Jet Force Twilight

The excitement laid thick in the air of which Vela’s transport ship produced for its passengers. The Wonderbolts had all seated themselves on one side of the ship while the royal guard had the other. The belts had been firmly fastened around their bellies, ready for the G forces that was about to hit them. There was a hissing sound when the engines started. Pinkie Pie felt something start alright. Her highly pitched voice spurted now.

“Oh! Isn’t this exiting!? I’ve never been to space, but I heard that things float around there so I figured I didn’t need to bring up any tables for my cakes, we can just leave them floating in the air and hurl over and take a bite whenever…”

Pinkie Pie continued spouting words on an astronomical level. Rainbow Dash’s eyes filled with tears because she couldn’t raise her hooves and cover her ears while fastened inside her chair.

“Pinkie Pie. Aren’t you going to take a seat?” Fluttershy asked worried.

“Yes, Pinkie Pie. No rude intentions, but I don’t think being slammed up against a metal wall is going to do well for your complexion.” Rarity added worried.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve always wondered how I would look with a flattened mule.” Pinkie Pie touched her nose. “I wonder if it would be funny creepy or just creepy?”

There was a cracking sound coming from the speaker. Vela, the pilot that was about to take the ponies higher than any pegasus, spoke with the calm and informative voice of a flight host.

“Good evening passengers and welcome onboard Vela’s class 5 transport ship. I would just like to inform you that our launch, mustering G forces that are three times the gravitation of your planet, lies just around the corner. Be sure to check that your seat belts are properly fastened. Also, be sure to look under your seat for drone heads that I may have forgotten earlier so they don’t go flying into another passenger’s face. Also, be sure to watch out for flying pink ponies.”

“Pink ponies? Where!?” Pinkie Pie screamed.

All four jet engines started at once, causing the entire vessel to rumble violently. The ship lifted from the ground. Once the vessel was hovering midair Vela and Lupus maneuvered the nose skyward and launched the boost engine. The ship then accelerated from 20 kilometers per hour to 200 in 2 seconds. Pinkie pie went flying across the room and face planted the closed transport door with a smack. The ship gradually accelerated to 800. The faces of the ponies inside contorted with tensions. All, except the Wonderbolt fliers, who was still experiencing the speed of an extra intense evening flight.

“Is this it?!” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.

By the time the ship was close to reaching the cloud line Vela and Lupus launched the orbital engine, quickly accelerating the ship toward roughly 30000 kilometers per hour, the speed needed to reach space from the planet Equestria was located. Apple Jack still remember the speed she experienced when she and her family lost control of their family reunion cart and trashed their barn with it. Apple Jack was now imagining the same cart spearing through the barn, go around the planet, come back from the other side and fly through the hole again, all while the barn was still falling apart.

“OH YEA!!!” Fleetfoot roared.

“NOW WE’RE TALKING!!!” Spitfire blasted.

“THIS… IS… AWESOME!!!” Rainbow Dash awed.

“I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE!!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her face still flattened against the metal door.

It felt like the launch went on for just a couple of seconds. Little did the ponies know that they had been pressed against their seat for nearly ten minutes. Twilight felt the nausea rocking her head. Rainbow Dash felt herself lift from her chair.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash scolded.

“What?”

The pegasus quickly realized that Twilight’s lavender horn wasn’t sparkling.

“What is going on?” One of the royal guards asked.

“It’s zero, or rather very low gravity that we are experiencing. I read about it. It’s a phenomenon that occurs when somepony leaves their planet.” Twilight informed.

“Leaves the planet?! Does that mean?”

“Yes, Rainbow Dash. We are far from Equestria now, we are…”

Twilight never had time to finish. A humming sound went. The ponies felt the gravity return again. Twilight unbelted herself and walked up the stairs, leading to the cockpit. She used her horn to open the hatch. The sight she was met with put her in a trance.

There were stars, in front of blackness, as far as the eyes can see. Twilight was looking out from the oval window around the pilot seat, but the gadgets of the ship was the last thing that the unicorn payed attention to. Her purple shaded eyes were wide, sparkling like the uncountable number of suns that laid across the blackness. They seemed to reach out infinitely, all while at the same time close in and embrace Twilight like she was its mother. Twilight remember her own mother and father waving her goodbye before takeoff.

“Have fun slaughtering giant bugs sweetie!” Twilight Velvet had exclaimed merrily.

