Equestria Trek: Where No-one has gone before

by Robert Emerald Fountain

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 6, Young Six, Star Trek, Science Fiction, Starlight Glimmer, Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Flurry Heart, Alternate Universe
Length: 1215

Equestria's interstellar exploration crew begins its maiden voyage.

It is now four years since Flurry Heart was rescued from Soria. Neighsay has realized that there is potentially more out there that has not been charted or explored in space. In an attempt to explore as much as possible, he called a meeting with representatives from all nations in Equestria and the lands beyond. No longer sending crews to Soria, due to nearly identical samples from all five Astro missions, he decided to form a crew of interstellar explorers. It is now time for the crew to embark on their voyage. What will they find? Are they alone? Above all: What lies beyond the vicinity of Soria?

Published 2020-01-04 05:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-01-04 05:00:01 UTC

LAUNCH

Three days later, time was critical. Everyone got up at 6:00 AM to get ready for launch. Once they had put their suits on, they sealed their helmets and hooked up their air supply which kept them from taking in any germs as they went outside to get to the launch pad. They all got on the elevator and reached the top of the tower in three minutes. After waiting for two hours in the "white room", they were cleared to board the shuttle. As Twilight finished fastening her seatbelt, the hatch was buttoned up and the fuel pumps kicked in.

"We are go for launch.", Twilight announced over her headset to everyone who was watching either on live news or from a viewing platform.

Neighsay began the countdown at Mission Control in Canterlot.

"T-minus 15, 14, 13, 12 11, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, go for main engine start.", he said over loudspeakers.

The engines began spewing unignited thrust beneath the rocket.

"Five, four, three, two, one, IGNITION!!", Neighsay concluded the countdown.

The fuel was ignited by one of the pad workers at the flick of a switch. The crew felt as if someone had placed them on top of a strong massager. They were shaken violently as the rocket roared to life, and the control arms retracted. After two minutes, the clamps opened and the rocket left the pad.

6 minutes after takeoff, Twilight called to her crew.

"Get ready for a jolt.", she said as the first stage cut off.

Everyone was thrown forward as if brakes had abruptly kicked in. Then the second stage ignited and the first stage separated. Everyone was pulled backward in their seats.

"That was some jolt.", Rarity said.

The shuttle separated from the second stage three minutes later, and they were on their way to the space station and their starship.

The Mission Begins

Since Twilight didn't know where the space station was, the shuttle was on Auto-Pilot. The station soon became visible through the shuttle's side windows. They were shocked at its size and shape. It was a wide octagonal cage that stretched 330 feet. The Harmony was only 300 feet long, with 15 feet of the station overhanging at both ends.

"You are clear to engage gravity.", Neighsay instructed.

After entering the code, everyone felt themselves moving to the floor slowly, until they were not floating anymore. They looked through the openings in the cage and were amazed at the Harmony's appearance.

The Harmony was a huge oval shaped saucer with a slanted piece that extended downward to a horseshoe shaped structure. The ends of this structure were curved up at 90 degree angles and had giant impulse engines attached to them. The entire ship was painted a regal shade of gold, and it looked absolutely gorgeous. The shuttle slowed down as it neared the port where it was to be docked. While the seals were checked, Twilight and her crew took off their space suits and changed into their crew uniforms. Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor were on board the station to wish luck to the crew, and did the honors to open the hatches. Crowds and photographers cheered and took pictures as the smiling officers walked proudly through the lighted pathway to the tunnel that led onto the Harmony. Once the hatches were sealed, Twilight and her crew were given an hour and a half to look around before setting off. The Young Six had a cabin together, which they were thrilled about. Twilight and Flurry Heart had a cabin together as well, because they were aunt and niece. Everyone else had their own personal quarters. The ship's decor was extremely fancy. There was a small model of the Cosmos in the conference room as a reminder of the trips to Soria. When the time came, everyone reported to their posts and Twilight took her seat in the Captain's chair.

"Retract all moorings.", she said to the station's staff.

The docking clamps and the access tunnel were all retracted after she gave this order.

"Take us out.", she said in an excited tone to Starlight.

"Aye Captain.", Starlight replied as she engaged the warp drive and guided the ship out of the dock.

She then engaged warp and the ship's engines charged up. Then, the ship shot into deep space. The mission had begun. The Harmony was equipped with a ten year timer which would engage a hyperjump back to Eqqus when it reached zero. Everyone knew about this, and the crew could not wait to talk about what they would find during those years.

Prologue

In the year 2047, further explorations on Soria were cancelled due to samples being noticed as rather similar to each other. Neighsay realized that there was probably more out there in space that was waiting to be charted and added to the star maps. In a meeting with representatives from Equestria and the lands beyond, an interstellar exploration project was created. The crew would use a massive starship, which had recently been christened "E.S.S. HARMONY". Whoever applied for positions in the crew would be trained for three months, and then be taken by shuttle to the space station where the Harmony was docked.

Heading for the Launch Pad

April 17, 2047

Fourteen individuals from Equestria and the lands beyond were waiting patiently for when the train would arrive to take them to a shuttle launch facility. They had applied to be the crew of the E.S.S. Harmony. During the meeting to form the interstellar exploration project, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor were given the offer to be involved, but they declined it because they had to concentrate on their royal duties. When asked if Flurry Heart could be a part of the project, Cadance said yes. Starlight and the Main Six had been involved with the Astro missions at different times, and the Young Six had either been involved as well, or had been in training for space travel. It was 2:00 AM, so everyone was extremely sleepy.

"I think I can hear the train coming.", Silverstream said as she woke up to a slight rumbling noise in the distance.

Everyone looked in the direction of the noise and saw pinpricks of light from the train's headlamps. They got up from their seats and grabbed their luggage. When the train stopped, they immediately began boarding and the doors closed once everyone was situated. The train shot into motion, going 250 MPH they reached the launch facility two days later at dawn. They were led to their quarters where their space suits were hung ready for them. The launch was three days later, so they had time to go through any training they still needed.

Roles in the crew were as follows:
Twilight Sparkle -- Captain
Rainbow Dash -- First Officer
Fluttershy -- Doctor
Rarity -- Archives
Pinkie Pie -- Cook
Applejack -- Cook #2
Starlight Glimmer -- Lieutenant
Flurry Heart -- Engineering
Sandbar -- Weapons Maintenance
Smolder -- Transporters
Yona -- Shuttle Maintenance
Gallus -- Tactical
Ocellus -- Nurse
Silverstream -- Analysis of any finds

The shuttle was already in position on the pad, and ready to take off. It was not fueled yet because that was considered dangerous.