Prologue : A Message in a Bottle
**Space Station 13* - Prologue : A Message in a Bottle*
By: Pnoy
MEAN'T TO BE READ IN SERIF, BIG, DARK FONT.
***
"Hello new employee! By now you are wondering where you might be! Rest assured, you are now docking aboard Ssssssssssspp- SCHAEHEEHHHH HSHHHAEHHTHHH -tion 13! You might not remember what you are doing here or where you have come from, but that is all apart of the reanimation stage after emerging from stasis, which I'll remind you, since you don't remember, you were just in."
"Here on Space Spacee Spaceee, " the pitch of the voice on the intercom continuously deepened and slowed. "Spaaceee Spaacceee Sppaacceeee Spppaaaccceee Spppppaaaaccccceeeeee Sppppppppaaaaaccccccccceeeeeeeeee Spppppppppppaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"
The lights on the shuttle dimmed and turned off suddenly. The shuttle suddenly shook and vibrated rhythmically, humming as if something were burrowing into the hull.
And then just as quickly everything started happening, everything went completely still and silent, in utter darkness.
CLANK
The shuttle shook violently and the lights spontaneously turned back on, followed by the voice coming from the intercom.
"Hello new employee! By now you are wondering where you might be! Rest assured, you are now docking aboard Space Station 13! You might not remember what you are doing here or where you have come from, but that is all apart of the reanimating stage after emerging from stasis, which I'll remind you, since you don't remember, you were just in."
"Here on Space Station 13 our employees work for, and the facilities owned by the leading research institution, Equestiprise. Our goal here on Space Station 13 is to offer a safe working environment for all our employees to complete their assignments given to them directly from Equestiprise's highest authorities."
"This Space Station is self-sufficient, and has many departments to stay so, this includes but not limited too janitorial, hydroponic, culinary, entertainment, security, engineering, mechanical, atmospheric, robotic, management and research."
"Soon assimilation into the crew will begin and you will proceed with the Head of Personne- KSCHoHtrH -o his office where the HoP will review your records and then based on your credentials, you will have assinged to you, an appropr- Vwmup"
The power went out again.
Suddenly sparks began shooting out of the wall and began to carve a hole out of it. A shape took form, the sparks formed a square-shaped trail and once it connected the metal shook and fell slightly before pulling back and out of the shuttle. A robotic earth pony figure with beaming red eyes stepped into the shuttle, it scanned the shuttle and detected no signs of life.
The robot's eyes faded and glew dimly, then slowly it turned its head towards the center console of the shuttle. It slowly walked its way to the console, baring a note taped to the robot's torso, it read :"coordinates: 1223.8901x 821.4068y 28.8889z velocity: -.0999x 2.2929y -1.3333z before departure, send help~**" the letter "p," with a disfigured and long tail trailing off the edge of the paper through splatters of vomit.
The metal creature extended an insert from its titanium hoof and plugged into the consoles interface. After a few moments the shuttle seemed to turn on but the lights were very dim and the engines hummed very quietly, the glowing red eyes on the mechanized pony continued to dim when suddenly the thrusters on the shuttle fired and it tore itself away from the station ripping off the arms that held the shuttle to the station.
Then suddenly the power went out again, the robotic pony's eyes no longer glew, and it stood motionless, still connected to the darkened console. the shuttle, thrusters now cold, drifted slowly through space, hoping somepony will find its message.
***
The dark, cold, empty, metal corridor bellowed and groaned its eerie songs, voices still retching- blood curdling screams echoing through its entirety. The dim and flickering lights that span the hall's length, barley illuminating the dark tiles on the floor, stained and laden with blood, grime, soot and ashes. Some of the floor panels, exposed, displaying the underlying electrical work, a maze of colored wires and cables- some damaged, others cut.
Doors, most of them broken, blown out or pried open. Others with lights that glow red, their bolts clamped tightly shut, their control panels tampered, wires cut and mended. Windowed doors that read "Medical Bay North," a bloody hoof print sliding down its surface.
