Onward to Tomorrow

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Prologue

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

As was the case with most mornings, the town of Ponyville was quiet in the few hours before dawn. Time passed, the sky changed from black to a mixture of warmer hues, stars twinkled out of existence, and night turned to day as the sun rose on Equestria yet again. The grassy fields and acres of apple groves surrounding Ponyville were cast in the sun’s warm glow, and slowly but surely, the world began to wake.

Unfortunately, the process of waking was not quite so peaceful for some. For one Princess Twilight Sparkle, the morning ritual of waking up consisted of hearing an obnoxiously loud alarm with a disabled snooze function, and being forced to cross the room in order to turn it off. And as Twilight performed the ritual for what felt like the millionth time, she longed for the days when she could still wake up naturally; the days before becoming a princess, before assuming duties more important than she had ever imagined, before she had taken the responsibility of helping to run an entire nation.

At least there’s one good part to waking up. Twilight’s hooves carried her through the corridors of her castle, her body entirely on autopilot as she struggled to fight off the call of sleep. And the closer she got to her destination, the stronger the smell of her favorite part of the morning became.

“What’s the blend today, Spike?” Twilight called as the kitchen door swung open in a lavender glow. The Princess ignored the main features of her kitchen; the many ovens, the hanging pots and pans, and the sizzling griddles on the stovetops. Instead, her destination lay at the back of the room, next to her number-one assistant.

“Zebrican,” Spike answered, turning around to present Twilight with a featureless white mug. Steam rose from the liquid within, and Twilight accepted the warm mug with a smile. She carried it with her to a nearby table, and happily took a seat.

“Sleep well?” the dragon asked, his attention focused on a nearby griddle, on which were several golden-brown pancakes.

“Mhm,” Twilight replied, taking a sip of the coffee. “What do I have on my schedule for today?”

“Uhh…” Spike reached for a piece of paper next to the griddle, and held it in front of him with one hand, while the other managed the breakfast. “Four meetings before noon, you have to attend an event after lunch in town, two more meetings, and you’ll probably have some things to sign. I haven’t checked the mail yet.”

Twilight sighed, taking another sip of her coffee. It was not as busy a day as she had expected, but for a Saturday, she had been hoping for more of a break. Twilight stood, stretching out her wings and eliciting several satisfying pops. “I’ll be out in the foyer if you need me,” she said, stepping out of the kitchen. The scent of breakfast was cut off as the door closed, and Twilight trotted to the foyer, once again allowing her body to move on autopilot.

The winding corridors of the castle blurred together throughout Twilight’s walk, and she arrived at her destination after only a few minutes. Her hoofsteps echoed throughout the foyer as she entered, the sound only becoming muffled when she stepped onto the carpet running down the center of the room. Twilight stifled another yawn, took another sip of her coffee, and stared at the front door a few meters away. It would still be at least an hour before it opened, and her first guest would arrive. In that time, Twilight knew there was work to be done; reports to read, documents to sign. She sighed as the coffee flowed through her, warming her and bringing energy to her body. It was not that she disliked the work, but Twilight did sometimes find herself daydreaming, longing for the days when adventure lay around every corner. The days where she could lose herself in a book, or simply go off and explore with her friends.

But those days were gone. She was a Princess of Equestria, and she accepted her responsibility. Though, just because she had many more responsibilities now, that did not mean she was not allowed to have a few small fantasies.

“Breakfast is served!” Twilight swung her head to one of the corridors branching off of the foyer, and found Spike entering with a tray, upon which were two small plates. Each one held a small stack of pancakes, with rather generous amounts of syrup applied to them. Twilight smiled and took one of the plates in her telekinesis, floating it over to her along with a fork.

“Thanks, Spike,” she said gratefully, watching as the dragon took the second plate and wasted no time in digging in. But behind her smile, she felt a small amount of guilt. Spike was young, and still growing. He deserved more breaks than she gave him.

Before she could even take her first bite, Twilight noticed a peculiar look cross Spike’s face. He swallowed his breakfast slowly, before his eyes suddenly grew wide, and he let out a loud belch with a long stream of dragonflame. Contained within the flame was a single letter, wrapped with a red ribbon and marked with the seal of Celestia’s office. Twilight raised an eyebrow as she retrieved the scroll, and unfurled it with her magic. It was not often that she received a letter from Celestia so early. So, with some apprehension, Twilight brought the letter closer.

Dearest Twilight,

I apologize for sending this letter so early, and I hope I have not disturbed you in any way. I will keep everything brief, though I do request that you come to Canterlot at your earliest convenience after reading this.

I imagine you have been keeping up with the planned Harmony mission. Luna has been busy at work these past few months completing the final preparations, and we will be ready to launch within four months. The reason for my sending this letter is that I wish for you to join the Harmony team. In addition to serving as a direct representative of the Crown, your skills with magic and science will be quite useful on such a risky and groundbreaking mission.

I anticipate you will have many questions. All will be answered upon your arrival in Canterlot.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

“Well… What does it say?” Spike asked, regarding Twilight with an expression of confusion. Only when Spike waved his clawed hand in front of Twilight’s eyes did the Princess realize she had been standing still for several minutes, simply staring at the letter. Finally she snapped back to reality, and rolled the scroll back up, transporting it to her office with a quick spell.

“Celestia… wants me on the Harmony mission,” she answered after another short pause. This had not been expected.

“Harmony? That long-term space mission?” Twilight responded with only a nod. Everypony knew what the Harmony mission was; ever since it had been announced over five years ago, it had been on the minds of everypony with at least some interest in space travel. A brave crew would board the most advanced ship ever created by the Equestrian Space Administration, and would embark on a six-month-long mission to the nearest terrestrial exoplanet. And now Twilight would be joining them. The thought excited her, but it also terrified her. This had not been expected.

“Spike…” Twilight began, piecing together a short-term plan in her mind. “Go ahead and cancel my plans for today. Take the most important ones and reschedule them, but completely cancel the rest. I’m… going to Canterlot.” Not waiting for a response, Twilight activated her horn, and was gone in a flash of lavender light.

From Princess Celestia’s office balcony, the view of Equestria was unrivaled. The city of Canterlot sat beneath her, still held in an early-morning serenity. The lower levels were concealed by clouds that had drifted around the mountain, offering much-needed water for the city’s few high-altitude farms. Beneath Canterlot lay the expanse of Equestria; plains, forests, and mountains presented themselves before the Princess, the most distant features barely visible even from her high-up perch. The world was waking, and they were one day closer to launch.

Celestia heard a shimmering pop from behind her, and smiled as she realized who had just teleported into the office. “You’re earlier than I expected,” she said. The Princess turned around and stood, re-entering her office from the balcony. Twilight Sparkle stood across the room, near the office’s closed door. Celestia kept her warm smile as she approached the younger Princess, trying to allay the concerns she knew Twilight held.

“Your letter sounded urgent,” Twilight explained sheepishly, averting her violet eyes. “I… wasn’t expecting anything like it. Sorry.”

“There is no need for apologies.” Celestia took a seat behind her desk, and motioned for Twilight to sit in one of the chairs opposite her. The younger alicorn did as she was instructed, though she still avoided looking Celestia in the eyes. “You are nervous.”

“Overwhelmed, mainly,” Twilight said, lightly nodding her head. “I am truly honored that you want me on the Harmony mission, but it’s… just a bit to take in, I guess.”

“I understand,” Celestia said. “But the launch is still months away. Plenty of time to brief you on everything, have you meet the crew, and run through some of the simulators. We will need to give you some crash-courses on working in space. You also have plenty of time to make whatever personal preparations you need.” Opening a desk drawer with her telekinesis, Celestia produced a single manila folder, and stood up. “Come, let’s go for a walk.” The Princess crossed the room to her office door, then opened it and ushered Twilight out. She joined her former pupil a moment later, after closing the balcony doors with her magic. Finally ready, Celestia lead the way down the hall, still carrying the manila folder with her.

“There is somepony I wish for you to meet,” she said. “He is in the armory right now. In the meantime, here.” Celestia passed the folder over to Twilight. The younger pony took it in her own telekinesis, idly examining the writing on the outside.

“Six months…” Twilight whispered. “That’s a long time in space.”

“I want to get one thing clear, Twilight,” Celestia began. “You are absolutely not being forced to go. If you do not want to join the mission, you do not have to.” Twilight quickly began shaking her head, her eyes widening.

“Oh, no!” she insisted. “That’s not what I was saying at all! It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to someday go to space. I’m still just wrapping my head around this.” Celestia nodded, fully understanding. She had thrust this responsibility upon Twilight rather suddenly, and it was not like the Princess of Friendship’s previous tasks. This was not an extra meeting to pick up, or a request to attend a formal event. This was much, much more.

Twilight opened the folder and began scanning over the first document contained within, her eyes moving back and forth as she read each line. Celestia guided her through the corridors, knowing that their destination was coming up soon. She hoped Ace was ready to meet the newest addition to his team…

“Here we are,” Celestia said, stopping outside of a reinforced wooden door. A single guard stood outside, his gaze constantly focused on a point at the end of the corridor. Aside from lighting his horn to open the door, he did nothing to acknowledge the presence of the Princesses. Celestia stepped inside, followed by Twilight, and scanned over the scene that presented itself to her. The guards present in the armory had frozen in place, all of them settling their eyes on the unexpected guests. Celestia smiled in greeting, though her magenta eyes were looking past the guards, searching for a specific target. And finally, at the back of the room, she found him.

He had found her as well. The stallion at the end of the room stood up from his chair, his tired yellow eyes meeting Celestia’s. His age showing through his hardened expression, he slowly maneuvered through the crowd of guards, all of whom were still focused on the Princesses. After making it halfway down the length of the armory, he became fed up, and grunted to make his presence known. The remaining ponies parted, startled, and the stallion walked the rest of the way to Celestia.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” he greeted, allowing a small grin to form. His eyes flickered away from the Princess of the Sun, and landed on the younger alicorn at her side. “Princess Twilight, it’s a pleasure.” The stallion bowed, lowering his head all the way to the polished stone floor.

“Rise, Ace,” Celestia commanded. “I thought I told you you could stop bowing for me.” The stallion sighed as he stood, and shrugged.

“Must have slipped my mind,” Ace said. He turned around, observing the guards who had yet to move. “Perhaps we should go somewhere a bit more private?”

“I was thinking that same thing,” Celestia agreed. “Come, this way.” The Princess turned and lead her two companions back out into the corridor. She began walking, headed in no particular direction. The castle would be quiet for a few more hours, and in that time, she hoped that Twilight’s mind could be put at ease.

As she walked next to Princess Celestia, Twilight took the time to examine the stallion at her side. He was tall, even for a stallion, and had a faded white coat, decorated with scratches earned over a long career. His blue mane was cut short, much shorter than her brother’s. He kept his eyes forward, never looking away from the end of the corridor.

“So, Princess Twilight,” he began, “I understand you’ll be joining us on the mission.”

“That’s right,” Twilight replied with a nod. “And you are…?”

“Ace. Captain of the Harmony, and of the mission.”

“Ace has been serving in the military for…” Celestia paused, thinking to herself. “It’s been around thirty years now, hasn’t it?”

“Thirty-five,” Ace corrected. “My service record should be in that folder you’re carrying. If it’s not, I’ll make sure you get it. Any questions for me, your highness?”

“I’m sure I’ll come up with a few soon enough,” Twilight said. “First, what can you tell me about the crew?” Ace paused for a moment, contemplating the question.

“You’ve got their dossiers in that folder as well,” he finally answered. “I can tell you they’re all the most qualified ponies on this planet. I hoof-picked them, and they’ve been training together for years. A few are military, like me, but most are civilians we’ve worked with in the past. They work well together, under heavy stress or no stress at all. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.” Twilight nodded satisfactorily. Celestia clearly trusted Ace, and Twilight saw no reason to disagree with the elder Princess’s judgement. He appeared quite qualified for the job.

“I will arrange for you to meet them at some point before the launch,” Celestia said. “Luna is keeping them busy with drills and simulations over at the Bay, but I think it is important that you at least introduce yourself to them.”

“Alright,” Twilight agreed. She knew unit cohesion was going to be an important aspect of this mission. Six months was not a short time, and a crew that could not work together would only lead to ruin.

The trio continued on, walking past ponies just arriving at the castle for work. Guards changed shifts, maids cleaned the already-immaculate surfaces of the castle, and servants scurried about, performing tasks given to them by nobles and officials in other parts of the castle. Each corridor was busy, and Twilight knew from experience that it would only be getting busier. She had a few not-so-fond memories from foalhood of dodging between the legs of adults, ponies seeking an audience with Celestia or visiting the castle for some other purpose. Twilight looked over the groups of ponies just arriving, glad that her own castle was usually much less busy.

“Another question, Captain,” Twilight asked, trying to ignore the stares of the castle guests. She walked past them with some vexation, wishing for privacy once again. “I’m sure this is addressed in the folder, but I’d like to know sooner rather than later: what sorts of personal items am I allowed to bring?”

“No more than four kilograms,” Ace answered. “Nothing flammable, and nothing dangerous. All items will be cleared by security teams prior to being allowed aboard.” Twilight nodded, thinking to herself what she would bring. Real books were out of the question, given that paper was very flammable, but she could make do with downloading some.

As the trio turned another corner, Twilight began to recognize their route. They were taking the scenic route, but if Twilight was right, Celestia was leading them back to her office. They would arrive soon, and the questioning session would most likely end. Twilight scanned her mind, trying to think of any more questions. Any she had would probably have their answers in the folder given to her by Celestia, and Twilight had determined rather easily that Ace was not particularly talkative. So, when they arrived back at Celestia’s office door, Twilight turned to the Captain with a smile.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Captain,” she said, turning to Celestia. “I should return to Ponyville. I’ll read through the folder, and I’ll be in contact.”

“I will let Luna know to schedule a meeting for you with the rest of the crew,” Celestia said. “She’ll send you something when the time has come.”

“Thanks, Princess.” Twilight turned back to Ace, smiling once more. “And thank you as well, Captain.” The stallion responded with a bow, turning and leaving once he had stood back up. Twilight watched him go, observing his rigid movements and perfect posture as he moved down the hall. She had no trouble believing his lengthy service record.

“I know it’s all a lot to take in,” Celestia said once Ace had rounded the corner and was out of sight. “But thank you for coming today. The maiden voyage of this ship will be an important one; for the first time, living ponies will be leaving the solar system and journeying to another planet. Much can go wrong, and I feel safer knowing that you will be there to look after the crew and the ship.”

“No pressure, then?” Twilight smirked, and wrapped her wing around the thick manila folder. “Well, it looks like I’ve got some reading to do. Have a good rest of your day, Celestia.”

“Same to you, Twilight.” The Princess of Friendship lit her horn, and disappeared in a flash of light. She rematerialized inside the bedroom of her own castle, the noises and ponies of Canterlot now many miles away. The silence was welcome, and Twilight hoped it would persist as she looked again at the folder tucked beneath her wing. She carried the folder to her desk, where she cleared some space for it to rest. Sitting down at the desk, Twilight opened the folder, and for the second time got a look at all of the documents within. Her eyes widened as she pulled the documents out and made a rough count. There were hundreds, consisting of dossiers, ship schematics, supply manifests, mission statements, funding reports, simulation data, and more. This would not be a quick read.

“Twilight?” A knock sounded upon the Princess’s door, and Twilight turned around in her chair. “Did I hear you teleport in?”

“Come in!” Twilight called. The door opened, and Spike entered with the morning mail tucked under an arm. He jogged to the desk, but slowed as his emerald eyes noticed the new documents resting upon the surface. He looked between Twilight and the papers, making the connections in his mind.

“That’s all the Harmony stuff, huh?” Twilight nodded as she began to sort the documents by subject matter. “So you’re really going, then?”

“That’s right,” Twilight said. She turned to face her assistant, and noticed the expression he wore. He was looking away, but Twilight could still see the sadness in his eyes. She smiled sympathetically, and placed a hoof under his chin, turning his head to face hers. “Everything will be alright. Think of it as something of an extended vacation. While I’m away, you’ll hardly have any work to do. You can enjoy yourself, and you’ll have an entire castle to yourself for six months.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about, Twilight,” Spike began, frowning. “Space is dangerous! I mean… what if something goes wrong? What if… what if you…” He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Twilight stood from her desk and wrapped her front hooves around the young dragon, her sympathy for him growing. And for a moment, she considered denying the mission, telling Celestia to find somepony else. There were plenty of skilled magic users in the world, and Twilight was sure many of them had scientific skills rivaling her own. But as her eyes once again glanced across the folder lying on her desk, she knew that this mission was one she would have to accept. Among all of the skilled mages and organizers in Equestria, Celestia had chosen her. This was Twilight’s mission, and it was not one she could pass off.

“I’ll be okay,” she whispered, holding Spike tight. When she finally let go, she kept a hoof on his shoulder and looked him in his eyes, offering a comforting smile. “I know six months sounds like a long time, but I promise, it will fly by. I’ll be back before you know it.” Spike nodded, but did not seem any more confident.

“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” he said.

“I promise,” Twilight responded. “Now go on, there’s still work to be done. I’m not leaving for another few months, and we have much to do to prepare.” Spike wordlessly turned and exited, the sounds of his claws echoing down the corridor just outside Twilight’s room. The Princess watched the door, hoping her words had done something to comfort Spike. The two were close, and for Spike, Twilight had always been there. That she was leaving would no doubt have an effect on the young dragon.

Twilight turned back to her desk, and realized she would need to tell her friends of the development as well. Starlight Glimmer would be without a teacher for a few months, but her other friends were just as well-versed in matters of friendship. They would serve as excellent substitutes. Still, Twilight hoped they would all take the news better than Spike had.

Taking a seat at the desk, Twilight pulled the first set of documents toward her. They were detailed mission plans, complete with timetables, contingencies, and supply usage breakdowns. Rubbing her still-weary eyes, the Princess sighed, and set herself on reading.

TWO MONTHS LATER

From Princess Luna’s perspective, the Phoenix Reusable Ascent System seemed to pierce the very sky, sitting on its launch platform near the coast of the Horseshoe Bay. The rocket was hundreds of feet tall, and at its tip was the capsule that would soon carry a crew of eleven to the Harmony, floating somewhere in orbit. Engineers and technicians scurried about around the base of the rocket, checking fuel lines and making sure there were no leaks. In only a day the rocket would undergo its final flight test, to ensure it could reach Harmony safely. All of the previous tests had been successful, but Princess Luna was nothing if not thorough.

She turned away from the rocket, focusing her attention on the space center sitting a few hundred meters away. The collection of buildings reflected the afternoon sun, clearly illuminating the “Equestrian Space Administration” logo. And even from her distant position, Luna could see more engineers and technicians wandering around the outside of the complex, all of them at work to ensure the launch would go off smoothly. Lighting her horn, Luna teleported herself away in a flash of azure light, and reappeared just outside the training building, a massive hangar near the edge of the complex. A guard opened the door for her, and the Princess stepped inside, happy to feel the cool air conditioning on her coat.

A constant hum filled the large hangar, emanating from the various pieces of machinery currently in use. Flight simulators spun in their cages, while other ponies practiced walking in bulky EVA suits. They wore patches for numerous missions; moon landings, research missions, and more were recognized by the Princess of the Night. But right now, there was only one mission with which she was concerned. The ponies involved in the mission were at the very end of the hangar, in a replica of the Phoenix capsule, where they were refining the process of docking with the Harmony.

As Luna drew closer, she began to hear the sound of a voice elevated over the sound of the machinery. And the closer she drew, the more she realized that the voice was not very happy. Growing concerned, Luna broke into a trot as she closed the distance and arrived outside the replica capsule. On the stairs leading to the capsule door stood a terrified technician, his hooves rooted into place as he accepted the verbal onslaught coming from the spacesuit-equipped pony across from him.

“And how in the world does a pony like you land a job like this!?” the stallion yelled, his green eyes wide in rage. He closed his mouth, waiting for a response that did not come. The technician remained where he stood, trying to avoid looking anypony in the eye.

“... What is going on here?” Luna finally asked, making her presence known to the ponies. The angry stallion immediately dropped his expression as his training kicked in, and he turned to the princess, bowing clumsily in his suit. The technician did not move; rather, he remained staring into the capsule, his eyes wide.

“Sorry you had to hear that, Princess,” the stallion said. He stood up, and shot an angry glance at the technician by his side. “This idiot changed the sensitivity on the control stick, and decided not to tell anypony. So when I ordered Flash to initiate docking, instead of gently sending us into the docking port, he sent us flying into the side of the ship.”

“I… I’m sorry, sir,” the technician stammered, speaking at barely above a whisper. “It… it was negligence on my part. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t.” The stallion pointed away from the capsule, and sternly looked the technician in the eye. “Now go.” With a frantic nod, the technician nervously jogged down the stairs and disappeared behind a nearby doorway, slamming the door shut behind him.

“A little harsh, don’t you think, Skychaser?” Luna said as she climbed up the stairs and looked into the capsule. She peered inside, looking over the crew sitting at their positions. Lightning Flash sat in the pilot’s seat, while the two seats next to him were vacant. One belonged to Skychaser, who now stood on the stairs, and the other was Ace’s, who was away in Canterlot. On the side near the hatch was Star Step, sitting at her comms station, and next to her sat Cobalt, who was monitoring the capsule systems. In the back sat Doctor Quick Fix, the two engineers, Golden Bolt and Vibrant Flame, and next to them were the security personnel, Sharp Sight and Astral Breeze. An empty seat rested next to them, and on it was a label with a name tag: Twilight Sparkle.

“Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t,” Skychaser answered as he re-entered the capsule, struggling to move in his bulky spacesuit. “We can’t afford to have mistakes like that during the real launch. I don’t intend to die by burning up in this capsule, or getting sucked out into space before we even get aboard the ship.”

“Yeah, let’s save the death until we’re aboard,” Astral Breeze joked from the back of the capsule. “Way more fun that way.” The ponies in the capsule chuckled quietly, with the exception of Skychaser, who grunted as he got back into his seat. He secured his safety harness, then turned his head to look at Princess Luna.

“Any idea when Captain Ace is getting back?” he asked. “I’m a good XO, but I’m no replacement for Ace. And with how many of these sims he’s missed, he needs to get here and get caught up.”

“Tomorrow,” Luna replied. “He’s scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning, and he’ll be bringing Princess Twilight with him.”

“We finally get to meet the Princess?” Star Step asked eagerly, turning away from her station. The mare was difficult to see with her full suit on, but her light purple eyes shone brightly beneath the glass of the helmet.

“That’s correct,” Luna nodded. “I know she’s a rather late addition, but please, treat her like one of the team. Speaking from experience, I know that she is a very friendly mare, and I have no doubts that you will all get along well. But tomorrow will be her first real experience in a simulator with all of you. So be patient, and make her feel welcome.”

“We will, Princess,” Cobalt said, grinning. “In no time, she’ll feel right at home among us.” Luna nodded satisfactorily, and withdrew her head from the capsule.

“Good. Then I will leave you to your work. Best of luck, and I will see you all tomorrow.” Luna turned and walked down the stairs, the capsule door closing shut a moment later. The simulation restarted, and Luna hoped they would be ready. The team was incredibly talented, but there was always the possibility of error.

Crossing through the large training hangar once again, Luna came to the exit and stepped outside. Ponies still moved about, but the atmosphere of the space center had begun to settle down. The Phoenix rocket sat on its launch pad, the engineers now absent from its base. The fueling had likely been completed, and the rocket would be ready for its final test launch tomorrow. After that, it would be checked for damage, and put into storage until the real launch, still two months away.

It was hard for Luna to believe that the mission was happening so soon. Work had begun five years ago, upon the completion of the first functional Interstellar Teleportation Device, known less formally as a “jump drive.” The team had been selected three years later, construction of the Harmony had begun, and the funds were collected. Five long years of work, and it was all coming together. Luna was proud, but worried. She had dedicated herself to this mission, if something went wrong… Luna shuddered to think about what could happen.

Luna wandered through the complex, observing the various buildings; research labs, construction bays, living areas, and more populated the coast of the Bay. A few decades ago, this had not existed. Upon Luna’s return from banishment, the Equestrian Space Administration was hardly worth anything. Even after existing for decades, all they had to speak of were a few satellites, and two ponies who had been to space. But under her guidance, the Administration had flourished. She had put ponies on the moon, she had coordinated the creation of space stations in orbit. They had been great achievements, but to her, they were no more than tests. The tests had been passed, and Harmony was the culmination of their achievements.

The sun was beginning to set on the space center. Soon Luna would have to return to her duties as a princess and raise the moon, then prepare for the events of the following day. From experience, she knew tomorrow would be stressful. Launches always were, tests or not. With a quiet sigh, Luna teleported away, reappearing far from the Bay and the space center. Instead of seeing the water glistening in the setting sun, she now observed Equestria from a much higher perch. Clouds covered Canterlot below her, while stars started to twinkle into existence above.

“I was wondering when you were going to get back.” Luna turned away from her window, and found Celestia waiting in the open doorway of the bedroom. She politely remained in the threshold, waiting to be formally invited before entering.

“Come in, sister,” Luna said, trotting to the elder Princess. Celestia stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “How long have you been waiting out there?”

“A few minutes,” Celestia replied. “Your schedule is becoming more predictable, I have noticed. You are at the space center all afternoon and evening, and you teleport back here almost each day at sundown. And with your nightly duties… have you even been sleeping, Luna?”

“I have a few stretches here and there.” Luna crossed to her desk, where a stack of papers rested haphazardly in the center. She straightened them out with her telekinesis and sorted them in the desk drawers, before drawing out a few new documents. “It’s not like either of us truly need sleep, anyway. I can get far more done if I am awake more.”

“That’s not something you would have said a thousand years ago,” Celestia jested, trotting to Luna’s window. She peered outside and lit her horn, nudging the sun beneath the horizon and completing her final task of the day. “A thousand years ago, you very much valued your rest.”

“A thousand years ago, coffee was not nearly as readily available.” To prove her point, Luna summoned a fresh cup from the castle kitchens, prepared just the way she liked it. Clearly the cooks had noticed the Princess’s more predictable schedule as well. “Not that I don’t appreciate seeing you, but is there a reason for this visit, Celestia?”

“I just wanted to check up on you,” Celestia admitted, turning back to the door. “I won’t keep you any longer. Just, please promise me you will try to get some rest tomorrow? You need to be entirely yourself for the test launch.” Luna did not respond, though she knew her sister was correct. She trotted to the window, sipping her coffee, and lit her horn to bring the moon into the night sky. When the task was complete, she turned back to Celestia.

“I will get a nap or two in,” she agreed. “Is there anything else tonight, sister?” Shaking her head, Celestia opened the door and stepped outside. Before taking another step down the hall, however, she paused.

“Good luck with tomorrow’s launch, Luna,” she said. “And tell Twilight ‘hello’ for me.”

“I will. Good night, ‘Tia.”

“Good night, Luna.” The door closed silently behind Celestia, and Luna found herself alone in her room. Her eyes darted to a clock on a nearby wall; the Night Court would begin in a few hours, which gave her some time to go over the rest of the work she had scheduled for tonight. As the first few rays of moonlight entered through Luna’s window and cast her room in a soft pale glow, the Princess took a seat at her desk, and got to work…

Call Started

“Is your line secure?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Good. The launch is coming up. Less than a week until you depart. Do you have any lingering questions?”

“No. I know what to do.”

“Very good. We will contact you some time after you dock with the Harmony. Have you had some time to acquaint yourself with the items we sent you?”

“I have. They’re all disassembled and hidden among my personal items. I don’t anticipate any trouble getting them aboard.”

“If any questions come to you before launch, contact us. You are doing your country a great service, the least we can do is be on call for you. Best of luck.”

“Thank you.”

Call ended.

TWO DAYS BEFORE LAUNCH

Twilight Sparkle squinted her eyes as the blindfold was removed, and her retinas adjusted to the sudden influx of light. A grin instantly broke out on her face as she took in her surroundings, and feelings of absolute joy filled her. With all of the party decorations, the foyer of her castle was hardly recognizable. Banners, streamers, and balloons seemed to cover every surface, and one large banner was hung at the end of the room, reading “HAVE FUN IN SPACE, TWILIGHT!”

Her smile only widening, Twilight turned around to address her friends, all of whom looked at her with expectant grins. She looked to Pinkie Pie, who stood in the middle of the group, and approached the earth pony gratefully. “Thank you so much,” she said. “I can’t imagine how much work must have gone into this!”

“Aww, it was nothin’,” Pinkie said, waving a hoof dismissively. “Besides, I’ve never held a going-away party for a friend who is going to space!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash added, excitedly leaping into the air. “Wish we could be going with you…”

“But we’ll all be here when you get back,” Rarity said. “We’ll be right at the landing site, ready to welcome you back to Equestria.”

“Thanks, everypony,” Twilight said, feeling her eyes start to water. Before her stood her best friends, the ponies who had stood at her side for years. Against every foe, during every trial, her friends had been there. Now that she would be without them… Twilight’s anxiety only started to grow.

“You’ll be fine, Twilight,” Starlight Glimmer comforted, trotting to her obviously-troubled mentor. “If the Harmony crew is half as good as we’ve heard, you’ll be in good hooves. Besides, you’re the Princess of Friendship. If you’re worried you won’t get along with the crew, you’re selling yourself short.”

“It’s not that,” Twilight began, turning away. “I’ve met the crew, and they are great. They’re all very friendly, and they were accepting of me the first time I met them. What I’m worried about is something going wrong. Space isn’t the most cooperative place, and if something happens, if somepony accidentally messes up--”

“Uh, this crew’s been trainin’ for how long?” Applejack interrupted, placing a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “They know what they’re doin’, sugarcube. You’ll be fine.” Twilight nodded, breathing out heavily, and tried to focus her attention back on the party elements. Food was set up all over the foyer, and Twilight had to admit that it all looked quite appetizing.

“Thanks again for all of this,” Twilight said, turning back to her friends. “And since this will be my last party for six months, let’s not let any of it go to waste!” The Princess trotted to the food, her friends close behind her. Twilight was glad Pinkie had not invited anypony else; a quiet evening with her friends sounded like just the thing she needed to calm her nerves. Levitating a cupcake to her waiting mouth, Twilight allowed herself to feel comfort in the presence of her friends. For now, she focused only on being with them. No thoughts of the launch or the mission crossed her mind. In this moment, she was simply at peace…

LAUNCH DAY

The scene outside the Equestrian Space Administration’s complex at Horseshoe Bay could best be described as crowded. Scores of ponies waited behind a long fence, standing the minimum safe distance away from the launch pad where the Phoenix Reusable Ascent System stood. Many held cameras with them, while others were content to simply spend the day with their families and watch the impending launch.

Inside the Control Center, the atmosphere was very different. Ponies scurried about, running the final checks on each and every launch system, ensuring the launch would go off without a hitch. Princess Luna stood at the back of the room, wearing a headset and trying to focus on the sound coming through. With the noise permeating the rest of the room, her attempts were mostly failures. However, she was able to catch a few key points: the rocket was fully fueled, technicians were clearing the launch area, and the crew was entering the elevator to board the rocket.

Luna sighed, rubbing her eyes. This was it; in a few minutes, the Phoenix would launch, the crew would dock with Harmony in orbit, and they would jump to a nearby star system, becoming the first ponies ever to do so. The work of several years and countless ponies was reaching its close. But after the launch, new work would begin. Harmony was a delicate mission, and it was going to take considerable effort from the team in Equestria to keep everything running.

“Princess.” Luna turned around, coming to face a pegasus mare approaching her. “Harmony team is waiting at the gangway. The inspection teams have confirmed the capsule is ready to receive them.”

“Understood,” Luna said. She turned back around, focusing her attention on the massive set of screens dominating the far wall of the Control Center. Each screen showed a different feature; some showed diagnostics, others showed flight plans, while the ones in the center showed different camera views. One camera was located within the gangway, showing the open hatch of the capsule and the closed door of the tower. “Let them in.” The mare nodded and trotted away to carry out her orders. Luna looked below her at the ponies at their stations; they had quieted down, and the tension in the room was palpable. Taking a deep breath, Luna stepped forward, and spoke.

“Alright, everypony,” she began. “This is it. All of your innovation, your collaboration, your sleepless nights… it is all coming to a close. But our jobs are not over yet. The future of ponykind awaits, so let’s get this done. Let’s send our ponies onward to tomorrow. Start our countdown.” One of the screens switched its view to a clock, reading five minutes. A different screen, this one with a camera view, showed the crew crossing the gangway and entering the Phoenix capsule. They were joined by several assistants who carried their helmets and a few other pieces of gear.

“Marking time,” a stallion at the front of the room said. “Beginning final countdown for PHX-05. It is eleven forty-five AM on May seventeenth, year two-thousand and fourteen FD. We are at T minus five minutes to liftoff.”

“Phoenix, this is Control. Confirm radio operational, over.” There was a pause. Finally, the speakers in the room crackled.

“Control, this is Phoenix, confirming radio operational, over,” the voice of Lightning Flash replied. Luna smiled, looking out over her ponies as they worked. A few more ponies took their turns speaking to Phoenix, ensuring everything was ready for launch. Through it all, Luna felt her anxiety growing. She had been present for dozens of rocket launches, and yet it never got any easier. Any number of things could go wrong, and Luna knew that every launch she witnessed was another where ponies could die.

“Hatch closed and secured, reading normal cabin pressure,” the same stallion said. “We are now at T minus three minutes, eight seconds to liftoff. Phoenix, please confirm flight plan loaded, over.”

“Confirmed, Control.”

“Reading weather conditions nominal at T minus two minutes, fifty-four seconds.”

“This is it,” said a voice. Luna turned, and found Celestia standing just behind her. She smiled, and motioned for her sister to come further into the room.

“This is it,” Luna repeated. “Are you ready?”

“As I will ever be,” Celestia replied. “I worry for them, even though I know everypony here has worked day and night to make this as safe as possible. What about you? Are you ready?”

“My feelings are the same as yours.” Both sisters watched the screens as each pony in the Control Center went through their checklists. The engines were gimbaled, the crew reported their conditions, and the various fuel tanks were pressurized. Luna took another deep breath as the final moments of the launch preparation approached.

“Phoenix, everything is good on our end,” the stallion at the front of the room reported. “Tanks pressurized, engines ready. Request confirmation from command crew.”

“Confirmed,” came Captain Ace’s voice through the speaker.

“Confirmed,” said Skychaser a moment later.

“Confirmed,” Twilight finally said. As the young Princess spoke, Luna allowed herself to breathe out. Now it was her turn to speak.

“Phoenix, this is Luna,” she began. “Pre-flight checklist complete. You’re on onboard power and computers now. You are go for launch, over.”

“Roger, out.”

“Beginning launch countdown: T minus ten, nine, eight…”

Luna regulated her breathing. For her, this was always the most stressful part.

“... Seven, six, five…”

The rocket began to tremble as the engines activated, and the cables securing it to the tower swayed.

“Four, three, two, one…”

The engines ignited. A massive cloud of smoke erupted from beneath the launch pad, and the rocket lifted into the air, carried skyward by a bright glow of orange flame.

“We have liftoff!” The Control Room erupted into a chorus of cheers; ponies stood from their seats, shaking hooves and clapping each other on the backs. Only a few ponies remained seated: the ones whose jobs were not yet done.

“Tower has been cleared,” a pony said, barely containing the smile on his face. “Stage one propulsion is nominal, speed is exceeding two-hundred kilometers per hour. All reports are nominal.”

“This is Phoenix, all good on our end,” Lightning Flash reported, his voice barely audible through the speakers.

“Phoenix, begin throttle down, prep for max Q.”

As the Control Center staff continued their jobs, Luna could not take her eyes away from the live feed of the rocket in the air. A smile broke out across her face, and she pridefully looked to her sister. Celestia had her eyes glued to the screen, wearing a similar smile. Despite all of the anxiety, there was nothing more rewarding than seeing a successful launch.

“T plus three minutes, two seconds: main engine cutoff, prepare for stage one separation.” On the live feed, the orange glow that had been trailing the rocket disappeared as the back of the rocket disconnected from the rest. It drifted away for a few seconds, before its engines reactivated and it started the automated return procedure.

“Stage two activation… now.” The second engine initiated, and the rocket continued onward. Luna glanced at another display, this one showing Phoenix’s position relative to Harmony. All was going according to plan, and Luna allowed some of her anxiety to fade.

“Phoenix, your ETA to Harmony is two minutes,” a nearby mare said, checking her display. “T plus six minutes, eighteen seconds, prepare for stage two deactivation and separation, over.”

“Roger, Control. Stable orbit achieved, over.” Luna watched as the second stage disconnected, leaving the capsule floating freely in orbit over Equus. The camera attached to the outside of the capsule was pointed downward, showing the green and blue planet below. Luna smiled; it was always a view she welcomed.

Engines on the capsule activated, and Equus started moving much faster beneath the ship. Glancing at another display once again, Luna tracked their progress. The capsule was nearing Harmony, and soon it would begin docking procedures.

“Control, this is Phoenix. We have visual of Harmony. Beginning approach, over.” The camera view switched to a different camera, this one placed on the nose of the capsule, where a second hatch was placed. This one would dock with Harmony, and the crew would use it to board the larger ship, which was now coming into view.

“They’ve been training for this…” Luna whispered to herself, drawing the attention of Celestia. The elder Princess regarded her sister with a raised eyebrow, wondering what she meant. “Docking is in their hooves. All we can do is watch, and hope they make it…”

When the shaking finally subsided, Twilight Sparkle found herself feeling much lighter. The crowded capsule was silent, the only sound coming from vibrations created by the stage three engines activating. The Princess struggled to turn her head, a difficult task with the bulky helmet on, and peered out the capsule hatch’s window. Outside, all she could see were stars. They shined brightly, each one a radiant diamond in a sea of black. Even through the small hatch window, the view was spectacular.

“Control this is Phoenix,” Lightning Flash said from his position in the pilot’s seat. “We have visual of Harmony. Beginning approach, over.”

“This is it,” Star Step whispered to herself excitedly. “Everypony ready?”

“I just want to get out of this cramped seat,” the chief security officer, a stallion by the name of Sharp Sight, said. “Flash, mind putting the docking camera on the display for everyone?” Though he did not vocalize a response, Lightning Flash did flip a switch on his control board, turning on a screen above the seats of everypony else. Twilight squinted to see clearly, trying to make out shapes through the low-resolution camera. She could clearly see Equus on the lower half of the camera, shining a bright blue as the oceans reflected the sunlight. Ahead was a glowing white dot that grew larger with each moment. And as the Phoenix capsule came closer, Twilight began to make out details.

It became clear to her rather quickly that the dot was Harmony. As shapes became more clearly defined, Twilight noticed similarities between the ship and the diagrams she had been given by Celestia. Her eyes widened as the capsule grew ever closer, and for the first time, Twilight got a true sense of scale of the ship.

On paper, three hundred and ninety meters did not sound particularly massive. There were buildings in Manehattan that were much taller, but in space, with nothing but Equus for scale, the ship appeared huge. The first two thirds of the ship were composed of several cylinders, each one with a diameter of twenty-one meters. Set into the cylinders, Twilight could see light streaming from several windows. On the centermost cylinder were two sets of solar panels, each set nearly as long as the ship itself. The final third of the ship was dedicated to various inaccessible systems; the engines, the magic reactor, and another pair of solar panels. Twilight stared in awe as the capsule passed the back of the ship, slowing down as it approached the docking port.

“Control, we are beginning docking procedure,” Flash reported through his microphone. “Is Harmony ready to receive us?”

“That’s a yes, Phoenix,” a stallion’s voice said through Twilight’s headset. “We’re showing that Harmony’s docking mechanism is functional and waiting. You are clear to dock, over.” Flash took a deep breath, and slowly inched his control stick forward. From the docking camera, Twilight could see them coming closer and closer to a receptacle on the side of Harmony. Several lights lit up as the larger ship detected the capsule’s approach, and Lightning Flash released his breath as the nose of the capsule slid gently into the docking port.

“Control, Phoenix,” he began. “Docking successful. We are locked on and ready to board, over.”

“Roger that,” the stallion from Control said. “You are cleared to begin startup procedure of Harmony systems, and shutdown of Phoenix. We’ll see you in a few minutes, crew.”

“Alright everypony,” Captain Ace started, “once we’re aboard, you know what to do. Star Step, Lightning Flash, Cobalt, with me to the bridge. Golden Bolt and Vibrant Flame, go with Skychaser to engineering. Astral Breeze, help Quick Fix get the medbay set up, and Sharp Sight head to security. Princess Twilight, I’d like you to join me on the bridge.”

Cobalt was the first to remove his safety harness, and he floated out of his chair to the capsule’s nose hatch. His horn glowed a pale green beneath his helmet, and the locking wheel was wrapped in his telekinesis. He reached out his spacesuit-clad hoof and tapped a nearby button, and Twilight began to hear a hissing in the capsule.

“Equalizing our pressure with Harmony,” Cobalt reported. “... Done. Let’s go on in.” Using his telekinesis, Cobalt turned the wheel, unlocking the nose hatch. Twilight undid her harness and floated up next to him, her heart pounding in her chest. Inside, different feelings collided; excitement, anxiety, joy, even sadness. As Cobalt finished turning the locking wheel, Twilight looked back to the capsule’s small window. Equus was below them, lights beginning to blink into existence as the sun set on the visible hemisphere. Twilight smiled, knowing today would be the last day she saw her home for a long time.

Cobalt pulled the hatch open. Light flooded the inside of the capsule, and Twilight raised a hoof to shield her eyes. Cobalt floated inside first, and was quickly followed by Star Step and Lightning Flash. The rest of the crew slowly floated inside, until only Ace, Skychaser, and Twilight remained. Shrugging, Skychaser floated in next, while Ace stared at Twilight.

“After you, Princess,” he said, motioning to the hatch. Nodding, Twilight took a deep breath and placed a hoof on a handle by the hatch. She pulled herself forward, and with no reservations, entered into Harmony’s airlock. The lights guided her through a short tube, which emptied into a larger cylindrical chamber where the rest of the crew floated. Ace joined Twilight after a few seconds, and he turned around to close the inner airlock door.

“How are we on life support, Cobalt?” Skychaser asked from his position near the main door. Cobalt pushed himself to a display and scanned over the information it displayed, reading the report on life support.

“We’re good,” Cobalt answered. “Air throughout the ship is breathable. We’re clear to get these suits off.” His helmet beginning to glow, Cobalt undid the seals and lifted off his helmet, allowing it to float freely for a few feet before grabbing it again. He stowed it on the hook of a nearby locker, then got set on removing the rest of his suit. Twilight did the same, as did everypony else, and in a few minutes the crew was free of the restrictive suits. Twilight smiled as she rolled her shoulders and flexed her wings, still trying to be considerate of others in the cramped space.

“Let’s not wait any longer, then,” said Skychaser, wrapping his hooves around the locking wheel of the inner door. He grunted as he spun it into the open position, then pulled the hatch inward, revealing the entry corridor of the ship. Sharp Sight and Astral Breeze entered first, looking down at the ends of the corridor. Each end held a bulkhead with a label above, indicating where the bulkhead lead. Next to each bulkhead was a small ladder well, leading to additional floors of the ship.

“Alright, everypony,” Ace said. “You all have your jobs, let’s get to it.” Ace pushed himself into the ship, floating down the corridor to a bulkhead labelled “BRIDGE ACCESS.” Twilight followed, as did Lightning Flash, Star Step, and Cobalt. Everypony else went in different directions, heading to their destinations.

As she floated down the corridor, Twilight took in its details. No wall was bare; every inch of space was taken up by a pipe, wire, console, or switch. The only entirely unoccupied area of the corridor was the floor, which was marked with multicolored lines leading to different sections of the ship. Ace lead the group to the nearby bulkhead, where he stopped and pressed a button. The door slid apart with a hiss, and the next section of the ship became visible. It was an identical corridor, though this one had several different doors along the sides. Each door was labelled with a different storage complement, from food, to medical supplies, to research equipment. Twilight floated past them all, following Ace to a ladder well at the very end of the corridor. The group of ponies floated up the ladder, and finally they came to the bridge.

The room was dark, lit only by a few red emergency lights. Twilight was barely able to make out the shapes of computer stations and chairs, though she had no difficulty floating over them. Only when Cobalt flipped a switch and the lights came was Twilight finally able to make out details.

At the front of the bridge was a slanted wall with a set of blinds, no doubt covering the main viewport. Directly in front were two computer stations, one labelled as “navigation” and the other as “XO.” A few feet behind the stations, and in the center of the room, was a single chair labelled “captain.” Along the sides of the room were more stations with various labels, from “communications,” to “diagnostics,” to “remote engineering.” Overall, Twilight was very impressed with the setup.

Lightning Flash floated over to his station, trying his best to sit down in the chair with no gravity. Star Step navigated to the comms station, while Ace lingered at the back, watching everypony at work. The computer stations were switched on, and with the press of a button from Lightning Flash, the blinds came up. More light flooded the room as the sun’s rays were allowed access, and Twilight lifted a hoof to shield her eyes. She smiled at the view, now able to see far more stars than she could inside the capsule.

“Cobalt, get us up and running,” Ace ordered, pushing himself off the wall and over to his chair. “Star Step, get into contact with Control, be ready to receive status reports from the rest of the crew. Lightning Flash, check the nav computer and make sure the coordinates are correct. Princess Twilight, I’d recommend strapping yourself in.” Nodding, Twilight pushed herself to the nearest chair and sat down, pulling the harness over herself. Everypony else did the same, and Twilight looked around, confused.

“Golden Bolt, have you reached engineering yet?” Ace asked into a microphone on his chair.

“Yes, sir,” Bolt said, her voice coming through a speaker in the ceiling. “Reactor is now fully online, and we just confirmed life support is working at max. We’re about the check the jump drive, and I’ll let you know when the gravity generator is ready to start up.”

“Copy that.” Ace pressed a button on his chair, switching the intra-ship communications channel to a different room. “Sharp Sight, everything okay with you?”

“Affirmative,” Sharp Sight replied. “Security systems are online, I’ve got camera feeds and emergency systems ready to go. Fire suppression is ready, just in case.” Nodding, Ace switched the channels once again.

“Medbay, report.”

“All set up here, Captain,” Quick Fix answered. “We’re ready for gravity.”

“Attention all crew,” Golden Bolt’s voice suddenly said, coming in over the intercom, “strap in for gravity. We are bringing the generator online in five… four… three… two…” Slowly, Twilight felt herself become heavier as gravity kicked on. She slumped down in the chair, now fully secured, and smiled. As entertaining as zero-G could be, she liked the feeling of gravity on her.

“Alright,” Ace began, “Star Step, open a channel with Control, please.”

“Yes, sir.” Star Step flipped a switch, and motioned to Ace to begin speaking.

“Control, this is Harmony,” he said. “Systems are online and functioning properly, over.” There was a pause, until finally the intercom crackled to life.

“Roger that, Harmony,” a mare’s voice said. “Our screens show that you’re good to go. Once everypony is secured, you are clear to initiate the first jump.”

“Harmony, this is Princess Luna.” Twilight perked up at hearing the Princess’s voice, and smiled as she looked out the viewport at Equus below. “I want to thank you for all of the hard work and dedication you have put into this mission so far. It is truly admirable, and know that the world has its eyes on you.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Ace said, allowing a faint grin to form on his face. “The crew is excited to get going. I can assure you there is no place we’d rather be right now.”

“Best of luck, Harmony,” Luna said. “You are cleared to initiate first jump. Control, out.” Nodding, Ace looked to Lightning Flash, who held his hoof over a button enclosed in a glass box.

“All crew, this is the Captain,” Ace began, his hoof once again pressed down on the intercom button. “Prepare for jump sequence.” He nodded at Flash, who flipped open the glass with a smile. He pushed down on the button, and Twilight instantly heard a whirring coming into existence. It started out quiet, but grew in intensity with every passing moment. Outside, the galaxy seemed to stretch. Equus and the sun became elongated, until everything was a blur. And just as the whirring reached its peak, the view outside disappeared in a bright flash.

The flash faded, revealing an entirely different location. Equus and the sun were gone, and all Twilight could see were stars. Nothing else was visible; for millions of kilometers, all that existed was Harmony.

“Flash, report coordinates,” Ace ordered. “Was the jump successful?”

“We are… just over fourteen light-years from Equus,” Flash replied. “Jump worked, we’re just where we should be.”

“One down, seven to go…” Ace muttered. “Alright, start the cooldown. Three days to the next jump, let’s make it productive. Star Step, activate the amplifier and send a message to Equus. Let them know that we’re intact, and the jump was successful. Lightning Flash, once the cooldown process is initiated, the rest of the day is yours. Princess Twilight, if I may have a word.” Ace removed his safety harness and stood up, walking slowly to the ladder. Twilight joined him in the small alcove, an eyebrow raised.

“Yes, Captain?” she asked. Ace paused, before holding out his hoof.

“Congratulations on a successful launch and docking,” he said. Twilight smiled, reaching out and shaking his hoof. “Now, it’s our job to keep this ship running, and keep its crew functional. I’m going to send Cobalt and Vibrant Flame back to the capsule to get the personal items, then I’ll give everypony the rest of the day to unpack and unwind. I know you already know everypony, but I think it’s important to forge strong relationships with them. Remember, they’ve known each other for years. So, if I may make a suggestion: while the crew unpacks, visit them. I don’t think it will do any harm.”

“I think I will do that,” Twilight replied, smiling. “Thank you, Captain.” The Captain nodded, then turned and returned to his chair. Ace was right, Twilight knew. She needed to be able to work with this crew if their mission was to be successful. Ace made his announcement over the intercom, and Twilight carefully climbed down the ladder to the deck below. The living quarters were one more deck beneath her, and a few sections closer to the front of the ship. Getting her bearings, Twilight turned in the direction of the ship’s forward section, and set off…

Author's Note

Hello, and thank you for checking out my latest fic, Onward To Tomorrow! I hope you enjoyed what you've read so far, and I hope that you enjoy what's coming.

If you have any feedback so far, please let me know! I value all feedback I receive, and I will try to incorporate all constructive criticism people might have.

Finally, if you noticed any spelling or grammar issues, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

When Cobalt and Vibrant Flame brought Twilight’s personal items to her room, the Princess set herself on unpacking. She originally was going to go straight to checking in with the crew, but figured that a bit of alone time could do them some good. Their entire morning had been a stressful one, and giving them some time to unpack and unwind would be beneficial, Twilight had decided.

All of her personal items were contained within a single metal box, which was labelled with her name and contained more packing foam than actual items. Twilight had to admit she was impressed; not a single one of her items had shifted in transit. She carefully inspected each one as they were pulled out of the box, looking for any signs of damage. Despite some of the items being fragile, they were all in perfect condition. Good, Twilight thought, humming to herself as she arranged the items around her room.