Twilight heard the sound of mewling beside her. Lupus was sitting beside Vela, who now noted Twilight’s presence. Vela smiled and turned the stick sideways. Slowly, the fabric of space turned. Twilight was completely captivated by it. She may have read about it a dozen times, but no amount of reading could have prepared her for this. Little did she know that the moment was about to go even deeper into wonder. A colored globe slowly came into view.

“Sweet Celestia!” Apple Jack awed, having followed Twilight into the cockpit. Raritys silent awe could be heard fading behind her. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy said nothing while they joined their friends in gazing dreamily at the world as they knew it.

“Is that Equestria?” Fluttershy awed.

“It is, Fluttershy.” Twilight replied.

“All of it?” Rarity asked.

“All of it, I guess.” Twilight answered hesitantly.

The planet itself was round and spun slightly. It was shining with a grayer shade of all the colors that could be found on the surface.

“This will give me inspiration for years to come.” Rarity awed, referring to her sewing.

“But what is out there?” Apple Jack asked, pointing her hoof toward space.

“Who knows, Apple Jack, who knows.” Twilight answered with a slight whisper.

“Having your tiny pony minds blown?” Vela asked teasingly.

“Yes.” Twilight admitted, almost proudly.

Pinkie Pie poked her pink head through the hatch. She opened her mouth wide.

“SPACE!”

Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie, her face twisting in confusion.

“Eh, cockpit?”

“We are in space!” Pinkie Pie stated again, still trying to progress the scope of what she saw. Her face widened in awe. “It’s beautiful.”

“Wonder how far it reaches?” Fluttershy asked.

“Us humans have come a long way in technology, but the question you just asked pony, it still perplexes us.” Vela replied.

After Twilight and her friends had gazed into space they returned to their seats downstairs. The other ponies then took turn beholding the infinity from the view of the cockpit. Twilight had now seated herself next to Spitfire. The Wonderbolt general leaned closer to her and whispered.

“Mighty impressive of Pinkie Pie to be in such a good mood after what happened at the gala.”

“Indeed.” Twilight agreed. Both of them now watched Pinkie take a seat opposite of them.

“I only heard rumors, but is it true that Pinkie Pie and Starlight Glimmer had a romantic relationship?”

She wanted to marry her. The full answer laid at the tip of Twilights tongue. “Yes.” She answered.

“It’s unfair that Starlight Glimmer was killed in the attack. She really saved us all Pinkie Pie. If it hadn’t been for her taking care of those shooters, I wouldn’t bet that any of us would be here now.”

“Yes, it is unfair.” Twilight answered Spitfire, then adding darkly. “And when I find Mizar, he’ll know the hard way how unfair any of those ponies’ deaths were.”

Pinkie Pie trampled her hooves with excitement. The thought boomed inside her head. My name is Pinkie Pie and I live to see my friends smile!

“Yes, you are.”

Pinkie Pie felt a hoof reach from the seat next to her. It was Starlight. She spoke to her in a familiar tone.

“To me you will always be the same happy, kind and funny Pinkie Pie that I've always known, no matter how this turns out.”

Pinkie felt like she was being covered with a warm blanket. Hearing Starlight’s voice, the screams of all the ponies crying over their dead friends faded away, along with the drones she herself killed at the Gala. Pinkie Pie let her own hoof move over Starlight’s, feeling her coat tickle her in more ways than one. Pinkie Pie closed her eyes. She chuckled.

“Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie Pie opened her eyes again and looked where she previously had seen Starlight. Twilight’s nervous smile was hovering underneath her blushing cheeks and wide pupils.

“Eh… hehehe. I asked you if I you were alright.”

Pinkie Pie removed her pink hoof and replied embarrassed. “Oh right, I heard you did.”

Twilight looked away from Pinkie Pie while placing both her lavender hooves together, as if to say: Right, so what now?

“So, what now… I mean, how are you?”

“Great.” Pinkie Pie answered, then adding. “Thanks for asking, Twilight.”

Both ponies delayed looks at each other. Twilights nervous smile softened.

“You can…” Twilight hesitated. The lavender unicorn closed her eyes, leaned back and laid her hoof on the arm holder beside Pinkie Pie.

Twilight felt her mind reach out. It filled her head like liquid in a glass. Suddenly it was like the water transformed into a bubble, a bubble that grew bigger, bigger than her, bigger than the ship they traveled, bigger than their planet, yes, even bigger than the galaxy itself when she felt Pinkie’s hoof grasp hers. The unspoken phrase echoed within the darkness of space.