A bloodied captain's cap resting in a blue bucket, a pink flier near by that reads: "VIVA LA REVOLUTION! HONK."
Muffled voices, and a hidden presence.
Alarms ringing dully in the distance, fire doors clamped shut, rooms and corridors burned; a pungent smell to greet you. Through the purple haze, and thick space weeds- figures dance and disappear, vents their great escape.
The cafeteria; tables overturned, chairs barricade the bar, bullet holes, laser burns, taser rounds, oil splatters, cyborg arms, broken bottles, bloodied books and burnt batons decorate the dining hall.
The floor, painted with mystic runes, words from an unknown language, some glow, some partly erased others rest untouched.
A monitor on the wall, colors fading, the screen cracked, still proudly reads, "Welcome to Space Station 13!"
~~~~~~~
Author Notes:
Playing with colors to punctuate and emphasis my well- uhm colors! Yay or Nay?
Also
Let me know what you guys think of the dramatic white space i used! Yay or Nay?
**Space Station 13* - Chapter 1*
By: Pnoy
***
24 Equestrian Hours Earlier
Princess Celestia groaned as she heard her PDA go off for the third time continuously. She wanted to ignore her duties and go back to sleep, alas, it wasn't easy being captain.
She slowly crawled out of bed and stretched after lounging about for ten minutes. After her pleasantries she looked at her communications console which was asleep and noticed her reflection, 'Ugh, I don't know why corporate insists I keep my hair bundled up like this.' she complained to herself while she prodded her hair buns with her hoof.
She telekinetically levitated her uniform and managed to slip it on carefully without having to strain herself too much. She opened her locker which stood at the end of her bed and pulled out her armored suit, gloves, boots and- 'Wait, where is the cap?!'.
She looked around the locker impatiently to no avail, the cap was not in the locker. She stepped back away from the locker and glanced around her quarters, she stood behind her desk that wrapped entirely around her and her bed, which also had two consoles extending from it. The consoles gave her readily available reports and information on the station, crew and provided her a direct connection to the station's intercom if she needed to address the vessel as a whole.
Suddenly from a holopad in the middle of her room Luna materialized into a hologram and stared at her disgruntled sister. "Is everything ok sister? Are you looking for something?" She inquired peacefully.
"Oh nothing, I must have misplaced my hat is all." Celestia replied, without looking at her transparent, staticy sister.
"It's right there." The virtual alicorn, pointing at the shelf on the other end of Celestia's bed.
"Oh thank you sister..." Celestia hesitated after securing her headpiece and placing it firmly atop her head. "How.... How are you coping?" She asked solemnly without facing her sister, staring into a mirror while she adjusted the hat.
Luna sighed and looked at her pulsating, illuminated hooves. "Twilight told me they can, and will find a way... But she told me it will take time..." There was an awkward moment of silence, as much silence as possible with the constant humming of the station's generators, occasional clinks and clanks of other ponies wheeling about materials and the noise from the cameras' pivots turning. "I just want my body back."
"I know, and I am sorry this happening to you. You know I would take your place if I could,but for now this is the best we can do. Until we can find a cure for your body we might as well make good use of your new situation."
"Yeah... I know." Luna replied grimly. 'My sister never really cared about my well-being and it's clear she still doesn't now... She hardly shows remorse...'
"Luna, are there any reports from Head Quarters?" Celestia asked as the door which extended from the wall to her desk, slid open on its own.
"No, however there was a warning that there was an electrical storm occurring in our vicinity." Luna responded.
"Will we be effected?"
"Not likely, but with electrical storms nopony can know for sure, their patterns are erratic and hard to predict at best." Luna added giving her sister a look over, "Everything seems it is in order... I'll be around if you need me." As she finished, her holographic image shrunk and vanished into the holopad.
'Hmm, I wonder what it is like being a virtual pony...' Celestia thought to herself almost jokingly.
