Old Mare's War

4

Staring at the alicon in front of her, Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe that Twilight didn’t look a day older than she did when she was turned into an alicorn. Despite having grown slightly taller, Twilight was still the same looking egghead that Rainbow Dash first met in Ponyville. Her high and important position as leader of the Colonial Ministry was said to have been a stressful and challenging job, but even with all of that, she still managed to look presentable and majestic, with her smooth coat and silky mane. This thought always amused Rainbow Dash, as she knew that Twilight wasn’t always a pony who can compose herself while under stress. Years of experience must have had helped her learn done a lot to change that.

Looking towards the alicorn, she couldn’t help but put a huge smile on her face, feeling great happiness in her to finally see Twilight again. It had been years since she had last seen Twilight and she fought the urge to jump up, trot towards her and give the purple alicorn a hug.

Luckily for her, and Twilight, her will and self-control was still strong, stopping her from creating a big embarrassment of herself and creating a very awkward situation for them all. Instead, she just sat there, looking towards the alicorn, who was not making her way up the stage in front of them.

As Twilight trotted up the stage’s steps, Rainbow Dash noticed the VIPAD set that he friend was wearing. But unlike the plane and flimsy plastic ones they were wearing, Twilight’s VIPAD looked more robust and sharp, with its own personalize color, a shared a purple which matched her own coat. With all its looks, Twilight’s VIPAD looked more formidable than theirs and for a moment, her theory of all the VIPADs being connected to Twilight’s brain seemed plausible.

Standing on top of the stage a giving small friendly grin to everypony in front of her, Twilight cleared her throat as she began addressing the ponies inside the room.

“Mare and Gentlecolts…” She began in her usual calm speaking tone. The sound of her amplified voice was echoed throughout by the room, as the microphone on her VIPAD caught her voice and directed them towards the speakers that littered the room. “…I am here to welcome you to the Colonial Ministry and congratulate you for signing for the ECDF. I don’t usually greet the new recruit personally, as I’m sometimes busy with the different affairs the keeps the Ministry running, but once in a while I take a ride on the transport ships and meet up with the brave ponies who chose to go in this crusade for Equestria.”

There was a slight pause before Twilight continued.

“It’s been a while since I last spoke in front of a crowd, so please forgive me if I look nervous. Anyways…” She said, as she fiddled with her VIPAD to cue up a list that was displayed in front of her, as well as displaying the same list to everypony who wore a VIPAD. “…if you check your personal VIPAD, you would see that there is a list of activities that you would undertake throughout your stay in this ship. These activates is a warm up process that you would have to take before going through the main event you all signed up for. Keep in mind that each schedule is different, so I suggest that you check your list. For now, there are no activities scheduled for you, as this time is given for you to adjust and relax. So you are all free to roam around the ship, just as long as you don’t disturb the crew or cause a ruckus that would endanger us all.”
“Now, the Wagon would be leaving Equestria Prime’s orbit in an hour or so. We’ll be showcasing the deorbit in the ship’s auditorium. So, if you want to watch, feel free to ask your VIPAD for their directions and take a seat. If you do come, you’ll be able to see your last glimpse of Equestria Prime as well as the Space Hub before the ship deorbits and slips into light speed. With high definition cameras mounted on the ship’s hall, it would be as if you were looking at it with your own eyes. It will be worth your time, trust me.”

“Again, I would like to thank you all for signing up and taking your part in furthering Equestria’s progress with space.” With that, Twilight gave a small bow and walked off the stage, heading towards the exit.

Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack wanted to get up and talk to her, but with their frail and old bodies, standing up from their seats proved to be a harder task than they thought. Despite having been exercised by the earlier trot across the Space Hub, their muscles and bones were still too stiff for them to change from sitting position to standing position. By the time they managed to get up from their chairs, Twilight was already out of the room.

“Shoot!” Applejack exclaimed. “I guess we missed her.” Like a disappointed fan who didn’t get the autograph of her idol, she looked down and pouted in disappointment.

“Oh, don’t worry, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash said, equally disappointed. “I’m sure we’ll be able to catch up with her later. Besides, it’s not like Twilight would forget her best friends. Like she said, she doesn’t usually greet recruits, so she must only be here because she knows we’re here.”

“I guess you’re right…” Applejack grumbled, still down at the fact that they weren’t able to talk to her.

“Ohh…don’t let a little disappointment sour your mood, Applejack.” Roseluck said, offering her glass of juice to the orange mare.

“Here, have a glass of orange juice. I bet it will surely lighten your mood.” She said, a devious smile plastered on her face.

Changing her expression and glaring at Roseluck, Applejack shook her head as she returned to her argument on why she shouldn’t be drinking orange juice. “Now, Roseluck, what did I tell you about drinking that dirty orange juice!”

