Despite being not only an Equestrian Princess but also a founding member of one of the most powerful and influential Griffonian Houses, Twilight Sparkle had some trouble getting the use of a starship. While both her House and the Equian World Government had embarked upon programs of building ships with the new warp drive technology, it took time to construct them. So far, besides the refurbished Cosmic Lotus, two others had been completed. Unfortunately, the government-owned starship was currently orbiting Earth after bringing a delegation to the Federation Council General Assembly. House Path’s was engaged in business with the Faleshkarti, and the Cosmic Lotus itself was Goddess knew where in the galaxy, fulfilling its mission of exploration. Nevertheless, that did not mean that she was out of options. Equus had become a profitable port for traders and there were two currently in orbit around the planet. This despite the embargo placing strict limits regarding gems and precious metals leaving the planet. The captain of the first starship apologized, saying that their schedule precluded a side jaunt at this time. Their corporation had them on a strict timetable. However, the second was an independent trader and was interested in earning a little extra on this leg of their itinerary.

Twilight teleported Violet, Tigerbright, and herself up to the Lunar Shipyards where the Star Phoenix was in orbit. The mana beacon at House Path’s office at the yards made that the easy part of their task. Then they shuttled over to the ship where they would meet with Captain Yote who had been negotiating some deals with the Lunar City authorities. They were met by a herm tiger morph who introduced hirself as Anastasiya Tartikova, the ship’s Security Officer. After taking care of formalities, shi passed them over to a female rabbit morph who identified herself as Madeline Cottonfield. She asked them to follow her to the captain’s office.

Tigerbright was disconcerted by the long-eared bunny. Hir empathic senses could not detect the presence of anyone, and by the look on Violet’s face, hir mate was feeling confused too. Then shi realized that shi couldn’t scent her either. “Excuse me, but may I ask you something?”

The rabbit paused and turned with a knowing smile on her face. “Certainly, but let me save you some time. You can’t sense me because I’m a holo-projection. The real me is elsewhere.”

“May we ask why?” Violet asked.

“Sure. I was involved in an accident that ruined my body which is kept in a special life-support unit. However, by interfacing with the ship’s systems, I can have a nearly normal life. I have a career, a family, and even a girlfriend.”

Twilight’s eyes had lit up. “That sounds utterly fascinating! I have so many questions. How did you decide—”

Madeline laughed to interrupt the purple mare. “I don’t mind talking about myself, but we better not keep the captain waiting. Time is money in our line of work.”

“Oh, of course.”

They continued on, occasionally passing other crewmembers engaged in their business. The rabbit didn’t bother knocking on the door before opening it to let the visitors inside. Tigerbright figured that if she was that tightly integrated with the starship’s computers, she had already informed the captain of their approach.

Inside, they saw a male coyote morph behind the desk with a grey fox vixen standing beside him on one side and a female Caitian on the other. The coyote stood up and bowed his head slightly in respect to Twilight.

“Welcome aboard the Star Phoenix, Your Highness. I am Captain Martin Yote and these are First Officer Bethany Oakwood, and M’Rarrtikar, our Purser.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Twilight replied. “Please feel free to call me Twilight. My companions are Violet Woods and Chakat Tigerbright. We’re hoping that you can help us with an investigation.”

“Depending on how much time we have available, we are always amenable to any paying job if it’s within our means.”

“I believe it is. We are researching the phenomenon that is restricting the times that starships can currently travel between Equus, the Gateway Portal, and Chakona.”

“Seeing as that’s what will cause us a departure delay, I would say that it may be in our best interest to help you in this matter,” Yote smoothly replied.

M’Rarrtikar added, “Recompense for our services will help offset the cost of the delay.”

“Of course, you will be paid a fair price for what I have in mind.”

“And what service could we provide that requires a starship to accomplish?” Oakwood asked.

“Efforts to trace the source of the surges down on our world have so far proven fruitless. Therefore, I intend to do the reverse. I wish to position myself between here and the portal at the moment a surge occurs and track it back to its source. For that purpose, I need to start a significant distance from Equus. The shuttles that go between the moon and the planet do not have the necessary range.”

Yote nodded. “I see. However, wouldn’t that put the Phoenix at the very risk we’re supposed to be avoiding?”

“It would, but your ship need not linger in the hazard zone. The mana surges mostly affect magic-based systems, but warp drives are one of the non-magic constructs that are also susceptible to them, which is why the current curfew is in place. However, I believe your shuttlecraft will be fine, especially if non-essential systems are turned off. I propose that you take us out to the desired position, then we would exit in your shuttle while you move away to a safe distance. After the surge has passed, you can collect us and continue on to the Gateway.”

