Once the group left Radel’s room, they stopped at what appeared to be the main reception area of the hospital. Twilight was talking to Nurse Redheart, possibly finalizing his discharge from the hospital. Judging by the tone of their voices, and the calm expressions they had, there would be no problems.

While the two mares talked, Radel began to notice how hungry he was. I've been out for four days, I would be surprised if I wasn’t! As he finished this thought, his stomach made a not too quiet growl, turning everyponies attention towards him.

“Well it sounds like somepony is hungry!” Nurse Redheart tried to stay professional but even she couldn’t stop herself from giggling. The rest of the group joined in on the laughter as well, making the Commodore feel a little embarrassed. “Well, Commodore, you’re all good to go! My only advice is that you find a good meal to treat that new ailment of yours.”

As Nurse Redheart finished stating her piece of advice, Twilight then spoke. “Let’s go find you some food Commodore, we still have some time before we have to go meet the other princesses.” Turning towards the exit, Twilight and her friends began to leave, but before Radel followed them he quickly thanked the nurse for her care over the last few days. And with a quick wave in goodbye, he rushed to catch up with the others.

Once Radel caught up with them, the group made its way towards town. It appeared that the hospital was on the edge, not far from the forest where he crashed. As they got closer, Princess Twilight’s friends began saying their goodbyes. “Well it’s good to see you up and about, but I must return to my shop. My clients orders won’t be filled on their own! Another time, darling.” After Rarity said this she gave a dainty little wave to the Commodore and her friends, making her way towards her own establishment. The others soon followed, with their own little goodbyes, leaving Radel alone with the princess.

As the last of her friends disappeared off into the distance, Twilight turned towards the human with a questioning look on her face. “So, Commodore, what do you eat?” Though Twilight may know that he was a human now she had no idea that humans were omnivores; capable of eating both plants and meat.

Radel was taken aback by this a little, he understood that she was asking mainly because he could use some food. He just wasn’t sure if telling her that he wouldn’t mind something like a juicy steak was the right idea. He could only assume that they were herbivores, it would make sense since they looked so similar to horses on Earth. So he thought it’d be better that he just grab some rations from his ship for now. Don’t want to scare the locals, making them think I’m gonna eat them or something...

“Well I would prefer to grab some rations from my ship, if that's alright. I don't know if anything here would be toxic to me or not.” As Radel said this, he also thought it’d be a great idea to get cleaned up as well. His clothes were a mess and his body was still dirty from the dried blood of his wounds, though they were long gone at this point.

After Twilight heard this she put her hoof to her chin in thought, “Hmmmm…. I think that would be fine, then you could also make yourself a little more presentable if you wish. Those clothes of yours are quite damaged and the blood stains would make other ponies uncomfortable as well I’d assume.” She saw the sense of letting him return to his ship, and she had no mistrust in him. “Here, take this. If you show it to the guards at your ship, they’ll give you no problems when you try to enter it.” Twilight had used her...magic?…. to make a royal seal appear out of nowhere for Radel to take.

Radel was extremely confused at what she just did. He knew from the old fairy tales that unicorns were magical, due to their horns, however this was real and it boggled his mind just thinking about it. Is this some sort of biological power, or is it really magic? “T-thank you, your highness.” He tried not to sound so surprised but a little stutter still escaped him, however Twilight simply saw this as him surprised with her trust in him.

“Don’t worry, it was nothing. Oh, and just Twilight is fine Commodore.” She had a genuine smile on her face, seeming to be one who felt she was making a new friend.

Though it was strange to see her express friendship with him so quickly and openly, he had no complaints. “Well then, Twilight, when should I expect to meet the other princesses?” Hopefully I’ll have enough time to get both cleaned up and prepared should things turn sour….

Twilight began to develop an expression he could only explain as a little embarrassed, as she brought a hoof to the back of her head. “Wellllll, I was planning on getting you some food at my castle. While you were eating, I would then send a message to Princess Celestia to not only inform her of your condition, but also to ask her when to meet with her. But since you are stopping at your ship instead, I’ll have to find you there and tell you when she gets back to me.”

That made perfect sense to Radel, he felt somewhat bad for making things a little more tedious for her but a great idea came to mind so it would be easier. Reaching to the back of his left ear, Radel took off the almost completely hidden communication device that resided there. “Here take this, it’ll save you time that you’d waste trying to find me in my ship.” As he said this, he began to carefully fit the earpiece to Twilight's own left ear.

While Radel did this, Twilight just sat there curiously, looking at the strange device. “What is it exactly?” Before she could receive an answer, Radel tapped the side of the earpiece, making it activate. She heard a small little beep and sat there, confused.

“A communications device, with this you should be able to contact me without having to be anywhere near me.” As he said this, he quickly ensured it was still working, and then set it to a specific frequency.

“Oh! So another one of your gadgets, much like that holo bracelet of yours.” Twilight seemed to be extremely excited with the fact that she was being given such a thing. “How does it work?” Before Twilight could hear an answer, she heard a voice that seemed to only be directed into her left ear.

