive position which could be used to force the other two races off of the continent. Instead, the forces sent to the region became scattered and disorganised, and were unable to operate. During a particularly powerful blizzard, three important figures crossed paths and sought out shelter together, settling down in a cave which became snowed in, trapping the three inside. It was after this that they discovered the identities of their fellow refugees; Private Pansy of the pegasi, Smart Cookie of the earth ponies, and Clover the Clever of the unicorns. Low on food and supplies, and assuming that they would die in the cave, the three refused to fight each other, and instead tried something that none of the pony races had tried before - talking to each other. Over the thirty hours that they spent in the cave, the trio bonded through the realisation that they were in fact similar, and that there was no particular reason to fight other than greed and misunderstanding.

The ice blocking the entrance to the cave finally melted enough for the three ponies to push through and reach the outside world again, all three believing that they had been given a second chance to live their lives in a better way. Setting out together, they first travelled to the earth ponies, the ones most easily convinced that the war was a pointless pursuit. With the earth ponies convinced, they contacted the unicorns, explaining the situation and the lack of necessity in the war, a process which saw success after a brief period of intense negotiation. Finally, the two factions banded together and reached out to the pegasi, urging them to end the war. After a long while, the pegasi were dissuaded from continuing the war, and the three races started to band together to rebuild their shattered societies, working to their individual strengths to achieve this.

In the year 2500 B.C.F. the three factions officially formed the United Kingdom of Equestria in the Unification Document, signed by the representatives of each head of state; Commander Hurricane for the pegasi, Princess Platinum for the Unicorns, and Chancellor Puddinghead for the earth ponies. From that day, the three races lived in peace and harmony alongside each other, adapting their society and culture to include tenants from across their-

Spike shut the book and stretched. It had passed the point at which it was interesting and had started to grow a little dull. He swept a hand down his face and sighed, wondering how much longer he needed to wait. It seemed rather strange to have an appointment with the princess for a matter that was, in essence, very trivial, at least in terms of its purpose, but he understood that his request, if allowed, would require some re-organisation and a small amount of official paperwork.

The doors to the throne room opened and a pony walked out, walking across the foyer and out the door without looking at the young man sitting there. One of the guards called Spike up. He stood and walked into the throne room, the doors shutting behind him as he strode down the red carpet that cut down the centre of the room like a nylon river flowing through a marble valley. The carpet ended at an ornate multi-tiered throne for which the room was named, atop which sat a graceful woman. Spike knelt down as he reached the base of the throne.

"Your majesty, Princess of Equestria and her Highness to the throne of ponykind, I humbly request your audience," he spoke, enunciating the words clearly for the princess, his head bowed.

"I accept your request," came the silken reply. "You may rise." The dragon pushed himself up and looked to the woman, her beautiful, ageless face smiling down at him, just as it had all those years ago. Considering that she was doing nothing but sitting down, her slender legs held together and her arms resting on her lap, she still managed to look imposing, but without an aggressive aura- for all her strength, she didn't give off a threatening vibe, and it was impossible to feel anything but safe in her presence. "You may do away with the formalities, Spike. I feel that we've already spent too much time being ostentatious."

Spike smiled at this, laughing a little as the princess joined in. "Thank you, your highness," he chuckled, before regaining his composure and clearing his throat. "I know that it is uncommon for a soldier like myself, but I wish to ask for favour from you. I don't want you to think that I'm ungrateful for what you've already done for me, having been given a life far beyond what I probably deserved." The princess smiled at his words but let him continue. "I appreciate everything I have, I truly do, but I can't help wanting more, as bad as that sounds. I want to...to know who I am."

"You want access to information on dragons," she deduced from the direction of his conversation, to which he nodded. "I will be happy to provide whatever I can for you, Spike, but from what I understand, Twilight Sparkle has already given you all content regarding Equestrian knowledge on the dragon species. I sense that you want something else."

"With your kind permission, I would like to request a transfer, one that would put me in a position to learn more about dragons." He breathed in deeply, trying to calm his nerves. This moment could change his life forever, and he didn't want it to be wasted because he had stuttered and stammered like an imbecile. "If you could possibly find an assignment which would help me in that regard, I would be most grateful." He finished his pitch and waited, hoping for the answer he was looking for.

Celestia didn't reply for a while, and Spike tried counting the seconds that passed by, only to get distracted by his heartbeat. One, two, three four five sixseveneightnineten.... The silence continued, long enough to let in the sounds of the city outside. Spike took notice of how distant everything seemed from this room, as though he were isolated from the rest of the world, even the ponies milling about busily just outside. A bang sounded from somewhere, although that could have been his heat thumping loudly or the blood pounding in his ears.

"I think that the best thing to do would be to assign you to the Pandora research station," Celestia responded eventually, breaking the silence. Spike let out a long sigh of relief on hearing this, glad to hear that she had been pondering his options rather than deciding whether or not to allow the transfer. "It is a vast complex built onto the largest body of an asteroid belt out in deep space, and is run by a good number of ponies, zebras, and griffons. They will undoubtedly be able to give you much more information than I can hope to provide you here."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia," Spike beamed, bowing his head once more. "This means so much to me." The woman smiled down at him knowingly.

"I don't doubt that, and I'm sure that it means more to you than I could ever imagine. I sincerely hope that you find what you are looking for." She stopped and cocked her head at a distant crunching sound, followed by what sounded like a shout. Spike turned his head to the door, trying to make out what was happening behind it. Soft cracks had started to make their way into the chamber, and what sounded like armoured footsteps hurried away from outside the door, growing fainter as the guards apparently moved away.

"I shall endeavour to start the process as soon as possible," Celestia continued slowly, distracted by the noises outside. "Is that all, Spike?" The dragon glanced to her quickly and gave a quick bow.

"Yes, your highness. Thank you." With that he strode towards the large doors, determined to find out what was going on outside. If the guards had hurried away, then it was likely something bad, and that meant that he needed to find out what was going on, and why. He was halfway to the doors, his muscles already tensing as his combat training kicked in, preparing him for whatever he may find beyond the oak door.

CRASH

WHACK

The high pitched splintering sound of smashing glass followed almost instantaneously by the loud crunching of stone caught him unaware, and he instinctively ducked and spun to the source of the noise, wobbling from the sudden vibration sent through the floor. A stain glassed window had been broken three quarters of the way up the room and large shards of glass lay scattered across the floor. Off to the side, the unblemished marble of the floor had been shattered by the impact of a hunched black object. It appeared to be dull metal, the plates giving off a wan reflection from the sun outside. It shifted, then rose from the floor, straightening itself and turning towards the throne, revealing itself to be an armoured suit, one unlike Spike had ever seen before; the back of the helmet was angular, consisting of flat surfaces and many corners, giving it a blocky feel. A thick plate covered the back of the torso, and small angular spaulders protected the shoulder joints. The armour was completely matte black, and the metal plates were only distinguishable from the underlying bodysuit in the way that they subtly reflected the light in the room. The armoured individual stepped closer to the princess, his heavy boots thudding on the marble before he stopped, moved his legs into a stable position, and lifted something in his arms.

Celestia surrounded herself with a golden aura just in time to block the hail of bullets that were sent her way, flinching as the harsh report of sustained gunfire filled the room, echoing off the walls bouncing off the ceiling. Spike dashed towards the armoured gunman, stepping just past him as he raised both arms in the air, bringing them down sharply on the gun to knock its aim off the princess. Reversing his momentum, he brought he left arm back, feeling his elbow connect firmly with front of the attacker's helmet, sending him reeling backwards and losing his grip on the gun. Ignoring both the throbbing pain from his elbow and the clatter of the gun as it thudded onto the floor, Spike sized up his opponent.

The gunman regained his footing and looked at Spike, at least to a degree- it was hard to deduce anything relating to its head, given that the front of the helmet consisted of an angular, bevelled faceplate with no visible features, no indication of eyes or anything. The upper torso was guarded by a form-fitting chestplate while the rest seemed to rely on rigid carapace covering from the bodysuit. That was where he was weakest, Spike determined.

The figure darted forwards impatiently, drawing his fist back for an obvious punch. Spike ducked under it and leaned to the left, bringing his right knee up into the suit's stomach. The figure grunted, staggering from the force of the blow and giving Spike enough time to kick at the back of its knee, forcing the assailant down into a kneeling position. The dragon parried an inefficient backhand, pushing away the arm and delivering a snap kick to the back of its helmet, knocking him to the floor. As the figure immediately tried to get back up, Spike looked to the gun, discarded a few metres away. With a quick few steps, he stooped and picked it up, turning to face his opponent. The armoured figure had stood up, and was striding towards the dragon, looking ready to strike. Spike raised the rifle, and-

-dipped to the right in surprise as a golden light slashed past his head, striking his opponent squarely in the chest. The figure flopped backwards and clattered to the floor, skidding a few feet before he came to a rest, unmoving. The dragon turned to look for the source. Celestia stood with a raised hand, a golden glow encompassing it, her face stern.

"Princess, we need to go," Spike informed her urgently. "It's not safe here." He looked down to the rifle, twisting it in his hands to see how it worked. It wasn't any gun he had ever seen before, but he thought he could figure out how to work it; it had a rail along the top, a horizontal grip underneath the barrel, the magazine seemed to be clipped at an angle in front of the hand guard, and the shoulder stock connected to the grip and magazine feed. Most of it appeared to be steel, but the stock and grips seemed to be polymer. Stepping over to the unconscious assailant, the dragon felt across the black armour, searching for more magazines to the weapon. Pulling out three more, he stowed them away into his belt, making an impromptu bandolier.

The door was heaved open, and Spike looked up. The two guards from outside had returned, striding into the room with their weapons drawn. Upon seeing the princess unharmed, they stopped and looked around, spotting Spike and the inert form on the floor.

"Princess, we have to leave," one of them stated in a gruff voice. "Canterlot is under attack!" They looked about themselves uncomfortably.

"Where are we taking her?" the dragon asked, finding the release latch for the magazine on his weapon, checking the ammo capacity of said magazine, and slamming it back into place. Both the guards looked him over inquisitively. "Corporal Spike, Division M6," he reeled off, predicting their upcoming question. "Where are we taking her?"

"The shuttle," the guard answered at last. "We get her there and secure the area. After that, we contact command, call for reinforcements, and hold the line. Are you ready to go, your majesty?" The regal woman nodded, her face grim. "I'll take point. You two, keep your eyes open." With that, the four stepped through the door at an urgent pace, weapons levelled.

The sounds of battle grew louder as they drew closer to the exit, muffled slightly by the marble of the building, their footsteps seemingly responding to the thumps and the cracks from outside. Making their way down the steps, sweeping their rifles across the landing, the group hurried to the entrance door, the two guards pressing themselves against the wood. as Spike knelt down with his weapon ready, scanning the area behind them.

"Straight out the door, down the steps, across to the pad," explained the lead guard. "Eyes up and weapons ready. I want you pulling up the rear, corporal."

"Understood," Spike confirmed. He took a deep breath to ready himself.

"Okay people, let's go!"

"Moving!"

"Corporal, move up!"

The doors creaked open and the sounds from outside flooded in, the sound of boots thumping as they advanced through the door and onto the steps outside. Spike spun around and followed, passing through the doorway and into the outside. There were a few fires in the distance, if the columns of rising smoke were any indication, but there was little in the way of disturbance as they progressed down the steps and crossed the bridge, heading towards the side of the palace. Deeper into the city there came gunfire, small explosions, panic and disorder, the noises pressing the group on further towards the shuttle area, passing by several low-lying supply buildings, the two storey concrete structures seeming to watch the small group as they rushed by.

PING

"Contact right!"

The crack of the gunshot was superseded by the whine of the bullet whistling past and bouncing noisily off the lead guard's shoulder plate, stumbling him. Spike winced and spun to the right, spotting a black armoured figure standing on a roof of the of the buildings perhaps a hundred metres away. His training regime kicked in, and he crouched into a stable stance, bringing the rifle to his shoulder and leaning his head against the stock, lining the sights up with the target in the distance. Taking a breath in, he squeezed the trigger, the rifle spouting a hail of bullets at his foe and kicking back against him. Aware that the kick would throw his aim off, Spike released the trigger, taking a second to realign the sights and fire another burst, a discipline his opponent apparently knew nothing about; the bullets that bit at the concrete around him and pinged shrilly caused Spike's heartbeat to rise, but were consistently off target, the only hit being the first shot against the guard.

The two guards joined Spike, taking aim and firing with their own weapons, forcing the figure to duck down and move to the side. The dragon ejected his empty magazine, reaching for a new one and slapping it into place with a satisfying click. The two guards paused to spread out, glancing back to see that Celestia was unharmed, and the armoured figure on the roof chose the moment of silence to pop back up, taking aim once more-

-straight into Spike's sights. A rapid pull of the trigger sent a burst towards the figure, striking him in the chest and causing him to topple sideways, and then collapse back. The trio waited with their sights trained on the spot he had fallen for several seconds, in case he got back up, but he didn't appear.

"Okay, move!" called the foremost guard, motioning for them to continue on their way. Scanning the rooftops for other threats, Spike obliged, jogging along with his weapon ready. Celestia snapped her fingers as they ran, covering all of them with a golden sheen, likely a shield, Spike realised. Luckily, it proved unnecessary, as they reached the shuttle without any further incident. The guards and Spike took up positions around the craft as Celestia made her way on board, crouched low and ready for any more attacks. There was nothing. No soldiers waiting with snipers or rockets, nothing attached to the craft either.

Just a lone figure on one of the furthest buildings, his gun hanging at his side. From what Spike could see, he was merely observing, watching the trio as they covered the princess' entrance into the shuttle that would take her to safety. He wasn't anything like the others that Spike had seen; his armour was a dirty red, and it appeared to be less carapace than the others, appearing to be scaled instead. Spike went to raise his gun, but the red figure turned and walked away, soon disappearing from sight. The dragon blinked. Had he imagined that, or had someone been watching them?

"What do you mean, 'they're retreating'?" a gruff voice asked, snapping Spike from his focused pondering. He looked over to the two guards, who were discussing something in raised voices.

"Exactly that," the other one answered. "All attacking forces are reported to be retreating from Canterlot. It was confirmed by several guards." The two looked at each other, then at the shuttle again, before looking over to Spike.

"Stay here with the princess," the first guard commanded, standing up. "We're going to find out what's going on around here. We'll be back as soon as we can." With that, the two of them jogged back the way they had came, heading towards the city. The dragon watched them go, noticing how the sound of gunfire and general chaos had drawn to an end, leaving the entire city in silent shock of what had just transpired. He backed towards the door of the shuttle, stepping inside and sitting down on the floor, placing the gun on his lap. He let out a long breath and swept his hands across his face, looking down to the floor.

"Thank you," came a soft voice from behind him. He looked back to see Celestia sitting on one of the many seats, her pose not dissimilar from when she was sat on her throne. Somehow, she had managed to maintain her regal look. "Thank you for acting when you did. You quite possibly saved my life."

"It was just something I had to do," Spike commented, waving off her praise. "I couldn't stand there and do nothing." Celestia gave a wan smile at his dismissal.

"And you did act. You did your duty, even though you weren't charged with it. I still owe you my gratitude."

"Well, thank you, your highness. It was my honour."

"But?"

"Sorry?"

"There is something else. Something that you're not saying." A long silence followed.

"I...I've been trained to fight, to survive on the battlefield, and to protect those around me. That was the first time I've actually had to use it, the first time that failure would have meant more than just humiliation."

"You did well, better than I or any instructor could have asked you," Celestia ensured him sincerely.

"But I wasn't with Twilight," he deadpanned. Celestia fell silent. "I'm wondering if she's okay. I know she's good, and I know that she can overcome anything, but...I can't shake the doubt. This isn't some test that you can prepare for." He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, the princess having came over to him while he was expressing his thoughts.

"I have known the Sparkle family for many years," Celestia told him. "Night Light and Shining Armour have both been Captains of the Royal Guard, and they have both excelled at their duties. Twilight Sparkle has been an eager, earnest and talented student to whom I have devoted a significant portion of my time. All of your family, and that includes you, are talented, skillful, and resourceful, something that you have proven yourself, just now. I can assure that Twilight Sparkle is perfectly fine, unharmed and likely worried about you. Fear not." Her words calmed him, and he felt the stress and doubt leaving his body. He took a deep breath.

"You're right. She'll be fine." He felt a wry grin crossing his face. "Now I'm the one that needs to thank you." The princess gave a light giggle. He felt much better in her presence, as though she were a source of peace that he could soak up.

"Your highness!" a guard called, running up to the door. Spike started to reach for the rifle, but stopped when he realised who it was. The princess' visage had turned to a look of calm but stern professionalism. "The assailants, it seems that their attack wasn't an attempt on your life as we had feared." He swallowed and then continued. "Research containment cache number 5381 has been broken into, and the contents are gone!"

The princess gasped in shock, her eyes widening, her reaction sending a chill through Spike. She looked down to him, ordering sternly, "Go and find Twilight and bring her here. It is imperative that I speak to her."

"Yes, your majesty," Spike replied, standing up and giving a quick bow before leaping from the craft and setting off at a run. He had no idea what had happened, or why the princess needed Twilight, but she was worried, and if the princess was worried, then something was bad. Very, very bad.

Author's Note

Well, here it is! After however many months, I've finally completed the first chapter to the Dragonfire line. Enjoy it, because in all likelihood I won't be writing the next chapter for some time. Thank you for reading, and give me some feedback to tell me how I'm doing.

Entry #2

"...medical and security staff have found themselves on high alert after a shocking and sudden incident in Canterlot yesterday. There have been a number of reported injuries, but so far no confirmed reports of fatalities from the city. Neither princess has yet released an official statement, but public officials have made comments suggesting that this was an attack..."

"...what appears to be an attack on the capital city of Canterlot. At the moment we are unable to determine exactly what the perpetrators wished to achieve or whether they were successful..."