“You don’t want to be taken back to Equus?” Oakwood asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I can teleport us back after you retrieve the shuttle.”

The captain looked at Oakwood who nodded in approval. Yote turned back to Twilight and smiled. “I believe we can accommodate you. Let us discuss terms of the deal.”

Twilight smiled. “Excellent! I checked your current ship’s manifest and your standard hiring contract for your ship’s time. You are currently sixteen-kilograms shy of your gold export quota. I can provide seven nines purity bullion and taking into account the current exchange rates at the seven largest Federation trading houses...”

As the conversation shifted to the dry details of currency exchange and the Star Phoenix rental contract, Tigerbright began to lose interest. Only then did shi notice a strong source of curiosity to hir right. Turning, shi saw someone shi hadn’t noticed when they had entered the office. He resembled a snow leopard crossed with a lynx morph, if such had wings and were 2.3 meters tall. The being barely fit in the room. He was also clad in little more than a loincloth instead of the ship’s uniform that everyone else shi had seen had been wearing. The being seemed intensely interested in what was going on and Tigerbright wondered why Captain Yote hadn’t introduced him.

“Hello,” shi said. “May I ask who you are? I’ve never seen anyone quite like you before.”

The winged being turned to look at hir with a startled expression. Then he grinned. “Fair greetings to you, wayfarer. Thou may call me Sojourner.”

“Forgive me, but you seem rather out of place here.”

Sojourner chuckled. “Yes, thou speak the truth. I am merely a passenger on this ship of the stars, a tourist seeing the greater universe. Somewhat like thee at this exact moment.”

The chakat nodded in acknowledgment of the point. “You’re not a Terran species, I take it?”

He shook his head. “I hail from the planet thou call Raksha.”

Tigerbright examined Sojourner critically. “Aside from being felinoid, you don’t look much like any Rakshani I have ever met.”

“That would be because I belong to a far older race than the Rakshani. My appearance manifests from your cultural norms and expectations.”

“How come I have never heard of your kind before?”

“Oh, thou might have, although not in the way thou may think. Try asking some of the crew about us,” he said, waving a hand in the direction of Yote and the others.

Tigerbright looked away from Sojourner and suddenly became aware that all conversation had stopped and everyone was staring at hir, including Violet. “What’s wrong?” shi asked.

“Why are you talking to thin air?” hir mate asked.

“I’m… not. I’m talking to Sojourner here.” Shi gestured towards the alien from Raksha.

“There’s nobody there,” Twilight said.

Sojourner grinned, irritating the chakat. “I’m not imagining things. He says he comes from Raksha, but he’s not a Rakshani.”

M’rarrtikar jerked in shock. “You are describing the elder race, the ones that the Rakshani call deities.”

Tigerbright blinked in recognition. “You mean like the one that supposedly gave Admiral Kline the ability to breed with any species?”

Sojourner said, “That was the result of a sincere desire expressed during the Fertility Festival. Some of my kind have a playful sense of humor. Perhaps more than some.”

M’Rarrtikar obviously could not hear him because she started talking through him. “Those are the ones. Are you telling us that you can perceive them and one is on our ship?”

“I came aboard the second-last occasion this ship visited Raksha,” Sojourner said. “I would have told them but none can see or hear me, I fear. Only the one linked to the computer can do so, and then, only in her sleep which she dismisses as dreams. It is most curious that thou can.”

“Perhaps I can clear things up,” Twilight stated as the winged being was still speaking. Her horn lit up and her lips moved as she mouthed a spell that she created on the spot. A glow surrounded Sojourner and, a moment later, there were cries and gasps of surprise as the deity was revealed.

“You can all perceive me now? And hear me as well? I thank thee, Princess Twilight Sparkle. It is a pleasure to finally meet one of thy kind properly. I hope thou will forgive me for stowing away on your ship, Captain Yote.”

“We’ve got quite a mixture of species onboard but adding a Rakshan deity is one thing I never thought to include. May I ask why you are on our ship?” the coyote said.

“Where once we were the shepherds of the Rakshani race, our children have grown beyond the need for our constant stewardship. Traveler was the first to leave Raksha and, since then, she has regaled us with tales of her experiences whenever she returns. Many of my kind have since expressed the desire to explore beyond our world. I am but one of several now journeying between the stars.”