While she was sitting there, puzzling over the strange gadget, Radel had found his spare earpiece in one of his pockets. At least it was still in good condition. "Well, Twilight, it works like this." He had put on the spare and activated it, and was now speaking into it for Twilight to hear on her end.

Twilight just sat there, staring at Radel as he spoke to her. Yes, she could still hear him because he was only a few feet away from her. But she had heard his voice through the strange device as well! "This is so fascinating!" Twilight, being the scientific book worm she is, wanted nothing more than to take this little gadget and experiment with it, learn how it works.

Radel then reached to his own ear and turned the earpiece off, signalling for Twilight to do the same. She slowly brought a hoof to her new gadget, and once she bumped the side of the earpiece, another quiet little beep was heard in her ear.

“So, to turn the earpiece on and off, just tap the side of it with your hoof. You should be able to contact me after two hours.” Radel said this while he lifted a hand to his face to block out the sun, scanning the treetops for signs of his ship. Once he spotted it, he returned his attention to a very happy looking Twilight.

“I think you and me are gonna have some great scientific discussions, Commodore.” She said this all with a excited smile, as her thoughts were filled with nothing more than experimenting with these new things.

“I wouldn’t mind it one bit Twilight! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I could really use some food right now.” As if on cue, another loud growl was heard from Radel’s stomach.

Giggling with a hoof over her mouth, Twilight began waving him off with the other. “Yes, go get a good meal and a fresh set of clothes! I’ll use your communications device to contact you in two hours or so once I hear back from Princess Celestia.”

Radel took the opportunity to get out of the embarrassing situation, starting the short trip back to his ship, waving goodbye to Twilight for the time being. Time to see the damage done…

*********************************************************

Well it could’ve been a lot worse…

Radel was standing at the edge of the crash site, staring at Ender’s Blessing as it lay there amongst the debris. From what he could tell, the exterior damage wasn’t major and the hull seemed to still be in one piece. Though it was a good start, the damage to the interior systems would be the most important to take care of. He could only hope the hull damage was a sign of the state of the interior. The commodore then began walking towards the ship, preparing to meet the guards so that he could enter. But as he got closer and closer, something felt off. Radel was practically close enough to touch the hull at this point, and there was nobody in sight. Wait, no pony would be the correct terminology I believe. Looking around, there seemed to be no evidence or signs of the guards Twilight said were supposed to be guarding his ship. They must have been called back by the other princesses or something…

If Radel would’ve looked around more closely, he would’ve noticed bits of a kind of green goo spread here and there around the crash site. But he felt there was no concern with the guards, so he instead focused on finding a way into the ship. Peering along the side of the ship, Radel couldn’t see any exposed airlocks for him to use as an entry point. What he did see, was a breach about seventeen feet above him. And this is why I love biotic implants.

With a smirk, Radel built up power in his legs, getting low to the ground, and launched himself up towards the breach with his upper arms barely latching onto the outer hull. “Fuck!” Radel yelled in pain as he pulled himself up and inside the small corridor. He should’ve remembered that his one leg’s bone was still weak. Because of that, his power in the jump wasn't as good as it should've been. Also his leg hurt like hell now, like he had pulled a muscle from stretching too hard.

After taking a few minutes for the pain to subside, Radel got up and brought his holo bracelet to his face. He began to wirelessly reconnect to the ship's systems, trying to determine the state of it. While he did this, he noticed that the lights were still on which signaled that power was still available.

Another minute later and he was connected, getting readings and diagnostics across all of the ship's systems. Surprisingly they were all fine; minor damage, nothing a simple repair tool couldn't fix. But then Radel saw something that made his blood run cold, though all systems seemed to be in relatively great condition, one was completely gone. It was the warp drive.... Shit!

That was gonna complicate things a little bit, if the warp drive and its systems were completely destroyed, then there was no way he could return home. His worst fears since he accepted the mission were coming true. I need to speak to Athene! As he thought this, a few various systems came back online, possibly from his presence.

“Hello Commodore, it’s good to see that you are alright.” As if called by his thoughts, Athene reactivated and her hologram appeared before him. “Before you ask any questions, I’d advise that you go to the medical bay and ensure that your body is fully recovered.” To emphasize her point, Athene opened a door at one of the ends of the corridor he was in, most likely leading to the medical bay.

Radel began making his way towards the medical bay. Athene was right, before anything else he should make sure that he was 100% better, especially since he had a limp from trying a power leap with a bad leg. As he arrived in the medical bay, Athene began operating the various systems within, preparing them for the various tests and treatments needed. Surprisingly, the medical bay had hardly any signs of damage, something he was thankful for. As he laid on the operating table, various instruments began scanning his body, taking diagnostics of its condition. He also received a renewed injection of nanobots, tiny machines that were the main reason he survived long enough to be aided by these ponies.