"...speculation has ranged from a simple terrorist attack to a conspiracy against the throne by separatists, none of which has been confirmed either by official media or by any credible sources. No group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for the attack which took place yesterday..."

"...concerns have been raised about planetary security following what is now being accepted as a sudden attack against Canterlot. Officials are urging the public to remain 'vigilant but calm' in light of this event, but have offered no further explanation as to what exactly has happened or whether the threat is still immediately present..."

"...space-faring traffic has found itself in chaos today after departures and arrivals have been put on indefinite hold. System-wide, ships are docking wherever they can to await the lift of the quarantine. Planets and all major civilian population centres have raised their security status in light of the incident in Canterlot, of which the motivation is as of yet still uncertain..."

Location: Equestrian airspace, Equestria
Date: 171 A.C.F.

The journey was smooth, if not the events which proceeded it. The Sky Chariot made for light, speedy travel, and Spike had no trouble reading the articles on his data pad as they flew. Swiping along grimly, his eyes met the sullen sight of the headlines, one after another announcing the disturbing event from the day before. A chirp from the device broke his routine, and he tapped on the image of a scroll which had appeared along with the tone.

"What does it say?" Twilight asked from beside him, breaking from her reverie to turn to him. She was dressed smartly, her blouse topped by a dark jacket and matching trousers, offset by her pink neckerchief. Her shoes were polished to perfection and shone even without a distinct light inside the vehicle.

"It's from the princess," Spike answered. "The details just came through." He read through the contents, skimming the message swiftly as Twilight perked up. "Would you like me to read it to you?" Seeing her nod, he cleared his throat and sat straighter in his seat, holding the pad in front of him.

"My Dear Twilight, having had time to assess the situation and consult with my advisers, it has been decided that the retrieval of the stolen materials is of paramount importance, and is the priority task for all capable and relevant persons. A navel carrier is in the process of being requisitioned and a crew assembled, but there are a few important individuals who lay outside the reach of the military. I am sending you to call them into service, effective immediately. Attached to this document is a list of the ponies you will need to find, and a royal summons as a means of proof. A Sky Chariot will be sent to collect you all at your reply to this message. I hope this letter finds you well. Yours, Princess Celestia."

"She's sending me to find people?" Twilight asked, confusion evident in her voice. Spike could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she tried to determine the purpose of this task. Rationality was always her fallback, the reliable procedure her mind lent her, but when that failed...He decided not to let her rack up an energy bill just thinking about the situation.

"We're almost there," the dragon spoke up, turning the pensive woman's attention to the increasing gradient of the craft's flight path. Clouds flicked past the small circular windows and the ground below became visible, expanding out in all directions, green all the way to the distant horizon save for the rocky slopes of the mountains, and even on these great patches of growth stood out. With a gentle incline the craft turned, a ribbon of a river glistening in the sun and growing larger as they descended, following the water's lax gait through the plains. From their altitude, Spike gained an expansive view of a town straddling the river, a bridge like a lone stitch bravely spanning the open cut. On one side, a thick forest hugged the outer perimeter of the cosy town. Then the pilots levelled out, and the window was filled with a view of the tops of hills reaching up to meet the sky, impersonating their taller brethren.

"Why in Ponyville, of all places?" Twilight asked rhetorically, resting her chin on her palm. "Who is so important in Ponyville that they need retrieving, and why me? Why not send a communiqué?"

"Maybe she wanted you to try talking to some real people," Spike suggested with a playful smirk. "She knows how often you spend inside studying. Maybe she wants you to make some friends, and perhaps Ponyville has some interesting people to talk to."

"Studying is important," she returned, giving him the mildest of glares. "Talking has its uses, but knowledge has a great many more. Diplomacy is one thing, but we're in a state of civil emergency here, Spike, and the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends."

The craft slowed and descended vertically, and Spike pulled his bag from the seat next to him and pulled it over his shoulders. Twilight stood as the vehicle stopped and pushed her head into the cockpit, smiling amiably at the two pilots.

"Thank you, sirs."

They gave a nod each and pressed the release for the door, the back of the vehicle opening up and letting in the racket of the engines outside. Spike stepped off the ramp and down onto the grass, the backwash of the jets battering him as soon as he touched the ground. Twilight followed behind him, taking tentative steps down the ramp, shielding her face from the fierce wind and holding her jacket close. As soon as they had both touched the grass, the engines' roar intensified, the heat and waves of the jets rushing over them and sending their garments whipping about them, the Sky Chariot swiftly leaving the scene for the expanse of the sky, the pervasive whine diminishing and leaving the dragon and pony alone. Twilight readjusted her hair and straightened her clothes, while Spike's plain white t-shirt and black trousers remained unaffected. He fiddled with the data pad as Twilight fussed about herself.

"Where to?" she asked, her voice seeming much more mellow following the deafening blare of the Sky Chariot. The man looked in the general direction he hoped the pad was telling him to go. "That way. We're not far from the first person's home." He couldn't resist adding, "But maybe we'll run into somepony to talk to along the way." Twilight's sigh made him chuckle internally, and they set off towards their destination, attracting the curious gaze of many citizens who had heard the atypical disturbance of their arrival.

"All I'm saying is that you should try," Spike commented as way of conversation as they walked, looking around at the ponies who observed them in return. Twilight, by contrast, kept her gaze as firmly fixed as her focus.

"I'm not here to make friends."

"Come on, Twilight," he protested, spotting a woman coming towards them. "What about her? Just try." Twilight looked beleaguered by Spike's teasing, and she looked at him with stern exhaustion, and then at the approaching pony.

The newcomer had a spring to her step, her eyes closed as she hummed to herself, her walk accentuated with a delicate little bounce that was too subtle to openly call a bounce but too noticeable to deny. She seemed not just jovial, but to exude a certain energy, a positive aura which crackled with tireless vitality. Maybe it was her appearance; her pink poofy hair, casual jeans and pink t-shirt all seemed to by extension carry the sense of barely constrained vigour, and her wide, cheerful smile settled so perfectly on her face, girly and bubbly as it was. When the woman was within a few metres of Twilight and Spike, she opened her eyes, sharing with them a gorgeous pair of deep blue orbs, both of which twinkled with the same insatiable energy that was so apparent from the rest of her. Twilight stared uncertainly for a few seconds at the new woman before swallowing.

"Uh...hello?" she tried, forcing a smile onto her face.

The effect was immediate. The newcomer's eyes snapped open wide like she'd seen a ghost and she gasped startlingly loudly. Before either Spike or Twilight could do more than flinch in surprise, the coiled spring of a woman had sprinted past them and found herself so far down the street that her feet didn't seem to touch the ground. Spike and Twilight stared after her with open mouths for a while. The unicorn was the first to recover.

"Well, that was interesting, alright," she huffily declared, pacing away on their intended course. Spike sighed and followed her, bringing his data pad up to check their direction. "How much further?" Twilight asked.

"Not far," he replied. "Just along this road, can't miss it. Maybe ten minutes, then we'll be at Sweet Apple Acres."

The dirt path lead them a short distance from the town, taking them up the gentle slope of a hill. Near the top, a picket fence ran parallel to the road, marking the boundary of the privately owned land. Five minutes later, the two of them came to arched gateway, the humble sign overhead proudly declaring that they had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Beyond it, another path ran perpendicular to the perimeter road, lined either side by scores of blossomed trees, forming an avenue down to the large, sturdy barn at its end. The walk had taken them a quarter of an hour, and Spike could tell that Twilight was glad to have arrived.

"Who are we here to see?" the unicorn asked as she pushed open the gate. She looked around at the rows of trees adorning the sides of the path, her sharp eyes and analytical mind coordinating to determine what they were.

"An earth pony named Applejack," Spike replied, quickly falling alongside her as she set off at a relaxed pace. The data pad gave him a bare amount of information on the woman in question, indicating that she owned, lived, and worked on the farm known as 'Sweet Apple Acres', along with her family. They walked in silence down the track, admiring the tranquility that the lane afforded and avoiding doing anything which would disturb the peace which seemed so prevalent here.

Distant muffled murmurs became faintly audible as Twilight and Spike reached the second fence which marked the end of the treeline, the green wall no longer blocking sound from afar. The area surrounding the barn, and, Spike noticed as they walked further, a similarly designed house, was empty. Twilight paused for a moment, turning her head to try and find a person to talk to, before moving towards the house, intent on going to the source.

"Howdy-do, what can I do ya for?" a voice called out from behind. The pony and dragon turned sharply, surprised by the sudden appearance of the woman strolling from among the trees. She was carrying two baskets of vibrantly red apples, one under each arm, and bore a simple and genuinely friendly smile. Her emerald green eyes shone merrily from her freckled face as she approached them, placing the baskets down on the ground and removing her cowboy hat to wipe her forehead and revealing thick folds of long blonde hair which had been tied into a ponytail at the back and cut into a flicked fringe, resting neatly on her brow. It became evident that she'd been working during their approach, and probably had been the entire day; her cotton camisole and exposed skin were dotted with a thin film of sweat and her denim shorts and hardened working boots exuded the impression that she'd been carrying out tough physical labour before she had been interrupted, as did the thick brown leather gloves she pulled off.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," the unicorn spoke up at last, stepping forward and pulling up her business facade. "I'm here to look for-" She was halted mid-sentence by an enthusiastic and rather unexpected handshake from the other woman. Spike raised an eyebrow in surprise as Twilight's face took on the look of surprised shock, wincing in mild pain at the firm grip of the farmer. It didn't take long to figure out why; the taller woman's arms were well defined, and even with the rapid up-down motion she was putting into the overbearing handshake, Spike could still make out the shape of solid muscle. A cursory glance confirmed at her legs told the same story. This woman had apparently been a farmer for a long time, probably most of her life, and the light tan she had accrued supported this hypothesis.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Twilight," she drawled happily, finally releasing the comparatively smaller woman from her unintentional bone-crushing introduction. "Ah'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do love makin' new friends." The unicorn perked up at the mention of the farmer's name, trying to hide her pained countenance and carefully flexing each finger to make sure they all still worked. Spike had to suppress a chuckle.

"Actually, we were looking to speak to you. I'm here on the orders of Princess Celestia, and you're needed in relation to the incident in Canterlot yesterday." The farmer's expression turned serious, and she fixed the smaller woman with a worried gaze.

"If that's the case, we may need ta talk about this over lunch." Not waiting for an affirmative response from Twilight, Applejack strode over to the barn, leaving the unicorn and the dragon to share a questioning look.

"As long as it doesn't take too long," she reluctantly consented to herself more than anyone else, resigned to going along with whatever the earth pony was doing as she disappeared into the barn, reappearing moments later holding a metal triangle and a stick. A second later, she battered the triangle, sending a blaring rattle across the farmyard. Before the ring had faded, she cupped her hands to her mouth and hollered, replacing the shrill metallic reverberation with her own powerful voice.

"SOUP'S ON, EVERYPONY!"

There was a moment in which the silence which had previously inhabited the farmyard cautiously crept back in, filling in the shattered peace and serenity of the day. Applejack placed the triangle back in the barn and headed off to the house, conducting herself much more quietly. And then the ground began to shake.

Spike and Twilight turned around in anxious confusion as a veritable stampede of ponies charged at them, bolting from the fields and designated work spots to answer the call to lunch. The two newcomers were swept along, the crowd appearing from nowhere and piling into them in their haste. When at last the rumble of feet faded away and had been replaced by the happy murmuring of mealtime talking, the moderately bruised duo found themselves seated at a long wooden table, sitting beside one another on a bench among other farm ponies. Applejack was sliding plates and bowls along the wooden surface, leaving them to be grabbed and snatched by the hungry horde. This was a ritual with which they were evidently familiar.

When everything had been distributed, Applejack sat down opposite Twilight and Spike, beaming at them and introducing them to every other member of the table. When their name was called, the individual turned and gave a wave or a salute before returning to their own conversation.

"-and Granny Smith," the farmer finished at long last, having reeled off a vast multitude of names. "Up and at'em, granny." The woman in question looked up with a start as though jolting awake, and glanced both ways before spotting the two guests and offering a smile similar to that of the enthusiastic farm girl who had introduced her. She was old, wrinkles adorning her face like deep ravines, but she still held a firmness in her that seemed to be present in her younger counterpart. When the elderly woman turned back, Applejack looked back to Twilight, helping herself to a plate of bread and a steaming bowl of soup.

"So, what's this about needin' ta speak to me?" she asked, pushing a plate towards the two of them. Spike accepted it without hesitation, willfully ignoring Twilight's sideways glance at him.

"I'm sure you've heard about the attack on Canterlot yesterday-" she began, halting when the other woman responded with a blank look. Twilight looked askingly at Spike, who chewed his food and swallowed it to offer some help.

"There's been an attack?" the earth pony asked, looking between the two of them. Spike nodded, taking another forkful of his pie. "Well, I'll be," she muttered, raising her brow in surprise. "That's shocking news to me, miss Twilight." She shook her head in sad disbelief before asking, "What's that gotta do with me?"

The unicorn hesitated as though juggling the words she could use before answering, "I've been sent by Princess Celestia to collect you. She requested you for some reason- I'm not sure why- but she seems to think that you're important." Applejack seemed surprised by the other woman's explanation.

"Ah'm always ready to serve the princess, but ah don't know what ah can possibly do to help," she responded, a pensive look adorning her face. "Ah've got a farm and a family t'care for, and it's an awful lot to drop without warnin' if it ain't true. I don't want to accuse y'all of lyin', you look both like respectable folk, but is there any way to prove that ah'm needed?"

"The princess sent a royal summons," Spike spoke up, picking up the data pad and opening the file. As he presented it to Applejack, Twilight shot him an appreciative smile, which he returned. The farmer scanned the document, her face straightening out as she finished reading and looked at the two guests.

"Well, that's enough proof for me," she replied, casting the two guests a mildly apologetic smile. "When do we need to go? Ah should probably pack, and tell ma family that ah'm going away-"

"Where are ya goin', sis?" a younger voice inquired from behind the earth pony. It was a younger girl, standing just behind Applejack. She'd evidently approached them in the midst of Applejack's uncertainty and overheard part of the conversation. Like the farmer, this girl had a strong accent, and she possessed certain similarities that weren't distinguishable but were immediately obvious, subtle nuances which pointed to them being related. Perhaps it was her direct but polite approach or the way she stood, but she bore a bore a likeness, the deep vibrant red hair styled in an approximation of Applejack's blonde mane, and her orange eyes shone with the same friendly curiosity.

"Jus' away for a bit, Apple Bloom," the farmer replied, offering a distracted smile. "Ah don't know how long." She looked at the house, deep in thought. Twilight took this as an opportunity to push her plate away.

"Well, I can see this has been sorted, so we'll be on our way and leave you to sort this out." She made to stand up, but Applejack stopped her with a motion.

"S'alright," she assured the unicorn. "Stay for a bit. It'd put mah mind at ease to know you've had a good meal, and it'd be a good time to talk some more about this-" Her eyes flicked to Apple Bloom. "-business." Twilight hesitated, and as a result she found herself being handed a plate of apple pie.

"Fine," she conceded with a sigh, sitting back down.

"I ate too much pie," the purple haired woman groaned, rubbing her stomach pitifully. They were walking the road back to Ponyville proper, leaving the farm behind them. Spike smirked to himself as he checked the data pad, perusing the information on the next assigned target. As they entered the fringes of the town proper, Twilight came up to him, having worked off the aches that came from politely forcing herself to eat. "Who's next?" she asked.

"A pegasus named Rainbow Dash," he answered, instinctively looking up at the sky. A few white fluffy clouds graced the blue heavens, adding to the beautiful aesthetic of the summer day. Pegasi had an inclination towards aerial activities, from simple rock climbing to piloting. Without their drive to explore upwards, aeronautics would have been delayed decades, if not centuries. It was one area of Equestrian technological development that wasn't solely driven by the unicorns' ambition, something which surprised many unicorns of the day. It was rare to find a study to which another race was as motivated and passionate as that of the erudite caste.

His train of thought was interrupted by a thump and a wail from behind him. He turned to face the source of the commotion, and found Twilight sprawled out on the floor, a few feet away from where she'd been standing when he last saw her. Atop her was another figure who had apparently tackled her to the ground for some reason, albeit very clumsily. The newcomer pushed themselves up to their feet, looked around, and then chuckled.

"Uh, 'scuse me?" she giggled, offering Twilight a hand. The unicorn took it tentatively and was pulled sharply to her feet. Now that they were standing side-by-side, Twilight became a standard of comparison; the newcomer bore the lean and firm body of a pegasus, her running shorts and t-shirt showing the lack of fat on her body. Her muscles weren't bulky, but sleek and compact, and like a coiled spring, there seemed to be a strength which she could unleash at a moment's notice.

"Let me guess - you're Rainbow Dash?" Twilight grumbled as she dusted herself off wearily. It wasn't an uneducated guess, Spike contemplated, as the woman bore a thick bush of prismatic hair, sporting a myriad of colours and shades so that they all seemed to segue seamlessly into a colour wheel.

"The one and only," came the reply, a proud, confident glint in her cerise eyes. "Why, you heard of me?" Her voice never faltered, Spike noted, like she was brimming with confidence. It always carried a lilting, upbeat certainty.

"I've heard about you," the unicorn said, glancing over at Spike. The dragon returned to Twilight's side, retrieving the information on his pad and handing it to Rainbow Dash, who looked at the summary in surprise. Looking up at them, her face brightened in apparent recognition.

"Are you recruiters?" she asked, excitement underlying her question. Twilight gave a surprised glance at Spike.

"Well, in a way."

"For the Wonderbolts?"

"They most talented fliers in all of Equestria? I'm afraid not." She grimaced slightly as the other woman's face fell.