The door's to Celestia's room slid open as Rarity, the recently elected Head of Personnel came galloping in. "Princehhhhhh- I mean captain! Come quick!" As she glided to a stop, panting heavily and striking a rather drastic and dramatic posture and expression.
Celestia wanted to grumble but that would be too obvious and perhaps cause the already melodramatic unicorn to create even more of a scene. "What is it?" She managed as she approached the distressed fashionista. 'Today is one of those days, I can already tell.'
"Didn't you get my messages!? It's Pinkie Pie, she's dead!"
Princess Celestia was immediately shocked and withdrawn, denying what she just heard. "Wait what!?"
~~~~~~~~
Author Notes:
I know that was short, but get used to it! I am dividing my chapters up into scenes and plan on releasing scenes daily, because of my tedious schedule I get little free time so I am forced to try writing differently, but this way i can manage to continue to write stories and update them all the while keeping my schedule from getting to clogged up.
I hope you enjoy, and I will try to write longer scenes in the future!
**Space Station 13* - Chapter 2 [Revised]*
By: Pnoy
***
The long tubular lights lined the walls of the corridor illuminating the hall through a yellow bulb. Sheets of metal bolstered with girders formed the foundation for the walls. The corridors limited in aesthetics trading extravagance for efficiency and utility, something the element of generosity actively protests and petitions to have changed daily.
Underneath each metal sheet on the walls ran complex circuitry that provided power to various electronics and equipment. There were multiple panels and interfaces for each room and corridor on board the station that gave crew, with sufficient clearance, controls to station mechanics and atmospherics, allowing adaptability and damage control for many scenarios.
The floors were usually tiled with two alternating colors in a checkerboard fashion. Underneath the tiles and floor panels were supporting structures, piping, circuitry and external plating. In the corridor the tiles were a lighter grey metallic color than the walls, 'A crime against fabulousity,' as Rarity described it in one of her petitions. Most of the rooms, apart from the corridors, are color coded to help members of the crew navigate the vessel.
The ceilings were low and their sole purpose, to contain the station atmosphere, nothing more than a hull.
The captain and head of personnel galloped through the corridors guided by signs attached to the ceiling that directed them to the medical wing which Twilight Sparkle had informed them to come too.
Occasionally they had to stop to open doors that separated spans of corridors. The sounds of pressurized hydraulics and motors working to swiftly and smoothly retract the doors into the walls.
They passed many ponies going about their duties, as they did, many took notice to the ex-princess and might have given a quick nod or gesture in respect, far from what she used to be accustomed too being Equestria's once sole ruler, now a glorified manager.
As they passed the library, Celestia glanced in through a window, witnessing a cyborg rewiring the library's APC panel. She took a mental note, easily triggered alarms in her head were telling her something. 'Strange, usually I receive a notification on station maintenance...' She wanted to stop to investigate its activities but she couldn't until she found out what happened to Pinkie Pie.
A door with a single, thick green stripe and small window ahead of them opened and a teary eyed Applejack walked out from a room with a sign labeling it as hydroponics. Rarity flagged down the orange mare to get her attention as she galloped passed her. "We are going now, I'll be right back to tell you what happened, I promise!" Rarity shouted over her shoulder as she galloped past her. The humble farm pony acknowledged with an awkward watery eyed nod and returned to hydroponics, the door locking shut behind her. Celestia was happy to see that her old bearers of the elements were still so close.
After passing the cafeteria that neighbored the medical bay, which leaked with a range of smells from flowers, fruits, vegetables and Applejack's special cider, Celestia saw a crowd of ponies, they were gathered outside the med bay to investigate what happened to the beloved party pony no doubt.
"Coming through! Make way!" Rarity started shouting as they approached the crowd that clogged the corridor, gesturing an opening with her hooves. The crowd hardly budged, allowing just enough room for the Captain and HoP to squeeze through. It was easier for Rarity, she was smaller than Celestia was, like most ponies were. But on top of that the captain's armor she wore was quite bulky and quite frankly not Celestia's style, she took a mental note to change into her parade uniform, she favored it anyways.