You can hold my hoof if you want to.

Twilight was awakened by the opening of the ship door. She quickly blinked away the blurry image of Vela.

“What?”

“Twilight, we have a problem. I need you to get inside the armory!”

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, noticing first now that Pinkie wasn’t sitting beside her anymore.

“I made a mistake, I was caught in the tractor beam of a drone cruiser. They are going to start asking questions. They cannot see you Twilight, now, do as your ship captain commands you and hide inside the armory.” Vela sounded calm, despite the firm way of making her point. Twilight glanced toward the opening door, catching sight of the nervous faces along the way. She spotted Pinkie Pie spying out of the opening, but Twilight realized that there was no time for questions. She did as she had been told.

Vela closed the door to the armory behind Twilight and turned to her pony passengers.

“Mizar’s drones can be a bit nasty at first but they will leave you alone if you stay calm.” Vela ensured the group. “Stay here and be still, this thing will be over in a just a minute.”

Rainbow Dash saw Vela walking past her. She felt the pistol that she snatched from the armory earlier tucked in between the seats.

“What are we going to do?” Fleetfoot asked worried.

“We’re completely unarmed!” High Winds wailed.

“Shhhh,” Spitfire hushed. “We have an armory in the back, now stop panicking and make this easy for our ship captain!”

Pinkie Pie glanced out of the ship, taking note of where they had landed. It was the hangar of a giant space cruiser. Large orange-steeled walls towered high above, ending in catwalks that went back and forth. Ahead laid a gigantic hangar door that seemed to be of a sliding variant. If Pinkie Pie looked to the right she could see the area go on with the capacity for several more ships. Barrels had been placed along the way, probably containing emergency materials. She looked to the left and saw Vela walk out into the open. Several blue ants came marching toward the human woman. They all had laser rifles. Behind them were some kind of control room and an entrance to a command area.

Vela calmed herself when facing the officer, who made a motion with her blue bug arm. One of the drones came up to her while holding something in his hands. A necklace was placed around the head of the officer.

“Grii girliiiii?” She asked. The necklace lit up. “What’s your business here?”

“I am carrying urgent mining gods for Fernando. He himself have requested it and he doesn’t appreciate delays. If you value your position I suggest you don’t keep him waiting.” Vela replied.

The officer motioned one of her drones, who motioned back before walking toward the parked transport.

Rainbow Dash saw Pinkie Pie hurry back to her seat. The transport door rumbled with firm steps. She felt her heart stop. The blue ant entered the ship, eyeballing the ponies along the way.

“Griirii!”

Shining Armor had his stubborn eyes hidden away. Spitfire and Fleetfoot did the same.

Rarity already had a phobia against bugs, and right now one was walking toward her that were the height of a toilet booth. Her white unicorn body shook with fear. Her seat made squeaking sounds. The giant ant stopped in front of her. His black insect eyes, large as the one of a bison, glared with his antennas twitching.

“Griiliriii?! GRIII!”

Insect saliva came sailing and landed all over Rarity’s face. Her heart was thumping so violently that it knocked her brain. She was sure that this was all a bad dream. It made her ignore the real danger of the situation.

“No! please! LEAVE ME ALONE!” Rarity panicked.

The ant backed away from the exploding diva. He figured the mining mogul Fernando wouldn’t mind one dead mule, his workers were slaves after all. The ant raised his rifle.

Rainbow Dash had already rocketed out from her seat and pulled out her pistol when the drone was suddenly thrown to the ground.

Lupus, the genetically engineered war dog, had his paws pounced ón his prey. He had a new uniform put on that had some kind of contraption on the back. The ant grunted and flung his bug arms around. Lupus leaned forward and grabbed the side pistol of the drone with his teeth. He tossed it up so that it landed neatly inside the gun contraption.

“Wroaw!” Lupus barked and shot the ant three times in the chest. The drone blood splattered all over Rarity, who’s blue eyes had sailed far into denial at this point. Apple Jack was looking down at Lupus from her seat, disbelief swimming in her dropped face.

“Little doggie?”

Lupus looked at Rainbow Dash.

“You’re a war dog?!” A huge grin formed across Dashie’s face. “That is AWESOME!” Her grin quickly contorted into anger. “HEY! You stole my kill!”