"No biggie, they'll come around eventually," the pegasus resumed nonchalantly, shrugging and taking a swig of her water. Instant recovery, Spike noted as she wiped her mouth and clicked the lid back into place, the former confident smile returning to her face. Like a true athlete. "So, why are you looking for me?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I was sent by the princess to collect you. I'm sure you've heard about the attack on Canterlot yesterday-"

"Woah woah woah, back up a second there," the pegasus interrupted her. "There's been an attack?" She looked between Twilight and Spike expectantly.

"Yesterday," Twilight confirmed. "Something came into the city, caused disruption and chaos, and then left. I didn't see anything of note, but-"

"You were there?" Rainbow Dash interrupted her again, her eyes widened in surprise and awe. "And now you're here? Wow, you're tough." She looked at Twilight approvingly.

"Uh, just following orders," Twilight replied, blushing at the unexpected praise. "I was told to come and collect you, and here I am." She gestured awkwardly. The rainbow haired girl nodded.

"Well, you sound like a blast, Twilight Sparkle," the pegasus smiled, slapping her on the shoulder as she walked past. "It sounds like a good reason for us hang out some more. I'll come and find you after I've finished my routine and cleaned up." And with that, she turned to resume her jog.

"Wait," Twilight called out. "Do you know where we'll be?"

"I'll be able to find you," the other woman answered assuredly, speeding off in the pursuit of her exercise schedule. Not ten seconds later, she'd vanished from sight, leaving the dragon and the unicorn alone.

"She's amazing," Spike spoke up, looking at the space previously occupied by the pegasus. "I know fast, and that's fast." Twilight didn't respond, still flummoxed from the sudden appearance and disappearance of their quarry. Blinking, she began moving uncertainly in the direction they'd been travelling before their encounter with Rainbow Dash.

"Let's get going," she said at last, falling back into her orderly routine. Spike choose not to comment about her appearance as he followed her, instead holding in a snicker at the state of her hair. Her clothes were fine, but her hair was a lot more frazzled than it normally was, dusted with dirt and an odd twig. The contrast of her appearance and her facade was rather amusing, he thought.

"Beautiful", Spike whispered as he looked up from the data pad. Twilight cast him a curious glance and took the pad from his unresistant grip, flicking through the information he had up.

"Rarity," she read, scrolling down the page. "Unicorn, resides in Ponyville. Fashion designer and manufacturer, small business owner. Well, at least we know where she is, and it's not like this shop is huge." The unicorn looked around at the room, smiling at the selection of clothes on display. For such a small shop in a town like Ponyville, there was a great variety apparently available; dresses, suits, summer shorts and tops, scarves, hats for all conceivable purposes, and all in a myriad of styles, colours, and patterns. "Beautiful indeed."

"Not the shop," Spike explained breathlessly. "Her." Following his gaze, Twilight spotted a woman standing behind the shop counter, focusing on an assortment of papers in front of her. She was undoubtedly a unicorn, and it became obvious why Spike was dumbstruck. Her indigo hair was styled expertly into pretty feminine curls which fell pleasantly down to her shoulders, twisting playfully on its way down. Her fair skin was unblemished, her face a smooth stretch of untouched beauty, accentuated by the subtle makeup she'd applied to draw attention to her full lips and azure eyes.

"No, no," the woman muttered to herself, shuffling the papers along one by one and frowning at them in disappointed disapproval. "Goodness, no, certainly not that."

"How do I look?" Spike asked, absentmindedly brushing back his hair and smoothing out his top. Twilight rolled her eyes at his display and smiled, walking over to the desk.

"Good afternoon," she began, only to be halted by a raised hand from the other woman.

"Just a moment please," she replied chirpily. "I'm in the zone, as t'were." Her hand lit up and she reached out, taking hold of a length of ribbon which had floated over to her and held it close to the paper she was scrutinising. Apparently satisfied with the match, she smiled proudly to herself and nodded, putting the ribbon and the paper down. "Ah, yes, sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why Rarity, you are a talent." Turning to give Twilight her full attention, she continued, "Now, how can I help-" She broke off suddenly with a gasp as she came to view Twilight in full, who stared back with an equal measure of confusion and surprise. "Darling, whatever happened to your coiffure?" she asked, placing a hand to her chest.

"Oh, you mean my mane?" Twilight realised, tentatively reaching up to feel with a hand and brushing out some dust from her frazzled and mussed mess. "Well, it's a long story."

"Oh no no no no no!" The other unicorn broke in, shaking her head, her delicate amethyst earrings swinging with the motion of her head. "That simply will not do!" She paused, looking at the woman in front of her. "Did you by any chance happen upon a certain pegasus named Rainbow Dash?"

"Well, yes," Twilight responded, offering a nervous smile. Rarity tutted and shook her head in disapproval.

"I apologise that you had to meet her like that, but it isn't uncommon, unfortunately. Please, use my bathroom to refresh yourself, and I'll have you looking your very best."

"There's no need-"

"Please, darling, I insist," the beautiful unicorn replied, coming around the desk to drag Twilight towards the stairs. Spike watched them in silent awe as they protested against each other up to the second floor of what was now his favourite shop in system. Eventually, the voices died down and about ten minutes later the shopkeeper descended the stairs alone. Upon seeing Spike, she started, and then gave a welcoming smile. "Oh, I am sorry dear. Can I help you at all?"

"No actually," Spike replied after clearing his throat. "I'm Spike, Twilight's assistant." He smiled at her, forcing his muscles to co-ordinate themselves to form a socially acceptable facial expression. It still may have been goofier than he wished, but the woman didn't seem particularly fazed.

"An assistant?" the unicorn mused, looking at Spike with interest. Her smile spread across her face and she leaned forward slightly. "I'm Rarity, the owner of Carousel Boutique. Your friend must hold a very important position to have such a strong young man assist her." Her compliment brought a blush to Spike's face.

"In a way," he responded, scratching at the back of his neck nervously. "We were asked to come to Ponyville to find certain people, and I'm here to relay the information, I suppose." He raised his data pad by way of explanation. "Actually, you're the next person we're meant to come and, uh, collect."

"Collect?" Rarity asked, raising her brow. "Might I be able to look at your 'information'?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him and smiled charmingly. The dragon took a moment to scroll to the top of the page before extending it to Rarity, who took it from him with a dainty hand. For the next several minutes, she carefully perused the text, occasionally flicking upwards with a slender finger to read further down. By the time she had finished and given the data pad back to Spike, Twilight had come down the stairs, her hair much cleaner and smarter, and her clothes adjusted to give her the same authoritative air that she'd had when they'd first arrived in Ponyville.

"Thank you for letting me use your shower," Twilight voiced gratefully, touching at her hair softly and brushing it mildly to the side. A faint scent of lavender wafted over to Spike, who simpered at the thought that the shopkeeper would use one of Twilight's favourite shampoos.

"Not at all dear," Rarity returned cheerfully. "It's the least I could do after your run-in with that pegasus." Her countenance darkened and she scrunched up her nose in disapproval momentarily before returning to her welcoming facade. "I was just talking with your assistant about what brought you to Ponyville."

"Ah, yes," Twilight remembered, looking over at Spike and giving him a slight smile. "Well, Spike and I were sent here from Canterlot to collect certain-"

"Canterlot?" the other mare gasped suddenly. "You're from Canterlot? Oh, I am so envious! The glamour, the sophistication!" She looked into the distance dreamily, her eyes positively sparkling with excitement and reverence. "I've always dreamed of living there." She sighed happily before looking back at Twilight with a satisfied beam. "I can't wait to hear all about it."

Twilight and Spike shared an awkward glance. The unicorn turned back to Rarity, who was staring expectantly with the same unbridled passion and excitement. "I assume that you aren't aware of the attack on Canterlot yesterday?"

Rarity's expression switched almost instantaneously to blank confusion at Twilight's words and then, a second later, turned to disturbed surprise.

"There's been an attack?"

"Wasn't she wonderful?" the young man asked as they walked along one of the many footpaths around Ponyville, a wide, dopey grin etched onto his face. After informing Rarity on the situation, they had left, Twilight more readily than Spike, and navigated their way from Rarity's shop- Carousel Boutique- to their last target. For some reason, this particular pony had chosen to set up residence in a cottage on the edge of the town's forest, and Spike had to navigate them there with plenty of assistance from the pad's orientation programmes. This didn't take too much effort, and he found his mind wandering to his encounter with the purple-maned fashionista.

"Focus, Casanova," Twilight reminded him, shooting him a mildly irritated look. "Who's next?"

"The last one, I think," Spike informed her, frowning at the name just under their current destination. The location kept jumping around, and wouldn't be fixed by his insistent taps or reboots. Shrugging, he instead paid attention to the name they were chasing. According to the pad, they were nearby.

The cottage looked surprisingly vibrant and comfortable given its location. Rather than lonely, it looked happily secluded, and certainly well maintained. It sat by a gentle river, a quaint bridge allowing visitors to cross and wind their way up the path to the small wooden door. After several knocks, and a few minutes waiting, Twilight turned to Spike.

"Does it say that they're here?" she asked. Spike nodded and glanced down at the pad in confirmation.

"Right here. They definitely live here, and I'm not sure where they could be otherwise." When Twilight didn't respond, he looked up, finding her tilting her head as though listening. A couple of seconds later, Spike realised why. A soft melody floated over to him, faint but clear. Twilight looked over her shoulder, then turned and edged her way around the cottage, heading towards the back. Spike followed her closely, peeping over Twilight when they stopped at a corner, and caught a view of the back garden, and a sight that he hadn't expected.

The garden was expansive, full of pens and coops for a variety of animals and creatures, from normal farmyard specimens to ferrets and a range of exotic birds. A large gathering of these animals was taking place around a woman, who was the source of the melody they had heard from the front of the cottage, and now that they were closer, it was much more audible. She was singing, and the creatures were gathering around her attentively. Birds were perching on her delicate arms, some chirping in response to her melodious tune. A few deer sniffed around her, creeping closer and touching at her pink, silky mane which fell down to her waist. The woman turned around, gently stroking the head of the nearest dear, a serene smile tugging at her face. Her eyes, beautiful cyan mirrors, spotted the two onlookers, and a look of shock and fear crossed her face, abruptly ending her singing as she let out a sharp scream. At once, the animals scattered, a cacophony of noise as the hooved animals bolted away from her and the birds took flight. The woman jumped up and back several paces, her eyes now wide and fixed on Twilight and Spike.

"I'm so sorry!" the unicorn called to her, stepping from behind the house and holding her hands apart in a conciliatory manner. "We heard your singing and came round, and your animals..." Her explanation petered out, and she rummaged through her brain to find a way of salvaging the situation. The woman cowered, looking as though she were trying to hide behind her hair from the unexpected intruders. "My name is Twilight Sparkle," the unicorn settled on at last. She stepped forward slowly, nervously smiling at the other woman. "What's your name?"

"Uh....my name is..." the woman responded, her speech tapering into a timid mumble. She turned her head a little, half of her face hidden by her mane. Twilight stepped forward some more.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say your name was?"

Again the agonisingly shy woman mumbled her reply, shrinking back as she did so. The unicorn glanced back at Spike, her smile straining as she tried to keep an air of friendly energy. She didn't have much practice, and Spike almost wanted to laugh at how painful this must have been for her. After several seconds of silence, the woman gave a light whimper, both hands held defensively across her body. From the branches of the trees, the birds watched the lopsided conversation suspiciously.

"Well...it seems your birds are back," Twilight continued awkwardly, trying anything coax some words out of the woman. When she said nothing, but continued to stare at the ground, the unicorn slumped her shoulders and looked over at Spike. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Is...is that a dragon?"

Twilight looked around again. The pink haired woman was looking at Spike with interest, even excitement. Before she could respond, the woman walked past her, making her way towards Spike as though in a trance. The young man remained in place as she drew close, looking him over in wonder. "I've never seen a dragon before. You're...you're just so cute."

Spike looked past her to Twilight, his face cracking into a grin when he saw her exasperated face. "Well well well," he gloated, returning his gaze to his admirer.

"What's your name?" she asked him.

"I'm Spike," he replied nonchalantly.

"Hi Spike, I'm Fluttershy." She seemed giddy with excitement. "This is just so amazing. I've got so much to ask you."

"You can ask later," Twilight cut in, taking her place at Spike's side. "At the moment, we're in a bit of a hurry to collect you." She took the data pad from Spike and handed it to Fluttershy, who looked at it in confusion. "I've been sent to collect you by Princess Celestia in relation to the attack on Canterlot yesterday."

Fluttershy looked up at her. "There's been an attack?" she inquired softly.

Twilight had to fight to stop herself grinding her teeth on the journey to the town square, tailed by their latest recruit. The mare, who until now had refused engage in conversation with herself, was bombarding Spike with questions about his life, pausing only to listen intently to his responses. She had half a mind to stop the incessant stream of questions, partly out of her concern that it would make Spike begin to question his identity again, but decided that, as it had taken so long to even manage to get her to utter a comprehensible sentence, it was in everyone's interest that the pegasus remained happy and open to interaction.

"...and that's everything," Spike finished, winding down his latest story. Twilight hadn't listened to it as they'd walked, her mind wandering through the countless questions she had herself. Spike was doing a wonderful job keeping their companion occupied, and she trusted him the task.

"That's amazing," Fluttershy whispered in awe, adjusting her backpack. They'd allowed her time to pack necessities, and she'd emerged twenty minutes later, fretting about the animals she'd be leaving behind to fend for themselves. The dragon and the unicorn had assured her that they'd be fine, especially as Fluttershy had asked a friend to look after them in her absence, but it wasn't until they had started walking and Spike had tried to talk to her that she'd shifted her mind from the subject of her furry friends to that of her interest in meeting, at long last, a species she'd never had the chance to interact with. She probably hadn't even realised that she'd walked into town, Twilight considered, realising herself that they had reached their destination.

"We're here," she announced a little too happily, letting out a sigh of relief and sending a laconic message to the Sky Chariot as they approached the town hall. It was the meeting point that they had arranged, and she looked around to see if the others were here. It didn't take long to spot the prismatic hair of a familiar pegasus standing alongside the blonde earth pony farmer and the purple mane fashionista. Rainbow Dash noticed them almost immediately, and give an upwards flick of the head to acknowledge them, which caused the other two to turn around and give their own forms of greeting.

"Fluttershy darling, it's good to see you," Rarity said, smiling at the pegasus, only a hint of anxiety in her countenance. "Are you coming along too?"

"I-I think so," she uttered, reverting back to her timid nature. Twilight was happy that she'd managed to get to the town hall before trying to hide back in her shell.

"When are we going, anyway?" Rainbow asked, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She'd changed into some jeans and a simple light blue t-shirt, a hoodie tied around her waist.

"I've sent the message to the pilots now," Twilight replied. "The seven of us should be away." The remark earned a confused glance shared between the others.

"I might have misheard you, but I believe you said 'seven', there, darling," Rarity spoke up. Frowning, Twilight counted the number of people in their gathering and hastily looked through the list on the data pad.

"Spike, did we ever meet 'Pinkamena Diane Pie'?"

"You mean Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow asked. "You probably have. It's not often that somepony comes into town without her noticing and trying to say welcome. You'd know if you met her, though." She looked to the side as though she'd heard a noise coming from that direction, her face wrinkled in concentration for a couple of seconds. "Here she comes now."

Applejack took a couple of steps in the direction that Rainbow was looking and stuck her arm out, holding her stance for several seconds. Twilight looked at her in confusion, wondering what she was doing, until a pink blur rounded the rotunda and mowed straight into Applejack's outstretched arm. The blur seemed to halt comically before bouncing back a little, a woman taking shape now that she'd slowed down enough to be visible.

"Hey Applejack!" she called out happily in a girly, bubbly voice. "it's good to run into you again." She gave a childish giggle. "I'd love to stop, but I really really need to set up a 'welcome to Ponyville party', there's a new pony in town and-" She stopped suddenly, her legs spasming as though caught in the grip of a cramp. At this point, Twilight noticed the copious amounts of supplies encased in her arms; balloons, streamers, banners, and more. It was a wonder she could carry all of it. The woman looked around for a moment before she spotted Twilight, her beam widening. "Oh hey! There you are! I'm just about to throw you a surprise party and - well, I guess it's not a surprise party anymore, is it?" She pouted a little. "Oh bummer. Oh well, a party is still good, even if it's not a surprise!" She spoke a mile-a-minute, and Twilight's normally capable brain had to run a backlog to process everything that had been said. Eventually, she realised that this was, in fact, the mare they had met when they first arrived in Ponyville, the one with the sparkling blue eyes and the aura of uncontrollable energy.

"Uh, w-well, actually," Twilight stammered, her brain rebooting, "I was actually just looking for you. I need you to come with me on the orders of Princess Celestia."

"I told you you'd know if you met Pinkie Pie," Rainbow chuckled, watching the exchange with a mirthful glee. The newcomer put her supplies down, a few balloons (they were already blown up? Why? Twilight asked herself) floating away as she let them go.

"I wondered why I felt like I needed to pack clothes and things," she said, wiggling her backpack. "Well, here I am! We can go wherever now!" She rocked happily backwards and forwards on the balls of her feet, her arms swinging merrily by her sides. Twilight's brain had to take a second reboot, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared a chuckle together.

"How exactly did you 'feel' the need to pack clothes?" Twilight asked.

"Pinkie Sense," the woman replied simply, as though it were meant to carry some meaning. She didn't stop smiling or rocking back and forth. The unicorn looked at her blankly.

"What?"

"My Pinkie Sense. I get little twitches and things when something's about to happen, sometimes. It helps me to prepare for things in advance. I wish it covered parties and things like that, but it tends to be warnings and the like." She gave a nonchalant shrug.

"What?" the unicorn asked incredulously. "But, how can you...that can't be...no. Surely not. That can't be right at all."

"Yep," Pinkie answered, seemingly unfazed that Twilight doubted her. "It's how I knew that I was needed here, instead of readying a party for you. I probably would have missed you otherwise."