Rolling her eyes and gently slamming her head on top of the table, Rainbow Dash shielded her ears with her hooves and groaned.

“Good job, Roseluck…” She said. “…you may have lightened her mood, but now it’s turned into an inferno…”

“Are you sure we’re allowed to be here?” Rainbow Dash asked, following Roseluck as they slowly trotted through the narrowing empty halls near the rear of the ship.

Despite the fact that most of the ship has been converted to accommodate the seventy-five year old recruits, there were still areas in the ship that still bore the cold and plain look that it used to have. Areas like the hall they were currently in, which, unlike the carpeted halls near the center of the ship, were plain metal and dimly lit.

This was probably because nopony expected any of the recruits to wonder this far, as they would have been easily discourage by the ominous dark look of the empty halls, which made Rainbow Dash wonder why in the name of Celestia did Roseluck decide to bring her hear.

“Of course we’re allowed to go hear.” Roseluck said, defending her decision. “My VIPAD isn’t saying that this is restricted area and last time I checked, we aren’t doing anything that is endangering the safety of everypony on board.”

“Well…that is true…” Rainbow Dash said, giving a small nod. “…but where are we even going to? The ship is about to leave orbit and I’m pretty sure we’re missing out on something.”

Roseluck decided to go on her little adventure a couple of moments before the group decided to head towards to go to the auditorium. She had also invited Applejack and Night Glider to come along, but Applejack politely declined herself while Night Glider decided to keep her company. Rainbow Dash herself didn’t actually want to go, as she wanted to watch the ship leaving orbit. But with Roseluck constant advertising, saying that the short trip would be worth it, wherever they may be going, Rainbow Dash soon gave in.

So she found herself near the rear of the ship, navigating through its cold halls, trying to find the place that Roseluck had promised her.

From all the trotting they did, Rainbow Dash realized just how truly big the ship. Sure, the Wagon looked big when one looked at it from a distance. But once you trot through nearly half of its entire length, you would begin to realize how massive it truly was. Hopefully, the place Roseluck was taking her would be worth both the trot and the fact that she was going to miss the video feed of the ship leaving orbit.

“Aha! There it is.” Roseluck exclaimed, gesturing towards the closed metal door at the far end of the hallway. Reaching it, Roseluk tapped the button that opened the door and murmured her pleads for it to open.

Luckily for her, the door was not locked, and it soon slid open, revealing a large room that was as dimly lit as the hallways. But the lighting was not a huge problem, as the main feature of the room was greatly enhanced by the fact that there was not much light that could intrude.

The room was a fairly sized one, enough to house a dozen ponies with enough room to make everpony inside comfortable. But as the two entered it, Rainbow Dash’s attention immediately turned towards the three walls and the ceiling. Mouth gapping open, she slowly trotted towards the center as she looked at it with eyes wide in amazement.

With three of its walls and ceiling made out of the same crystal like material that was used for the Space Elevator’s windows, the room provided a great view of the Space Hub and the planet below them. With the addition of the dim lights, the atmosphere in the room felt like that it blended with the surrounding space outside. Trotting closer towards the windows, Rainbow Dash felt as if she were out there, as she imagined that she could slowly float and touch the Station outside.

Just like her dreams to be able to fly past the atmosphere and touch space, she found herself face to face with the space above the planet. Despite knowing that she had already been in space for a while, the fact that she was in a crystal room that made it look like she was floating in space just sealed the deal. Right now, she felt like a dream come true.

“What is this room?” Rainbow Dash asked, spinning around and trying her best not to make herself dizzy. There was just so much to see around her and she wanted to make the most of it while in there.

“It’s the officer’s lounge room…” She said, joining her. “…or at least that was what it used to be. You see, I asked my VIPAD if there was any place in the ship where I could get a good view of space. So it directed me over here, the officer’s lounge room.” Looking around the room and scanning the space outside, a smile formed on her face. “Isn’t lovely place? A perfect area to be in while watching the ship leave the planet’s orbit.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing!” Rainbow Dash said, staying still and taking a sit in the center of the room. Looking at the scene in front of her, she knew that it was truly a majestic sight, one that she had been striving to see for a long time.

No picture or memory of looking up the stars from the ground could compare to the sight they were seeing right now. This are of the ship was just like an observatory in space and Rainbow Dash was glad the Roseluck found it.

She knew had to thank Roseluck for convincing her to go here, because the view was truly marvelous. “I can’t believe they didn’t tell us about this place. You would think that they would have made this area more available.”

“Yeah…” Roseluck said, sitting next to Rainbow Dash. “…but then again, this room is a small one. I don’t think it would be ideal to have a hundred ponies pilling up in a room that could fit a dozen.”

“Hmm…” Rainbow Dash said, thinking about it. “….I guess you’re right.”