On a table next to her bed, Twilight placed two photographs: one with her and her friends, and one with her as a filly, standing between Princess Celestia and her parents. Next to the pictures went a personal tablet, on which were stored hundreds of books of varying genres. Six months was a long time, and the twenty-four days of jumping to their destination would be primarily uneventful. While Twilight would always prefer the feel of a real book, she was grateful that digital formats existed. After the tablet was safe on the table, Twilight withdrew a charger from the box and plugged the tablet in, making sure it would be at full battery for later.

The rest of her personal items went into a set of drawers across from her bed; a second tablet in case the first one broke, a camera, some headphones, and a few other mementos of home. With all of her items unpacked and put away, Twilight finally allowed herself a moment of relaxation. She yawned, popping the joints in her wings, and sat down on the bed. It was not as comfortable, or as large, as her bed at home, but it would make do. The clock on the bedside table read one o’clock PM, and Twilight found herself surprised that it was still so early. The launch had not taken long, nor had the system startup, but to Twilight, it felt like it should be later.

With a tired sigh, Twilight jumped off of her bed. She decided the rest of the ponies had had enough time to unpack by now, and ventured out of her bedroom into the corridor beyond. Of all the cylindrical modules that made up Harmony, this one was the longest. It contained all of the bedrooms, as well as the bathroom and shower facilities that the crew would be sharing. Just down the hall was the medical bay, and on the opposite end was the mess hall. Twilight frowned as she looked down the long, stark corridor, with its sterile surfaces and monochromatic coloration. The only color in the entire corridor was on the floor, where labelled lines served as guides to other sections of the ship, and showed which direction was forward, and which was aft. It was going to be difficult to accept this as home for the next six months.

A few feet down from Twilight’s door was another, with a single label on the front, reading “Quick Fix, CMO.” Down from her door was another, and another, and yet another. Twilight sighed, knowing these check-ins were going to take some time. Still, she wanted to put in the effort to truly get to know these ponies. More than just wanting to work effectively with them, Twilight was interested in their lives, and she would never turn down a chance to forge new friendships.

Each pony was going to take at least a few minutes to speak to, and there were nine, not including herself or Ace. Twilight hoped the crew would not be leaving their rooms anytime soon, to make this as smooth as possible. Putting on a happy expression, Twilight trotted to Quick Fix’s door and knocked. She stepped back, and waited to be let in…

One hundred and thirty-two trillion, five hundred billion kilometers. A distance ten million, four hundred and thirty-three thousand times larger than the diameter of Equus. A distance eight hundred and eighty-three times larger than the solar system itself. One hundred and thirty-two trillion, five hundred billion kilometers; the longest distance that had ever been travelled, and it was over in seconds.

When the post-jump checklist was complete and the crew vacated the bridge, Ace chose to remain. He stood at the very front of the room, watching the stars from a very new angle. Space was emptier than the science fiction films would have ponies believe; there were no strange nebulas, no clouds of gas, no alien artifacts ripe for discovery. Here, there was nothing. Nothing but the vast emptiness of the universe, and the stars that had been born and died throughout the ages. It was beautiful.

Ace did not know how long he was standing on the bridge. There was no sun to tell the time, and all of the computers had been put into sleep mode by their users, so all clocks were hidden. However long it was, the Captain hoped he had given the crew enough time to settle in. The bulk of their work would not begin until arrival at the exoplanet, but that did not mean the first part of their journey would be a summer camp. There was work to be done.

The Captain struggled down the ladder, his old limbs aching in the cramped spaces. The pain of old injuries resurfaced, and with them came the memories. Ace quickly pushed them away, not wishing to recount them. Not here, not now, and ideally, not ever. His service record was long, and he had had more than enough time to collect some black ink. Like waves on a beach, the memories would recede for a time, only to come crashing back down, disturbing the peace and destroying any barriers that had been hastily built in their absence.

Stop it, Ace thought. By trying to ignore the memories, he was thinking about them, and by extension was forcing them back up. So, to prevent them as best as he could, Ace focused on creating a task for himself. By now the crew would be unpacked and settled in, and he could go over the itinerary with everypony for the hundredth time. Sighing deeply, Ace walked down the immediate corridor, headed for the security office. Its systems would have been brought online by Sharp Sight by now, and its intercom system would be active.

As he came upon the security office door, Ace heard soft voices from within. Raising an eyebrow, the stallion opened the door with a simple spell from his horn, and looked within. Standing inside were Astral Breeze and Skychaser, both frozen in an interrupted conversation. Ace regarded the two with a curious stare as he stepped inside, and approached the two ponies. They remained silent, but turned to face their commanding officer. Ace watched the two for a moment longer, before finally speaking.

“XO,” he began, “please run by my quarters and get the itinerary from my desk.” Skychaser saluted and trotted out of the room. Ace waited until his hoofsteps were no longer audible before turning his attention to Astral Breeze, and spoke again. “Two years is a long time. What’s another six months of waiting?” Breeze froze in place, her eyes widening as a blush creeped in on her light purple cheeks. She cleared her throat, looking away from the Captain.

“I…” she stammered. “I’ll… just be going, sir.” The pony urgently left the room, and Ace shook his head as the door slid shut behind her. The Captain approached a microphone set into the main security computer, and opened a ship-wide channel.

“All crew, this is the Captain. We will meet in the mess hall in ten minutes to discuss what’s next. Bring your itineraries, as well as any questions you may have. Don’t be late. Ace, out.” His message delivered, Ace turned off the intercom and started working his way to the mess hall. It was one more deck down, which meant one more ladder to climb. Why didn’t they install an elevator on this ship?

He made the journey in good time, and arrived in the mess hall after only a few minutes. The small room was occupied by only one other pony: Princess Twilight. She sat with her back to the door, idly reading over the laminated itinerary on the table before her. Very punctual, Ace thought, crossing to the Princess. He cleared his throat, getting the attention of the mare. She jumped ever so slightly, and turned her head away from the itinerary.

“Captain!” she greeted, scooting over. “Please, sit.” Ace waved a hoof, electing to remain standing instead. He circled around the table, coming to the opposite wall. Set into the wall were a number of cabinets, each one labelled with its contents. Ace read over the labels, though he already knew what they contained. As he read, his mind turned to the Princess; specifically, to a word she had used.

“‘Captain’,” he repeated, saying the word slowly.

“Hm?” Ace heard Twilight standing up from her seat, and a moment later she joined him at the cabinets. The Captain turned his attention away from the various labels, and looked the Princess in her eyes.

“We’ve still got a few minutes before the meeting,” he began. “I figure now’s as good a time as any to figure out where we stand.”

“Where we stand?” The Princess quirked an eyebrow at the Captain. “What do you mean?”

“I’m speaking hierarchically. I’m still a commissioned military officer, you outrank me. But according to all ship records, Harmony is mine, as are all decisions regarding her. I wanted to talk to you about this, and clear it up.” A look of relief crossed Twilight’s face as she understood Ace’s intent. Ace found this strange; did he intimidate her, or was she worried in some other way?

“As you said, the ship is yours,” Twilight said. “I don’t intend to take command away from you. Princess Celestia assigned me here as a representative of the crown, and as a scientific officer to conduct research upon our arrival at the exoplanet. Although, while I’m not officially in command here, I would like to be kept in the loop of everything going on.”

“I think that’s fair,” Ace replied, nodding. He made to speak again, but was stopped as the mess hall door slid open. Ponies of the crew began to filter in; first Doctor Quick Fix, followed by Vibrant Flame, then Golden Bolt. They took seats around the room, all of them looking at Ace expectantly. The Captain remained silent, waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive.

A few minutes later, Cobalt, Star Step, Skychaser, Sharp Sight, Astral Breeze, and Lightning Flash entered. When everypony had taken their seats, Ace cleared his throat and grabbed the itinerary in his telekinesis.

“Thank you all for being on time,” he said, scanning over the first few words of the itinerary. “You all should be familiar with this, but I want to go over it anyway, to clear any lingering questions you might have. First of all, the first jump was obviously a success, and we’ll be making the second once the jump drive has had time to cool down, three days from now. Assuming nothing goes wrong, we will reach the exoplanet in twenty-four days, and the mission can begin.

“The exoplanet, 55 Eridani b, is a small terrestrial world with a toxic atmosphere consisting of nitrogen, methane, ammonia, and no oxygen. There is no flora, and very likely no life at all. Scans from probes indicate there is a complex system of tunnels running throughout the majority of the crust, so we will be investigating to see if conditions within are different. We’ll take samples, set up some remote monitoring systems, do whatever else needs to be done, then leave for home once again.

“Princess Twilight, you’re the head of research on this ship. You’ll be leading the ground expedition, which will consist of yourself, Star Step, Astral Breeze, Skychaser, Vibrant Flame, Lightning Flash, and Quick Fix. Once you arrive on the surface, Vibrant Flame and Lightning Flash will prep the ascent vehicle sent ahead of us a few months ago. Everypony else will conduct research. On the ship, I will work with everypony who stays behind to make sure the ship is ready to take us home, and we’ll refuel the Phoenix capsule. Any questions?” Vibrant Flame meekly raised a hoof, shrinking at the attention it brought him.

“I… are you sure you want me to prep the ascent vehicle?” he asked quietly, his green eyes darting around. “Golden Bolt is far more qualified--”

“To keep the ship running,” Ace interrupted. “You’ll do fine on the planet. And Lightning Flash will be there to help, don’t worry about it.” Vibrant nodded reluctantly, obligated to follow Ace’s orders. The assistant engineer didn’t give himself enough credit, in Ace’s view. He was incredibly talented, and was more than qualified to set up an ascent vehicle that was already mostly set up. He needs to work on his confidence, Ace thought.

After a few moments of silence had passed, Ace nodded, and opened the door with his telekinesis. “That is all. You’re dismissed.” The crew stood up from their seats and began to filter out into the living area corridor beyond. The ponies disappeared into their respective bedrooms, likely to finish any unpacking that remained. Curiously, Star Step and Cobalt entered into the same bedroom. Ace narrowed his eyes at the display; technically neither was enlisted in the military, so officially there was nothing he could do. But this was his ship, and he would not have unnecessary distractions bothering the crew.

“So, what’s left to do today?” Twilight asked, coming up next to Ace.

“The crew will return to their positions soon, and monitor any incoming data,” the Captain replied. “I’ll begin my daily report for Princess Luna, and then it’s off to bed.”

“Mm. Anything I can help with?” Ace paused, thinking to himself, before shaking his head.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing, Princess.” He moved to leave the room, but was stopped when Twilight spoke up again.

“One more thing,” she said. “We’re going to be working together for the next six months, and I don’t want to do it with some sort of barrier between us. As long as we’re on this ship, you don’t have to worry about calling me Princess, or bowing every time I step into a room.”

Ace nodded, and stepped out into the corridor. “Understood.” His business on the deck done, Ace worked his way back to the ladder and slowly climbed up. And again, the Captain found himself wishing for an elevator.

The bridge was still quiet when Ace returned. The stations remained dormant, their screens offline. Ace took a seat in his chair, and wished for a moment that it reclined, like his office chair back in Canterlot. But that chair was gone; it was a very long one hundred and thirty-two trillion, five hundred billion kilometers away. So for the moment, this chair would have to do. Ace sighed contentedly, and watched out at the sea of stars before him. And for a moment, he allowed himself a few seconds of relaxation…

DAY OF THIRD JUMP

Call started.

“Is your line secure?”

“The device you sent me is set up. This should be invisible on the logs.”

“Good. What’s your status? How goes the mission?”

“There’s a minor complication…”

“Oh?”

“The jump drive schematics we had are out of date. They failed to account for an extra housing around the outside of the drive, meant to contain more radiation and speed up the cooldown process. It’s too thick for the explosive to penetrate.”

“Can you get around it?”

“I think so. There’s a maintenance duct running beneath that should work, I just need to find a way to get it open. I… may need some outside help with that.”

“We’re here for you, ready to offer any help you might need. We will do anything to see you succeed.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“Keep us updated. Don’t fail.”

Call ended.

Twilight braced herself for the familiar jolt, then finally allowed her breath to release as the fourth jump was completed. Four jumps, and she still was not used to the sensation. The tingling of the skin beneath her coat, the temporary feeling of nausea; it all lasted under a second, yet it was enough to keep Twilight on edge during the jumps.

Four down, and four to go. It seemed difficult to believe that they were already half-way through the journey. In just under two weeks, the ship would arrive over 55 Eridani b, and Twilight would take her first steps on an alien planet. She struggled to stifle her excitement, wanting to maintain a certain degree of professionalism around the crew. Unfortunately for her, the anticipation of the mission made this a difficult task.

The mess hall door slid open, and Twilight was joined by Quick Fix. The Doctor clearly noticed Twilight’s expression, and she smirked as she crossed to a cupboard. “You look happy. What’s up?”

“Oh, just excited to arrive,” Twilight explained, hopping out of her chair. “Taking a break?”

“Just a quick one.” Quick Fix pulled a small protein bar from a box inside the cupboard, looking at the remaining ones with a forlorn expression. “I hate rations. Back home, I used to put down at least three of these per day. Now I’m restricted to one.”

“Tell me about it.” Twilight joined Quick Fix by the cupboard and grabbed a protein bar for herself, hoping it would supply her with some much-needed energy. “I’m going from two coffees a day to just one. The caffeine withdrawal is… very unpleasant.” Fix laughed quietly, shaking her head.

“You know I’ve got stuff for that, right?” she asked. “For the symptoms, I mean. Headache relief meds, some small caffeine supplements… I can’t give too many, limited supplies and all, but if you ever feel like you need something, come on by.”

“I think I’ll manage,” Twilight said. “Let’s save painkillers for somepony who actually needs them. I’d rather they not go to waste.” Quick Fix shrugged, but nodded.

“Suit yourself,” she said. “So, how’ve you been? I understand you’ve been doing a lot of socializing lately.” Twilight nodded, finishing off her protein bar.

“That’s right. I’m trying to get to know the crew better. It’s a slow process, but a beneficial one.”

Quick Fix nodded as she threw away her protein bar’s wrapper, and took a seat at one of the tables. “How is the crew? I don’t get as many opportunities as I’d like to leave the medbay and talk with them.”

“They’re doing well, I think,” Twilight replied. “Most of them seem to be adjusting well. Lightning Flash seems comfortable enough. Vibrant Flame is still a little on edge, I’m not sure why. And Cobalt and Star Step have been spending a lot of their free time together. Though, from what I understand, that’s actually been going on for a while now.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Quick Fix laughed, rolling her eyes. “The two love birds. They think they’re being very stealthy about it all, but everypony knows. I’ve seen it before, and I’ll probably see it again. The only reason nopony talks openly about it is because Captain Ace isn’t particularly fond of… ‘inter-mission relationships’, or whatever he calls them.”

“Why is that?”

“I haven’t a clue. I mean, this crew is half civilian, so there’s not much he can do about it. I think he just thinks it’s an unnecessary distraction.” Twilight nodded, somewhat understanding Ace’s reasoning. With a mission as stressful as this, everypony needed to remain as focused as possible. On the other hoof, relationships could be effective at stress relief. “How is the Captain, by the way? He rarely ever seems to leave that bridge.”

“He’s the most focused pony here, I’d say,” Twilight answered, thinking back to her conversations with the stallion over the past few days. “I respect that. He knows his mission, and he’s sticking to it. He’s very… concise, I’ve noticed.”

“Definitely,” Quick Fix agreed. “That all goes back to his old training. ‘Never say more than is absolutely necessary; anything more can be used as ammunition.’ A strange service, those black ops.” Twilight quirked an eyebrow at the mare. This was a first time she had heard of any ‘black ops.’

“What do you mean?” she asked. “His service record didn’t have anything like that in it.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t,” Fix said with a sigh. “It was a long time ago, well before Princess Luna’s return. In his youth, Captain Ace lead black ops missions for Princess Celestia. It was all kept very quiet, I’m willing to bet most of it was never even officially recorded. Can’t say I blame the Princess. Missions like those aren’t really the types of things I’d want to write about.”

“And… how do you know all this?”

“Before I was moved to the Royal Veteran’s Hospital, I worked in a few field hospitals throughout Equestria. I used to treat Ace and his stallions whenever they were wounded in combat. I kept quiet when I treated them, but I was listening when they spoke. Have you ever noticed that ponies never seem to watch what they say in front of a doctor?” Twilight looked to the spotless white-panelled floor, considering this new information. Why had this been hidden from her?

“Anyway,” Fix continued, “he ran these missions for… ten years, maybe? He got to a respectable rank, then stopped. He demanded a new position, so Princess Celestia put him in charge of the Canterlot Royal Guard. He stayed there until your brother got promoted, and was retired from combat. He ran training for a little while, until he was approached by Princess Luna to lead this mission. And there you have it, a concise biography of Captain Ace.”

“Hmm…” Twilight hummed quietly, making a mental note to ask Celestia about all of this the next time they spoke. “I guess that does explain a lot. Why he’s so… pensive.” Quick Fix stood from her seat and crossed to the door, opening it with a quick burst of blue magic.

“I should get back to the medbay,” she said. “Need to make sure nopony has died in my absence. Have a good day, Twilight.”

“You too, Fix.” The Doctor left the mess hall, and Twilight was alone once more. The Princess grunted as she stood up, stretching out her wings. It had been nearly two weeks since she last flew, and already Twilight could feel her wings weakening. She had not expected to lose strength in them so quickly, but they were delicate appendages. Rainbow Dash would not be happy with their condition when she returned.

The corridor outside of the mess hall was empty when Twilight entered. This was unsurprising to the Princess, as almost everypony would be on duty at this hour. The engineers would be sharing a shift, as would the two security ponies. Lightning Flash would be working with Cobalt to ensure the next jump coordinates were correct, while Star Step would be monitoring any in- our out-bound communications throughout the ship. Twilight had to admit she was impressed; despite the high-stress nature of this mission, everything was running like a well-oiled machine. If any problems had arisen, Twilight had not noticed them. The crew’s morale was as high as ever, and Twilight could tell that everypony truly enjoyed the work they did. She could see why Ace had recruited them.

As she walked past her room, Twilight poked her head inside to look at the clock. The ship’s time was synced to the eastern standard time of Equestria, the same time zone as the space center, which currently read three in the afternoon. Dinner was not scheduled for another few hours, giving Twilight plenty of time to contact her friends back home. She stepped into her bedroom and crossed over to her small desk, on which was set a laptop computer. It was not her personal computer, but it was installed with various pieces of software to integrate with the ship’s systems - namely communications. Twilight took a seat as her magic opened the computer, and the machine powered on. As soon as she was able, Twilight opened the communications function, and set a call for home…

When dinner time rolled around, the crew of Harmony worked their way to the mess hall from their various stations across the ship. For a few of the ponies, the climb to the mess was long, and their appetites were large by the time they arrived. For the rest of the crew, the walk was not quite as difficult, and they arrived in less time. But for Twilight Sparkle, the walk was the easiest. The mess hall was right down the corridor from her room, and as such, she was the first pony to arrive.

The Princess watched as the rest of the crew arrived, some alone and some in pairs. They took their seats after retrieving the pre-packaged dinner meal, unenthusiastically opening the air-tight packaging. The only ponies who did not seem to mind the lower quality of the meals were the military personnel, due to years of regularly consuming MREs. As for Twilight, she did not find the taste particularly horrible. The issue was the lack of any exceptional taste at all.

“Good evening, everypony,” Ace said as he stepped into the mess hall. He was always the last pony to arrive. Twilight did not know if this was due to his slower movement in general, or his borderline-obsession with ensuring every system was set to its automated mode during crew breaks.

“Evening, Captain,” Twilight greeted, making room for the stallion to sit next to her. He grabbed his own packaged meal and sat down, wasting no time in digging in. Everypony else began eating as well, happily enjoying their break from work. As the rate of eating began to slow, Twilight took the opportunity to speak up again. “How has everypony’s day been?”

“Thankfully, pretty damn boring,” Golden Bolt replied. “Nothing’s breaking, so I guess that’s nice. Ship’s built pretty well.”

“If there’s a critical meltdown of the reactor, will you at least make our deaths quick, Bolt?” Astral Breeze joked, eliciting a few quiet laughs from around the table.

“Only if you ask nicely,” Bolt laughed, grabbing her fork in her telekinesis to take another bite of dinner. “I mean, death by exposure to vacuum doesn’t sound that bad, does it? Your blood will only boil for a few seconds while your eyes explode. Shit, you might have time to say a few final prayers before going unconscious.”

“That’s not morbid or anything,” Lightning Flash said sarcastically, smirking. “So, anypony had any experiences with aliens yet? No sudden pains in the chest, right?”

“You know something we don’t, pilot?” Skychaser asked, his military training allowing him to keep a perfectly straight face. “You haven’t… done anything, have you? Met a nice lady, gave her access to Equestrian defense systems, allowing her to launch a devastating attack by robots who look like us?”

“You all watch too much sci-fi,” Star Step said, laughing quietly.

“Says the mare with Star Trot posters in her room,” Cobalt shot back, nudging Star Step’s side. The two shared a laugh, drawing them a fair bit of attention from the rest of the crew. If they noticed the attention, they did nothing to acknowledge it. Instead, they sat next to each other, still believing they were very good at keeping a secret.

The banter continued, going from pony to pony as the stress of the day was relieved. Twilight watched them with a smile, occasionally joining in if she had something to say. The Princess was impressed; here these ponies were, more detached from society than anypony in history, and they were taking it all in stride. They had each other, and they knew it. To see such strong friendship made Twilight happy; it reminded her of her own friends, and the struggles they shared.

“Alright,” Ace said as the meals were complete and the banter began to die down. “Seven o’clock, time for the last shift of the day. Let’s make it a good shift.” The room was filled with the sound of rustling paper and clinking utensils as the ponies gathered up their meal trays. The silverware was deposited in the dishwasher, which would run through the night and have everything perfectly clean by morning. The trays were put into a bin, connected to a chute that would dispose of the trash into space.

When everything had been cleaned up, the crew began to vacate the room. Golden Bolt and Vibrant Flame headed back to engineering, while Lightning Flash, Skychaser, Cobalt, and Star Step returned to the bridge. Quick Fix trotted down the hall to her medbay, and Astral Breeze and Sharp Sight started their security rounds. Finally, only Twilight and Ace remained. The Captain moved to the door, stopping just shy of leaving.

“... Good night, Princess,” he said, giving Twilight a nod.

“Good night to you as well, Captain,” Twilight replied. Ace exited, and Twilight followed him out a moment later. Her schedule was clear until tomorrow, so for now, she decided to retire back to her room. Already she had gone through a few of the books on her tablet, but many more remained. If she was going to finish them, she needed to keep a consistent reading schedule. As she entered her room, Twilight allowed the good feelings from dinner to stay with her. The crew was working well, the ship was working well, the entire mission was going well. As long as things continued to work well, Twilight was confident that this mission was going to be a very successful one…

Call started.

“Is your line--”

“Yes. My idea worked. I have access to the maintenance duct.”

“Good. When will you strike?”

“The next jump. Tonight I’ll set everything up. I can get the jammer going when everypony is asleep, and sneak into engineering unnoticed. In just two more days, it will happen.”

“Good. I know I have said it before, but you are doing your country a great service. When Princess Twilight is gone, the world will be better for it.”

“I know.”

“One more thing: keep the backup plans in mind. If you fail--”

“I won’t fail.”

“Keep an open mind. Any number of things could go wrong that are beyond your control. Just remember what I told you before: if you return, and she is still alive… there will be nowhere you can hide.”

“I know.”

“Excellent. Good luck, Mister Cobalt.”

Call ended.

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

A still silence had taken a hold of the Equestrian Space Administration’s main complex, brought about by a recent investigation and discovery. Ponies stayed at their stations, the tension palpable as the Princesses arrived. The two alicorns had done their business, concluded the investigation, and work at the space center had resumed. Princess Luna sighed as she and her sister exited the construction bay, shaking her head.

“At least this business is over with,” she said, more to herself than to her sister. Behind them, two guards escorted a fuming stallion from the building, their strong telekinesis keeping him steady as he was lead away. As they passed the Princesses, the stallion spat in their direction, and was met with a swift kick from one of the guards.

“For now,” Celestia said, watching as the stallion was loaded into the back of a chariot. “I doubt he’s the only one here. Do keep a look out, please.”

“We will,” Luna said with a nod, sitting down on the concrete ground. “They’re crafty, I will give them that. That pony was one of our chief engineers. We’ve never had a pony that high up be involved with the terrorists.”

“We announced the Harmony mission years ago,” Celestia pointed out. “Plenty of time for them to worm their way into this administration, and plenty of time for them to plan.”

“Do you think it worked, then?” Luna asked, lowering her voice. “Is it possible one of them made it aboard Harmony?”

“I suppose we’ll find out soon,” Celestia replied. “If they did, the whole world will know soon. There is no doubt that they will have tried; with a target like Harmony, no terrorist organization could resist sabotaging it.”

“I hope this plan of yours works, then.” Luna stood, taking a few steps away from her sister. Her eyes were focused on the empty launch pad, several hundred meters away. “A lot of ponies are being put at risk for it. If they succeeded in getting a pony aboard, and he succeeds--”

“Then my plan will have failed, and the crew will die,” Celestia finished. “The terrorists will take responsibility, they will gain credibility and we will gain nothing. If my plan fails, it will be the greatest failure of my life. But if it works, we could gain critical intelligence.”

“Well I certainly hope it is worth it,” Luna said. “For the sake of the crew, more than anything else.” The Princess paused, looking away. “... Excuse me sister, I have duties to attend.” She disappeared in a brilliant flash of light, leaving Celestia alone in the middle of the space center. She sighed, knowing Luna was right; if her plan failed, then the deaths of eleven of the best ponies in Equestria would be on her. The death of Twilight would be on her…

Establishing connection…

Complete. Connection to ESA established.

A wide smile broke out on Twilight Sparkle’s face as her laptop screen flickered on, showing the waiting faces of seven of her friends back home. They stared through the camera on their end, trillions of kilometers away, all of their expressions similar to Twilight’s. This was not the first time they had communicated with each other, but for Twilight, each time was most welcome. She had been gone just over two weeks, yet it felt like years since she had last seen her friends in person.

“Hey, Twilight!” Starlight Glimmer greeted, her voice coming through the low-quality speakers on the laptop. “It’s great to see you again!”

“It’s great to see all of you, too,” Twilight said, wishing she could step through the screen and be with them again, if only for a short time. “How have things been back home?”

“Business as usual,” Applejack responded. “Nothin’ too excitin’, which I guess is for the best. How are things for you?”

“Things are going great here,” Twilight replied. “We’re about to have our fifth jump, so we will officially be halfway to the exoplanet. I’m excited to get there; as nice as this ship can be, I need a little more space, I think.”

“Yeah, some space to fly,” Rainbow Dash remarked, her face filling up most of Twilight’s screen as she neared the camera. “Stretch those wings out for me. They look floppier than pancakes!” Sighing, Twilight did as she was told, and stretched her weakened wings for Rainbow. The pegasus scoffed, pulling away from the camera.

“I won’t be able to fly on the exoplanet,” Twilight said, folding her wings back to her sides. “The atmosphere is very toxic, I’ll be restricted to an environmental suit. Those things aren’t exactly aerodynamic, not to mention the lack of space for wings.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Rainbow Dash sighed.

“Is the crew still handling everything well?” Rarity asked, changing the subject. Twilight nodded, thinking back over the events of the past few days. The crew was continuing to work as efficiently as ever, despite the high-stress situations they faced each day. Twilight continued to be impressed by their efforts, and the utter calm with which they worked.

“It’s great to be working with them,” she said. “When we get back, you all should meet them. I think you’d get along pretty well.”

“Sounds great!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “They can come to your welcome home party!” Twilight laughed quietly to herself, smiling at the thought of a party. She made to answer, but was cut off as the ship’s intercom came on.

“All crew, prepare for jump,” came Ace’s voice, as emotionless as ever.

“That somethin’ we need to worry about?” Applejack asked.

“No, it shouldn’t interrupt the communication channel,” Twilight replied. “There might be a quick lag spike, but the amplifier will remain active during the jump.”

“Jump in five, four, three, two, one.” Twilight closed her eyes, bracing herself for the familiar feeling of nausea and tingling that she knew was coming.

Instead, she was thrown across her room as the sound of an explosion filled her ears.

Princess Celestia gulped anxiously as she and Luna were lead into the command center of the ESA complex, holding a fairly good idea of why she had been called back so soon. Ponies sat silently at their stations, their focused stares betraying the anxiety that each one felt. The screen at the front of the room displayed a number of different images; a galaxy map showing Harmony’s relative position, several diagnostic windows, and an image which caused Celestia’s breath to catch in her throat. It was of Twilight, though she was merely a purple blur on an equally-blurry white backdrop. The low-quality still frame showed the young Princess being flung across her room, a look of pure panic on her face.

“Report,” Luna ordered coldly, bringing the attention of everypony in the room to her. A young pegasus mare timidly approached the Princess, holding in front of her a piece of paper.

“I…” she stammered, speaking at barely above a whisper. “At oh-nine-forty, Harmony stopped transmitting. Diagnostics of the final seconds before the ship’s fifth jump indicate there was a massive release of energy, roughly identical to that of one kilogram of TNT.” Luna simply nodded, turning to the large screen and reading over the available data.

“... Keep watching for now,” she said. “If it was simply some form of equipment failure, the crew will need us to be ready when they get communications back online. If it was more… I will work on that.”

“What is that?” Celestia asked, pointing to the still-frame image of Twilight that dominated part of the screen. The pegasus mare followed Celestia’s hoof, frowning when she caught sight of the image.

“Princess Twilight was in a video call with her friends just prior to the loss of signal,” she explained. “That’s the last frame that was transmitted. We were examining it for clues about what might have happened, but… there’s nothing there.” Celestia frowned, knowing very well that that image could be a picture of Twilight’s final moments. If her plan had failed, if the terrorists had succeeded…

“Sister,” Luna whispered, approaching Celestia. “A word, please.” The Princess of the Night lead her sister out of the command center, into the corridor just outside, and quickly checked to make sure nopony else was nearby. “So, it seems they were successful in getting somepony aboard. Somepony slipped through the background check, and was qualified enough for Ace to pick them.”

“I only hope this infiltrator was not fully successful,” Celestia said. “With all of the undocumented safety features you added, the challenge of sabotaging Harmony must have been far more difficult. If we are lucky, the ship is merely damaged, and they will be back online soon.”

“And if they’re not?” Luna asked accusingly. “If the saboteur was successful, and Harmony was destroyed? If the lives of everypony aboard have been ended in some horrific fashion? What then, Celestia? It will be awfully difficult to interrogate a member of their organization if his or her lifeless corpse is floating through space, now won’t it?”

“Luna…” Celestia sighed, glaring. “You agreed, we both agreed that this was the best way to catch them. With a target as important as Harmony, and a crew including a Princess--”

“For pony’s sake, ‘Tia!” Luna screamed, no doubt attracting the attention of the ponies inside the command center. “I… is this what we are reduced to? A mission that was supposed to be about progress and discovery, now used to track down and eliminate a terrorist organization… And Twilight, she… she had no idea. I… I think this was a mistake, sister.”

“I know,” Celestia said, “and maybe it was a mistake. But this terrorist organization has managed to outlive any others by decades. They are bold, they are careful, and they are effective. How can we expand to the stars when we cannot even stop these ponies? Until they are gone, significant progress cannot happen.”

“I… suppose we’ll find out, then,” Luna whispered, glancing away from her sister. “If your idea works, and we are able to capture the saboteur, I won’t deny that it will be a major victory for us. But if we fail… well, I hope it was worth it.” Without another word, Luna turned and re-entered the commander center, closing the doors behind her. Celestia took that as her cue to leave, and turned to go in the opposite direction. And as she walked away from the command center, the image of Twilight was burned into her mind. My student, she thought. Please, forgive me.

The bridge of Harmony was an scene of pure chaos when Twilight Sparkle finally arrived. She floated into the room, using her wings to keep herself steady, and tried to hear the orders Ace was giving over the sound of klaxons ringing throughout the ship. Everypony was strapped into their seats, working their control panels with a practiced diligence. Regardless, the concern everypony held was evident. Ace maintained his neutral expression, but his true feelings still managed to show. He leaned forward in his chair, quickly looking from pony to pony as they worked on diagnosing the problem.

“Captain!” Twilight called, floating over to his chair. Ace did not look in her direction; rather, he turned his attention to Cobalt, sitting at his station on the side of the room.

“Are damage sensors operational yet!?” he barked, impatiently tapping his hoof on the armrest of the chair.

“Almost got them…” Cobalt replied, trying to keep calm as the alarms continued blaring. Beads of sweat slowly rolled down his brow; he wiped them away, sending them floating across the bridge to the glass viewport. Outside, Twilight saw nothing but stars. No asteroids, no foreign objects, nothing that could explain what had happened to the Harmony.

“Sir, comms are still down!” Star Step reported, her voice shaking with fear. “I… I think one of the wires must have shorted out. No way we can send an SOS right now.” Twilight felt her anxiety only grow at the mention of an SOS. If the situation was that bad…

“Okay, damage report coming in,” Cobalt began, watching as data scrolled by on his station’s screen. “Sensors indicate that the source of the damage is… the jump drive. A massive release of energy was detected just as the jump initiated, most likely an explosion. Magic power systems are out all across the ship, we’re functioning on emergency reserves. Life support is offline, but it looks like it only lost power, there’s no physical damage. Engines are offline as well, we’re drifting.” The stallion turned to look Ace in the eye, his face expressing worry and fear. Ace looked back, unblinking as he took in the information.

“... Turn the alarm system off, and reroute emergency power to inter-ship comms,” he ordered. “I want engineering to be able to respond to us.”

“On it, sir.” Cobalt turned back around, carrying out his orders.

“Lightning Flash, where are we?” Ace asked, unsecuring his safety harness. He pushed himself off of the chair, floating to the viewport to gain a better view.

“We only partially completed the jump, sir,” Flash replied. “Instead of making it the full fourteen light-years, we made it three. Sensors detect nothing even remotely near us, but I wouldn’t trust sensors right now. There’s a chance they didn’t update to our new position, with the power outage.”

“Inter-ship comms are back online, Captain,” Cobalt said as the alarms turned off, prompting Ace to return to his chair. The Captain pressed back down on the intercom button, opening a channel with the engineering room.

“Bolt, Flame, are you able to respond?” he asked, lifting his hoof from the microphone switch.

“Affirmative,” Bolt replied after a short pause, her voice barely noticeable among the static in the speaker. “We’ve got Cobalt’s damage report, sir.”

“What are your thoughts on it, Bolt?”

“Jump drive’s fucked, but we’ll see what we can do about power,” the chief engineer answered, doing nothing to allay the worries of anypony on the bridge. “I don’t think the reactor was damaged, given that it’s outside the ship, but it could be a little bit before we’re up and running again.”

“Copy that, keep us updated,” Ace said. He shut off the comm channel, and returned his attention the ponies on the bridge. “Cobalt, Lightning Flash, go down there and help the engineers out. Get life support power back up. I don’t intend to die by asphyxiation. Star Step, keep monitoring comms; the second power comes back, get into contact with Equestria. I want this ship back up and running as soon as possible. Princess, XO, a word.” With that, Ace floated back out of his chair and exited the bridge, waiting for Skychaser and Twilight in the small corridor beyond. Twilight pushed herself to follow him, while Skychaser flapped his wings to get out of his chair.

“What can we do, Captain?” Twilight asked, concerned.

“We need to figure out how this happened, and fully diagnose the degree of the damage,” Ace replied. “Whether it’s a critical equipment failure, or sabotage, or something else, I doubt we’ll be making a jump any time soon. We need to keep the crew working; keep them calm, get the ship back up and running, and figure out a plan.”

“I’ll get Sharp Sight and Astral Breeze to have a look around,” Skychaser offered. “They can see if anything was tampered with, and access security systems when we get full power back.”

“Help them out, if they need it,” Ace said. “Princess Twilight, I’d like for you to check in with everypony. Get status updates, make sure we know what’s going on. We need to keep some semblance of order until systems are back up. Understood?” Both Twilight and Skychaser nodded, then turned to perform their assigned duties. Skychaser flapped down the ladder well, while Twilight turned and reentered the bridge, where Star Step remained busy at work. Twilight floated over to the mare, who was staring intently at her screen, trying to get communications back online. Her mouth was opening and closing, and as Twilight got closer, she managed to pick up a few quiet words.

“It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay…”

“Star Step?” Twilight placed a hoof on the mare’s shoulder, causing her to abruptly stop speaking. She turned to the Princess, her eyes wide in fear.

“We covered this,” she stated plainly, never blinking. “In the event of a critical systems failure, we were trained to perform repairs. If repairs were impossible, we’re prepared to stretch rations and wait for a rescue. We covered this. I just didn’t expect anything to go wrong…”

“I know,” Twilight said. “Neither did I. But we’re going to be fine; we’ll get everything repaired, and we’ll be on our way. We’ll all be okay.” Star Step nodded, finally blinking, and looked back to her station.

“It… it looks like some power has already been restored,” she said. “Golden Bolt works fast… I should have communications back soon.” Nodding, Twilight pushed herself away from Star’s station, floating back to the bridge entrance. One pony down, eight to go, Twilight thought as she entered the ladder well.

With the klaxons now offline, Twilight noticed just how quiet the ship had become. There was always some noise; electronics whirring away behind walls, the gentle hum of lights, or the hiss of the ventilation systems. Now all of that was missing. The darkened corridors were barely lit by the emergency lights, and Twilight had to use her horn to find her way down the next corridor. As she floated to the next ladder, the Princess began to think; power systems and life support could be repaired, but Golden Bolt’s description of the jump drive was not promising. If it was damaged beyond repair, the crew would have much bigger issues.

After a few more minutes of navigating down ladders and through corridors, Twilight came to the main engineering room on deck 7. The bulkhead door had been forced open, and the ponies inside scurried from place to place, working on the repairs. Twilight had only been in the engineering room once, though it looked mostly the same now, which she took to be a good sign. Physical damage was restricted to a few breaker boxes, which lit the room every few seconds with a burst of sparks. Vibrant Flame was by one of the breakers, a pair of gloves on his hooves as he expertly manipulated a tool within. Cobalt and Lightning Flash were floating above the life support station, observing a sparking cord running through the center. Curiously, Twilight looked around for Golden Bolt, wondering where the chief engineer was. When she finally found her, Twilight felt her anxiety only grow.

Bolt’s wrench cutie mark was just visible behind what was left of the jump drive. The metal casing around the drive was warped and scorched, and next to it were two empty fire extinguishers. All of the metal-covered wires leading into the drive had been blown apart, leaving them in pieces on the deck. Bolt pushed herself out from behind the trashed drive, frowning.

“I… guess it’s beyond repair, then?” Twilight asked, gaining the attention of the engineer. Bolt nodded grimly, her brow knit together.

“Whatever caused the explosion, it was on the inside,” she began. “The casing did its job; it contained the explosion, but… there’s barely anything left inside. Mostly just melted metal and ashes. We brought replacement parts, but… nothing for damage this critical.” Twilight looked over the destroyed jump drive, trying to push away the reality that was now upon her; without this drive, they were stranded trillions of kilometers from home.

“... What are our options?”

“Stretch rations,” Golden Bolt answered. “Keep focused on repairs, contact Equestria, see if a rescue mission is possible. If it’s not possible… keep each other company, I guess.” Twilight nodded, appreciating the engineer’s realistic viewpoint. If anything was to be accomplished, Twilight knew they had to face facts.

“Fixed the last one!” Vibrant Flame called, closing the door on his breaker box. He pushed himself away, navigating to the other side of the room. “I’ll get started on gravity now.” Twilight watched the stallion work, noting how different his behavior was. Normally he was quiet and reserved, but in this situation, he was handling himself with a professionalism Twilight had yet to see. She was impressed.

“Life support is back!” Lightning Flash reported, using a nearby beam to push himself closer to the jump drive. The stumps where his wings had once been twitched, as though they were still trying to fly. Stretching out his forehooves, Flash bumped against the ruined outer shell of the jump drive, using it to come to a stop. “Anything else you need, Bolt?”

“Yeah, take some of the scrap metal to storage,” Bolt requested. “Could come in handy later, in case we have more damage to repair.” Nodding, Lightning Flash and Cobalt gathered up some of the scrap and floated it out of engineering, headed down the corridor to one of the ship’s storage pods. Twilight watched the stallions leave, wondering how this was all affecting them. They were showing few emotions, instead focusing on their work. Twilight wished she could do the same.

“Shit…” Bolt sighed, floating herself over to a nearby control station. “How’d this happen? All readings were normal, our pre-jump inspections didn’t turn up anything unusual… This shouldn’t have happened.”

“It’s not your fault, Bolt,” Twilight said. “I don’t think anypony saw this coming.”

“That’s just the thing.” Bolt switched the station on, showing a number of diagnostic reports. Twilight only understood a few of the data points, but she was able to tell that most of them were reporting zero issues. “By all of these readings, there were no system failures before, or at, the time of the explosion. It should not have happened. Whatever did happen… I don’t think it was an accident.” Twilight frowned as she considered the idea. If Bolt was right, then their problem just grew exponentially.

“Princess.” Turning around, Twilight found Skychaser floating in the engineering doorway. She flapped over to him, stopping just shy of running into the XO.

“What is it?” she asked, speaking at barely above a whisper.

“We got power in security back,” Skychaser said. “Ace and Sharp Sight found something, we’re both needed immediately.” Nodding, Twilight motioned for Skychaser to lead the way, and followed him down the corridor. They entered the ladder well, going up a few decks before exiting once again. From there it was a short journey down another corridor, and the pair finally arrived at the security office.

Ace and Sharp Sight were waiting inside, floating just above the floor by the main security station. All of the monitors were online, and all of them showed a still image of the jump drive. The timestamp indicated that the images were taken two days prior, though Twilight was confused as to why they were being displayed. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary to her.

“Close the door, please,” Ace ordered as Twilight and Skychaser pushed themselves inside. Skychaser complied, closing the door behind them. “Thank you. What I’m about to say cannot leave this room until we find a way to deal with it. Understood?” Everypony nodded. “Good. You might think you’re looking at a still image. Check the timestamp again.” Twilight did as instructed, looking beneath the date at the clock. Her eyes widened as she realized this was not a still image; the clock was moving, this was a video.

“... Why’s it frozen, then?” Skychaser asked, reaching the same realization as Twilight.

“This is the case with every camera on the ship at this time,” Sharp Sight said, bringing up more images. All of them had the same moving timestamps, but all of the images were completely frozen. “It’s not a glitch. This affected both audio and video, and all backup recordings have been deleted. This was done intentionally.”

“So Golden Bolt was right…” Twilight muttered to herself, breathing out heavily. “Alright. What do we do about it? If there’s a saboteur aboard--”

“No ‘if’ about it,” Ace interrupted. He flipped a switch, and Golden Bolt’s diagnostics from engineering appeared on one of the security screens. “All security systems are jammed in the middle of the night, and then the jump drive explodes with no data indicating a system failure. I know sabotage when I see it.”

“We need to talk to every member of the crew, including the ponies in this room,” Sharp Sight suggested. “Get their stories; what were they doing at the time of the explosion, and what were they doing two nights ago during the security outage. I doubt anypony will outright confess, but it could help narrow down suspects.”

“Agreed,” Skychaser said. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the intercom came on.

“All crew, main power has been restored,” came the voice of Golden Bolt. “Prep for gravity. Five, four, three, two, one.” The ponies in the security office pushed themselves closer to the floor, finally coming into contact as gravity was restored. Twilight welcomed the feel of the deck, flexing out her wings with the gravity now back online. She paused for a moment, considering all that had been said so far.

“I agree that interviews would be beneficial,” she started, picking her words slowly, “but we don’t want to give off the impression that we are interrogating anypony. If somepony feels threatened, like we are implicating them without cause, they’ll become defensive. If that happens, we won’t make any progress. We need to be careful.”

“Right,” Ace agreed with a nod. “With that in mind, Twilight, I’d like you to help with the interviews. I will be there, as will Sharp Sight. Skychaser, keep an eye on everypony else. Monitor security, watch for any more outages. It looks like the saboteur’s plan failed; if they’re going to try again, it will be in the aftermath, while we’re still getting back online.

“Let’s plan to do this starting tonight. We’ll let everything get fully repaired first, then we’ll start the questioning. This saboteur has crippled my ship; I don’t intend to die out here, so let’s make sure they can’t do anything else. Everypony, dismissed.” Before anypony could leave, a knock sounded on the door. Skychaser opened the door, revealing a weary-looking Star Step. Her eyes settled on the Captain, and she took a step inside.

“Sir,” she began, “Golden Bolt fixed the communications power relay. We’re back online, and Equestria is requesting a status update.”

“Tell them I’ll be right there,” Ace said. Star nodded, then turned and trotted back down the corridor. Ace waited until she had ascended back up the ladder before speaking again. “Remember, nothing of what was said leaves this room. If there’s a saboteur, we don’t want them to know we’re onto them until we’re ready to start the questioning. Now, go on.” Twilight exited the room, stopping just outside the office. The three stallions walked past her, splitting up in different directions, with Ace heading to the bridge, and Skychaser and Sharp Sight going down to the lower decks.

Twilight did not know what to make of the situation. They were stranded, that much was certain, and the mission would not be completed. There were too many unknowns. Who is behind this? Will they strike again? Will we be rescued? Is a rescue even possible? The questions raced through Twilight’s head, each one increasing her fear exponentially, until finally she came to the last question on her mind: Am I going to die out here?

Call started.

“What went wrong?”

“The explosion was contained by the outer housing. Again, we didn’t account for it being there, so our math was off.”

“I hope you realize what this means.”

“Yes.”

“This plan was the most likely to work. And it has not worked.”

“I know. But the jump drive is damaged beyond repair. That gives me time to think, and time to act.”

“See that you do. You have failed us once; do not fail again.”

Call ended.

Twilight paced back and forth in the mess hall, trying to relax some of her nerves. Ace stood silently by the back wall, while Sharp Sight sat on one end of the dining table, quietly drumming his hooves on the surface. All sharp objects had been locked away, and access to the room had been restricted. If the saboteur was found out, they would have a difficult time getting away.

Somepony knocked, and Ace stepped away from the wall, crossing to the door. When it opened, Star Step was standing outside, a look of concern on her face. She entered the mess hall, her purple eyes flickering from pony to pony. A look of realization slowly came across her face as she noticed the camera and microphone next to Sharp Sight.

“Please have a seat, Star Step,” Ace requested, closing the door. He followed the mare to the table, circling around it as the comms officer sat down across from Sharp Sight.

“What… what is this?” Star whispered, shrinking down into the seat.

“We want to make one thing very clear, Star,” Twilight said as warmly as she could, crossing to the mare with a smile. “We don’t think you are guilty of any wrongdoing. But this is a delicate situation, and we need to be absolutely sure. Okay?” Star Step slowly nodded, looking at the table.

“Okay…”

“You were on the bridge when the explosion occurred, yes?” Sharp Sight asked, removing his hooves from the table.

“That’s right,” Star answered.

“And did you notice anything out of the ordinary? A strange reading, or any of the other bridge crew acting odd?” Star Step appeared to think to herself for a moment, before finally she shook her head.

“No, nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Now, can you tell us what you were doing two nights ago, between one-fifteen AM and one-fifty AM?” Ace asked. Again Star Step thought to herself before answering.

“I was working the night shift,” she replied. “That’s right around the start of my shift. I was monitoring communications for unscheduled or emergency updates from Equestria. Skychaser was there, he can confirm all of that.”

“Since the start of the mission, have you logged any strange comms going in or out of the ship?” Sharp Sight asked.

“No, nothing,” Star answered, shaking her head. “There are records of every logged comm at my station. You can check them, if you want.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Twilight said, trotting to the door. Swiping an ID card, she opened the door for Star. “That’s all, you’re free to go. Thank you for your cooperation.” Without another word, Star Step quickly stood and exited the room, disappearing up the ladder well. Twilight watched her go with a frown, wishing it hadn’t come to this. The mission had been going so well, and now they were reduced to this.

“So who’s next?” Twilight asked, turning back to the Captain and security chief as the door slid shut.

“Lightning Flash,” Ace replied. He looked Twilight in her eyes, squinting in thought. “I know how you’re feeling. Early in my career, I had to do these. Unfortunately, they were a bit less… clean. I hate being forced to individually question every member of the crew, but unless you have a better idea, it’s the only thing we can do right now.”

“I know,” Twilight said with a sigh. “It’s just… over the past couple of weeks, I’ve enjoyed getting to know these ponies. I’ve treated them as equals, as friends. Now… it feels like I’m betraying them.”

“I’m their commanding officer, and now I’m treating them like they’re the enemy,” Ace countered. “I know it’s ugly business, but our main priority should be the safety of everypony on this ship. And as long as a saboteur is walking around freely, their safety is in jeopardy. I cannot have that be the case.”

Another knock sounded on the door. Twilight swiped her ID card to open it, revealing Lightning Flash standing outside. His expression was far more neutral than Star Step’s; no doubt he already had some idea of what this was. The pilot stepped inside, sitting down across from Sharp Sight with no reservations. Twilight closed the door, then turned to approach Lightning. Alright, she thought. Let’s get this over with.

The bridge was quiet after Lightning Flash left, leaving Cobalt alone at his station, where he was busily monitoring diagnostics reporting the damage he had caused. Despite his overall failure, the jump drive was utterly destroyed. Harmony was not going anywhere, and if Cobalt was able to strike again, the same would be said about her crew.

The door to the bridge quietly slid open, and Cobalt heard the sound of hooves on metal as a pony entered. Turning his head, the stallion found Star Step walking inside, heading directly to her station with an uncharacteristic emotionless face. She sat down, sliding her chair into her station, and resumed her work as if nothing had happened. Raising an eyebrow, Cobalt stepped away from his own station and crossed to Star, placing a hoof on her shoulder as soon as he was close enough.

“Hey,” he said calmly. “You okay?”

“Mhm.”

Cobalt frowned, unconvinced. He placed a hoof beneath Star’s chin and turned her head to face him, bringing his mouth close to hers. Star Step did nothing more than stare back, but Cobalt could see through her stern expression. Something had clearly upset her; two years was more than enough time to learn a pony’s tells.

“You can talk to me,” he insisted. “You’re clearly not okay, so what’s wrong? What was that ‘meeting’ all about?” Star Step paused, her eyes flickering away from Cobalt. She sighed, and finally answered.

“‘Interrogation’ is more accurate,” she said. “They wanted to know what I’ve been doing, if I’ve noticed anything out of the ordinary… Twilight said they didn’t think I had done anything wrong, but their tones made things pretty clear. They don’t trust me.” Frowning, Cobalt stepped away, trace amounts of anger growing in him.