"That? You think that because you had a muscle spasm and happened to see me that it means that they're linked?"

"Indeedily!"

"Okay, I see why you might think that, but that isn't the case. To assume that because one thing happened after another that the first thing caused the second thing, but that's known as a post hoc fallacy. It's a common misunderstanding."

Pinkie suddenly shivered, a jitter running through her body, and her eyes widened. The others glanced at one another in concern before Fluttershy stepped forwards.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Twitch-a-twitch!" the pink haired earth pony suddenly shouted in alarm, diving to the ground and covering her head with her arms. The others gave cries of surprise and followed suit, throwing themselves down to the ground and covering themselves up, leaving only Twilight and Spike standing. The two of them shared confused glances.

"What's going on?" Spike asked out loud, half to himself, and half in the hope of receiving an answer. He felt a tug on his leg and looked down to see Fluttershy looking up at him, shivering on the ground.

"Get down!" she squeaked. "Something's going to fall!" He immediately looked up, scanning the sky for any sign of a dropping object. It may have been comical to any passerby, the sight of five ponies cowering at the feet of a unicorn and a dragon, the latter two looking up in abject bewilderment, but Spike found it extremely disconcerting. His muscles tensed at her warning, hoping that he wasn't going to see a repeat of yesterday. He'd enough experience with assailants dropping from above, but as his eyes flicked around the blue expanse, he found nothing, and that worried him more. He had no idea how quickly these things could approach, and they'd been drilled throughout their training to prepare to respond to any possible threat, and he knew that just because Ponyville seemed like an unlikely target for an attack, it didn't mean that it couldn't happen. Canterlot hadn't been an obvious target either, and these ponies seemed so certain that something was about to happen that he felt their fear begin to seep into him.

"T-there's nothing there," Twilight spoke up at last, the waver in her voice quickly corrected. Spike looked at her, and when she looked back at him, he could see in her eyes that she'd been thinking and feeling exactly what he had. "There's nothing in the sky today," she repeated, her voice firmer. "Unless Princess Celestia is going to drag the sun down on top of us." None of the others laughed or moved from their position. "Isn't this a little silly? It doesn't seem likely that anything's going to fall on top of us if there's nothing up there to fall down. It makes as much sense to worry about that as it does to worry about the ground turning into lava, or for the air to turn into water. Can't we-" She found herself having to speak louder as a whining drone overpowered her voice, previously background noise, but growing in intensity very rapidly.

The Sky Chariot descended from a hundred to twenty feet in a matter of seconds, the heavy heat of the jets washing over the square. Slowing its descent, it touched down and lowered the ramp, waiting patiently for the passengers to board. The ponies on the ground looked up, and then to Pinkie for confirmation that the danger had passed. When she stood up, resuming her happy disposition and making her way over to the craft, the rest of them followed her example, getting up and brushing themselves down before walking to the more subdued transport. Rarity, noticeably, levitated a trunk behind her, while Fluttershy seemed reluctant to approach the aircraft, only taking small, uncertain steps until Spike walked with her. Twilight took several deep breaths before following, deciding that she should be satisfied that she had finally completed the task the princess had entrusted to her. Looking down at the data pad again, she noticed one final person of interest who was not located in Ponyville. Luckily, it seemed to be Spike's role to find them, and she smiled to herself as she stepped up the boarding ramp, taking her seat next to Spike, the craft much more crowded than when they had arrived.

With its intake complete, the engines grew in intensity once again, lifting the ship from the ground and sending it up into the sky, gaining altitude and distance, its wail reducing until, once again, the town was left in peace, sans five of its occupants.

Location: Lunar Observation and Research Academy, Luna
Date: 171 A.C.F.

"Who approaches?!" the door guard bellowed, lowering his rifle from his shoulder to his hip, the barrel aimed just above the head of the approaching figure. It was both procedural and traditional, and it was obvious why- it was just close enough to allow them to act if there was a threat, but wasn't threatening enough to be overly hostile. More importantly, though, it sent a message; 'Try anything, and we'll blow your brains through the back of your skull.'

"Corporal Spike, Division M6," the dragon replied as he halted and stood straight at attention. The two guards in front of him were almost identical to that of Princess Celestia's guards, albeit for the colour of their armour. Royal guards were issued light combat armour, a durable battledress topped by a steel compound chestplate and plated torso. The rest, apart from the helmet and the boots, was optional; the arm, elbow, knee and shin plates were issued as part of the suit, but many guards chose to leave them off on long shifts. The fact that these two guards bore the full set showed that they were prepared for trouble.

"For what purpose do you approach?!"

"I have an authorised appointment with one of the Royal Guard."

"On who's authority?!"

"On the authority of Princess Celestia."

"Proceed," the guard called, snapping his rifle back to his shoulder and balancing it by the stock, his other hand returning to his side. The two guards became motionless on either side of the door. With a final salute, Spike broke his pose and stepped forward, the door opening to his approach.

The room was darker than the hallway, and Spike had to wait for his eyes to adjust before he could make out anything inside. There was still some light, a wan bulb offering the most modest amount of light, but it was only after a few seconds that he noticed the figure in front of him, sat at a table in the centre of the room. She was wearing a deep blue dress which almost allowed her to blend into the dimness of the room. This was offset by her pale complexion, beautifully contrasted against the dark softness of her attire. Her long, blue hair flowed down her body naturally like woven silk, and, like her sister, she had an air of grace about her even though she was only reading a book, by the looks of it. Spike considered the likelihood that she wasn't even trying.

"Princess Luna?" he spoke up. The woman looked around, offering a courteous nod and standing up, her movements delicate and quiet, but still bearing a great deal of power to them. She stepped towards him, her hands held together. Her dress fell to her ankles, not sweeping across the floor in some grand statement, but giving her enough room for her legs. She looked both powerful and refined. It was a feeling he couldn't shake around either of the royal sisters.

"Greetings to you," she said. Her voice was firmer than that of Celestia's, more blunt, but not unkind. "We received your communiqué, and we are happy to assist you. You will find your request behind you."

Spike looked over his shoulder and repressed a yelp of surprise, instead turning to face the guard who had moved behind him since he had entered the room. Like the others, he was clad in full light combat armour, the metal and hard armour a dark blue and the underlying uniform grey in the colours of Princess Luna. The guard reached up and removed his helmet, shaking his head to allow his brown mane to take its natural ruffled appearance.

"Nice of you to come and visit," the guard grinned at Spike, giving him a slap on the shoulder. "It only took you, what, a year and a bit? Must be a new record for you."

"Just waiting for the right time to burst in and make an entrance," the dragon returned, offering a grin of his own. The princess remained silent, but smiled at the display.

"It has been agreed that Captain Pipsqueak will be requisitioned for your quest," she informed him, earning a raised eyebrow from the dragon.

"When did you get the promotion?" he asked. The earth pony shook his head and rolled his eyes at Luna.

"A mere jest, on my part," the princess backtracked. "Forgive my humour, it is an acquired taste."

"It's a private joke," Pipsqueak explained to Spike. "Don't worry about it." Looking to Princess Luna, he donned his helmet once more and stood at attention. "With your permission, your highness, I would take leave to pursue my duties."

"You may have your leave," Luna responded. "Fare thee well, guard." Pipsqueak gave a salute, did an about turn, and marched out of the door, with Spike repeating the procedure, joining Pipsqueak in the hallway. From behind them, the princess' voice called the two guards into the room, the clunk of boots signifying their obedience. A few seconds later, they heard her again.

"Do take care. Both of you." Then, with a hiss, the door shut. Pipsqueak removed his helmet again.

"Okay, so, two things," Spike began. "Firstly, 'Captain', and 'quest'? What was that about? And secondly, is it just me, or do you sound a bit different?" The earth pony nodded in time to his questions.

"The answer to both questions is that she took a liking to me," was the reply. "We talked a lot, she asked about my past, where I was from, found out that I was from Trottingham. Turns out she has fond memories of the place, and ended up giving me elocution lessons. In fact, hang on." He gave some coughs as if to clear his throat. "'ow about now?"

"Just as I remember."

"Bangin'. Anyway, we found out that we both 'ad a fondness for stories, 'specially the tales about the sea. Trottingham's a coastal town, a fishing village, it started as, and so there's plenty o' stories that I knew that she enjoyed. She made comments about 'ow I'd make a great captain, so we kinda went from there. I might've told 'er about my fascination with pirates from my childhood."

"So you became Pipsqueak the pirate? Scourge of the seven seas and the-"

"Yeah, yeah," the earth pony cut in, waving his hand. "Don't lay it on too thick." They walked on for a while, ascending up a couple of flights of stairs. "Why 'ave you come for me, anyway? You never specified." The question earned a sigh from the dragon.

"It's to do with the attack."

"Canterlot, I heard. We still dunno who done it."

"Did it."

"Done did it. I don't understand why I'm important."

They emerged from the stairwell into a wide corridor. The wall ahead and the ceiling was thick acrylic glass, offering the two a view of the landscape ahead and the expanse of space above them, the void dotted with beautiful specks of white. Further afield, the great blue and green sphere of Equestria positively glowed in the light of the sun, the shadow fading in nearer the centre, which was ensconced in the peace of night and Luna's watchful eye. The planet looked simultaneously so close and so far away, and Spike found it amazing that there were around ten billion people inhabiting its surface when it looked so still from up here. Pipsqueak, it seemed, had come to terms with it in the time he had been stationed here, and his gaze was immediately attracted to the shape looming over the spaceport.

"That ship shouldn't be here," he announced, his dark eyes scanning the skyline. "The fleet isn't moving to intercept it." He looked at Spike for an answer. "It's ours, isn't it?"

"It is," the dragon confirmed.

"That's a carrier," Pipsqueak continued. "A capital ship. We don't normally use those for much 'cept training routines and practice runs. It's more of a supply ship nowadays. But it's 'ere, in orbit above a colony in lockdown." A silence fell between them.

"Something was stolen," Spike started, his voice low and serious. "Something was taken from Canterlot in the attack. I don't know what it is, but I know that the princess wants it back. It's important, and we need to recover it."

"A recovery op?" the earth pony noted. "Can't say I expected that, but I can't say I'm put off." He began to grin. "Am I to be Captain Pipsqueak at last?" They shared a chuckle together.

"Not this time. But hey, you'll be among the crew, maybe you can work your way up."

"As long as they're the fiercest crew of scallywags in the galaxy, then count me in." He looked out at the ship again, his eyes drinking in its length and design. It wasn't as old as the others, possibly a newer model brought in to replace the more outdated builds that were mostly decommissioned and used as supply boats. "Has this beast got a name?"

"Has she indeed," the dragon smirked, turning fully to look at his friend. "She's got a fiery name to match the fire in her soul." He paused, rolling the name around on his tongue silently.

"Her name is Dragonfire."

Entry #3

Location: Aboard the Dragonfire, in transit
Date: 171 A.C.F.

The dragon's imagination hadn't lead him far astray when he'd anticipated the interior of a naval ship, both by design and by the natural hustle of the inhabitants. The carrier was, by his understanding, more efficient in terms of space management than previous designs, allowing it to house more people and the same offensive and defensive capabilities while remaining the same size as the previous incarnations. That was one of the way that ponies were distinct among the galaxy's inhabitants; while other species would build bigger, add more gizmos or gadgets or gears to the next editions, ponies worked by a different method - just make it more efficient. Why add size or reduce size or radically alter the design when the previous version proved perfectly sufficient? If it was good when it was a certain size, then improve the efficiency and maintain the advantage of the size. The body armour employed by ponies had stayed the same in its fundamental design for centuries upon centuries, and it was entirely conceivable that if one went back a millennium in time, they could recognise and fit a suit by themselves. The simplicity had numerous obvious advantages, and could be summarised by an equally simple maxim; if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

This meant that there was a good deal of space for the living quarters, something about which no one but a contrarian could complain. The bunks had fold-away drawers built into them, each with an ample amount of space for personal belongings of all descriptions. It was a more luxurious setup than they had been afforded during training, although it was the first time since then that Spike had shared a room with his former training partners. Featherweight, naturally, had taken the topmost bunk, a fact for which Spike was thankful as Truffle Shuffle squeezed into the bunk below him. He liked the guy a lot, but he wasn't sure he'd be okay with the substantial pony falling through the above bunk and onto him, however amusing it may have been to Pipsqueak and Rumble in the sleeping perches across from him. It was a natural arrangement, as far as prescription went; earth ponies liked to remain close to the ground, and pegasi liked to perch higher up, and so the five had quickly sorted themselves out without too much fuss.

"I highly doubt it," Rumble said, responding to Pipsqueak's question. The earth pony smirked, watching the two pegasi shift the position of the pieces on the chessboard. It was one of the things that they had brought along to occupy their time, and they had found that both Rumble and Featherweight had a predilection for the game.

"But it's a big ship, and there's always the chance that they'll have added in a new feature," Pip retorted. "They can afford to, after all. This model is 28% more efficient on storage than the BX81's, which means enough space for a dedicated beverage room and liquid storage. Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're not wrong on your run-down of the ship," Featherweight pointed out, taking Rumble's bishop with a pawn. The other pegasus immediately reacted by capturing the pawn with a knight. "You're wrong because the military is not going to finance a bar on every new vessel."

"But they could," Pipsqueak countered, undeterred. "We have a mess hall, barracks, storage, the whole shebang. What's to stop the up tops saying 'You know what? These lads aren't half bad, and we have room to put in some more generous amenities. Maybe we should spare a thought for the poor chaps adrift in the void, away from their families.' Why can't that happen?"

"Because they'd never give us anything for free," Rumble muttered, losing his knight to Featherweight's bishop and responding by moving a rook forward. "I'm sure they don't have a bank, a bowling alley, a swimming pool, or a Hayburger restaurant on board either."

"Truffle would've found it by now if they did," the observer agreed, while the mentioned pony rolled his eyes good-naturedly from his resting spot. "I'm still not entirely convinced there's not one here, though. What do you think, Spike?" His brown eyes sought out the mattress above Truffle's form, to where the dragon had been laying for the last ten minutes intently reading his data pad. Upon hearing his name, Spike's gaze gradually shifted over to the earth pony.

"I don't think there'll be a bar," he answered simply, turning back to his pad.

"But it's possible?"

"I'm sure it is."

"There we go then," Pipsqueak summarised with a grin, content with having convinced them at least of the plausibility of his argument. The others rolled their eyes while the earth pony smugly strutted over to Spike's bunk, leaning over casually. "What have you found?"

"Nothing," the drake shrugged, continuing to scroll. Pipsqeak remained silent, and the dragon relented with a sigh. "Nothing useful." He turned the data pad towards his friend, the man's brown eyes flicking back and forth between the lines on the screen.

"International research station, independent, located-"

"Everything we already know," Spike interrupted, placing it down on his mattress. "There's nothing helpful there. You think they'd have something about this place on record."

"What information do you need?" Truffle asked up, peering up at them with interest. The dragon gave a non-committal hand gesture in lieu of an answer, and Truffle shared a mildly confused glance with Pipsqueak. "You don't actually know what you want to find?"

"I just want something," Spike sighed. "I don't know, I just thought that something would appear if I looked long enough. I guess I was expecting too much."

"You've been looking for ages, mate," Pipsqueak intoned sympathetically. "It's hardly like something new is just going to spring up from you reading and rereading data."

"I know, but it was just easier to believe that I'd missed something rather than absolutely no source having what I'm looking for. Anything else, I could find out in a few minutes."

"Maybe it's classified?" Pip suggested, pursing his lips in interest. "You never know with research stations. Maybe they've discovered something that needs to be kept real hush-hush?" He seemed intrigued by the idea.

"Something like data on dragons?" Spike asked dryly. "They've been keeping that real quiet."

"The previously unknown but innate chameleon ability that all dragons possess?" Pipsqueak suggested with a smirk. "Useful for getting into invite-only events and for opening your presents early on Hearth's Warming Day. Would've been very useful in my youth, that."

"For invite-only events or opening your presents early?" Rumble asked, turning away from the finished chess game, ignoring Featherweight's smug satisfaction in his victory.

"They were one and the same. But now that I've got my very own dragon-"

"I am not going to be sneaking you in to a party," Spike cut in, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Camouflage or not. But if I ever get a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, you can have it."

"How generous of his lordship," the earth pony quipped. "Treating us lowly peasants to a taste of that finer lifestyle."

"A serf would do well to treat his lord with more respect," Spike retorted, drawn into the earth pony's banter. Mischief flashed in both of their eyes.

"Perhaps you can show a humble serf just what a leader is expected to do, mi'lord," the stallion challenged, gesturing to the vacant chessboard. The dragon scoffed and swung his legs down from his bunk.

"You're lucky I'm a generous lord. Others would've had you flogged for such improper insolence." Featherweight finished resetting the pieces and quickly vacated the chair for Spike while his opponent seated himself opposite. Pulling themselves up to the table, they looked the board over, their eyes scouting the battlefield. The others moved in closer to watch the game.

"Whipped for my manner of speaking?" Pipsqueak grinned, moving a pawn forward two spaces. "Sounds like we need a revolution for the common folk to be freed from your foul tyranny."

"Sounds like I have an uprising to quash." A black pawn shifted forward two spaces. "Problems like you have no place in my kingdom of excellence."

"A problem like me?" Pipsqueak raised his eyebrows and tutted. "You know what they say about problems; if you want a problem ignored, you talk to a pegasus. If you want a problem overanalysed, you talk to a unicorn. If you want a new problem, you talk to a griffon. But if you want a problem fixed..." Sliding his bishop out, the young man cornered Spike's rook, fixing the dragon with a challenging grin. "...you talk to an earth pony."

Twilight fought hard to keep herself from grinding her teeth in frustration as Pinkie Pie tied another balloon to her bunk, the plastic packets of air bumping against one another irritatingly. She'd been surprised to learn that the six of them were sharing a room, the quarters home to more than a single occupant on a warship. The others had taken it in their stride with the exception of Rarity, who had tutted morosely about the impact on her beauty sleep and the lack of space for her questionably sized luggage. By fortune of the ship's design, she had managed to fit everything in the storage space and was left slightly happier for it, though still in want of a curtain for her bed.