Oakwood gave Sojourner a keen look. “Have you had a hand in any of the good luck we have had lately?”

The deity smiled benignly. “My fortune is tied up with yours while I share your journey.”

“How come Tiger could see you when we couldn’t?” Violet asked.

“I would say that is because shi can perceive magic in a manner that you all lack.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. “That would jibe with what I detected during my tests. We just didn’t know how it could manifest until now.”

“Hear that, Vi? I’m magical too,” Tigerbright said with a grin.

“You always were to me, Tiger,” the mare replied fondly.

“I’d love to talk with you more if I may?” the alicorn asked.

“Unless the Captain chooses to oust me from the Star Phoenix, I will continue to journey with them. Another time, thou may ask me questions. However, I may not always answer. There are some things thou are not ready to know yet, Princess of Magic. Perhaps in a few more millennia. Tell the same to your son.” Sojourner then disappeared.

Yote said, “Did your spell fail, Twilight?”

The alicorn shook her head. “No, I think he canceled it.”

“Oh. Well, I hope he realizes that he’s welcome aboard our ship, especially if he helps in our times of need.”

Tigerbright didn’t bother telling them that shi still saw him after the others could not. The deity winked at hir then stepped through the wall as if it wasn’t there. “I think he knows, Captain.”

Twilight arranged for a special dispensation for the Star Phoenix to travel during curfew. After clearing the gravity well of the planet and its moon, warp drive was engaged and they were on their way toward the Gateway. One thing had Tigerbright very curious though.

“Why do we have to travel so far from Equus to trace the surge back to there?”

“It’s really quite simple,” the alicorn explained. “At the moment, we don’t know for certain whether the surge is coming from Equus or its moon. While I’m leaning toward the latter, we also need to completely eliminate the former. However, this close to either, I cannot be certain of being in the path of the surge. Therefore, we are traveling to a sufficient distance that it will not matter. We know where the ship that was propelled into the nebula was positioned when it got hit, so that’s a safe bet. I calculate that we will have at least a half-hour to spare to allow the Star Phoenix to drop us off in a shuttle we can use as a base while they warp a safe distance away.”

“So, you have a spell that will still trace the surge accurately from lightyears away?” Violet asked with interest.

“I devised one that should narrow the area down to a few square miles, much as you did on Chakona.”

“And if it’s on the moon?”

Twilight levitated a special comm unit from her saddlebag. “Then I will call up my herdmate and tease her. She’s so insistent that it has to be on Equus because she’s never seen anything that might fit the description on the moon.”

Violet chuckled. “Auntie Luna will be miffed if she’s wrong.”

Tigerbright asked, “Will it be safe for us to accompany you in the shuttle, or will we have to wait here in the ship while you do your thing?”

“That is an excellent question, and the answer is yes. Probably. While I haven’t been able to decipher a lot of the runes that control the portal, I believe I have identified the purpose of several. I intend to ward the shuttle with those runes as a precaution.”

“So, your attitude is, ‘Well, if I can't use these ancient runes to make magic, I can at least use the runes to not make magic happen!’ ” the cheeky chakat said.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “While I am confident that it and you should be fine without them, I believe in taking extra care. And besides, I’ll get to learn more about how the runes work while in use. You two will just have to refrain from using magic for the duration of the surge.”

Tigerbright grimaced. “Umm… I didn’t even know I was doing magic until I talked to Sojourner. How do I turn that off?”

“Ah… well… just don’t think too hard about intending to do anything!”

“Right. That’s a big help, Your Highness.”

The alicorn shrugged. “You might want to consider enrolling in a beginner’s magic class to learn the basics.”

“I have a full-time job and a new relationship to preoccupy my time,” the chakat replied, putting an arm around hir mate’s withers and giving her a kiss.

“Don’t worry, dear,” Violet said with a smile. “I’ll give you lessons.”

“Yes, but in what?” Tigerbright asked with a waggle of hir eyebrows and a leer.

The mare giggled. “We’ll work our way through the entire curriculum.”

“A-a-and time for a change in subject,” Twilight interjected. “Ms. Cottonfield – are you there?”

“I’m always around if you need me,” the rabbit’s voice came from a nearby speaker.

“Can we have that talk now?”

“Certainly. Let me guide you to the mess hall where we can chat over coffee.”

“That brings up a question: can you actually enjoy a cup of coffee?”

The four were still conversing when Captain Yote announced that they had reached the designated location.

“My name is Ceres and I will be your designated driver,” the all-black foxtaur cheerfully told the three as they stepped aboard the shuttle. “Please take your seats. I have already configured them to suit your needs.”