The sound of laser firing echoed inside the hangar. The ants hissed and looked toward the transport ship. Making use of the distraction, Vela grabbed the rifle of the officer, pulled out her pistol and killed both guards. She then proceeded pressing the pistol against the chest of the officer and fired several times. The back of the ant exploded into slobber.

More ants exited the command center. Lasers came whooing in a blue spectacle that could almost be considered a celebration. One of the lasers hit Vela in the chest. She felt the energy tickle her as it was soaked up by her suit. It did feel strong though, almost hurting. She guessed that her Gemini core must be almost out of power. She needed to find a circuit if this fun little trip was not to be her last.

But this did not subdue Vela. On the contrary, she felt the adrenaline, coming from the fear that she might die soon, flow through her veins and tickle her vagina. Her face gained a crazy smile. She stepped sideways while firing her standard Gemini laser pistol, dispatching one of the blue soldiers. She heard his rifle hit the ground as she took cover behind a barrel.

Rainbow Dash had an overlook of the hangar from the ship. She was aiming her pistol at the ant soldiers, ready to help Vela. She watched the human woman advance from cover to cover. one by one the ant soldiers fell to the ground in a green mess of blood. Vela made a front flip over two barrels of which two ants had taken cover behind. She shot the first one while flying through the air. After landing she kept the momentum going and kicked the rifle of the second one before killing him.

Rainbow Dash lowered her pistol, her eyes captivated. She’s is a badass!

After dispatching the last drone Vela approached the transport ship.

“Wait here! I will go and disable the tractor beam that are holding us in place!”

“Yes ma’am!” Dashie saluted.

“Lupus!” Vela called. The war dog ran out onto the dropped ship door, the gun still attached on his back. Rainbow Dash had no idea how the dog was able to operate it. “I need you to down on and clear the other hangar! I’ll head for the command center!”

“What about me!?” Rainbow Dash asked desperately, not sure how to feel about a dog receiving more tasks than her.

“Stay here and guard the ship.”

The pegasus looked disappointed after Vela and Lupus while they both ran off in opposite directions. Here Dashie was with an entire base of baddies to slaughter and she was immediately degraded to door watch. The sparkle of a teleporting unicorn sounded behind her. Twilight trotted up to Rainbow Dash, of which somepony did not know what to feel about. The royal guards exchanged nervous glances.

“Twilight. I really think you should head back to the armory and stay down.” Shining Armor said worried.

“I heard shots. I just wanted to…”

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash pushed Twilight out of the way. A laser wooed by only decimeters from them. The hangar door in front of them slid open with a hiss. A swarm of blue soldier drones came pouring out of gap. Dashie fired at them. She felt incoming lasers stir the air beside her. There was no cover inside the transport and the free air between the giant door and the vessel made all the ponies inside sitting ducks.

“PROTECT THE PRINCESS!” Shining Armor and the royal guard stood fast. Their horns started glowing. A barrier was created that covered the ship entrance, stopping the incoming laser fire. Shining Armor’s white teeth growled. The energy from the lasers was stronger that he had imagined. The barrier started fading.

“We have to do something!” Thunderlane exclaimed. There was a flash. It was Twilight Sparkle teleporting herself. She dropped a bunch of weapons among the Wonderbolts.

“We fight!” She blasted.

Shining Armor was just about to release the spell, charge and take the ants head on when Twilight galloped up to him.

“Everypony, close your eyes!”

Twilight horn started glowing before flashing violently, causing the entire hangar to briefly be filled with a white light. The drones covered their eyes and screamed.

“Greeeeeiii!”.

The royal guard released their spell and allowed the Wonderbolts and Twilight’s friends to exit the parked transport. Within seconds the blinded ants were riddled with laser blasts. Green blood splattered the station and bug limbs went flying.

“Wonderbolts! Stay in cover and avoid the air!” Spitfire ordered.

Twilight had her pistol raised. The red scar on her face flashed of blue as she fired. Her brown leather vest and purple mane gained a gray fragrance when the lasers, fired by her pony friends from behind, swooshed by. The group of ants in front of her was still gaining their bearings after her improvised flashbang. Twilight watched the ant she aimed at twist and scream. The one beside him raised his rifle. Twilight felt her mane waver by the incoming fire. Twilight had a feeling that one of them had hit her and that she was already dead, even as she was leaning safely behind cover.

Rainbow Dash had taken camp behind a toppled barrel. She was backed up by Fluttershy, who rained fire during the times when Rainbow Dash went for cover again. Apple Jack and Rarity had taken lean not far from the pegasus ponies. Rarity’s face was still covered in bug blood. It flashed of blue while she squeezed the trigger of an automatic pistol.