Turning her gaze towards the ceiling window, she could see the vast wall of stars that created the great masterpiece known as space. Its stars shining brightly, each one either explored or was just waiting to be explored by pony kind. Despite them being distant, it felt like they were quite closer than they had ever been before.

“It’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it? I don’t know why, but without an atmosphere between us and the stars, the sight is just overwhelming and magnificent.”

“Well, you two better take in as much as you can, because once the ship hits light speed, those stars would look nothing more than noodles.” A familiar voice called from behind them, as the sound of hoofsteps emitted from the hall. “Normally we would have used the jump engines,
but seeing that we would need all the extra power we can get, the FTL engines would just have to suffice.”

Ears perking up from the voice, Rainbow Dash slowly turned her head to see the young and joyful face of Twilight, who was standing by the door, with Applejack and Night Glider right behind them.

A grin formed on her face, as she looked at Twilight who had an equal happy and friendly smile on hers.

Standing up as quickly as she can, she managed to fight off the pains of stiff muscles and make her way to her friend, their eyes locking for the first time in a long time. Having been years since they had last talked with each other, the two ponies felt joy in their hearts as they went up to meet each other.

Despite being slightly taller than her, Rainbow Dash was still able to pull the alicorn into a warm hug, as she expressed how much she missed her friend through the embrace.

“I’m glad to see you too, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said, returning the hug and trying her best not to crush her fragile friend.

After a minute of the two enjoying the warm embrace of each other’s friendship, the two soon broke off, as the other gathered inside the room, taking a seat near the center. Not bothering to turn on the lights, the sat there and enjoyed the view of the planet and the Space Hub on the side windows, while the stars shown above the ceiling.

“So, Twi, how did you know we were here?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“Well it was quite easy. Locating your VIPAD through the system is as simple as one, two, three.” She explained. “Funny thing is that I was planning to bring you all here once I found you, so I’m kind of glad that you two strayed off towards here instead off some far off place of the ship.”

“Well, talk about coincidence.” Roseluck remarked.

“Yeah, you two have knack for finding good places for sightseeing, because this is actually the best seat in the house to watch the ship leave the orbit. This area isn’t actually restricted, but the door to this room is supposed to be locked, so that nopony could enter. But when I saw the trackers on your VIPAD’s were heading towards here, I decided to unlock them through my own VIPAD, so that you two could get comfortable and wait here, instead of wondering off again.”

“Oh, and here I thought it was my constant pleading that caused the door to open.” Roseluck said.

As the five sat there, talking to each other and waiting, a loud groaning sound echoed through the ship’s walls, as a gentle rocking movement went through the ship. This sudden sound and movement brought a look of concern to the four old ponies.

“Don’t worry…” Twilight reassured them. “…that’s just the sound of the fuel pipes decupling from the ship. It means that we’re about to start the first phase of leaving the planet’s orbit.”

Soon, a slow flying shuttle flew in front of the room’s windows, orbiting the ship as close as it can. It flew around the rear of the ship, checking it outer hull and engines, trying to make sure that everything was in place and alright. After conducting a second pass, the small shuttle buzzed off, heading towards other duties that needed to be conducted.

After a couple more minutes and silence, a great shaking force took over the entire ship, as the Wagon’s gigantic and powerful thrusters pushed the ship forward. Slowly, the Space Hub began to move farther and farther away from them, as the Wagon propelled itself from the planet’s gravitational pull, trying to create a vector that would slingshot it away from the planet.

Gaining momentum from the powerful force created by the engines, the ships moved away from the Space Hub, till the station was nothing more than a dot in the distance. The five could still see the planet beside them as they orbited, but Twilight knew that it would soon be gone once they achieved proper velocity.

Watching the ship soar above the planet, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but be amazed at the technological capabilities ponies have these days. With all of this technology at their hooves, it was hard to imagine that Equestria was once a place where touching space was nothing but a dream.

The gigantic leap taken during the Technological Boom really helped them, as well as the efforts made by Twilight. She had done a lot to change life in Equestria and bring them as a great power. Bring them to an age of greatness.

When she was younger, things like these were only in her dreams, but now it was possible. It was possible to go out to space and reach the stars. It was possible to live life with great ease, as hard labor was conducted by machines. It was possible to be old, yet become young again, thanks to a technology that was yet to be revealed to them.

“Hey, Twi.” Rainbow Dash said, gently nudging the alicron.

“Hmm…what is it, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, looking away from the window and turning her gaze down towards the aging pegasus.

“Remember all those years ago, at the recruitment center?” She asked. It took a moment for Twilight to think about it, but she soon nodded.

“Well, you still owe me an explanation.”

A small smile formed at Twilight’s face, like a patient mother looking down at their curious foal.

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash, it will be reviled soon. You just have to wait till tomorrow.”