Endeavor’s Infirmary, Mission Clock at 53:15
Dusk

You never stop learning. That old adage continues to play itself out time and time again for me. In this case I learned something new about one of my new compatriots; Pumyra was rather good at stitching wounds. Once we got Dawn down into the infirmary she made short work of the bleeding and gashes that the shrapnel dealt the still unconscious mare. After that one of Cosmo’s doctors took over leaving me and the cat to watch over Dawn.

“So you said that she knew about some program built into the ship’s AI?” Pumyra asked, breaking the silence.

I nodded. “She said that she made sure that something called Gemini One was built into his program. It did something to Endeavor’s slipspace drive…”

At that Greyscale’s avatar joined us from an emitter built into the wall. “The program in question was a fast-boot protocol for the drive core. Not only am I surprised that someone managed to write one that didn’t blow up the drive core, but the only two living beings that were involved were Doctor Halsey and Princess Amore. How Ms. Dawn knew of a program that even I was unaware of is rather disconcerting.”

“Wait, you didn’t know it was there?”

Greys’s avatar flickered in response. “Ms. Dawn’s query revealed a plethora of files and programs that were previously hidden behind administrative privilege. Gemini One is just one of thousands that were installed into my core matrices. There’s a program for just about every contingency that I could possibly invision.”

“Sounds like Dawn has been busy.” Pumyra observed.

“Then why is it that I didn’t hear anything about her until today?” I countered. “And were these programs the only things that Dawn had her hands in?”

“While our knowledge of Ms. Dawn is very limited, I believe it would be safe to assume that she may have been involved in far more than just my programing.” Grey pointed out.

“Well you won’t be able to ask her until she wakes up.”

“Ah, Doctor Suture… I take it that you’ve got news?” I asked.

The mare nodded. “We’ve got Dawn stable, and she will recover. However a blood transfusion will greatly aid her recovery.”

“So you need a suitable donor. Alright, start testing everypony on board.”

But Suture shook her head. “I’m not going to need to do that… I’ve already identified a match, but it gets more complicated. I’ve found an organic marker that’s present in Dawn’s blood. It’s definitely genetic in nature, and attempts to introduce other samples in the lab have led to a complete rejection of the transfused material.”

“But you said that you already had a match, right?”

The doctor nodded. “Commander, the only way for this transfusion to work is to introduce a blood sample from a direct relative who has the marker.”

“So like a sibling?” Pumyra asked.

“No, like a parent.” Suture replied. “Commander Dusk, you have the marker in your blood. I don’t know how but Dawn… She’s your child.”

***

Endeavor’ Port Side Hanger, Half an Hour Later…
Archer

“Commander, thanks for coming so quickly.” One of the marines said as I approached the hangar entrance.

I nodded. “So what’s happening now? You said something about a major disturbance?”

The marine nodded in turn and hit the door release. “It’s Commander Dusk sir… Although I believe his results speak for themselves.”

It bears noting that there’s two hangars in the middle section of the Endeavor, one port and the other starboard with a sizable storage and repair area running right down the middle of the ship. That held all of the ground vehicles on the ship, while the port hangar held the launch-ready fighters… Minus the two that had been torn to pieces, and the third on the flight line that Dusk was actively tearing into. “What in Celestia’s beard is he doing?!” I frantically asked.

“I have no idea, I just know I can’t handle him on my own!” The marine insisted.

If one marine can’t handle an enraged high-powered equine then neither could I, at least not without some serious backup. “Trooper, get the General down here. I’ll see what I can do to calm him down!” Now my clearly crazy decision obviously left the marine shocked, but with my back to him I have no idea if he kept standing there or went to do what I told him.

Dusk, on the other hand, was doing a damn fine job of shredding the human-supplied Sabres that sat on the flight line in the hanger. The first one had starboard side cannon ripped clean from it’s housing while leaving a gaping hole down the forward quarter of the fuselage. The second one had it’s nose bashed off by that same cannon, the once straight barrel and mechanism sitting in a clattered heap alongside the shattered sensor package. But between the second and third fighters Dusk must’ve given up, because when I finally caught up to him he was bashing his knuckles into the side of the fuselage. Judging by the blood that smeared the metal skin he must’ve split them wide open, and I confirmed that relatively quickly when I saw the blood dripping off his right hand as he drew back to throw another punch.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I shouted.

Dusk finally took notice that someone other than him was in the hangar. “Archer?” He asked as he turned to face me. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to know that you’re off your rocker.” I retorted, pointing at his bleeding hands. “What the hell are you thinking?”

“Admittedly I really haven’t been.” Dusk replied as he dealt another hard blow against the side of the Sabre. “I just needed to do SOMETHING to distract myself.”

I just shook my head. “And this is what you came up with? Trashing fighters? That’s pathetic.”

Dusk shrugged. “I thought I just said that I hadn’t been thinking?”

“Then tell me why. Why are you going off all half-cocked like this?!”

“It’s just…” Dusk stopped for a moment and shook his head. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it. Alright?”

“What the hell?!”

I turned around to face the new arrival in the hangar, and while it wasn’t the General that I had sent for, Dawn would have to do for the time being. “Hey, you think you can help me get through to Dusk? He seems to have gone off the deep end.”

“That’s something of an understatement.” Dawn observed.

As I turned back to Dusk I expected him to turn back to his beating on the fighter. But instead he stopped, having leaned his head against the side of the craft. And if I didn’t know any better I’d say that he had a tear going down his cheek. “Dusk, are you alright?”

“I told you that I don’t want to talk about it.” He managed to grunt out.