Once the two made their way through the crowd, Celestia hearing a few unpleasant grunts and curses, the doors to the med bay slid open as Rarity swiped her card for access. Celestia started wondering if the HoP actually was supposed to have access to medical, after all she was accustomed to dealing with HoPs abusing their authority and giving themselves full access to the station. But she wasn't going to question her during a trying time like this.
As soon as they entered the med bay Twilight beckoned them down towards the end of the hall in front of them. Rarity frantically pursued after her lavender friend while Celestia followed keeping pace with the distraught unicorn.
The medical bay's floors were tiled white and the walls riddled with posters encouraging medical personnel to maintain hygienic standards and a variety of instructions for different equipment. Lockers were spread amongst the medical bay containing medical equipment, uniforms and vials filled with different mixtures. Tables with different pieces of equipment laid out upon them. Celestia noticed folders and stacks of paper on top of another table, 'Looks like Twilight's writing...' one of the folders labelled "Luna" reminded Celestia about her sister's condition. 'I need to know what Twilight can do for Luna, I know this whole thing must be hard on her...'
As several doctors and nurses rushed about the medical bay, several came out of the cryogenics laboratory. She glanced through the open doorways and saw two large cryotubes, one was unoccupied and off but the other was on, it was hard for her to tell, but the figure was larger and clearly bore a horn, she knew it was Luna's body but in the thick bubbling green substance couldn't make out the rest of her body.
OOF
Celestia just realized she had run into one of the medical staff while not paying attention to where she was going. "Oh! Sorry, I got distracted." looking down at the doctor who appeared very rushed and busy, it seemed as if she had made him drop his clipboard.
"Yeah, yeah just watch where you are going nex-" The doctor stuttered when he looked up from picking up his clipboard. "t-time? OH! Forgive me your majesty!" He bowed his head and trembled for fear of being sent to the moon... Which was only a short jet pack flight from the station.
Celestia giggled to herself, 'Glad to know I'm still respected by some ponies.' As much as she enjoyed the praise, she knew it wasn't appropriate. "Please, just call me Celestia." The former Princess responded before moving on to find Rarity.
***
"Twilight! What happened where is Pink- Whaaaaaaa?" Rarity started before turning into the genetics lab and being thrown through a loop, as she might of put it.
When Celestia entered genetics behind Rarity she noticed a nude and clearly not living, Pinkie Pie lying down on the ground in front of a capsule that scanned and read the occupant's DNA. Twilight Whom was happily grinning and unveiling another Pinkie Pie, on the other side of the room in front of an empty, open tube.
"I cl-" the intelligent unicorn began before being interrupted by the sound of a fainting Rarity hitting the floor with a dull THUNK. "Er- Rarity?"
As Celestia connected the dots a wave of relief swept over her. She examined the incapacitated elegant, if not rather ridiculous, but well groomed and couthful purple-maned unicorn briefly to decide it was just Rarity and her theatrical habits. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Celestia started, "Twilight have you been experimenting with cloning again?"
The Director of Research and resident librarian nodded, "Perhaps I should have been more careful with the way I presented my findings..."
"I agree," the captain added, "and When Rarity wakes up please explain to her what happened. Also, next time, just use the radio..." Celestia stated pointing to her ear piece.
After getting an acknowledgment from Twilight, she noticed something peculiar about the element of laughter, apart from her usual unusual behavior, which was particularly unusual. "Pinkie Pie what are you doing... And why are you green?"
Pinkie Pie didn't respond but continued to perform strange and cryptic gestures her face showed utmost concentration as she bit on to her tongue.
"Oh! She wasn't green earlier! Interesting..." The lavender unicorn stated excitedly, jotting down notes on a piece of paper attached to her clipboard she held. "Freckles!" Twilight shouted without looking up from her notes as she reviewed them.