As Radel relaxed, letting the treatment continue, he began to run a diagnostics check with Athene on his implants. “Athene, Ocular?” As he asked this, one of the screens to the side brought up a diagnostics on his ocular implants, focusing on his eyes and parts of his brain.

“Active, no damage.”

“Strength?” The screen switched to scans of various areas like his arms and legs.

“Active, no damage.”

“Regenerative?” When the screen switched to the scans of this biotic implant, which was focused around his heart, some damage could be seen.

“Active, minor damage, repairs imminent.” As Athene said this, one of the instruments went to his chest, and injected a special kind of nanobots into his heart. Within seconds, the nanobots repaired the microscopic implants around his heart, doing what the normal ones in his bloodstream could not. “Alright Commodore, all implants are fully functional and your injuries should be fully healed.” The various instruments that were around Radel retracted back to their respective locations, deactivating.

After hearing this, Radel hopped off the table, once again bringing his holo bracelet to his face. “So, Athene, what can we do about the warp drive? Is it…..” He couldn’t even bring himself to finish that last question. The mere thought of him being unable to return to his family and friends was hard to bare.

“Sadly Commodore, there is nothing we can do. We can only hope that the navy discovers where we broke out of warp.”

While Athene stated this, Radel made his way towards his quarters, making a stop at his shower first of all places. “Well Athene, if that's the case…. Then it's time we started getting comfortable here.” I may miss my family and friends from now on, but this is one of the risks I knew of when I accepted this mission. There was nothing Radel could do about it, the sooner he accepted it, the better. He only hopes that his family and friends have a happy life and don't worry about him too much.

As he stepped into the shower and began making himself more presentable, Athene activated the onboard drone control system. Once this was done, she began sending out various maintenance drones to every part of the ship she could. Though the repairs would take a few days, the ship would be as good as new and ready to fly again...

************************************************************

While Athene went to work on restoring functionality to the ship, Radel finished his shower and found a new, clean set of his navy officer uniform. Not only was the uniform quite comfortable to wear, it also served as a simple ballistic mesh for basic armor. He then made his way to the small mess hall within the ship, grabbing some simple rations from storage. The rations were nothing more than various dehydrated items. But after being put into a special machine to the side of the room, they became hydrated and practically fresh again.

Once Radel had eaten his fill, he made his way to the ship's armory, planning on grabbing a simple loadout in case something bad happened while meeting with the other princesses. While he looked around for what he would possibly bring with him, he heard a beeping within his left ear. Activating the comm link, Radel answered. “Hello Twilight, have you heard back from Princess Celestia?” He began making his way to a weapons locker for various sidearms across the room.

“First, I have to say I still can’t believe these things! Secondly, yes I have. She said she’d prefer it if we took the train to Canterlot tonight, that way less ponies will be out and about on the streets.”

That sounded reasonable to Radel. Though the nurse at the hospital, Twilight, and her friends had all been kind to him, there was no telling how other ponies would react to him if they came across him. “I can understand her judgement on that decision, we don't want to incite any kind of panic or frighten any pony. Well then, where shall I meet you?” As he asked this he picked up two navy issue energy pistols, quickly ensuring they were in working order, and holstered them on his thighs.

“I’ll meet you at the edge of the forest, where we parted ways when you went back to your ship.”

Radel went to a weapons rack on one of the armories walls, grabbing what looked to be a blade with a strange design and look, and was one made of a metallic material stronger than steel. The blade was also capable of being charged with energy from the hilt, which would flow through the blade itself, adding to its cutting ability. “Alright, just contact me when you are on your way and I’ll head over.” Radel then took the sword and put it in its own scabbard on his left hip.

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll see you then Commodore.”

Walking over to a large locker on the side of the room, Radel opened it. Inside was what looked like some sort of strange exoskeleton. It had what appeared to be a large backpack connected by small guide rails which met with somewhat thick bracing around joints, as well as the feet and hands. Stepping into the locker, Radel placed his back against the exoskeleton, and within seconds the backpack-like part formed a plate of armor around his torso while the other parts around his knees, elbows, feet and hands did the same. He then stepped out of the locker and activated the exoskeleton, causing the fabricators within the suit to create various sheets of armor that followed the guide rails to fully encompass Radel and form a full suit of medium grade ballistic armor. “Indeed. Oh, and Twilight?”

“Yeah?”

The armor made Radel look like a futuristic knight of sorts based on its design and look, especially with the sword on his side. As he shut the locker, the final exterior feature of the suit was revealed. It was a metal work frame that, once deployed from the back, filled with energy. They made the shape of wings, and they actually worked as such. “You can just call me Radel.”

As Radel finished the call with Twilight, he stepped out of the armory, looking like he was ready for anything. Once he was out, he retracted the armor back into it's almost completely hidden exoskeleton that blended so well with his uniform, and made his way back to the bridge.

Author's Note

Well, here's the next chapter! Sorry for how long this one took, got sick for a week there and made me get behind in other work as well. Hope you all enjoy the path this story is taking!