But Dawn obviously saw right through Dusk’s attitude and understood what was at the heart of the problem. “The Doctor told you who I am, didn’t he?”

Dusk nodded, and I quickly realized that my earlier suspicions about Dawn were dead-center. “Wait, so you are his kid?”

That quip got both pairs of eyes to focus on me. “You knew?” Dusk asked.

I quickly shook my head. “I had a suspicion, but nothing concrete. How’d you find out?”

“Blood test.” Dusk retorted. “The doc ran through the samples that he had on file for the crew, and mine has the same protein marker that Dawn’s does. The closest match that he could get was a parent.”

“And he was the only one on board.” Dawn added. “Dusk, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

“Then how did you want me to find out? Wine and dine your mother and I so you could drop this bombshell?” Dusk snapped. “Apparently both your mother and I lose out on the opportunity to raise our own child. Our own flesh and blood! And all because what? Some all-powerful deity decided that snatching you was in the best interests of the universe? Come on, that’s complete bullshit!”

“Ya, you’re right.” Dawn replied. “I was told nearly every day for twenty years that both of my parents had died, and under no circumstances should I interfere with what you’ve been up to. But imagine my shock when I find out that both of my parents are not only alive, but Canterlot was under attack because some asshole wanted to make sure that I was never born!”

Now it was Dusk’s turn to look confused. “Wait, what?!”

“I know, right?” Dawn said, seemingly oblivious to Dusk’s surprise. “I mean come on, I’ve never met Euripides for Faust’s sake!”

“Who the fuck is Euripides?!” Dusk yelled.

That finally drove the point home to Dawn. “The former Archmage of the Alicorn Imperium? Only other known surviving Alicorn from the Imperium era?”

“You might as well be speaking gibberish.” Dusk retorted.

Dawn stopped for a moment and seemed to mull over her thoughts. “Well I’d rather only tell this story once… Meet me on the bridge in ten minutes.”

With that last word Dawn teleported away, leaving Dusk and myself standing in the hangar staring at where the Alicorn mare once stood. “So… Are you done here?” I asked offhandedly.

“I think I am.” Dusk replied. “Now she said meet her on the bridge in ten?”

“Yup.”

As Dusk walked past me I saw him nod. “Alright, I’ll meet you up there.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Just where are you going now?”

Dusk kept walking and held up both of his still-bleeding hands. “I could go for some stitches!”

***

Endeavor’s Bridge, Ten Minutes Later
Dusk

In hindsight busting both of my knuckles wide open was not a wise method of dealing with stress. Trashing a few fighters also wasn’t wise, if only the death-glare that Gramps gave me was any indication.

“Sorry for the delay-” Dawn said as she swept onto the bridge. “-I was just getting a few things squared away. Greyscale? Be a dear and pull up the files I just uploaded.”

“Aye aye.” The AI chirped.

On the holotable at the center of the bridge a visage of a seafoam-coated Alicorn grew from the emitter. “Awe fuck…” I heard Gramps groan.

“You recognize him?” Phalanx asked.

Gramps nodded. “Euripides. He’s some Alicorn mage. I tangled with him years ago when I was securing the unclaimed Alicorn Amulets.”

“He’s not just some mage. He’s was the Archmage of the Alicorn Imperium.” Dawn explained. “He was among the survivors that journeyed into the Wastes after Faust discovered a possible solution to the Curse of the Mongrels. Between when they disappeared about ten thousand years ago and the beginning of this century there had been no sign of them anywhere on Equis.”

“The first sighting of the red amulet… That was around the same time if memory serves.” Gramps observed. “I take it that’s the connection that you’re referring to?”

“Indeed.” Dawn replied. “When the red amulet was first discovered Faust got her first hint… But after you engaged Euripides-”

“It confirmed that he was still around.” I finished. “So let me ask, but why is this guy think attacking Canterlot will help him get to you?”

“Well I’m already out of Euripides’ hands at this point, but he doesn’t find out that I’m gone until he finds Mom. After that from what we can tell he decided to go for broke and trash Canterlot.” Dawn said in return. “I’ve already got a stallion on the ground to keep Mom safe until we get there-”

“Wait, you already have someone in the city?” Archer asked.

Dawn nodded. “You two know him as Spark. He was the former first officer aboard E-201. I grabbed him from Poneva just before some irradiated Changelings made a meal of him.”

“But he was on the Chicacolt… Wasn’t he?” I asked.

Dawn shook her head. “That was actually me. After I dropped him off I used an illusion spell and went back to take the place of the prisoner that those raiders were using to run the boilers. In all honesty it wasn’t the boilers that blew up… I decided that blowing the guts of the Chicacolt out with magic would be a better option. Left me with a lot fewer burns and shrapnel wounds.”

So ‘Spark’ was really my daughter? That’s rather… Earth Shattering. “Alright, once we deal with Canterlot you and I are going to have a long talk about what you’ve been up to.”

“Uh…” Dawn droned, now looking slightly nervous at the prospect.

I did the only thing that came to mind and rolled my eyes. “Grey, can we make the jump for home?” I asked.

“Affirmative Commander. We can jump on command.” The AI replied.

I nodded and made my way to the command chair. As I sat down I hit the button for shipwide comms. “This is Commander Dusk… All hands, man your battle stations!”

Author's Note

Well Jesus H. Christ, this took me long enough to edit, didn't it? Well enjoy, we're returning to Canterlot next time boy and girls!

Get in on the Mirrorverse Discord here!

Anyone got questions? Like what you're seeing so far? Hell, maybe have some gripes? There's a comment section and the Mirrorverse Codex. Read and comment away, because I want to hear from you fellow denizens of this corner of the internet. Until next time gang!
-Striker