Origin

The pods slide open, as the gas ran into the heavily air filtered room. I cough as the gas reaches the center of the room and I began to feel sleepy. It took all my willpower not to fall asleep right there on the hard metal floor. I had to make sure we didn’t have vomit all over the place.

                Spike and Vinyl were the first ones up, and Vinyl woke up without vomiting. “But I do have a major hangover, it feels like.” She said in a moan while leaning forward and gripping her head in between her alabaster white hooves. Since she was a nightclub DJ, I’m fairly certain that she knew about hangovers all too well. I’ve always loved nightclubs; however there are none at home in Canterlot. They’re one of the only places where ponies dance and celebrate in my night. Of course, seeing your princess in a club is rather peculiar, so with my magic, I create a disguise and go as somepony I’ve made up in my head.

                I quickly levitated over a steel box for young Spike. Since he’s a dragon, his vomit is like acid; it will eat right through a flimsy paper bag. “Mommy, is it time for breakfast already?” He said, still half-asleep. “Oh, hi, Luna. Uh-Oh I think I’m gonna -“ He quickly grabbed the steel box and vomited foul smelling green acid into it. I nearly threw up myself; dragon vomit is not a pleasant smell.

“Greetings Spike, greetings Vinyl. Spike, are you okay?” I asked, noticing that the steel box was almost entirely full of his acid-vomit.

He said meekly, “Ya, I’m fine. When will the others wake up?”

I responded by saying, “Hopefully in a few minutes, you two have been through the process of awaking cryo-stasis seven other times. Your bodies are used to the side effects.”

“How can we help them get up”? Vinyl asked.

I thought for a second before saying, “Vinyl, make sure the cryo beds survived these four years of use with no technological errors. Spike, get paper bags; lots and lots of paper bags.”

Vinyl tried to wipe her face of sweat, and noticed something was wrong. “Where are my sunglasses!” She asked, panicking.

“Um, you do know we are in space. The closest star is millions of miles away.”

“What’s your point?” She retorted.

I rolled my eyes and said, “Ugh, fine. They should be in one of the cabinets over by the sink, get you tool kit too. Star Gazers cryo bed is making an odd noise, and Spitfire’s Cryo bed door is jammed.”

I heard a groan from behind me. I turned around and was face to face with the cyan pegasus, Rainbow Dash. She was sitting up on the side of the cryo bed. “Good morning, Rainbow Dash." She was obviously experencing one of the side effects, Being 'high' as the teenage ponies say it.

“Where am I? Oh, hiya Luna what are you doing here? Man, I had the weirdest dream. Okay, It was me in some ice cream truck in Cloudsdale, and Scoots and Celestia were doing things in the back seat, so I was all like -”

“Rainbow Dash! Be quiet and let me talk for a moment, please. You are in the space ship, which we’ve named “Star Swirl”. You have just woken up from being in cryo statist for the past four years. You will feel very noxious in a few seconds and, how do you kids say it, high from the gasses used to keep your body preserved. Your memory will return shortly, I assure you.”

“Um, okay princess, don’t you want to hear the rest of my dream?”

“No, sorry but I am very busy and can not spare the time. Perhaps another time.”

“Whatever you say, Princess. Oh… whoa, I don’t feel so good.”

Spike quickly ran over to her with two paper bags, and said, “Hold on Rainbow! Take this.” Spike held the bag up to Rainbows mouth, since it would be hard for her to hold it while she vomits. She throws up for a whole two minutes - a relatively short amount of time compared to the normal ten minutes of sickness.

Three down, eight to go, I thought as I sighed. Zecora was the next to wake up. “I must admit, I do feel like shit.”

I levitated a paper bag over to her. “Oh? So you’ve retained your memory?” I asked, surprised.

“I say without a doubt, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Never mind. By the way, why do you always talk in rhymes?” I’ve been meaning to ask Zecora for a while. I’ve never met somepony who speaks in rhymes so constantly.

“It is the ancient dialect of my tribe, this is but one of the many other practices we had which I cannot fully describe.”

“Makes perfect sense.” I said, sarcastically.

