All the Star's Children

by Moowell

Rating: teen
Tags: Crossover, Alternate Universe
Length: 5337

Unicorns. Pegasi. Abominations of science, created through a combination of drugs and machines by a fanatical culture of ponies. The Council of Equestrian Species banished them to the stars long ago, but now... Now they're back with a vengeance.

Unicorns. Pegasi. Abominations of science, created through a combination of drugs and machines by a fanatical culture of ponies. Long ago, the Council of Equestrian Species conquered and banished the deviants to the stars and placed their planet under C.E.S. control. Centuries of propaganda and strict scientific regulation relegated them to little more than myths and old ponies' tales. You know, the stuff mothers use to keep their foals well behaved.

Ten years ago, those "myths" and "old ponies' tales" returned with more power and vengeance than ponykind could have imagined.

Crossover with Sins of a Solar Empire

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-02-05 17:20:01 UTC

Chapter 1

The soft morning light slowly peeked through Twilight Sparkle's curtains. Dampened by the Biodome's tinting, Faustia's yellow rays softly fell upon her eyes and woke her gently. She yawned and stretched and sat up in bed, eyes heavy and legs splayed out in front of her. Her purple mane stuck out in all directions as she rubbed her eyes open. Finally, she floomphed her blanket off her and stepped out of bed.

The floor seemed a little wobbly at first, but it was nothing she couldn't manage. Eventually it steadied enough to let her move over to the curtains and open them. Light flooded the spartan room, illuminating her disheveled coat and mane as well as the small desk with a picture of her parents and brother next to her bed. She opened the sliding glass door, and a circulating breeze waved through her coat and mane. She smiled and closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the clean, sanitized air of East Bio IV.

Her smile faded though, once she remembered that it would be one of the last breaths of air she would take here for a long time. Possibly ever.

A knock sounded from her door.

"Just a minute!" she called. A moment later, she opened the door to her room and found a white stallion with scruffy blue hair and a plain brown saddlebag slung over his shoulder standing there. He stood silent and straight-faced, simply looking her over. She rolled her eyes. "Shiny, before you ask, yes I just woke up. No, I didn't forget about today. Everything is already packed, minus the basics, which I was about to use before you knocked." She crossed her eyes at a stray strand of mane that fell between her eyes and sighed. "I look really silly, don't I?"

A playful smirk finally crossed his face. "Yes, Twily. You do. Mind if I come in?" Twilight stepped out of the way, only closing the door after Shining Armor was completely inside. His eyes immediately fell on the flowing curtains. "You did it too, huh?" He asked with a nod toward the back of the room.

She followed her brother's gaze and nodded with a small frown. "Yea. It's hard to believe we won't be here tomorrow."

"Yea, I know."

Twilight sighed. "Anyways, I was going to get cleaned up first, but have you eaten breakfast? I have fruit and sandwich stuff in the fridge."

"No, that's ok," Shining replied. "I've already eaten."

"Alright. See you in a couple minutes."

While Twilight disappeared into her bathroom, Shining's eyes fell on the picture beside Twilight's bed, and he smiled. In the front, he was flailing under the enthusiastic hugs of a very happy, very greasy Twilight. A blue stallion and a pale lavender mare, their father and mother, were smiling behind them and laughing at their shenanigans. And in the background, an old trade ship stood with a giant smiley face and C.E.S. Sparkle, both painted in lavender, on its side.

To this day, Shining still didn't know how she did it. All she had to work with at the time were an old manual, two or three books on engineering that went completely over his head, and some tools she stole from dad's workshop. She had been 'covertly' tinkering with it for months, doing everything from welding the hull and piping to designing replacement microchips and other electrical doohickies until the day of the photo. The day when she started the ignition, and the small ship roared to life.

She got her cutie mark that day: a starburst surrounded by smaller starbursts. It didn't make much sense at first, until their father told her that it looked similar to the bursts of energy left behind when a ship activates its phase engines. Twilight chose to believe that it represented her love of the skies and the machines that travel them.

"I'm going to miss them."

Shining sighed. "Me too, Twily. Me too."

He turned around to see that Twilight had finished up and packed her remaining essentials. She carried two saddlebags on her sides: one embroidered with a pair of yellow crescent moons, the other with a purple trio of stars. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yea. We'd better be off if we want to have good seats."