“STAY…AWAY…FROM ME…ICKY…PICKY…BUGS!!!”

A large number of ants had taken cover behind a large stack of barrels. Twilight tried in vain to dispatch them. One drone saw what she was doing and fired from another position, forcing Twilight to barely make it back behind her cover. She saw the royal guard still holding up inside the ship. They had cut their magic shield in half, allowing for Shining Armor and the rest of them to use it as a barricade.

“SHINING ARMOR!” Twilight called.

Twilight saw her brother looking at her. She made a head motion toward the barrel stack. Shining Armor understood.

“COVER TWILIGHT!!!” He ordered his guards.

The distraction worked. Twilight leaned out and went to work with her unicorn horn. Her scarred face showed its teeth pearly white under her contorting muscles. The barrels were way heavier than she had anticipated. The entire stack toppled, crushing some of the ants. The rest became completely exposed when the barrels rolled away.

Spitfire and Fleetfoot was firing a bit further away. They saw Shining Armor and his guards picking of the exposed ants one by one. Some of them made it back behind another stack. Spitfire did not hesitate. In a flash she thrusted her yellow wings, flew across the field and flanked them. This caused the group to panic and shatter, making them easy targets. Fleetfoot was aiming for one now. A blast came from somewhere. The light-blue pegasus screamed while her hooves gave in.

“Pony down!” Surprise shouted when she saw Fleetfoot falling.

Spitfire turned and spotted the shooter, a green ant on top of a catwalk above them. Another blast came from somewhere. The head of the drone went sailing in one direction while the rest of his body fell to the hangar floor. Spitfire spotted Pinkie Pie galloping, seemingly coming directly from the command center. Her curly hair hanged limply down at the sides of her head, meaning her codename was no longer a license to bake cupcakes. The two ponies arrived at Fleetfoot at the same time. The light-blue pegasus with sky-colored mane tried in vain to stand up. “AH! It hurts! It hurts as fuck!”

“Agent Pinkie Pie I presume!?” Spitfire boomed.

“Get her back to the ship, I cover you!”

Having taken role as agent again, Pinkie Pie’s highly pitched voice was no longer blasting with an arguably hilarious tone of insincerity. Instead her proposal was delivered with a darker, more grown-mare like vocal tone.

“Roger that! Come on Fleetfoot!”

More blasts came from above. Pinkie Pie aimed and picked off another green ant from catwalk. Her Pinkie-sense registered a blast rocketing toward Fluttershy in the future, a future of which the shooter would never experience. Pinkie was aiming for a third drone when she spotted more coming from the open hangar door. She shot the third drone but found her lasers being blocked by the newly arrived party guests, all of whom she had not invited.

“They got shields!”

The shields of the two ants was so high they covered their entire bodies. Twilight was trying to get a clear shot with her horn but found herself pinned. The abdicated princess watched in horror as Spitfire dragged screaming Fleetfoot toward the ship while incoming lasers barely missed them.

Rainbow Dash saw what was about to happen to her team leader and did not hesitate. In a flash she spread her wings, flew around the battlefield, rocketed down and rammed the ants exposed flanks, sending them and herself tumbling with the shields sliding against the floor.

It was like Dashie’s grogginess never had existed when she raised her gun and ended one of the ants who was trying to stand up. Green blood spattered her blue wings. She faced the other ant, only to see his pistol already aiming at her as she did. She instinctively raised her blue hooves in a display of surrender when the arm of the ant was shot of, causing it to severe and fly away, still holding the pistol as it sailed.

“Greeeil!” The ant grunted smacked Rainbow Dash with his remaining limb, sending her tumbling. The ant was then finished by one of Dashie’s friends. Lying on the ground, Dashie saw her pistol laying right in front of the open hangar door. She hurled herself toward it, only to see the feet of another ant appear from the ominous darkness. He aimed his rifle at her. Several blasts came from the pony group. The ant screamed and fell sideways in a green splatter. Rainbow Dash hastily hurled herself forward, grabbed the pistol, barely managed to raise it and kill the next drone. The drone after was yet another one with a shield that covered his entire body. Rainbow Dash fired in panic. The shield stopped the blasts.

“GIIIIERG!” The ant screamed and bashed. Dashie’s pistol went sliding across the hangar floor, leaving her disarmed. She felt something grab hold of her hooves and drag her into the darkness, away from her friends covering fire.