Here I was thinking I could liaison with the princess and do some research, Twilight thought to herself as Pinkie bounced joyfully on the mattress above her. But, silly me, all this ridiculous room-sharing and friend making is going to keep me from it! Her mood wasn't at all improved when Pinkie swung her head down from her bunk, beaming at her as she hung upside-down.

"So Twilight, when was your last sleepover?" she inquired all too-chirpily, still radiating her abundant enthusiasm. The unicorn bit back an exasperated sigh and forced herself to be civil, adopting a polite smile for the sake of keeping up appearances.

"I don't remember," she answered curtly. "I don't know if I've had one for years. Maybe even never." The upside-down woman balked at her answer, the smile on her face straightening out a little.

"Never?" she asked. "Never-ever? As in, never-ever-ever?" The idea seemed perplexing to her, something inconceivable or unimaginable, or at the very least, unspeakably awful.

"It's possible," Twilight answered noncommittally, turning the page of her book with an exaggerated swish of her fingers to hint at her desire to be left alone. The earth pony didn't register the sign, or at least didn't indicate that she understood Twilight's irritation.

"So this is your first sleepover?" she asked, tilting her head. The unicorn blinked at the question before considering her response. She fixed the girl with a confused frown.

"This isn't a sleepover, it's an allocation."

"Of course it is," Pinkie refuted. "Friends sleeping together in the same place. What else could that be?" She beamed at the other woman, pleased that she'd demonstrated the simple truth of the matter to the otherwise erudite mare. For her part, Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"An allocation?" she repeated, somewhat flatly. And we aren't friends. If Pinkie registered the impatience of the retort, which the unicorn highly doubted, she didn't show it, responding instead, irritatingly, with a beatific smile.

"Then let's make it a sleepover!" she cheered, swinging back up onto her bunk. "We can play spin the bottle, and share scary stories, and sing campfire songs, and-"

Twilight turned back to her book at that point, ignoring Pinkie as she whittled on about a list of desired activities and fun little games she had in mind for the group. Let her prattle on, she decided, decisively sinking back into the world of advanced physics and energy conservation. Twilight had better and more important things to do, and the inexhaustible girl would simply run out of steam at some point, something which the book she was reading confirmed; a closed system would invariably succumb to entropy, and Pinkie, as odd as she was, would be no exception.

"Twi?" Applejack's voice inquired, seeking the unicorn's attention. The other five women were seated in a circle on the floor, looking at the lone girl with expectant gazes. Pinkie's perpetual smile hadn't left her face, and she was bobbing slightly to the left and right while looking over her shoulder. Glancing in confusion between them all over the pages of the book, she raised an eyebrow at them.

"Yes?"

"We've been sittin' here waitin' for half a minute now. Are ya gonna join?"

The unicorn felt her mouth dry up and a cold chill overcome her body as she realised that the others had conceded to Pinkie's whims and now expected her to do the same, to socialise. She blanched at the concept, cursing herself for believing that the others would resist the odd woman's request. Feeling somewhat pressured by the piercing stares of her roommates and the fact that she was currently adrift in space with however long left until their arrival at whatever destination they were heading towards, Twilight reluctantly placed the book down and slid onto the floor, padding shyly, and a little grumpily, over to the gap in the circle, which, she noted with a degree of horror, Pinkie had reserved for her. The pink-haired maniac even patted it welcomingly as she approached.

I should have guessed it wasn't a closed system, she groused internally, setting herself down awkwardly between Pinkie Pie and Rarity and huddling her shoulders in, pressing her palms together and squeezing them between her thighs as though trying to quarantine her hands from the risk of social contact. To her right, Pinkie smiled with the energy of a supernova, her bright white teeth gleaming intently, her ceaseless back and forth bobbing persisting as she offered Twilight a friendly, approving nod and turned to the rest of the group. Or maybe I picked the wrong model, Twilight mused morosely, unable to escape Pinkie's constant wiggling. An object in motion...

"Is that-?" Featherweight asked, cocking his head at the situation in front of him. Rumble and Truffle seemed just as surprised, staring at the board bemusedly.

"A draw?" the other pegasus finished. "It seems so. Unless this is all part of Pip's master plan?" He smirked at the earth pony's responsive sigh.

"Never understood why kings are given special protection," Pipsqueak commented, turning his nose up sourly at the black and white pieces scattered across the board, the battle lines interlocking.

"It's hardly surprising that a peasant doesn't understand the significance of a king," Spike jabbed, smirking as he moved the pieces back to their starting positions. The stallion ignored him and pointed to the white king.

"If it can be taken, why can't you just take it? In battle, you don't yell out 'Oi, we have your general in scope, might want to surrender,' do ya? You'd take the sodding shot before he moved out of your line of sight."

"It plays like any other piece," Spike argued. "It takes one turn for the pieces to move into a position where one can take the other, and then another turn to take said piece. The king has to be saved before it's taken in the following turn, and if it can't, then it's presupposed that one player has won and the other has lost. It's like destroying the engine of an aircraft; you don't have to see the crash to know what's going to happen."

"Cut to black," Featherweight added, spreading his hands theatrically. "End scene, and credits roll. The audience is left to let their imaginations fill in the blanks."

"Okay," Pip conceded. "But no other piece is given prior warning. With the king, all choice is taken away from you, to the extent that you can lose a queen because you have no choice but to save the king. Any other piece, it's up to you to keep it safe. If you don't, that's your loss, or your tactics, or whatever."

"The king wouldn't have value if it wasn't given priority," Truffle suggested laconically. Rumble nodded his agreement, chipping in with, "The rook can move horizontally and vertically any number of spaces, the bishop can move diagonally any number of spaces, the queen can move in any straight line any number of spaces; the king is only just better than a pawn without it's inability to be taken until the end of the game."

"Even less reason to give it special status." Pipsqueak poked his king in disinterest. "If you have to give something an advantage and artificially inflate it's value, it doesn't have much value in the first place. I'd prefer to sacrifice my king for my queen, if it came down to it." He gave a snort and grinned. "We earth ponies never saw the need for kings and queens. Now I know why."

"Indolence?" Spike quipped, sporting a smirk of his own. "You wouldn't be able to command an army or a civilisation without kings, queens, princesses, generals, and some sort of social order."

"You think ponies ain't capable of living fine without those up on high orderin' them about?" the earth pony asked, cocking his head skeptically. "We both had kings and queens, and it did us a fat lotta good." He pursed his lips and looked up in thought. "On both sides the troops were commanded by royal princes, and they massacred each other mercilessly." His brown eyes narrowed, sweeping across the board and its twin armies, facing off silently against one another in their neat, ordered ranks. "Is that the point of chess? To show us the cruelty that war makes necessary, the nameless soldiers that will be sacrificed in pursuit of victory, as vain and meaningless as it is, only for the process to be repeated in a perpetual and unending cycle as brother is forced to smite brother, separated only by the side of the battle to which they are assigned and the allegiance to which they are sworn?" The earth pony slowly looked to each of his friends in turn, a dour frown set on his face. "Are we gods or monsters for playing this without taking heed? Are we arrogant in our ignorance, playing idly with insincere monuments to our own fate, with no self-awareness or desire to learn? Is it a warning which we so readily dismiss, or a scorning mockery of our stupidity, a cynical vigil to the nature of equinity?" The earth pony finished his speech as he locked eyes with Spike, his brown, unwavering gaze staring silently and piercingly into Spike's green. The tense silence was palpable.

Pipsqueak's proud grin set off an eruption of chortles, the earth pony's face folding from it's morbid hardness to its more characteristic friendly youthfulness. He swept a hand across his hair, brushing it back and leaning back in his chair to stretch.

"Spoken like a peasant," Spike noted, odd chuckles bubbling past his lips. The drake's smile was reluctant to slide from his face, the corners of his mouth turned up as though permanently set.

"Spoken like a clueless aristocrat," the stallion retorted, groaning as his arms and back clicked.

"Sometimes, Pip, I think you're an idiot," Rumble jumped in, leaning against one of the bunks. "Sometimes, I think you're a genius. And then there are times like this, when you seem determined to prevent me from ever figuring out which you actually are."

"Mate, that's something I don't know," the brown-maned man answered. "It's a good way to keep life interesting. Nothin' to do once you have everything figured out, so I'll be set for a good long while." This seemed to satisfy the pegasus, and he swapped positions with Spike, the latter standing up and stretching before heading over to his bunk. As Rumble started his game against the earth pony, the dragon fetched his data pad and tried to find something with which to occupy his time, his mind wandering idly to Twilight while scrolling down the various songs he had available. He briefly considered inviting her in for a game of chess, knowing that she'd be in her element, but dismissed it. She would trounce anyone who tried to play her, and she needed time to get used to her new friends. Selecting one of DJ Pon3's more recent releases, he looked up to watch the chess, the thump of the electronic music adding some atmosphere to the contest. Featherweight, bobbing his head a little in time to the beat, beckoned the dragon over to witness the now-music-fueled competition. Wandering over, Spike set Twilight and her friendship arrangement out of his thoughts, if only for a while. With luck, she'd be warming to them and their company.

In among the talking, the ooh-ing and ah-ing, the laughing, and the interpersonal interaction, Twilight Sparkle was rapidly warming to the idea of smothering herself with a pillow. Even if she had come to the realisation that it wasn't viable, the likelihood of it being less painful than enduring the company of the socially superfluous maniacs that she'd been tasked with accompanying made it appealing at the very least, and at best, worth the inevitable futility of giving it a shot. The most compelling argument against trying, in her mind at least, was that it was as likely to prompt Pinkie to start a pillow fight as it wasn't, which was something she wanted to avoid if at all possible. The games hadn't progressed beyond spin the bottle, and the unicorn was reluctant to see it continue but found it preferable to letting any more hair-brained schemes disrupt her night.

"Rarity, truth or dare?" Rainbow Dash asked, the bottle spinning to a stop on the fashionista. Flipping her hair over a shoulder, the unicorn took a second to consider her options.

"Truth," she settled on at last, wincing at the instantaneous fault-line grin of mischief that crossed the pegasus' face.

"Who in this room would you say has the worst dress sense?" Rarity's eyes bulged at the question, and Pinkie ooh-ed with interest, peering intently at unicorn, awaiting her response.

"That just isn't fair," Rarity complained. "You can't honestly expect me to tell someone in this room that I think that their dress sense is sub-par. It's simply not polite to say such a thing to somepony's face."

"Would it be politer to say it behind their back?" Rainbow deadpanned, holding up an open palm questioningly. The other interlocutor narrowed her eyes and huffed disapprovingly, reluctantly looking around at the gathering of girls. She took an uncomfortably long time, eyeing each of the participants back and forth. Fluttershy turned to hide her face behind a curtain of hair, uncomfortable under the scrutinising gaze of her friend, and even Twilight fiddled nervously with her purple strands, suddenly self-conscious about how she looked. Pinkie, of course, seemed to revel under the visual attention offered by her unicorn friend, seeming to subtly shift as though posing and showing off her best angles. Biting her lower lip, Rarity made three, four, and then fives rotations of the circle, ignoring Dash's deepening expression of impatience.

"Applejack, I suppose," she revealed at last, her voice laced with discomfort and her countenance an apologetic frown. The earth pony raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Why me?" she asked curiously, causing the unicorn to shift and fidget.

"I rather think that it's more your unfortunate position than your dress sense," the purple-maned woman answered, rubbing her hands together awkwardly. "You do work a manual job, and, of course, your attire has to account for that, and so it is understandable that your apparel is chosen for its function rather than its form. Practicality over aesthetics, if you will." She finished with a courteous but strained smile.

"I work weather and climate control," Rainbow cut in, the beginnings of an amused smile present on her face. "I have to wear jumpsuits and overalls and all sorts of things you'd call unfashionable. And I usually wear sportswear or stuff for working out." She broke out into a full smirk as the other woman turned to glare irately at her.

"Not helping," Rarity hissed, her eyes narrowed at the gleeful perpetrator of her forced confession.

"Rainbow does raise a good point," Applejack noted, earning a thankful nod from the prismatic pegasus. "Ah wear work clothes, and Rainbow wears work clothes. We both do physical jobs, but ya specified me. Why was that?" She waited patiently for the fraught unicorn to answer.

"Well, I don't spend as much time with Rainbow as I do with you," the seamstress excused herself. "I see you working, and I don't get to see Rainbow when she's working with aircraft or machines or chemicals-"

"Sportswear, exercise," the pegasus reminded her tersely, resting her head on a hand smugly. The unicorn made to snap something back at her, but a raised hand from Applejack stopped her.

"Sugarcube, ah can tell when y'ain't bein' honest. Why don't ya just spill the beans?" A brief silence followed her words.

"Fine," the designer submitted, sighing at her decision. "I'll admit it; I think that some of the clothes you wear are...plain." The answer seemed to take Applejack aback.

"Plain?" she asked, reflexively flicking her gaze over herself. "What do ya mean by 'plain'?"

"When we spend time together, you tend to choose more simple outfits," Rarity clarified. "It has it's own charm, and I'm sure it works perfectly fine for you, but from a personal perspective, I think you could shine more with something a bit more lively, with some pizzazz."

"I think Applejack looks nice whenever I see her," Fluttershy spoke up softly from her spot. She received an appreciative flicker of a smile from the farmer, who seemed to be considering Rarity's words.

"Ah see," the blonde commented at last. "Well, that's somethin' to consider. Spin." Relieved at her friend's acceptance, Rarity let out a quick sigh and cast a glare once more at the mischievous pegasus before daintily twirling the bottle with a flick of her fingers, her kinesis knocking the container with enough force to give it a decent spin, before wobbling to a halt on the other unicorn in the room.

"Twilight," Rarity intoned, smiling at the second shiest girl in the group. "Truth or dare, darling?" The studious girl gulped, glancing around at the others, feeling as well as seeing the five pairs of eyes fixed on her.

"Truth?" she answered uncertainly, choosing the option on a whim. As in the round prior, the bottle-spinner smiled in a way that made the chosen pony immediately regret their choice, a feeling that wasn't diminished by the way Rarity adjusted her posture to get more comfortable.

"Since you're the newest addition to our circle, why don't you tell us about your life in Canterlot?" The lilt in the prim mare's tone made it clear that this was a topic she had been hoping to broach. "It will be nice to hear about something more cultured than one's subjective opinions on the personal choices of close friends." Her eyes flashed over to the room's brash pegasus for only a moment before she recovered her warm and welcoming smile.

"Uh, sure," Twilight agreed. The question was far less intrusive than she'd been expecting, in some regards, but she still didn't know where to begin. Several seconds of stiff silence pervaded the room following her agreement, seeming to grow thicker with every passing second. Eventually, Twilight came out with, "I was born and grew up in Canterlot, along with my family." After that, her brain shut off and she filled the silence with sporadic um's and er's.

"What does your family do?" Applejack asked, offering a placating prompt. "Work from home, somethin' fancy, or somethin' else entirely?"

"My father was the captain of the Royal Guard," the unicorn revealed, her listeners leaning in at her words. "He was for as long as I can remember, even before I was born. He's only just recently retired, actually." She frowned at the thought of her father, remembering his words after the incident in Canterlot. He'd been wrought with worry, not that he showed it, and had been relieved when she'd been put in touch with him. Princess Celestia had sped along the process, easing the former captain's mind and putting an end to his frantic probing of his contacts and all the offices he could reach.

"Oh my, how prestigious," Rarity cooed, her eyes shining in excited wonder. No doubt she was fantasising about a nameless strong and handsome stallion who bore a vague likeness to Twilight, standing tall and proud in glimmering golden armour while his hair whipped behind him in a stiff breeze, his face bearing an expression of focused determination. Eager to take the other unicorn's mind off her dad, Twilight cleared her throat.

"It was a standard," she continued. "It gave me a sense of what I needed to aim for. I suppose it made me realise how important ambition was; I set targets for myself and I refused to let myself fall below them, and I've never stopped trying to tackle new problems." The mare felt herself opening up more readily, the simple honesty of her statements easing her mind and loosening her tongue. "I made sure Spike knew how imperative productivity was." She smiled at that, proud of her sisterly guidance.

"Spike?" Fluttershy asked curiously, speaking quietly enough that Twilight had to look at her for confirmation that the pegasus had spoken at all. "He grew up with you?"

"Well, he's my brother," the unicorn clarified, conscious of all the eyes on her. The ready willingness for conversation ebbed rapidly from her, and she subconsciously drew her legs in closer to herself once more.

"But isn't he a dragon?"

Just like that, Twilight felt the familiar desire to distance herself from others and bury herself in a book or an experiment as the focus of the room and the conversation bore down on her with its full might. The girls were no longer looking at her, but gazing with a passionate interest, seeking answers and information. The unicorn hated how exposed she felt, as though she were sitting naked in a room of ogling strangers. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but it felt like so much longer to her, the intensity of the girls' attention boring into her like a diamond-tipped drill.

"Yes, he is," she replied calmly and collectedly, focusing on her breathing as her foalsitter had taught her many times over. Grabbing the bottle in front of her, she span it hurriedly, keeping her eyes fixed on the rotating container to avoid looking at the others and provoking more questions. It landed on Pinkie, and Twilight glanced at the overexcited mare next to her, anxious about what to expect from her.

"Dare!" Pinkie chose, grinning as she awaited her challenge. The unicorn wracked her brains for something to keep everypony else occupied, the solution hitting her a second later.

"Pinkie, I dare you to keep everyone entertained until I get back from the bathroom." Standing up with a degree of careful urgency, the unicorn stepped her way past the others, feeling as well as hearing Pinkie leap up and draw the attention of the rest of the room. The exuberant girl was impossible to ignore, and Twilight felt confident that she would obediently act the fool and amuse everyone for enough time for Twilight to steel herself and refocus on the assignment. If only she knew what that assignment actually was.