Zecora gave me a glare while she gagged and puked. Spike put a clothespin on his nose while he took Zecora and Rainbow’s vomit filled bags down the garbage chute, which brought it down to the bottom of the ship to be crushed and burned safely. Spike grumbled as he tossed the smelly bags in to the shoot. “Why do I always get the shit jobs?”

“Oh, Spike? That reminds me, could you send this message to Equestria for me?”

“Of course, that’s what I’m here for, I guess. It’s going to take six months to get there though.” I sighed at that statement. Some Magic did travel faster than light, but his didn’t go nearly fast enough as I wished. Such a feat would require a great deal of energy to do. Spike held the scroll in his claws, took a deep breath, and engulfed the scroll in his green fire, sending it through a hole in the wall that brought the scroll to the air lock and sending it to never ending space towards home. Equestria.

Spike was obviously very tired after that. “ I think I need... need to… take a little… nap” He sucked in desperate gasps of air with each breath.

I turned around and lifted my hoof towards the door. “The rooms are down the hall if you remember. I can take you too if you so -” I was cut off by the sound of snoring. Spike and already fell asleep on the hard sold metal floor.

Spitfire woke up before Vinyl could fix the door jam.  It was only open a few inches, not nearly enough to slip out through. Spitfire was beginning to lose it. “GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT NOW!” Spitfire yelled.

“Calm down! I need to repair the circuit then replace the tumbler. It will take a minute.” Vinyl snapped back.

Spitfire was pushing desperately on the thick glass door. “Tight. Spaces. Cant. Handle. It. Is it getting hot in here? Is it just me or IS IT GETTING REALLY HOT IN HERE OR WHAT!” She was banging her head against the glass lid of the cryo bed. I was getting worried she would hurt herself. Rainbow dash couldn’t stop laughing at the spastic flame haired Pegasus.

I put her back to sleep with a spell. She was safer that way. “Man I’ve never seen her like that.” Rainbow dash observed.

“I didn’t know she was so claustrophobic, thought I guess it makes sense for a pony who is all about aerial freedom.” Rainbow Dash nodded.

Vinyl fixed the door jam in a matter of minutes. Star Gazer was the next one up. The poor colts white fur was tinted yellow from the gasses. His yellow mane was lighter than I remembered it being. His cutie mark was a yellow eight-pointed star with a telescope. He sat up at began talking; it was obvious that he was high.

“Hey, you’re not Twilight… Oh, hey Rainbow, Wassup, buddy? We’re not in Fillydelphia anymore, right? Last thing I remember was that me and Twilight were - oh wait you’re not gonna fool me, I’m not telling ya what we did.” I have observed enough of his dreams to know what he 'did' with Twilight. I am surprised at how flexible she is… Star Gazer looked to his left to see Twilight, who was still sleeping. “Hey, Twilight! Why are you sleeping? C’mon we’ve got, Luna, Rainbow, Vinyl and –Oh, hey! Spike! Come on! Get up, Twilight! It’s like a party!”

“DID SOMEPONY SAY PARTY?” I quickly turned around, only to be startled to see that the pink mare, Pinkie Pie, had awoken.  She said excitedly “Oh, we have got to throw the biggest party, a ‘Waking up after four years’ party. Hey, has anypony seen my party cannon?”

“It’s in the weapons bay. Do you feel alright, Pinkie?” I asked.

“Of course I feel fine, 4 years gave me the greatest energy boost! I feel like galloping all over the place!”

“Just stay still for a while, I don’t think you should move around for a little bit.”

“Okey, dokey, loki. Hi, Zecora, Hi, Star Gazer, Hi, Rainbow dash.”

“Hey, I know you! You’re the pink one, the one whose all party! OH-YA!” Star Gazer replied, obviously still a little bit messed up.

“Hello child, I can still see you are still very wild.” Zecora said.

“Of course I am!” Pinkie said, grinning.