“RAINBOW DASH!” A horrified Fluttershy wailed.

Rainbow Dash barked and bit toward everything that came close to her like a rabies dog, but whatever it was it managed to pin her to the ground. A light suddenly revealed four ants standing over her. Dashie’s face was fighting, but her heart was gradually dropping into hopelessness. One ant leaned himself over her. The light came from the torch carried by another one, revealing all the small details of his bulky ant head with antlers. His pincers moved sideways as he glared down at Rainbow Dash with his pitch-black eyes.

“Grleeeeeeerl!” The saliva dripped down from the mouth of the drone. It gave the rainbow-colored mane of Rainbow Dash a seventh, darker shade of green. The face of the ant twitched in anger over the resistance the ponies had put up. Rainbow Dash frightened face reformed into stubbornness.

“Well, what are you waiting for!? TAKE THE SHOT!”

The ant made a loud hiss. Something ran by in the darkness. The other ants looked around in confusion. Several lasers suddenly flashed the darkness. The ant that stood over Rainbow Dash jerked and fell over her.

“Huuuuh!” Dashie grunted. The ant was way heavier than she had imagined. The other ants screamed and fired at something that was running fast.

“Wroaw!” Lupus jumped up and landed on one the shoulder of one of the drones, causing him to turn around in confusion. Lupus shot the other two while standing on him. He then jumped down and riddled the last drone with five blasts. The green blood splattered the darkness. The drone fell over the one that had already been piled on Rainbow Dash.

“HUUUUH.”

Lupus jumped up on top of the ant/pony pile and looked worried down at Rainbow Dash.

“Huuuh. Please, heavy.”

Seeing she was alright, Lupus let his tongue out in happiness. He leaned down and licked her face. Rainbow Dash huffed out of breath.

“Yea, I’m happy to see you too, now get down from there before your rescue mission turns into an assassination.”

On her way back, Rainbow Dash walked over all the dead drones. The silence laid over the hangar, marking the end of a very close call for the ponies of Equestria. Her hooves stepped in drone blood. It was all slimy.

“Urgh.”

The others had already gathered inside the ship, all except Vela, who was still somewhere inside the cruiser. Fleetfoot was lying in a corner, moaning in pain while Nurse Redheart was tending to a nasty wound. Beside them laid one of the royal guards, who appeared to have been hit in the hoof. Once her presence was noticed Rainbow Dash saw Twilight, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity look at her with broad smiles of relief. Decisive hooves sounded on the metal floor. Fluttershy broke through the crowd walked up to Rainbow Dash, showing her cobalt tinged, green eyes googly. She raised her yellow hoof and smacked Dashie, who looked bewildered at her.

“Don’t… EVER, do that again!” Fluttershy’s cobalt eyes quickly turned from angry to relieved. Tears forming inside them, she folded her hooves around Dash and hugged hard. Vela entered the ship. She appeared to be in a good mood.

“Good news ponies, the tractor beam has been disabled. I see you handled yourself pretty well though. You bunch of ponies truly are more than meets the eye.” Vela looked at Twilight and smiled. “Am I right?”

Twilight didn’t know what to answer. She wondered what exactly Vela meant by that.

“Totally!” Rainbow Dash turned to Vela, smiling confidently. “I don’t know about you, but you should have seen me back there. I totally blew those bug dudes away!” She raised her wings. “It took only one swing with my awesome flying and then BANG, they were all eating my dust!”

“But you almost got yourself killed!” Fluttershy scolded. Rainbow Dash turned to the yellow pegasus. She folded her wings and answered half irritatingly.

“But we were almost all killed anyway! Sometimes you need to take risks, especially in crisis situations. Despite, those dudes back there was about to kill Spitfire and Fleetfoot.”

“And we are more than thankful that you saved them, but to what cost did that almost happen?! Don’t you understand Rainbow Dash that ponies here love you, and we almost lost you?!”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “You almost.”

“What?”

“You mean, ‘you’ almost lost me.”

Fluttershy had a strange feeling inside. She glanced around. Everypony was looking at her and not Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy turned and marched straight into the armory. She slammed the metal door behind her so hard that it echoed throughout the entire carrier. Apple Jack and Rarity looked bewildered at each other, the same thought coursing through their heads.

What was that all about?