“That’s ridiculous!” he exclaimed, walking in a circle around Star Step’s station. “Anypony who knows you, knows you could never harm somepony else! They’re being crazy!”

“But… but what if they’re right?” Star Step asked. “About sabotage, I mean. They never actually said the word, but I know that’s what they think. We… we’ve all been training together, and living together, for two years. Who could do something like this? It’s… it’s monstrous!”

“Who knows?” Cobalt replied. “Ace and Sharp Sight, they’re military. They’re paranoid. And the Princess, well… she’s been a princess for only a few years, she’s probably just going with what they’re saying because they’re more experienced. I don’t think we have anything to fear.”

“You really think so?” Star Step raised an eyebrow, and Cobalt returned to the mare with a smile.

“I know so,” he said, giving her a quick kiss. “It’s like you said, we’ve all been together for two years. I don’t think anypony here would sabotage the ship. We’ll be okay, I know it.” Star Step nodded, and smiled weakly.

“Okay,” she said. “Thanks.” Cobalt moved in for another kiss, but was interrupted as the door slid open.

“I leave you alone for five minutes…” Lightning Flash muttered as he stepped inside, not making eye contact with either pony while he crossed to his station at the front of the bridge.

“Uh-huh,” Cobalt said, trying to act natural. “So, how was your ‘meeting’?”

“Alright,” Flash replied, strapping himself in. “A bit insulted, honestly. Don’t really care, though. I just want to get a move on.”

“I wonder who’s next,” Star Step thought aloud, frowning once again. “They’re moving pretty fast down there.”

“I think Vibrant’s next, I saw him on my way back up.” Cobalt sighed as he returned to his station. Soon it would be his turn to be ‘interviewed.’ His training had covered methods of acting innocent or natural, but he had also been warned about the Captain, and about his past. If Ace had any reason to suspect him, Cobalt was not sure if he would be able to keep his cover…

Twilight watched Vibrant Flame exit the mess hall, his eyes wide in pure fear as he carefully made his way back down the ladder to engineering. The Princess felt bad for the engineer; he was talented, but his social anxiety rivaled Fluttershy’s. And when he was locked into a room with three of the commanders of the mission, his anxiety had only increased. Twilight did not think he was guilty, but his answers to some of the questions did leave her suspicious.

“I’m not so sure about him,” Ace muttered, frowning. “His behavior aside, he has access to critical engineering systems. That makes him a suspect.”

“By that logic, Golden Bolt should be a suspect, too,” Sharp Sight countered. “Come on, we all know Vibrant. He’d never hurt anypony. As for his behavior, well… abuse’ll do that to a pony. Fact is, he’s never been aggressive before. I think he’s just scared.”

“Agreed,” Twilight said, closing the door. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t keep an eye on him, but… he’s only the third pony we’ve interviewed. That still leaves more than half the crew. Let’s not make any judgements just yet.”

Once again there was a knock, and once again Twilight opened the mess hall door. Astral Breeze was waiting outside, her hoof raised mid-knock. She lowered it when she saw Twilight, and quickly saluted as she noticed Sharp Sight and Ace further in the room.

“Reporting as requested,” she said. Ace motioned for her to enter. Astral dropped the salute and calmly walked inside, stopping just across from Sharp Sight.

“Sit down,” Sharp requested, starting the camera and microphone. “Where were you at the time of the explosion?”

“My room,” Astral replied, not giving any indications of fear or worry. “I’d worked the night shift a few hours before, so I was getting some rest.” With a nod, Ace circled around the pony, quietly thinking to himself.

“Mhm,” he began. “Can anypony else confirm that?”

“I… don’t think so,” Astral answered. “I told Sharp Sight I was going to take a nap, but I don’t think I passed anypony in the halls or anything.”

“Alright,” Sharp said. “What were you doing two nights ago, between one-fifteen AM and one-fifty AM?”

“Sleeping again. I didn’t have the late shift that night.” Sharp Sight withdrew a piece of paper, on which were written schedules of crew shifts for duration of the mission.

“Have you noticed anything strange in the security office?” Ace asked. “Have any of the computers been tampered with, or has any unauthorized pony been inside?” Astral shook her head.

“Astral, a few times during this mission, you’ve made some strange comments, played off as jokes,” Sharp Sight began. “Most of them are related to death, specifically the death of the crew. Can you explain those?” Astral Breeze looked away, growing uncomfortable. She remained silently for a moment, thinking to herself.

“I… don’t know,” she replied. “Just a morbid sense of humor, I guess. I didn’t actually think anything was going to happen, really. I just… they were just jokes.” Both Ace and Sharp Sight remained silent this time, each one staring at Astral with piercing eyes. The mare shrunk in her seat, avoiding eye contact with the two stallions.

“... Alright,” Twilight said, interrupting the stare-down. “That’s all. You may go, Astral.” The security officer stood and quickly exited the mess hall, hurrying away. When she was out of sight, Twilight closed the door and turned on the two stallions.

“That’s not how we treat crew members,” she stated plainly, her eyes narrowed. “I agree that her answers left a lot to be desired, but did you see her? You were terrifying her.”

“She should know better than to be terrified by us,” Sharp Sight said. “She’s military, she should be able to keep that fear in check. The fact that she did get scared tells us a lot.”

“Unfortunately, I agree,” Ace said, sighing. “There’s no pretty way to do this, so let’s just get on with it.” There was another knock, but when Twilight opened the door, it was not their next crew member on the list. Rather, Star Step stood outside, trying to mask any emotions she may have been feeling.

“Equestria contacted us,” she reported. “Princess Celestia wants to speak with you, Twilight.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, stepping out of the mess hall. “Patch it through to my room. Ace, Sharp, you can handle the next few meetings without me, right?”

“Of course,” Ace replied. “Take your time, Twilight.” With a nod, Twilight trotted down the corridor to her quarters, where her laptop was already active. On it was a video feed of Princess Celestia, her worried stare fading away as Twilight entered the view of her camera.

“Twilight!” Celestia greeted, clearly relieved. “I’m so glad you’re okay. When Captain Ace sent me his report--”

“I know,” Twilight interrupted, smiling warmly. “I feel the same way. For a few minutes there, I thought it was all over. But Ace chose well; this crew handled the situation excellently, and nopony got hurt.”

“That’s good to hear,” Celestia said. She paused, her expression changing as her mind moved to different matters. “Ace… also told me about the newly developed situation. That there is a high chance of a saboteur onboard.” Twilight nodded, and Celestia sighed. “Be careful, Twilight. Please. Just this morning, we caught a pony with terrorist ties in the space center. I think it’s believable that this pony could be connected to the saboteur. If a terrorist organization is organized enough to infiltrate a project like this, the saboteur will be very skilled. Have caution.”

“I will, I promise.” Twilight froze as another question entered her mind, though she was not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. “I know it may be too soon to tell, but… is there any word on a rescue mission?” Celestia frowned, shaking her head.

“Not yet,” she replied. “We’re considering options, and we’ll have something for you soon. But have hope, we won’t just abandon you out there.”

“I know,” Twilight said, forcing a smile. “Thank you. Despite what happened today, this is still the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m glad I’m here.” Celestia smiled back, though Twilight could tell it contained some amount of pain. She hoped the elder Princess was not feeling guilty about assigning Twilight to the mission. After all, there was no way Celestia could have known something like this would happen.

“I won’t keep you any longer,” Celestia said. “Though if you ever want to talk, I’m available. Have a good rest of your day, Twilight.”

“You too, Celestia.” The image of Celestia flickered away as the connection was cut off, and Twilight leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She stared at the laptop screen, wishing once again that the images it displayed were more than just pictures. Before, she was able to cope with the idea of six months. But now, her time in space was indefinite. She was among the first ponies to leave their home system. She did not want to be among the first to die out here.

With a grunt, Twilight stood up, rubbing her eyes. The clock on her wall read just past eight P.M. Despite the relatively early hour, her ‘day’ had been a long one. But still many more meetings remained, and as unpleasant as they were, she had to see them through. Opening her door, Twilight stepped outside, and returned to work...

Author's Note

Hey, everyone! Thanks for your great insights and words of encouragement you've given so far! Your thoughts really do help, so if you have anything to say about this chapter, please feel free to post a comment below.

I'm getting back into the mindset of writing frequently, and I hope to be able to maintain a weekly schedule for chapter releases. Obviously this will vary based on chapter length, how much free time I manage to find, and if something comes up in my schedule. But for now, expect something resembling weekly releases.

If you noticed any spelling/grammar errors, or if you have any critiques, please let me know. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

“Eleven interviews, and nothing,” Skychaser sighed, shaking his head as he paced back and forth through the security office. “Nothing concrete, at least.” Twilight sighed as well, resting her head on her hoof. Skychaser was right; everypony on the crew had been interviewed, themselves included, and no damning evidence had been found. They had managed to rule a few ponies out, but beyond that, little progress had been made.

“I still maintain that Astral is our number one suspect,” Ace said. “She was unaccounted for during both the security outage and the explosion, and she became afraid during her interview. She’s never shown that kind of fear before.”

“It is a bit suspicious,” Sharp Sight agreed.

“Now hang on!” Skychaser exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. “Her behavior during the interview is perfectly excusable, given that you two decided to treat her like an enemy. I don’t think a few bad jokes are good enough evidence to make her our number-one suspect.”

“Do you know something we don’t, XO?” Ace asked accusingly. “Have you, perhaps, spent time with her during her off hours? Would you like to update us on her activities?”

“That’s enough,” Twilight said before Skychaser could respond. “Let’s stay calm. We didn’t find anything concrete, but we ruled out some ponies. So let’s just think about the situation again, and see if we can refine any of our thoughts.”

“It still makes sense to me that the explosive was on a timer,” Sharp Sight began. “A detonator would be too conspicuous, and everypony knew the exact time we were going to be jumping.”

“So the saboteur planted the explosive during the security outage, programmed it to wait two days, and then acted natural,” Ace finished. “That makes sense to me. But who, on this ship, is capable of something like that?”

“Well, there’s us in here,” Skychaser said. “And it wouldn’t be difficult for the engineers to access the jump drive. But if this saboteur is well trained, they’d be able to get an explosive in there regardless of their position. We shouldn’t restrict suspects to certain jobs.”

“Agreed, let’s look at the bigger picture,” Twilight said, pushing her head off of her hoof. She stood up and circled the room, putting all of the facts in order in her head. “We know for a fact that Star Step and Skychaser were on the bridge during the security outage. Quick Fix was in the infirmary, as confirmed by Lightning Flash when he went to visit her for some headache meds. Golden Bolt was the engineer on-duty at the time, but she says she was in storage, gathering some replacement parts for a few lights that had broken. Everypony else was off duty and sleeping, essentially making them unaccounted for.”

“And if the explosive was on a timer, then it doesn’t matter where they were at the time of the explosion,” Sharp Sight sighed. “Whoever is responsible did a very good job of not getting caught.”

“The saboteur failed to destroy this ship,” Ace said. “They will try again. Let’s keep our eyes vigilant, and we’ll make sure the crew is safe.” The ponies nodded, all of them in agreement. If one thing was certain, it was that they were not safe just yet…

The city of Canterlot was buzzing with activity as news of the Harmony incident spread throughout the country. The day after the disaster, news agencies were all printing the same story: Harmony had suffered critical damage, and was currently unable to make jumps. The next day, more stories were printing, though they were filled with nothing more than flashy titles and conjecture. One paper was reporting that Princesses Celestia and Luna would “pool their magic and teleport Harmony back to Equus.” Another was reporting that the ship had been destroyed and her crew was dead. A third claimed to be in contact with the ship, which had been taken over by hostile aliens.

Princess Celestia sighed as she put down the three newspapers, rubbing her eyes with a gold-clad hoof. She hoped ponies would not buy into the garbage they were being fed by these “news” agencies, and would instead wait for official reports from the ESA. But if the past was any indication, at least a few ponies would be vocal about Harmony.

“So, how long?” Princess Cadance asked, breaking the still silence that had taken hold of the office. “Realistically, how long would it take to pull off a successful rescue mission?”

“... Over a year,” Luna answered after a short pause. “We would need to build a new jump-capable ship, with plenty of room for the crew, and plenty of supplies to keep them fed on the return journey. Financial difficulties aside, we simply can’t do this in time. Harmony has enough food and water for nine months; that’s three months worth of redundant supplies, but even then… Their rations are already strict enough, and Ace will have to restrict them even more. They will starve long before another ship can arrive, and that’s if the saboteur doesn’t strike again.”

“So that’s obviously not an option,” Celestia said. “But you would not have called us both here if you did not have some plan. So, what can we do?”

“Here, look over this.” Luna summoned forth two pieces of paper, and floated them to the other two Princesses. Celestia grabbed the paper and scanned over it, carefully taking in every word. The further she read, the more she became aware of what Luna was planning.

“This is prepared to launch in four days,” Luna explained. “It’s small, but it could get the job done. If the zebra go for it, they would delay the launch, we would install a jump drive, and it would be ready to go within a few weeks. It would arrive at Harmony in a month, we would extract the crew, and bring them home.”

“I remember hearing about this launch,” Cadance said. “The zebra have been planning it for some time. Why would they just give us this rocket?”

“Well, we would need to work that out with them,” Luna replied. “I think we can all agree that no price is too large to pay to get our ponies home.”

“Indeed,” Celestia agreed. “Luna, why don’t you and Cadance arrange a meeting with the ZSC this evening? I will remain here, should Harmony’s situation develop any further.”

“Very well,” Luna said, turning to the third Princess. “Cadance, shall we?”

“Let’s go,” Cadance said, nodding. The two Princesses left the office, leaving Celestia alone in the silent castle. She leaned down, propping her head up on her hooves, and sighed heavily. She had known this would happen; in fact, she was counting on it. If the saboteur was caught, it could give the Equestrian government the advantage it desperately needed to hunt down and eliminate the terrorists. But now that the sabotage had actually occurred, and Harmony was stranded, trillions of kilometers from home… It was harder to take than Celestia had anticipated.

This is not who I am, Celestia thought, standing up. She moved to a side table and quickly poured herself a glass of water, hoping it would help clear her mind. Look what these terrorists have done to you; the once fearless Princess Celestia, now reduced to putting her own ponies in great peril just for some information. This is not who I am. She downed the glass of water, sighing as it did little to help. She refilled the glass, this time with a vintage wine kept in the cabinet beneath the table. She carried both the glass and the bottle back to her desk and sat down, looking at her cluttered workspace. With a flash from her horn, Celestia teleported all of the irrelevant documents away, leaving only those which related to Harmony. There were not many, and Celestia quickly organized them into neat piles on her desk.

This had all better be worth it, she thought, looking over the first document. It was a supply manifest, detailing every food item that had been taken aboard the ship, along with quantities. Beneath the manifest was a table with rations for a number of scenarios. Celestia looked to the “stranded” scenario, and sighed as she read over the ration breakdown. The crew would not be pleased. Tensions would rise, and the situation could escalate. Celestia only hoped that Ace and Twilight would be able to keep the peace aboard the ship. If they could not, the saboteur would have no trouble striking again…

Harmony had become much quieter. It was not immediately obvious, but as the days passed, Twilight began to notice the change. The sounds of electronics, lights, and life support still existed, but the excited buzz of conversation was entirely missing. Everypony was uneasy, that much was perfectly clear. Twilight could understand; everypony knew a saboteur was in their midst, but nopony knew who it was.

The crew meals were the most awkward part of the day, Twilight had found. Where once they were filled with the joyful banter of ponies who knew and loved each other, now they were quiet and filled with tension. The trust between each pony was starting to erode, for some more than others. And while a few ponies were trying to salvage what they could - namely herself and Ace - Twilight knew no real progress could be made until the saboteur was caught.

Standing up from her seat in the mess hall, Twilight decided now was as good a time as any to return to her room. She had hoped somepony would come in to visit, but with the new rations put in place by the Captain, she knew they had no reason to. There was no more room to have a quick snack, and not enough time to spare for short breaks. For the ponies of the crew, the only thing stopping them from going entirely crazy was their work. As long as they had that, some sense of order could remain intact.

The corridor outside of the mess hall was empty, as Twilight had expected. In the middle of the ship’s day cycle, she was the only pony not working. Her work was not meant to truly begin until the arrival at the planet, but now that was not going to happen. Still, Twilight wished she had something to do. Books could only distract her temporarily, and her supply of downloaded novels was starting to dwindle. She wished she had brought more.

Just before Twilight pressed the button to open her bedroom door, a pony emerged from the ladder well at the end of the corridor. Astral Breeze pushed herself through the cramped opening, her eyes locked in an ever-present glare. Twilight stopped to watch the assistant security officer, offering a warm smile as the mare walked down the hall toward her own bedroom. Astral avoided looking Twilight in the eye, or even acknowledging her presence. She kept her eyes locked on the sterile, white floor, stalking past the Princess.

“Good afternoon, Astral,” Twilight greeted, trying to sound as friendly as possible. Given the circumstances, it was not easy for her. But if peace was to be maintained, Twilight knew she could not allow the crew to build walls around themselves. Unfortunately, her effort had the exact opposite effect.

“What!?” Astral yelled, whirling around, her eyes still locked in a glare. Twilight allowed herself to recoil back slightly, not having expected Astral’s reaction.

“I was just saying hello,” Twilight explained, trying to remain calm. “What are you doing down here? Has your shift ended?”

“Oh, so now I’m not allowed to get a glass of water without somepony asking what I’m doing?” Astral said mockingly, rolling her eyes. “Fucking ridiculous…”

“Astral,” Twilight said, her tone hardening as her own eyes narrowed. “I am not accusing you of anything. I am only making polite conversation. I’m sorry that I upset you, I’m just worried about the crew, is all.” Astral paused, before she finally allowed her stern gaze to fall. She breathed out, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Just a bit on edge. Nah, my shift didn’t end, but Sharp Sight said it was okay for me to come down here for a minute. What about you? Been keeping yourself busy?”

“As busy as I can,” Twilight replied, glad that she was able to succeed in breaking through one pony’s barrier. “There’s not much for me to do, unfortunately. I was supposed to study samples we gathered from the planet, but, well…” Astral nodded in understanding, and turned back to the mess hall door.

“Well, I should probably get a move on,” she said. “Sharp’s waiting for me back upstairs. I’ll see you later, Twilight.” Astral opened the mess door and stepped inside, making her way to the water tap. Twilight watched her for a moment longer, before she entered into her own bedroom. No sooner had she closed her door than the ship intercom buzzed, and Ace’s voice came through.

“All crew, report to the bridge. We have a message from Equestria for all of us.” Sighing, Twilight exited her room and made her way to the ladder, which she ascended with the use of her wings. She came out in the corridor just outside the bridge, the door to which was open. Much of the crew was already crowded inside, though a few ponies were still absent. Twilight trotted in, working her way through the crowd to Ace, who was sitting in his chair.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Princess Celestia is on the comm, says she has news,” Ace explained. Twilight felt her hopes rising, wondering if the Princess finally had word on a rescue mission. If she did, such news could go a long way toward improving crew morale.

The rest of the crew slowly filtered in, all of them wondering the same thing. They crowded around the Captain’s chair, waiting to be informed of the reason they had been summoned to the bridge. But rather than tell them, Ace instead placed his hoof onto the microphone button, and leaned in close.

“They’re all here, Princess,” he said, removing his hoof from the button.

“Good,” Princess Celestia’s voice said, coming through a number of speakers throughout the room. “Harmony, I have good news. Luna and Cadance have just reported in from the Zebra Space Center; the zebra have agreed to give us one of their rockets, prime for launch. Over the next few weeks, we will install a jump drive onto this ship, run the appropriate tests, then send it to your location. You will join the zebra crew, and be brought home as quickly as possible. Rescue is on its way, Harmony.”

The reaction of each pony was identical; smiles broke out on every face, even Ace’s, and gasps of hopeful surprise filled the room. Twilight felt a warmth rising up in her, the idea of survival now concrete in her head. With this mission, they had a chance. But just as quickly as the hopeful thoughts entered her mind, so too did thoughts of the saboteur. They could not board the zebra ship with the saboteur still unknown; to do so would risk not only their lives, but the lives of the zebra crew as well.

“That’s very welcome news, Princess,” Ace said once the noises of excitement began to die down. “Is there anything you need from us to help prepare?”

“Just hang in there, and maintain hope,” Celestia replied. “We will keep you all updated when new information comes through. We will see you soon, Harmony.” The comm channel cut out, but the atmosphere of excitement remained. The ponies of the crew exchanged looks with one another, the idea that one of them was a traitor no longer in their minds. Instead, each pony was expressing a look of pure joy. The only pony apparently immune to this feeling was Ace, who remained in his chair, once again his usual pensive self.

“Alright everypony,” he said, drawing all stares to him. “We’ve still got jobs to do to make sure this ship remains running. Let’s keep up the good work, and we’ll all make it home in one piece. Dismissed.” The crew dispersed, with the bridge crew returning to their stations and everypony else filtering down the ladder to the lower decks. Twilight remained standing by Ace’s seat, thinking quietly to herself.

“... We’ve got a time limit now,” she finally said, drawing a curious stare from Ace.

“What do you mean?”

“We need to find the saboteur before the rescue ship arrives. Time is of the essence.”

Call started.

“Word has spread around Equestria. The zebra are being praised for their selfless donation of the rocket to the ESA. In a few weeks, that ship will be in space and on its way. You need to act soon.”

“I know. I’ve got some ideas, and I’ll be ready to strike soon. It’s just… with everypony so on edge, it’s been difficult to find a good time to set something up. Even late at night it’s not safe. Ace ordered extended security shifts, and I’m not sure if the camera jammer will work again, now that they know to watch for outages. I need to be careful.”

“I hope you’re truly prepared to do this. Your failure the first time has… caused some of us to lose faith in you, Cobalt.”

“I know what this mission is. I know I’m not coming back. But Harmony is a big target, and it will require careful planning on my part to make sure I don’t get caught. Unless you want me to just run down to engineering and start busting up critical parts, then run to Twilight’s room and--”

“No. Don’t make a show out of it, and certainly do not engage the Princess in one-to-one combat. As strong as you are, her magic is far too powerful for one pony to fight… Alright, take your time. But do not fail us again, do you understand?”

“I understand.”

Call ended.

In the day after Celestia revealed the rescue plan, tensions on Harmony began to lessen. The paranoia faded away, and general feelings of happiness returned to the ship. The crew now had something to focus on other than the saboteur, and Twilight noticed how much the news had improved morale. Maybe we do have a chance, she thought as she entered the mess hall, prepared for the evening meal.

Many crew members were already present, though a few were still absent, working elsewhere on the ship. After retrieving her packaged meal, Twilight took a seat in her usual spot, between Ace and Golden Bolt. Ace was among the ponies who had yet to arrive, but Golden Bolt was there, and she had wasted no time in starting to eat. A few other ponies were picking at their food as they waited for the late ponies to arrive, but Twilight opted to wait fully.

Finally the late ponies arrived, and the evening meal began. The crew reported on their days, telling about what they had done; Golden Bolt had patched up a few breakers that were under threat of failing again, Vibrant Flame had spoken with his family over the comm, and Quick Fix had received a message from a few old colleagues, all of whom were wishing her well. Twilight smiled as the conversation continued, carefully listening to every work that was spoken. It was as if the disaster had never happened; the crew that had trained with each other for two years was back, and it was functioning as well as ever.

“So, anypony heard anything else about the zebra ship?” Star Step asked, looking around the table.

“I read about it a few months ago,” Ace replied, nodding. “It isn’t large, and it was never intended for long-range space travel. But I doubt Princess Luna would have chosen it if it wasn’t capable of getting the job done, so I have no worries.”

“Hope we all fit,” Golden Bolt said. “I haven’t had to share a room since college. I… really don’t want to go back to that.”

“Bad roommate or something?” Quick Fix asked, smiling.

“Let’s just say that she liked petty theft,” Bolt answered, grimacing. “And she also liked blaming things on me. Ugh…”

“Well, if there isn’t enough room, I guess we’ll have to leave somepony behind,” Lightning Flash joked, grinning mischievously. “I nominate Astral. No saboteurs allowed, right?”

The mess hall went silent. Everypony’s eyes were on Astral, waiting to see her reaction. The security mare stared at Lightning Flash, her face entirely emotionless. She did not blink, or move, or even twitch. She simply stared, and when she spoke, her voice betrayed no feelings.

“Mind repeating that, pilot?”

“Just uh… just a joke,” Lightning Flash explained, laughing awkwardly. He scratched the back of his neck, looking away from the piercing eyes of Astral Breeze. Astral remained silent for a moment, before she slowly nodded.

“Sure it was.” She stood up, taking a step away from the table. “Sure it fucking was.”

Sharp Sight stood as well, circling the table to his assistant. “Astral--”

“WHAT!?” Astral whirled around, smacking away Sharp’s hoof, which was working its way to her shoulder. Her eyes were wide, and she looked to Lightning Flash with an expression of pure anger. “You all still fucking think it was me, don’t you!? All this joking around, all this banter, it’s all been a cover, hasn’t it!? You’re all acting like everything’s normal, but you all still think it was me. Well fuck all of you! Fuck you, fuck your jokes, and fuck this ship! You can all go to Tartarus!”

“Astral!” Ace yelled, rising from his own seat. Astral did not listen to what he had to say; instead, she turned and stormed out of the mess hall, disappearing down the next corridor. The mess hall was quiet once again as everypony stared at where Astral had been standing. Nopony dared to speak first, lest they say something to further worsen the situation.

“... Well that sure was funny, wasn’t it?” Skychaser asked sarcastically, looking to Lightning Flash. “A real funny joke, hm?”

“Sky, I’m so--” Lightning Flash was cut off as Skychaser slammed his hoof onto the table, causing all of the silverware to shake.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, you know that!?” Skychaser exclaimed, glaring daggers at Lightning. “Things were finally starting to look up, and now this. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

“XO, that’s enough,” Ace interrupted. He scanned over the table, frowning. “Everypony, finish up, then head back to your quarters. Twilight, Skychaser, Sharp Sight, I want you to stick around.” Everypony nodded, and the meal was finished in silence. Twilight did not make eye contact with anypony, instead choosing to keep to herself. And while she was trying to maintain an outward appearance of calm, inside she was worried.

When everypony was finished eating, they stood and disposed of their trays, then left the mess hall in silence. Only once the last of the crew had left, and the door had slid shut, did Ace open his mouth to speak.

“Astral Breeze needs to be dealt with,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“Now hold on,” Skychaser protested, crossing to the Captain. “Lightning Flash provoked her, he’s the one we should be ‘dealing with’ here!”

“It does seem a bit unfair to Astral,” Twilight admitted, frowning.

“I agree with the Captain,” Sharp Sight said. “As much as I hate to do this, Astral’s reaction is… worrying. Innocent or not, she’s become unstable. She’s let all of this get to her head. We can’t let somepony like that walk around freely on this ship, especially under our current circumstances.”

“So what do you suggest?” Skychaser asked incredulously. “We just toss her out the airlock? Label her a lost cause and give up on her? She’s one of us, we can’t do this!”

“We’re not giving up on her, and we can do this,” Ace said. “As much as it pains me to do this, I think we need to confine her to quarters. I know this isn’t how this mission was supposed to go, but right now, our priority needs to be the safety of the crew. Like Sharp said, Astral is unstable, and on a ship like this, we cannot allow an unstable pony access to critical systems.”

“But--”

“Skychaser,” Ace interrupted, looking to the XO. “I need you to be with me on this. I know your feelings for Astral, but you need to think about this more objectively. Lives are at risk - lives under our command. This is our safest option.”

“... Alright,” Skychaser quietly said after a short pause. “But let me handle it, please.” Ace nodded, and turned to Twilight and Sharp Sight.

“Twilight, I’d appreciate it if you could let Princess Celestia know what happened,” he said. “Sharp, with me, please.” The four ponies exited the mess hall, heading in different directions. Skychaser went down the ladder, looking for Astral, while the Captain and Sharp Sight climbed up. Twilight entered her room and sat down at her computer, breathing out heavily. Why now? She thought as she booted up the comms system. The crew was just beginning to recover, and if Astral was not the saboteur, then the true culprit had just been unimaginably strengthened.

“Star Step, you there?” Twilight asked, speaking through the microphone in her laptop.

“Yes, Twilight,” Star’s voice replied.

“Patch me through to Celestia. Tell her… tell her there’s been an incident.”

Cobalt lifted himself from under the covers of the bed, his hooves quietly hitting the metal floor of the deck. He stretched out his back, popping a few joints, and sighed satisfactorily. The darkness of the room was broken as a light turned on, and Star Step lifted herself from the bed as well, yawning. Cobalt spared a glance at the clock; it was early in the ‘morning’, most ponies would still be fast asleep, not to rise for another few hours. Cobalt did feel the call of sleep, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to fight it off for a few minutes more.

“Mm… what time is your first shift?” Star Step asked, holding back another yawn.

“Seven or eight,” Cobalt replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“So, guess you can’t stay all night, then?”

Cobalt shook his head, rubbing his eyes once again. “Much as I want to, duty calls. Plus, with all the tension around… wouldn’t want to make anypony suspicious, right?” He grinned at Star Step, who smiled in return as she sat down next to Cobalt. She planted a light kiss on his cheek, and leaned her head against his.

“What do you make of all this?” she asked. “You hear that they locked Astral up, and they’re not letting her leave her quarters?”

“Yeah, not sure how I feel about that,” Cobalt answered, thinking to himself. On the one hoof, it was good that nopony was suspecting him as the culprit. But on the other, Astral served as an excellent scapegoat. With her locked up, that made his own job far more difficult. “I mean, do they have any evidence that she’s the saboteur?”

“What more evidence do you need?” Star Step huffed, frowning. “With how she freaked out this evening... Pretty obvious, to me.”

“I hardly think her reaction to a tasteless joke is evidence enough,” Cobalt countered. “Too many factors to consider, and her reaction doesn’t explain… any of them, really.”

“I don’t know why you’re trying to defend her after what she said!” Star Step stood up, stalking across the room. “I mean, ‘fuck you, fuck your jokes, and fuck this ship’ pretty much speaks for itself!”

“Well, it just seems like the general process of justice is being ignored!” Cobalt stood as well, crossing closer to the door. “I mean, Princess Twilight is supposed to ‘represent the crown,’ and yet she’s done nothing but nod her head and let Ace imprison Astral without any sort of trial!”

“Oh, so we’re just going to hold a trial on the ship, are we?” Star mocked. “Are you a lawyer? Are you going to represent Astral? Would a trial on this ship even be legal?”

“Forget it,” Cobalt scoffed, turning to the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yeah, see you.” Star Step turned the light back out, and Cobalt exited the room, entering the corridor beyond. He worked his way a few doors down to his own bedroom, and stepped inside with a sigh. That could have gone better, he thought as he collapsed into his bed, exhaustion beginning to take over. Regardless of his true feelings, Cobalt did know one thing: he needed to secure Astral’s release. Breaking her out was not an option, as it would only shift blame away from her. She would need to be released, but retain the suspicion already placed upon her.

Deciding to deal with that in the morning, Cobalt closed his eyes and pulled the covers over himself. His awareness of the outside world faded, and in only a few seconds, he was asleep…

The next morning, the tension that had previously gripped Harmony had fully returned. When Cobalt awoke, he could feel it permeating throughout the ship. Even knowing his purpose on this mission, it still made him feel uncomfortable. Paranoia was high, and with the events of the previous evening, Cobalt’s task would be far more difficult. But if he could ease some of the tensions, then perhaps it would be easier to strike…

His morning shift lasted a few hours, but as soon as his lunch break had arrived, Cobalt worked his way down to engineering, where he knew Vibrant Flame would just be ending his shift as well. The thoughts of the timid stallion were obvious; he was feeling guilty, yet nopony besides Cobalt knew why. And as the engineering room door opened, and Cobalt watched Vibrant Flame exit the large room, he hoped he would be able to take advantage of the situation.

“Cobalt?” Vibrant asked as the door slid shut behind him. “What are you doing out here?”

“Well, our shifts ended around the same time,” Cobalt explained. “I figured you might want to grab lunch together. Now more than ever, I think it’s important to stick together. Don’t let all this tension tear the crew apart, you know?”

“Ah… yes, that makes sense.” Vibrant motioned for Cobalt to lead the way, which the stallion began to do. As they began walking to the ladder, Cobalt turned to Vibrant, who had his gaze set on the floor.

“So, how’ve you been?” Cobalt asked. “You been handling everything okay?”

“I guess,” Vibrant answered quietly. “I don’t… I don’t like all the tension. Like you said, we need to stick together.” Cobalt nodded, thinking through his next few lines. Vibrant was timid, and he could be a pushover, but he was not stupid. Cobalt knew he needed to be careful in his phrasing.

“You don’t think Astral’s guilty, do you?” he asked, watching Vibrant for a reaction. His eyes widened, but beyond that, the engineer did not let any emotions cross his face. “I don’t either. And I think this is setting a bad precedent; if the Captain can lock up whoever he wants based on their reaction to a bad joke, who’s to say he can’t lock us up because we looked at him wrong? It doesn’t sit right with me.”

“... I don’t think she’s guilty,” Vibrant said after a short pause. “And I think it’s unfair what has been done to her. But what can we do about it? I… I don’t want to get on the Captain’s bad side.”

“Well, we’re not going to do anything wrong,” Cobalt began. “We’ll just… talk to a few more ponies, gauge their opinions, and then talk with Princess Twilight about it. She may not be in charge on this ship, but she’s still a Princess, and she can technically order Ace around. If we can convince her that a trial is necessary, she’s the only pony who can get to Ace about it.” Vibrant nodded, though he appeared uneasy. That was fine; Vibrant did not need to do anything more than pledge support. If Cobalt petitioned for a trial alone, he would almost certainly be unsuccessful. But with support, he had a chance…

Twilight was worried. A day had passed since Astral Breeze’s “outburst,” and she saw no signs of the crew’s condition improving. The slight increase in morale brought about by the news of a rescue had completely disappeared, and the ponies of the crew had once again receded into a paranoid silence. The ship was quiet, and it only made Twilight feel uneasy. She did not like all of the paranoia; on a mission that was built around teamwork and trust, paranoia would only lead to ruin. Something had to be done, and soon.

A knock sounded on her bedroom door. Twilight jolted in her chair, snapping out of her thoughts and back to the present. Her eyes passed over the clock, finding it to be closing in on 9PM. Confused as to who was visiting her so late, Twilight stood from her desk and crossed to the door, opening it with her telekinesis. Outside stood Cobalt, Vibrant Flame, and Skychaser, all of them staring at the Princess. Their expressions did not betray any emotions or intentions, but Twilight did not let that threaten her. She smiled warmly, stepping out of her room.

“Hello, everypony,” she said. “Can I help you with something?”

“Actually, yes,” Cobalt replied. “We talked to the Captain about it, but got basically nowhere with him, so… we thought we’d come to you instead.”

“It’s about Astral Breeze,” Skychaser explained. “We think she was locked up unjustly, and we think a trial is in order. Ace disagrees. We hope you will at least hear us out.” Twilight thought to herself, considering the pros and cons. On the one hoof, a trial could help clear up some of the tension surrounding the crew. Plus, if Astral truly was guilty, a proper trial could help to determine that. But on the other hoof, it could result in the release of the pony responsible for trying to kill the crew.

“Alright,” Twilight decided, choosing to hear the ponies’ reasoning. “Come on in.” She stepped into her room, allowing the three stallions to enter after her. Twilight closed the door and sat down next to her bed, motioning for her guests to take seats as well.

“Thanks for listening,” Cobalt said. “We just think that justice is being overridden, and under the circumstances, that can’t happen. Ponies are scared, both of the saboteur, and of being wrongly convicted. I think showing that trials are possible could… ease some anxiety.”

“I certainly understand that,” Twilight said. “The tension is… palpable. It’s taken over this ship like a disease. We need a way to clear it up.”

“Exactly,” Skychaser agreed, nodding. “You had to have noticed how much happier ponies were after hearing about the rescue. But after the whole business with Astral… The crew is tense now because, for the first time, there’s a pony to blame. If we’re able to clear her name somehow, maybe the crew will be able to go back to that happiness.”

“It’s a good thought,” Twilight admitted. “I’m not sure if it will work. It… seems like a bit of a stretch, to be perfectly honest. That said, I’ll talk to Ace about it. He’ll listen to me, hopefully. We can schedule a trial for sometime tomorrow, and go from there. Does that sound alright?”

“That sounds perfect, Twilight,” Cobalt said, a smile breaking out across his face. “Thank you very much.”

“Yes, thank you,” Skychaser added, smiling as well. “We’ll leave you alone now. Have a good night.”

Nodding, Twilight opened the door for the stallions, letting them back out into the corridor beyond. They went their separate ways, disappearing into their own rooms further down the hall. When they were out of sight, Twilight closed her door and retreated to her bed, suppressing a yawn. A trial, she thought, still working the idea through her head. She hoped Cobalt and Skychaser were right, and a trial would successfully clear some of the anxiety. For if it did not, and the situation on Harmony continued to worsen, then there would not be a crew for the zebra ship to rescue…

UNFORESEEN ALLIANCE FORMED. RESCUE MISSION ANNOUNCED.

by Silver Pen, Manehattan Times

Yet another Harmony development has come out of the Equestrian Space Administration, this time in the form of a much-anticipated announcement. As many space-enthusiasts are aware, the Zebra Space Center had scheduled a launch for Gold Star 340, their first launch in over two years. Designed to hold a small crew, and only meant to dock with a station in orbit, it was announced today that the Gold Star launch has been cancelled, and the rocket is being given to the Equestrian Space Administration for the purpose of a rescue ship.

“We are eternally grateful to the zebra for their sacrifice,” said Princess Luna to a panel this morning. “Having worked with the ESA for over ten years, I know the amount of time and work that goes into the planning and construction of a ship, and I know that this is not easy for the ZSC to do. But their assistance is giving us a chance to save our ponies; it is a selfless action on their part, and it will not be forgotten.”

A launch date for the rescue mission has not yet been given, but Princess Luna assures us that it will be “soon.” We will continue to update you all as more information comes out. Until then, this has been Silver Pen for the Manehattan Times.

The stallion looked down at the newspaper, and carefully folded it up. He placed it into a corner of his desk, unveiling a number of documents that the paper had previously covered. Leaked images, maps, plans, and more cluttered the desk. The stallion’s eyes passed over all of it, taking in the information and formulating a new plan. A plan to buy time.

He glanced to the opposite corner of his desk, where an old red rotary phone rested. He spun the dial, lifting the phone to his ear with a hoof, and waited as the call went through. It rang once, twice, three times, until finally the other line was picked up.

“Get me your newest map of the space center,” he ordered. “It’s time we give Cobalt a bit of… breathing room.”

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Is it impossible for anything to go right?

Celestia hurried down an obnoxiously long corridor in the ESA space center, following behind a rushed mare carrying a clipboard. With all of the activity around the space center of late, Luna had seen fit to acquire a personal assistant, somepony with whom she could trust the organization and oversight of tasks unrelated to the retrofit of the zebra ship. Little did this personal assistant know, her tasks would also include ushering ponies through the maze that was the space center, leading them to meetings labelled “top priority.” A stressful job, no doubt.

“It’s just down here, Princess,” the mare said, breathing heavily. Celestia looked at her with pity, hoping Luna wasn’t overworking the poor pony. After another few minutes of walking, the mare stopped outside of a featureless door. There was no window, no label, and nopony outside to greet them. For all Celestia knew, the door could lead to a broom closet rather than a meeting room.

The mare lit her horn and opened the door, stepping aside to let Celestia enter. Beyond was a smaller meeting room, one Celestia had not seen before. She stepped inside, spotting Luna standing by a window in the corner. The morning sun streamed through, illuminating her face, but leaving the rest of the room dark. Her eyes adjusting to the darkness, Celestia crossed to her sister, examining the room as the assistant closed the door. The room was a mess; papers were scattered on the meeting table, empty coffee cups filled a trash can near the door, and a heavy set of bags under Luna’s eyes told Celestia just how long she had been working. Lightning her horn, Celestia flipped the light switch, bathing the room in a fluorescent white glow.

“Hardly a comfortable working environment, wouldn’t you say?” she asked. Luna flinched, squinting her eyes against the sudden influx of light. She sighed and turned away from the window, crossing to the cluttered table.

“I know, I know,” she replied. “But there’s a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it. We have weeks to get this done. With Harmony, we had years. Everypony is overworked…”

“I could tell,” Celestia said, thinking back to the personal assistant. “So, what is the problem, then? Why did you ask for me here today?”

“Two things,” Luna began. “First, we found two more ponies with terrorist ties in the space center. I implemented a new set of background checks, they were flagged, I’ve had them arrested. They were trying to do something, though I’m not sure what just yet. When they’re done being interrogated, I suppose we’ll know.”

“Troubling,” Celestia said, frowning. “And the second thing?” Luna paused, rubbing her eyes with a hoof.

“... It’s not big enough. The zebra ship. To protect the mission, the zebra kept some details from the public. Well, we have those details now, and they’re fairly conclusive: it’s not big enough. I thought we would be able to clear some space, since it wouldn’t be carrying its original payload, but… there’s no way to transport the zebra crew, the Harmony crew, and enough supplies for all of them to survive.”

Celestia paused, her frown growing. In her mind she tried to find a way to fix the plan, to make the zebra ship work. But Luna was the undisputed expert on this issue; if she said the ship was not big enough, it was not big enough. So, with a sigh, Celestia looked back to her sister. “Is there nothing we can do?”

“I’m still weighing out our options,” Luna replied, “but this is difficult work. It will take a fair bit of time to come up with an entirely new plan. Until such a time comes, we are effectively disorganized. A few ponies have jobs they can do, but for the most part, it would be… easy, relatively speaking, for a saboteur to strike here. I cannot manage security and the rescue mission simultaneously, and I cannot trust anypony off the street to protect this center. So, sister, I’m asking for your help. I need you to make sure nothing happens to the zebra ship.”

“Consider it done,” Celestia said without pause. “There is nothing I will not do to see our ponies home safe.” Luna smiled weakly, stifling a yawn.

“Thank you, sister,” she said. “I should get back to work. I will let you know when I have a new plan formulated.”

“Get some rest as well, Luna.” Celestia crossed back to the door, her eyes once again passing over the trash can filled with coffee cups. “As wonderful as coffee is, it is not a substitute for sleep. Farewell, sister.” The Princess exited the cluttered meeting room, emerging back out into the long corridor. A few ponies moved through it, busily completing the tasks delegated to them. They made way for Celestia as she moved down the corridor, quietly thinking to herself.

Space center security. That should not be difficult. I have planned security details before. In her mind, Celestia summoned forth everything she knew about the space center. Weak points, times when an attack could be likely, which guards to recruit for the job, and more were considered by the Princess. She was not going to let anything harm their rocket. The rocket was the only chance Celestia had of ever seeing her ponies again. I put them in this mess, and I am going to get them out of it.

Twilight stood at the back of the mess hall, her horn alight as she manipulated the tables and chairs to more closely resemble a courtroom. One table was brought just in front of her, while two others were placed against the walls, out of the way. The chairs were arranged along the walls as well, all of them facing the table in front of Twilight. The Princess set a few more chairs next to her, while a single chair was placed on the opposite side of the table. The aura surrounding her horn fizzled away, and Twilight looked at her work, satisfied.

“A far cry from the Canterlot Courthouse,” Ace said, appearing in the open doorway, “but it will have to do. Are you ready?” Twilight’s horn flashed once more, and a number of documents appeared on the table. She scanned over them, ensuring they were the correct papers, then looked to Ace and nodded.

“All set. Sharp Sight said he would bring the recording equipment, so once he gets down here, we’ll be ready to begin.” Ace nodded as circled the room, coming to a stop near Twilight.

“I do hope this is worth it,” he said. “It seems to me that we’re wasting time with this. Our interview with Astral a few days ago did not turn up any concrete evidence one way or the other, what makes you think this will?”

“You’re missing the point,” Twilight countered, shaking her head. “This is more for the crew than for us. They need to know that we’re considering all possibilities, that we aren’t going to space them at the first sign of trouble. If this can improve morale, I’d say it’s worth the time.” Ace grunted, but did not offer any more arguments.

After a few minutes of silence, Sharp Sight stepped into the mess hall with a pair of saddlebags on his back. He placed the bag onto the table, and withdrew a microphone and camera while stretching out his silver wings. Once they were set up, the security chief took a seat behind the table, looking out over the setup.

“... I really hope this accomplishes something,” he said. “It’s hard enough for two security personnel to keep the peace when there’s a saboteur. But now that there’s just me… Well, it’d be nice to clear Astral’s name.”

“That’s not guaranteed,” Ace stated. “But yes, it would be nice.” The ponies fell into silence once more, waiting for the crew to arrive. The clock on the wall read 8:11AM, and Twilight had told the crew to show up at 8:15. They would be arriving any minute now…

Right on time, ponies began to filter in. They silently took their seats, all of them avoiding eye contact with one another. Despite the tension, Twilight could sense a certain excitement around them. Clearly more ponies than just Cobalt, Skychaser, and Vibrant Flame had wanted this. They were hopeful; Twilight only hoped they would not be disappointed.

After a few minutes, all but two ponies had entered and taken their seats. Everypony watched the door expectantly, until finally the last of the crew arrived. Astral Breeze was lead into the room by Skychaser; she stared at the floor, her mane down and covering her face. Skychaser gently lead her to the single chair across from Twilight, Ace, and Sharp Sight, then took his own seat in the audience. Astral remained looking down as she took her seat, though she did move her pale blue mane to the side. Twilight frowned as she caught sight of Astral’s face; it was clear that the mare had been crying, and the past two days had not been good to her.

“Astral Breeze,” Ace began, “you are here because you are being accused of sabotage. This trial is not formal, but it will dictate what happens to you for the rest of our time on this ship. You are under no obligation to answer the questions we ask. Do you understand?” Astral’s only response was a weak nod.

“We need you to vocalize your response, please,” Sharp Sight said.

Astral sighed, and looked up to the three ponies who were serving as her judges. “... Yes, I understand.” Her voice was weak, and quiet. Twilight felt her pity for the mare growing, but she did her best not to show it.

“First question,” Ace said. “This has been asked before, but we will ask again for the record: where were you six days ago, between one-fifteen AM, and one-fifty AM?”

“Sleeping in my room,” Astral replied, lacking any emotion in her voice.

“Can anypony verify that?”

“No…”

“Astral, what do you know about the sabotage?” Twilight asked. Astral looked to her, glaring.

“Only what we’ve been told,” she answered. “Somepony planted an explosive in the jump drive, it went off during a jump, and now we’re stranded out here. That’s all.”

“And your jokes?” Sharp Sight asked next. “The ones about the crew dying?” This finally succeeded in drawing some emotion out of the mare.

“They’re just jokes!” Astral looked away, tears surfacing in her already-reddened eyes. “I didn’t mean them, I didn’t know anything was going to happen! I just thought… I don’t know.”

“We’re in a difficult spot, Astral,” Ace said. “The saboteur didn’t leave any shred of evidence, so we’re going off of what we have. And right now, what we have points to you.”

“After the explosion, you were the last of the crew to check in on the bridge,” Sharp Sight added. “Why is that?”

“I… I was sleeping when the explosion happened,” Astral replied. “When I woke up, I was disoriented, I didn’t know what was going on. Please, you have to believe that.”

“Normally we would,” Ace said. “But there’s nopony who can verify that, and nopony else has said anything that could possibly implicate them. Not to mention your prior training. Last night I read over your service record again; it states that you started out in the Manehattan police, where you performed EOD for six years. In that time, how many bombs did you defuse?”

“... Nine.”

“What was the highest stakes defusal you ever performed?”

Astral raised an eyebrow, confused. “Sir?”

“Answer the question,” Sharp Sight stated.

“It… It was the attempted train station bombing, in uptown Manehattan,” Astral said. “We got an anonymous tip that somepony was going to detonate a bomb near rush hour. Projected deaths were in the hundreds. So we got to the station, we got our gear and set up a checkpoint, but we couldn’t find any suspects. No bombs were being detected. But… I saw this stallion standing by a bench. His suitcase was out, and it was open. He took out a jacket and started refolding it, but I noticed something underneath. They were bomb parts. As individual parts, they got through the checkpoint without raising any alarms. He was assembling it inside the station, and he almost got away with it…”

“So, you have seen other ponies smuggling inconspicuous components past security checkpoints,” Ace said. “You have possibly the most intimate knowledge about bombs of anypony here. And with everything else - your ‘jokes’, your sudden paranoia, and the sabotage itself - how do you suggest I interpret that?” Astral did not respond. Rather, her eyes widened, and she looked away from the Captain.

“I’m not being convinced otherwise,” Sharp Sight whispered, leaning over to Twilight and Ace. “I think we made the right call the first time.”

“No!” Astral exclaimed, her head darting up. Her voice was becoming more desperate by the second, and by now she was no longer trying to hide her tears. They streamed down her face, dampening her purple coat even more. “I didn’t do it! I was asleep during the outage, and I was asleep when the explosion went off! That… that’s not evidence! Please, you have to believe me, I didn’t do it!”

Everypony in the room stared at Astral, but nopony spoke. Astral looked around, a fierce desperation in her eyes. She was panicking, that much was clear. “Please! I would never do anything to hurt anypony here! After training for two years, all of you - you’re like my family! I would never hurt any of you! Why don’t you believe that? Why can’t you believe that!?”

The room fell into silence, and ponies shifted their eyes away from Astral. An uncomfortable air filled the room as Astral’s words worked their way through everypony’s heads. The truth in them stung, piercing through the paranoia everypony held, and forcing them to see the situation differently. Sitting before them was not a cold-hearted killer, but a mare broken by betrayal.

“... She’s right,” Twilight whispered, leaning over to Ace. “Our evidence isn’t concrete. We have no right to convict based on it.” Ace paused, his eyes moving back and forth as he thought to himself.

“... Sharp,” he said, looking past Twilight to the security chief, “your thoughts?”

“It’s not easy, Captain,” Sharp Sight replied. “But the Princess is right; we have nothing concrete. I still think she did it, but...” Ace nodded, and he looked back to Astral.

“Alright,” he decided. “Astral Breeze, after… additional considerations, we cannot keep you confined to quarters any longer. You’re free to go.” To Twilight’s surprise, Astral did not seem happy or relieved. Instead she blinked her tears away and nodded, turning to leave without another word. The rest of the crew watched as she exited, then slowly filtered out after her until only Skychaser, Sharp Sight, Ace, and Twilight remained.

“... I hope it isn’t too late,” Skychaser said. “Her mind isn’t doing well. The damage may already be done.” The XO stepped out, disappearing up the ladder as he returned to the bridge. Ace stood up and circled the room, sighing.