Twilight snickered. "The seats are assigned, Shiny. It doesn't matter when we get there as long as we're there on time." Twilight and Shining stepped out onto the balcony extending from the building and shut the sliding door behind them as Shining reached over and pressed a little green button. A moment later, the apartment's designated taxi hovered next to the balcony.

"Where to?" called the mechanized cabbie while they climbed into the back seat. A small tray clicked open in front of them.

"The hangar, please." Twilight reached into her saddlebags, but Shining stopped her.

"Don't worry, I got it." A moment later, he deposited several bits into a tray. It clicked shut, and they were off.

Twilight looked out the back window toward Canterhorn Mountain as the taxi turned and sped away. For as long as she could remember, the cliffs overlooking all of East Bio IV had been her home, and the thought of never seeing it again crossed her mind more than once on her way to the hangar. She turned back around, her head hanging toward the floor.

"Hey, cheer up, Twily." She looked up at her brother with big, nearly-tearing eyes. "The fleet just wants to make sure us civilians are safe until the planet's defenses are up and running. Once the threat of Augment invasion is over, we can come back to our home." Shining smiled down at her and ran a hoof through her mane. "It will only be a few months before you're back in in the mountainside, blowing up more crack inventions."

Twilight snorted. "I don't build crack inventions! I may not have worked out all the kinks in the A.M.B., and the laser focuser may not be able to handle the stresses of military-grade energy production, but I'm on the verge of a breakthrough with my anti-pegasuit design!"

"Oh really?" Shining asked, eyes rolling dramatically.

"Yes, really! I was going to test it out in the shop, but then this evacuation happened." She crossed her hooves and glared out the window. They were almost at the hangar, and would be touching down in a couple moments.

"And what exactly was this 'breakthrough?'" He waggled his hooves in air-quotes.

"Honestly, the concept is so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it before." Twilight grinned and flailed her legs at him. "Put guns everywhere!"

He facehoofed.

A dull thump brought the two out of their conversation. "Thank you for riding Canterhorn Cabs. We hope to see you soon."

The door opened, allowing them out in front of the hangar's main floor. Thousands of ponies had gathered and were making their way into the red-rimmed Alpha bay to board the C.E.S. Night Light, a massive cruise liner that was retrofitted with enough armor and weaponry to scare off pirate ships and frigate-class warships deployed by the Augments. Hundreds of others worked their way toward the blue-rimmed Bravo and the yellow-rimmed Charlie, each with a standard colony ship and two frigate escorts a piece readying for launch.

Twilight rummaged through her saddlebags and found her tickets. One was red and had 'Alpha' printed on it, and the other was white with R231. She would be on the Night Light for her journey. She and Shining walked together as they made their way to the entrance of the ship. The crowd was a little intimidating to Twilight, and Shining found her pressed against his side for most of the trek.

Finally, they made it to the front. Ten booths with ticket masters inside blocked the ramp leading up to the entrance. Behind them, four armed guards stood at the top to keep the peace. When Twilight reached her booth, she placed her red 'Alpha' ticket on the counter and was allowed to pass.

However, Shining Armor was not.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your ticket is for the 'Charlie' hangar. I'm afraid you'll have to board the colony ship stationed there."

"What? Shiny, you're supposed to be on this ship, right?" Twilight looked down at the ticket master's counter. There on the counter was a ticket marked 'Charlie', as yellow as Faustia's light in the morning. "But that must be a mistake! I thought..."

Shining just shook his head. "Sorry, Twily. It looks like we'll have to split up for now."

"Shiny, no! Don't leave me alone!" Several ponies from the other booths glanced over at her, but she didn't pay them any attention.

"Twilight, stop." He turned his head slightly and glanced over her shoulder. When she looked back, one of the guards was approaching. "You'll be fine The trip only takes a day, and my ship will be right behind yours. I'll be watching over you from my window the whole time. And when we get to Everfree, I'll find you and be with you all the way to our new house."

"But Shiny-"

"Is there a problem, miss?" asked a deep voice from right behind her.

She glanced back at the guard and hung her head. "No, sir. Just saying goodbye to my brother..."

"I understand, but I must ask you not to dawdle. There are many ponies who still need to get on board."

"Yes, sir..." The guard escorted Twilight up the ramp. At the top, she turned around to search for her brother. He was waving to her from the side of the ship, just outside the bulk of the crowd. She waved back but the crowd soon caught up with her and forced her deeper inside.