“Did you find out where we can find Mizar, Vela?” Twilight asked

“No, I didn’t. Ever since Mizar returned with your help he has stopped hanging out inside his old palace.”

Twilight felt shame creep up on her when hearing Vela mention her involvement in Mizar’s return. Twilight masked this by putting on a face of determination. She felt the pain from her red scar, made by Mizar’s laser pistol, burn as she formed it. It reminded her of what she would do to him once she found him. Vela continued with a reserved appearance, clearly confident being the one in the know.

“He covers his tracks by putting up false traces, not even his drones know where he is, or the whereabouts of his doubles. That is why we need to make our way to Rith Essa and get in contact with Diamond Geezer.”

“Diamond Geezer?” Twilight asked.

“A mercenary arms dealer.”

“Can we trust him?” Shining Armor asked.

“No, we can’t, but he sells weapons to Mizar and he is said to be the only one who has access to the codes that will allow us to decrypt Mizar’s binary-code maze, manipulated to set up the constantly changing IP addresses with confetti versions of his multiple mac address and jinx lines inside the Nano computers inside his robot doubles.”

“Right.” Shining Armor rogered, desperately holding his dumbfounded face inside the secure vault of his muscle memory.

“In other words, he will help us determine, not only Mizar’s whereabouts, but also where his doubles are?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie Pie approached Twilight, Vela and Shining Armor. Ever since the shootout ended her hair had gone all fluffy again. She spoke with her highly pitched voice and constantly smiling face.

“Well, I have no idea what binary-codes manipulated to set up IP addresses with confetti versions of multiple mac addresses and jinx lines inside Nano computers inside robots are, but give me a moment with this Diamond Geezer and we will have a new friend in no time!”

“Oh, he can be a good friend alright, if you have the money.” Vela motioned her hand toward the other part of the hangar. “Luckily, it so happens that I found some loot… I mean weapons down by the other hangar. It looks like it belonged to one of our guests out there.” Vela looked toward the green mess of dead ant drones. “Since they seem to have taken the day of, I figured we could use it to gain Diamond Geezer’s favor.”

“Are you sure that is necessary? Sometimes, all you need is to show someone is a fun time and they will do anything for you.” Pinkie Pie said.

“Oh, you mistake yourself pink pony. Diamond Geezer is not a funny guy, only money matters to him.”

“That’s a shame, and here I thought he had such a funny name. Diamond Geeeeeeezer!” Pinkie Pie showed her teeth pearly white.

“Life is more than fun and games.” Vela said seriously. She looked toward the dead drones again. “Although, you seem to have had your share of fun already.”

Vela looked at the pink pony again, whom she at first had thought was the same pony that killed those ants at the gala. In time Vela had come to realize though that this was a completely different pony. This pony was just a party pony: Balloons, cakes, confetti, acting all silly and insincere while her friends shook their heads and thought the same tired ‘Same old’ line. Granted, Vela did not hesitate to enter the realm of fun-without-borders herself. The only difference was that her confetti was lasers, her balloons was flying drone heads and cake was the loot that Mizar’s ant drones left behind.

“How were you going to pay Diamond Geezer if we hadn’t been pulled in here?” The pink pony suddenly asked happily.

How were you going to pay Diamond Geezer if we hadn’t been pulled in here?

The question still circulated Vela’s head. She recalled the smile of that pink face remaining static while waiting for an answer. In the end Vela had just been honest and said.

“I have my ways.”

The stars laid peaceful across the blackness of space outside the view of her cockpit. Vela had her body calmly resting across both pilot seats, making use of the fact that Lupus wanted to sleep downstairs with the ponies this sleep round. Vela took a glance at the screen above the ship controls. It would take three more earth days to reach Rith Essa. Right now, the ship was only hovering, allowing for everypony inside to sleep peacefully without the running engines. At least, that had been Vela’s impression, before she heard the sound of hooves hitting the metal floor. Vela turned her head slightly while still having it rest on the seat.

Unlike the last time, the mane of the pink pony was now hanging limply down at the sides of her head. It was no longer curly. Instead, it had been brooded into graceful lines, ending in a big curl as it dragged against the floor. Her blue eyes were no longer wide open with eccentric enthusiasm. Replacing them were half closed eyelids on top of deducting blue eyes, looking calmly at Vela as she curved her pony body in a sexy way. She wore a pink suit.

“So, this is where you’re hanging. Not that there’s many places to hang in here.”

Vela looked up at the stars again, watching the constellations paint themselves above. “So, you were the pony who killed those drones at the gala?”