“I certainly hope this trial had the intended effect,” he said. “If we’re wrong, and if it didn’t improve morale… well, we just released a dangerous pony on the ship.”

“I guess we’ll see,” Twilight concluded. She took her own leave of the mess hall, not bothering to reconfigure the furniture. That could be done later, and for now, all she wanted to do was unwind. Astral’s words still stung in her ears, and Twilight feared that Skychaser was correct, and the damage had already been done. The Princess entered her quarters, closing the door as soon as she was inside. Her eyes set on her laptop, she took a seat and activated the comm system, sending a request to Canterlot. A moment later, the video screen flickered to life, revealing Princess Celestia in her office, trillions of kilometers away. A smile crossed the Princess’s face as she saw her pupil, but it faded when she noticed Twilight’s expression.

“Twilight, it’s good to see you,” she greeted. “Is everything alright?”

“Hi, Celestia…” Twilight began. “I… I need some advice. I think we made a bad call, that resulted in mentally scarring a member of this crew. How… how do you do it? How do you deal with something like that?” Celestia froze, and leaned back in her chair, her eyes widening. Twilight raised an eyebrow, confused. The elder Princess looked almost guilty.

“Well, that’s difficult to answer,” she finally replied. “Twilight, as leaders, we are responsible for making many decisions. Some of these decisions are made at the request of the ponies, and some of them are made on behalf of the ponies, to keep them safe. These decisions are not always easy to make. There are many factors to consider, and often times there is no definite ‘good’ option. Sometimes… sometimes we have to do what seems best at the time, even if it turns out to be a mistake later on. We may be leaders, but we are not infallible. We can make mistakes, and only by admitting that can we fix any damages that are caused.”

Twilight nodded slowly, running Celestia’s words through her head. The Princess of the Day always had an elegant way with words, and she never failed to have a soothing effect. Twilight allowed herself a small, grateful smile, and she felt her anxiety fading away.

“Thank you,” she said. “That’s… just what I needed to hear. You’re right; I made the wrong call, and now it’s my responsibility to fix it.”

“You’re under a lot of stress up there,” Celestia added. “I will do everything in my power to help. If you need anything else, do not hesitate to call me.” Smiling, Twilight nodded her farewell and ended the video call. The laptop screen went dark , leaving her bedside lamp as the only light source. Twilight yawned, realizing just how tired she was, despite the early hour. Celestia’s words had helped, but the Princess still could not help but feel some amount of guilt. It was her responsibility to help Astral Breeze. Astral was no longer a threat to the crew; now, she was a pony in need.

The ship was alive again. The change had not come immediately following the trial; rather, Twilight noticed during lunch the following day that some of the crew’s cheer had returned. It was hardly comparable to the excitement that had filled the ship after the first few jumps, but the fact that the tension had receded was enough to give Twilight hope. Astral Breeze was still not joining the crew for meals, and did not socialize outside of her assigned tasks, but the healing was beginning. It was positive progress, and right now, Twilight was perfectly happy with any progress at all.

But there was still work to be done. The results of the previous day’s trial aside, a saboteur was still loose on the ship. The traitor could not be allowed on the zebra ship once it arrived; an investigation still had to occur, and Twilight would play her part to see it through. But she could not work alone. So, with no hesitation, Twilight knocked on the door to Ace’s bedroom, having seen him enter a few minutes before. The Captain answered the door fairly quickly, looking down onto Twilight with his tired eyes.

“Twilight,” he greeted, stepping to the side and motioning with his hoof. “Please, come in.” With a grateful nod, Twilight entered the room, looking around curiously. This was her first time in the Captain’s quarters, and she was not surprised by the decorations she saw. That is, she was not surprised to see no decoration at all. Aside from a framed set of medals on his bedside table, the only items in the room were purely of practical use. A laptop rested on a desk, along with several documents scattered about. On the bedside table was a tablet, and the bedsheets were immaculately made. This was clearly the room of a seasoned military veteran.

“Sorry to bother you,” Twilight finally said, her eyes finding Ace’s. “I just wanted to talk about how we should proceed. With Astral back in action, we need to be extra careful.”

“Agreed,” Ace said, nodding. “I think we can safely assume that the saboteur will try to strike before the zebra ship arrives. The zebra ship is more of a mystery; we don’t know its internal layout, we don’t know sensitive sections components, and we don’t know if any additional security is being sent. The saboteur will want to strike while he or she can still properly plan.”

“But what can we do?” Twilight wondered, beginning to pace back and forth. “There’s only been one sabotage attempt so far, and that left no evidence. We have nothing to work with right now. How can we--”

Twilight was interrupted as a knock sounded on the door. Ace paused, a look of confusion crossing his face, then worked his way to the door and opened it for their guest. In the open doorway stood Vibrant Flame, a pair of saddlebags on his back. He looked between the Captain and the Princess, his expression even more nervous than usual. Twilight raised an eyebrow as she trotted to the door, wondering what reason the engineer had for coming to visit.

“Captain, Princess, I…” he stammered, looking to the floor. “Could… could I come in? Please?”

“What’s in the bags?” Ace asked, taking a small step closer to Vibrant.

“It’s important,” Vibrant replied. “Please. May I come inside?” Ace paused, exchanging a glance with Twilight, before he grudgingly nodded. Appearing to grow even more nervous, Vibrant Flame scuttled inside, still not looking up from the metal deck of the ship. When Ace closed the door, Vibrant removed his saddlebags, sighing.

“What is it, Vibrant?” Twilight asked, crossing to the stallion. “Is everything okay?”

“I… I need to tell you something,” Vibrant whispered, barely managing to make eye contact with Twilight. “I… wasn’t entirely truthful when you questioned me…”

“What do you mean?” Ace crossed to Vibrant, his tone far more serious than it had been. “Do you know something that could help us? Do you have some piece of evidence?”

“Yes, but please, you have to promise me something.” Both Twilight and Ace nodded, urging Vibrant to continue. “If I tell you what I know… you have to promise to help me, too. Okay?”

“Of course we will help,” Twilight said. “Now, what is it?” Vibrant took a deep breath, then reached into his saddlebags. He withdrew a single piece of paper, and passed it to Twilight, who began to look over the text.

Trottingham Schoolhouse

Miss Wordsmith

8:30-9:30AM - morning reading time

9:30-10:30AM - math

10:30-11:00AM - arts and crafts

11:00-11:30AM - lunch

11:30AM-12:30PM - noon reading time

12:30PM-1:15PM - recess

1:15-1:50PM - naptime

1:50-2:30PM - afternoon reading

Twilight looked up from the paper, confused. Vibrant Flame took it back and replaced it into his saddlebag, once again averting his gaze.

“It’s… my nephew’s school schedule,” he explained. “This showed up on my bed a few days before the explosion. At first I didn’t think much of it; I mean, it’s an elementary schooler’s schedule. That’s not hard to find. But then… then I got this.” Vibrant reached back into the saddlebags and produced another item, this one a picture. It depicted a young colt standing outside of a large schoolhouse, with a mare around Vibrant’s age approaching.

“Your nephew, I assume?” Ace asked. Vibrant nodded, and turned the picture around. Written on the back was a simple message: Do I have your attention yet?

“Two days later, this one showed up.” Vibrant once again reached into the saddlebags, this time retrieving a larger picture. It was a house plan, with two pieces of writing underneath. 1501 Meadow Rd, and Gentle Wing. “Look at the markings. Whoever did this marked my nephew’s bedroom, and my sister’s.”

“I think I’m starting to see where this is going…” Twilight muttered. Vibrant nodded, and produced a final item from his saddlebags. This one was a simple note, in very clear hoofwriting.

Leave maintenance access H-4 open, disable sensors in jump drive containment bay.

“What else could I do?” Vibrant asked, beginning to sound desperate. “I… I didn’t want to hurt anypony, but you have to understand! My sister and her son, they’re the only family I have left! I was so scared, and I… I just didn’t know what other options I had… if somepony could orchestrate something like this, how would I be able to stop them? If they can find this kind of information, then how could I warn my sister before they…” The engineer froze, tears forming in his eyes. He looked between Ace and Twilight, showing nothing but pure fear.

“Vibrant, it’s okay,” Twilight urged, placing a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “I understand. Blackmail is never easy, especially when it involves ponies to whom we are close.”

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Vibrant,” Ace said. “And I promise, we will do everything in our power to help. I’ll go to the bridge right now, and contact Equestria. Royal guards will be at your sister’s home within the hour. Nothing is going to happen to her.”

“Thank you!” Vibrant exclaimed, a look of relief washing over his face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Twilight, stay with him?” Ace asked, crossing to the door. Twilight nodded, and Ace exited the room, beginning to head for the bridge.

“Vibrant, I have to ask…” Twilight began. “Why now? Why wait all this time, only to tell us now?”

“I… I couldn’t live with it anymore,” Vibrant replied. “After seeing what was being done to Astral… I don’t know if she’s innocent, but I know I’m not. I couldn’t bear to see what was happening to her, knowing that all this is my fault…”

“Hey,” Twilight said, making sure Vibrant was looking her in the eye, “I know you feel guilty, but this is not your fault. Like you said: if somepony can orchestrate all of this, what can one pony do? Even if you hadn’t done as you were told, the saboteur would have found another way. Don’t beat yourself up over this; because of this, we have new evidence to use. Because of you, we’re closer to finding the pony responsible.” Vibrant allowed a weak smile to form, and he wiped a hoof across his eyes, clearing away the tears. He stood up straight and placed the saddlebags back on his back, making sure to leave the evidence out.

“Well, I… I guess I won’t bother you anymore,” he said. “I’ll just… get back to work. Thank you.” Twilight nodded, and Vibrant began to cross to the door.

But before he could leave, he was forced to the floor as an explosion shook the ship.

Cobalt shook his head, sighing as he listened to the audio feed on his laptop. In this secluded section of the ship, the laptop screen was the only source of light, illuminating Cobalt’s blue face in its harsh white glow. He closed down the feed from the bug in Ace’s room, and as the ship’s emergency klaxons began to go off, the unicorn tucked the laptop between a set of pipes where nopony else would find it. Nopony ever came here, to the depths of deck 8. Between all of the tight spaces and hazardous conditions, the crew was advised against entering lower engineering at all.

“All crew, report to the bridge,” Ace’s voice said, coming in over the intercom. “Repeat, all crew, report to the bridge.” Not wanting to waste any time, Cobalt stepped into the ladder well and began awkwardly climbing up, hoping to avoid encountering anypony else on his way to the topmost deck. Luck was on his side, and he arrived at the bridge just as a few other confused crew members were. They stepped into the bridge, all of their eyes on Ace, who was leaned forward in his chair, a worried look on his face.

Twilight Sparkle and Vibrant Flame were the final two ponies to enter, and Twilight wasted no time in crossing to the Captain, her eyes wide in fear. “What happened!?”

“Explosion next to the comm array,” Ace answered. “The magical capacitors were discharged into space, and we’ve lost long-range communications capabilities. Any messages we send will take years to reach Equus.” Cobalt spared a glance in Vibrant’s direction, and forced back a smile when he saw the engineer’s expression. His eyes and mouth were wide, and he was lightly shaking his head.

“Is there any additional damage?” Skychaser asked, looking over Star Step’s shoulder at the communications console.

“Cobalt,” Ace said, “mind checking for us?” Cobalt nodded and trotted to his station, activating the diagnostics function.

“Unknown at this time,” he replied. “Damage sensors are scrambled, but if there was any additional significant damage, I think we’d know by now.” Ace nodded and stood, turning around to address the crew.

“Alright, everypony,” he began. “Let’s get back to work. We’ll have more information on the discharge soon, and we’ll see if repairs are possible. Until then, stay calm and stay focused. Dismissed.” The crew cleared out, returning to their original tasks. Cobalt remained at his station, watching the diagnostics as he attempted to unscramble the damage sensors. Of course he already knew that repairs were possible; the capacitors had only been discharged, not destroyed. And while he had now cut himself off from communicating with his confederates on Equus, it was well worth it. Morale would be lowered, paranoia would grow, and the crew would be back at each other’s throats. Cobalt would tear this ship apart piece by piece if he had to. Nothing would stop him from seeing this mission through…

“... How long?” Luna asked, standing at the back of the ESA control center. Every single display on the massive screen in front of her was reading a loss of signal, and the ponies in the control center were scurrying about, trying to find the root of the problem.

“Six hours,” her personal assistant, a unicorn mare by the name of Calm Wind, replied. “A full six hours without any updates from Harmony. Tech crews have checked and double checked, our equipment is working fine. Whatever the problem is, it’s on Harmony’s end.”

Luna nodded, thinking to herself. First the issues with the zebra ship had sprouted, and now this… Her job was becoming more difficult by the second.

“... Keep everypony working,” Luna ordered. “Let me know the instant something changes. In the meantime, I’m going to keep working on the zebra ship.”

“Yes, your highness.” Wind trotted away, leaving Luna to think to herself.

What is going on up there? The situation was worsening, and there was nothing they could do from Equus. The zebra ship would not be ready to launch for another few weeks, and even if it was ready, they still had no plan for a rescue. Luna had never felt so helpless; she was at the most advanced space center on the planet, surrounded by the brightest minds in Equestria, yet there was nothing she could do to help. Right now, Harmony was on her own...

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! If you noticed any spelling or grammar errors, please let me know! Additionally, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated, so if you've got something to say, please let me know down in the comments.

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

“So, how did this happen?”

Golden Bolt withdrew a tablet from her saddlebags and turned it on, her yellow eyes reading over the report within. When she was done, she looked back to Ace, now prepared to answer his question.

“Well, there’s a failsafe in place that discharges the capacitors if they are under threat of exploding,” she explained. “It’s designed to activate on its own, in case the rest of the crew is busy, but in this case, it was activated manually. As for how… I can only speculate. The only access point for the failsafe is on the main engineering terminal. I was using the terminal at the time, so whoever is responsible didn’t go through it. They activated the failsafe remotely, somehow.”

“Is there a chance we can repair the capacitors?” Twilight asked, standing up from her chair. “We need to be in communication with Equestria. If we’re not, the rescue mission is going to be much more difficult.”

“I just talked to Cobalt, and there’s no physical damage,” Bolt answered. “There’s no real ‘repairs’ to be made. All we need to do is recharge the capacitors. However, there is some minor damage to a few other magic-based systems throughout the ship. The discharge disrupted them, it’ll be a few hours before they’re back online.”

“Thank you, Bolt,” Ace said. “You’re dismissed.” The mare nodded, then turned and exited the security office, leaving the ship’s command crew alone. Sharp Sight sighed, turning to one of the security monitors and watching a piece of footage yet again.

“She’s definitely telling the truth about the remote access,” he said. “This security camera has perfect line of sight on the engineering terminal, and Bolt wasn’t doing anything suspicious on there.”

“Which means the saboteur can remotely access mission-critical systems,” Ace concluded, frowning. “That’s not good. The saboteur is now even more of a threat than we originally thought; we need to find them. Skychaser, where’s Astral right now?”

“She went to her room,” Skychaser replied. “Quick Fix says she was with her at the time of the explosion, and medbay security cameras confirm this.” Ace nodded, and sighed.

“Just like with the first explosion, I think we need to assume that this could have been on a timer,” he said. “The whole crew knows about the rescue, which will require very consistent communication between Equestria and us. And with timers, the saboteur can be anywhere when it goes off. We shouldn’t assume innocence just because somepony was accounted for.”

“Another set of ‘interviews,’ then?” Sharp Sight asked.

“Maybe,” Ace replied. “Sharp, check through the security footage of the past few days. Look for any more outages, or check for irregularities on the ship’s network. Anything that stands out, make note of it. In the meantime, the rest of us should keep an eye out. Dismissed.” Sharp Sight turned back to the security terminal and got to work, while Skychaser and Ace exited the security office. Twilight was close behind them, and she trotted behind the Captain to catch up with him.

“Ace, wait!” she called, causing the stallion to stop in his tracks. He turned, waiting for Twilight to speak. “If you’re right, and the saboteur knocked out our communications to disrupt the rescue, then we need to prioritize recharging those capacitors.”

“You’re right,” Ace agreed. “But that’s a difficult task. The capacitors aren’t inside the ship; if they were, and they discharged, the amount of magic in them would destroy Harmony. As a result, they’re on the outer hull, completely cut off from the rest of the ship. We can’t just recharge them at will; it requires EVA.” Twilight paused, thinking to herself. EVAs were difficult; they were tiresome for the ponies in the suits, and with the amount of magic that would be required to fully recharge the capacitors… That only left one option.

“Alright,” she said, “I’ll go.”

Ace raised an eyebrow, frowning. “Excuse me?”

“I’ll do it,” Twilight repeated. “I’m the most powerful magic user on this ship, and you know it. I’m the only one who can reasonably recharge the capacitors without killing myself, or at the very least going unconscious. If you have a better idea, I’d welcome it, but you know that this is our best shot.”

“... Yes, you are right,” Ace admitted. “About being the most powerful magic user, at least. But right now, with a saboteur still on the loose, it’s simply not safe to perform an EVA. If we take more time to investigate and apprehend the saboteur--”

“You mean like we’ve been doing for the past several days?” Twilight interrupted. “Unless you have any new ideas, you know we’re going to come up short. Once again, there’s no obvious evidence regarding who’s guilty, and if the last sabotage was any indication, nothing is going to turn up. Right now, the best way to combat the saboteur is to undo their damages. We can’t do that with the jump drive, but we can with the comm capacitors. Now I’ve made it clear that this is your ship and I will respect your command, so if you do not want me to do this, I won’t. But I just want you to fully think it through.”

Ace paused, until, with a sigh, he slowly nodded. “Yes, constant communication with Equestria is critical to mission success… And you are the most powerful magic user here… Alright. I don’t like it, but it’s our only option. But take Golden Bolt with you; she can walk you through the process and make sure everything goes right.”

“Alright,” Twilight said, grinning. “I’ll go grab her, then head to the airlock.” The Princess turned and began trotting down the corridor, headed for engineering.

“Twilight,” Ace called out, stopping her just before she entered the ladder well. “... Be careful.” Twilight nodded, then stepped into the ladder well, and worked her way down…

Ace watched Twilight go, his inner thoughts conflicting. His larger practical side knew the Princess was right; if they were to get long-range comms back online, she was their best shot. But his smaller, more emotional side could not help but feel concerned. Princess Twilight was young, and though she had faced down numerous threats in her life, she still had a certain recklessness about her. Ace feared she did not truly grasp the gravity of their situation.

In any event, Ace would not let the saboteur strike during an EVA mission. If ponies were in danger in the ship, then they would be at even greater risk outside, with nothing but a few millimeters of fabric between them and the void. If the saboteur wanted to see ponies die, an EVA was the best time for it to happen. But Ace would take precautions; he wouldn’t let anything happen to Twilight or Bolt.

The Captain worked his way to the ladder and started climbing up, thinking about how he would keep the Princess and his chief engineer safe. He could not simply confine the entire crew to quarters; there were other repairs to make, repairs that were needed to bring comms fully online once Twilight refilled the capacitors. And as long as the saboteur possessed some sort of jammer, watching the security cameras would not guarantee safety. Ace sighed; he was in a difficult spot, made even more difficult by the mystery surrounding the traitor. There was no evidence, nothing at all to work with. Even Vibrant’s confession had not turned up anything new regarding identity.

Ace entered the bridge, his eyes passing over the ponies already present. Star Step was still at her station, though the comms officer had nothing to do with the long-range communications offline. Lightning Flash sat at his station, idly monitoring the engines and ensuring they were functioning at peak efficiency. Skychaser was nearby, slowly walking past other stations and monitoring the various other systems that kept Harmony running.

“So what’s the plan, Captain?” he asked, taking a seat. Ace paused, then looked to his XO.

“Go have a look around,” he ordered. “Make sure everypony is accounted for. Find where they are, what they are doing, and find out how long they are going to be doing it.”

Skychaser raised an eyebrow. “Something happening?”

“Twilight and Bolt are doing an EVA,” Ace replied. “I don’t want anything going wrong.” Skychaser nodded in understanding, then turned and trotted out of the bridge to carry out his orders. Ace turned his attention to the viewport, looking out at the expanse of space, as well as the forward sections of Harmony. The comm array was not visible from this angle, but there were exterior cameras he could use.

By now, Twilight and Bolt would be suiting up. In a few minutes they would be out the airlock, and a few minutes after that they would be arriving at the comms array. Ace closed his eyes, trying to push down his worries. He did not usually let his concerns affect him in such a way, but given the total mystery surrounding the saboteur, the Captain could not help but worry. In his mind, he tried to rationalize the situation; both Bolt and Twilight had performed the EVA simulations, and this was necessary to get comms back online.

“... Alright,” he said to himself, reopening his eyes. He turned his attention to Star Step, and sat down in his chair. “Star, monitor comms status. The second the capacitors are recharged, I want you getting into contact with Equestria. Lightning, bring us to full stop. Their boots are magnetized, but I don’t want to risk anything. Let’s make this as smooth as possible…”

“Okay, depressurizing airlock…” Bolt turned a dial on the airlock wall, and Twilight watched the oxygen monitor as it slowly ticked down to zero. When the airlock was fully depressurized, Twilight gave a nod to the chief engineer, who reached out with her magic and pulled a lever, releasing the outer door locks. Twilight felt a soft vibration run through the small chamber as the locks released, and the door slowly slid open, revealing the blackness of space outside.

“So where exactly is the comms array?” Twilight asked, motioning for Bolt to take the lead. The engineer took a few slow steps forward, stopping at the outer door threshold.

“It’s a few modules down, by one of the storage pods currently docked with Harmony,” she replied. “Careful, we lose gravity the second we step out. Take it slow, magnetize when you can.” Twilight nodded and, taking a deep breath, followed Golden Bolt’s lead. With a practiced grace, Bolt slowly pushed herself out of the airlock, using her forehooves to magnetize herself to the outer hull the second she was outside. Twilight clunkily attempted to mirror Bolt’s actions, though she had only run through the EVA simulator a few times. Her results had been good, but they were nothing compared to years of training. Still, she managed to safely make it onto the outer hull, where Bolt continued to lead the way.

Walking in the spacesuit was difficult, but it was nothing for which Twilight had not prepared. After a few minutes of maneuvering across Harmony’s shining white hull, the act felt far more natural, despite the bulky nature of the suit. As the pair walked, Twilight looked about, admiring both the construction of Harmony and the sea of stars surrounding her. From the window in her quarters, the only part of Harmony she could see was one of the two sets of massive solar panels. But here, standing on its outer hull, Twilight could truly appreciate the work that had gone into constructing the ship. How could somepony want to destroy this?

“Here we are,” Bolt announced, stopping near a set of antennae protruding from the ship. Looking around, Twilight found them to be between one of the solar panels, and a small storage pod connected to the ship via one of the cargo airlocks. Directly next to the antennae were a set of cylindrical containers, which Bolt quickly removed with her magic, revealing a set of dull crystals beneath.

“I’ll try to make this quick,” Twilight said as she moved closer to the crystals. “Go ahead and update Ace, let him know that we’ve made it.” Her horn lit with a lavender glow, and she channeled her magic into a steady beam, which she aimed at each of the crystals. Screwing her eyes shut in concentration, Twilight released the beam, and began to refill the capacitors…

Spaceships were dangerous. The engineers could implement hundreds of redundancies and safety features, but spaceships were, by their very nature, dangerous. And if one was smart, and knew where to look, the dangers of a ship could be exploited. For Cobalt, this was not a difficult task. He had been trained well, and he knew Harmony inside and out. So when word had come that Princess Twilight was performing an EVA near the comm array, he knew just where to strike.

Cobalt uploaded his program to his hidden computer, set it on a timer to execute in ten minutes, then hid the laptop and quickly made his way out of the depths of deck 8 to the ladder. Nopony had spotted him going in, hopefully nopony would spot him coming out…He grabbed onto the lower rungs of the ladder and hoisted himself up, working his way to a less-conspicuous location. No doubt Ace and the rest would be extra paranoid with the Princess outside of the ship, and Cobalt did not want to attract any negative attention.

“Cobalt,” a voice said. Shit, Cobalt thought, looking to the source of the voice. Skychaser was standing in the deck 6 ladder doorway, looking at Cobalt as he worked his way up. “What are you doing there?”

Cobalt exited the ladder, coming to stand next to Skychaser, and thought up a quick alibi. “Golden Bolt had a job for me. She wanted to do it herself, but with the EVA, she asked me to do it. One of the magic-powered systems down on deck 8 was acting up, I just repaired it.” It was not entirely a lie; magic systems had been acting up all around the ship ever since the capacitor discharge, and for someone who did not understand the intricacies of the systems, it was a believable lie.

“Alright,” Skychaser said, still appearing cautious. “Which system? Something we need to worry about?”

“One of the atmospheric regulators down there,” Cobalt replied. “If it fails, it won’t affect any of the other decks, it would just make maintenance down on deck 8 much more difficult. But that won’t be a problem now, unless it starts acting up again.” Skychaser paused, squinting his eyes, as though he could see right through Cobalt’s lie. Cobalt maintained an emotionless expression, channeling his years of training as best as he could. Finally the XO nodded, and motioned for Cobalt to reenter the ladder well.

“As you were.” Without another word, Cobalt continued on his way, climbing up the ladder to deck 1. He made a mental note to move his laptop at some point, in case Skychaser decided to have a look around. But in the meantime, he needed to be in a conspicuous location where he would not be suspect. For if his plan worked, the fallout would be far more intense than the jump drive explosion…

“How’s it coming?” Golden Bolt asked, her voice coming through the earpiece in Twilight’s helmed. Twilight’s eyes were still screwed shut, her mind entirely focused on recharging the capacitors.

“... Nearly done,” Twilight replied after a pause. “Just a few… more… minutes…” She was beginning to feel lightheaded; she had used a significant amount of energy so far, and her reserves were low. If she had to keep it up for longer than a few more minutes, she would pass out from magical exhaustion.

“Nice view out here,” Bolt observed, trying to fill the silence. “Shame we’re not gonna make it to the exoplanet. I would’ve liked to see that view.” Twilight nodded, though she did not speak. She did not want to waste her energy on anything other than the capacitors.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she felt the capacitors begin to reject her magic. Twilight cut off the flow and finally opened her eyes, looking down on the now-glowing crystals below her. She yawned, and looked to Bolt, who was standing across from her, near the storage pod.

“It’s done,” she reported. Bolt nodded, and replaced the covers with her own magic.

“Alright,” Bolt said, “let’s get back--”

She never finished her sentence. The storage pod behind her flew off of its airlock, tearing itself in half in the process. There was a flash of orange light as the oxygen in the pod ignited, and Twilight raised a hoof over her eyes. Using was little magic she had left, she summoned a shield, which she immediately felt weaken as it registered hundreds of small impacts.

Barely a second later, it was over. Twilight released the shield and slowly moved her hoof away, observing the aftermath. The storage pod was floating a few hundred meters away, growing smaller by the second. A small cloud of debris followed it, deflected by Twilight’s shield. The cargo airlock appeared intact, though the pristine white hull had been stained black by the explosion. Twilight blinked a few times, her head moving slowly as she looked around for Bolt.

“Princess!?” a voice crackled in her earpiece, and Twilight recognized it as belonging to Ace. “Are you alright out there!?” Twilight did not respond; instead, she paced back and forth around the comms array, looking for Golden Bolt. Just a moment ago she had been standing a few feet in front of Twilight. Where are you?

Finally, Twilight decided to look up. Floating a few meters above her, locked in a slow spin, was Golden Bolt. Her suit was dotted with small holes, and as her body rotated to face the ship once again, Twilight found herself frozen in shock. Going straight through her helmet and head was a larger hole, the cut perfectly clean. Through the hole, Twilight could see stars on the other side.

“Twilight, please respond!” Again, Twilight remained silent. She stared at the body rotating slowly above her, her mouth open wide. As much as she wanted to, she could not look away. Her eyes remained locked on Bolt, watching as she slowly drifted further away.

“Dammit Twilight, respond!” Twilight’s hoof slowly moved to the radio on her chest, and she flicked it on.

“I… I’m alright,” she reported.

“What happened out there?” Ace asked. “Can you get back inside the ship?”

“I’m… on my way back.” Activating her horn once more, Twilight grabbed Bolt’s body and pulled it back down to the hull. She attached the engineer to her own suit with a tether, then started working her way back to the airlock. As she walked, she spared occasional glances behind her, watching as Bolt’s body lazily floated along. When she reached the airlock, Twilight pushed Bolt inside first, then followed, falling to the deck as gravity reactivated. She closed the outer door, began pressurizing the room, and fell to her haunches as oxygen slowly filtered through the vents.

When the airlock was repressurized, the inner door opened and Ace rushed inside, followed closely by Sharp Sight and Quick Fix. They slowed to a halt as they noticed Golden Bolt, her body still attached to Twilight’s suit by the tether. Quick Fix was the first to start moving again, her medical training kicking in as she approached the fallen mare. Sharp Sight went to Twilight and undid the clasp on her helmet, carefully removing it from her head.

“Twilight…” Ace said quietly, slowly approaching the Princess. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Twilight could do nothing but nod. She looked away as Quick Fix lifted Golden Bolt’s body and carried it out of the airlock, not wanting to see it anymore. She stood up, and Sharp Sight moved to the rest of the suit, helping the Princess out of it.

“We’re going to find out what happened,” he said, placing the suit on its storage rack once it was unoccupied. “I promise you that.” The security chief exited the airlock, leaving Twilight alone with Ace.

“... Come on,” Ace said. “Let’s get you out of here.” Twilight nodded, and followed Ace as he walked out of the airlock. She did not care where she was being lead; she did not pay attention as they walked through the ship’s corridors, and she did not listen as Ace spoke to her. All she could do was replay the image of Bolt, spinning slowly away from Harmony…

Ace sighed as he entered the security office, trying to maintain his normal stoic expression. Losing a pony under his command was never easy, especially when he knew it could have been avoidable. We could have just waited. The saboteur could have been caught, and we could have refilled the capacitors with no worries whatsoever. But Ace knew that waiting would have only complicated the situation. Without communication with Equestria, the ship truly was alone.

“How’s the Princess?” Sharp Sight asked, looking to the Captain as he entered.

“Not good,” Ace replied. “She’s shaken up. I’m assuming this is the first death she’s ever seen. She’ll recover, but for now, she needs rest.”

“She still succeeded,” Skychaser added. “Star Step is calibrating the comms array, and she says we’ll be back in communication with Equestria in a few hours.” The XO carefully approached Ace, and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Bolt’s death wasn’t for nothing. And there’s nothing you could have done.”

“... What do we know about what happened?” Ace asked. Perhaps the saboteur had slipped up somewhere, and would leave a trace of their identity…

“The locks connecting storage pod three to Harmony were disconnected,” Sharp Sight answered. “The door was then opened, causing an explosive decompression that turned everything inside into projectiles. With how fast that debris was travelling… it’s nothing short of a miracle that Twilight got a shield up in time.” Ace nodded, looking to his XO.

“Skychaser, I assume you carried out my orders?”

“I… didn’t have enough time to finish, sir,” Skychaser said. “I got through most of the crew, but I still had a few ponies left when it happened. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Ace crossed to the security terminal, his eyes scanning over the various camera feeds. “... Was Astral accounted for at the time?”

“No, she’s one of the ponies I didn’t find in time.”

“Right.” The Captain turned back to Skychaser, knowing his XO would not like the following orders. “I want you to go get her.”

“What?” Skychaser asked, surprised. “You can’t be serious!”

“I am serious,” Ace said. “The results of the ‘trial’ be damned, we still have more reason to suspect her than anypony else. You said you didn’t know where she was at the time, that makes her a suspect.”

“But earlier today, you said it yourself! These things can be on timers, we shouldn’t assume guilt just because a pony was unaccounted for!”

“It’s more than that, sir,” Sharp Sight said. “Beyond the fact that her location was unknown, her background with explosives and her newfound paranoia are pretty damning. I mean, when’s the last time she even had a meal with the crew?”

“Why would she eat with a crew that hates her?” Skychaser said accusingly. “You saw what we did to her, you know what this kind of discrimination can do to a pony’s mind! It’s ridiculous that you’re even considering--”

“XO!” Ace barked, instantly sending Skychaser into silence. “Our chief engineer is dead, Skychaser, and somepony on this crew is responsible. I am trying to solve this problem, to make sure everypony else gets home safe and sound. Are you going to help, or aren’t you?” Skychaser paused, glaring at the Captain in a tense silence.

“... Fine,” he said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He turned and exited the room, his angry hoofsteps echoing down the corridor all the way to the ladder. Ace sighed, navigating to a chair and sitting down.

“How did all this happen?” he asked, speaking more to himself than to Sharp Sight. “I thought I was careful with the background checks, but…” He shook his head, not knowing what else to say.

“We both know how skilled this saboteur is,” Sharp Sight said. “A background check wouldn’t have turned anything up. I know how meticulous you were, but this is not your fault. Nopony could have seen this coming. Not you, not me, not even the Princesses. We need to stop dwelling on the fact that it happened, and start with some problem solving.”

“Right,” Ace said with a nod. “... Did you know I was going to retire? I’ve spent more than half my life in the military, finally I decided enough was enough. The day before I was going to send in my letter, Princess Luna came to me with this... I don’t know what made me decide to accept… A new challenge, I suppose. One last great mission before retirement. Something… something good to do, something that helps ponies that I can be proud of. Something to finally cover up the black ink.” Sharp Sight did not say anything. He looked away, not knowing what would be appropriate to say.

“Now look at me,” Ace continued after a short pause. “This is just like old times. Conspiracy, murder, working in the shadows… When you spend enough of your life doing that, it never leaves you alone, I guess.”

“Captain…” Sharp Sight finally said, drawing Ace’s gaze to him. “You don’t have to go into all that. That part of your life, it’s gone. You’re a damn fine Captain, the best I’ve ever served under. Sure things haven’t gone well, but you’ve kept this ship intact through unprecedented situations. I have faith in you, sir.”

Ace allowed a quiet laugh to escape, and a small smile formed on his otherwise emotionless face. “We’re not home yet, Sharp. You can praise me when Phoenix touches down back in Equestria.”

Before any more words could be said, the door reopened. Skychaser stood in the threshold, his expression a mix of shock and sadness. His eyes landed on Sharp Sight first, then flicked over to Ace, where they became filled with anger. He unfolded his wing and, using his teeth, grabbed a letter from the feathers, spitting it in front of Ace’s hooves. Confused, Ace lit his horn and reached for the letter, bringing it up to his eyes.

I didn’t do it.

“Where’s Astral, sir?” Sharp Sight asked, still ignorant of the letter’s contents.

“Why don’t you two come see for yourself?” Skychaser hissed, his eyes locked in a glare. “Come see what your little trial has brought about.” Without waiting for a response, the XO abruptly turned and walked back down the corridor, Ace and Sharp Sight in tow. He lead them down the ladder to the next deck, where Astral Breeze’s bedroom door was already open. Before the party arrived, Ace already knew what he would see. A lump formed in his throat the closer they came to the door, and finally his fears were confirmed.

The sheets of her bed had been removed, and they now hung from a makeshift hook embedded in the ceiling. Astral was a few feet off the floor, her light blue tail barely brushing the metal deck. Her eyes were closed, and a kicked-over chair rested nearby. Ace looked on, not allowing his emotions to surface. There would be a time for that, but it was not yet. Not here.

“We did this...” Skychaser said, his voice filled with grief. “This is our fault! We killed her! We let the paranoia and the fear get to us, and when we found a target, we wrapped our hooves around her neck and did not let go!” When Ace did not respond, Skychaser circled around the Captain and came face-to-face with him, doing nothing to hide his rage. “DO YOU HEAR ME!? DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME!? WE DID THIS!” Sharp Sight angrily approached the grieving XO and pulled him away from the Captain, though his own grief was showing through. Skychaser fell to the floor, tears beginning to surface in the corners of his eyes.

“She trusted us…” he whispered. “She loved us… We were her family, and we betrayed her…” Still Ace did not reply, but he knew his XO was correct. Astral Breeze was on him, as was Golden Bolt. He had made the wrong calls, and they suffered the consequences.

“Captain,” a new voice said. Ace turned to the doorway just as Quick Fix entered. “I’ve removed Bolt’s--”

The doctor froze as she saw the sight before her. Her jaw dropped, and she slowly entered the room, her eyes never leaving Astral Breeze. She joined the three stallions in a sorrowful silence, broken only as Ace turned to Fix.

“You were saying, Doctor?”

“I…” Fix paused, struggling to tear her eyes away from Astral. When she finally succeeded, her eyes brimmed with tears. “I was able to remove Golden Bolt’s suit… What do you want done with the body?”

“... There’s a specimen storage area on deck five,” Ace replied. “It has a freezer. Keep her there, and… we’ll put Astral there, too.”

“Yes, sir.” Quick Fix ducked out of the room, trotting back to the medbay to carry out her task.

“We’ll have memorials for both of them,” Ace decided. “Sharp, could you…” He trailed off, motioning to Astral. Sharp nodded and spread his wings, flying up to the ceiling to untie the bed sheets. Ace approached Skychaser and placed a hoof on his back, urging the XO to stand.

“I could have stopped her…” Skychaser whispered, not making eye contact. “I could have…”

“Come on,” Ace said, crossing to the door. “Let’s go.” With a weak nod, Skychaser stood and joined Ace at the door, following him as he walked down the corridor. The rest of the living area seemed to be barren, for which the Captain was grateful. He would prefer to make an announcement about the two deaths, rather than have the crew find out on their own.

Ace worked his way back up the ladder, and entered the security room as soon as he had reached the next deck. He sighed, taking a seat, and looked at the floor, his eyes tracing the pattern created by the metal tiles. Skychaser was right; Ace had made many mistakes in his long career, but these were perhaps the worst.

He tilted his head up, and his eyes found the microphone set into the security console. Dreading what he had to do, Ace stood and crossed to the microphone, enabling a ship-wide channel. The intercom crackled to life, and Ace leaned in, thinking through what he was going to say. These announcements were never easy, and in their present situation, he feared the aftermath would be even worse than usual. Alright, he thought. Let’s tell them what I’ve done…

Twilight stared ahead, never blinking as she considered their new normal. She had been preparing to leave her room when Ace’s announcement came over the intercom. After spending close to an hour by herself, when she had finally started to feel better, the pain came crashing down once more. First Bolt, now Astral. Some Princess you are. Tears formed in her eyes, and she finally blinked to clear them away, not wanting to make a sound in the still security office.

Ace, Sharp Sight, and Skychaser sat nearby, all of them in silence as well. Twilight looked over each pony, knowing they felt the same way she did. She wished there was a way to make it stop, a way to let go of the guilt and the fear. But there was not; mistakes had been made, and now they faced the consequences. The saboteur had finally succeeded in taking lives, and Twilight knew this was not the end.

A knock sounded on the door. All eyes immediately turned to the source of the noise, and Ace lit his horn, opening the door for the visitor. Star Step stood in the corridor outside, trying to mask her own emotions. Her face was a blank slate, yet her red eyes were enough to tell Twilight how she felt. She took a few steps inside, and waited to be addressed.

“Yes, Star?” Ace asked.

“Communications have been restored,” she answered. “Princess Luna is on the line, waiting to be patched in.” Ace looked to Skychaser, who was nearest to the security terminal, and nodded at him. The XO pressed a series of buttons, replacing the security camera feed with an image of Princess Luna, the ESA control center behind her.

“Hello, everypony,” Luna said, offering a relieved smile. Twilight frowned, realizing the Princess was still ignorant of what had happened. “Words cannot describe how happy I am to see you all. Is everything alright?”

“... No, not exactly, Princess,” Ace replied. “I’ll explain that in my report later. It’s… complicated.”

“Many things are, I’m afraid,” Luna sighed. “I have an important update regarding the rescue.” At this, Twilight allowed herself to perk up. Some good news today would be more than welcome. “Our original plan is… well, it’s not going to work. The zebra ship is far too small to accommodate the Harmony crew, the zebra crew, and the necessary supplies to sustain you all. However, we have come up with an alternate plan. The zebra ship will still be used, but in a different way. It will be sent to you on autopilot, entirely unmanned, carrying supplies to replenish your stores. You will uninstall its jump drive, install it aboard Harmony, and use that to return home.”

“Understood,” Ace said. “When can we expect to receive the zebra ship?”

“With no crew members, we don’t have to worry about radiation, so the jump drive cooldown window is greatly reduced. Instead of taking fifteen days to reach you, it should only take seven. Assuming all of our safety inspections do not reveal any issues, we expect to launch in three days.”

“That’s… excellent news, Princess,” Ace said, relief entering his voice for the first time that day. He allowed a small smile to form, and Twilight felt some of the anxiety fade away. “Just send us all relevant information. We’ll be ready.”

“I anticipate your report on what happened,” Luna said. “Equestria, out.” The comm channel closed, and the image of Luna flickered away. The ponies in the security office remained silent for a moment, all of them thinking through the new situation.

“... So we have to hold out for ten days,” Sharp Sight concluded, his hopeful smile turning down into a troubled frown. “When the saboteur hears about this, they’ll act.”

“That’s why they’re not going to hear about it,” Ace stated. His eyes passed over everypony in the room, silently judging each of them. “As far as the rest of this crew is concerned, the rescue plans haven’t changed. We won’t reveal this until it’s necessary. Understood?”

“So we’re going to lie to them?” Twilight asked, frowning. “That’s not right. And with everything else that’s going on, doesn’t the crew deserve some glimmer of hope?” Ace shook his head and stood, beginning to pace around the room.

“Of course they do. But when the information that would bring hope could also bring ruin, we need to be careful. I want to tell them, but it’s too much of a risk. We’ve lost two ponies, and I will not lose any more. Now, you don’t have to follow my orders. You could activate the intercom right now and tell everypony that in ten days, we’ll have a functioning jump drive again. Would it help to lift spirits after the events of today? Absolutely. But it could also accelerate the saboteur’s timetable. We’re dealing with somepony who is very good at covering their tracks, and we have no suspects. So while right now I would like nothing more than to make the crew feel better, this is not the safest way to do that.”

Twilight froze, almost not believing what she was hearing. But the more she ran Ace’s reasoning through her mind, the more she knew he was right. This was an unpleasant situation, and it called for unpleasant tactics. So, with a sigh, she nodded and looked to the floor. “Alright.”

“Star Step,” Ace continued, looking to the comms specialist, who was still standing in the doorway. “I want you to promise me you won’t tell anypony about what you heard in here.”

“I promise, sir,” Star replied, nodding. “I’ll get back to work.” She departed, and Skychaser closed the door, his frown growing.

“Ten days,” he repeated. “That’s not a lot of time to work. We need a plan.”

“We’ll come up with one,” Ace assured him. “But not right now. Right now, I think we should let the crew say their last goodbyes to Bolt and Astral. Sharp, go tell Quick Fix to get the bodies ready. I’ll… make another announcement.” Sharp saluted, exiting the room. Twilight and Skychaser remained silent as Ace returned to the microphone, and Twilight found herself hardly listening as he made his announcement. This day had taken several turns, most of them for the worst. And she knew that, even if Harmony safely returned to Equus, the events would never leave her mind…

Following the brief memorial ceremony, the crew gathered in the mess hall for dinner, none of them speaking as they retrieved their trays. The silence persisted for a few awkward minutes; nopony made eye contact, or even looked up from their meals. The only sound was that of eating, and even that came with a certain self-consciousness, as though nopony wanted to be heard in the emptier-than-usual mess hall.

Finally, Ace had enough. He looked up, his eyes passing over his crew, and frowned. “I know we’re going through a difficult time right now,” he said. “But we need to rely on one another; we can’t let walls form between us, that will only lead to ruin.”

“Well what do you suggest we do, sir?” Lightning Flash asked, glaring. “Just go on, and act like nothing happened? Just forget about Astral and Bolt? Is that what you want?”

“Don’t put words into my mouth, pilot,” Ace shot back. “There’s a lot of tension right now, we all need to do our part to keep this family together.”

“What does ‘family’ even mean to you?” Cobalt said accusingly. “During her trial, Astral said she considered everypony here her ‘family.’ You didn’t seem to care about that then, why would you now?”

“If you’ve got something to say, say it,” Sharp Sight stated, emotionless.

“It’s just…” Cobalt paused, looking away. “The situation could’ve been handled better. It could have been handled civilly, but instead you found a culprit, and you passed an unfair sentence. And now we have to live with that.”

Silence fell over the mess hall once again as the crew mulled over Cobalt’s words. They were harsh, but they were true. Twilight found her anxiety growing once again, though this time, it was not brought about by what the saboteur may do. Instead, this time, she feared what was happening to the crew. After the events of the day, with the way things were turning, the saboteur would not have to lift a hoof to destroy the crew. With the tension that Twilight now sensed, the crew would destroy itself just as well...

Princess Celestia’s room was dark by the time Luna’s moon rose, lit only by two sources: a dim scented candle on her bedside table, and the screen of her laptop. The screen displayed a single loading icon, with a piece of text informing the Princess that a connection was being established. The longer the icon spun, the more despondent Celestia began to feel. Perhaps she does not want to talk to me, she thought. Perhaps she has begun to suspect me. Perhaps she blames me for what has happened, and she hates me.

Shouldn’t she? It is my fault. I put her in this situation. I put them all into this situation. She blames herself, but I am the cause of all of this.

Should I tell her? Can I even bring myself to tell her? She would never forgive me, and I would not blame her. She admires me, but if she were to remove the black ink covering half of the historical documents in the royal library, would that still be the case? Would she see me in the same light if she found out what true leadership does to a pony?

Celestia’s thoughts were cut off as the loading icon disappeared, and the screen flashed as a connection was established. On her laptop appeared an image of Twilight’s quarters aboard Harmony, with the young Princess sitting directly in front of her own camera, dozens of light-years away. Twilight smiled, but it was a weary smile, and Celestia could see the heavy bags beneath her eyes, and the redness left behind by tears. Celestia offered a smile of her own, knowing how her pupil felt.

“Hello, Twilight,” Celestia greeted, breaking the silence. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m… hanging in there, Celestia,” Twilight replied, glancing away. “There’s still a lot of work to do, and with the new rescue plans, we’re running out of time to catch this saboteur.” Celestia frowned, recognizing Twilight’s tactic; she was trying to lose herself in her work, as she always did when she was troubled.

“Twilight…” she began, “I want you to know that I’m here for you. I know how it feels; the helplessness, the guilt… It will eat away at you if you do not address it.”

“I made a bad call, and these are the consequences,” Twilight said. “It hurts right now, but I’ll learn from this. I won’t make these mistakes again.”

“How is the rest of the crew?” Celestia asked. “From Ace’s report, it does not sound as though they’re taking it well.” Twilight sighed, nodding.

“I’m worried about them,” she admitted. “They’re drifting apart, and right now that is the worst thing that could happen. And now… now we’ve lied about the rescue. That’s only going to make the situation worse. The crew needs to trust us, but we’re not doing a lot to inspire confidence. This whole situation… it’s a mess.”

“Twilight, you are a good leader,” Celestia stated. “You can adapt under difficult circumstances, you can see situations differently from everypony else. Ace has a sharp mind, but it is a rigid one, one shaped by decades in the military. You can inspire confidence, Twilight. You must.”

“I… I’ll do my best, Celestia,” Twilight said, a genuine smile showing through the sadness. “But… I do have one more question.” Celestia nodded, urging Twilight to go on. “With Bolt and Astral… they’re the first deaths like this I’ve experienced. Does it… does it ever get any easier?”

Celestia paused, not knowing how to answer. What do I tell her? That I don’t even know anymore? That after thousands of years of living, death has become just another part of life for me? She shook her head, deciding that those answers were not what the young alicorn needed to hear.

“I know it’s difficult,” she finally answered. “But like you said, you will become stronger from this. Keep that in mind, and you’ll get through this alright.”

“I understand,” Twilight said with a nod. “Thank you, Celestia. I… think I’m going to try to sleep now. It’s been a very long day.”

“Alright,” Celestia said. “Goodnight, Twilight. And remember, I’m here.” Twilight smiled, and the screen went dark as the connection was cut off. Celestia stared at her screen for a few moments more, the effects of what she had done truly beginning to hit her. The death of two extremely talented ponies were difficult enough, but seeing how it had affected Twilight was too much. She is young. She is still innocent. She did not deserve any of this.

Closing her laptop, Celestia stood and crossed the room to her balcony, welcoming the cool night air. The serenity of the Equestrian landscape had always calmed Celestia’s mind, but it was having no such effect tonight. Tonight, the guilt was too strong. It would get better, but only if Celestia put the work in. The deaths of Astral Breeze and Golden Bolt were her fault, and hers alone. But she would not let anypony else die; no matter what, Harmony would return home safely.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! If you noticed any spelling/grammar errors, or if you have any feedback, please let me know!

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Cobalt was awoken by a sharp knock on his door, breaking through the ship’s eerie silence and sending the stallion shooting forward in his bed, his eyes scanning the room. They landed on the closed door, where another set of knocks sounded. Rubbing his eyes, Cobalt turned on the light with a flash from his horn, making the path to his door clearly visible. He stood up as a third set of knocks landed on the door, now beginning to grow irritated. Who’s bothering me this late?

His question was answered as he opened the door, revealing an equally-tired Star Step in the doorway. Her eyes were red, though not from a lack of sleep. Now beginning to regret his irritation, Cobalt quickly wrapped Star in a hug, and pulled her into the room. She entered without resisting, and walked to the center of Cobalt’s room as he closed the door and turned around.

“What’s up, Star?” he asked, concerned. He took a few steps forward, stopping behind her.

“I couldn’t sleep…” Star replied, wiping her eyes with a hoof. “Every time I close my eyes, I see them… Just yesterday, everypony was okay. Sure we’re stranded out here, but everypony was okay… Now, though…” Frowning grimly, Cobalt placed a comforting hoof on Star’s shoulder, and spun her around.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” he whispered, trying to calm the mare down. “None of this is your fault, there’s nothing you could have done. I know it’s hard, but we’ll get through this. Together, we’ll get through this. Okay?” Star Step sniffled, but nodded.

“Okay…”

Despite his words, Star did not seem to be feeling any better. And, strangely, Cobalt found himself feeling something he had not felt in a long time: regret. He knew his purpose; he had come to Harmony with a specific mission, one he had been longing to see through for years. The future of Equestria hinged on his mission, yet now he was experiencing doubts. It was one thing to act as a regular computer technician for two years, but it was something else entirely to love another pony for that time. Seeing Star in this condition hurt Cobalt more than anything else; he reached out to her, wrapping her in another hug, wishing he could take the pain away.

“You need some sleep,” Cobalt said, knowing she had an early shift in the morning. “Do you want to stay with me tonight?”

Star nodded, but her expression quickly soured, and she pushed away from Cobalt, looking to him with a concerned stare. “What… what if somepony sees me come out of here in the morning?”

