Future's Past

The vortex surrounded me and my starfighter with a swirl of colors, the likes of which I had last seen while traversing the mirror whirl to the world where my friends from Canterlot High used to live all those years ago.

Seriously, traveling through any vortex, while sometimes making you want to empty your lunch on the carpet when you’re not used to it, also makes you reflect on many things. Right now, I’m thinking about how much Spike has grown these past 129 years since I've been coronated to princess, give or take 30 extra or how much Equestria has changed in that time.

Oh, and it also reminds you of how much you actually miss your parents. Mine died far too early and never got to witness all this. I hope they would be proud of-

There! I’m out of the vortex. Now, where exactly am I? There are still dim stars everywhere you look. Speaking of which, all those pictures of space you have been shown as a kid? All wrong, changed, enhanced both in color and looks to make them appear much more grandiose than they actually are.

To someone who has no eyes for the bigger picture, space may look positively boring. That perceived “boredom”, however, is actually what makes space so fascinating and humbling every time you witness it with your own eyes.

Just see your own home planet from orbit once, and you will forever be another pony entirely. That view of such a valuable and vulnerable world makes you cherish what you have even more. What was that term Carl Sagan once used to refer to Earth? I think it had something to do with dots…

*chuckle* Just listen to me, becoming all philosophical over a background of darkness dotted out with dim lights. If this cockpit weren’t so incredibly dark itself, the nothingness only illuminated slightly by the dials and status updates on a black background presenting the current status of the ship, I would probably be entirely incapable of seeing anything at all.

Oh, that’s another thing I find truly fascinating, albeit in a somewhat morbid and even very slightly disgusted way. This ship, an Orion-class small fighter, is a joint-venture between ponies and humans. Both species poured their blood and sweat into the design of this craft. It possesses a fusion engine capable of 50000 Wingpower, its four solar panels supply it with the sweet electric juice it needs when a star is nearby, and finally the ship is even equipped with a magic-enhanced hyperdrive, enabling it to fly at the unfathomable speed of that of light. To think that such a device could only be placed in a spaceship far bigger than the one I’m currently trapped in, just under 20 years ago, is amazing.

And then this admirable amalgamation of advanced technology and arcane preeminence (Hey, almost an alliteration!) is abused to kill people and ponies. Way to go, Sunset Shimmer…

I mean, what could have made her fall back to her cruel and dishonest ways? Was it something I said? Was it something that happened back in the Mirror World at some point? I myself had witnessed her reformation and eventual redemption by engaging the Dazzlings when I had run out of ideas. To make any sentient creature commit such heinous acts often requires a series of rather unfortunate events…

I guess I'm bound to find out sooner or later, anyway, so there's little point in brooding about it now.

Did I mention those “humans”, yet? They’re almost completely hairless bipeds with skin colors mostly in the brownish area of the spectrum. They kinda remind me of the creatures I met at Canterlot High. One day, a single one of them piloting a space ship crash-landed in Ponyville and it didn’t take long for more to follow.

They have been both a blessing and a curse to us ponies since then. While our own knowledge of the universe has expanded drastically since first contact through trade, many of them tend to be rather xenophobic and there have been multiple assaults on ponies by humans, both on Equus and Earth.

Admittedly, the same has happened to humans, but to a far lesser degree. I’m not claiming outright that us ponies are paragons of morality, we also have a past after all. But I also won’t deny that the humans could learn a thing or two about harmony from us.

What time is it? Celestia, 2 hours have passed already since I entered that vortex. At least, that’s assuming that this ship's internal dating system hasn’t malfunctioned-

Wait, 2 HOURS?! I’ve been here for 2 HOURS, and no pony or human (or anyone or anything else, for that matter) in sight ANYWHERE? Where am I? What actually happened?

“Status update”, I said to no one in particular with a voice that tried way too hard to hide the anxiety within.

“Ship systems update follows. All weapon systems destroyed. Hull strength at 40%. Shield offline. Engine capacity at 56%. Life support systems at 79%. Hyperdrive destroyed. Current date March 28th 2142/Planting 08th, 129 AC. Current time 1525 hours. Current location unknown.”

That last part confirmed the “emptying your lunch on the carpet”-part from earlier, and now my space suit smells terrible. Can this day possibly get any worse?

Also, has it really been 129 years since I’ve been crowned Princess of Friendship? Time sure flies when you’re busy…

So apparently I've been alive for around 150 years now and yet, when I look in the mirror in the morning, there doesn't seem any sign of aging whatsoever. Being immortal may have its perks, after all.

But that would also mean that I could send a distress signal now and then just spend the time pondering until someone eventually finds me. Unless of course the life support fails in the meantime.

But while it may be interesting to know what would happen if you were to place an immortal being in a vacuum for a few years, and science kinda being my thing, that is one of those experiments I wouldn't want to conduct right here and right now. Mostly because it stinks under this cheese dome of a helmet.

Mental note: Take a shower after this.