Once out of the room, Twilight began down the hallway, hearing the door click shut automatically and sealing her off from the others. Breathing a sigh of relief, she ambled past other smooth steel doors to identical sleeping quarters, only occasionally hearing a peep of life from behind them. Either the other inhabitants had gone to bed, or the people she could hear were especially rowdy. Either way, she felt out of her element. Even in school, she had always had a reason to focus, to keep to herself or as few others as possible. Here, engaging with people wasn't just a part of the process, a necessity to make sure the task at hand was managed as efficiently as possible. On this ship, and likely on all the others across Equestria's military, it was a part of life, encouraged and readily accepted by most.

The sudden but gentle rasp of the door next to her sliding open yanked her thoughts back into reality, and she skipped a little out of the way in shock. Seeing the familiar green-haired man stepping out, she stopped and relaxed, hearing the rhythmic thump of club music emanating from somewhere inside the room.

"Oh, hey," he greeted her upon noticing her presence. The door closed behind him with a click, and the noise from within was subsequently shut off. "Were you coming to see me?"

"I just happened to be passing by," she confessed. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, of course." The comment drew an amused snort from the dragon.

"Good to hear," he replied, smirking at her. "I was really wondering for the last sixteen years if you minded me being around, but those fears have been put to bed now that I know you aren't unhappy to see me." Twilight rolled her eyes and smirked back, shaking her head at his sarcasm.

"And you wonder why I don't visit?" The two shared a chuckle, a comfortable silence soon falling between them. "What were you up to?" she asked looking past him to his room's door.

"Playing chess, actually," he informed her, receiving a skeptical raised eyebrow from the unicorn. "We were playing chess," he assured her. "The music came later, after my game."

"How did you do?"

"It was a stalemate." Seeing her patient but expectant expression, he continued, "We both tried to play offensively, and every move we made was a counter or a trap. Every trap was countered, every counter fell into another trap."

"It sounds great," the unicorn encouraged, smiling at his brief recount. "It's been so long since I could just sit down and play."

"I thought about inviting you in," he admitted to her. "But you're busy, I imagine. I didn't want to disrupt you." At his explanation, Twilight's face soured, and she gave a soft, deep huff. Spike winced awkwardly at her reaction. "Is everything okay?"

"You saw what they were like when we met them," the woman answered, regarding him with a displeased mien. "I can't have five minutes of peace without them trying to rope me into some childish game or pester me about my life."

"They sound friendly," Spike commented. Twilight didn't answer, offering no more insight into her thoughts. Frowning, the dragon looked down the corridor in the direction she had been heading. "I don't know why you came out, but I was just heading to the toilet, so-"

"Oh, right," the girl acknowledged, breaking from her meandering musings to conclude what she had actually left to do. "Me too. I'm not used to the ship, though. Do you know where they are?"

"Right this way," he responded, gesturing to the space ahead of them and beginning the walk down the ship's lackluster interior. Twilight started after him, falling in line beside him. The space was much less than she was used to from a lifetime spent in Canterlot, where the halls were wide and ornate, decorated with flags and tapestries and marble and stained glass windows. Everything about this ship boasted of function and efficiency, from its straight, monotonous corridors and smooth design to the dimensions afforded to the people. It was easy to walk two-abreast in the hallway, but three people would prove to be uncomfortable.

A little way along the hallway, the line of doors to personal quarters halted and gave way to a large sliding door. A sign sat above it, the word "Restroom" printed in clinical white letters on its surface. Twilight looked around for a second one, but found nothing. Glancing at the door questioningly, she turned to Spike.

"Everyone uses one room?" She hadn't expected to find the ship this simple and orderly, and without clearly assigned rooms or resources for men and women. Once again, she found herself thinking of Canterlot, and how her years had been so different to the cold, claustrophobic environment of the ship that she was now expected to live and work in.

"It's efficient," he said by way of reply, nodding to her question. "Showers, toilets, everything you need is in there. The military doesn't see any purpose in dividing servicemen." He paused for a moment, considering his words, and then corrected, "Except officers. They follow their own rules." He snorted in amusement.

For her part, the unicorn wrinkled her nose in uncertainty, frowning at this concept. On the one hand, she appreciated the logic and the drive to implement the best system, but on the other, it went against what she knew and the way she was used to things operating. It was a far cry from civilian life, and she wondered for the umpteenth time that day why Celestia had charged her of all people with this task. Spike was an understandable choice, but she wasn't suited for military life or military operations, and the more time she spent stumbling from experience to experience, the more she felt that sentiment being hammered home.

"Are you okay?" Spike asked, breaking the silence that she had lapsed into. He tilted his head, looking at her with concern. Twilight nodded and cleared her throat.

"I'm fine," she said, her hollow words and tepid smile not budging his expression even a half-inch towards something more positive or comfortable.

"You're fine?" he repeated skeptically, regarding her with questioning eyes until she looked away and relented. She sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour and ran her slender fingers through her hair, the blue and pink waterfall parting where she brushed.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she confessed, closing her eyes and looking down as the words left her mouth. "I'm here because princess Celestia told me to, but why?" The woman gestured to the low-ceiling corridor and its smooth, metallic walls, looking around at the monotony of the structure. "I can't understand why I'm being tasked with this, or why we need such a peculiar band of ponies, or what I'm even meant to be doing- where we're going and what we're meant to be achieving when we get there!"

"You don't?" Spike asked, sounding confused, his eyebrows swept upwards in surprise. Twilight blinked at him, taking her turn to be confused.

"Of course not, the princess didn't tell us anything."

"She didn't?" the drake asked slowly, as though trying to make sense of a series of events to which she wasn't privy. Twilight frowned at his reaction.

"What?" she asked him, earning an awkward, sheepish half-smile from the man.

"I thought she'd told you, and that-"

"Spike," the mare interrupted firmly, halting the dragon mid-sentence. Softening her tone just a little, she asked, "What's going on? What do you know?"

"Pandora research station," he revealed, gauging her reaction. "Princess Celestia sent me the details shortly after we boarded the ship, addressed directly to me. I assumed she'd already told you or that she had another way of telling you." His sentence meandered off into guilt-laced murmur, ending in a cough. For her part, Twilight stared at the wall in silence, digesting the information he'd given her.

"This doesn't make sense," she spoke up at last, shaking her head. "Why wouldn't she tell me?" Another question added to her list, she rubbed her eyes before looking back to the young man. "What did the message say?"

"Should I get the data pad?" Spike suggested, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. Receiving a tired nod, he offered her a small, placating smile. "I'm sure she has her reasons," he tried, turning and heading back towards his room.

Twilight watched him for a moment, and then stepped towards the restroom door, tapping at the small button in the centre and letting it beep and whir open for her. Dim lights illuminated the polished interior, revealing a surprisingly large open-plan room for a warship. Then again, she reasoned, her estimates had been off about most else thus far, so she wasn't surprised that she'd wrongly guessed what a warship's bathrooms would look like. It was just another reminder that she didn't belong here.

Twilight found herself surprised the next morning, rather pleasantly, at how prepared the others were to rise early for breakfast; the unicorn herself had always had a military father and a strict schedule at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and so it was natural for her to wake up and get ready in short order. The others, however, she'd expected to have great difficulty, but as it turned out, they were perfectly comfortable in doing so. Pinkie was a baker, she learned, who had to frequently get up to begin early morning preparations for Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville, while Applejack was used to long days on her farm, with early starts and late finishes. Rarity, like Pinkie, had a business to run, and Fluttershy - a self-professed groundskeeper ('of sorts', she kept adding nervously) - kept to a strict schedule in order to look after her animals and tend to the surrounding area. Even Rainbow Dash, the last one to wake up, dragged herself from the showers to the mess hall without complaint, and after as much coffee as the mess sergeant allowed her, she was fully functional once more.

Excusing herself from the other girls, Twilight made her way to the bridge, using the data pad's orientation program to find her way through the corridors without the difficulty she'd hoped the others would have, if it stopped them finding her. Having read Celestia's message, she'd found herself torn between replying and simply letting it go altogether. The princess had a reason for not contacting her, she was sure of it, but what could that possibly be? Perhaps she'd entrusted Spike to pass it on, but if that was the case, then why had she not asked him to do so? Did she believe that he'd naturally let her know? After all, every message to and from the unicorn went through Spike, so it wasn't a leap of faith to believe he'd instinctively tell her, but all the other messages containing important details and orders were addressed to her specifically, or else referenced her; this one made no mention of her at all. Everything about this was discouraging, and in her indecision, her best hope was to work out what was going on through her own determination, and completing this mission, whatever it may be.

The bridge staff turned to look at her as the door whirred open and she stepped inside, a couple sharing glances at her unannounced arrival before turning back to their tasks. The unicorn casually walked past the numerous consoles and electronics, their glowing interfaces casting a soft, warming glow across the deck, partly illuminating the room in lieu of a sun's light that would otherwise pour through the vast glass screen spanning the end of the room. Instead, there was little but inky blackness to greet her sight, and Twilight found herself shivering in spite of any such feeling. The room was temperate, but the void ahead of her seemed to exude absolute nothingness, the vast absence pressing against the thick glass like some obscene, silent mass, lazily rolling around the ship's exterior as one might expect of water - viscous, intangible, listless water. Why was it so beautiful?

"Miss Sparkle, isn't it?" a strong, polite voice asked, severing her detachment from her surroundings. She became aware of the accompanying footfalls, and turned to see the approaching figure. It was a middle-aged man, his slender frame singling him out as a pegasus, and Twilight hazarded a guess that he was in his mid-to-late forties, though she knew better than to ask. He seemed comfortable in his surroundings, clearly at ease aboard a ship and especially so within the bridge, and with good reason, if the stripes on his immaculate navy blue officer's uniform were anything to go by. She nodded in response to his question, and he came to a stop beside her, looking out into the dark abyss, a smile creasing his face. His wistful stare lasted for a moment or two before he proffered his hand, which Twilight took and shook. "I'm captain Brightwork, both in rank and in position. It's not quite as glamorous as captain of the Royal Guard, but it still serves its purpose, I find." Twilight smiled a little nervously at his comment, and he chuckled briefly. "I hope you don't mind my snooping. The princess forwarded me your file, and I take the time to check who comes aboard a ship under my command. It's a habit I've picked up from mentors and predecessors."

"Of course," the mare agreed. "You can never be too careful. Especially not now, with what's been going on." The man nodded slowly at her, offering a pleased half-smile.

"I'm glad you see it the same way I do." Brightwork flicked his eyes back to the endless abyss ahead, his eyes seeming to caress the view lovingly. "It takes some getting used to, but it never fails to amaze. Photos and views from the surface never quite do it justice. It's only when you get up here and just bask in how clean and clear and still it all is...." He paused and took a breath, nodding to himself like a pleased grandfather recounting a fond memory. "That's when you understand it. That's the true experience."

"It's so different to what I imagined," Twilight told him, timidly stepping forwards, clutching the data pad for reassurance. "I knew all about space and its properties, and how vast and empty it is, but...." She stopped again, holding the pad up to her chest in a mixture of awe and apprehension. Brightwork listened to her attentively, scratching momentarily at his cropped gunmetal hair before folding his hands behind his back.

"I remember the first time I stepped on a ship," he recounted. The unicorn listened, but didn't tear her gaze away from the view, the duo looking out into the nothingness together. "My mother was a physician and my father was a structural engineer. An opportunity came up for the both of them, and it seemed perfect, so they accepted a new life among the stars. All the preliminary work for the colonisation had already been done - bio-surveyance, administrative and legal sign-offs, everything they needed. Soon, they had a bustling town nestled onto the surface of Canterdonia, the newest addition to the Royal Federation of Equestria. A year after they first arrived, I was born, and that's just about the most interesting thing I can tell you about my childhood. I grew up on a frontier planet, spending long periods of time under an onyx canopy unspoiled by anything save for the shimmer of the distant stars. Some of those were planets, I learned, hosting all forms of life. Pegasi, like myself and my father, unicorns, like my mother, earth ponies, like some of my friends, and that was just the ponies - there were mystical zebras, and reclusive dragons, and avaricious griffons, all living their lives on those glimmering white specks, and between and beyond. As the land became more and more hospitable, and civilsation spread outwards and onwards, I started to lose sight of the night sky. The stars weren't so bright, always tainted by an ever encroaching orange band on the horizon, and I resolved to go and see the stars, if they were determined to leave me. On my fifteenth birthday, I signed up with the colonial administration, served the mandatory year as local law enforcement, and then off I left, ready to go on this grand adventure.

"I knew the navy would be for me - after fifteen full years in one place, travelling was no concern to me. It was what I craved, in fact. I couldn't stop grinning as we boarded the shuttle, and when I arrived on that ship-" He shook his head and looked over at the young women, still transfixed by the sight. "I couldn't tear myself away from the windows. My home was a great ball of rock and ice, and it looked so beautiful from up high; winding glaciers and rivers, deep-cut valleys, frosty forests, swirling clouds and storms in the northernmost regions, and massive patches of moorland slashed across the centre. It was like a perfect sculpture. So was the next planet, Sangius IV. It reminded me of a satsuma, at first, except that one side glowed enchantingly in the sun and the other brooded in the shadows, waiting for its turn. A dozen worlds later, we ended up at New Trottingham, a waterworld with archipelagos scattered across its surface like acne, and I loved it no less. The novelty hadn't worn off. Some recruits came aboard and moped as we left their homeworld, some seemed pleased to be gone, and that was the first time that I realised just how much my own life was one of many billions in this galaxy. My home wasn't separate from all those others I'd imagined and seen, just one of many, all of them as beautiful and wondrous as my own, like paintings on a vast, dark canvas.

"For my first leave, I visited Equestria. I made a point of going to Asthenia, seeing the sun-bleached temples and attending the museums showing off ancient sets of blackened armour, and then I headed to Eurus. I watched several of the plays I'd read and studied in Canterdonia, and somehow they were so much more magical for having been performed, from the lord who murdered his way to becoming king at the behest of a prophecy, to a particularly unflattering representation of an earth pony's country wife, there was just so much to witness. So much culture for a planet that had developed over thousands of years that I could finally see after fifteen years of imagining. That night, I sat outside and stared up at the stars again, and I saw how beautiful they still were. It wasn't the same sky, or the same pattern of stars, but it was still all the same sight. I saw how ponies had left Equestria to explore the stars, just as I'd left to do the same. We were pushed by that same image, and the same dreams, I'm sure of it. When I stepped back on the ship, I felt just as excited as I had the first time. It was all the same, always more out there for me to witness and enjoy, and no matter what else changes - my colleagues, my orders, my age, my ship, my rank - I always smile when I set out into the wild black yonder. I get the feeling that it'll be the same for you, Miss Sparkle; no matter where you visit, what you do, or who you do it with, one thing will never change - you'll always have more to experience and discover, and that is one of the simplest and best joys in life."

The unicorn finally broke her stare, turning to the officer. He was smiling kindly at her. "We've had different lives," she answered back. "Two different experiences."

"There's a lot of difference in the world," he replied. "Different perspectives, peoples, cultures and so on. I've already told you as much. But the one thing that never changes is possibility. What's out there is endless, and there's not one person that can claim to have experienced it all. I'll continue to experience new and exciting things each and every day, and so shall you." The unicorn blinked at him.

"Why are you-"

"Telling you all this?" he finished, guessing her line of thought. "Because of all the things that change, the sheer variety of experience open to us doesn't. I fell in love with seeing all that the universe had to offer, or as much of it as I physically could, and I recognised as soon as I saw you how you felt. That's the first step." The accuracy of his statement hit Twilight with a resounding realisation, and she fell into silence. Brightwork nodded knowingly at her, his voice growing softer as he told her, "I don't know what you'll go on to do, but I know that you have a great journey ahead of you, whatever it may be. You'll experience many great and new things, and, from the nostalgic pony to the new blood, I sincerely hope you recognise how wonderful it is when you do." After he finished, Twilight swallowed and turned slowly to look back into the darkness outside. Suddenly, inexplicably, it didn't feel so cold and empty.

"When will we be there?" Twilight asked eventually, breaking the comfortable silence. The captain gestured for her to follow him, leading her away from the glass and over to a flat, waist-high projector. Waving his hand over the luminous display, he summoned up a holographic image, expanding it with a sweeping motion and dragging it over for the unicorn to view.

"We have essentially arrived," he explained, pointing to a dark object barely discernible from the background. "We're only several thousand kilometres away." The unicorn looked at him in surprise.

"So far away?" she asked. The captain smiled knowingly.

"Distances always catch people out in space," he commented. "It's something else you have to adjust to."

"I-I know," the woman stammered, flustered at having been caught off-guard. "At least, I usually do. I know all about cosmic distances and travel, but I just didn't realise-" She sighed, giving a defeated chuckle. "It's something I need to adjust to," she conceded. The captain smiled lightly at her flustered countenance and turned to one of the other crewmen.

"Any response yet?" he asked, receiving a prompt shake of the head and a 'no sir'. The captain adjusted his stance, visibly displeased with the lack of results from his efforts. "Keep trying," the man commanded. "I want communication up as soon as possible." He frowned as he turned back to the holoprojection. "It shouldn't be taking this long to make contact."

"Have you accounted for delay?" Twilight asked, unable to prevent herself. "Even travelling at light speed, EM frequencies won't be received for several minutes even at short distances."

"We have," he assured her, nodding to her question. "We hailed them half an hour ago, and still no response. At this point, they should have responded, but there's been nothing at all, not even a garbled transmission. They're radio silent." His frown deepened, and the unicorn felt his confusion spreading to her.

"You'd think with over a thousand people aboard, somepony would pick up the phone," she commented, earning a small snort from the captain.