“Who cares?” Cobalt released Star and returned to his bed, taking a seat on the covers. “I don’t. It wouldn’t change anything; I love you, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

“But… with everything else going on…” Star followed Cobalt to the bed, though she did not appear any less concerned. “The saboteur, and now the situation with the rescue… I don’t want to complicate anything for anypony else, especially the Captain.”

“We’re not complicating anything for anypony,” Cobalt said assuredly. He lay down, pulling the covers over himself, and watched as Star did the same. “It doesn’t matter if the Captain approves of this or not; we’re civilians, military protocol doesn’t affect us. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I… Okay.” Star Step nodded, finally appearing to calm down. Cobalt smiled, and used his magic to turn the light back out. “Goodnight, Cobalt. And… thank you.”

“Goodnight, Star.” Cobalt closed his eyes, feeling the call of sleep once again. But before it could arrive, his mind turned to the previous conversation; specifically, to something Star had said. The situation with the rescue, Cobalt thought, repeating Star’s words. What did she mean by that? Cobalt forced the thought out of his mind, choosing to ask her in the morning. Right now, he needed sleep...

Stifling a yawn, Twilight Sparkle lifted her morning coffee to her waiting mouth as she navigated through Harmony, her destination set for the bridge. It was not early, but with the events of the previous day, Twilight had allowed herself to sleep in later than usual. The rest of the ship was awake, and the crew was busy at work, trying to move on from their loss. Vibrant Flame had taken over as chief engineer, and Sharp Sight now handled security entirely by himself. There was a sorrowful stillness surrounding the ship, and Twilight knew it would not go away anytime soon. The effects of sabotage could be undone, but the pain of loss had to heal naturally.

Twilight arrived at the bridge after a few more minutes of climbing and walking, and she looked over the crewmembers present, trying to gauge their conditions. Lightning Flash sat at his station at the front of the room, idly monitoring engine status and checking scanners. To an untrained eye, the stallion would have appeared simply bored. But over the past weeks, Twilight had learned enough to tell that he was deep in thought, and the thoughts were not positive. Star Step was far easier to read, primarily due to the slight redness of her eyes. She was tired, and her grief was to blame. Ace was as stoic as ever, but Twilight knew he was masking a great guilt. Skychaser, however, seemed to be suffering the worst. His coat was paler than usual, almost sickly. His eyes were red as well, and Twilight felt her heart go out to the XO. His feelings for Astral Breeze, and hers for him, had been common knowledge on the ship. Twilight could not imagine how he was feeling.

“Princess, thank you for joining us,” Ace commented as Twilight stepped inside the bridge. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine,” Twilight deflected, coming to stand next to Ace’s chair. “Have we received anything else from Equestria?” Ace responded only with a shake of his head, and he looked to his XO.

“Nothing unscheduled,” he said. “Princess Luna did send us some more information regarding the rescue, and Skychaser has been going through that.” At the mention of his name, Skychaser looked up from his station, his eyes landing on the Princess and Captain.

“Ah, right,” he muttered, appearing distracted. “There’s… a fair amount of information to get through, but I think we’ll be ready.” Ace nodded, but before he could speak again, Star Step stood up from the comms station.

“I’m going to have my lunch now,” she said. “Is that alright, sir?”

“Go ahead, Star,” Ace replied. “Take as much time as you need.” The comms specialist exited the bridge, and a moment later, Lightning Flash stood as well.

“Mind if I head out now too, sir?” he asked. Ace nodded, and Lightning departed, leaving the bridge to the Captain, the Princess, and the XO.

“So now that they’re gone, how ready are we, really?” Twilight asked, looking between her companions.

“It’s… not going to be easy,” Skychaser admitted, sighing. “Princess Luna’s plan was fairly dependant on there being two engineers. Vibrant Flame is a talented stallion, but installing a jump drive is a big job. A team of nearly a dozen engineers did it when Harmony was still under construction, and even then, the engineering module wasn’t in orbit yet.”

“Well, I’ll help in any way I can,” Twilight offered.

“That’s good to hear,” Ace said. “We still don’t know who we can trust. I think you’re innocent, Princess, and I’m fairly certain that Vibrant Flame is innocent. But I’d like to dedicate more than just two ponies to the installation process, to make it as quick as possible. We need to continue narrowing down our suspects, or we’ll make everything more difficult in the long-run.”

“Speaking of, I think I do have one suspect,” Skychaser said. Ace raised and eyebrow, looking to his XO.

“Oh?”

Before Skychaser could continue, the bridge door slid open and Sharp Sight ran in, wasting no time in approaching the Captain.

“Sir,” he said, “we’ve got a situation.”

Cobalt sat in the corner of the mess hall, leaned against the wall as he waited for Lightning to arrive. Quick Fix sat across from him, and while she appeared somewhat uneasy, Cobalt knew she would support him. The tension on the ship was so thick it could be cut with a knife, and if Cobalt was wielding the knife, he could cut a very significant divide…

The door slid open. Cobalt looked up, and watched as Star Step entered and took her seat. Lightning Flash entered the room after her; he exchanged a glance with Cobalt and Fix, nodding to tell them he was ready. The door was closed, and the three ponies converged on Star as she took her seat. The mare looked up as her three crew members approached, raising an eyebrow.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Cobalt, what is this?” Cobalt felt himself wince at the sound of the fear in her voice, and he quickly took a step forward, easing his harsh expression.

“Star, we just wanted to ask you something,” he said, glancing between his compatriots. “We’ve… noticed that Ace, Skychaser, and Twilight have been a bit quiet on the rescue. And last night you said, ‘the situation with the rescue.’ What did you mean by that?” At this, Star’s eyes widened.

“I…” she started, before pausing. Her eyes passed between Cobalt, Lightning, and Fix, and she gulped anxiously. “I… don’t remember saying anything like that. You saw me, I was exhausted. If I said it, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Star, come on.” Lightning Flash took a step closer, unconvinced. “You know what the Captain has been saying ever since the sabotage: we need to stick together, and support one another. Well, we think that some information is being hidden from us, and we just want to know what’s up.”

“Please, Star Step,” Quick Fix said. “We’re just nervous. With no evidence pointing to the traitor, and now two ponies dead, everypony’s a little on edge. Is now the best time to be keeping information from us?”

“I… I…” Again Star Step glanced between the three ponies, shrinking back in her chair. “I don’t know anything… Please…”

“Star,” Cobalt said again, trying to sound as comforting as possible. “Please. You have to understand, we just--”

“What’s going on in here?” The mess hall door slid open, and Ace walked in, followed quickly by Twilight, Skychaser, and Sharp Sight. The Captain looked over Cobalt, Lightning, and Fix, frowning at each of them. “Explain yourselves.”

“Very well, Captain,” Cobalt said, turning around to fully face the older stallion. “We’re worried. Since our first day on this ship, you always gave us the details of Princess Luna’s messages to you. But lately, you’ve been completely silent. We want to know: what has happened, and why are you keeping us in the dark about it?”

“I don’t believe I’m obligated to share the contents of those video calls, Cobalt,” Ace stated. “And right now, I don’t like that you are effectively interrogating Star Step.”

“Oh, you mean like you interrogated all of us after the jump drive explosion?” Lightning Flash accused, glaring. “We just want answers, and it’s obvious that you’re hiding something. If you want to lead us, you need us to place our trust in you, and right now, I don’t feel like I can do that.”

“This situation wasn’t exactly expected, pilot,” Sharp Sight said, stepping forward. “Those interrogations were ugly, but they were necessary.”

“And what did they turn up?” Quick Fix asked. “Nothing! Those ‘interrogations’ did nothing more than terrify the crew, and complicate the situation even further. All we want is the information you’re holding from us. Is that so unreasonable?”

“Watch yourself, Doctor,” Skychaser warned. “Otherwise--”

“Otherwise what? You’ll start to suspect me? I’ll be thrown under the bus, ostracized by the crew, and driven to kill myself? Is that what you’re going to do?” Ace narrowed his eyes, and stepped into the center of the room.

“Listen,” he said. “I know that we’re all hurting. I know we’re scared. But look at us - divided like we’re at war. We are not fighting each other. Somepony here is the saboteur, that much we know, but we can’t let this ship fall. Now, I’d like to take some time for everypony to cool down. Let’s all get back to work, and this afternoon, we’ll have a ship-wide meeting. We can have concerns addressed in a civil manner, and we can put this behind us. Understood?” Ace waited for objections, and when he did not hear any, he nodded satisfactorily. He exited the room, slowly followed by everypony else until only Cobalt and Skychaser remained. The XO glared at the tech specialist, almost appearing to stare right through him.

“Something you’d like, Sky?” Cobalt asked, trying to remain calm.

“... Yesterday, before the explosion,” Skychaser began, “I saw you coming up from deck eight. What were you doing down there?”

“I already told you, the atmospheric regulator was damaged. Bolt asked me to fix it, so I did.”

“Uh-huh,” the XO said, unconvinced. “So, if I decided to go down there, I wouldn’t find anything suspicious?”

“If you’ve got something to say, just say it,” Cobalt demanded, frowning.

“Alright, Cobalt,” Skychaser said. “I will say it: I don’t trust you. I think you’re hiding something, something dangerous.” Cobalt’s eyes widened a barely noticeable amount, but he did not allow himself to react further. Instead he sighed, shaking his head.

“Well, that’s certainly your right. All I’ll say is this: if you want to convict me, make sure you have something solid. After all…” Cobalt took a few steps closer to the XO, stopping by his ear. “... You wouldn’t want another Astral Breeze on your hooves, would you?” Skychaser froze, a sadness entering his expression at the mention of the mare. He silently stepped away and exited the mess hall, hurrying back to the ladder. Cobalt watched him go with a smile, glad that he had already moved his laptop to a new location.

With a satisfied sigh, Cobalt trotted out of the mess hall, knowing that he had a shift starting shortly. With any luck, Skychaser would not pursue the lead he had found, and Cobalt’s cover would not be blown. He had come too far to fail now. Harmony would fall, and Princess Twilight would go with it…

Establishing connection…

Complete. Connection to ESA established.

Twilight smiled as her laptop screen flashed with light, revealing Princess Celestia sitting among the familiar surroundings of the ESA headquarters. While Twilight was happy to see her mentor, her smile was weak, and forced. Her eyes drooped, tired despite the extra sleep she had given herself. Celestia clearly noticed, and she smiled sadly in return.

“Hello, Twilight,” she greeted. “Are you doing alright?”

“I… think I’m managing,” Twilight replied, nodding slowly. “It’s the crew I’m worried about… A few minutes ago, we walked in on Cobalt, Lightning, and Fix practically interrogating Star about the rescue. It feels like everything is falling apart… First the sabotage, then Bolt and Astral, and now the crew is divided. I don’t know if I can handle this, Celestia.”

“I… know it’s hard, Twilight,” Celestia said, attempting to comfort the younger Princess. “You have to be strong. For yourself, and for them. I’m…” The elder Princess paused, her voice cracking as she looked away from the camera. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I… have to go. I will call you back later today.”

The screen went dark, and Twilight watched where Celestia’s image had been with a raised eyebrow. The Princess of the Sun’s reaction had not been what Twilight had expected; with how she was behaving, Twilight was believing more and more than Celestia felt guilty. She hoped this was not the case; Celestia had no way of knowing what was going to happen on Harmony.

Deciding to find something else to do, Twilight stood from her desk and turned to the door. Celestia was right about one thing: Twilight needed to be strong. She needed to keep the crew together, and that meant compromise. With a plan beginning to formulate in her mind, Twilight exited her bedroom and headed to the bridge…

Celestia leaned back in her chair, sighing as she shut the laptop in front of her. She closed her eyes, trying to regulate her breathing. But the second her eyes shut, the image in her mind was that of Twilight. The young Princess was fear-stricken, dealing with a situation she had never anticipated. A situation that Celestia had created.

This is my fault. The ship was sabotaged because of me. Golden Bolt and Astral Breeze died because of me. The whole crew is going to die because of me.

What have I done? I am using Harmony, a mission that was meant to represent progress and hope, as bait for a terrorist organization. I’m no better than they are. I’m… I’m worse.

Tears flowed from Celestia’s closed eyelids, streaming warmly down her pale cheeks as she lost herself in the silence of the room. There was nopony else to see her in this sorry state, nopony else to share in her guilt. Here, in the middle of a complex surrounded by the brightest minds of a generation, the Princess was alone. She was alone with her thoughts, none of them good. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw pictures of the Harmony crew before the launch. They were so joyful, so excited to lead ponykind into the stars. And now they were going to die.

“Sister.”

Celestia slowly turned her head to the lonely room’s door, finding Luna standing in the threshold. The Princess of the Night wore a disappointed stare as she stalked into the room, wasting no time in approaching her sister. Her expression softened slightly, and she lifted a hoof, wiping some of Celestia’s tears away. The two sisters stood in silence, staring at one another without exchange of words. Celestia looked down on Luna, her eyes wide and glistening with fresh tears. Luna looked up at Celestia, her eyes narrowing into a glare as her frustration returned.

“So it’s finally hit you, has it?” she asked, emotionless. “The harsh reality of what we’ve done? The idea of what is probably going to happen?”

“Luna… this is my doing,” Celestia whispered, glancing away. “This is my fault. Not yours.”

“Don’t do that,” Luna insisted, placing a hoof on Celestia’s head and forcing her to maintain eye contact. “Don’t act like this was all your fault, and you’re the sole pony to blame. I had just as large a part to play in this as you. The only difference is that I dealt with all of this far earlier on. Immediately after the sabotage, in fact. I spent hours in my room, convinced that I had killed everypony aboard Harmony. And maybe I have, that remains to be seen. But do you know what I realized? I realized that, regardless of whether or not this is my fault, this problem is still solvable. They don’t have to die, we just need to do our part and make sure everything runs as well as possible. We have our rescue plan; as long as we can execute it, Harmony still has a chance of seeing Equus again. You still have a chance of seeing Twilight again.”

Celestia froze, silently considering Luna’s words. Before she could bring herself to speak, however, the two sisters found their attention diverted to the ceiling as a siren began to blare over the intercom. Emergency lights flashed on the walls, and Luna crossed to the door, still showing no emotion.

“It’s time to decide, ‘Tia,” she said. “Are you going to sit here and cry like a foal? Or are you going to come out here and deal with this?” Luna did not wait for a response. She darted down the corridor, the sound of her hoofsteps disappearing under the deafening siren. Celestia watched where Luna had been standing a moment before, and made her decision. She stood up, wiped her eyes, and assumed a more authoritative expression. Somepony was here to sabotage their rescue, and effectively ruin any chance of bringing Harmony home. Celestia would not let that happen. She was a Princess, and it was time to act like one.

Cobalt sat across from Quick Fix, his eyes scanning over the otherwise empty medbay as he sat in silence with the mare. He looked over the cots pressed against the far wall, their covers undisturbed throughout the mission. The medicine supply had a small dent in it, mostly missing headache relief pills. The more serious medication had remained untouched, as had the rather large stock of bandages next to the medicine cabinet. Cobalt did not know why so much had been invested in the medbay, when over half of the mission was spent on the ship, relatively removed from harm’s way. Granted he was trying to kill everypony aboard, but still, there was not much opportunity for injury on Harmony.

The door slid open and Lightning Flash stalked inside, his normally neutral expression replaced with a glare of annoyance. He crossed to the other two ponies and joined them in sitting at the medbay table, wasting no time in opening his mouth to speak.

“I assume you’ve heard the news?” he asked, receiving a nod from both Cobalt and Quick Fix. Princess Twilight had come over the intercom only a few minutes earlier, saying that everypony was to meet in the mess hall in twenty minutes to discuss the “recent developments.” Cobalt doubted an actual discussion would occur; they would be told what to do, and that would be that.

“We need to take advantage of this situation,” Quick Fix said, frowning. “Unless they want to lose any and all credibility with us, they’ll give us a chance to speak. Let’s not waste it.”

“Even so, we’re only three ponies,” Cobalt countered. “They’re four. To them, we’re just a few antsy crew members who are upset with how things have gone. Now, I think we can easily turn Vibrant Flame and Star Step to our side. And, with some more convincing, I think Skychaser can be brought around to our way of thinking as well.”

“What makes you think that?” Lightning asked.

“Everypony knows that Skychaser and Astral had a bit of a thing for each other. Now that she’s dead, he’s obviously shaken up. If we can emphasize that it was Ace and Twilight who put her into such a depressive state, we should be able to turn Sky against them.”

“Now hold on!” Fix interrupted, abruptly raising a hoof. “I’m not looking to turn anypony against anypony else. The last thing I want is to fracture this crew even more. All I want is for our voices to be heard, so we can ensure that we’re kept in the know. It’s obvious something is being hidden from us, I just want to know what it is.”

“Right, that was poorly phrased,” Cobalt admitted, mentally kicking himself. “I only mean that we can gain some more leverage against Ace and Twilight. If well over half the crew is demanding answers, there’s no way they’d continue lying.”

“Unless there’s more going on than we realize,” Lightning Flash said, drawing confused stares from the other two ponies. “Think about it… The Harmony mission has been in development for years, with some of the smartest minds leading it. I mean, Princess Luna is at its head. I honestly find it difficult to believe that she would let something like a terrorist slip through the cracks during the background check process.”

“What are you saying?” Cobalt asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m saying… what if the Princesses know? What if all of this - the ship, the mission, this crew - all has some other purpose?” Cobalt and Quick Fix did not answer, instead choosing to work Lightning’s words through their minds. Cobalt was conflicted; he knew his confederates had very carefully altered his background records to appear clean, but Lightning did have a point. Given the nature of this mission, it seemed highly unlikely that Cobalt would have gotten through the system without something being flagged. Choosing to file the thoughts away for later, Cobalt shook his head, feigning disbelief.

“Doesn’t sound too likely to me,” he said. He looked to Quick Fix, and found himself surprised when she appeared more convinced.

“Maybe…” she whispered. “We all know about Ace’s black ops background. That sort of thing doesn’t just disappear.”

“Well, regardless, it’s almost time for the meeting.” Cobalt stood up and crossed to the door, opening it with his magic. His companions joined him, and the trio walked down the corridor to the next ship module. They passed through a bulkhead leading to the living quarters, at the end of which was the mess hall, its door already open. Cobalt caught signs of movement inside, and as they neared the room, he saw Twilight and Ace waiting at one of the tables. The Princess and Captain looked up as Cobalt and his companions entered, standing to greet them.

“Thank you for coming,” Twilight said, smiling warmly.

“We had a choice?” Lightning Flash asked. Twilight’s smile disappeared, and she glared at the pilot, annoyed.

“We’re trying to fix things, here,” she stated. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.” Lightning sighed as he took his seat. Cobalt and Fix sat as well, waiting in silence for everypony else to arrive. After only a few short minutes, the remaining crew members stepped inside, all of them taking seats. When all of the seats had been taken, a clear divide rested between the crew. Cobalt, Fix, and Flash all sat on one side of the room, while everypony else sat on the other. Cobalt sighed, and stood up.

“I’ll make this easy for all of us,” he began. “All we want is to know what’s going on. Something is being hidden, what is it?”

“Cobalt, please try to understand where we’re coming from,” Twilight said, standing as well. “Somepony here is the saboteur. This means that some pieces of information are more sensitive than others. By keeping information restricted to a select few ponies, we minimize the risk of that information being used against all of us.”

“But… you have no suspects,” Star Step spoke up, frowning. “How can you be sure that the saboteur isn’t one of the ponies ‘in the know’?” Everypony paused, considering Star’s point.

“Well, that’s certainly a valid point,” Ace admitted. “But the odds are still more in our favor if fewer ponies know. If we tell everypony about the new developments, that guarantees the saboteur will know as well. This way, it’s less likely.”

“Is that how you can justify lying to all of us?” Lightning Flash asked. “You want us to trust you, yet at the same time you’ve made no progress in catching the saboteur. You want us to have faith in you, yet the situation has done nothing but worsen. How are we supposed to feel right now?”

“I know nothing has gone to plan,” Twilight said. “I know this whole mission has been turned upside down, and everypony is scared, but… You need to place your faith in us, just as we have placed our faith in you. That is how we’re going to get out of here alive; by working together, and trusting one another.”

“You say we need to trust one another, but you can’t trust us with whatever new information you have!” Cobalt snapped, his eyes narrowing at the Princess. “Do you even realize the hypocrisy in what you’re saying? Is this how a Princess is supposed to lead?”

“I wasn’t chosen to lead you on this mission, Cobalt,” Twilight stated, glaring in return. “Princess Celestia only chose me a few months ago, to be a science officer. Princess Luna chose Ace to lead, and it is him that I expect you to respect and follow.”

“How can we respect and follow a stallion with a background like his?” Quick Fix asked, troubled. “I mean, he talks about how he’s going to ‘find the saboteur,’ but what progress has he actually made? And given his background, the missions he used to run… Realistically, he’s the only one here with the training to perform sabotage without leaving evidence.”

“Princess Luna hoof-chose me for this mission,” Ace hissed, allowing more emotion than usual to enter his voice. “I have served the crown for more than half of my life, I would do nothing to betray the Princesses. The fact that you can even suggest I would do something like this--”

“Is a valid point…” Star Step interrupted, appearing conflicted.

“Now hold on,” Sharp Sight said, stepping out of his chair. “Ace is our Captain, it is our duty to follow him--”

“And potentially die at his hooves?” Lightning Flash asked sarcastically. “I don’t think so.”

“Face it, Captain,” Quick Fix continued. “With how little we’ve actually seen you do, it’s reasonable to believe that you’re responsible.” Cobalt nodded in agreement.

“The Captain would never betray Princess Luna or Celestia,” Sharp Sight insisted.

“I disagree.”

“Please!” Skychaser said, trying to be heard above the arguing ponies. “We’re getting off task!”

“I think that finding the saboteur is perfectly on-task,” Lightning Flash countered.

The room descended into a cacophony of shouting as the crew continued turning on itself. Quick Fix argued against Ace, while Sharp Sight was quick to defend his CO. Skychaser was trying to calm everypony down, and Lightning Flash was doing his best to undermine the efforts of the XO. Through it all, Cobalt watched with a ghost of a smile on his lips. All of the fighting, the anger coming to light… It was beautiful.

“ENOUGH!”

The mess hall instantly fell into a still silence as the shout echoed throughout the room. Eyes wide, everypony looked to the source of the cry, who stood in the center of the room. Her back arched and her wings flared, Princess Twilight’s narrowed eyes passed over everypony as she breathed heavily through her downturned mouth. After the silence had lingered for a few moments, she collapsed her wings, straightened her back, and regulated her breathing. Her glare remained, however, and she looked over the ponies of the crew once again.

“Listen to me,” she hissed, a surprising amount of anger coming from the Princess. “Somepony in this room is trying to murder everypony else. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, and frankly, I don’t care. All I want is to stop this pony, and get everypony else home safe and sound. Throwing the blame around is utterly pointless; we have no way of knowing who is responsible, unless the saboteur chooses to confess right now.” The Princess paused, waiting to see if somepony would speak up. When nopony did, she continued. “Now, we will share more information with you, but you all need to cooperate. We need to work together if we want to get home alive. Is that understood?”

Nopony spoke. Nopony dared, lest they evoke more rage from Twilight. Instead, everypony nodded slowly, agreeing with her terms.

“Good,” she said. “... Rescue plans have updated: the zebra ship will arrive in fifteen days.” A wave of relief passed over the ponies in the room, completely wiping away the tension that had been present only a moment before. Smiles replaced frowns, and eyes widened with hope as each pony considered the new information. Even Twilight allowed herself a small smile as she looked over the ponies again.

The only one not smiling was Cobalt. When he realized he was the odd one out, he forced a smile, though inside he was considering options. Fifteen days was not a significant amount of time; the original sabotage had been planned over years, and it had failed due to undocumented security features. This put him in a difficult spot.

“Alright, everypony,” Ace said. “Go ahead and get back to work. I’ll see you all later tonight.” The excitement still palpable, the crew began clearing out of the room. Cobalt was the last to exit, and he quickly entered his quarters. When he was alone, he allowed the false happiness to fall away, his expression being replaced with one of urgency. He knew he needed to act fast, but he could not work alone. If he was going to be successful, Cobalt knew he would need help…

Twilight watched as the crew filtered out of the mess hall, observing their happiness and trying to mask her own guilt. Only once the door had closed did she allow her smile to fall away, and she turned to Ace with a sigh. The Captain frowned at her, doing nothing to mask his disappointment.

“As I recall, you were the one getting worked up about our little ‘lie’ yesterday,” he said, his eyes tracking Twilight as she paced throughout the room.

“I know,” Twilight replied, nodding. “And when the truth comes to light, I’ll bear that responsibility. But right now, we need the crew to trust us. So, for now… I think it’s necessary.”

“Well, I’ll support you,” Ace said, crossing to the mess hall door. “See you later, Twilight.” He exited the room, leaving Twilight on her own. The young Princess sighed once again and took a seat, rubbing her temple with a hoof. She did not want things to be this way, but the saboteur had dealt them a difficult hand. Their options were few, and none were pleasant. Even if they came out of this alive, Twilight knew one thing for sure: nopony on the crew would be the same.

Princess Luna held her head up high as news cameras flashed and a wave of silence washed over the ponies of the press before her. Her assistant stood next to her, doing an excellent job of maintaining a stoic expression. In situations as difficult as these, everypony would be watching, including the terrorists. Luna knew they could not show fear of any kind; to do so would only strengthen the resolve of those who sought to do them harm.

“Thank you all for coming,” the assistant began, looking over the crowd. “We will now begin the session.” Pens hit paper as the press members prepared to write down every word Luna said. The Princess of the Night cleared her throat, and leaned closer to the microphone in front of her.

“By now, I know that word has gotten out regarding what happened,” she said. “I am confirming that three ponies are dead, and fifteen have been wounded after a tragic accident in the vehicle assembly bay this morning. While we were retrofitting the ship kindly donated to us by the zebra, a cargo elevator carrying several steel beams collapsed as it was rising. We are still investigating the cause of this collapse, but I wish to offer my sincerest condolences to the families of those whose lives were lost. The work done by those ponies was some of the most important work in the world, and their efforts will not be forgotten.” Luna waited for the press to stop writing before she continued. “Questions?”

“Princess, has the possibility of sabotage been considered?” one stallion sitting near the front asked. “Given what’s going on with Harmony, it seems reasonable that--”

“As I said, the cause of the collapse is still being investigated,” Luna interrupted. She looked over the crowd, and pointed her hoof at a mare further back. “Yes, you there.”

“Recently, the number of arrests around the space center has increased,” she said. “Does this mean that terrorists have infiltrated the ESA?”

“I would like to keep these questions about the accident, please,” Luna answered, immediately pointing to another pony.

“How has this accident affected the ship retrofits?”

“There is no damage to the zebra ship,” Luna replied. “Retrofits will continue as planned.”

Over the next half-hour, the questions kept coming, more of them about terrorism or sabotage than about the accident. When Luna had had enough, she sent the press away and retired to a small office behind the meeting area, where Princess Celestia was waiting. Luna approached her sister quietly, noticing the somber expression once again on her face. With the events of the day, plus all that had happened aboard Harmony, the elder Princess was struggling to hold it all together.

“So, how did it go?” Celestia asked, not making eye contact with her sister.

“It went fine,” Luna replied. “There were a few too many questions about sabotage, but I denied any possibility that that could be the case. I won’t give these terrorists what they want.”

“It won’t matter,” Celestia said. “They’ll take responsibility for it anyway.”

“I could stub my hoof on a chair leg and they would take responsibility.” Luna took a seat, sighing. “It doesn’t matter. Without evidence showing that they did it, nopony will believe them.”

“We will.” Celestia finally looked to her sister, frowning. “We know it was them. And they’re going to keep trying; you know that as well as I do.”

Luna nodded, knowing her sister was correct. “Yes, this was no ‘accident.’ But we cannot yield to these terrorists. We need to keep working on the retrofit, or Harmony will have no chance of returning home.”

“I will keep arranging security, as you asked me to do,” Celestia said, crossing to the door. “... You were right, this morning. I cannot let the guilt of this get to me. Thank you, Luna.” Luna smiled, and watched as her sister exited the office. As soon as she was alone, her attention went to a nearby window, through which she had clear line of sight of the vehicle assembly bay. The zebra ship would be ready soon. It would launch, travel to Harmony, and with luck, the crew would be able to install it and return home safely.

But Luna knew this would not happen. Unless the saboteur was caught, Harmony had no chance of making it home in one piece. Twilight and Ace would need to hurry if they were to be successful; every minute that the saboteur remained unknown was an opportunity for disaster. Again Luna felt the helplessness rising up within her; surrounded by the smartest minds of a generation and the best technology available, yet unable to directly help. It was frustrating, but Luna knew there was nothing she could do about it. As much as she wished things could be different, the reality was clear: Harmony was on her own, and the survival of her crew was out of Luna’s control.

Author's Note

Hello, readers. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out; between traveling home for Thanksgiving, and now finals, it's been a hectic couple of weeks, and I haven't had much time to write. This may be the case for the next chapter as well, but I will devote as much time as I can to writing.

If you notice any spelling/grammar errors, please let me know! And as usual, feedback is appreciated, so please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Establishing connection to ESA…

Complete. Connection to ESA established.

“Good morning, Twilight,” Princess Luna greeted as her image filled Twilight’s laptop screen. She smiled warmly, and Twilight smiled in response, glad to see her friend. Hers was a welcome face, especially when Twilight’s only link to Equestria was through a fourteen-inch monitor.

“Hello, Luna. How are you?”

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Luna replied. “We’re launching in a few hours. The jump drive was installed successfully, and all diagnostics show that it is functioning as intended. In seven days, rescue should arrive.” Twilight felt her smile widen. Her mind was filled with thoughts of home, and being able to see her friends again in person, not over a video call. But with her hopeful thoughts also came a trace of anxiety; seven days was not a long time, and it was still plenty of time for something to go wrong. The past two days had been incident-free, which came as a welcome change, but it did nothing to ease Twilight’s fears. Until her hooves touched Equestrian soil again, the Princess knew she would not feel safe.

Twilight forced the thoughts away, and focused back on Luna. “That’s excellent news. I… look forward to coming home. As much as I’d love to see this mission through, I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that it’s not going to happen.”

“Maybe next time,” Luna said with a playful smirk. “So, things on the ship have been good?”

“As good as they can be, honestly,” Twilight answered. “Tension is down, and morale has gone up ever since my little ‘announcement.’ I feel bad for lying, but it’s had a good effect so far…”

“That’s good to hear. And, aside from all of the sabotage business, how has your time in space been?” At this, a genuine smile broke out across Twilight’s face. She thought of all the good things that had happened, from the first few weeks with the crew, to the simple beauty of space.

“I… I hope one day I can come back,” she said wistfully. “Under different circumstances, ideally.” Luna chuckled, and nodded.

“Well, if I ever have need of another Princess to go to space, I know who to call,” the elder Princess said. “I don’t know about ‘Tia, but I have no real desire to go to space. I’m perfectly happy sending other ponies. Ponies like those on the crew. What is the crew up to, by the way?” Twilight shrugged, and looked to her door.

“Ace considered shortening work hours, but right now, even more time with nothing to do won’t help. Right now, most of them are working. I think it’s helping, but I haven’t really been socializing with them as much over the past couple days.” Twilight squinted, and she found herself wondering exactly how everypony else was feeling. The last time she had seen them socializing, most of them were talking as if nothing had changed. This pleased Twilight; if the crew could try focusing on the rescue, the saboteur would lose ground gained in the chaos that had reigned a few days prior. Right now, focus was the only thing that could save them until the zebra ship arrived.

“I… wish I could do more, Twilight,” Luna said sorrowfully, a hint of regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry for everything you’re going through.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, confused by the Princess’s words.

“Luna, none of this is your fault,” she said. “Nopony could have expected that this would happen. It’s a tragedy, but not one that you could have prevented.” Through the screen, Twilight saw Luna pause, her breath catching in her throat. Twilight’s eyes narrowed, wondering what the elder Princess was thinking.

“Twilight…” she began, “there’s something I need to tell you. I--”

Before Luna could speak any further, she was silenced as an alarm came to life over Harmony’s intercom. Twilight’s eyes shot to the ceiling, her brow knit together in concern as red lights flashed.

“All crew to the bridge,” Ace’s voice said, coming through the intercom. “Repeat, all crew to the bridge.” Twilight returned her eyes to Luna, who nodded at the younger Princess.

“I’ll talk to you later, Twilight,” she said. The laptop screen flickered off as the comm link closed. Twilight hurried out of her room and fell into step behind a few other ponies, all of them headed up to the bridge. As she climbed the ladder, the Princess’s mind raced. What’s happening? After two days of nothing, why strike now? What is going on?

When Twilight finally arrived at the bridge, she immediately made her way to Ace’s chair. The Captain was looking forward, his eyes set on a display near the front of the bridge. He glanced at Twilight as she approached, and stood to address everypony in the crew. They stared back at him, anxiously awaiting his announcement.

“I’ll make this quick,” he said. “Some of our repairs from the initial sabotage are starting to fail. It’s not much of a surprise, given how quickly we did them, but we need to act fast. The CO2 scrubbers have started failing throughout the ship, and it won’t be long until we start having difficulty breathing. So, Vibrant Flame, I want you to gather two volunteers and start repairs. Understood?”

“I’ll help,” Twilight offered, looking to Vibrant.

“Same,” Lightning Flash added, standing from his chair at the front of the room. Ace nodded satisfactorily, and looked back over the crew.

“Work quickly, and if anything goes wrong, let me know,” he said. “Everypony else, back to work.” Twilight and Lightning trotted over to Vibrant Flame, who was waiting by the door. The engineer looked nervously over his assistants, and cleared his throat to speak.

“Okay…” he began. “There are… five life support stations throughout the ship. I’ve rated their damage from most to least significant. We’ll… we’ll start with the one on deck seven… Let’s go.” Vibrant navigated to the ladder and worked his way down, followed closely by the pilot and the Princess. The alarms stopped blaring, plunging the ship back into its familiar silence. The life support vents still hissed quietly, but Twilight knew the clock was ticking. Even on a ship the size of Harmony, oxygen was a limited resource, and soon it would be poisonous to breathe.

“Here we are,” Vibrant said, stopping by a nondescript wall panel just outside the deck seven ladder exit. The engineer pried the edge of his hoof into the seam of the panel, tugging it out with a single pull. It clattered to the floor, revealing a few small boxes, connected by several sets of tubes. One box was conveniently labelled “Carbon Dioxide Scrubbers,” next to which was a latch. Vibrant pulled the latch and opened the box, revealing even more tubes running throughout its interior.

“I… don’t see any damage,” Lightning Flash observed, confused. Vibrant nodded and removed a set of saddlebags from his back, opening them to reveal several tools.

“We’re going to need to pull the tubes,” he said. “Here, watch me.” Twilight leaned in to watch as the new chief engineer got to work, carefully observing his every move. But as she watched, she could not help but feel a strain of anxiety entering her mind. She was not yet willing to rule out additional sabotage, despite Ace’s explanation. The main question in her mind, however, was not whether or not this system failure was sabotage; what she truly wanted to know was, why? The CO2 scrubbers were an easily fixable system. If somepony had sabotaged them, they would also be planning something else. Something far more permanent.

Ace watched as Vibrant Flame, Lightning Flash, and Twilight Sparkle exited his bridge, off to repair the broken CO2 scrubbers. As soon as they were gone, he rubbed his eyes with a sigh, and turned to his XO. Skychaser was at a nearby station, attempting to look busy. But Ace had known Skychaser long enough to see past his feigned expression; the pain of Astral was starting to heal, but it still burned in the XO’s mind. Frowning, the Captain stood, and placed a hoof on Skychaser’s shoulder.

“Hey,” he said, “come on. I need your help with something.” Without a word, Skychaser followed the orders of his commanding officer and stood up, waiting for further instruction. Ace spared a glance around the bridge, ensuring everything was in order, then proceeded to the ladder well, where he climbed down to the next deck.

The security room door was closed, its lock enabled, just as Ace had left it the previous day. He entered his passcode into a panel next to the door and stepped inside, followed closely by Skychaser. The XO closed the door after he entered, and looked to Ace, an eyebrow raised.

“What are we doing down here?” he asked. Ace did not answer immediately; rather, he crossed to the security terminal and brought it out of sleep mode, accessing the feeds from security cameras all over the ship.

“Investigating,” the Captain answered. “Right now would be a prime time to strike. Everypony is at work, everypony has an alibi. If somepony was to try something, it would likely go completely unnoticed until the damage was done. That’s why we’re going to sit here and watch. If we see the feeds freeze up, we’ll get up and have a look around.” Nodding, Skychaser joined Ace at the security terminal and took a seat, his eyes scanning over the screens.

“... I don’t know how you do it,” the XO said after a brief silence. “Keep calm, I mean. We are trapped, trillions of kilometers from home, with a homicidal maniac on the ship who wants to kill all of us. It’s taking its toll on everypony, but… but not you. How do you do it?” The Captain paused, judging the question in his mind. He thought to himself, figuring out how to word his response, until finally he turned to Skychaser.

“How long have you been in the service?” he asked.

“Seventeen years.”

“How many deployments?”

“Four.”

“And how many operations?”

“Eight or nine.”

Ace nodded, while Skychaser only appeared more confused. “Eight or nine operations. In any of those, did you see combat?” Skychaser only nodded. “When you’re pinned down, behind walls so thin they look like you could blow them over… When all you can hear is your own heartbeat, mixed in with the steps of enemy soldiers... When, with every shot, one of the ponies under your command dies… In those moments, panic does you no good. Screaming, crying, running - all that will achieve is alerting your position to the enemy. When the enemy has every advantage over you, every last thing you do matters. That’s why I stay so calm, Skychaser. If somepony on this ship is out for my blood, I’m not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing my fear, even though I’m feeling it.”

Skychaser paused, letting Ace’s words sink in. Ace merely grinned, and looked back to the screens.

And that was when he saw it. For a fraction of a second, every security feed flickered, before returning to normal. Narrowing his eyes, Ace looked to Skychaser. The XO had clearly noticed the disturbance as well, and locked eyes with the Captain.

“... Go out into the hall really quick,” Ace ordered. Skychaser wasted no time in following the command, and he exited the security room, entering into the hallway beyond. Ace looked back to the security terminal, focusing on the feed for the security camera just outside. He frowned, noticing that nothing had changed. Though Skychaser was clearly outside, the camera feed showed nothing. It was frozen.

“Damn…” Skychaser muttered as he walked back inside, noticing the freeze as well. “Search party time, then?”

“Wait,” Ace said, holding up a hoof. “Look, there.” He pointed to one of the feeds, where a small error message had appeared.

“Unauthorized access detected in… deck three food storage,” Skychaser read, his eyes slowly widening. “If the food supply is sabotaged, we might not make it to the arrival of the rescue ship.” Ace nodded, and quickly stood up, crossing to the door.

“Let’s go,” he said. “I’m not losing a resource this vital.” The two stallions exited the security room and urgently ran to the ladder, beginning the short climb down. As he climbed, Ace’s brow knit together in thought. This was sloppy on the part of the saboteur. It almost felt too easy…

Cobalt waited for Ace and Skychaser to fully disappear down the ladder before making his move. He crept out of the empty storage compartment and quietly trotted to the security office, smiling when he saw that the lock had not been re-engaged. The door slid open at his command, and Cobalt stepped inside, his eyes scanning over the many active monitors. His smile widened as he saw the frozen video feeds, more of his own work. Quickly reaching into the saddlebags on his back, Cobalt withdrew a small, featureless black sphere. Wasting no time, he placed it on the underside the desk, and exited the room as quickly as he could.

By now, Ace and Skychaser would have realized nopony was sabotaging the food supply. They would be on their way back, and Cobalt did not want to be spotted. He hurried back to the ladder and quietly climbed down, reemerging in the corridor one section down from the living quarters. He opened the bulkhead door, entered into the living area corridor, and quickly trotted to the room where he had hidden his private laptop.

It felt strangely appropriate, the location to which he had moved. The engineering sections on deck eight were hazardous, isolated, and seldom visited by the crew, but this new room was somehow even worse. Ever since Astral’s death, nopony had set a single hoof into her room. Her bed was still missing its sheets, and the chair was still kicked over near the center of the room. Cobalt grinned, confident that he would not be found in this place.

Reaching under the bed with his telekinesis, Cobalt retrieved his laptop and opened it, quickly booting to the home screen. He accessed one of the many available programs, this one intended for surveillance, and brought up the feed from the bug he had just placed. With how well-secured Sharp Sight had kept the security office, it was the only room Cobalt had been unable to bug. But now that had changed, and he had even more information at his disposal…

For a few minutes, the feed was silent. The only sound Cobalt could hear was that of the oxygen vent as it cycled, ticking like a time bomb as the air became less and less breathable. Of course Vibrant and his assistants would fix the damage, of this Cobalt had no doubts. But the fact that they had broken down was convenient, and he intended to use the distraction as best as he could.

Finally, he heard something. The security office’s door slid open, and Cobalt heard two sets of hooves entering the room. One set took a seat in a nearby chair, while the second, Cobalt assumed, remained standing. There was a moment of silence before one of them spoke.

“... Could it have been a glitch?” the voice of Skychaser asked, presumably to Ace.

“Doubtful,” Ace responded. “The security camera freeze, followed by the alarm trigger… the saboteur did something, I’m sure of that.”

“But why?” Skychaser queried, confused. “There was nopony in food storage, and there was no sign of any tampering. It… doesn’t make sense.”

“Sure it does,” Ace said. “By triggering the alarm in food storage, the saboteur drew us away from security, where we can enable lockdowns. They did something, I just don’t know what.”

“... They’re good, I’ll give ‘em that,” Skychaser admitted. “But… what’s the motive? That’s one thing I’ve been wondering. I mean, if it’s just a show of force, there are definitely easier ways of announcing to the world, ‘look what I can do.’ And considering that everypony passed the background check… I don’t understand.”

“It’s a mystery,” Ace said. “I’ve been wondering about it, too. We’re obviously not dealing with an amateur, which concerns me, given that nopony had any flags in their backgrounds. Whoever is responsible is very good at covering their tracks.”

At the mention of his background check, Cobalt’s mind turned to something Lightning Flash had said a few days prior. “What if the Princesses know? What if all of this - the ship, the mission, this crew - all has some other purpose?” All this time, Cobalt had thought himself to be in full control, but Lightning had a point. With all of the security checks he had had to pass to get into the program, Cobalt was honestly surprised that he had made it through. Shaking his head, Cobalt pushed the thoughts away, choosing to bring them up another time.

“I guess all we can do is keep investigating,” Skychaser continued. “Any ideas on that front, by the way?” There was a short pause before Ace replied.

“Not yet. Like I said, the culprit is very good at covering their tracks. But they’ll slip up eventually. Sooner or later, we’ll find something.” Cobalt smirked, knowing the odds were not in the Captain’s favor. For weeks, Cobalt’s devices had eluded discovery. Nothing had changed, and there was no reason Ace or the rest of the crew would find anything. Though the crew may search every inch of the ship, his devices were perfectly safe...

“Okay,” Vibrant Flame began as he approached yet another featureless wall panel, “this is the last one. Once we swap out the damaged parts, I’ll restart the system, and hopefully CO2 will be filtered properly.” Twilight nodded, following the engineer to the wall. She reached out with her magic and pulled the panel out, setting it aside and revealing the life support components within.

“Y’know, seems like you could’ve handled this just fine without us,” Lightning Flash said as he placed himself next to Vibrant, ready to provide assistance. “I get maybe one assistant, but two is a bit excessive.”

“I think the Captain just wants to be as safe as possible,” Twilight suggested, activating her horn once again for use as a directional light. “You can hardly blame him for that.” Lightning huffed, but did not press the issue.

“Screwdriver, please,” Vibrant requested, holding his hoof out. Lightning reached into the engineer’s saddlebags and withdrew the needed tool, placing it in Vibrant’s waiting hoof. “I… I know it seems unnecessary, but… I’m just used to having somepony else to work with, you know?” Both Twilight and Lightning nodded, feeling sorrow for their crewmate. Vibrant had not been prepared to assume the role of chief engineer, and given his already timid nature, Golden Bolt’s death had hit him the hardest.

“I like working with everypony as well,” Twilight said. “I was looking forward to working with you all on the planet, but now that that’s not happening, this is the best I can get.”

“Yeah, it’s nice to get out of the bridge,” Lightning agreed. His back twitched, and a slightly pained expression crossed his face. Concerned, Twilight regarded him with a questioning stare, but was waved off by the pilot.

“You know,” Twilight began, hoping she was not crossing any lines, “it wasn’t mentioned in your file, and I’ve been wondering… What did happen to your wings, Lightning?” The pilot in question paused, not displaying any particular emotions.

“Not much to tell,” he answered. “I was flying a test vehicle for ESA, it malfunctioned and went down. My wings were mangled in the crash, had to be taken off.” He smirked, almost nostalgic. “I remember when I was on the operating table, before they knocked me out, I looked Princess Luna right in her eyes and said, ‘You owe me.’ Guess that’s how I got this position.”

“Wow…” Twilight said. “And after all that, you still wanted to fly?”

“Damn right I did,” Lightning replied. “Can’t imagine myself doing anything else. Besides, in this day and age, not like I really need the wings to fly.” Twilight nodded, impressed that Lightning was able to move past his loss so easily. A certain other pegasus she knew would have reacted far differently.

“Could somepony give me another screw?” Vibrant requested, pulling the attention of both Twilight and Lightning back to him. Twilight quickly lit her horn and grabbed one of the screws from Vibrant’s bag, hovering it over to his waiting hoof. With great care, Vibrant lowered the screw into the CO2 scrubber, only to have it fall just centimeters from its target. Twilight quickly lost sight of the screw, but she heard it falling behind the tubes, each small impact creating a quiet ding. Sighing, Vibrant reached his hoof behind the tubes and began to feel around for the screw.

“Need some help?” Twilight asked, knowing that her telekinesis could probe for the screw far more easily than Vibrant’s hoof.

“I… think I’ve got it,” Vibrant responded. He pulled his hoof back out, but held upon it was not a screw. Instead, a small black sphere rested on the surface of his hoof, with no features that could indicate its purpose.

“What’s that?” Lightning asked, only partially interested. Vibrant shook his head, rotating the sphere.

“I… don’t know,” he answered. “I’ve never seen this before. It’s not a part of the life support system, I know that for sure.”

“Let me see that,” Twilight said, taking the sphere in her telekinesis. She brought it to her eyes, squinting to see it with finer detail. She did not know why, but the sphere made her feel uneasy. It was as if she was being watched…

“Well?” Lightning Flash had his head tilted, waiting for Twilight to say something else.

“... Keep working,” she ordered, stepping away from the wall. “I’m going to run this by security. If you need anything, come find me.” Without waiting for a response, Twilight trotted to the ladder, climbing up several decks to deck two. She entered the security office, startling the two stallions who were already present. Both Ace and Skychaser had their eyes on Twilight, while the screens behind them displayed security footage from all over the ship.

“Is there a problem, Princess?” Ace asked, standing from his chair. Twilight presented the sphere, and a look of concern immediately crossed Ace’s face. He took the sphere from her, turning it over in his telekinesis to examine the lack of details.

“You know what it is, then?” Twilight asked, closing the door for fear of attracting attention. Ace nodded, and he gently placed the sphere on a nearby table.

“I do,” he replied. “I used them myself, back in the day. What we have here is a listening device, a bug. Where did you find it?”

“Hidden in the life support access station down on deck five,” Twilight said. “So… that thing has been listening for weeks?”

“This one and more, presumably,” Ace said, nodding. “We need to run a search. Starting…” The Captain crossed to the main security station, and felt beneath the desk with a hoof. “... Here.” He pulled his hoof back into view, and held within was a second bug. Scowling, Ace placed the new bug next to the first, staring at them in silence.

“How many do you think there are?” Twilight asked, a hint of urgency entering her voice. She did not like the idea of being spied on, especially with the knowledge that the bugs had likely been placed weeks ago. There was no telling what kind of information they had gathered.

“No way of knowing,” Ace said. “Most of the crew is busy working right now. Skychaser, I want you to stay here and monitor security. Contact us if anything changes. Twilight, you and I will take a look around the rest of the ship. Let’s go.” He stepped past the Princess, exiting the security office into the corridor beyond. Twilight followed, one question burning in her mind.

“Wait,” she called out, causing Ace to stop just before climbing into the ladder well. “How are we going to find all of these? I mean, with how well-hidden the first one was…”

“By being as thorough as possible,” the Captain replied. “These things aren’t meant to be found. But, given that the second one was just stuck under a desk, I think it’s safe to assume that not all of the bugs are going to be as well-hidden as the life support one. Just check dark areas; seams, vents, or other places that are never illuminated. Also check places that go frequently undisturbed; it’s highly unlikely that a bug would be hidden in somepony’s personal belongings drawer. Now come on, we’re losing time.” Ace climbed into the ladder well, and began working his way down to deck three. With a sigh, Twilight followed, knowing this task would not be easy...

The sun was high in Equestria when Princess Luna closed her third press meeting in three days. She stared out the big-picture windows at the sprawling ESA campus, the only sounds belonging to the crowds of reporters as they exited the conference hall. After the first sabotage attempt with the falling elevator, two more had followed, only one claiming any injuries. She and Celestia had resorted to assigning guard pairs to nearly every corner of the assembly bay and launch area, while pegasi constantly circled the air, looking for trouble. And it had worked. The zebra ship had launched, and it was on its way to Harmony.

“Another press session well-handled, sister,” Celestia said, entering the room behind Luna. Luna did not respond; instead, she continued looking outside, the thoughts in her mind not pertaining to the press session. Celestia clearly realized this, and she raised an eyebrow as she came to stand next to her sister. “Is something wrong?”

“I almost told her,” Luna replied. “I almost told Twilight what we did.” Celestia’s expression grew far more serious, and she lowered her voice.

“I thought you had gotten over this,” she said. “Isn’t that what you told me? That you had come to terms with what we have done?”

“I know,” Luna said, nodding. “But seeing her on that monitor, and hearing her talk about the crew, it’s… It’s harder than I thought.”

“Luna…” Celestia began, affectionately draping a wing over her sister’s back. “Take a break. You’ve been working tirelessly for weeks now, and it’s paid off. The zebra ship is on its way, and soon Harmony will be back with us. Please, for the good of your mind, take some time off.”

“... I will,” Luna agreed. “I will head back to Canterlot tonight. But at the first sign of trouble--”

“I know,” Celestia said. “And if there is trouble, I will do nothing to stop you from coming back here.” Luna nodded, finding the terms acceptable, and turned her attention back to the view the window provided. Celestia paused, and removed her wing from Luna’s back. “... This will all be worth it. The saboteur will be found, and we will learn everything we can. Then, once these terrorists are out of the way, we can start funding the next space mission.” Luna smiled, amused by the thought, but it was quickly replaced by a frown.