Seriously though, I can't just spend the rest of my life hanging around here, since first, for me, as it stands, there's no such thing as “rest of life” and because the atmosphere in here is just going to become worse and worse as time passes on. Also I may have read once somewhere that being in denial of a fact for too long makes you prone to believing all kinds of crazy junk.

Yeah, I'll send out a distress signal.

“Generic distress signal transmitting now."

Now while I wait for someone to respond to the distress call, what could I do next? Maybe I-

“This is Captain Starshine of the USCSS Candlelight. We have picked up your distress signal, but we have been unable to identify your ship's IFF code or even ship class. Please identify yourself.”

Wait, how did that work? I sent that distress signal not even two minutes ago, and already someone has responded. I may have never heard of a ship called “USCSS Candlelight” before, but being picked up by any ship is many orders of magnitude preferable to drifting around in space for years with nothing but the regurgitated contents of your own stomach to keep you company, I suppose.

I'm just surprised it went along that quickly. Then again, my fighter's radar is broken, space is big, I mean, REALLY big, and this ship has rudimentary FTL communication capabilities.

Maybe I didn't even jump out that far away from where I started. But that doesn't explain why Sunset Shimmer flew into the same vortex. I really need to look into this further once I return to base.

Hold on, what sort of spaceship is THAT!?

***

What crossed the view of my windshield was unlike anything I had ever seen before. This ship didn't share those same old and crude design choices as others built by either human or pony space agencies that were based on 20th and 21st century spacecraft.

Its sleek and pointy design was more reminiscent of space ships found in science fiction films humans liked. Its fuselage was overall far more rounded than the more blocky shape of my fighter and had no noticeable cheap materials anywhere, contrary to the part of my fighter where the solar panels are connected, which was partly covered in tin foil as a cheap reflector for sunlight.

Speaking of which, that ship seems to have no solar panels at all. Perhaps it has a more advanced way of supplying its internal systems with electricity.

It was also far bigger than any ship I've seen yet. This thing must be at least 1 kilometer in length! It even sports its own hangar bay!

Oh, and that blueish exhaust coming out of its engines looks much more clean and efficient than the orange-yellow exhaust of mine.

Wait, maybe that ship isn't even of human or pony origin at all. Maybe I could meet another alien race? Oh, I'm so excited, I get to make first contact with a new race!

When I finally decided to turn on the Vidcom to respond back, my excitement was snuffed out instantly by the very pony-looking face that stared at me.

“Hello unidentified starship, this is Captain Starshine of the USCSS Candlelight. Do you read me? Please identify yourself.”

Okay, there is something seriously wrong here. Why am I talking to a pony when there aren't any ships like this one registered with any space agency I'm aware of? I'm a princess for Pete’s sake, I'm informed about all this!

If there were some sort of strange experiment with a new type of highly advanced class of spaceship designed for any purpose, perhaps even for the war effort against Sunset's insurgent forces, someone would have told me about it!

Also, this pony should have recognized me. It's not like that one time in Manehatten with Rarity where no one seemed to recognize me. It's been well over 100 years since then, and I can't say that I've been hiding from the public this whole time. Maybe for a few days or weeks to study, but not always.

Someone at the Equestrian Space Administration is going to have some explaining to do once I finally get back to Equus...

“I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equus, and this ship is the Orion-class fighter #0034.”, I responded in a more condescending tone than I would have wanted.

“My ship has been damaged and I've been stranded out here after I followed Sunset Shimmer through a vortex she had opened. My hyperdrive is destroyed and my navigation system doesn't seem to work anymore.” I also really wanted someone to finally tell me what is actually going on here.

“Your ship doesn't send any known IFF code. What is your affiliation? United Systems law prohibits flying a ship that doesn't provide a known IFF code.”

What in Celestia's name are the “United Systems”? The only known “affiliations”, as Captain Starshine put it, are the Terran-Equestrian Coalition and the Freedom Fighters under Sunset Shimmer. There is simply no such thing as the United Systems, and if there were, once again, someone would have told me about it. These ponies should quit their stupid game and finally rescue me.

But if that were the case, and this was all just a joke at the expense of my current misery, why do I still feel getting nervous? There is nothing to worry about, this is just a big ploy. Right?

“I'm affiliated with the Terran-Equestrian Coalition. My rank is Commander.” Come on, just calm down, there is nothing here. You came out of a lot of weird things over the years, a simple game by some jokesters with a slick spaceship shouldn't disconcert you.

“I'm sorry, miss, but there doesn't seem to be any “Terran-Equestrian Coalition” registered as a valid IFF code right now. Furthermore, while a ship class called “Orion” is registered, it is a light freighter and looks nothing like your ship, which you claim to be a fighter.”

By now, the feeling I had was a mix of desperation and annoyance. I still don't understand why desperation feels to provide the majority of the feeling, however...

“Please, I've been drifting out here for two hours, my helmet is covered in dried vomit, I'm hungry and tired and I just want to get out of this ship, right now! Quit messing around and help me!”