“I know it is hard to believe. Me and my party planner self has a delicate relationship.” Pinkie Pie faced one of the panels behind the pilot seats. Vela remained silent, trying to grasp what the pink pony just said. Pinkie felt her confusion. “I know what you’re thinking, and I guess that I am crazy in a way. Split personality? Isn’t that what you call it?”

Vela felt a smile if incredulous form on her face. “You’re joking.”

“If I had been the party planner, maybe. She likes to become different things too, different characters, mostly to amuse her friends and get them to smile. It wasn’t too long ago that she had been forced to rethink that role.”

Pinkie Pie told Vela about the time when Starlight Glimmer used her magic to transport herself, Pinkie Pie and Trixie into a James Bond movie. She told vela how they had been trapped inside the movie and the only way out had been to put the movie back on script again. She told Vela how she accidentally killed James Bond and how that caused the movie to pick her as its agent instead of him. She told Vela how she had been forced to finish James Bonds work in order to save her friends. And, since that role involved killing people, Pinkie Pie had chosen to become two ponies at once in order to achieve that and still remain herself.

Vela laughed. She answered with a low, confident voice. “That is impossible. The brain cannot be trained to literality become two people at once. Either you’re fucking with me or I’m about to have my head up in crazy.”

Pinkie Pie studied silently all the buttons and displays in front of her. She answered with an equally low and confident voice, far from the fast and jittery pony she usually was. “You handled yourself pretty well back there, girl.”

Vela turned her resting head and looked at the pink pony. “Don’t call me girl.”

“Oh, but you are a girl. A thin, sweet, innocent little girl. Good looking, ready to make all the men fall.” Pinkie Pie teased.

Vela rose from her seat, glaring at the pony with hardened eyes. Pinkie Pie looked goggly at Vela.

“Oh, did that make you angry?”

After a moment of hesitation Vela replied. “No.”

“No?” Pinkie Pie curved her backside. “It is nice to hear that I didn’t anger you, even though I like angry.”

“Who are you?” Vela asked.

The blue eyes of the pink pony gazed at Vela with relaxing eyelids.

“The name’s Pie, Pinkie Pie.”

007 approached the human woman, who raised her arms in hesitation while backing away. “I saw you back there. There was a time that I too was a little pony girl, but after I was employed by the British Secret Service I found my calling in life. Those colts down there, or men as you call them, they don’t understand how women like you can become so strong.”

Vela smiled, much to her own disapproval. She had no idea how she was letting herself become seduced by a pony, but somehow it was happening. “No, I guess not.”

“It must get pretty lonely out here, traveling space all by yourself.”

Vela smiled nervously. Pinkie Pie stopped walking and laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. Interspecies relationships aren’t my thing, I just came here to make a friend.”

“Do you often make friends with humans?” Vela asked.

“Not very often, no. But, as they say, there is a first time for everything.”

“Great.” Vela said, not sure if she approved or not.

“Was that an approval?”

Vela thought back on all the hardships she had to make it into the Gemini squadron because of an overrepresentation of men in the group. She imagined the pink pony facing the same hardships. “Yes, let’s be friends.”

Pinkie Pie turned around and started walking toward the stairs. “I am glad to hear that.” Pinkie Pie stopped. She faced Vela gain. “Although, it was just one more thing.”

Pinkie Pie thrusted her hoof forward. Within a second the contraption that had been hidden underneath her Q suit extended out of her sleeve. It delivered to her hoof standard weaponry among employees of the Secret Service. Vela had no time to even see the PPK pistol before Pinkie Pie pinned her against the wall and pressed it firmly underneath her chin. Vela struggled in vain. 007 spoke with a calm but firm voice.

“I followed you. I visited that command center after you and opened the schematics for the cruiser. Class 4 cargo ship, model 6,3, adapted for non-military use, does not come equipped with any tractor beam.”

“That is… Urg… Odd.” Vela gurgled.

“I don’t know what business you have with that Diamond Geezer, or how you can enjoy hopscotching around and killing creatures for fun like you were going out of style. But, if you ever risk the lives of my friends for money again, then, you are going to become aware, exactly, how different I am from party planner Pinkie.”

Vela’s eyes drowned in fear. It was the confirmation Pinkie Pie had been waiting for. She released Vela, extended the Q contraption and hid her pistol again. She smiled at the female human before walking back toward the others.

“See you around, girl.”