"You'd think," he agreed. "Hopefully, their comm is busted, and that's that." His eyes peered intently at the holographic representation shimmering before him. "Some interference from space debris or solar radiation or something inane like that. I'd even be happy with them all being on break." Something in his tone sent an uneasy shiver through the unicorn, and Twilight blinked at him.

"You hope?" she asked, waiting for reassurance. Instead, he answered by way of a nod before looking out of the window towards their destination, still invisible to the naked eye. Swallowing her doubt, Twilight straightened up a little. "As soon as I'm aboard, I'll be able to solve whatever problem they're having. We'll have communications back up within an hour, at most." The captain raised an eyebrow questioningly, and she smiled a shy little smile. "I needed a hobby, and electrical engineering fit my timetable."

"Impressive," Brightwork commented. "That wasn't mentioned on your file. I would have thought that something as noteworthy as taking another class, an intensive one at that, to fill out your timetable would have been noticed."

"I'm self-taught," the unicorn informed him, equal parts proud and self-conscious. "I found some textbooks in the academy library and worked through them whenever I had spare time." The captain regarded her with an air of admiration as he replaced the display of the station with a command interface, his hands sweeping across the display and sending orders this way and that.

"You truly are something, Miss Sparkle," he spoke at last, turning his full attention to her. "We'll let you and your friends deal with the situation. I can imagine that between the six of you, you'll truly live up to your claims." Humour crept into his tone as he added, "It tends to get boring very quickly on the bridge, so I hope you do manage to stick to your schedule. As much as I love the stars, there's not much in the way of variety when it comes to the void."

"The six of us?" the mare queried, subconsciously plotting a course back to Spike's room on her data pad. He'd be a useful helping hand, and she wanted him close by as often as possible for this assignment.

"Yourself and your five friends," Brightwork reiterated, shutting down the projection entirely. "I try to avoid questioning superiors about their choices, and you've surprised me as it is, so I won't ask about the baker or the fashion designer. Not the sort of people I'd choose for this mission, but I don't suppose they were chosen for those qualities."

"Actually, I was thinking of taking just one other person," the unicorn revealed, wondering for herself just why Celestia had opted to recruit the eclectic assortment for what she assumed was a retrieval of government property. "Just me and a trusted assistant." Her response earned a curious, pensive stare from the captain, the man staying silent for several long seconds before chipping in.

"I can understand why you might have misconceptions about the five newcomers," he told her. "They're new, untrained, untested, and it's not apparent as to why they were selected. I have my doubts too, if I'm allowed to be honest. But have you stopped to ask why you were selected? How strange that is?" His words prompted Twilight to answer, but he moved on to intercept her point before she could make it. "You're a capable woman, Miss Sparkle, and I'm not doubting your ability or your talents, but there are surely much more suitable people out there for this mission; trained soldiers, skilled technicians, veterans of every conceivable stripe, but the princess chose you, and not out of a sense of favour or personal investment, I'd imagine." Folding his arms behind his back once more, Brightwork paced slowly towards her. "As I said before, there's always something new out there to learn and experience. These people are here for a reason, and if I were you, I'd bring them along. It'll probably be the best chance to find out what we're doing out here."

"You really think they're that important?" the woman asked hesitantly. "I don't mistrust the princess, but...." She stopped, trying to pin down her discomfort with the situation. "Why work with unknowns to figure out what is going on? That's an added danger. It makes more sense to stick to what we understand and work with that instead."

"We learn through action and consequence," Brightwork pointed out. "You're a scientific sort, you can understand that. Progress doesn't happen through inaction, or 'playing it safe'. We have our tools, we need to use them. As far as I can see, it's nothing more complicated than a test."

"A....test?"

"You've been given your materials and asked to produce a particular outcome. To me, that sounds very much like an assessment of sorts. If you have leftovers by the end, then you've probably missed a step, and that usually means reduced quality." Stopping in front of her, he tilted his head. "I won't tell you what to do, or who to take. My job is to captain this ship, not to dictate the lives of everyone I meet. I do urge you to make your decisions with everything in mind, however, and for the right reasons. I understand wanting your brother nearby, and mistrusting strangers, but is that really the best rationale?" The thought gave the unicorn pause, and she frowned in displeasure. "Just consider it personal advice from a person with plenty of time to think on things, and a little experience to go along with all that thinking."

"I'll take them all," she relented after several minutes of thought, reluctantly entering a new destination onto her data pad's orientation program. Brightwork seemed content with her choice.

"That seems like a good idea to me," he weighed in, casting a glance out of the window to the station far off in the inky blackness. "You can't have too many friends in the unknown, and I don't think we know even half as much as we should about this situation."

Although the fitting and the securing had been done before they'd stepped onto the shuttle, the clicking of equipment slotting into place and the clunking of something being tapped or tested persisted as they approached the station itself. Spike couldn't blame any of them; it was the first time they'd been deployed properly, and the itching that came with sitting around doing nothing before they disembarked was maddening. He, like the others, kept fiddling with his boots and armour, making sure it was all tied and fastened in the right places, and that it wouldn't come undone at the wrong moment, or that his weapon had the safety set to on. In such an enclosed space, a misfire would be beyond inconvenient.

EA-2RS carbine, he repeated to himself in his head, turning the weapon over in his hands. 5.5mm rounds, bullpup design, box magazine. Foregrip installed in front of the handguard, reflex sight fitted onto the rail. He checked again, making sure the sight was correctly zeroed. The carbon-fibre body felt light as he lifted the butt to his shoulder, resting it in place and peering down the rail. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, he patted down his uniform, feeling it over for oddities. Guardian combat armour, durable enough to withstand low-calibre rifle rounds, and flexible enough to allow a full range of movement. He'd been instructed and drilled time and time again in basic training on how to fit the light armour, along with a variety of others, and now wearing only the torso of the protective gear, he felt somewhat exposed. It fit comfortably and was unobtrusive and lightweight, consisting of a smooth olive ceramic plating which covered the front and back of his torso, offering the most important parts of his body the protection he might need in close quarters from low-calibre weapons with a quick fire rate. It was secured at his waist by a buckle and clasp. Underneath, the grey battle dress of the Equestrian land forces showed the rest of him as unprotected, save for the hard boiled leather boots.

"Okay, we're in," Rumble announced, his statement supplemented with a minute bump as the craft touched down. He'd piloted them for the twenty minute journey, failing time and time again to contact the station as they drew close. It was Featherweight who had noticed how inactive it looked. Deserted, almost. It was at that point that the group had started nervously checking their arms and armour, silently wondering if they'd properly equipped themselves for whatever they were about to get into, but sharing the sentiment through brief eye contact as they fiddled. Tapping the command to open the Sky Chariot's ramp, Rumble twisted from the seat and grabbed his own rifle, turning to face the exit as the hanger came into view. Spike used the mechanical whining to cover the noise of him flicking his safety off, hearing in the same instant several other identical clicks from behind him.

The group kept their weapons pointed down as they exited the shuttle into the dark, dreary hanger, wary but without reason to burst in with guns and voices raised. They couldn't afford to let panic settle in, especially not with the civilian elements within their group. That was also something Spike had been taught; when escorting, protecting, guarding or interacting with non-military personnel, the most important thing was to remember that they weren't military. They didn't have the training, the protection, or the ability that he could expect from his fellow soldiers, and so any brash and unnecessary action could cost him the lives of said civilians and even his comrades.

"Where is everypony?" Twilight asked no one in particular, looking around at the lightless chamber. Even as their eyes adjusted, it remained unwelcoming, the dull metal of the room reluctantly reflecting a few watts of some unseen lightbulb. A station like this should've been illuminated by powerful industrial lights and divided into bays by bright landing markers. Even the emergency lighting would have been stronger than the dim, ubiquitous gloom that had settled. It was as though the power had simply deserted the station, along with everyone stationed there. There was just a deep, uncomfortable absence.

"Could it be-" Spike suggested, pausing dramatically to turn his head with an exaggerated shiver of fear to address Twilight just behind him. "-zombies?" He heard an amused snort from Pipsqueak which set off some other titters among the group, an ample result to supplement the unicorn's exasperated frown.

"Not very likely," she answered him back, fixing him with a disapproving deadpan look. The drake couldn't help but smirk to himself, resisting the urge to respond right away. After a few seconds of silence, when everypony had settled down from his previous quip, he dropped the next line.

"Not likely, but....possible?" He opted to ignore her irritated glare. No need to look when he could feel her eyes burning into his back and imagine her adorable pout.

"Does it have to be so dark?" Fluttershy asked in a nervous whisper, the fact that she could be heard by the entire group a testament to just how eerily silent the station was. "Shouldn't there be lights? Or somepony else?"

"I have to agree," Rarity chipped in, her voice lacking its usual enthusiastic luster. "The decorum here is simply inexcusable. I dread to think how much worse it might be if we could actually see the room to any decent standard."

"There's a light over there," Featherweight chimed in, pointing over to the far side of the hanger. Peering across the room, the others could just about make out the faint smear of red against the wall. "Could be a door, could be a map, could be nothing at all."

"It could be something incredibly dangerous," Fluttershy worried, her form shaking in the darkness. Spike heard Twilight sigh beside him, taking confident steps towards the other side of the chamber.

"We don't know what it is, and we should find out," the unicorn decided, marching forward while the rest of the group looked to each other for some consensus on what should be done. Rainbow was the next to follow, striding after Twilight, which prompted the others to assent to the course of action. Truffle fumbled around his belt for a while before he found a torch, clicking it on to illuminate the way ahead. With their path slightly better lit, the group made quick headway, arriving a minute later at the miniature source of light.

"It's a door," Rumble announced, kneeling down and setting his carbine to the side. Featherweight nodded happily to himself, the smallest crack of a pleased smirk appearing on his face. "The lock for it, anyway. It's sealed up tight."

"You can unlock it though, right?" Spike asked, the red hologram seeming impassable to him. All he could understand was the symbol of a red lock firmly clicked in place, surrounded by a solid circle.

"I don't know, someone went through a lot of trouble to seal it down," the pegasus responded, his finger tracing the shape of the lock. "I'd feel pretty bad undoing their hard work."

"So we've found something you can't do?" Pipsqueak challenged him in a teasing tone. Rumble just scoffed, his hands dancing over the hologram with startling ease and efficiency.

"Of course I can do it. I just wanted you to know how much work I'm putting in for this. Techs don't always get the credit they're due, do they?"

"Get on with it," Pipsqueak replied, presumably rolling his eyes at his friend's metaphorical muscle-flexing.

"Yes, get on with it," Spike added, smirking in Pipsqueak's direction.

"Get on with it," Featherweight and Truffle chorused, earning a tut from Rumble before he lapsed into silence, focusing on his motions and gestures, each swish of his fingers and hands coaxing a beep from the door and a subtle shift in the holographic display, the circle gradually pulling apart. Twilight stepped closer to watch what he was doing, undoubtedly intrigued by the pegasus' ability. Not fifteen seconds had passed before, with a final tap, the display turned blue, and the symbol of the lock switched to from closed to open. Rumble gave a satisfied nod at his work and fetched his carbine before pressing his hand to the circle, cycling the door. Standing back up, he waited patiently as it slid open, creaking a little from some unseen strain.

"Should it be makin' that noise?" Applejack asked cautiously, watching the great metal slab slide apart with a modicum of difficulty. "Seems like it's stuck on something."

"Or something's stuck to it," Truffle suggested, pointing the beam of the torch through the gap. On the other side, a long grey metal corridor stretched away from them, as dark as the hanger with only a fraction of the space. Even looking into the passageway evoked a sense of claustrophobia. When the door opened fully, silence returned in full force. Truffle swept the beam left and right, the light falling across the walls and illuminating a slender shape that trailed across the metallic sides of the corridor, and further up. Several gasps went up from the group as the earth pony pointed their light source up at the ceiling.

"Wiring?" Rumble asked, peering in confusion at the winding black tubes hanging from the low-vaulted ceiling. "Sloppy maintenance caused the blackout?"

"Not wiring," Featherweight corrected, stepping a little closer. "Vines." His announcement caused a murmur of confusion to spread through the group.

"The door was active," Pipsqueak realised aloud. "There's no way that there's a total power cut. Something's constricting power flow." He glanced at the passage ahead, the wiry vines visibly running along the entirety of the upper and middle surfaces of the corridor. A little way past the door, faint hues of blue reflected in the torchlight, patches coating the floor and walls at irregular intervals. "Are those...flowers?"

A purple glow diverted the group's attention towards Twilight, who had sparked a ball of energy in her hand. Holding it up high, she sent it floating daintily down the corridor, bobbing lightly as it travelled, casting its radiance across the mysterious growth and the scarce metal of the wall behind it. At a small distance down, it stopped, hovering silently in the air and illuminating the previously obfuscated space. Shadows melted away from the surfaces, skulking just out of sight, clinging to whatever cover they could find.

"So, are we going?" Rainbow spoke up, looking from person to person. "We've been staring at this thing for about a minute now. Nothing's gonna get done from us just looking." She took a step forward, but was beaten to it by Pinkie, who seamlessly pushed past all of them, striding overly joyfully into the corridor. Rainbow quickly caught up, followed by a surprisingly resolute Fluttershy, and then the ranks broke completely, the mares taking confident steps into the previously dark space. With the women flouting their formation, the men looked at one another and set forward too, yet again following the people they were meant to be escorting.

Just under the portable light source the gaggle of girls had stopped, all in various stages of ogling the growths plastering the hall. Pinkie had already plucked a flower from the wall and mashed it against her nose, inhaling deeply and letting a dopey grin fall across her face. Turning to Fluttershy, she shoved it towards the meek mare, giving her little choice but to sniff it. Like the other pink haired-girl, the pegasus smiled happily and nodded, breathing in once more before Pinkie snatched it away again and showed it off to the others. Twilight cast a disapproving glance at the energetic girl's antics, but focused herself on the flowers, even brushing a couple of fingers across the petals.

"Flowers?" Spike asked her, stopping to check what she made of the situation. He received a nod as she continued to rub the strange but innocuous flora between her fingers. "Can you identify it?" The unicorn shook her head, not looking at him to respond.

"I'm no botanist, but there doesn't seem to be anything 'alien' about them," Twilight summarised. "They have all the same qualities as you'd expect of any other plant, although too many of these qualities overlap. It seems to be a vine, but the presence of flowers suggests pollen rather than growth as a means of reproduction and development." She fell silent and scrunched her face in thought.

"It might be an adaptive plant," a hushed voice suggested. Fluttershy stepped forward almost apologetically, having torn herself away from the other women, who were toying with the flower Pinkie had plucked. "Vines operate almost in opposition to leaved flora, but this one has both. It's possible that it utilises leaves and petals to thrive in environments with plentiful sunlight and water, in order to maximise photosynthesis, while the vines are used in darker biomes to ensure survival when these resources are lacking." At Twilight and Spike's surprised looks, she smiled coyly and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "I enjoy gardening, and studied botany for my medical training."

"Medical training?" Twilight asked, to which the pegasus nodded, her face scrunching cutely before she sneezed daintily, blushing and wiping her face. The other two waited patiently as she wiped her hands and face, trying to remove any pollen.

"It might seem unlikely for somepony like me, but I actually registered for the medical corps when I was sixteen," she revealed. "I wanted to help other ponies, and tough, demanding jobs like the military seemed like the place where most people would suffer injuries. I scored well in the exams and I enjoyed the training, but...well, you can probably tell I'm not exactly a people person." She sighed sadly. "I decided it wasn't for me, but I never lost the love for medicine. Now, I put it to use helping the animals of Equestria." A happy smile graced her face.

"Hey, you there! We're friendly! Come out, we need help!"

Spike twirled around first, instinctively responding to Rumble's voice. He and Featherweight were holding their guns towards the floor, but their grips were rigid and firm, ready to snap it to attention at a moment's notice, and they stood with one leg slightly forward, prepared to spring into action or dive in any which direction. The pegasi were looking towards the end of the corridor, their eyes picking out a shape that Spike himself couldn't quite see. It was only upon joining the other two, and when the rest of his fireteam had pulled up beside and behind him, that he caught the outline of something ahead.

"We're not here to hurt you," Pipsqueak assured whatever it was. "We were scheduled to come aboard the station, and we found it like this. Can you tell us what happened?" He waited for the presence to respond for several seconds, his eyes flicking back and forth as he tried to catch sight of it. "Are you hurt? We-"

"Beware! Beware, you pony folk!"

Behind them, Spike heard the women shift at the heavily accented voice, as well as it's urgent tone. He felt himself grow uneasy at the sudden address.

"Those leaves of blue are not a joke!" A portion of the shadow moved, and hurried footsteps carried down the hall to them as the figure retreated away from them, calling out a final time, "Beware! Beware!" The words echoed briefly before falling silent, leaving them alone again. The ponies continued the silence for a few moments, confused by the encounter.

"Well, that was some creepy mumbo-jumbo," Applejack announced, snapping the group back to the present. At the sound of her voice the others murmured their thoughts too.

"Was that supposed to scare us?" Rainbow scoffed, glancing around to garner the other's opinions. As the others piled on their contributions, the men relaxed their postures, turning to discuss the next course of action.

"We need to move," Pipsqueak suggested, keeping his voice low and casting glances over his shoulder periodically. "I'm getting a queer vibe from all this. We find the security centre, get whatever we need, and shift it."

"I second that plan," Rumble agreed, cracking his fingers. "In and out. They're always the best plans. At this point, I don't even know if we're gonna get whatever it is we want, but the sooner we get somewhere, the sooner we find out, and the sooner we leave." With the other's assenting the plan, they motioned for the civilians to advance.

"Twilight, send the light up front," Spike told the unicorn, the ball of energy whizzing over their heads a second later. He stepped forward to follow it, leaving Pipsqueak and Truffle to guard the front of their formation, while Featherweight and Rumble covered the back. Together, they edged their way further into the station, following the purple hue shining ahead, throwing out its steady pulse like a beacon.