She turned around and examined the insides of the Night Light. It was big. As in, really big. In this area alone, she could see ten stories up, each metallic story with its own pathways and cross-connects like blood vessels linking ponies to an impressive number of rooms. And somewhere up there, one of them was hers. Hopefully it had a window that faced out toward the Charlie hangar so she might be able to see her brother before he boarded his ship.

She pulled her ticket out of her saddlebag. R231. Second story, and if this ship was anything like the ones her father designed, her room would be on the right side when facing the front. She aligned herself with the crowd and looked up to the right. Sure enough, she found the odd 200's.

287, 285, 283...

'Oh dear...' Twilight sighed. It was going to be a long walk before she found her room. 'Well, I'd better get started. Or at least out of this crowd.'

It took a little shuffling, but after no less than three minutes of bumping into ponies and at least twice that many apologies, Twilight reached a staircase. Fortunately, it was currently vacant, which gave her a moment to catch her breath away from everypony else and calm her nerves before venturing back into the wilderness. When she was ready, she took a deep breath, climbed the flight of stairs, opened the door, and stepped out onto the second floor.

Right in the path of a mare barreling by.

"Oh my-" was all she heard before she was sent head over hooves to her right. Fortunately, her saddlebags took the brunt of the impact. However, they also flew off her back and went sliding down the path as she tumbled. "Goodness me! Darling, you shouldn't rush out in front of ponies like that! Somepony could get hurt!"

Twilight put a hoof to her temples and groaned before standing back up. Her head had smacked the floor on that last tumble and was now throbbing. "Ow..."

"Oh dear... Are you alright?" Twilight glanced over at the mare who hit her. Her mane was a deep, shimmering purple, and her eyes were blue. Her white coat appeared well-groomed and completely without blemish, except for a small patch of off-white fur right in the center of her forehead. Scarring, maybe?

Twilight looked elsewhere. Father always taught her it was rude to stare.

The mare carried a small satchel at her side, but behind her, a very sweaty courier with a cart filled almost to overflowing with paraphernalia was breathing heavily. He smiled wearily at Twilight and mouthed the words 'Thank you' from behind the mare's back.

"Dear filly, are you alright?" the mare repeated.

"I think so." Twilight looked around and spotted her saddlebags on the ground nearby. She went to grab them, but her legs wobbled and she stumbled into the wall. "Whoa!"

"Darling, you are most certainly not alright! Here, let me help you." The mare stepped forward to grab Twilight's bags.

"No, that's o-"

"At tut tut! I insist! I feel simply dreadful for running into you, and I intend to make it up somehow." The mare picked up Twilight's bags and tossed them onto the pile behind her, much to the courier's dismay. "We're going to my room straight away for some tea. I find it to be the most wonderful cure for headaches, especially when mixed with a little honey."

"But-"

"I insist." In an instant, the mare's visage darkened and seemed to drain away the light of the entire room. A small bead of sweat ran down the back of Twilight's neck as she gulped and nodded. "Wonderful! We're almost to my room, actually. Number 233." Twilight blinked as the lighting returned to normal. She exchanged a glance with the courier before reaching up and grabbing her saddlebags off the top of the mare's pile. He smiled and tipped his hat to her, then followed behind while they caught up to the white mare. "Ah! Here we are!"

"Ma'am, I-"

"Rarity, darling. And still miss, not ma'am just yet. Someday, perhaps. Hopefully sooner rather than later, of course. Nopony wants to grow into an old mare without ever finding their true love, don't you agree?" Rarity sighed to herself before opening the door with her ticket and glancing down at the filly. "Hmm... You may be too young to understand such things. Anyways, please come in! Courier, you may leave the cart in the corner. Thank you for your services." She reached into her bag, pulled out a small sack of bits, and tossed them to the courier. He grinned and bowed, then went back the way they came.

"That was a generous tip," Twilight commented as her eyes explored the room. It wasn't particularly big. Definitely smaller than her apartment, yet still large enough to hold all the necessities. A two pony bed with a nightstand on either side. A chest of drawers, complete with a mirror and two seat cushions on top. A small, enclosed bathroom next to a closet, and a kitchenette on the opposite side. In the very back, a large window allowed a clear view of the hangar outside. She imagined her room would be much the same.

"Yes, well. I find that ponies are more likely to render services when you offer them something they can appreciate." Rarity closed the door and made her way toward the kitchenette. It came with a kettle and stove, one pot, one pan, a microwave, and three small cabinets housing decent dinnerware. There was also a fridge with some bottled water and a small bundle of fruit. Perfect for a traveler or two. The sound of running water, started and stopped, followed by a small ting between metals. "How do you like yo- Oh my goodness!" Rarity ran out of the kitchenette, eyes wide with horror.