                Rarity woke up next. She was obviously experiencing the side effects of cryo stasis. “Spike, would you be a dear and fetch me that bag before I - oh my, Hurry please!” Spike sprinted towards Rarity like lightning, quickly holding a paper bag up to her mouth. I looked away; it was only a matter of time when one of these ponies got me sick. After she was done she levitated a mirror to her face, I quickly covered my ears, and so did Spike after he put her bag down the shoot.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH, my hair! It’s all yellow. Of all the things this is. The. Worst. Possible. THING.” Her horn started to glow when she said, “Oh, wait, there are no sofas in this ship, are there?” I shook my head.

“Well that’s just great. Now I have to take a shower, dye my hair, and -”

I cut her off before she got melodramatic on us all. “Rarity, don’t worry about your hair! We are in space, and about to land on some unknown alien planet that could be dangerous. So get your priorities straight!” The whole room went quiet. I usually didn’t get this agitated, but these ponies were getting on my nerves. Rarity’s shriek and my elevated shouting were enough to wake up Spitfire from the spell, as well as Applejack, and Fluttershy.

“What in tarnation is all the yelling about, Granny Smith? The chickens aren’t supposed to do their cock-a-doodle-doo thing for another hour, so stop yelling at them!” Applejack was obviously high off the gasses, so I ignored her mindless babbling.

“Why are you yelling? Can I help? I mean, if that’s okay. If not I can just wait over there.”

“Greetings. Fluttershy. Are you feeling okay?”

“Oh yes, wonderful, as a matter of fact. I just have slight headache. I hope I didn’t interrupt you, Luna, or you Rarity.”

“Oh that’s quite alright, just some of you woke up on the wrong side of the cryo bed.”

I was grateful that when Spitfire got up, she didn’t have another nervous breakdown. “Hello, Princess. I had the scariest dream that I was buried alive, and I was breathing in some kind of poisonous gas!”

I replied trying not laugh, “You have no idea, and please, call me Luna.”

“Is everyone up?” She asked.

“Everyone but Twilight.” Star Gazer said.

“Are we almost there?” This from Spike.

“We will arrive in three days” I replied instantaneously.

I heard a groan from behind me and turned to see Twilight trying to sit up.

“Well, good morning, Twilight.”

My vision was blurry and I had an incredibly painful headache pulsing in my temples and horn as I tried to sit up in the gel-like bed. I groaned as I swept my hind-legs over the side of the bed and bent forward in exhaustion.

I heard a voice come from my right. “Well, good morning, Twilight.” It sounded like Princess Luna. “Are you okay, Twilight?”

“Yes, I think so.” I said weakly.

“Well if everyone is ready, then lets get going to the cockpit so you can all see what the hell were getting ourselves into.” Luna said.

I heard Pinkie Pie giggle, “He-he, you said cockpit!”

“Pinkie, stop being so immature!” I said in an exasperated tone.

“Okey dokey loki.” She said while bounding away, as she always did.

As we were all walking out of the cryo lab, and through the long halls of the ship, Star Gazer trotted up next to me and said, “How was your nap?”

“Better than I expected after reading up on the side effects before getting on here.”

“You’re such a bookworm, but that’s what I love about you.” He smiled and I blushed.

Rainbow turned around, and said, “Oh, brother, get a room, you two.”

“That’d be nice.” Star Gazer whispered to me. I blushed till my face was as red as one of the apples from Sweet Apple Acres.

'Home' I thought. I almost cried at the thought that I wouldn’t see Shining Armor or Cadence for another four years. Their filly should already be born and three years old. My parents passed away a year before I left. Their death was another reason why I agreed to go on this mission – I wanted… no,needed to run away. I didn’t want to admit it to myself, or accept the fact that I would never see my parents again.

We trotted through the halls for a while before we reached the front of the ship, which was the control room. The blast shields were folded out over the thick windows. “Spitfire, fold back the blast shields” Luna requested.

“Sure.” Stated Spitfire

Spitfire walked past the 3D magic map project towards the pilot’s chair and sat down. She pressed a few of the large, blinking buttons and placed her hoof on one of the many scanners on the ship. The blast shield folded back from the widows, revealing a gigantic blue sphere laden with white clouds, or something else in the atmosphere. Everypony gasped at the giant planet while Luna announced,

                                                                 “There it is. Keplar 22-B.”