In short time they arrived at a junction. There was no sign of the figure who'd spoken to them earlier; whoever it was had disappeared without a trace. Glancing down the three other routes, the drake bit his lip in concentration as the others pulled up behind him, pointing their carbines to cover the corridors. In every direction, the strange growth hugged the walls and ceilings, growing so thick in some places that it had practically replaced the metal panelling. At the very edges of the orb's range, he could barely make out the vines spilled across the floor.

"Up ahead," Twilight determined, looking up from her data pad. "If we head straight, take a right in five hundred metres, follow the main hallways along for several hundred metres, and then take another right, we'll find ourselves in the customs and cataloguing department." An ominous metallic creak followed her words, underpinned by a dull thump in the distance.

"No need to tarry," Pipsqueak piped in, the group unanimously agreeing and starting forwards along the designated route. The orb of light followed them, hovering above the travelling pack to throw its illumination across the plant-infested path. The soldiers still pulled out their flashlights, casting cones of bright, clear light ahead and behind them.

Spike set a normal pace, though it felt both frantic and cautious to him. He could feel the others' tension, and instinctively glanced behind every so often to check that they were still there. Without fail, Pip and Rumble were no more than a metre behind, and he felt slightly ashamed for needing to look. Their nods of encouragement, however, told him that they knew exactly how he was feeling.

As Twilight had informed them, there was a right turn after their gradual shuffle through the dark corridor, leading to a larger hallway, maybe twice the size of the one they had just exited. The excess space did nothing to make the drake more comfortable. The plants were plastered to the walls in this part of the station too, thicker and more layered than the spaces they had previously encountered, and as they advanced, it became apparent that they were moving towards a far more overrun area of the research station. Every now and then, somepony would gasp, accusing one of the vines of shifting, but when the others turned to look, shining their lights accusingly at the tendril in question, it remained inanimate. It didn't become less creepy after the fifth time.

It could have been thirty minutes, an hour, or several hours by the time they took the final turn into the customs and cataloguing section, but Spike was relieved that they'd arrived at their destination. The door had opened lethargically, and they'd stepped through impatiently to the other side. They found themselves in oval room, with glass walls separating individual room-sized cubicles. Inside each, it looked like there were a variety of desks, tables, and scientific and electronic equipment, though all of it looked like it was inactive. Thankfully, the growth was moderate in here, leaving only certain patches of the wall to be decorated in the twisting tendrils.

"Five stations," Featherweight noted, his eyes picking out the open doorways leading into each cubicle. "Eleven of us." He had the tact to not point out that less than half of that number were trained combat personnel, and the others silently understood.

"Two to each, one lookout?" Pipsqueak suggested, earning a general agreement. "I'll take Rarity and cover that one." He nodded towards the furthest cubicle, and smiled at the purple-haired unicorn. She was hesitant, but after he approached her and offered a few words of encouragement, she stepped forward.

"Always the regal ones," the dragon whispered to him teasingly as the earth pony passed by. The chestnut-haired man tried and failed to suppress his smirk.

"Shut it, mate."

Spike felt a little easier after the exchange, the mood somewhat lighter, though he didn't take his eyes away from the first pair until they disappeared into the glass enclosure, with the earth pony sweeping his light across the disused surfaces within. He knew it was irrational, especially given the current situation, but a subtle, pernicious prickling scratched at the back of his mind at the sight of them. Shaking his head, the drake returned to the task at hand, ignoring the green monster demanding his attention.

Featherweight, being the most observant of the group, decided to stand watch, while Rumble took Rainbow Dash and Applejack to search his cubicle. Between them, it wasn't apparent who was the muscle for who. Truffle agreed to work with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, a seemingly incompatible combination that only the stoic earth pony could possibly have the patience to work with. That left Spike with Twilight, which provided him a great degree of comfort.

The light burned away the darkness inside the room, banishing the oppressive shadows wherever it turned. With a few flicks of his wrist, the dragon had ensured that nothing inside posed a danger to them. The room, apart from having fallen victim to overgrowth, was devoid of any participants.

At least, that was what he'd thought, until he stepped inside. A glint caught the drake's eye, and he turned his torch to a particularly dark patch on the wall. He halted mid-step, his breath caught in his throat and his eyes widening in shock. Something was attached to the wall, vaguely equine.

And it was staring at him. Bright, white eyes burned from inside a nest of the vines, strapping the creature to the wall. The drake pushed an arm out behind him, making contact with Twilight's torso.

"Get out," he hissed to her urgently, stepping back a little. He kept eye contact with the creature, not daring to look away for a second. The mare behind him gasped as she realised what he had seen, and she took a large, slow step backwards. Inch by careful inch, Spike raised his carbine, resisting the urge to snap it into place and riddle the thing with bullets. He was shaking, but he knew that he couldn't miss, not when the barrel was aimed directly at its chest. His finger made contact with the trigger, and-

A sudden sharp rattle made him jump, and he spun around to view the source of the noise. Twilight screamed shrilly. The drake turned on the spot, planting his feet and taking aim at the monstrosity on the wall, while a grating, grinding sound echoed through the room. Before he could pull the trigger, brightness flooded the room, forcing him to avert his eyes.

"Easy now, easy!" Applejack called out. Everypony in the room turned to look at her. "Ah jus' found the generator, that's all. No need to worry." The drake blinked and recentred his view on the wall, but found the figure to have not moved. Featherweight came over to him, alternating between looking at the dragon and Twilight.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Spike nodded towards the wall. The pegasus looked over, blinked, and looked back at the green-haired soldier. "The vines? The suit in the vines? What?"

"Suit?" Spike asked, earning a nod from the eagle-eyed man.

"Yeah, suit. It looks like a hazmat suit or something, probably used to handle dangerous or unknown materials when they're brought in to be registered." Featherwieght peered at the dragon curiously. "Are you really alright?"

"Never been better," the drake remarked as he stood up, stepping back inside the now well-lit room to approach the 'creature'. The body was a dark yellow smooth impermeable fabric, apparently designed to keep the wearer safe from new chemicals and materials that they might have to deal with. The hood was almost featureless, covering as much as possible with only a black filter over the mouth and two glass eye slots. Curiously, Spike flashed his flashlight at the glass, receiving a glare as the light was reflected back at him. He winced in awkward realisation.

"If you could not scare me like that again," Twilight huffed from behind him, earning a sheepish laugh from the man. She shook her head and chortled, turning to observe the room itself. Now that the power had been restored, the computers and electronic equipment had booted back up, activating in the presence of an electric current. The unicorn impatiently pulled the vines out of the way, wincing as she pricked herself. She responded by crushing the offending tube in her kinesis and peeling it away from the screen it had covered. When Spike wandered over, she handed the task of going through the files to him, attracted to some lab equipment that was sitting on a desk on by the glass wall.

A few quick searches turned up little of interest. There were hundreds of journal entries, some written and some videoed, and there was a massive cache of items that had been checked in for study, but that left a lot of ground to cover. Scratching his chin, the drake excluded all search results before the date of the attack on Canterlot. From there, he slogged through the remaining entries, trying to find some mention of-

"If you don't want us to retain them for study, why exactly did you bring them here?" One of the logs opened up with a man talking off-screen, apparently having started recording midway through the conversation. The image showed a fully armoured figure, the protective scales a deep red, except for the orange shoulder, elbow, and knee plates. A utility belt was fasted around its waist, an empty holster resting against the right leg. Despite being able to come aboard fully covered, he was stripped of any weapons.

"I want to know what they are and what they do," the red individual spoke, his voice distorted into a deep, gravelly growl by his cold, hard helmet. The eyeholes were accompanied by what looked a like a steel-painted, tooth-borne, sneering mouth, giving the impression of a leering grin. "I can't sell them on if I don't know how much I can ask for them, can I? And I can't know what I can ask for them if I don't know what they are or what they can do." Spike's eyes widened in recognition.

It was the lone figure from the rooftop in Canterlot.

"And I can't give you an answer with any degree of accuracy without running some tests on them," the first voice responded in a tone one would use to explain a simple concept to a young child. "I really can't help you unless you cooperate here."

"I don't have the time to have them studied. I need an answer, and I need one now. If you can't do that, then tell me and stop wasting my time."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"Then we have nothing more to discuss." He turned around and stepped towards the cubicle's exit, the glass doors sliding open with a light hiss as he approached. Before he stepped out, the figure paused and turned to face the unseen interlocutor. "Actually, there is one more thing before I leave." He pointed a metallic, scaled finger at the camera. In spite of himself, Spike felt a shiver run down his spine, as though he'd been caught spying. "I don't want any of this recorded. No registration, no personal journal, and certainly not the video you're trying to record right now."

"I need to record all items of interest that enter into the department," the other man informed him, swallowing audibly. "It's a legal requirement under-"

"I don't care," the armoured man interrupted, taking a heavy step forward which made the camera shake. "Not any record of me being here is going to exist in twenty four hours, okay? I'll know if you keep anything, because if you do, certain other people are going know about it. If anyone turns up on my doorstep, there'll only be one way they could've found me. So if anyone comes looking for me, I'll come looking for you. Is. That. Clear?" Three seconds passed in silence.

"Leave, please, or I will call security."

"You'll do nothing. If you do, I'll have to bring you along with me, give you a personal tour of Drachstern." He crossed his arms slowly and deliberately, tilting his head to regard the man off-screen. "Tell me, did you know that lava is so dense that a person won't sink below the surface? That the body will simply burn, shrivel, and blister in full view of whoever happens to be looking?" He let the rhetorical question permeate the room for several long seconds. "Well, there are an awful lot of volcanoes on Drachstern. Think on what I've said." Without further comment, the red man left the room, turning and striding out without a care. Long after the thudding footsteps had receded, the heavy breathing from off-camera continued.

"I don't get paid enough risk my life," the unseen man cursed, cutting the footage off. Spike looked up from the screen.

"Twilight," he called out, attracting the mare's attention. "I know where we need to go." The woman looked surprised, but beamed at his success. "It's a place called 'Drachstern', I think." He nodded to Featherweight, who headed over to collect the group back together. Returning his attention to Twilight, he went to ask her to download the video file, but found her already connecting her data pad to the computer.

"I'm the one who taught you to always keep a backup, remember?" she asked, seeing his expression. He giggled at her smug response and readjusted his grip on his carbine.

"And done," the woman announced, clearly pleased with herself. "Now we can leave this station behind. I don't know about you, but whatever went on here is far beyond what we're meant to be doing."

"I don't know if anyone is ever going to hear this."

The dragon and the unicorn turned back to the screen. The next video log had played automatically, throwing up an image of a young man grimacing at the camera. He was doubled over, clutching his stomach as though in pain. Casting a glance at each other, Twilight and Spike silently agreed to continue watching. The dragon recognised the voice as belonging to the unseen person in the other recording he'd just watched.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure if I want anyone to ever hear this. What's happened on Pandora..." He sighed plaintively, shaking his head. "It won't matter, either way. I can't make anyone find this log, and I can't keep anyone from finding it. Either they do, or they don't, and it won't affect me anyway, not after I'm gone. All I can do is explain what happened and why it happened, and maybe do something to stop it. Yeah, that's all I can really do. If I ramble, please be patient. This is as much about confessing as it is trying to help any official investigation or whatever you're doing with this recording." Sweeping a shaky hand across his trimmed auburn hair, the man gathered his thoughts.

"First of all, my name is Blowtorch, and I'm a lab assistant at Pandora research facility. My job was to handle the practical elements of the experiments on hazardous or newly acquired samples. What that usually meant was collating results and data from standard tests run on exotic acquisitions. In layman's terms, I did the run of the mill stuff on the exciting new toys. Well, that was a normal day for me, anyway. About three weeks ago, we imported this weird new plant, and it was brought on board the station. My brief said that it had 'anomalous qualities', and that I needed to put it through a variety of checks. That should've taken at least a month, except it didn't. No matter what conditions we put it under, it had always grown within a day. We'd check, reset the test, leave it for a day, and consistently, it'd be bursting to get out by the time we came back.

"I passed on the information and the samples, and a couple of days later, I was called in to a briefing. Apparently, this plant, or vine, or whatever it was supposed to be, had mutagenic qualities. We didn't know how, but we knew that it could. A decision was made to import more, and no one really said no." Blowtorch closed his eyes and hung his head for a moment, mumbling something that might've been a curse, before looking up to face the camera again, his expression laced with remorse.

"You've got to understand; the possibilities, the opportunities, they excited us. I played the voice of caution for a while, but the data was undeniable. If we could understand how it worked, we could put that knowledge to use in unimaginable ways. Advanced gene therapy to cure terminal illnesses, immunisation against every disease we could ever encounter, and maybe even halt death in its entirety. These were the ideas we had, if only we could understand how it worked. We could have isolated the elements we needed, or cultivated modified samples, or even synthesised a precise medicine with the properties we wanted. Everything we did was with noble intentions, I promise. I know that doesn't excuse what we've unleashed, but I hope you can look on what we did with more sympathy. I'd prefer to not go down in history as a madman.

"We put in bulk orders of this specimen, enough to research and dispose of as and when we saw fit. At that point, there was only one person who actually tried to stop us, a zebra. She told us it was dangerous, that it was known as 'Poison Joke' by her people, but we didn't pay any attention. The name didn't sound threatening, and we even started calling it that ourselves. I hope she's okay, but I doubt it." The man frowned, then shook his head and continued.

"The first incidents were the standard sort of thing; people not following regulations and winding up with stings and irritations, the usual reaction to working with foreign allergens. They were sent to medical for treatment, and we carried on. But then the patients got worse, and they had to be quarantined. Then the doctors who had examined them fell ill, and unrest started to spread through the station. It's hard to keep a population under control when you have a risk of a breakout and the people who are meant to treat you are some of the first to succumb. I don't even know when the containment breaches started, but one day we found the plant covering pretty much every surface of our lab. We tried to fumigate it, and that worked until we realised it had infested the vents too. Even the samples we'd sent to be destroyed had re-sprouted in the waste disposal areas.

"Security couldn't even stop it. When people started going crazy, attacking their neighbours, there wasn't anything that could be done. Not when they'd...changed. I don't know if you can imagine a man with an arm covered in bark, or someone trying to throttle someone else with roots emerging from their fingertips. All we knew was that it was basically a free-for-all. I tried to get a hazmat suit, but one of the things ripped it, so now I'm finished. The cut isn't deep, but it doesn't need to be for you to get infected. Besides, it's started to hurt more over the last few hours. That's enough reason for me to complain." He snorted wryly, then winced and clutched more urgently at his stomach.

"Before the power cuts out and corrupts all the data, I'm going to end this video. Whatever becomes of me or this station, you have to destroy that plant. Incinerate it, dissolve it, whatever. Just make sure that it's dead and gone, and that the remains are fired into a sun somewhere. If it touches you, you're already doomed. It's far too dangerous to allow it to spread, and that means it, and everyone who's come into contact with it, needs to be obliterated. Some part of me still hopes that there's a cure, but I'm not in a great position to entertain that hope. And whatever you do, don't be tempted to keep a sample and try to experiment on it like we did. It doesn't matter how good the prospects look, or how close you think we were, or how careful you swear you'll be - if it breaks out, that spells doom for the galaxy. It's far too volatile, and it can affect pretty much anything with a single touch. If you want to make the galaxy a better place, if you want our research to count for anything, learn from us. Let our research die here."

The man forced himself to stand up and used his free hand to grab something from the desk. Bracing himself with a breath, he removed his hand from his stomach and fiddled with the item he'd just grabbed, pulling it over his head and straightening it out, until he was entirely covered by the dark yellow of his protective suit. As soon as the hood was in place, he returned his hand to the cut across his stomach, facing the camera fully. His hazel eyes peered to his unknown audience through the thick glass of the eye slots.

"That's all there is for me to say," he continued, his voice muffled by the black, membranous filter of the hood. "This is lab assistant Blowtorch of Pandora research station, signing off for the last time. I'm sorry it ended this way." He reached forward to touch the monitor, and the video abruptly ended.

"Spike..." Twilight whispered, a tremor to her voice.

The man didn't immediately look away, unable or unwilling to break the stasis of that moment. As soon as he did, he'd have to face reality again. When he finally pulled his gaze away from the screen, the woman was staring down at her hands, which were shaking. She turned to face him slowly, her expression locked in shock.

Spike swallowed, his heart thudding heavily in his chest. He didn't know what to say. When he went to pick up his gun from its resting spot, he found that his hands were trembling too. The drake tightened his grip on his weapon, trying to steady himself on something solid and familiar. Turning around, his eyes came across the protective suit from before, now illuminated fully by the light of the room, still held in place by the twisted vines.

Then it lifted its head and regarded him. Behind the glass, bloodshot hazel eyes gazed piercingly and unblinkingly, freezing the dragon in place.

There was a moment of silence as they watched each other before it let out a horrific, blood-curdling screech. The other ponies screamed and shouted, orders and panicked shrieks mingling into an incomprehensible morass. Elsewhere, a rising crescendo of wails joined in, adding to the cacophony until it seemed that the station itself was alive and trying to burrow into the skulls of the newcomers. Spike grit his teeth, his ears protesting from the violent sonic assault, willing himself to move. His arm shot out to grab Twilight, and she reacted, stumbling through the open door of the cubicle to join the others.

"Back to the ship!" Rumble bellowed, bolting to the door, the others following without complaint. Slinging his rifle, the pegasus reached out his hand to open the portal, the door hissing as the locks unlatched.

Then the generator failed, plunging them into thick, impenetrable darkness.

Author's Note

Wow, that took way longer than I expected. I was so determined to get out a chapter before the year ended though, even if it was at the last possible moment. And to think, I scoffed when a friend asked in January if the next chapter would be out before the end of the year. Anyway, Happy New Year everyone, I hope this chapter is a decent entry and that it meets your expectations. I'll update my blog soon to throw in some more details about the universe of Dragonfire, so stay tuned for that.