"What?! What is it?!"

"I completely forgot to ask your name! You must think I'm a terrible host!" She looked away with dramatic shame.

Twilight sighed her relief. For a moment, she thought something bad was happening. She shuddered a little, recalling all the times she herself had experienced 'the kitchen' in all its fury. "It's alright, Miss Rarity. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Well, Miss Sparkle, it is good to formally meet you. And please, just Rarity."

Twilight smiled. "It's good to meet you too, Mi- Rarity."

"Much better! Now that we've introduced ourselves, how did you say you liked your tea?"

"I didn't. To be honest, I'm more of a coffee drinker..."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Coffee? At your age?"

Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "I didn't know there was anything wrong with it..."

"It's quite alright, Twilight. You don't mind if I call you Twilight, do you?" Twilight shook her head. "Good. I'm afraid I don't have any coffee, but I do have some pain killers in my bag if you need some. Is your head alright?"

"I'm fine. I think I was just a little dizzy when I stumbled."

"I really am sorry about that whole affair."

"M- Rarity, it's ok. Really."

Rarity nodded just as the kettle started screaming. "Be back in a moment."

Twilight walked to the back of the room to look out the window. She could see the last few ponies climbing aboard one of the colony ships, and she scanned them in search of her brother. Her ears drooped when she couldn't find him. The hangar itself was lined with yellow, so she knew it was the right one. Must've just missed him.

"Looking for somepony?" Twilight sighed and nodded. "I know that sigh. It is the sigh of somepony whose heart longs for another. Is your coltfriend on that ship?"

"C-Coltfriend?! Eww, no way!" Twilight recoiled and gagged a little as Rarity chuckled at her expense. "I was looking for my brother, but I guess he's already boarded." Rarity hummed understanding. "What about you? Do you have somepony to look for?"

"I do not. As I said before, darling, I am hoping to find him before I grow into an old mare. At this rate, I'm not sure I'll succeed." She sipped her tea and watched the ponies board. Then she smirked and glanced at Twilight. "Perhaps you could introduce me to this brother of yours?"

"You're not his type," Twilight said without hesitation or even looking up at her.

"Is that so?" Rarity hummed again. "I suppose I shall have to defer to your judgment on this one."

"Good morning, passengers. This is the captain speaking. We will be embarking in just a few minutes, so I ask that everypony please make your way to your respective rooms."

Twilight turned around and glanced at Rarity. "Well, I guess I should go. Captain's orders."

"Quite. If you need anything, you know where to find me. You don't have to travel far, do you? To get to your room, I mean. If so, you can stay with me until after take off."

"That's alright. I'm just next door, actually." Twilight showed Rarity her room ticket. "Thank you for the generous offer, though. It was nice meeting you, Rarity."

Rarity smiled. "And you, Twilight. I hope you find your brother when we finish this journey."

Take off was much quieter than Twilight expected. As a pony used to traveling by way of taxis and the Sparkle, the Night Light was like riding an elevator until they left the atmosphere. Once it entered phase space, moving around felt no different than moving on normal ground, despite traveling at speeds approaching light.

Twilight snuggled herself under her covers and grabbed Microelectronics: Past, Present, and Future from the saddlebag beside her. A little light reading always helped her calm down when she was stressed, and the day had been more stressful than most.

"...en route now. According to the Captain, we should be arriving within the hour."

"Huh?" Twilight's ears perked. She looked around her room, but there didn't seem to be anypony there. Funny... She could've sworn she heard a voice, like a low whisper. She shrugged and went back to her-

"What is the strength of the force?"

Now she was certain she heard something. "Who's there?" When nopony replied, she set her book down, closed her eyes, and listened.

"It isn't so much a force as an evacuation attempt," said the first voice. "Two light frigates and a colony ship will be entering Everfree space first, but the real threat is close behind. I am currently on a capital ship called the Night Light. Mostly civilians on board, but it appears to have enough firepower to challenge maybe seven of our frigates on its own. With the meager fighter support carried on board, perhaps ten. Two more light frigates and a second colony ship will arrive soon after the Night Light, but that is the extent of it."

"If that is all, then we have little to fear," came a third. "Sister, allow me to deal with them. Once they are taken care of, we can move on the desert they came from."

Twilight's breathing became more and more erratic the more she heard. Hearing it all in her head was a little concerning, but the message itself held even more terrible implications. Whoever was on the other end was planning to kill everypony on board!