“Uh, miss, would you mind me asking what you mean by “messing around”? I'm just checking the Galactic Starship Administration records. Perhaps your data is out of date?”

Alright, this joke just turned from being in bad taste into the realm of just being plain immature. Don't they see I need help here? Who let these brutes onto a spaceship? And why do I start swearing like Rarity?

“Can we please, please please please please argue about that later? Your ship is so big, surely you can take me with you? I need to get back to Equus, and fast.” If this doesn't work, I honestly wouldn't know what will.

“While we do still have enough space in our hangar for you to park your ship, I'm afraid I can't take you to Equus. First of all, this ship is currently en-route to Spark, and second, Equus is on the other side of the galaxy. How did you end up all the way out here in the Eclypse Systems sector if you wanted to fly to Equus? That's a level of 'off-course' I have never heard of before...”

So, they weren't actually joking? Okay, don't panic now, it's fine, it'll all be fine. Just fly into their ship's hangar and everything will sort itself out.

“Requesting docking clearance.” I said, desperate for answers.

“Request granted, please fly into hangar bay 2.”

***

I must say, this ship looks even slicker from the inside than it did on the outside. Also, what is that? I can walk around freely and it feels like it did on Equus? Wow, this ship is amazing. I may be completely lost in space and probably smell like a horse's backside after eating too many beans, but at least there's more new things for me to learn about.

But what happened to my friends? Were they lost as well? Where are they? And if I've been thrown halfway across the galaxy, will I ever get back to see them again? If I send out a message now, when will they receive it?

Oh, they must be worried sick about me by now.

Relax, Twilight, you have come up with a solution to many problems by now. But then again, it was Sunset who saved the day back when the Dazzlings put everyone at Canterlot High under a spell with their singing, and we pulled that one of without the usage of the terrible counter-spell I had created.

Alright, let's try to remain focused. I have a planet to get back to.

As I made my way to the bridge I noticed how clean and bright everything looked in here, a stark contrast to the very gray and metallic-looking interiors of other space ships I have been on, particularly the USS Celestia. With my completely messy and dirty mane and coat, I felt strangely out of place.

But I also felt a tingle deep inside, as if my own brain was trying to tell me something, but I wasn’t entirely sure of what it could be.

“Hello Captain, nice to meet you”, I said as I went through the door to the ship’s bridge. The captain was a stern-looking Pegasus mare with an almondy coat and green mane, her Cutie Mark being three different-sized stars accompanied by a rocket ship. She looked pretty cute, actually.

“Same here. Wow, you look terrible. What happened?”

I felt slightly annoyed at being asked the same question again, but decided to just run with it for now. After all, these ponies could help me out of my current situation.

“That’s something I would be interested to know as well. I flew into this vortex Sunset Shimmer opened to escape from a space battle near Equus, and since then I’ve been stranded out here, sitting around a dark cockpit with my head stuck under a smelly cheese dome.” I said in a somewhat sarcastic tone. “Now, I need help getting back to Equus. Yes, I know you can’t take me there directly, but what would be the shortest route? I’m not exactly familiar with this part of space.”

“Well, if you cover the extra costs, we could take a detour to Olympus, from where you can get on a long-distance flight directly to Equus.” The captain responded. Great, now I need money. I don’t have any money on me, I’ve been sitting in a fighter engaged in warfare with the forces of a pony whom I until a few months ago assumed was my friend.

“Uhm, I don’t have any money on me. Not even a card.” I said. By now, I was beyond worried.

“Hmm, well, now we have a problem. Your ship is definitely in no condition to fly halfway across the galaxy, but at the same time, our shipment is already behind schedule and we can’t afford to feed you for too long or fly you to Equus by ourselves. You know what, we’ll make a deal. I’ll lend you 1000 credits, that’s enough to get from Olympus to Equus. Once you have money, you’ll pay us back 1000 credits plus 200 in interest.”

Great, now I would owe some stranger with a sleek ship tons of money. I suppose me asking if this day could get any worse jinxed it. Also, what are credits?

“I won’t accept.” I responded sternly.

“Well, if you prefer to ride in a cargo container for several weeks, I could help you with that as well. For 500 credits. Nothing is free, after all.”

Was this pony completely nuts by now? This was unmitigated blackmailing! But I suppose I have little choice.

“Oh, all right, fine, I accept the first deal. Just tell me what to do and you’ll get your money back as soon as possible.” Do you catch up on me starting to become angry?

“Right, I knew we would agree on a deal that we would both benefit from. Now make yourself at home, we’ll arrive at Olympus in 4 hours. The shower is down the hall. Need anything else?”

Yeah, an explanation. But for now, I was just interested in one thing.

“Yeah, we still have June 25th, 2142, or Planting 8th, 129 AC, right?”

The captain started looking at me in a way I wasn’t comfortable with at all.

“Ugh, no, it’s March 28th, 3997. And who is this ‘Sunset Shimmer’ you keep talking about?”