The geneticist, Freckles Von Hoofen, whom usually goes by Freckles entered from a back room with a glowing insentient mule in tow. He wore a bio-suit which completely covered his body, excluding his face which was protected with a small window. He was wearing a breathing apparatus and attached to his belt was his air supply. He had dark brown eyes, a dark, unkempt brown mane, and light brown body. "Twilight look what I did!" The geneticist hesitating after noticing the newly green Pinkie Pie composing and demonstrating a charade of acts. "Oh I see you have discoveries of your own!" His voice somewhat muffled by his suit.
Celestia at this point was overtaken and completely bewildered by the parade of circus attractions and spectacles in front of her.
"Yes, the genome C and F coupled with A and B in Pinkie's DNA seem to have resulted in Pinkie's fur and skin color to attain a sort of greenish pigment mutation..." Twilight added while jotting down more notes.
Pinkie Pie suddenly bucked excitedly accidentally hitting the wall behind her. The wall upon impact collapsed and her hoof tore a hole right through it.
"Hey! Be careful!" Celestia shouted at the erratic ex-pink now green pony, with apparent superpony strength. 'Oh for the love of ponykind.. Just what we needed, Pinkie in Horse Power's body... I knew I should have just kept sleeping.'
The party pony looked apologetically at the clearly annoyed deity, made captain, and looked as if she was thinking for a moment, putting a hoof to her chin and itching it ponderously. Suddenly, As if struck by an epiphany, an expression Albert Einpony would have been proud of, her face beamed with 'EUREKA!' and she started acting as if there was a new wall in place of the one she tore down. After her performance she returned to Celestia with a big, satisfactory smile.
Celestia sighed, "Try not to destroy the station, it looks like you have everything under control here..." She said as she headed out, stepping over the unconscious fashionista. Celestia stopped in the doorway looking over her shoulder back at her most faithful student."Twilight..."
"Hmm?" The lavender unicorn hummed, returning Celestia with a starry-eyed stare.
"What about Luna?"
Twilight's eyes dulled, and she frowned, the response told Celestia everything she needed to know. Without another exchange between the two Celestia departed and made her way back towards the med bay's entrance, the crowd still gathered outside, curiously looking in.
Celestia stepped outside and aimed to dismiss the crowd, "You can all return to work, Pinkie is fine, it was all just a misunderstanding." Of course it was never that easy. Celestia really wanted to see what that cyborg was up too, as much as it didn't seem to be a big deal, something told Celestia earlier it was reason for concern, a sense she developed after years of experience in her prior monarchical rule.
She tried to proceed down the corridor to the library where she saw the cyborg tampering with the electronics but the crowd persisted to follow her asking question after question. "What happened?" "Why was everyone freaking out over the radio saying she was dead?" "Where did Rarity go? I want a job change!" "Can you tell the janitor to use his signs please! I already slipped and fell because of him!" and the questions continued to deteriorate into less about Pinkie Pie and more-so into general demands.
Alas, it wasn't easy being Captain.
Celestia continued to dismiss questions directed at her by the pursuing crowd until she arrived at the library, she reached in her pocket and grabbed her ID to swipe into the library. She turned to the crowd that followed her, "If you would all please return to work! I have things I must do and any concerns you have will be addressed later, I promise you all Pinkie is fine, and I will enact new safety regulations about the janitor's use of his caution signs." The crowd mumbled among themselves and Celestia turned to the library, the cyborg was gone but she could still investigate what it may have been up too.
She extended her hoof to the scanner and when the door didn't open she was mildly confused. She noticed the crowd was still behind her, "What are you all do---" as she addressed the crowd of on looking ponies she put her hoof to the uncooperative door when suddenly she felt a strong electrical surge fluctuate throughout her body. The crowd gasped and jumped as sparks flew and Celestia fell backwards hitting the ground.
~~~~~~
Revised because I didn't like how the chapter originally turned out, I thought it was very fast paced, too fast paced, and left readers without anything to imagine the scenes that the action was taking place in.