“Assuming they do not try anything else here,” she said. Celestia nodded grimly, and stepped away from her sister.

“I must return to my duties,” she said. “Farewell, Luna. I look forward to seeing you back in Canterlot.” With a brilliant golden flash, Celestia disappeared from the room, leaving Luna by herself. The Princess of the Night sighed, knowing she still had duties to attend to before her impromptu “break.” She stood and, with a sigh, set off to perform them...

Ace and Twilight dumped their sizeable pile of bugs onto the security room table, watching as they clattered over one another, until finally they came to a stop. Her eyes wide at how many they had found, Twilight carefully counted each bug in her head, her dismay growing the higher the number got. When she was done, she looked to the Captain and XO.

“Fifty-one,” she said slowly, frowning. “How did this many bugs make it aboard without being noticed?”

“Well, we know the saboteur had some outside help,” Skychaser said. “Maybe somepony within the ESA smuggled them aboard, somehow.”

“It doesn’t matter how they got aboard,” Ace interrupted. “What matters is that we, hopefully, have all of them. And in finding these, we have something real, something tangible, to use against the saboteur. From these, we can find more evidence.”

“How?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. Ace picked out one of the bugs, and pulled it to him with his telekinesis. He turned it over, examining the black, glossy surface.

“Bugs aren’t very useful without some way to listen to them,” he began. “I’m familiar with this model. There’s a small wireless transmitter inside each of these, all of them tuned to the frequency of a receiver on the other end. We can find the frequency from the bugs, and use that to track the location of the receiver. It’s somewhere on this ship, we just have to find out where.”

“Right,” Skychaser said, grinning. “So, how do we find out the frequency?”

“Normally you set it through the listening software,” Ace replied, “but technically, any communications software should do. The comms system we have on this ship, for example. Skychaser, boot up the admin version of our comms software. Twilight, carefully break open the shell on one of the bugs. I’ll find a compatible cable to connect the two.” Ace put the bug he had grabbed back, and the ponies got to work. Twilight picked up and bug and began searching for a seam on its surface, Skychaser opened the admin properties on the security terminal, and Ace opened a drawer, digging through numerous cables to find the appropriate one.

Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Twilight increased the precision of her telekinesis, sacrificing precious energy to do so. She worked her aura into a tiny, barely-noticeable seam on the side, and with a single tug, pulled it apart. One half of the shell fell to the floor, while the other, which contained a small microchip and magically-charged crystal, remained in Twilight’s telekinetic grasp. She pulled it closer to her eyes and looked inside, examining the miniscule components. Ace walked over to her, carrying with him a short cable, and nodded.

“Well done,” he said, taking the bug into his own telekinesis. He plugged one end of the cable into a slot on the microchip, and plugged the other end into a port on the security terminal just as Skychaser booted up the communications software. A small loading menu appeared as the computer accessed the appropriate drivers, and finally a properties menu opened on the screen.

“Okay…” Ace began, scanning over the information being provided. “... It’s in the two-point-four gigahertz range. Not surprising, given that all other wireless tech on this ship operates in the five gigahertz range. I don’t think the saboteur would like somepony hearing a bug in the middle of an audio call with Equestria.”

“Two thousand, four-hundred and forty-seven megahertz,” Skychaser finished, nodding. “So, how do we track this?”

“We use a magically-charged spectrum analyzer,” Ace replied. “Then, it’s only a matter of walking around the ship until the find where the exact frequency is strongest. There should be a spectrum analyzer on deck four, in one of the science labs. Princess Luna thought it might be useful, on the off chance that we discovered any signals on the exoplanet. Now it can finally serve a purpose.”

“Then let’s go!” Twilight exclaimed, eager to find where all of the bugs were transmitting. This was the best lead they had found so far, and it could reveal the very identity of the saboteur among them. The Princess did not want to delay.

The three ponies exited the security office, making sure to lock the door behind them, and descended the ladder to deck four. From there, it was a short search through storage to find the spectrum analyzer, a small rectangular box with a display one one end, and several antennae on the other. Twilight took the device in her telekinesis, turning it on in the process, and input the frequency they needed to locate. A graph appeared on the screen, though Twilight could understand little of what was being displayed. Instead she passed the device off to Ace, whose years of experience would no doubt be useful.

Ace took the analyzer and began pacing about, watching the lines on the graph as they changed with each step. His mouth was turned in a very small frown, and his brow was knit together in concentration. Twilight watched the stallion at work, noticing something new within him. Previously she had only seen him in a commanding role, giving orders and ensuring that the ship was running smoothly. But what she now saw was representative of another life, one lived many years ago, when Twilight’s view of the world was far narrower. This sort of work - the secrecy, the gravity of it all - was not something to which the Princess was accustomed.

The trio climbed up a deck, emerging in the living quarters corridor, and the graph on the analyzer slowly began to climb. Ace nodded to himself, clearly pleased by the development. He took a few steps in one direction, but stopped and turned when the peaks of the graph lowered. Instead he headed in the opposite direction, and slowly, the peaks once again began to climb. Twilight and Skychaser followed, both of them looking around for any signs of trouble. If the saboteur had somehow caught on to their plans, Twilight did not want to risk losing their lead.

Ace came to a stop just outside of a door, and turned to see the label indicating to whom the room belonged. When Twilight saw the name, she froze, her mouth opening slowly in shock. Ace’s reaction was far more tame, with only a slight widening of his yellow eyes. But Skychaser was, by far, the hardest hit. His jaw dropped, and a great sadness entered his eyes, as if a barely-closed wound had just been reopened. Twilight read over the label again, wondering if this was true, or if they were the victims of some sick joke.

Astral Breeze, Security Officer

“... Right,” Ace said, shattering the silence and drawing both sets of eyes to him. “Let’s… investigate, then.” The Captain opened the door, revealing the darkened room beyond. Twilight ignored the missing bedsheets and the overturned chair, instead choosing to look for anything suspicious, along with Ace. Skychaser simply remained in the doorway, forlornly looking inside. Lighting her horn to eliminate the shadows from the room, Twilight joined Ace in opening the various drawers, looking for anything that could receive the bugs’ transmissions. When the drawers turned up empty, Twilight poked her head beneath the bed, and finally found her target.

“Got something here.” She pulled a closed laptop out from under the bed, the lack of any dust telling her that it had been recently used. There were no markings, no nametags or labels of any kind that could indicate the laptop’s owner. Ace trotted over, as did Skychaser, who had finally stepped inside, and the three ponies looked at the laptop in silence for a moment. Finally Twilight opened the computer, squinting as the screen came to life, illuminating the darkened room even more.

“Damn it…” Ace said, frowning as a small window appeared on the screen. “Password protected. We’ll need to get around that. Come on, let’s head back up to the security office.” Closing the laptop again, Twilight followed Ace out of the darkened bedroom. Skychaser was the last to leave, but before he did, he picked up the overturned chair and placed it by the barren desk, sighing. He joined Twilight and Ace outside, and motioned for them to continue. With a cautious haste, the three ponies climbed back up the ladder, hoping that the saboteur was still in the dark about these developments. For if they could gain an even greater advantage over the saboteur, Twilight hoped that all of this terrible business could be brought to an end…

Cobalt sighed, leaning back in his chair on the bridge as diagnostic reports scrolled by at his station. He frowned, boredom creeping in, and glanced at the clock on his computer’s screen. It was late; his shift would end soon, and he could finally get some sleep. Perhaps some ideas of how to deal with Harmony would come to him as well…

Cobalt’s eyes passed over Ace’s empty chair, and his frown deepened as he wondered the whereabouts of the Captain. He had left early that morning with Skychaser, and had not been seen since. The only word they had received came from Sharp Sight at dinner, who had informed everypony that Ace, Twilight, and Skychaser were busy, and would not be joining them. This worried Cobalt. What are they up to?

“Hey, Lightning,” Cobalt said, looking to the nearby pilot, “you were working with Twilight earlier, right?”

“Yeah,” Lightning replied, nodding. “We wrapped up the CO2 repairs around noon, but she disappeared at our last stop. No idea what she’s doing now.”

“Did she say where she was going?”

“Yeah, security. But like I said, no idea what she’s doing now.” Cobalt nodded, thinking to himself. What business did she have in security, and why would she abandon the repairs before they were finished?

“What’s wrong, Cobalt?” Star Step asked curiously, turning to face the stallion.

“... I think we should go down to security and see if she’s still there,” Cobalt said. “Think about it. We haven’t seen the Captain, XO, or Princess for almost nine hours. They’re obviously up to something, and they agreed to be more transparent with us. Anypony with me?”

“Sounds good to me,” Lightning said, standing up. “Getting bored up here anyway. You in, Star?” Star Step nodded and stood as well, motioning for Cobalt to lead the way. He crossed to the ladder and made the short climb down, stopping just outside of the security office door. He paused, and though he could hear voices from within, he could not make out what was being said. Taking a step back, Cobalt reached out with his hoof, and knocked.

The voices instantly stopped, and a moment later the door slid open, revealing Skychaser standing in the frame. Twilight and Ace were at the back of the room, a familiar laptop held between them, and on a nearby table was a pile of small black spheres.

“What do you need?” Skychaser asked, doing a poor job at veiling his annoyance.

“We’re just wondering if everything is okay,” Cobalt replied, trying to remain calm and maintain a straight face. Given the circumstances, this was not easy for him. “Haven’t seen any of you in a while. So… is everything okay?”

“We’re fine, thank you,” Ace answered quickly, an obvious lie. Cobalt glanced at the laptop, hoping its security systems would hold up.

“... Alright then,” Cobalt said, taking a step away. “We’ll head back to the bridge.” Cobalt and his companions turned, working their way back to the ladder.

“Wait, Cobalt,” Skychaser said, causing the stallion to stop just before entering the ladder well. “Come here. Lightning, Star, you can go.” Beginning to grow concerned, Cobalt walked back to the security office, an eyebrow raised.

“What is it?”

“You’ve been working in the computer field for your entire adult life, right?” Skychaser asked, receiving a nod in response. “Good. Come inside.” Cobalt did as he was told, taking a few steps into the security office. The door slid shut, and Skychaser lead Cobalt to the laptop, which was still displaying its password prompt. The stallion looked between Ace and Twilight, attempting to gauge their current feelings. They were being cautious, that much was clear, and he could tell from Ace’s glare that the Captain did not want anypony else involved.

“Whose laptop is this?” Cobalt asked, feigning ignorance.

“The saboteur’s,” Ace answered, scowling. “You’re our resident technical officer. See if you can try to access it.” Nodding, Cobalt sat down in front of the laptop, trying to mask his relief. He was being given an important opportunity, he only needed to take hold of it.

Restarting the laptop, Cobalt booted directly to the BIOS, trying to ignore the predatory gazes of the three ponies around him. He worked quickly, first navigating to the boot devices and setting it to a secondary drive, then saving his changes and restarting once again. He spared a glance upward, hoping that nopony understood what he had just done, and looked back down as he was once again presented with a login screen. But instead of being asked for a password, the only available option was “ENTER.” Cobalt pressed the button, and sat back as the logon completed.

“That was easy,” Twilight observed, grinning. “Well done, Cobalt.”

“Hang on,” Cobalt said, holding up a hoof. He accessed the computer directory, and was forced to suppress a smile when the laptop’s drives were shown to be completely empty. Instead he faked a frown, shaking his head. “Yeah, that was too easy. It seems there was a second layer of security, this laptop’s drives have been completely wiped.”

“Can anything be recovered?” Skychaser asked.

“Technically yes, but not here,” Cobalt replied. “I don’t have any data recovery software on my own laptop, so the only way to recover these drives before we return to Equestria would be to have ESA send us the software over the comms. But given the size of that software… it would take days, maybe weeks, to download, and the rest of the comms would be non-functional.” Ace nodded, and crossed to the door, opening it for Cobalt.

“Thank you for your help,” he said. “That will be all, Cobalt.” Nodding, Cobalt trotted out of the security office, breathing a sigh of relief as soon as the door slid shut. He had lost access to his secret laptop, as well as the bugs, but at least he had not been found out. Sabotage was still possible, it would just be far more difficult from now on...

Twilight watched Cobalt leave, frowning in frustration. It seemed that every time some progress was made in discovering the identity of the saboteur, something else happened to snatch the advantage away. The saboteur was clever, he or she was always two steps ahead of everypony else.

“So what do we do now?” Skychaser asked, sighing. “We obviously can’t shut down comms for a week while Cobalt downloads some software, so I’d say this laptop is a dead end.”

“It’s not a total failure,” Ace said, crossing to the bugs and running his hoof over them. “We’ve cut off the saboteur’s ears, and who knows what was stored on that laptop. For all we know, that laptop is how he or she was accessing ship-critical systems. Even with this minor loss, we finally won a victory today.”

“But where do we go from here?” Twilight asked, mirroring Skychaser’s question. “What’s our next move?” Ace paused, silent. His horn glowed a soft yellow, and one of the bugs slowly floated to eye-level.

“... This saboteur plays dirty,” he said. “Well, I’m no stranger to that. Overnight, we’ll replace the bugs, this time tuned to a frequency detectable by the security systems here. We can use them against the saboteur.”

“Spy on the crew?” Skychaser’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “So we’re just going to stoop to the saboteur’s level now? We’re going to allow ourselves to look past privacy, when it might not even reveal anything?”

“Do you think this is how I wanted this mission to happen?” Ace shot back, glaring. “In an ideal world, we’d have arrived at the exoplanet by now, and we would become the first ponies to set hoof on an alien world. True advancement would happen, for ponies, and for everyone else on Equus. But this is not an ideal world. This is a world where there exist ponies who live only to sow chaos, and to send us all backward in time. These ponies long for yesterday, for a world before the Elements, or Harmony, or the Princesses themselves. Now I don’t know about you, but that is not a world I wish to see. I’ve spent thirty-five years of my life making sure regression does not happen, and I’ve done far worse than spy on the ponies I’m sworn to protect. So yes, I am willing to put personal privacy aside for the remainder of this mission, if it means I can get this crew home in one piece. Understood?”

Neither Twilight nor Skychaser answered; instead, they considered Ace’s words in silence. There was some truth to them, but Twilight could not bring herself to fully accept the Captain’s point. This was wrong; it was wrong to spy on the crew, and it was wrong to use the saboteur’s own evil tactics.

“... No,” Twilight answered, shaking her head. “I won’t do this. As a Princess, it is my duty to protect the rights of all ponies, including those on this crew. We may not be in Equestria right now, but my duty stands. I won’t stop you, but I won’t help you.”

“Princess,” Ace sighed, frowning. “If you think an action is wrong, but you still willingly let it happen, well… You may as well be doing the deed yourself. I know you’re still new to the world of leadership, but trust me, it won’t get any easier. Soon enough, you’re going to have to choose a tactic, and stick with it.” The Captain withdrew a set of saddlebags from a nearby drawer, and began filling the pouches with bugs. When it was full, he passed the bags to Skychaser, then retrieved a second set for himself. Finally all of the bugs had been loaded, and the Captain and XO crossed to the door, ready to do their work.

“Captain,” Twilight said, stopping the stallion just before he exited. “Just remember one thing: you don’t have to become the enemy to stop the enemy.” Ace did not react. He simply exited the room, closing the door behind him and leaving the Princess on her own. She shook her head, ashamed at what they had been reduced to. But Ace was right about one thing; this saboteur played dirty, as one would expect. Still, Twilight hoped that she could come out of this with her conscience intact. For if she could, then the saboteur would have suffered a complete and total failure...

Author's Note

Hey everyone! Here is Chapter 8.

Finals are all done and wrapped up, so expect the next chapter to come a bit sooner than the previous two. As usual, please leave any feedback in the comments, and if you notice any spelling/grammar errors, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Harmony was quiet. This had become the trend over the past few days; where once the crew was constantly on edge, waiting for signs of sabotage, they now allowed themselves to relax once more, enjoying each other’s company and trying to pass the time until rescue. The methods of passing time varied from pony to pony, but most enjoyed small talk with other crew members, reminiscing on thoughts of home, and discussing plans for the future.

Cobalt listened to every word he could, trying to think of new methods for destroying the ship and its crew. With his laptop confiscated, his ability to hack into ship systems was eliminated. And though he could still communicate with his confederates through a program on his personal laptop, with the bugs in Ace’s hooves, he was hesitant to do so. If Ace was cautious, and Cobalt knew he was, the Captain would be using the bugs for his own purposes.

“Cobalt, what would your dream house be?” Star Step asked, resting her cheek on a hoof. Cobalt snapped out of his train of thought, and reassumed eye contact with Star, trying to act as though he had been paying attention the whole time.

“Hm… I haven’t really given it a lot of thought,” he replied. “Really the only criteria I have for a home is that it’s low-maintenance and safe. What about you, Star?”

“Someplace… quiet,” Star decided after a moment of thought. “Maybe… some older architecture, I think. But modern appliances, naturally. And… yeah, lots of trees. And I want it to be walking distance to the store, with a year-round moderate climate. Except I sort of want snow. Hm.” Cobalt smirked, and placed a hoof on his marefriend’s.

“Well, maybe we can look for that home someday,” he said, then added, “together.” Star smiled, a blush creeping in on her light blue cheeks.

“What do you want to do when we get back to Equestria, anyway?” Star asked next. Cobalt’s smile faded, and he glanced away, thinking to himself.

“I… don’t really know,” he said. “I can’t see myself doing anything other than this. I feel like… I live for this. This is what I’m meant to do.” Star nodded, and a small grin grew on her face.

“Sounds like you want some moon real estate, then,” she teased. Cobalt laughed, shaking his head, and once again his thoughts turned to his mission. He had a duty, an obligation to the ponies of Equestria to see his task through. And yet, Star Step managed to get in the way of that truth. Even her smile was enough to make Cobalt temporarily forget his purpose, and instead fill his mind with images of a different future, one where his task went unfulfilled. But as he imagined their future, he saw the shadow of the Princesses cast over him, and once again knew what he had to do. In the meantime, however, he was content to sit with Star, and act as though everything was normal. If these were to be his final days, he wanted to enjoy them.

At the other side of the mess hall, Skychaser and Lightning Flash primarily dominated a conversation, while Quick Fix, Sharp Sight, and Vibrant Flame merely watched, only occasionally jumping in.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely sign up for more missions when we get home,” Flash said, nodding. “I’ll do this to the day I die, assuming the ESA lets me. What about you?”

“Maybe,” Skychaser answered. “It’s… definitely good work. Beneficial for all life, not just ponies. I don’t want to work in space for the rest of my life, but I could handle a few more years, I think. Anypony else?”

“This mission has been more than enough for me,” Quick Fix said. Vibrant nodded in agreement, while Sharp Sight remained quiet, thinking through the question.

“... Depends on the mission,” he finally replied. “If it’s something groundbreaking, like this, absolutely. But otherwise, I’ll stick to working on Equus.”

“But hey, we’ll all be home soon enough,” Lightning said. “It’s eight days ‘til the zebra ship gets here, then fifteen to jump back home… Yeah, less than a month.” The group fell into silence as each of their minds was filled with thoughts of home. Some had family to return to, others would simply be falling back into daily routines from before the mission. Regardless of what awaited them back on Equus, the crew was ready to go home.

Sitting in silence on the deck above the mess hall, Ace listened in on the various conversations, the bugs sending him constant feeds of every word spoken by his crew. And though he felt guilty for ignoring their privacy, he knew it was necessary. Without this unpleasant business, their chances of finding the saboteur were significantly diminished.

The security room door opened, and Twilight Sparkle walked inside, her eyes immediately drawn to Ace. A strained look crossed her face, and she remained at the door as it slid shut. Neither of the ponies spoke for a moment, and they avoided eye contact, trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

“... Three days until the rescue arrives,” Twilight said, receiving only a nod in response. “... Are we ready to receive the ship?”

“We will be,” Ace replied. “I’m debating whether or not we should tell Vibrant Flame about the plans, to give him time to prepare. I’m no engineer, but I’m guessing that installing a jump drive is no easy task.”

“No, I’m betting it’s not,” Twilight agreed. They were quiet for a moment more, and finally Twilight let out a sigh, shaking her head. “Have you actually learned anything from that?”

“... Not yet,” Ace admitted.

“How long are you going to keep it up? It’s been four days, and we haven’t learned anything new.” Ace glared, looking away from the security terminal.

“I will ‘keep this up’ until the saboteur is found,” he insisted, frowning. “Regardless of whether or not the bugs actually help us apprehend our enemy, as long as they are under our control, we have an advantage. Now, the moment the saboteur is dealt with, I will personally destroy every single one of these bugs, but not a minute before. Understand?”

“No,” Twilight answered, “no I do not. I don’t like what this saboteur is forcing us to do. It’s… it’s stripping us of what makes us ponies. Compassion, harmony, peace - all of it is being sacrificed to ‘find the saboteur.’ But what if this is exactly what they want? What if they’re only nudging events here and there, and letting us do the rest of the damage?”

“You call murdering Golden Bolt a ‘nudge’?” Ace asked, standing up and crossing the room to Twilight. “You call stranding us out here a ‘nudge’? You call sabotaging the most significant expedition in pony history a ‘nudge’?” Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her mouth slowly closed again, her lips drawn together in a thin line.

“... And what if the crew finds out?” she finally asked. “How will they react when they find out their commanding officer has been spying on them?”

“Are they going to find out?” Ace shot back accusingly. Twilight groaned, shaking her head, and stormed out of the security office. Ace watched her go, a frown tugging at his lips, wishing he could convince her that he was correct. In times like this, the last thing they needed was to be at odds. Yet the Princess was being stubborn; she was being too idealistic, not considering the reality of their situation. When sabotage was concerned, there was no pretty way to fix things. There was no magic rainbow beam that would solve all their problems; here, there was only counter-intelligence, and turning the saboteur’s plans against them...

After a short and angry ladder climb, Twilight Sparkle entered her bedroom, accessed her laptop, and sent a communications request to Equestria. She sat back, stretching out her wings, and watched the loading icon as it lazily spun on her screen. After a few moments, the icon faded away, and was replaced by an image of Celestia in her Canterlot bedroom.

“Twilight!” Celestia greeted, smiling. “How are you?”

“I’m… not so great, Celestia,” Twilight replied, causing Celestia’s grin to fade away. “I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up. It… feels like things have only gotten worse, despite the lack of any sabotage in almost a week.”

“None of you were trained to deal with something like this,” Celestia said, frowning. “It’s no surprise that nopony is taking this particularly well, but… I believe in you, Twilight. If anypony can keep the crew together, it’s you.”

“But… what if Ace is right?” Twilight asked, shaking her head. “I know that our first priority is finding the saboteur, so… so what if he is right? What if spying on the crew and invading their privacy is the best way?”

“Twilight, nothing is going to be certain until all of this is over,” the elder Princess replied. “When you return, I’m sure that dozens of scholars, historians, and tacticians are going to tear apart the ship reports, and find what you and Ace could have done better. But that does not matter; in the heat of the moment, you have to do what you feel is right, for yourself and for the crew. Sometimes your intuition may be wrong; the important part… the important part is to stick to your morals. Don’t allow yourself to become something terrible.” Celestia glanced away, and Twilight raised an eyebrow, a suspicion beginning to grow in her.

“Is everything okay with you?”

“I…” Celestia paused, forcing herself to look back into the camera. “... Yes, everything is fine. Remember what I said, Twilight. There is enough darkness in the world, do everything you can to avoid adding to it.” The screen went dark, and Twilight stared at where Celestia’s image had been, overcome with confusion. Between the uneasy expressions on Celestia’s face, and her careful word choices… Twilight had finally come to a conclusion: Celestia was hiding something.

As another thankfully uneventful day came to a close, the crew gathered back in the mess hall for their evening meal, all of them oblivious to the bugs hiding throughout the room. They chatted as if nothing was wrong, all of them trying to look past the ever-present threat of death, and the knowledge that somepony in the room was a traitor. This pleased Twilight; as long as chaos was avoided, the saboteur would have a far more difficult time remaining hidden.

She looked around the room, taking in the state of each pony. Star Step leaned her head on Cobalt’s shoulder, apparently no longer concerned with secrecy. Quick Fix wore a peaceful smile, remaining silent as Lightning Flash and Sharp Sight dominated a conversation about what hoofball team held the best chance at winning the upcoming tournament. Skychaser would occasionally interject with his own thoughts, and Vibrant Flame simply watched, content to remain silent. Twilight’s eyes narrowed as they crossed over Ace, who was watching the crew with an emotionless stare. Normally she would not pay his lack of emotion any mind, but given what she knew, it was difficult to see the Captain in the same light.

“Alright, that’s it,” Sharp Sight said, placing a hoof on the table. “When we get back to Equestria, you and I are going to a game. We’ll throw down some bits, and let’s see who wins. Deal?”

“Oh, Sharp Sight,” Lightning Flash mocked, barely holding back a smile, “I don’t think you want to bet against Fillydelphia this season. My own expert projections show them winning the next game.”

“Yeah, and you haven’t managed to predict the winner the past two years in a row,” Sharp shot back, smirking. “Face it, Manehattan’s got this one in the bag.” Lightning glared, pursing his lips, and finally nodded.

“Alright, Sharp,” he said, “you’ve got yourself a deal. When’s the first game after we return?”

“We get back in just under a month, right?” Sharp asked, receiving a nod. “Week after that. Doubt we’ll be able to make it, but we’ll see.”

“Anypony else in?” Lightning asked, looking around the table. “I’m sure the ESA would be more than happy to cover our ticket prices, after all we’ve been through.”

“Sure, why not?” Skychaser nodded. “Been too long since I’ve gone out for some fun, anyway.”

“Well, now I’m looking forward to this rescue,” Lightning Flash joked, smiling. “Damn, still seems so far away.”

“Only three days,” Star Step said. All eyes were immediately on her, and she froze, realizing her mistake. Twilight’s eyes widened, and she looked to the rest of the crew, waiting for their reactions.

“... What’s that?” Quick Fix asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I…” Star Step stammered, trying to force the words out. “I… I’m sorry…” The crew slowly turned their eyes to Twilight and the Captain, both of whom tried to maintain neutral expressions.

“... You lied to us,” Cobalt stated, a hint of anger creeping into his voice. “After you promised to be more transparent, you lied to us.” Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as Ace stood from his chair.

“Yes, I did,” he said. “And I accept full responsibility. I just hope that you will all take a moment to consider the position I was in; as long as the saboteur remains unknown, we’re all in danger.”

“Unbelievable,” Lightning Flash sighed, shaking his head. “Just when things were starting to go well again, you have to go and pull this shit. Anything else you’ve been hiding that you’d like to tell us?”

“No,” Twilight replied before Ace got a chance. “That was all. I’m sorry we lied, but please don’t let this drive a wedge between us. When the rescue ship arrives, we’re all going to need to work together, and that won’t happen if we’re at each other’s throats.”

“Take the rest of the night off, everypony,” Ace ordered. “Dismissed.” With a general anger, the crew departed the mess hall, leaving Ace, Twilight, and Skychaser alone. The three ponies stood in silence for a moment, each one considering their new situation.

“... You covered for me,” Twilight said, directing her attention to Ace. “You could have told them it was my lie, about the rescue.”

“And you could have told them about the bugs,” Ace replied. “I know what Princess Celestia has been saying to you, and she’s right. At every turn, this saboteur has made me look like a fool. My ability to inspire confidence has been… diminished. But you, Twilight, you can lead this crew home. I truly believe that.”

Twilight did not know what to say. She regarded the Captain with a mix of surprise and gratitude, not having expected his words. She took a step forward, and extended her hoof, saying, “We’ll do this together. This is your ship, after all.” Ace allowed a small smile to form, breaking his toughened exterior, and extended his own hoof to Twilight’s.

“Together,” he agreed. The Captain looked to the XO, who stood at attention. “Sky, Sharp Sight has been a bit overworked the past few days. Think you can cover for him tonight?”

“Yes, sir,” Skychaser nodded, trotting out of the room.

“Three days,” Ace said, crossing to the door as well. “Let’s make them productive. Goodnight, Twilight.”

“Goodnight, Ace.” The Captain exited, and Twilight sank to her haunches, thinking about how to proceed. They would need a bulletproof plan if the rescue was to go off without a hitch, but that would not be easy with how little information the saboteur had revealed. With how little they knew, and how close the rescue was to arriving, Twilight worried that more lies would have to be told if safety was to be guaranteed.

Princess Luna lazily floated a closed book away from her and to a nearby bookshelf, carefully tucking it between a few other dusty tomes, some of which had not been opened in a millenia. With how busy she had been over the past few years, Luna could not remember the last time she had allowed herself to sit back and enjoy a good book. The experience was a welcome one, but each time she turned a page, her mind turned to Twilight Sparkle, and her own affinity for books. In space, Luna knew the young Princess had little to read. Yet here she was, lounging in her Canterlot bedroom, enjoying time off like there were no worries in the world.

This is wrong, Luna thought. She jumped out of her bed and crossed to the mirror, made sure she was presentable, then summoned her regalia from a nearby closet. After a quick straightening of her mane, the Princess channeled as much energy as she could, and disappeared in a bright flash, reappearing far from the castle. The pale moonlight shone on the small fields of grass between buildings of the ESA complex, barely illuminating the quiet facility. At this hour, very few ponies would be at work. Security teams would be present, as they always were, and some of the Harmony staff would be monitoring the ship, but other than them, the campus was deserted. Luna liked the quiet; in moments of stress, the serenity was more than welcome.

“You’re supposed to be on vacation,” a voice said. Luna whirled around, finding her sister standing nearby, her horn still glowing with traces of magic from a teleportation spell.

“I’m already getting bored,” Luna said, turning away from Celestia. “There’s work to do. A vacation can wait.”

“What work is there for you to do, Luna?” Celestia asked, trotting next to her younger sister. “There are no funds to raise, teams to assemble, or meetings to attend. There is nothing for you to do that the ponies who work here cannot do. Let your staff do their jobs, and take a break.”

“I… can’t, ‘Tia,” Luna replied, shaking her head. “Knowing what we’ve done… I can’t just sit back and let other ponies fix our mistake. I need to help, if not for the crew’s sake, then for my own.”

“Fine,” Celestia sighed. “I know when I cannot win an argument against you. Just please, promise me that once all this is over, you’ll--”

“Princesses!” The two alicorns turned around, finding a gold-armored stallion sprinting in their direction, an urgent look on his face. He stopped by the Princesses, offering a short bow, before continuing. “You must come with me immediately! We have found something.”

A few minutes after being located by the guard, Celestia and Luna were ushered into a small storage area connected to one of the ESA complex’s larger buildings. A rusted metal door was flanked by two more guards, one of whom opened the door for the Princesses as they approached. Inside was a fourth guard, whose shadow was cast over a fifth pony, this one unknown. The Princesses stepped inside, drawing the attention of the guard.

“We found her trying to break into the lower fabrication building,” he explained, giving the mystery pony a swift kick in the side. The mare, whose lime-green coat was covered in scrapes and bruises, groaned at the kick, clutching her side. “We chased her, but she ran. Even once we had a decent grip on her, she struggled. Shouldn’t be a problem anymore, highnesses.” Luna frowned, lowering herself to get a better look at the prisoner. She did not recognize the mare, but with over eight-hundred ponies employed at the ESA, it was impossible for her to know everypony.

“Lower fabrication…” Luna repeated, thinking to herself.

“What’s in lower fabrication?” Celestia asked, looking to her sister.

“Anything too hazardous to build above-ground,” Luna replied. “Magic generators, engine parts… jump drives.” The prisoner coughed, and opened her shimmering purple eyes. With many questions entering her mind, Luna looked to the nearby guard. “Leave us.” The guard complied without question, stepping out of the storage pod and closing the door behind him. The small room was cast in shadow, broken by a warm orange light as Celestia lit her horn.

“What is your name?” the elder Princess inquired, lowering her head closer to the prisoner.

“Piss off…” the prisoner replied, her voice weak.

“Alright then, ‘Piss Off’,” Luna began, “what were you trying to do in lower fabrication?” The mare did not respond. “If you’re some sort of saboteur, you haven’t done a very good job. Five minutes of research would have informed you that the entire fabrication building is one of the most well-guarded structures in Equestria. So, what were you hoping to achieve?”

“I don’t… have to tell you… anything…” The prisoner closed her eyes once more, and struggled to turn her bruised body away from the Princesses.

“Luna,” Celestia whispered, pulling her head away from the mysterious mare. “I don’t like this. For the organization that managed to get somepony onto Harmony, this is sloppy work. Too sloppy.”

“What do you think?” Luna asked, glaring at their prisoner. This mare was still up to something, that much was clear.

“I don’t know… A diversion, maybe,” Celestia answered. “How many guards are patrolling the complex?”

“I don’t know, I put you in charge of that.” Celestia shook her head, frowning.

“We need to send some of them to double-check the fabrication building,” she said. “I think our prisoner here may have done something after all.”

“Good idea,” Luna agreed. She started to turn to open the door, but stopped when she noticed the prisoner slowly rising to her hooves. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Luna turned back to the prisoner.

“Wait…” she muttered, pausing to cough. “I just remembered… they said, if I got captured, I should… deliver a message…”

“Who told you to do this?” Celestia asked.

“My employers…” The prisoner cleared her throat, and finally lifted her head, making eye-contact with the two Princesses. “They wanted me to tell you… there are some sins… that can’t be washed away…” A sadistic smile grew on the mare’s face, and she laughed quietly to herself. Luna and Celestia stared at her, eyes wide, watching without blinking as her laughs devolved into another painful coughing fit. The prisoner fell, clutching her midsection, each cough worse than the last.

“We need to get her medical attention,” Celestia said. “There may be more she can tell us.”

“No!” the prisoner shrieked, blood beginning to spray from her mouth with every cough. “It’s too… late for that! I go… to be free now… Soon… all of Equestria… will follow…” With a final cough, the mare heaved upwards, her eyes rolling back in her head. She let out a sigh and fell to the floor, no longer making any sound.

“Damn it…” Luna cursed, placing a hoof on the prisoner’s neck. “She must have taken some sort of poison while being pursued by the guards…”

“She said ‘all of Equestria will follow’,” Celestia noted, her brow knitting together in thought. “What do you suppose she meant by that?”

“Who knows?” Luna answered, shrugging. “Most likely whatever lies she was fed by the leaders of the organization. They always need to promise something.”

“I’m not so sure…” Celestia turned, opening the door, and gestured for one of the guards to enter. “Deal with the corpse.” Saluting, the guard picked the body up with his telekinesis, and set off toward the complex’s medical facility. When he was gone, Celestia and Luna stepped out of the storage room, working their way back to the main section of the complex.

“I’m more concerned with the message she delivered,” Luna said as soon as the remaining guards were out of hearing range. “Some sins can’t be washed away. You don’t… you don’t think they know about our plan, do you?”

“I don’t see how they could,” Celestia replied. “But… I can’t think of many other explanations. We need to be extra vigilant, Luna. If these terrorists are beginning to suspect us of subterfuge, they will attempt to capitalize on it.” Luna shook her head, unconvinced.

“Without evidence, nopony would pay attention to their claims.”

“They got somepony onto Harmony. That may be all the evidence our ponies need.” The Princess of the Sun stopped in her tracks, looking to the star-filled sky. “It is getting late, I should return to Canterlot. Please, promise me you will be careful here.”

“Of course, sister,” Luna agreed, bowing her head. “I will conduct an investigation of the fabrication building. Goodnight, ‘Tia.” Celestia nodded her farewell, and disappeared in a flash of golden light. Luna turned away from the spot where her sister had been standing, her eyes settling on the fabrication building, several hundred meters away. Sighing, she began the walk to the building, wondering what the newest saboteur had done. With what these terrorists had proven themselves to be capable of, there was no telling what awaited her...

Author's Note

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday, and a very happy New Year!

A short chapter this week, but it paves the way for the next chapter, which is quite an exciting one. If you notice any spelling/grammar errors, or if you have some feedback, please let me know! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Princess Luna’s examined the device resting on the table before her, while her assistant, Calm Wind, gave a report. The Princess was only half listening, as she already knew most of the information: it had been found attached to one of the exterior power relays on the fabrication building, inconspicuously tucked beneath the wiring that powered the building’s communications systems. The device latched onto the fabrication building’s comms channels, jumped to the ESA complex’s primary communication array, and attempted to attach a data file to the ESA’s regularly-scheduled update to Harmony.

“Fortunately, a comms officer noticed the larger-than-usual upload size, and stopped the message before it was sent,” Calm Wind finished, lowering her clipboard and looking to Princess Luna. “Analysts are still examining the file, but they think it was a virus.”

“A virus…” Luna repeated, thinking to herself. So, the terrorists want to disable Harmony through digital warfare. Quite the long shot… Well, two can play at that game. The Princess looked to her assistant, a plan forming in her mind. “Send a message to Harmony, let them know to be on alert. Allocate as many analysts as you can to examine this virus; draw from other government departments if you have to. Contact me when something of value is found.” Calm Wind nodded, and rushed off to complete her task. Luna sighed, once again looking over the crude device. So, she thought, what can you tell us?

An incessant knocking on her bedroom door roused Twilight from her sleep; her tired amethyst eyes flicked to the door, and with a yawn, she pulled herself out of bed, glancing at the clock as her vision focused. It was early, but not so early that she was annoyed by the interruption. As long as the coffee flowed, Twilight had no qualms with being woken up slightly ahead of schedule.

Finally reaching the door, Twilight hit the control, revealing Skychaser in the corridor outside, his hoof raised mid-knock. He lowered his hoof, took a step back, and bowed his head. “Sorry about the interruption,” he said. “We just got an emergency communique from Equestria, you’re needed in the security room.” Now beginning to grow worried, Twilight motioned for Skychaser to lead, and followed the stallion out of her bedroom. She paid little attention to her surroundings as she climbed up the ladder, instead hypothesizing what could be the matter. With the rescue only a few days away, any new developments could spell disaster.

Stepping into the security office, Twilight found Ace and Sharp Sight already present, their eyes focused on different parts of the room. Ace was staring, unblinking, at the table in front of him, clearly deep in thought. Sharp Sight switched his focus every few seconds, his eyes landing on Twilight and Skychaser as they entered. Ace looked away from the table, blinking a few times, and offered a polite smile.

“Good morning,” he said. “Apologies for the abrupt awakening, but there was… a bit of a situation last night, at the ESA complex.”

“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked, her concern only growing. The rescue ship had already launched, but if the ESA itself was compromised, it would be far more difficult to get home.

“Yes, for now,” Ace replied. “A saboteur snuck in. She was caught by security, but not before she managed to plant a device in the comms system. This device uploaded a virus that could have crippled Harmony, though it was caught by a technician before going through. They’re still investigating, but Princess Luna has warned us to be extra careful.”

“When aren’t we being extra careful nowadays…” Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “Well, at least the virus was caught.”

“Yeah, but we got lucky,” Sharp Sight said. “If that technician hadn’t noticed the virus, we could all be dead right now.”

“Agreed,” Skychaser said. “We can’t keep sitting here, hoping that whatever the saboteur is planning will fail. They’ve left no clues that could indicate their identity, and none of our investigations have turned up anything. We need to change our strategy.

“Do you have an idea, XO?” Ace asked.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Sky replied. “You and I considered this earlier, but we decided it would interfere too greatly with the management of Harmony: we need to lock down the ship, permanently.”

“... Would that work?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. The solution seemed almost too simple.

“Most likely,” Ace answered, nodding. “The issue is, as Skychaser mentioned, the management of the ship. If something breaks down in engineering, and the entire ship is on maximum lockdown, it could take ten times as long to get down there to fix the problem. And if we lock everypony into the same room, we’ll force the saboteur to strike. There’s no way he or she could take down all of us, but they could still kill more of the crew before being apprehended. It’s… risky. But given how close we are to rescue, I’m inclined to let it happen.”

“Well… it’s your call, Ace,” Twilight said. “Nothing else has worked so far, and we’re running out of time. If this idea has a chance of succeeding, I say we do it.”

“Not yet,” Ace decided. “There’s still work to be done before rescue arrives. We need to make sure this ship is ready… I’ve got an idea: we’ll all pair up with somepony else on the crew, therefore keeping them under almost constant watch. Each pair will work on some task to make the ship rescue-ready, and hopefully they’ll all be done by the time rescue arrives. Then we can enable the lockdown, send Twilight and Vibrant out to get the replacement drive, have them install it, and be on our way.”

“That sounds good,” Sharp Sight said. “What sorts of tasks?” Ace paused, thinking to himself, then nodded, standing up.

“Princess,” he began, looking to Twilight, “you’ll take Quick Fix and work on mending the space suit used by Golden Bolt. Skychaser, work with Lightning Flash to confirm the homebound jumps are plotted correctly. Sharp Sight, I want you to take Star Step through storage and gather up the tools that will be needed. I’ll take Cobalt and Vibrant Flame, we’ll prep engineering for the arrival of the new jump drive. Everypony understand?” After receiving a round of nods, Ace slowly crossed to the door, pausing just before opening it. “We’ll report back here tonight. Be cautious; one of us is paired up with the saboteur, and they may try something.” He exited the room, followed shortly after by Skychaser and Sharp Sight. Twilight lingered for a moment, her thoughts reflected in her sour expression. Even if the rescue ship arrived and the jump drive was installed without difficulty, there was still fifteen additional days of space travel to return home. These solutions only went up to the rescue, not beyond. There was still plenty of time for disaster to strike…

“Right this way, highness,” Calm Wind said, leading Princess Luna down one of the many corridors in the ESA’s IT department building. The Princess tried to hide her scowl, knowing perfectly well how to get to their destination. She had seen this entire complex built from the ground up, and knew every room, every corridor. Yet still she relented, knowing Calm Wind was only doing her job. In these stressful times, Luna was grateful to have a personal assistant in the first place.

They came to a wood door at the end of the hallway, and Calm Wind lit her horn, opening it for the Princess. Luna stepped inside, finding herself at the attention of several technicians, all of whom were huddled around a single laptop. The group dispersed at her entrance, each pony bowing.

“Rise,” Luna ordered. “What have you found?” The group was silent, until finally one decided to step forward and answer the inquiry.

“We’ve gotten past the base encryption,” he replied, waving Luna over to the laptop with a hoof. On the screen was a file directory, filled with hundreds of randomly named folders and files. “From what we’ve managed to decipher, this virus would have crippled nearly every system on the ship; comms, life support, engines, all of it. But… I’m not sure how they thought it would get through. On average, our updates to Harmony take about twenty minutes to upload. Considering this file size, it would have taken nearly four hours. There’s no way it would have gone through without one of our ponies noticing.”

Luna smirked, allowing herself a bit of pleasure at the implications. They are getting desperate, she thought. Turning her gaze to the technician, another question entered her mind. “How did these terrorists manage to construct a virus that could take down the most advanced ship ever built? Millions of bits went into developing the cybersecurity software on her computers, was that all for nothing?”

“No, your highness,” another technician answered, working her way through the group to the laptop. “It… looks like somepony leaked the source code for Harmony’s OS to the terrorist organization.” At this, Luna’s smirk disappeared. She made a mental note to have each member of the IT department questioned, then returned her focus to the task at hoof.

“Has anything else been discovered?” she asked. The first technician nodded, opening up one of the folders in the directory.

“We think we might have found some sort of message,” he replied. “It’s heavily encrypted, but we’ve almost cracked it. Wise over there is programming our workaround now.” The technician pointed to another stallion, this one isolated from the rest, typing away on a laptop.

“It’s compiling now,” the stallion reported, without looking away. “And… good enough, I’m sending it to you.” Nodding, the first technician accessed the program that he had been sent, and executed it. Luna watched as a progress bar appeared on the screen, beneath which was a console, logging every function completed by the program. When it finished, the progress bar faded away, and the technician accessed a new folder, unencrypted by the program.

“Nice work,” he said, his eyes scanning over the new files. “Yup, a few text documents here, definitely a message. Would you like to open them, Princess?”

“... Give me the room,” Luna commanded, sitting down in front of the laptop. Without question, the technicians filed out, leaving the Princess alone with the computer. She opened the first text document, and was met with a paragraph spanning a few lines. Her eyes skimmed over the words, looking for anything concrete.

… need more results… rescue arriving soon… ship must be stopped… best of luck…

The Princess froze. Her eyes settled on a single word at the end of the message. No, she thought, not a word. Not a word at all…

A name.

Cobalt stifled a yawn, lazily using a broom to sweep small bits of debris off of the engineering room floor. Ace and Vibrant Flame worked nearby, cleaning up the area around the burnt chassis of the old jump drive. Cobalt sighed; if the Captain was this desperate for his crew to perform busywork, he could have at least picked something more enjoyable than sweeping. Vibrant Flame was no happier than Cobalt; the engineer’s stress levels were at an all-time high, brought about by the prospect of installing a new jump drive.

“I really don’t think I’m qualified for this,” he demurred, receiving another eye-roll from Ace. “I mean, I was the… the assistant engineer, not chief. I… I have no idea how to do this!”

“We have very comprehensive instructions from the ESA detailing how to install the drive,” Ace reassured Vibrant, beginning to sound annoyed. “Plus, you’ll have Twilight helping you. Stop worrying.”

“But I--”

“Vibrant!” Ace stopped what he was doing and crossed to the timid engineer, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible. “If I didn’t think you could do this, I would ask somepony else. But I do think you can do this, so stop questioning it. Understood?”

“I… Yes, sir.” Vibrant hung his head, and continued clearing out the charred bits of metal from the jump drive chassis. Cobalt got back to work as well, sweeping all of the debris into small bags he had placed around the room. Why wasn’t this all cleaned up immediately after the explosion? He thought, scowling. His attention shifted upward as the intercom came online, as did the attentions of Vibrant and Ace.

“Captain,” Skychaser’s voice said, coming over the intercom, “please report to the bridge immediately.”

“What is it?” Ace asked, an eyebrow raised.

“You’ll want to come find out for yourself, sir.” Sighing, Ace looked between Vibrant and Cobalt, clearly thinking through the situation.

“We’ll be fine down here, Captain,” Cobalt said. “You go on ahead.” Still appearing apprehensive, Ace paused for another moment, before finally he trotted out of engineering, disappearing down the corridor outside. Cobalt returned to his sweeping, no longer caring enough to avoid yawning, and tried to think about something more interesting.

“... I hope everything’s okay,” Vibrant Flame said, trying his best to spark a conversation.

“Well, if something is wrong, hopefully he won’t try to keep it hidden,” Cobalt replied, though his hopes were not high. The Captain had nothing to gain by sharing information, and no matter how much he claimed he valued the crew’s ‘trust,’ he was fooling nopony. In Ace’s ideal world, nopony on the ship would raise questions. The crew would be perfect subservient machines, carrying out their tasks without hesitation. That was likely how it had been in the Captain’s black ops days, but those days were no more. Now Ace had weaknesses, and Cobalt fully intended to exploit each and every one of them…

“What is it?” Ace asked, trotting onto the bridge with a poorly-concealed look of annoyance. Skychaser stood near the comms station, while Lightning Flash stood outside of the bridge, trying to look interested in something else.

“It’s… a message, sir,” Skychaser reported, troubled. Ace allowed his annoyed look to drop, replacing it with one of confusion. “From Princess Luna… here.” The XO pressed the play button, and a video of Luna appeared on the screen.

“Harmony!” she said urgently, her eyes wide. “The saboteur is--”

The video froze. It flickered away to static, and a ‘connection lost’ message appeared on the screen, blinking in and out every few seconds. Ace narrowed his eyes, growing troubled as well. He looked to his XO, not needing to ask the question on his mind.

“I tried re-establishing the connection, but it wouldn’t work,” Skychaser said. “I ran a diagnostic as well; the entire comms system is down, and I think it was caused by the virus we were warned about earlier. I found some unknown processes running in the diagnostics, and I couldn’t shut them down.”

“... She found out who the saboteur is…” Ace whispered, looking back to the screen. “She knows… Skychaser, I don’t care what is wrong with comms, I want it fixed now. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir, but I’m not well-versed in these systems,” the XO said. “If I could get Star Step or Cobalt to help--”

“No!” Ace interrupted, slamming his hoof onto the deck. “We don’t know who we can trust. I trust you, Skychaser, so I want you to do this. There are basic user guides on the computers, and troubleshooting softwares as well. Use those resources, and find a solution. Do you understand!?”

“I… Yes, sir,” Skychaser said, nodding. “I’ll keep you apprised.”

“See that you do.” Ace turned and stalked out of the bridge, making no attempt to mask his frustration. He began climbing back down the ladder, hoping that nothing had gone wrong in engineering in his absence. Without comms, their situation was infinitely more complicated. If something was to go wrong, Harmony would be entirely on her own…

When Twilight returned to the security office after the rest of the crew had gone to bed, she felt at even more of a loss than she had in the morning. The news of Princess Luna’s message, combined with the lack of a functioning comms system, made their task far more complicated. The rescue ship was arriving in under a day, and yet she did not feel ready. Harmony had been fully prepped for the zebra ship’s arrival, but Twilight could not help but feel that something would go wrong. The saboteur would not sit back and let them return home without a fight. More pain was yet to come, though Twilight hoped it could be prevented.

“I just thought of something,” Sharp Sight said, breaking the silence that had formed among the ponies in the security office. “What if the lockdown isn’t enough? This saboteur is quite capable, they may find a way around it.”

“Everypony will be stuck in the same room while Twilight and Vibrant are installing the drive,” Ace answered. “There’s no way he or she will get through all of us.”

“But what if they do?” Sharp asked, frowning. “They could have a plan for this, some sort of backup to disable a lockdown. Plus, there’s no doubt that the saboteur expects this to be a one way trip, so I highly doubt that self-preservation is high on their priority list.”

“... He has a point, Captain,” Skychaser said. “I have no idea how to fix comms, so we need to accept the fact that Princess Luna won’t be here to help us if something goes wrong. It couldn’t help to prepare some contingencies.”

“... Alright,” Ace agreed, nodding. “We’ll set traps, then. Magic stun mines at the entrances to engineering - all entrances. That includes vents and maintenance shafts. Twilight, I trust you can cast those?”

“I can,” Twilight said, “but I’ll need to disable them every time somepony has to cross.”

“Do what you need to do,” Ace said. The Captain crossed to the door, stopping just shy of exiting. “We’re running low on time here. Everypony remain vigilant, and we’ll get through this alive.”

“I’ll stay in security for a few hours tonight,” Sharp Sight offered. “I can also take a look at the comms system if you want, sir.”

“I’d appreciate that, Sharp,” Ace said. “Everypony else, let’s get some rest. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.” He exited the room, trotting down the hall toward the ladder. Twilight followed, as did Skychaser, each of them sharing a troubled glance. There was only one more day until the rescue would arrive; one more day that Harmony was trapped, one more day until the return journey could begin.