"Sister, did you feel that? Somepony's emotions just surged!"

"I did. Operative, cancel communication. There is an intruder in our midst."

Twilight held her breath and tried to calm herself, but their words made that practically impossible. "There you are." Suddenly, an overwhelming power swelled inside her head, and she cried out in pain. Where the voice had been dim and difficult to hear before, now it beat her mind with terrible strength.

"Please... Agh!" Twilight thrashed about in her bed, clutching her head with her legs over her ears as though it would dampen the soundless sound. "Please, let me go!"

"Who is this? Is she yours, sister?" the third voice boomed.

"No, she is not," replied the second. "I can't sense any trace of Augmentation within her."

"Impossible! Without Augmentation-"

"And yet here she is, connected to our link. How is it possible, little pony, that you can hear our voices?"

"I d-don't know! P-please, stop! It hurts...!" Twilight screamed. The pain was excruciating, and no amount of holding her head could help her.

"...Very well. We shall meet again, little pony."

The pain in her mind vanished as swiftly as it came, almost as though it hadn't even been there at all. But the memory lingered. Who were those voices? How did they get into her head? And how much truth was in their words?

She felt the bed shaking underneath her. She felt the air grow cold in streaks along her back. She felt the corners of her eyes begin to dry out. But most of all, she felt completely alone. Without Shining Armor, she had nopony to calm her trembling. To hold and comfort her. To help reassure her that everything wasn't going to end.

A pounding startled her and caused her head to whip toward the door. "Twilight! Twilight, are you alright?! Open the door!" The pounding started again as she climbed out of bed to answer. "Twilight!" She opened the door to see Rarity standing there with an extremely worried look on her face. "Twilight, are you alright?! You were screaming and- By Faustia's light... Twilight, you look dreadful! What happened?!"

"Miss Rarity, I..." The white mare just stood there, waiting for Twilight's answer, but how could she talk to somepony she'd only met that morning about voices in her head threatening to kill everypony? "I'm f-fine. It was j-just a n-nightmare..."

Rarity's gaze softened as she entered the room and closed the door. She reached out and pulled Twilight into an embrace, rocking her gently. "Shh... There, there. It's alright. I've got you. There's nothing to fear. You're safe. Everything will be alright. I've got you. There's nothing to fear..."

Rarity repeated her words quietly and stroked Twilight's mane while she wept.

"They're going to kill us. They're going to kill us all..." Twilight finally said between sniffles.

"Who is, dear filly?"

"The Augmented." Twilight looked into Rarity's eyes with a fearful gaze before squinting them shut and burying her muzzle into the mare's chest. "They're waiting for us at Everfree, and they know we're coming."

Rarity paused, her eyes betraying a hint of surprise, but she resumed quickly. "Darling, that is the nightmare talking. The C.E.S. fleet was in this region just last week clearing away pirates, and they would never have let nearly three thousand civilians evacuate here if they weren't sure it was completely safe. We will be safe there."

"Promise?"

She hesitated, but a moment later, she smiled. "Nothing is going to kill you, Twilight. I promise."

Twilight calmed down, reassured by Rarity's words. "Thank you."

"Good evening, everypony. This is the captain speaking. We will be dropping out of phase space momentarily. When we arrive at Everfree, there will be a solar storm passing by, and we are expecting some turbulence. For your safety, I ask that you return to your rooms immediately. We will be closing the shutters on your windows to protect you from radiation during the storm. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and I thank you for your understanding."

Rarity stood up. "Come along, Twilight."

"Where are we going? The captain said to stay in our rooms."

"We're going to my room. There are some things in there that I do not wish to get damaged."

"Okay, but why am I coming with you?"

"Because after that nightmare of yours, I don't believe you should be left alone for longer than absolutely necessary. And I rather enjoy your company." Twilight opened her mouth to refuse, but she found that she couldn't form the words. Rarity had been so kind that it would be rude not to go with her. She sighed with a smile and nodded, following the mare next door.

Just as she shut the door behind her, a stack of metal shutters pulled across the outside of Rarity's window and rotated, shutting with a click. Twilight frowned. "Hmm..."

"What is it?" Rarity asked as she began rummaging through her incredible stack of belongings.

"It doesn't make any sense, that's what."

"Aha! Here it is!" Rarity expertly grabbed a bag from the middle of the stack, leaving the entire pile still balanced. "What doesn't make sense, darling?"