And still plenty more days for everything to go wrong.

Is your connection secure?

Yes, I’ve accessed the virus. I am the only one on Harmony capable of using comms.

Good. And the bugs?

If Ace hid one in my room, I haven’t found it yet. But I am looking, don’t worry.

Good. Then how goes your mission? As I understand, little time remains until the rescue arrives.

I… do not know. I am running out of both time and options. As Ace becomes more and more desperate, his actions become more extreme. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he put the whole damn ship in lockdown. But I’m not sure what else I can do; I won’t hit the jump drive again, that’s way too obvious. Unfortunately, that leaves me with very few options. There’s nothing onboard that can cause nearly as much damage as an exploding jump drive.

Know that you are not alone, Cobalt. We are working down here as well, trying to find something for you. In the meantime, we do have one idea, but you must act quickly. Now, if possible.

Now? What is it?

Listen closely…

Sharp Sight held back a yawn, glancing over the clock at the corner of the security terminal’s main screen. It was half past two in the morning, and still he had seen nothing suspicious on the cameras. No freeze-ups, no false reports, nothing. The ship was as quiet as ever. Unfortunately, he had also made little progress on the comms system. I guess one introductory-level computer science course isn’t enough to understand a complex virus, he thought, yawning.

Deciding that he had done enough work for the night, the security chief stood up from his chair, stretched his silver wings, and turned to the door. Nopony had come to visit him in the night, which Sharp took to be a good sign. The quieter the ship was, the better. He opened the door and stepped out, turning around to seal the door behind him. But just before his hoof came into contact with the keypad, he felt a heavy impact on the back of his head, and knew no more.

Cobalt watched Sharp Sight’s body crumple to the floor, taking a moment to check that he was all clear before picking the stallion up and dragging him back into the security office. Cobalt planted Sharp’s hoof onto a pad on the security terminal, watching as the lock was lifted and the computer was opened to him. Smiling, Cobalt took a seat in front of the computer, scanning through the various programs for the one he sought.

There we go, he thought, coming to the security profile management program. From this program, unique security IDs could be assigned to each member of the crew, each ID granting different levels of security access. Those at the top, such as Ace or Skychaser, had unrestricted access to the entire ship. Ponies like Cobalt could only lock and unlock their bedroom doors. But that’s about to change, Cobalt thought. He withdrew a pen and paper from his saddlebags, and quickly copied down the security codes for Ace, Skychaser, Sharp Sight, and Twilight. Then, he reset the computer to the state it had been in when he entered, dragged Sharp back outside, and closed the door. His eyes passed over the nearest security camera, its feed frozen by Cobalt’s jammer. He allowed himself a victorious grin, though it slowly faded away as he moved his gaze to the unconscious security chief. He knew what had to be done.

No loose ends, Cobalt thought. He channeled a significant amount of energy to his horn and, using his telekinesis, lifted Sharp Sight a few feet off the ground by his head. Taking a deep breath, Cobalt slammed Sharp’s head against the nearest wall, wincing as an audible crack filled the corridor. A small splatter of blood was left where the chief’s head had impacted, and Cobalt released his grip, sending the stallion falling back to the floor. Cobalt stared at the body for a few moments, then shook his head and looked away.

Alright, he thought, working his way back to the ladder. Now time to prepare…

Princess Luna paced back and forth throughout her office, making no attempt to hide her worried expression. To the pony who knew her best, it was clear that Luna was nothing short of terrified. Celestia stood nearby, managing to maintain her composure slightly better than her sister. Yet both of them were thinking the same thoughts: Cobalt was the saboteur, and Harmony was unreachable.

“... I really fucked this up, didn’t I?” Luna asked, coming to a halt. Celestia raised an eyebrow, urging her sister to go on. “I should have waited. The comm techs told me there was a risk that the virus could have multiplied, that it still may be present in our systems, but I didn’t listen. I was too hasty, and now I’ve ruined everything.”

“Not all is lost, Luna,” Celestia reassured her sister, crossing to the troubled Princess. “We know that only a part of the virus made it through. Harmony could still be active, we just have to hope that they can make it home on their own.”

“They won’t be able to communicate with us again until they’re in orbit,” Luna said. “In orbit, the Phoenix capsule’s comm system will be in range again. But… there’s no guarantee they’ll make it that far. For all we know, the part of the virus that survived also cut off their life support. They could… they could all be dead right now.”

“How long until the zebra ship is supposed to arrive at their location?” Celestia asked.

“Fourteen hours.”

“Could we not send a message to the zebra ship, letting them know who the saboteur is, and hope that the Harmony crew notices it when they board?” Luna frowned, shaking her head.

“We stripped the zebra ship’s comm system to make room for the jump drive,” she explained. “Another of my stupid ideas. Why do I keep having such stupid ideas?”

“Luna, you’re being too hard on yourself,” Celestia said, placing a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “There is nothing we can do about Harmony right now. But there is still work to be done. Now that we know Cobalt is the saboteur, we can use that. We can check over his background information again, we can find out who his confederates are, and we can stop them. It may not be all that we need, but it’s a start.”

“I… You’re right, sister,” Luna admitted, nodding. “Forgive me, my conduct is entirely unbecoming of my position.”

“There’s still a few hours until morning,” Celestia began. “Why don’t you get a bit of sleep? In the meantime, I can organize an investigation. I will get my most trusted ponies on this job; we don’t want to risk more sabotage, now do we?” Luna smirked, shaking her head.

“No, I suppose we don’t.” The Princess of the Night flexed her wings, and her horn began to glow. “Wake me when you’re about to raise the sun. Goodnight, sister.” With a flash of light, Luna was gone, and Celestia was alone. The Princess of the Sun sighed, crossing to the window of her sister’s office. Outside, the space center was just beginning to wake up. The ponies with the earliest shifts were arriving, though their jobs would be considerably more difficult without comms from Harmony.

Celestia allowed her mind to wander, and soon she found her thoughts coming to Twilight Sparkle. It had been a few days since their last conversation, but it felt like a lifetime ago. In so short a space of time, it was amazing how quickly events could pass by. Barely eight months ago, Celestia was telling Twilight that she would be joining the Harmony mission. She had been so excited, so ignorant of Celestia’s true plans.

Some sins cannot be washed away, Celestia thought, remembering the recent saboteur’s words. Too true… I will tell her someday. She deserves to know. Someday, the whole world deserves to know what I have done…

Twilight’s alarm went off earlier than usual, shattering the silence that had taken hold of her room and sending the Princess shooting forward in her bed. Her tired eyes angrily passed over her alarm clock, and she slammed a hoof down onto the “off” button, wondering what had possessed it to go off a whole hour before her usual wakeup time. Only once she was out of bed and on her hooves did Twilight remember that she had set the alarm back herself, with the intention of getting a headstart on what was, arguably, the biggest day of the “expedition.”

Stifling a yawn, Twilight stepped out of her room, meeting an equally-tired Ace in the otherwise empty corridor. The earliest crew shift did not start for another hour, though Twilight knew that the Captain was no stranger to early mornings. Ace greeted Twilight with a nod, which Twilight returned in kind. They walked in silence to the ladder, each stopping before stepping inside.

“Where are you headed, Princess?” Ace asked, motioning for her to go first. Twilight stepped inside, grabbing onto the rungs, and started to pull herself up.

“I’m going to check on Sharp Sight, assuming he’s still up there,” she replied. “What about you?”

“I had the same idea,” Ace said, climbing into the ladder once Twilight was a fair distance up. The Princess exited at the next deck, crossing over to the door that would lead to the security section. Ace followed, and Twilight opened the door. Before she could take a step through, her eyes fell on the silver body of Sharp Sight, lying in a small pool of blood next to the security office door. While she was rooted in place, Ace’s training kicked in, and he ran to the fallen security chief, placing a hoof to the pegasus’s neck.

“... Is he…?” Twilight trailed off, watching in a stunned silence as Ace simply nodded. The Captain stepped away, his eyes darting back and forth around the corridor. He slowly circled Sharp’s body, stopping by the security office door.

“What… what do we do?” Twilight asked, finally managing to step forward. Ace opened the door and stepped inside, his vigilant eyes scanning for anything out of place. Without saying a word, he crossed to the main terminal and leaned into the microphone.

“Skychaser, please report to the security office,” he said. He flicked a switch, changing the comm channel, and leaned back toward the mic. “Quick Fix, please report to the security office.” Twilight remained outside, unable to step past Sharp’s body, or even look at him. She tried to maintain her composure, but given the circumstances, this seemed an impossible task.

“... He’s gone,” she whispered to herself, trying to come to terms with this new development. Golden Bolt and Astral Breeze had been difficult enough, but after several days of relative peace and quiet, this was shattering.

Twilight’s eyes were drawn to the ladder as Skychaser and Quick Fix climbed out, and watched as their expressions changed from ones of confusion to ones of shock. They both ran to the fallen security chief, and Fix placed her hoof on his neck, kneeling by him.

“Don’t bother,” Ace said, exiting the security office. “Fix, please handle this.”

“I… Yes, sir,” Fix replied, nodding. She gingerly lifted Sharp Sight’s body, carrying him back to the ladder. Skychaser remained by the door, staring at his hazy reflection in the small pool of blood on the floor.

“... What are we going to do about this?” he asked, finally glancing away. “We’re down another pony. More than that, we’re down both of our security officers. How are we supposed to proceed now?”

“As we always were,” Ace stated. “Sharp Sight is dead, and nothing will change that. The rescue ship is arriving in less than ten hours, and we cannot change that either. We don’t have a choice in how to proceed, we have to follow our original plan. Twilight, you and Vibrant need to prep. Get the lower cargo airlock ready, check that the EVA suits are properly sealed, and make sure the route from the airlock to engineering is clear. Speaking of engineering, did you--”

“I set the traps last night, yes,” Twilight interrupted. “But we’re just going to brush this off? We’re going to ignore that the saboteur killed another pony, broke into security, did Celestia-knows-what, and is once again roaming freely around the ship? We’re just going to proceed like nothing happened?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Ace asked, glaring. “Once you and Vibrant have finished your pre-mission check, we’ll start the lockdown. Everypony will be restricted to the bridge, where there are no places to hide, and the ship will be sealed while you and Vibrant recover the replacement jump drive.”

“And after that?” Twilight countered. “Assuming the jump drive is installed, and we make the first jump in our journey home, what then? Do we just keep the ship on lockdown for the next fifteen days? You and I both know that’s impossible, and we don’t want to force the saboteur’s hoof, thus risking the lives of others on this crew. We need a real solution, something safe and bulletproof.”

“I’ll ask again,” Ace said, “do you have another idea?” Twilight paused, allowing herself a moment of thought. Finally she sighed, defeated.

“No,” she admitted, “I don’t. But we need to do something. We can’t… We can’t just let the saboteur get away with all of this...”

“I agree,” Skychaser said. “But let me and the Captain handle that. You need to focus on the jump drive; it’ll be just you and Vibrant on this, so be careful.”

“Right...” Twilight conceded, sighing. “I’ll… head on down, then. Vibrant’s shift should be starting by now, we can start our prep. If anything changes… if you find anything, let me know.” Ace nodded in agreement, and Twilight exited the security office, climbing down the ladder to engineering. She stepped into the empty engineering control room, and as soon as the door slid shut behind her, she collapsed to the floor, finally allowing her tears to flow.

Another pony died under your ‘protection’, she thought, trying to muffle the sounds of her sobs. Another pony that you have failed. You cannot do this. You cannot lead, and you cannot save this crew.

“Princess?”

Twilight abruptly straightened her back, and turned to see the now-open doorway, where Vibrant Flame stood. She wiped her eyes, hoping the engineer did not notice her sorry state, and turned to fully face him, offering an obviously-forced smile.

“Good morning, Vibrant,” she greeted, motioning for him to enter as she temporarily disabled the stun trap on the door. “Are you ready to begin prep?”

“Yes,” Vibrant replied, nodding. He entered the room, giving Twilight a concerned stare. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am,” Twilight lied, knowing the redness of her eyes was impossible to excuse. She turned away, trying to focus on something else.

“You don’t look alright,” Vibrant said. “Did something happen? If you’re allowed to tell me, I mean...” Twilight paused, contemplating the question. Was it wise to tell Vibrant about Sharp, with their duty quickly approaching?

“... I’ll explain while we work,” Twilight replied, deciding that Vibrant had a right to know. “Now, you’re the engineering expert here. I’ll let you lead.” Vibrant nodded, and returned to the control room door.

“Alright. First, we need to go to the lower cargo airlock and make sure it’s completely empty. The jump drive is large; it should fit in the airlock, but we’ll need to partially disassemble it to fit it through the corridors. I… guess we can start there.” Motioning for Vibrant to lead the way, Twilight followed the engineer out of the door, setting the stun trap once again.

The Princess frowned; they were approaching a pivotal moment in the mission for their survival. If the crew could get through this, morale would hopefully be improved enough to carry them back to Equus. And yet, every time things started to go right, something awful always seemed to happen; the loss of comms, Sharp Sight… Twilight shuddered to imagine what else could go wrong in the next fifteen days. One thing was certain, however: no more assistance would come from Equestria. If Harmony was to return home safe and sound, it would be entirely up to the crew…

“Rescue ship ETA is seven minutes, Captain,” Star Step reported from her station at the front of the bridge. Ace nodded, his vigilant eyes scanning the sea of stars laid out before him. He also discreetly looked over the crew, watching for any suspicious behaviors. With the exception of Twilight and Vibrant Flame, the entire crew was present on the bridge, each one occupying a different station. The news of the lockdown, combined with the news of Sharp Sight’s death, was more than enough to upset the crew. But they had to stay focused; if any part of this process went wrong, the rescue would be a failure.

“Be watching the scanners, Lightning,” Ace ordered. “Have all engines ready to reposition us; once that ship jumps in, I want us as close as possible, to make Twilight and Vibrant’s job much easier.”

“Yes, sir,” Lightning Flash said, lacking any of his usual mirth. Ace frowned, knowing how his crew was feeling. Loss was never easy, especially among a group that had been together for two years. That, combined with the fact that somepony on the crew was responsible, was enough to destroy anypony’s hopes. The Captain hoped that Twilight’s mission would be successful; for if they could begin the jumps home, morale was certain to improve.

Ace pressed a button on his chair, opening a comms channel to the lower cargo airlock. “Twilight, Vibrant, are you two ready down there?” On a screen in front of him was the security feed from a camera in the airlock, showing two spacesuit-clad ponies standing by the thick metal doors that separated the pressurized room from the vacuum of space. From the camera’s angle, it was impossible to tell who was who, but as one of the suits turned around, Twilight’s face became visible.

“All set, Ace,” she replied. “How are we on time?”

“Just a couple more minutes,” Ace said. “Hang tight. When you’re out there, keep your radios on constantly. If anything goes wrong, I want to know immediately. Understood?”

“Understood.” Twilight turned back around, facing the door once again. Ace sighed, and returned his gaze to the bridge viewport, watching for any signs of activity. And finally, after a few minutes of watching, he saw it.

A few kilometers away, space seemed to distort, collapsing inward like the gravitational lensing of a black hole. This was followed by a brief flash, which revealed a small object, just barely large enough to see from such a distance. Ace leaned forward in his chair, his eyes never leaving the viewport.

“Lightning?” he asked.

“Reading, sir,” Lightning Flash said. “... ID confirmed, it’s the zebra ship. She’s holding steady nineteen kilometers away, eighteen degrees off our bow.”

“Close the gap,” Ace ordered, mentally visualizing how to proceed. Harmony’s massive solar panels would present an issue, but nothing that could not be worked around. “Bring our starboard side along the zebra ship, with a distance of two hundred meters.”

“Yes, sir,” Lightning said, his hooves working the controls. Outside the viewport, the tiny dot that was the zebra ship slowly began to grow larger.

“Cobalt,” Ace began, looking to the technical officer, “begin decompression of the lower cargo airlock. Keep the door closed for now.” Cobalt nodded, and performed the task given to him. Ace took a breath, trying to focus entirely on the task at hoof.

“Alright…” he said. “Let’s get this done.”

The airlock door slowly slid open, and Twilight stared in awe at the new ship a few hundred meters across from her. Compared to Harmony it was tiny, like a needle next to a sewing machine. But the feature that demanded awe was not the ship’s size, but the jump drive installed between several metal supports in the center of the ship. As Harmony drifted closer, it became even clearer why this ship would never have worked for a conventional rescue. It was, at the widest, six meters across, and barely a third the length of Harmony. Plates had been stripped off of many sections, revealing the spots where other components had been gutted to make way for the jump drive. The ship looked like it had barely made it on autopilot; Twilight did not want to imagine what would have happened if it was crewed.

“Twilight, Vibrant, do you read?” Ace asked, his voice crackling through the earpiece in Twilight’s helmet.

“We read,” Twilight replied, stepping up to the edge of the door. Behind her, Vibrant moved to the back of the airlock, where three tethers were secured to a set of wheels.

“We’ve come to a full stop, two hundred meters from the ship. You are cleared to begin jump drive retrieval. Good luck, you two.” Twilight felt something bumping her suit, and turned around to find Vibrant securing one of the tethers to a hook on her back. Lighting her horn, Twilight did the same for her companion, then grabbed the third tether and sent it floating out the airlock, its magnetic end pointed toward the zebra ship.

“Ready for this?” Twilight asked, watching as the magnetic tether neared the zebra ship.

“As I’ll ever be,” Vibrant answered, sounding far more anxious than usual.

After a few more minutes of floating, the magnetic tether finally impacted the zebra ship, securing itself to the metallic frame and drawing itself taut. Twilight grabbed on, and tentatively took her first step out of Harmony, pulling herself along the tether toward the zebra ship. Vibrant followed, and Twilight could hear his nervous breathing in her earpiece. Twilight tried to ignore it, focusing entirely on the zebra ship, which was growing larger by the second. The jump drive was in the center of her vision, a silver sphere secured in the center of two gyroscopic rings. Our ticket home, she thought.

Finally Twilight reached the end of the tether, and she outstretched her hooves to grab onto the zebra ship. The magnetic gloves sealed to the metallic surface of the ship, and Twilight pulled herself closer, drawing her back legs in as well. Soon she was on all-fours, looking back at Harmony and watching as Vibrant pulled himself closer to the zebra ship.

“You’re almost there, Vibrant,” Twilight reassured, offering a smile. “Just focus on me.” Vibrant gulped nervously and nodded, continuing to pull himself along the tether. Each movement he made was slow and cautious, but inch by inch he made his way to the zebra ship. Finally he pulled himself alongside Twilight, his hooves magnetizing to the metal surface as well.

“Okay…” Vibrant said, releasing a heavy breath. “Let’s… get to work. First we… we need to undo all the power connections… There should be four large cables toward the pack, then four more up front, those connect to the onboard computers. After that we… we can unscrew the mounts, and take it to Harmony.”

“You’re the expert here,” Twilight said. “Just tell me what to do.” Nodding, Vibrant began taking small steps forward, heading for the back of the jump drive. Twilight followed, though her eyes were not on the engineer. Rather, she was focused on Harmony, her worry growing once more. She looked to the bridge viewport, hoping to see inside, but the polarized window offered only a reflection of space. Twilight looked away, noticing that Vibrant had stopped moving by a set of cables. He leaned down, and retrieved a tool from his space suit’s belt.

“Okay…” he said. “Let’s get to work.”

Ace’s focus was on the bridge viewport, watching the tiny figures of Twilight and Vibrant as they floated around the jump drive, prepping it for transfer to Harmony. The rest of the crew was silent, trying to keep themselves busy while restricted to the bridge. This was the part that Ace had dreaded: the waiting. At this time, there was nothing for anypony to do but wait. And when ponies did not have things to do, they would invent tasks for themselves. Normally this was acceptable, but on a ship with a saboteur present, Ace did not want anything unexpected to happen.

“... So how long are we being kept here?” Lightning Flash asked, drawing Ace’s attention away from the viewport.

“As long as it takes for Twilight and Vibrant to get the jump drive installed,” the Captain answered, eliciting a huff of annoyance from the pilot. “I know it’s not ideal, but we need to ensure maximum safety while this is going on.”

“So what, are we going to be locked in this room until we arrive back at Equus?” Cobalt asked, irritated. Ace glared, and turned to the tech specialist.

“No, the lockdown will be lifted once the first jump is complete,” he stated. “After that, however, we will be taking some more precautionary methods. For one, nopony is allowed to travel alone for the remainder of the mission. You must have somepony with you when you are out of your bedrooms.”

“What?” Star Step asked, nonplussed. “That’s ridiculous! So, what, I’m supposed to take a shower with somepony holding my hoof?” Other members of the crew nodded, stating their agreements with Star’s point. Ace gave Skychaser a knowing look, telling the XO to handle this one.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Skychaser barked angrily. “This is for your own good, so you’d all do well to accept it and move on. We’ve only got fifteen days left on this ship; once we return to Equestria, you won’t have to deal with this anymore.” This did little to ease the rest of the crew, though it did successfully resume the silence. Frowning, Ace returned to looking out of the viewport. Twilight and Vibrant were still at work; at this rate, it would be several hours before the jump drive was aboard Harmony, let alone installed and ready to go. Sighing, the Captain turned and crossed to his chair. He took a seat, resigned to many more hours of lockdown…

… Call Started…

“Is this line secure?”

“Yes, we’re all set up.”

“Good. Cobalt is not responding, and it is likely that the rescue ship has arrived. He is low on options. What can you do for him?”

“Give us time, more comm bandwidth, and direct contact with Cobalt, and we can do anything.”

“You’ll have it all. Let’s not disappoint; the future of Equestria is depending on us.”

Call ended.

“Beginning power startup,” Vibrant Flame reported, flipping a switch in the engineering control room. Through the control room’s large window, Twilight saw a set of lights activate on the newly-installed jump drive, and the gyroscopic rings slowly began to spin. She smiled and looked to Vibrant, noticing that the engineer seemed pleased as well.

“So, how long before we can jump?” she asked.

“A few hours, minimum,” Vibrant replied. “It needs to cool down, and I want to run diagnostics to make sure it’s interfacing with our systems correctly. But, for now, I think we can assume that this was a mission success.” Twilight’s smile only grew, and thoughts of home filled her mind. For the first time since the original drive exploded, seeing home once again was a real possibility.

“Well, let’s not leave everypony waiting,” she said, eagerly crossing to the door. Vibrant followed her out and to the ladder, where they climbed all the way up to deck one. But as Twilight exited the ladder well, her smile faded as sounds of angry voices filtered through the bridge door. Now cautious once again, she opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately the angry voices grew louder, and Twilight took in the state of the room. Ace and Skychaser were near the door, while the rest of the crew was opposite them, near the viewport. With the amount of overlapping voices, Twilight could not make out anything specific, but she knew she had to make a move.

“ENOUGH!” she shouted at a volume that could almost be compared to the Royal Canterlot Speaking Voice. The angry voices of the crew immediately stopped, and Twilight found all eyes were focused on her. Forcing herself to calm down, Twilight stepped into the center of the bridge and took a look around. “What’s going on here?”

“We’ve been stuck on this damned bridge for eighteen hours,” Lightning Flash snarled, glaring. “I’m hungry, I’m bored, and I sure as fuck have to use the bathroom. So let us out!” Ace turned around, surprising Twilight with how desperate he looked. This clearly had been going on for a while.

“How long until we can jump?” he asked.

“A… few hours,” Twilight replied. She looked to the rest of the crew, forcing a smile. “Do you hear that? In a few hours, we’ll be able to jump. Just hold out for a few more hours, alright? Then you’ll be free to walk around the ship again.”

“Yeah, with somepony else constantly monitoring us,” Cobalt said. “Is there any way we can speed things up, here?” Twilight turned to Vibrant, allowing him to answer the question.

“N-no,” he answered, shrinking away at the sudden attention. “The… the drive has to cool down, or w-we’ll all get hit b-by enough r-radiation to… to kill all of us.” The crew groaned in disappointment, clearly out of patience.

“Just look on the bright side, everypony,” Twilight urged. “Once we jump, it’s just fifteen days until we get home. Soon enough, this will all be over. But we need to stick together, and keep the peace, for if disharmony reigns, the saboteur will have an easy time killing us all.” Although the crew still appeared annoyed, Twilight’s words were successful in temporarily calming tensions. The crew returned to their various stations, resigned to wait for a few more hours.

Twilight took a seat next to Ace’s chair, rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn. Lightning had said eighteen hours; Twilight had not realized so much time had passed while working, but now her fatigue was catching up with her. Her eyelids drooped, and she slowly sunk to the floor, unable to fight off the call of sleep. With her last ounces of energy, she looked to Ace, her vision blurry.

“Wake me when it’s time…” she mumbled. Her chin came to rest on her forehooves, and her eyes slowly closed. And barely a second later, the Princess was asleep.

The bridge was quiet. Most of the crew was asleep, but those who remained awake were keeping to themselves, either lost in thought or simply staring out into space. Ace forced his eyes to remain open, even though his body begged for rest. He kept a close watch on the crew, watching for anything suspicious; if the saboteur wanted to strike, they could maximize deaths when most ponies were asleep. But as the hours ticked by, nopony moved. The bridge was quiet, and calmer than it had been all day.

The silence was shattered as a single beep sounded, its origin Lightning’s navigational computer. The pilot, who had dozed off, jumped to an alert state at the sound, and carefully read over the notification that had appeared on his screen. A smile broke out, and Ace had a good idea of what had happened before Lightning even spoke.

“We’re good to go!” he reported joyfully, sitting up straight as the rest of the crew was roused from its collective slumber. Twilight rose from her position on the floor, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she looked around, confused. “Nice work Vibrant and Twilight, systems are reporting full integration with the new drive.”

“Cobalt, Vibrant, please confirm,” Ace ordered, looking to the ponies he had addressed. Cobalt looked to his station, with Vibrant looking over his shoulder, reading diagnostic reports that had appeared on the screen.

“Looks good,” Cobalt said, looking back to the Captain with a smile. “Ready to engage on your order.”

“Lightning, please confirm coordinates are loaded for first jump.” Ace looked back to the pilot, the anticipation building within him. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but even he found it difficult to mask his excitement at a time like this.

“Confirmed,” Lightning said. “Just give the word, sir.”

“The word is given,” Ace said. “Commence first jump home.” Grinning, Lightning flipped open the glass box in front of him, and brought his hoof down onto the button enclosed within. Outside of the viewport, the image of space stretched until it was just a blur. A bright flash filled the window, transporting the ship to an entirely different region of space.

The flash faded, and while the view outside was remarkably similar to the previous view, the various screens around the bridge reported that Harmony’s location was entirely different. Ace released a satisfied sigh, and stood up from his chair. The rest of the crew stood as well, awaiting further orders.

“One down, four to go,” he began. “Lightning, begin cooldown, set our timer for three days from now. Everypony else, just remember the new restrictions in place. Dismissed.” The crew eagerly filtered out of the bridge, all of them taking the ladder down to the crew deck. Ace watched them go, until finally only he, Skychaser, and Twilight remained.

“... This is going to be a long fifteen days,” Twilight said, yawning. “Are we truly ready?”

“The saboteur has proved that he or she is smart,” Ace replied. “I doubt our new “partner” rule is going to deter them from trying something. But at the very least, it should make any sabotage attempts more complicated.”

“I’ll take the security shift tonight,” Skychaser offered. “Now that Sharp is… we’re all going to need to work extra hard.” Ace and Twilight nodded, and the Princess began working her way to the door.

“I’m going to get some sleep,” she said. “I’ll see you two in the morning.” She disappeared down the ladder, and was followed shortly after by Skychaser, on his way to the security office. Now alone, Ace turned back to the viewport, taking in the new view of space that was offered. It was difficult to believe, but what he had longed for was finally happening: they were going home...

Author's Note

Hey everyone, here is Chapter 10! We're nearing the climax of the story, and I look forward to getting the next couple of chapters out.

If you have any feedback, or if you noticed any spelling/grammar errors, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

… Call started.

“Cobalt?”

“It’s me. I found the bug in my room, and set it to send a loop of silence. We’re safe.”

“Good. There are… concerns among some of us, brought about by the fact that Harmony is still intact. The ship will be back in Equus’s orbit in nine days. Time is running short.”

“I know, but I’m having a difficult time, here. The laptop they confiscated had all my hacking software on it, I have nothing on this one. And with the new “buddy system,” I can’t do anything without somepony else breathing down my back. I… need some suggestions.”

“We’re working on something for you. It is complicated, but we hope to have it ready before Harmony returns. You simply need to be ready, and easily reachable.”

“I’ll check in as often as I can, but I don’t want to make anypony suspicious.”

“I understand. One more thing… the mare. The one you spend all your time with.”

“Star Step? What about her?”

“We know about you and her. And, quite frankly, it concerns us. You need to be wary of attachments, Cobalt. If you get too attached to this pony, you may forget your duty.”

“I would never forget my duty. My job here has to be done, I truly believe that. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I sincerely hope you are right. We will be in touch. Stay cautious.”

Twilight sat a few feet away from the bridge viewport, her head tilted slightly as she appreciated the view laid out before her. Several light years away, though still close enough to fill up most of the window, a massive nebula floated in space, its purple and green hues glowing against the blackness of the void. Several bright stars glowed from within the gaseous clouds, newly born from the matter within the nebula. The bridge lights were off, the room was lit only by the alien stars. Twilight stared at them, unblinking as her mind filled with thoughts of home. She longed for her familiar sun, the one she had seen every day since her birth. The sun that warmed her face every time she stepped outside. We will be there soon, she thought.

“An excellent view, isn’t it?”

Twilight turned around, nodding in agreement as Ace stepped further into the bridge.

“It almost makes all of this worth it,” the Captain continued, coming to a halt next to the Princess. “All the pain, all the suffering. These stars, they are the future for which we fight.”

“It really makes me wonder,” Twilight said, “why somepony would want to stop this. This beauty… who would want to keep us from it?”

“We’ll find who’s responsible,” Ace said. “We’ll bring them to justice.”

“It’s baffling, isn’t it?” Twilight asked, returning her attention to the view outside. “Why would somepony want to keep us from this? What could somepony’s reasons be, that would make them want to sabotage this expedition?” Ace paused, narrowing his eyes.

“... Hopefully we’ll know someday,” he replied. “There are three jumps remaining. We need to be extra vigilant; I think it goes without saying that the saboteur will not let us off this ship without a fight.” Twilight nodded, taking a few steps away from the viewport.

“Agreed,” she said. “I’ll continue to maintain the traps, and as long as we keep enforcing the buddy system, I think we can effectively eliminate more unexpected sabotage. We’ll force him or her to act openly, and we can seize that opportunity, hopefully before anypony else is hurt.”

“Three more jumps…” Ace repeated, staring forlornly out the bridge viewport. “Hard to believe home is so close, relatively speaking. Hopefully the ESA will be prepared for our arrival, even though they don’t know we’re still intact.”

“Princess Luna wouldn’t abandon us,” Twilight said. “They’ll be ready. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s starting to get late.” Without waiting for a response, Twilight exited the bridge, taking the ladder down to the crew deck. In her mind, Ace’s words echoed, causing the Princess even more worry. Three more jumps; only a fraction of the time the crew had spent on this ship, yet still plenty of time for something to go wrong…

“I can’t believe we’re almost home,” Star Step said excitedly, crossing to a few pictures that adorned her bedroom wall. They showed Star at various locations throughout Equestria; the Canterlot Palace, the Statue of Harmony in Manehattan, Fillydelphia’s historical district, and more. Cobalt was present in a few of the photos, but many outdated their relationship. Cobalt himself sat in the corner of the room, tiredly rubbing his eyes as he glanced at the clock above Star’s door. It was late, and soon their recently-imposed curfew would be taking effect. Cobalt did not know what a curfew was supposed to gain; given that he could freeze security cameras at will, if he was to sneak out in the night, Ace and the others would have no idea.

“Three jumps,” Cobalt said, joining his marefriend by the pictures. He stopped a few feet away, the words of his confederates echoing in his mind. They were at least partially right; Star did distract him from his objectives. No, he thought. Distract has such a negative connotation. It’s more like she… attracts my attention.

“I can’t wait to get off this ship,” Star continued, turning and smiling at Cobalt. “As soon as we’re out of decontamination, I want to take a nice long walk in the sun. I need to feel real air on my face again, not this filtered stuff…” Cobalt only nodded, trying to mask any of his other emotions. At this, Star suspiciously raised an eye, closing the distance between the two of them. “Is everything okay?” She reached out to him, but he moved at the last second, working his way to the door.

“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Cobalt replied, yawning as if to prove his point. “I’m ready for this to be over, too. It’s been a long expedition, it’s about time for it to come to an end.” Star frowned, unconvinced.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked, once again reaching out. This time, Cobalt did not move. He allowed her to make contact, if only to ease her worries. “I haven’t done something wrong, have I? We’re… we’re alright, aren’t we?” Cobalt looked into Star’s eyes, and he felt his doubt rising once again. How can I give this up? He thought.

But almost as soon as the thought entered Cobalt’s mind, something within him seemed to snap. No, he thought. This is for the best. This is why I am here. This is for the good of Equestria. I cannot let this expedition continue. The saboteur smiled comfortingly, placing a hoof of his own on Star Step’s shoulder.

“Everything is perfectly fine between us,” he assured her. “I’m just a bit nervous, is all. I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

“I understand that,” Star said, nodding. “The bastard trying to kill us all has been quiet since the jump drive was replaced. I… I’m worried something will happen soon.”

“Don’t worry,” Cobalt said, pulling Star into a tight hug. “We’ll at be at peace soon. Everything will be fine.” Star smiled, and looked Cobalt in the eye.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” she asked. “I hate sleeping alone. It’s always so cold on this ship…”

“What about the curfew?” Cobalt said. “One of the higher-ups might not like us breaking it.”

“Are we technically breaking it?” Star reasoned. “The curfew just says everypony must be in bed by ten. And besides, what about the ‘buddy system’?” The comms specialist smirked, and Cobalt smiled back, nodding.

“Alright,” he agreed. “I’ll stay with you.” Star smiled and trotted to her bed, pulling Cobalt along with her. She crawled under the covers, yawning, while Cobalt’s eyes once again turned to the clock. Time was against him; where once it had been in seemingly endless supply, he now had a mere nine days to bring this ship down. Just how he would go about it, he did not know. But he had to make his move soon; Equestria was depending on this mission.

Quick Fix had become more than accustomed to long shifts in her career; as a combat medic, one had to be ready around-the-clock to treat wounded. The move to a veteran’s hospital was certainly more peaceful, but she had had more than her fair share of sleepless nights at work. And now Harmony was providing even more sleepless nights. First Golden Bolt, then Astral Breeze, and most recently Sharp Sight; ponies who she was sworn to help, yet was unable to in their times of need. Granted, working on a spaceship was far different from working in a hospital or medical tent, but she wished she had been able to do more.

“Alright, three glasses of apple juice,” Lightning Flash said, carefully carrying a tray to the mess hall table where Quick Fix sat. She grabbed one of the glasses, as did Vibrant Flame, sitting across from the doctor. “Officially the most exotic drink we have on this ship. It’s times like now that I wish we hadn’t finished the grape juice four weeks in. Well, bottoms up.” Lightning grabbed his own glass and downed the entire drink at once, while Fix and Vibrant decided to take theirs more slowly.

“Nine days,” Vibrant Flame whispered, more to himself than to either of his companions. “I… I wish they were here with us…”

“There’s nothing we could have done to help those we’ve lost,” Fix said, though she did not believe her own words. However she rationalized it, the doctor was not used to being so helpless. Normally there was something to do, some way for her to help those in need.

Ace had been no help. From the start, he had made working on Harmony a challenge. Fix respected the stallion’s leadership, but she did not trust him; her time among black ops soldiers had taught her not to trust a single one of them. In the medical tents, they would let their barriers fall. Words would slip out, that normally the black ops would take to their graves. It had not taken Fix long to learn that they rarely meant what they actually said, and that they always had ulterior reasons for doing things.

“Well, here’s to them, then,” Lightning Flash said somberly. “Sharp, guess we won’t be hitting up that hoofball game when we get home… Two years… Hard to believe they’re gone.”

“Yeah,” Fix agreed. “There’ll be justice.” For everyone involved in this, the Doctor thought. Whether that’s just the saboteur remains to be seen…

Call started.

“Cobalt, we have something for you.”

“Finally. We’ve only got two jumps left. What is it?”

“It’s fairly complicated, so pay close attention. First thing’s first: it has become clear to us that Harmony will return to Equus, whether we want it to or not. However, we may be able to use this. We’re sending you some instructions to repurpose the virus that has currently crippled communications. You will write these changes into the code, and deploy it.”

“I understand. What do these changes do?”

“Let us just say… it will ensure that Harmony will go out with a bang. However, it is almost certainly going to be noticed by the crew once the ship returns. Therefore, the crew must be eliminated.”

“And how do you suggest I do that? That is the difficult part of all this.”

“... The final option. The one we have wanted to avoid this whole time. Deploy the new virus sometime in the night, then, using the codes you copied on the night you killed Sharp, put the ship into lockdown. From there, you will return to the crew deck, enter Princess Twilight’s room, and eliminate her manually. The difficult part is ensuring that she remains asleep; she will most certainly hear the door open, and if she wakes up, her magic will greatly overpower yours. Be fast, and get the job done. Once she is out of the way, move on to the rest of the crew, starting with the officers. They are the only ones who can lift the lockdown, so do not let them wake up either. Once everypony is dead, what you do with yourself is up to you. Do you understand?”

“... We avoided this for a reason. If Twilight wakes up, she’ll wipe the floor with me. If Ace or Skychaser wake up, they can disable the lockdown with their own codes. There is too much beyond my control that can go wrong.”

“As you have already said, only two jumps remain. Do you have any alternative ideas?”

“... No.”

“Very well. Begin with the repurposing of the virus. Should some better idea come to you in the next six days, let us know. Good luck, Cobalt.”

Call ended.

“... Damn it.”

Princess Luna sat at her desk, wearing a look of worry as she stared at the wall opposite her. She was not focusing on any particular detail of the wall; rather, she was lost in her own thoughts, and in the reality that would soon be upon her.

One day more, she thought. Did the rescue work? Will Harmony make it home? Her worried frown grew as she considered the possibility that the rescue plan had failed. She imagined the crew of Harmony, trapped in space for the rest of their lives, victims of regressive terrorists. Her worry grew into anger, and she scowled, trying to hold her hooves steady on the surface of her desk. Why did I allow this plan to go through? Harmony was meant to symbolize progress for all life. Instead, it has been tainted by our own petty squabbles on Equus. And I allowed it to happen.

The Princess’s office door swung open, and Princess Celestia stepped inside, appearing no more at ease than her sister. Celestia carried heavy bags under her eyes, and held a fresh cup of coffee in her telekinetic grip. While Luna had been busy organizing the capsule recovery in the event that the rescue was successful, Celestia had been spearheading the investigation into Cobalt’s profile, trying to find anything condemning. From what Luna had heard, little progress had been made.

“Any luck, sister?” Luna asked, eyeing Celestia’s coffee longingly.

“No,” the Princess of the Sun replied, shaking her head. “Or, very little. We have connected Cobalt to a small terrorist ring, but they were eliminated six years ago. Intelligence at the time indicated that the ring was working for a larger organization, but we lost all leads.”

“Mm,” Luna sighed, frowning. “So, I suppose we’ll be making little progress until the stallion himself is in our prison.”

“Assuming we capture Cobalt,” Celestia said. “Harmony has been out of communications for weeks. As much as it pains me to say it… the ship could be lost. We have no idea if they are on their way home or not.”

“Well, we’ll know tomorrow,” Luna said. “Assuming everything goes to plan, and Harmony jumps back to the correct coordinates, the Phoenix capsule should land in the plains just west of here. However, I highly doubt that everything will go to plan, so just in case, I will be deploying fifteen naval vessels later today to begin patrolling the sea. Should the capsule land in the ocean, it would be a much easier capture for our enemies.”

“Tomorrow…” Celestia repeated. “The time does fly. Luna… if all of this works out, and the crew returns to us unharmed…” Luna eyed her sister, wondering what the elder Princess was suggesting. Only once Celestia looked up and made eye contact with Luna did the Princess of the Night understand her intent.

“‘Tia,” she said, “the crew deserves to know what we have done. They have been lied to, betrayed, and hurt by more than just Cobalt. If we keep it a secret from them, we are no better than those we seek to defeat. The crew has suffered, and been through far more than their training covered, all because of us. They deserve to know.”

“I know, but…” Celestia faltered, turning away. “But what if the information leaks? What if the public is informed about what we did? If our citizens know that we used the Harmony mission as nothing more than bait, then support for the terrorists will rise, not fall. All of the crew’s suffering has been for the purpose of destroying those who would see Equestria fall, not giving them more leverage.”

“I thought it was your intention to eventually tell everypony,” Luna said. She stood up, crossing to a window and drawing up the blinds. “Look, I will support you. As co-rulers, it is important that we have one another’s backs. But first, ask yourself: what does your conscience want you to do?”

“... My conscience knows that the crew, and the entire world, has a right to know,” Celestia admitted, sighing. “But we have to be rational. We can’t risk it.”

“Then we won’t,” Luna decided. “But remember what that saboteur said: not all sins can be washed away. This will stay with us forever.”

“So be it,” Celestia said, joining her sister at the window. The two Princesses stared out over the Horseshoe Bay, watching as the fresh moonlight glistened on the still surface. The space center was still active, with everypony preparing for tomorrow’s hopeful return of Harmony. “... There will be another mission. Ponies were excited for Harmony, only to have it snatched away from them. I do not think we will have much trouble building support for a second mission, assuming we can eliminate the terrorists.” This drew a smile from the Princess of the Night, whose mind was flooded with new ideas.

“Well, since you mentioned it, the R&D department has been pitching some improvements to the jump drive,” she said. Her smile slowly faded, and her eyes widened as the idea of many more years of work came upon her. “... Maybe a vacation first.” Celestia smiled, draping a wing over her sister’s back.

“When our work here is done,” the elder sister said. “We still have a crew to save, and after that, a terrorist organization to destroy…”

Twilight’s eyes traced the patterns in the stars laid out before her, trying in vain to find any familiar constellations. Despite being only one more jump away from Equus, a considerable distance still lay between Harmony and home. Familiar skies would not be visible until the ship was once again safely in orbit.

It was hard for Twilight to believe, but home was coming. Provided nothing went wrong, by this time tomorrow, she would be on solid ground once again. She would feel the wind in her mane, the sun on her face, and the presence of her friends. And yet, something tugged at the back of her mind, warning her that something would go wrong. After all that had happened so far, the saboteur would never simply give up. And with time running short, they would strike soon. Twilight did not know exactly when or where, but she feared the worst.

“Mind if I join you?”

Twilight turned around, finding Ace standing in the empty bridge’s doorway. She offered a smile, waving the Captain inside.

“Of course not, Ace.” The stallion stepped further inside, joining Twilight by the viewport. They both stared out, in mutual admiration of the cosmos. While she longed for the comfort of home once more, Twilight knew she would miss space. When she wasn’t hunting down a murderous saboteur, the ship had become a rather comfortable place.

“... You’re up later than usual,” Ace observed, glancing at a nearby clock.

“Yeah,” Twilight said. “It’s just… last night, and all that. You’re up late, too. I’m guessing it’s for the same reason I am.”

“... Something is going to happen,” Ace said. Twilight nodded. “The saboteur is determined. He or she will try something, they have to have a plan.” Twilight looked to Ace, raising an eyebrow.

“So what do we do about it?” she asked.

“... Let them go through with it, for now,” the Captain replied. “I’ve got an idea. I don’t want to stretch your magic too thin, but do you think you could handle a few extra traps? One at the entrance to the bridge and one at the entrance to the security office should suffice.”

“I think I can handle that,” Twilight said, nodding. “The traps overall will be weaker, but I shouldn’t have a problem setting them up. But I have to wonder, what’s the point? The ones around engineering haven’t been triggered yet, and they’ve been up for weeks. Wouldn’t it make more sense for us just to stay awake until we’re safely in Equestria once again?”

“And force them to attack openly?” Ace shook his head, frowning. “We don’t want that. If we drive the saboteur to a desperate final act of violence, somepony is sure to be killed or wounded. I’ve already lost three ponies on this mission, I won’t lose another. No, our best bet is to let the saboteur proceed; this late in the mission, any plan they have is likely to be more flawed, or easily countered. If we let the saboteur carry out this plan, at least partially, we can lure him or her into a false sense of security, and confront them with no trouble at all.” Twilight nodded, understanding the logic, though she felt no safer than she had before.

“We’re cutting this pretty close,” she said. “Both us, and the saboteur. Not a lot of room to maneuver.”

“Yes, we are,” Ace agreed. His expression changed, though it was barely noticeable. Had she not known him for several months now, Twilight doubted she would have seen the change. She squinted at the Captain, wondering where she had seen the expression before. Finally, an image of Celestia filled her mind; specifically, an image of her guilty countenance from the last time they had spoken. “Twilight… This whole mission wasn’t for nothing. I just want you to know that.”

The bridge was cast into darkness as Ace turned out the lights, and the Captain made his way back to the entrance, looking back to Twilight before exiting. “Time to go,” he said. “I’ll see you in the morning, Twilight.” He exited the bridge and disappeared down the ladder, leaving Twilight alone once again. The Princess stared at where Ace had been standing, wondering what had brought about his words. They were strangely cryptic, like Celestia’s had been. Is everypony hiding something from me? She thought.

Twilight took one more look out of the viewport, knowing this would be one of her last opportunities to do so. She smiled at the view, but forced herself to look away, knowing that if she did not, she would end up here all night. Twilight exited the bridge and headed down the ladder as well, entering her bedroom with a yawn. Her eyes glanced over her laptop, and she longed for the days when it could still communicate with Equestria. Home would bring her safety and familiarity, but the thing she missed most of all was her friends.

I’ll see you tomorrow, the Princess thought, picturing her friends in her mind. Before her departure, they had promised to be at the landing site to welcome her home. As Twilight lay down in her bed, she imagined the scene: they would be grouped together, each one watching the capsule as it made its descent back to Equestria. A smile graced her lips as her eyes shut, and for a moment, she allowed her fears of what the night would bring to disappear. For a moment, she was at peace...

The clock struck midnight. His eyes wide open, Cobalt rose from the edge of his bed and crossed to his laptop, retrieving a USB that was sitting next to the computer. On it was the fruit of several days of work: the modified virus. Exactly what it did, Cobalt did not know; all he knew was that it involved a very minor course correction a few minutes after jumping back into Equus orbit. Beyond that, the saboteur was in the dark. And now, his mission would be concluding. He picked up the USB, as well as a small piece of paper, and opened his bedroom door, poking his head out to ensure the immediate area was clear. The command crew had to know something would be coming; Ace was cautious, and would not sit idly by while a saboteur remained unknown among his crew. So, with extreme caution, Cobalt exited his room, silently closing the door behind him.

Personally killing every member of the crew was not how he wanted to do this, but his confederates were right; no other options remained. He had spent the majority of the past few days thinking of alternatives, but each one had a major flaw; he could disable life support, but doing so would trigger an alarm that was hard-coded into the ship’s OS. He could try blowing off the rest of the storage pods, but the probability that they would create a large enough explosion was miniscule. He could try getting in a spacesuit and blowing the reactor himself, but doing so would almost certainly be noticed, and the ship would maneuver away, leaving him stranded in space. No, Cobalt thought as he came upon the bridge. This is the only way.

As he neared the bridge door, Cobalt’s heart-rate accelerated. He had no idea what to expect in the room beyond; somepony could have stayed awake, or the door could be set to trigger an alarm. Preparing for the worst, he pressed his hoof to the door’s switch, letting out a sigh of the relief as the door quietly slid open, revealing the dark and empty room beyond. Tightly clutching the USB in his telekinesis, Cobalt stepped through the door, and promptly froze in shock as the floor began to glow beneath him.

A purple rune cast the bridge in its glow, and as it grew in intensity, Cobalt felt control over his body slipping away. The edge of his vision began to darken, and his limbs felt weak. He fell to the floor, his magic failing and depositing the USB a few feet away. The cold floor was replaced with a feeling of pure numbness, but through it all, Cobalt willed his eyes to remain open. He recognized the trap; it was a stun rune, meant to incapacitate ponies for varying amounts, based on the strength of the mage. Based on Cobalt’s knowledge of Princess Twilight’s skills, he felt it was safe to assume that, should he succumb, this rune would keep him stunned for the better part of a day. He would not let that happen. This was his last chance; if Cobalt failed here, then Harmony would return safely. The crew would return home, he would be taken prisoner, and his cause would suffer for it. If he failed here, then everything that he had spent years preparing for would be for nought.

NO! Cobalt screamed in his mind, pooling all of the energy he could into his horn. He focused on another part of the room, and, closing his eyes in concentration, performed a simple short-range teleportation spell.

When his eyes reopened, Cobalt found himself lying upside-down on top of Star Step’s comms station. He had missed his destination by close to a meter, but he was outside of Twilight’s rune, which was the important part. Even so, the effects of the trap still lingered. He struggled to keep his eyes open, and his body begged for even a moment of rest. Every movement weighed down on him, and he slowly rolled off of the comms station, hitting the floor with a thud. Wincing, Cobalt forced himself to his hooves, channeling what little magic he had into energy usable by the rest of his body. This would present a setback, but not one he could not overcome. As long as he was careful, paced himself, and watched out for more traps, enough of his magic would recharge by the time he returned to the crew deck.

Cobalt retrieved the USB from the floor, and transported it to Lightning Flash’s station near the front of the bridge. He quickly powered on the station, plugged the USB into one of the free slots, and sat down as it was detected by the computer. Almost immediately, the program he had written executed itself, effortlessly getting past the antivirus and uploading itself to the navigation systems. As soon as the program stopped running, Cobalt ejected the USB and powered the computer back down, then quickly crossed to Ace’s chair. He retrieved the small piece of paper he had brought with him, upon which was written the security access codes for the ship’s senior crew members. Entering Ace’s code into a panel on the chair, Cobalt accessed the security systems, disabled the alarms, and enabled a lockdown. He looked to the bridge door as it closed shut, sighing. Now came the hard part.

Don’t think too much about this, he thought, quietly opening the door, exiting the bridge, and climbing back down the ladder. Just go through with it. You’ve done this once already, you can do it again. These ponies are guilty, they deserve this fate. By working with the Princesses, they only allow their influence to spread. The crew must die. Taking a deep breath, Cobalt stepped out of the ladder well, depositing himself onto the crew deck.

“Cobalt?”

Cobalt looked to the source of the voice, his eyes widening as he found Star Step standing outside of her door, a look of fatigue and confusion on her face. He crossed to her, wondering what the mare was doing out of her room at this hour.

“I was just using the bathroom…” she explained tiredly, looking to her door. “But now my door won’t open… It’s not responding to my access code…” Star returned her eyes to Cobalt, and her gaze became suspicious. “What… what are you doing up? And… why are you coming from the ladder?” Suddenly, a look of realization came upon Star’s face. Her jaw dropped in shock as her eyes widened, and she took a step away from Cobalt. Cobalt frowned, knowing what had to be done.

This is the right thing to do. This is the right thing to do. This is the right thing to do. This is the right thing to do.

Twilight’s slumber was suddenly and unpleasantly broken by a loud shriek from beyond her door. She darted up in bed, eyes on her door as her tired mind tried to decide what to do. Before she could come to any conclusions, her door slid open, and the dark figure of a stallion sprinted into the room, his horn alight with green magic. Twilight’s eyes widened as she realized what was happening, and she managed to roll out of her bed just as the assailant fired. The beam of magic barely grazed her side, and Twilight screamed in pain as she hit the deck, hard. She looked up, her eyes adjusting to the darkness and trying to find where the attacker had gone. She felt a hoof strike her wounded side, and she screamed again as the renewed pain ran through her body like an electric shock. Twilight rolled again, coming to her hooves and winced as her wound reminded her of its presence. She could clearly see a figure in front of her, and she lit her horn, firing a bolt at him.

“Shit!” said the attacker, diving out of the way. Twilight recognized the voice. Cobalt. She charged her horn, ready to fire again, but paused before letting the energy loose. They needed him alive; the crew needed answers, and since it was obvious that Cobalt had allies, he could potentially reveal them.

Her goal now set, Twilight charged as much energy into her horn as she could, ready to channel it into defensive shields. Cobalt was a powerful unicorn, but Twilight knew she far outmatched him. If she could just tire him out, it would be no challenge for her to stun him and take him prisoner. Cobalt charged his horn once again, letting loose a powerful strike that was easily deflected by Twilight’s shield. The bolt was followed by a second, a third, and a fourth, all of which Twilight managed to either dodge or deflect. And with every missed shot, the Princess saw Cobalt’s anger, and his fatigue, growing.

“Fucking die!” he screamed, charging at Twilight and using his greater mass to topple the Princess over. Now on top of his quarry, Cobalt brought his hoof up and swung down at Twilight, only to be blown away by a burst of energy from Twilight’s horn. He flew across the room, landing on Twilight’s desk and shattering the plastic construction. Dazed, he struggled to stand, though he still managed to channel a small amount of magic back into his horn. He fired, and once again Twilight deflected the shot.

“Please, Cobalt,” she said, trying to sound as calm as ever. “This is clearly your last resort plan, and for good reason. You know you can’t win. Give up now, and maybe your punishment won’t be quite as harsh.” Cobalt huffed, finally managing to stand up.

“Bullshit,” he said. “I know how this ends. There’s no version of this where I survive. But that’s fine. I don’t want to survive; all I want to do is take you down with me.” His horn glowed, but surprisingly, no shot was fired. Instead, Twilight fell to the floor as she felt an impact on the back of her head. A moment later, her lamp hit the floor as well, dropped from Cobalt’s telekinesis. Cobalt stalked forward, gathering more energy in his horn as Twilight tried to regain her composure. Her vision was blurry, and her head spun, but she managed to collect some traces of magic. It was not enough, however, and Cobalt pressed the tip of his horn to Twilight’s chest. He fired, and Twilight’s pupils shrunk as she felt the warmth of the bolt pass straight through her. Cobalt smirked and stepped back, looking down onto the Princess.

“Now onto the re--”

A pony-shaped blur spun into Cobalt, sending the saboteur to the ground. The attack was immediately followed up with a flurry of punches, each one hitting Cobalt directly in the head. Twilight, her vision blurry, was barely able to make out the antenna cutie mark of Star Step as she viciously tore at Cobalt. The earth pony was not without her own wounds, however; Twilight could see blood dripping from her chest, and she could tell that Star’s attacks were slowing. And as soon as he had an opportunity, Cobalt blasted Star once again, sending her off of him with a pained grunt. Breathing heavily, Cobalt looked between Twilight and Star Step, blood dripping down his forehead. He slowly crossed to Star, channeling more magic into his horn. Her eyes widening, Twilight watched as Cobalt lowered his horn directly to Star’s forehead, ready for the killing blow. She willed herself to move, to do something to stop him. But with every passing moment, her body became weaker and weaker. The Princess could feel her very life fading, falling to the floor in a pool of blood. Summoning the last of her magic, she charged the most powerful stun she could, and fired it at Cobalt.

The attack hit its mark, and Cobalt toppled to the floor, caught completely unaware. Ignoring the great amounts of pain, Twilight forced herself to stand and walked out into the corridor, going a few doors down to Ace’s room. She entered her override code, disabling whatever lockdown Cobalt had enabled, and fell to the floor as Ace’s door slid open. The Captain was already waiting, an uncharacteristic expression of fear on his face.

“Twilight!?” he cried, though his voice was distant and muffled in Twilight’s ears. The Princess looked up, the corners of her vision fading to blackness. “Princess, stay with me! You have to stay with me!”

“In… my room,” Twilight groaned, each word a painful mountain for her to climb. “Go… get… him…” Her eyes began to close, and Twilight felt the pain slowly fading away.

“Princess, no!” Ace yelled urgently, bringing his face closer to Twilight’s. “Do not go to sleep! You have to stay awake! Princess! Twilight!” His words fell on deaf ears. Twilight’s limbs went limp, and all of her worries faded to nothingness as she allowed her eyes to close…

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

There were several bright flashes of light. Twilight felt herself floating, weightless in a void of silence. She groggily tried to move her head, but found that her neck would not respond to any commands. She was immobile, helplessly floating through blackness.

The flashes of light became more frequent, turning the black void into a white one. Gradually, Twilight felt her numbness subsiding, and the feeling of something soft crept in. A sound began to accompany the light and the touch; at first it was nothing more than an obnoxious ringing, but as the seconds flew by, Twilight began to make out words.

“Twilight?”

Twilight looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. Her neck moved slowly, and no matter where she stared, she could not find the voice. All she saw was the white light.

“Princess, are you in there?”

Spots of color began to appear in the white void. There was nothing vibrant, but as the colors became more defined, the whiteness was replaced with the image of a room. As Twilight’s vision became less and less blurry, the room sharpened, and soon Twilight recognized it as the medical bay. She looked around, her neck now going where she wanted; she was lying in one of the medbay’s several beds, and standing at the foot of the bed was Quick Fix, wearing a concerned look.

“Twilight?” the doctor asked once again. Twilight blinked a few times, and Fix sighed in relief. “Well, you’re conscious. That’s at least a good sign.”

“I… what happened?” Twilight asked, finally finding her voice. She looked down, noticing a set of bandaged wrapped around her chest. As feeling returned to the rest of her body, she felt a dull pain just beneath the bandages, and she winced, the memories of the night rushing back to her. “Is Cobalt--”

“He’s in our custody,” Fix answered. “But don’t you worry about him right now. Right now, I need you to tell me how you feel.” The doctor hovered a clipboard over from her desk and placed a pen to the paper, ready to write down Twilight’s every word.

“I’m… a little numb,” Twilight replied. “What exactly happened? I… thought I was going to die.”

“You would have, if Ace wasn’t fast for a stallion his age.” Fix jotted down a few notes, then floated the clipboard away, circling around the bed to Twilight. “He opened everypony’s doors - by that point everypony was awake - and sent Skychaser up to the bridge to disable the lockdown. While Lightning Flash and Vibrant Flame went to deal with Cobalt, we grabbed you and Star Step, brought you here, and pooled our magic to heal your wounds. We got lucky; a minute or two later and we’d have lost you.”

Star Step. Twilight was reminded of the mare’s interference last night, and her injuries. She looked to the bed next to hers, finding Star lying immobile beneath the covers. She wore a set of bandages similar to Twilight’s, and occasionally she twitched in her unconscious state. Fix looked to Star as well, and crossed to the unconscious mare.

“She’ll be fine,” she said. “Her injuries weren’t as severe as yours; only reason you’re awake first is that alicorn magic. Your wounds are healing much quicker than anything I’ve ever seen before.”

“Then can I get up?” Twilight asked, sitting up in her bed. “I want to see our prisoner.” Fix paused, thinking the question through, until she finally nodded.

“Against my better judgement, yes, you can go,” she replied. “But take it easy. If you get any sudden pains, come back to me immediately. Your alicorn physiology can’t fix everything, Princess.” Twilight nodded, and pulled herself out of the bed, testing her weight on the floor. Her knees buckled as her hooves came into contact with the deck, but she recovered, managing to stand up straight after a few moments.

“... Thank you, Doctor,” she said, stepping away from the bed. Before leaving, Twilight turned to Star, concerned. “Let me know when her condition changes. After what she went through, she’ll need the comfort of friends more than ever.”

“I will,” Fix said, nodding. “Ace is down on deck five, by the way. Whatever you decide to do with Cobalt… well, I hope it’s enough for all that he has done.” Twilight nodded, then turned and exited the medbay, climbing down the ladder to deck five. She moved slowly down the corridor, passing several airlock doors, each of which led to a storage pod docked to the outside of the ship. She winced as she passed one damaged airlock, where Cobalt had released a pod several weeks ago, killing Golden Bolt. It all seemed so long ago to the Princess, but now, justice would be served.

At the end of the corridor, one of the airlock doors was open, and the shadow of a tall stallion was cast into the hall. Twilight approached the door, finding that the shadow belonged to Ace; the Captain was standing still, his eyes never leaving the unconscious form of Cobalt, who was lying in the center of an emptied-out storage pod. At Twilight’s arrival, he finally allowed his attention to move away.

“Twilight,” he greeted, smiling. “I’m pleased to see you’re alright.”

“From what I hear, I have you to thank for that,” Twilight said. “Thank you, Captain.”

“Think nothing of it,” Ace said. “After Cobalt killed Golden Bolt, Astral Breeze, and Sharp Sight… I won’t let him touch another pony on this crew.”

Twilight frowned, glaring at the unconscious saboteur at her hooves. “What are we going to do with him?”

“As much as I want to kill him, we’re not executioners,” Ace replied. “Besides, he could know some valuable information. We’ll keep him locked up, and take him back down to Equus for him to be professionally interrogated.” Twilight nodded, her eyes focused solely on Cobalt’s still form.

“... How could he have gotten past the background check?” Twilight wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow. “Princess Luna poured her heart and soul into this project, there’s no way something like this should have slipped through the cracks. No terrorist organization, no matter their intelligence, could have completely cleaned one of their agent’s background records.”

“That’s a good question,” Ace said. “You must have hit him pretty hard last night. How long until he wakes up?” Twilight lit her horn, and with a simple spell, Cobalt’s eyes fluttered open. He slowly rose to his hooves, and, upon realizing where he was, he launched himself at Ace, rage filling his eyes. His attack was met with a swift punch to the face, which sent the fatigued stallion slamming into the airlock door frame. He crumpled back to the floor, and Ace and Twilight converged on the saboteur, making sure he would be unable to get away.

“Morning, sunshine,” Ace said, lowering his head to look Cobalt in the eye. “How do you feel?”

“What do you care?” Cobalt asked, spitting in Ace’s face. Ace wiped the spit away, and sighed.

“I don’t,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t give any sort of brain damage to our prisoner. Or, any more than you already have.” Cobalt dragged himself back into the center of the airlock, turned away from Ace and Twilight.

“I won’t tell you anything,” he stated coldly, closing his eyes.

“You won’t need to tell us anything,” Ace said. “However, when we get back to Canterlot, I won’t exactly be taking “no” for an answer.”

“You have your training, and I have mine,” Cobalt said. “I’ll die before I betray my cause.”

“And what exactly is your cause?” Twilight asked, stepping forward. “Why would you do all of this? What purpose does it fulfill? Surely answering my question won’t compromise you any more than you already are.” After a pause, Cobalt sighed and turned around.

“You are why, Princess,” he replied.

“Me?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “But I was only assigned to this mission six months before launch. You’ve been on the team for two years.”

“Not you specifically,” Cobalt began. “The Princesses, everything about them. Think about it; Equestria is ruled by immortal, all-powerful alicorns who wield total executive power. Ponies are governed by beings who can manipulate celestial bodies. Nopony deserves that much power, much less executive power to top it off. For thousands of years, Equestria has been ruled by ponies who could not be more detached from society.”

“And for thousands of years, they have maintained harmony,” Ace countered. “You’re a computer technician, you know the saying: if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

“Come on, we both know that’s not true,” Cobalt continued. “Does Nightmare Moon ring a bell? Look at the chaos that can be caused when one of these “peaceful” alicorns loses control. The amount of magic even one Princess wields is unfathomable. Besides, these Princesses are nothing but trouble magnets. Nightmare Moon, Discord, the changelings, Sombra, Tirek, all of them were motivated by one common goal: to defeat the Princesses. And in the process, innocents were hurt. Innocent, powerless ponies were wounded and killed in conflicts surrounding the Princesses.”

“So your solution to this “problem” is to cause even more harm by sabotaging this mission?” Twilight asked. “Were Golden Bolt, Astral Breeze, and Sharp Sight not innocent?”

“No, they weren’t,” Cobalt replied. “At this point, national borders are merely a formality. With Celestia and Luna’s power over the sun and moon, they effectively control the entire world. I won’t let that influence spread to other planets. Missions like this cannot happen until the Princesses are out of the way. Now, I’ve said all I need to say. You won’t get another word out of me.” Cobalt turned around once again, ignoring the two ponies behind him. Twilight and Ace exchanged a look, and with a nod, Twilight cast another stun spell on the saboteur. The blue stallion lowered to the floor, his eyes closed in a deep sleep.

“Come on,” Ace said, stepping out of the airlock. He sealed the door and worked his way back to the ladder, beginning the climb up with Twilight right behind him. “Now that Cobalt is out of the way, we can focus on getting home. But first, we need to see how long before we can jump.” The pair emerged from the ladder well, and entered the bridge, where Skychaser and Lightning Flash were diligently working at their stations. At the entrance of Twilight and Ace, Skychaser stood up, crossing to the new arrivals.

“So, how’s our prisoner doing?” he asked, grinning.

“He’s in a bit of a bad mood right now,” Ace replied, looking out over the bridge. “What’s our status?”

“Jump drive is still a few hours from being ready,” Lightning Flash reported from the nav station. “But don’t worry, we’ll be home in time for dinner.”

“And as you requested, sir, I ran a sweep of our systems,” Skychaser said. “I didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary, but with that virus, it’s difficult to know for sure. Also, Vibrant wanted to let you know that he looked over every system in engineering, and is pleased to report that there has been no tampering with anything.”

“Understood.” Ace crossed to his chair, and pressed a hoof down onto the intercom switch. “All crew, you’re on break until it is time to jump. Ace, out.” Skychaser and Lightning Flash exited the bridge, climbing down the ladder to the crew deck. Twilight and Ace lingered for a moment, each standing in silence.

“... Hard to believe it’s over,” Twilight finally said, breaking the silence. “It’s been rough, but we’ve pulled through.”

“... We’re not home yet,” was all Ace said in response, before he exited the bridge as well. Confused, Twilight followed the Captain down to the crew deck and into the mess hall, where Vibrant Flame, Lightning Flash, and Skychaser had gathered. The three ponies were sitting around one of the mess hall tables, each one clearly relieved. They looked as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders, and all of their troubles were gone.

“So how are you feeling, Princess?” Skychaser asked, motioning for Twilight and the Captain to join them at the table. After sitting down, Twilight placed a hoof over her bandaged chest, wincing slightly at the pain.

“I’ll recover,” she replied. “My main concern is getting Cobalt back to Equestria in one piece. His allies will know that he failed soon enough, and I have a feeling they won’t want him interrogated.”

“We’ll be cautious,” Ace said. “But I’d rather turn this conversation away from Cobalt.”

“Hell yeah,” Lightning said, grinning. “So, what’s the first thing everypony’s going to do when we get home?”

“You mean after decon and debrief?” Skychaser asked. “Probably take a nap in my own bed. Or fly around a bit. I’ll figure it out.”

“I’m going to see my friends in Ponyville,” Twilight decided. “It’s been too long, and I miss their company.” Before anypony else could speak, the mess hall door slid open, and Quick Fix stepped inside, stifling a yawn. The Doctor joined the rest of the ponies at the table, taking a look around.

“Star’s awake,” she reported.

“How is she?” Vibrant Flame asked, concerned.

“Physically, she’ll make a full recovery in no time,” Fix replied. “Mentally, though… well, that’s a bit outside my domain. But she’s hurting, I can tell that much.” Twilight nodded, and stood up.

“I’ll go talk to her,” she said, crossing to the door. The Princess began walking down the hall to the medbay, concerned for Star. Given how close she and Cobalt had been, his betrayal would be affecting her even more significantly.

Twilight opened the medbay door, her eyes immediately finding Star Step. The mare was lying on her side, tucked under the covers with her head mostly obscured by the pillow. Were it not for the shallow rise and fall of her chest, Twilight would not have known the comms specialist was alive. Star made no movements as Twilight moved further into the room, nor did she look up as Twilight took a seat next to her bed. The Princess frowned, feeling pity for the wounded mare.

“... Star?” Twilight asked, finally receiving a reaction. Star rolled onto her back and sat up in the bed, looking to Twilight. Her lavender eyes were red, and the fur on her cheeks was wet with fresh tears. Twilight smiled comfortingly, trying to put Star at ease. “How do you feel?”

“... Where is he?” Star replied, lacking any emotion in her voice. Twilight’s smile disappeared, and she glanced away.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” she said. “I… can’t begin to understand how you must be feeling right now. But I want you to know that I’m here for you, okay?”

“Two years…” Star said, looking away from Twilight. “Was the past two years nothing more than a lie? Was he using me, like a toy that can be discarded at any time? Is that… is that all I was to him?” The mare’s tears were renewed, and the medbay became filled with the sound of her sobs. Her pity growing, Twilight reached out and pulled Star into a hug, careful not to hit her bandages.

“Shh, shh,” Twilight comforted, her mind angrily turning to Cobalt. While the saboteur had given his reasons for wanting to destroy Harmony, there was no reason Twilight could conceive for why he would do this to Star Step. Unless Cobalt was nothing more than a sick and twisted individual, which was not outside the realm of possibilities, it was entirely possible that his feelings for Star were genuine.

“Why… Why has he done all of this?” Star asked between sobs, violently shaking her head. “He’s a monster! How… how could I not have seen it?”

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Twilight said, pulling away from Star. “You just focus on getting better. Remember, you’re among friends here. We all care about you, and we’re here for you.” While her words seemed to have a calming effect, Twilight noticed that Star was still shaking. The Princess understood; she was a comms specialist, trained to operate Harmony’s comms system. While survival plans had been included in her training, there was nothing that could have prepared Star for this level of betrayal. That bastard will pay, Twilight thought. He’ll pay for all of the lives he’s affected, and finally we will have unity in Equestria.

The bridge was quiet when Twilight finally arrived, but a certain excitement was present around each pony as they worked at their stations. Ace sat in his chair with Skychaser nearby, while Lightning Flash manned the navigation station and Vibrant Flame monitored engineering diagnostics on a nearby screen. Star Step was back at her comms station, though she lacked any of the enthusiasm held by the rest of the crew. Quick Fix was sitting next to her, ready to act should the mare’s injuries somehow worsen. Twilight stepped further into the bridge, joining Ace by his chair, and focused on a small screen at the front of the bridge, on which was displayed a countdown timer. The final seconds ticked away, and finally all zeroes flashed on the screen.

“Are we ready, then?” the Princess asked, eager to see her home once again.

“Well, Vibrant?” Ace looked to the engineer, who turned around and nodded. “Excellent. Lightning, confirm coordinates.”

“Coordinates confirmed, sir,” Lightning reported, making no effort to hide his ear-to-ear grin. “Ready to jump on your order.”

“Doctor, Princess, better strap yourselves in,” Ace suggested. Heeding the advice, both Twilight and Fix sat down in empty chairs, securing the safety harnesses over themselves. They nodded when they were ready, and Ace looked back to Lightning Flash. “Lightning, the word is given. Take us home.”

Lighting turned back around in his chair, and opened the glass case, beneath which was the jump initiation button. Wasting no time, he brought his hoof down onto the button, and the space outside of the ship was distorted as the jump drive activated. With a bright flash, Harmony was instantly transported away, re-emerging less than a second later. When the flash faded, little had changed. The view outside was still nothing more than stars; there was no moon, no sun, and no Equus.

“... Did it work?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

“Lightning, rotate us two hundred degrees, please,” Ace ordered. Lightning nodded, carrying out the order, and the view outside slowly began to shift as the ship rotated. Soon, a particularly bright star came into view, illuminating the bridge with its orange glow. And finally, as the ship’s rotation slowed, Equus became visible. A smile immediately formed on Twilight’s face, and she felt relief flood her as she looked upon her home. Finally, she thought. After weeks of pain and suffering, here we are.

“Skychaser, Lightning, go ahead and prepare the Phoenix capsule for departure,” Ace said, removing his harness and standing up. “Vibrant, head down to engineering and begin shutdown of ship systems. Star, see if you can get into--”

“Sir!” Lightning interrupted, a look of alarm on his face. “Unexpected course correction just initiated, the main engines are spinning up. Sir, it’s… going to take us into the atmosphere.” Twilight’s eyes widened, and she felt her excitement slowly drain away, replaced once again by fear. She knew Harmony had been built in space for a reason: she would never survive atmospheric entry. Alarmed, the Princess looked to Ace, finding herself feeling no better at the look of panic on his face.

“Can you disable it?” the Captain asked.

“No.” Frowning, Ace stood up and trotted over to Lightning, taking a look at the navigation screen for himself.

“ETA to atmospheric insertion?” he asked.

“Six minutes.” Ace returned to his chair, his brow knitting together in concentration. Twilight could almost see the gears turning in his head, and she hoped he had some idea in mind.

“... We don’t have nearly enough time to get to the capsule, get our suits on, and launch,” he said, more to himself than anypony else. “But I won’t let Cobalt win this. Twilight, can you form a shield around the ship?”

“Even if I wasn’t already weakened, Harmony is far too large, and the atmosphere is far too hot for me to keep a shield up long enough,” Twilight replied, shaking her head.

“Could you try teleporting us?” Quick Fix suggested.

“I’d need to be much closer to Equestria to ensure a safe teleport,” Twilight answered. “By the time we get close enough, either the atmospheric forces will have torn Harmony apart, or the heat will have cooked us.”

“Well there’s got to be something we can do!” Lightning Flash exclaimed. “I mean… we can’t just go out like this!”

“... Alright,” Ace said. “If Harmony is too large for you to fully shield, Twilight, then we’ll need to shed some weight. Skychaser, go get Cobalt from his holding cell.” Skychaser nodded, and ran off to complete his task. “Vibrant, access engineering and prepare to disconnect the following sections of the ship: the solar panels, modules one through three, and the reactor and engine struts. Twilight, will you be able to shield what’s left?” Twilight brought up an image of the ship in her mind, and mentally removed the sections that Ace had mentioned. With the other modules disconnected, only the bridge module would be left; even so, the bridge module was almost thirty meters long, and was similar in diameter.

“... Yes,” Twilight finally answering, hoping she was correct. Even if she was not, the alternative was to accept death with open arms. Twilight would not let that happen. “Yes, I think I can manage that for a minute or two. Hopefully long enough for us to get through the atmosphere.”

“What about the landing?” Lightning asked, his eyes wide. “Even if we survive the intense heat of reentry, we have no way of slowing down. It doesn’t matter if we hit ground or water, we’ll be pulverized on impact.”

“... The Princesses will be watching,” Ace said, though he did not appear entirely confident. “Hopefully, once Harmony is close enough, they can help.” The bridge door reopened, and Skychaser walked in, dragging an unconscious Cobalt by the scruff of his neck. The XO threw the saboteur into an unoccupied chair and secured the harness, then took his own seat, alarmed.

“One minute,” Lightning Flash reported. The ship was slowly beginning to shake, and Equus now dominated most of the viewport.

“Alright,” Ace said. “Detach the requested sections. Everypony hang on, this is going to be a rough ride down…”

Something is wrong, Luna thought. Her eyes carefully scanned over the ESA control room’s main screen, on which was a diagram displaying Harmony’s position around Equus. At first everything had seemed normal; the ship jumped in, limited comms were regained through the Phoenix capsule, and it appeared that the crew was alive. But when the ship began accelerating, the air of relief had entirely disappeared. Now it was unclear as to whether or not the crew had survived; if they had, who was in control of navigation?

“Princess, we’ve got an update,” a nearby technician began, drawing Luna’s attention away from the main screen. “Harmony’s projected trajectory had been completed. Assuming there are no additional course corrections… The ship is aiming for us.”

“It’s… on a crash course?” Luna asked, receiving a nod. “ETA to impact?”

“Four minutes,” the technician answered. “The ship will burn up in the atmosphere, but enough debris will survive to cause significant damage. And if the reactor survives, the safety mechanisms may fail in the crash. With that much magic power, it wouldn’t leave more than a crater.” Luna sighed, and turned to her sister, who was still focused on the main screens.

“They have to be alive…” Celestia whispered to herself. “They have to do something…”

“If the ship is on a collision course, I think we can safely assume the crew is dead,” Luna said, though it pained her to do so. “We have to evacuate the campus, sister. Perhaps if anything survives the crash, we can--”

“Princess!” another technician exclaimed, turning to Luna. “Harmony is breaking up. It appears to be a uniform separation; modules one through three, the solar panels, and the reactor and engine struts have been disconnected.”

“What does that mean?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“... It means they may be alive after all,” Luna replied, choosing to focus on the glimmer of hope that had been presented to her. “We may have a chance, here. I’ll still order the evacuation, but we need to stay. The crew will need us.”

“I… think I understand,” Celestia said, trotting to the door. “I will meet you outside, and ensure that everypony in the complex makes it to safety.” The elder Princess exited, and Luna approached the microphone for the complex PA system, activating it on an emergency channel.

“All ESA employees, evacuate the premises immediately,” she ordered, trying to sound calm. “Repeat, evacuate the premises immediately.” Luna activated an alarm, and watched as the control room staff trotted out of the building, headed for the nearest tram to take them far from the complex. When the command center was deserted, Luna followed the last of her ponies out, looking around for her sister. She found her standing a few dozen meters away, her eyes trained on the sky. Luna followed Celestia’s gaze, and found several fireballs, all of them quickly approaching. The Princess anxiously trotted to her sister, squinting her eyes as the fireballs drew closer.

“Look,” Celestia said, pointing to the debris. “Most of it is breaking up into smaller pieces, except for that one in the center.” Luna nodded, her suspicions confirmed.

“It is the bridge module,” she said. “They are casting a shield to protect from the heat. But it will not hold for long… prepare yourself, sister. When the debris is close enough, try your best to divert it into the bay. I will attempt to slow down the bridge, and deposit it safely on the ground.”

“Will you be able to handle the weight?” Celestia asked, concerned for the lives of those aboard. Luna paused, knowing that hers was not an easy task; if she faltered for even a moment, Harmony would crash at speeds high enough to kill the crew.

“... Yes,” she answered with a nod, summoning all the magic she could into her horn. “Just keep the debris away. Nopony else needs to be hurt on this mission.” Nodding, Celestia lit her horn as well, and waited for the debris to come within range.

The two sisters stood strong, staring without blinking as the debris descended upon the facility. And finally, just as soon as it was close enough, they acted. Celestia grabbed the various pieces of debris that had once been Harmony, using all of her magic to slow down and redirect them. Luna wrapped her telekinesis around the bridge module, immediately feeling the strain it brought upon her mind. The weight and speed of the ship was significant, but Luna could feel it slowing. She screwed her eyes shut, concentrating only on the task at hand. The rest of the world faded from her perception; in this moment, all that existed was Harmony. Whenever the Princess felt her telekinetic grip weakening, she would redouble her efforts, using every ounce of magic within her to bring the ship safely down.

Finally, she felt her grip disappear as the ground around her rumbled. Opening her eyes, Luna was met with the sight of Harmony’s bridge module, resting on the tracks between the assembly building and launch pad a hundred or so meters away. The ship had seen better days; the white plates were stained with soot, and some of the exposed metal was warped and melted from the heat. But she was intact, and that was the important part. Through the hell that the ship and her crew had endured over the past months, Harmony was home once again.

“... Are you alright, sister?” Celestia asked, concerned. Luna nodded, smiling, though she did feel greatly fatigued.

“Not exactly as easy as raising the moon,” she replied. “I’m fine. Our job is not over yet; we still have a crew to recover.” The Princess of the Night flared her wings, and set herself to launch into the air, but was stopped as she felt a hoof on her back.

“You need rest,” Celestia insisted. “I won’t have you flying after doing something like this. Allow me to go get the crew.” Luna opened her mouth to protest, but closed it as her sister glared, reinforcing her stern demand. Instead, Luna nodded, stepping back.

“When you get them out, take them to the medical facility,” she said. “They’ll all be needing evaluations, both physical and mental. And Cobalt… make sure he’s under guard.”

“I know the drill,” Celestia said. “You just recall all the personnel, now that disaster has been averted. Also… I would suggest calling for additional security. Cobalt’s confederates will know Harmony returned safely very soon. They may strike.”

“Right,” Luna nodded, turning back to the command center. “I will meet you in the medical building.” Celestia leapt into the air, flying to Harmony’s airlock, while Luna trotted back to the command building, set to perform her task...

Twilight winced as the ESA nurse changed her bandages, feeling the pain of her wound spreading throughout her body like lightning. The fur around the wound was beginning to grow back, but Twilight could still see the scarred skin that Cobalt’s magic had left behind. The Princess frowned; it was not a scar that would be disappearing anytime soon. The nurse pressed down on the fresh bandage, making sure it was secure, then moved on to the next pony in line: Star Step. Her bandages were changed as well, while the rest of the crew sat anxiously on their beds in the decontamination room. Most of them, Twilight included, had been knocked unconscious by the significant forces of their return, meaning that they had yet to see a friendly face. However, according to Ace, it was Celestia who had carried them all from the ship. This gave Twilight hope that she would see her mentor again shortly.

After finishing her initial rounds, the nurse smiled, and removed a shield that she had conjured around herself. “Alright,” she said, “you’re all good to go. Just take it easy; remember that you have been in a sterile environment for the past several months, so your immune systems will need time to get used to Equestria again. Should you begin to feel sick, visit a doctor immediately.”

“Understood,” Ace said. “Do you know where we’re supposed to go?”

“Down the hall and to the left,” the nurse replied. “The Princesses will be waiting for you.” The crew hopped out of their beds, all of them glad to be on solid ground once again. Ace took the lead, walking down the corridor with the rest of the crew following him. At the end of the hall he turned left, opened a door, and entered into a small meeting room with enough seats for the entire crew, plus four extras. Twilight frowned at the empty seats, remembering those who had been lost. She made a mental note to organize a proper memorial, then turned her attention back to the present. More specifically, she turned her attention to Celestia and Luna, who were sitting at the very end of the table, both wearing looks of pure relief.

“Crew of the Harmony,” Luna greeted. “Welcome home.”

“It’s good to be home, Princess,” Ace said, taking a seat at the opposite end of the table. The rest of the crew filtered in and sat down as well, focusing their attention on the Princesses.

“First, we want to commend you all for the work you have done,” Celestia began. “Nopony expected anything like this to happen. Your mission training did not cover sabotage, and your mental training did not prepare you to deal with a betrayal on this level. Quite frankly, none of you were equipped to deal with anything like this, and yet you all managed to overcome Cobalt’s treachery. Equestria truly is fortunate to have ponies like you.”

“Now, I know you all want fresh air, but it is imperative that we debrief as soon as possible,” Luna said. “We need as much information as you can possibly provide, specifically regarding Cobalt. If we can track down his confederates, we can see that nothing like this will happen ever again.”

“Twilight,” Celestia said, “we’ll begin with you.” Nodding, Twilight cleared her throat to speak.

“Alright,” she began. “Let’s start from the beginning…”

FIVE DAYS LATER

Fields and forests rushed by Twilight’s window, and as the train drew closer to its destination, the Princess began to recognize familiar landmarks. The outer fringes of the Everfree were first, and in short time they gave way to the vast acres of apple trees owned by Applejack and her family. Buildings were the last thing to come into view, and Twilight smiled at the sight of her home. It’s been too long, she thought.

The train’s arrival was signaled by the screech of breaks, and Twilight lurched forward as the train slowed to a stop. She gathered her things - a few books she had read during the ride - and dumped them into her saddlebags, placed the bags on her back, then stood as the conductor entered the train car.

“We’ve arrived, Princess,” he announced. Twilight smiled and trotted to the front of the car, watching as the conductor opened the passenger door, then disappeared back into another section of the train. Taking a deep breath, Twilight looked at the open door before her. Through it was home, and everypony she had left behind all those months ago. With a nervous grin, the Princess exited the train, holding up a hoof to block the sun from blinding her.

When she lowered her hoof, Twilight’s jaw dropped. Standing a few meters from the edge of the train platform was nearly everypony in town, with her friends at the very front of a group. A few of the ponies held a banner, on which was written, “WELCOME HOME TWILIGHT!” The phrase was echoed by the crowd, and Twilight felt tears of joy enter her eyes as her friends rushed forward, embracing her in a tight hug.

“It’s good to have you back, Twilight,” Starlight Glimmer greeted.

“It’s good to be back,” Twilight said, her smile only growing. Her friends broke the hug, and Pinkie Pie jumped back toward the crowd, ushering Twilight to follow.

“Come on!” she urged, bubbling with excitement. “I promised you a party, and you’re getting one! Let’s go!” Before she could react, Twilight was swept along by the rest of her friends, practically being carried to the scene of the party. She laughed, the first genuine laugh she had had in a long time. Here, her worries seemed to disappear. Back in Ponyville, surrounded by her friends, there was no Cobalt. There was no Harmony, there were no terrorists, there was only familiarity…

When the party had died down, Twilight found herself standing on the balcony overlooking her castle’s foyer, examining the aftermath of the festivities. The floor was more confetti than marble, and the streamers would take several trash bags on their own. I’ll do that later, Twilight thought, yawning. For now, it’s time to relax…

“Hey, Twilight,” Starlight said, approaching the fatigued Princess. “Tired?”

“Just a bit,” Twilight replied. “This was quite the welcome home party. It was… everything I needed and more.” Starlight frowned, and stepped closer to her mentor.

“I can’t imagine how bad it really was up there,” she said. “The news reported on every statement the ESA issued, but they tried to keep things as quiet as possible. We didn’t even know members of the crew had died until you told us…”

“It was rough.” Twilight nodded, frowning at the mention of those who had not survived. A lone tear dripped down her cheek, and she wiped it away with a hoof. “It was rough.”

“Well, you’re home now,” Starlight added. “You’re safe again.” The rest of Twilight’s friends joined the pair on the balcony, all of them offering friendly smiles.

“Yeah, there’s nothin’ to worry about here,” Applejack said, draping a hoof over Twilight’s back.

“Everything’s a-okay!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “No plots here.” Twilight nodded, happy to be in the company of her friends once again. But even with all of the familiarity, one issue lingered; during the debriefing, Celestia and Luna had been behaving oddly. Ace had as well, and their words had seemed crafted, almost rehearsed.

“... Yeah,” Twilight said, trying to push the thoughts aside. But no matter how hard she tried to focus on something else, she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. “Everything is fine…”

“Is something wrong?” Starlight asked, clearing sensing Twilight’s worry. “I would understand if you didn’t want to talk about it, but… We’re here for you, Twilight.”

“It’s just…” Twilight faltered, trying to find the words. “Celestia and Luna were acting strange during the debriefing… and before that, whenever I commed Celestia from Harmony, something seemed off… I don’t know how to describe it, it’s just like… It’s like they have something to hide.”

“Well, could it not be reasonable that they were acting oddly out of fear?” Rarity posited. “Given Princess Luna’s attachment to the mission, and your bond with Princess Celestia, I can understand why even they may be behaving out of the ordinary.”

“That makes sense to me,” Spike agreed, nodding.

“... Maybe,” Twilight said, “but it still feels like there’s more going on. More that I’m missing.”

“Well, they’ve trusted you with major responsibilities in the past,” Starlight said. “It’s clear that they trust you, so if there is something going on, I’m sure they’ll let you know.” Twilight nodded, though she was not entirely convinced. Her friends stood in silence for an awkward moment, wondering if Twilight would say anything else.

“... Look, it’s been a pretty long day,” Twilight finally said, stifling a yawn. “I can’t remember the last time I got a good night’s sleep.”

“Well, don’t let us keep you up,” Rainbow Dash said, patting her friend on the back. “Goodnight, Twi’!” The rest of her friends echoing the farewell, Twilight castle was soon empty once again, occupied only by herself and Spike, who was standing nearby.

“... Are you sure you’re okay?” the dragon asked, concerned.

“... I’m fine, Spike,” Twilight replied, nodding. “I just need some time to think, readjust, and… and come to terms with everything.”

“Well… I’ll do some cleaning, then,” Spike said, crossing to a small doorway on the side of the balcony. “Goodnight, Twilight.” He disappeared through the door, the sound of his claws on the stairs echoing through the crystalline castle. Twilight stared out over her foyer, trying to resolve the conflicting thoughts that flew through her mind. On the one hoof, Rarity had a point about the Princesses simply being worried. But on the other, too many things did not add up. Ace’s background, Cobalt’s ability to get past the background check… Oh, Celestia and Luna, Twilight thought, beginning to piece something together in her mind. What have you done?

ONE MONTH LATER

The sun set on Canterlot, and a still quiet took hold of the city as its residents transitioned from their day to night schedules. A gentle wind rustled the leaves of the trees in the city, but beyond that, not a sound was made. For the citizens of Canterlot, all was peaceful.

For the ponies in Canterlot Castle’s dungeon, peace was something they would never know again. Thanks to the efforts of Celestia and Luna, along with help from Ace, Cobalt had been broken. The Captain was thorough; he knew his crew in and out, and in situations such as this, he knew exactly what to say to bypass any barriers a pony could erect around their mind. And with the arrest of seven high-ranking terrorist leaders, a several-decade long mission was concluded. Now all that remained was cleaning up the mess that had been left behind.

Princess Celestia sat behind her desk, calmly reading over the after-action report from the squad that had apprehended the terrorist leaders. It had been a very clean mission; no friendly casualties, no civilians alerted, and no terrorist left standing. It was almost surreal for Celestia; all of the effort, the sacrifices over the years, had finally paid off. She allowed herself a smile, though it paled in comparison to the one worn by her sister.

“So we should be able to cut down travel time to 55 Eridani b to nearly fifty percent!” Luna reported excitedly, looking out the office window toward the horizon. “Once the funding is approved - assuming it’s approved - we can start construction on the new ship. The destruction of Harmony was unexpected, but as soon as news about our victory goes public, I have confidence that public support of a second mission will be overwhelming. Plus, we’ll have help from the zebra, as per the terms of our arrangement.”

The Princess of the Night was cut off as a knock sounded, and a guard opened the office door, poking his head inside. “Highnesses,” he said, “Captain Ace is here to see you.”

“Send him in,” Celestia ordered, lowering the after-action report. Luna turned away from the window, watching the door as Ace stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

“Captain,” Luna greeted. “How did the interrogation go?”

“Better than I expected,” Ace replied, stopping across from Celestia’s desk. “They may be smarter than most, but at the end of the day, they’re still terrorists, which means they’re all out for personal gain. Promise them the right things, and they’ll out their comrades with no trouble at all.”

“What exactly did you promise them?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing they’re going to actually receive,” Ace said. “I’ll have a report written for you by tomorrow morning. Now, as for your promise…” Celestia and Luna exchanged a glance, then nodded and returned their attention to the Captain.

“We’ll honor our end of the agreement,” Luna said. “By the end of the week, all of the paperwork will be through. You will be retired with all honors, your records will be erased, and you will be free to live a life of your choosing.” Ace nodded, satisfied.

“And the crew?” he asked. Again Celestia and Luna shared a look, before shaking their heads.

“They won’t be told about the true purpose of their mission,” Celestia answered. “They believe their fight is over. Why reopen old wounds?” Ace’s jaw dropped, and he glared at the Princess, shaking his head.

“Why reopen old wounds?” he repeated. “You say that as if this all happened years ago! We lied to them. I lied to their faces, allowing Cobalt to sabotage my ship again and again just to force him to reveal himself. Do you think I liked doing this? Do you think it gave me a rush, like the ‘good old days’? I let three of my ponies die in order to catch that son of a bitch. Are we really not going to tell the crew that their suffering was worth something?”

“They will believe their suffering was worth something, once news of our success is released,” Luna replied. “They simply will not know the entirety of the truth. Now please, let this issue rest, Ace. Your fight is over, and your battle is won. Let it go.” Ace opened his mouth to speak again, but closed it after a short pause, sighing quietly instead.

“... Like I said, I’ll have a full report for you by morning,” he whispered. “And after that, I’d appreciate if you honor the terms of our agreement by never speaking to me again. I gave up retirement once, there will not be a second time.”

“If that is your wish,” Celestia agreed, nodding. “Goodnight, Ace. Thank you for your work.” The Captain grunted, and without another word, exited the office. Celestia let out a sigh as soon as he was gone, and turned to her sister. The two sisters did not have to speak to know that their feelings were mutual; the situation with Ace could have gone better, but at the end of the day, their mission had been a success. The most enduring terrorist organization Equestria had ever seen was gone. Others would rise, but Celestia was confident that they could be crushed as well. For now, she was content to sit in victory.

This contentment was broken as her office door opened again, this time without a knock, and, to Celestia’s surprise, Twilight Sparkle walked inside, her face an emotionless slate. Exchanging a confused glance with her sister, Celestia offered Twilight a welcoming smile, rising from behind her desk.

“Twilight,” she greeted warmly, “we weren’t expecting you. What brings you to Canterlot a this hour?”

“The truth,” Twilight answered. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past month. At first I thought I was just paranoid, traumatized from my time on Harmony. But as more of the pieces fit into place, my findings became impossible to ignore. It all works too well to be a simple coincidence. So tell me, am I right in suggesting that you risked the lives of Harmony’s crew with the sole intent of catching Cobalt?” Celestia’s smile disappeared, and she let out a sigh, knowing no amount of additional lying would convince Twilight otherwise.

“... Yes, you are right,” Celestia replied, nodding. “When it became clear that a mission as exciting as Harmony would be the prime target for a terrorist strike, we found ourselves with an opportunity that was too useful to pass up. By baiting Harmony, we have been able to catch monsters who have evaded our grasp for decades.”

“Ponies died, Celestia,” Twilight stated, a hint of anger entering her voice. “Ponies who thought their work would pave the way for colonization of other planets. Who are the real monsters here?”

“Their work has paved the way for the colonization of alien worlds,” Luna said, stepping forward. “Because these terrorists are out of the way, we are now free to embark on future missions with no risk of attacks. Golden Bolt, Astral Breeze, and Sharp Sight are heroes, and their sacrifice--”

“Sacrifice!?” Twilight screamed, making no attempt to hide her pure, unadulterated rage. “They didn’t even know! Golden Bolt died in the vacuum of space, experiencing pain I can’t even imagine. Astral Breeze killed herself, betrayed by the crew she loved like a family. Sharp Sight died just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you think their final thoughts had anything to do with “sacrifice”?” Celestia crossed to her pupil, frowning as the young Princess recoiled away.

“Please, Twilight,” she said, “try to understand. I have been fighting these monstrous ponies for longer than you have been alive. Until Luna returned, defeating them was out of the question. This is not the course of action we wanted to take, but you cannot deny that it worked. We are safe now.”

“So that’s it, then?” Twilight asked. “You’re just going to accept this victory and move on? Did the lives of the crew mean nothing to you? Do I mean nothing to you?”

“Twilight, I care about you more than words can express,” Celestia answered. “And I don’t want you to think that I threw lives away for this mission. I never wanted anypony to die, and now that Cobalt has led us to his superiors, we can prevent thousands of deaths for years to come. And… Harmony was not always going to be a bait mission. There are exoplanets out there, and some of them could potentially support life. There will be another mission. And when the time comes, Luna and I want you to lead it.”

“Ace is effective when it comes to military protocol and tracking down saboteurs,” Luna said, “but a black ops veteran was never our first choice for an exploration mission. Will you accept?”

“Why me?” Twilight narrowed her eyebrows, doubtful. “Here I am, confronting you about this awful lie you have told, and you want me to continue to work with you? I should tell everypony what you have done. That would be the right thing to do.”

“Would it?” Celestia asked, shaking her head. “No, it wouldn’t. Defeating these terrorists has made Equestria stronger and safer. Telling the world about what we have done would undo the efforts of the past several years. It would make the deaths of Bolt, Astral, and Sharp worthless. Please, Twilight; I know your trust in us has been shaken, but sometimes, as leaders, we are forced to do questionable things in order to protect those we love. And for future missions, Luna and I need somepony we can trust. Somepony logical, yet empathetic. Somepony calm, yet inspiring. That somepony is you.”

“... I can’t forgive you,” Twilight said. “And I won’t forget what you’ve done. Justifying your actions in the name of harmony only taints the word. But… I’ll lead the next mission. However, I want to make one thing clear: I will run the mission the way I want to run it. And if you lie to me ever again… the world will know about it.” The young alicorn trotted back to the door, stopping just before exiting. She paused as if to speak, but instead she merely sighed and stepped out of the office, disappearing with a flash further down the corridor.

“... We should have known she would figure it out,” Luna said, frowning. “I hope we can regain her trust someday.”

“As do I, sister,” Celestia agreed, nodding. “As do I. Now, I believe you have a mission statement to write?” Luna nodded, crossing to the office door.

“Indeed I do,” she said. “We have a real shot at redemption with a second mission. Let’s not ruin it.” The Princess of the Night exited, and Celestia returned to her desk, now alone with her thoughts. Her student was entirely correct; no justification she could conjure up would regain the lives lost aboard Harmony. And despite what her sister said, Celestia knew there was no redemption for their actions. This was something she was going to live with for the rest of her life, one more stain to add to a slowly growing pile.

Standing up once again, Celestia crossed to her window, watching the moon as it hovered high over Equestria, casting the landscape in its soft, pale glow. Everything was calm and quiet at this hour of the night. This calm had not come without a cost; a price had been paid, and now Equestria faced one less threat. Whether or not the price was worth it, only time would tell. The future was filled with new possibilities now, opportunities that Celestia knew she would take. The Princess also knew that she could not repeat her actions of the past months. To do so would lose the faith of everypony in Equestria, and in times such as these, the citizens needed to have faith.

Never again, Celestia decided, turning away from her window. She took a seat at her desk, staring down at the papers that cluttered the surface. Luna had work to do, and so did she. A space mission was not a one-Princess job, and if the proper funds were to be raised, Celestia had to play her part. With a flash from her horn, the papers disappeared, teleported into a filing cabinet on the other side of the room. Her desk now clear, Celestia pulled a clean sheet of paper out of one of the drawers, and set it down in front of her.

“Okay…” she said to herself. “Back to work.”

EPILOGUE

SIX YEARS LATER

“ESA control to Phoenix capsule, we are all clear on this end. Please confirm.”

“Phoenix capsule to ESA control, checking systems now,” Twilight Sparkle reported, looking around at her crew. Each pony sat at his or her station, monitoring their assigned system with an admirable level of focus. “How are we?”

“Comms are strong, and we’re on our own computers,” Star Step answered quietly. Twilight nodded, and turned her attention to the next pony in line.

“Engines are aligned and ready,” Lightning Flash replied, grinning. “We’re all good.”

“Phoenix to ESA control, capsule is ready for launch,” Twilight said, waiting for the go-ahead.

“Crew of the Dawn, this is Princess Luna,” Luna’s voice said through the intercom. “I want to thank you for your bravery, and to let you know that everypony here at the ESA has your backs. Good luck, Dawn, and farewell.”

“Begin launch prep,” a technician said once Luna had removed herself from the intercom. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, main engine start, five, four, three, two, one.”

The Phoenix capsule rumbled as the rocket was sent skyward, and Twilight felt herself filling with the excitement that she had felt six years earlier, sitting in almost the same position as her current one. Back then, she had thought that she was being sent as a vanguard of the future, one of the ponies who would prepare her planet for interstellar colonization. But that had been a lie; now, Twilight knew it was reality. She would be making history, along with her mostly-new crew.

The shaking subsided, and Twilight turned her gaze to the nearest viewport. Through it, she saw only the sea of stars that she had called home while stranded on Harmony. Now, perhaps far more ponies could call it home, under much safer circumstances. This was the future for ponykind; exploration, conquering new frontiers and overcoming every challenge they encountered. Twilight could not help but smile at the mission on which she was about to embark. Here, they had a real opportunity to make a difference. A real opportunity to drive ponykind into the future. A real opportunity to create a new beginning...

Author's Note

And so ends Onward to Tomorrow! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed your time with this story.

This may be a story that I revisit in the future, though whether that is in the form of a rewrite or an entire reconcept remains to be seen. Regardless, I want to thank all the people who provided feedback with every chapter update. Although I do not reply to everything, I do pay attention to all of the feedback I receive, and I try to take it all to heart.

Once again, thank you for reading. Until next time, this is SpartanD014, signing off!

Prologue

PROLOGUE

… Call started…

“Is your line secure?”

“Yes. I followed the instructions.”

“Good. I understand congratulations are in order. Making it through all of that training must not have been easy.”

“No, it wasn’t. Two Celestia-damned years. But it’ll be worth it.”

“Of course it will. You understand your orders?”

“Yes.”

“You understand the importance of subtlety?”

“Yes.”

“And you understand that, if you do anything wrong, it won’t work?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good. More detailed orders will arrive for you sometime tomorrow. Read them, memorize them, then burn them. I don’t want your house-sitter catching wind of what we’re trying to do.”

“Will do.”

“You’ll be giving your life for something important. You should be honored.”

“I am. Truly, I am.”

“Good. And if you do fail, the instructions will include backup plans, but… Well, plan A is the one most likely to work. So please, for all that is good in this world, don’t screw it up.”

“I won’t.”

“If you do, and none of the backup plans work… If you return to Equestria, and she is still alive… There will be nowhere you can hide from us. Nothing you can do to keep us away.”

“It won’t come to that.”

“See that it doesn’t. By next week, we’ll have some equipment for you. You will disassemble them and disguise them among your personal items. Keep them well-hidden, disassemble them again when they’re not in use. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. One final thing: we’re sending a cyanide capsule with you, in case you get found out. Don’t let them interrogate you. The Captain is… notoriously good at interrogations.”

“I understand.”

“Good. That is all. I’ll call again after the equipment reaches you, and we’ll go over some final things. Best of luck to you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Call ended.