"Well, this ship used to be a cruise liner, right?" Twilight replied. "It was designed for ponies to look at space from the safety of the ship. Things like watching the planets below or jets flying around making intricate patterns with their exhaust. Wasn't visiting Faustia was one of the main attractions for a ship like this?"

"Indeed it was! I had the privilege of riding the Night Light before it was... remodeled. There is nothing quite so brilliant as seeing our star up close and personal."

"But that's why this doesn't make sense. Why would the captain worry about a radiation storm if the Night Light can handle the star itself?"

A sudden jolt shook the entire ship. "This is the captain speaking. I ask that you remain calm, and would like to remind you that we will be experiencing a little turbulence due to the storm."

Twilight paled. "That wasn't turbulence... That was a collision." As the ship shook a second time, she rushed over to the shutter controls and mashed the OPEN button.

"Twilight, wait!" Rarity called, but she was too late. The shutters rotated back open and slid to the left. Just empty space. There was nothing there but a small, yellow orb in the middle of a sea of black, dimmed by the tinting of the windows and slowly moving to the right. Rarity huffed. "Nothing. Are you content? Now please close the shutters again!" She reached over to press the SHUT button, but another, more powerful collision knocked her away. Flashes of red caught the corners of Twilight's eyes, followed by flashes of green and another hard collision that knocked them both off their hooves. When they stood back up...

"R-Rarity..." Twilight whispered. Two massive ships were stationed there, aiming their noses directly at the Night Light and launching blast after blast of green energy. Seven jets, each heading in different directions were trapped in a firefight against nearly triple that number in armored, winged ponies of comparable size to the jets, commonly known as pegasuits. "Rarity, it's them! It's the Augmented! They're going to-" The ship rocked again, and a brilliant light flared in her eyes as the ship's shielding took the impact, causing her to shut them tight. The flared dimmed slowly as the shields returned to their original state. Suddenly, the lights in the room went out, and Twilight screamed. "Rarity, I'm scared!"

"This is the captain speaking. The storm is a little bigger than we expected, and we've had to divert extra power from around the ship, including your rooms, to the shields. Again, I offer my sincerest apologies and ask that you remain calm."

She felt Rarity's comforting embrace surround her as the ship took another impact. "It's alright, Twilight. You will be safe."

"But how can you be-" Twilight opened her eyes and stopped, her attention completely shifted from the warfare in an instant. A green light grew brighter and brighter, illuminating Rarity's face and revealing an object which hadn't been there before. "Rarity... What is that?" Twilight hoped the light of the blast was playing tricks with her eyes, but then the shields flashed with another impact and shined their light all over the white mare, removing her doubts.

"It is a horn, darling. I am a Unicorn." The flash of the shields suddenly died like a candle being snuffed out, leaving the two ponies in almost total darkness. However, a dim blue glow that matched Rarity's eyes grew from her horn until it lit up the entire room. Twilight looked up at her and the light with wide eyes. "Don't be afraid, Twilight. I'm not going to hurt you."

Twilight's fear morphed into fury. With a strength forged in her father's workshop and belied by her size, she reared up and shoved Rarity backward. An instant later, she was on top of the mare. "It was you! You're the one who told the voices we were coming! You killed everypony!" Another blast shook the ship and made Twilight lose her balance. Rarity's horn immediately lit up, and Twilight found herself floating up into the air.

"Not everypony." Rarity turned Twilight around mid air. Instead of a wall between them and cold, empty space, a large blue barrier had formed, matching the glow around Rarity's horn. "I made you a promise, Twilight." Rarity's horn glowed brighter and brighter as a large green blast sped from the Augmented ship directly for them. "And I intend to keep it."

With a blinding flash, the mare, the filly, and the barrier all vanished as the blast smashed into the ship.

A young white stallion burst through the door to the bridge. "Captain, why are you turning around?! You have to rescue the Night Light's civilians!"

"Who in Tartarus are you?! Somepony get that civilian off the bridge!"

"Sir, please! You have to do something!"

"What do you expect me to do, boy? This is a colony ship! If we went in there now, we'd be dooming everypony on board! I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. The Night Light knows she's finished, but she's still doing everything she can to buy us enough time to get to safety, and I don't plan on wasting the opportunity."

"But my little sister is on that ship!"

"...I'm sorry for your loss. Guards, take him to the brig until we return to Bio."

"Captain! You have to- Hey, get you're hooves off me! Let me go, please! I said let go! TWILIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"