It was obvious to Tigerbright which had been adjusted to suit hir taur form. As shi settled on the couch and buckled in, shi asked, “You’re a starwalker, correct?”

“Spot on. The Captain figured that I was best suited to this odd mission.” The herm foxtaur assisted Violet who was the least familiar with acceleration couches. “Let me help you buckle in. It won’t be for long but this is standard protocol while I maneuver the shuttle out of the ship.”

Once everyone was secure, Ceres called for clearance. Once given, the bay doors opened, leaving only a force field to retain the air. The starwalker guided the shuttle through the field as it conformed to the vessel’s hull, keeping the precious air inside without wasting it or time trying to pump it out. Ceres took them a safe distance from the huge starship before the Star Phoenix engaged its warp drive to take it away on a path perpendicular to the route to the portal.

“Okay, folks, you’re free to do your thing!” Ceres announced. “What are you going to do anyway?”

“First,” Twilight said, “I need to set up protection for the shuttle just in case. However, because a spell could be counterproductive in the surge, I will be using runes instead. I hope you don’t mind if I draw on the walls of this craft?”

Ceres shrugged. “As long as it can be easily cleaned off later, I suppose it’s okay.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll remove them afterward.” The alicorn set to work.

“What about you?” the foxtaur asked the unicorn and chakat.

“We’re here just to observe for now,” Violet replied. “Twilight is helping to trace the surge so that we can continue investigating its source. We’ve already found the one on Chakona.”

Tigerbright added, “It’s our hope that when we have all the pieces of the puzzle, we’ll be able to figure out exactly what is going on and what to do about it.”

“Sounds like fun. But seriously, are those squiggles you’re defacing the walls with supposed to do something?”

“More than you know,” Twilight replied.

Tigerbright looked at what the alicorn had drawn so far and gaped. The runes glowed with dormant power. Shi was seeing magic again! The chakat wondered what they were going to be like when they were activated. One of them seemed a bit off though. “Twilight, are you sure you got this one right?” Shi pointed at the offending rune.

The purple pony came over to examine the marking and compared it to her notes. “Oops. You’re right. Forgot to add this.” She put a tiny crossbar on one line and the rune instantly shifted in hue to match the others.

“That fixed it,” Tigerbright said.

“Good. Glad you spotted it. Wait! How did you spot it? No. Tell me later. More runes to scribe.”

Twilight completed the rest of the runes without a problem that Tigerbright could detect. She put away the felt-tip pen that she had been using to make the marks. “There! They would work better if they were carved in, but this will do for a one-off job.”

“What’s next?” Ceres asked.

“Time for some extra-vehicular activity. All this was just to ensure everyone is safe while I am outside and away from the shuttle where the runes won’t affect me.”

“I don’t see a spacesuit,” the foxtaur commented.

“I don’t need one. Observe!” A soft magenta field englobed her. “This shield was designed by my brother and is optimized for protection from all space hazards while retaining a comfortable environment within.”

Violet asked, “Won’t that be adversely affected by the surge?”

“Nope. I’ve taken that into account. I’ve been able to recreate the mana surge at a smaller scale. Already tested my shield and locator spells in similar conditions. They’ll hold up fine.”

Ceres said, “Nice trick. Okay, I will accompany you and ensure you’re tethered safely.”

“You don’t need to tether me. I will use my magic to bring myself back on board.”

“You misunderstand me, Princess – you will wear a tether. That is standard safety protocol and is not negotiable. I trust your shield can handle that?”

“Right. Sorry. No, it won’t be a problem.”

“Good. How long is this E.V.A. going to last?”

“The surge will occur in twelve minutes and sixteen seconds. I will re-enter the shuttle immediately afterwards.”

“Okay, we’ve got plenty of time then. Let’s get you ready.” The foxtaur hit a button that opened the airlock door. The two stepped inside followed by the door closing again. Violet and Tigerbright watched through an observation window. Ceres fitted a harness around the alicorn’s barrel and then attached a tether which paid out from a large reel. Then shi did the same for hirself. Microphones and speakers in the walls allowed Tigerbright and Violet to hear the foxtaur’s instructions and converse with hir and the alicorn.

This time it was Twilight’s turn to ask, “Don’t you require a spacesuit if you’re going to be out here too?” She glanced at Tigerbright when the chakat chuckled but shifted her attention back to the foxtaur when shi replied.

“Like you, I won’t need one for such a brief time.” Ceres slowly blinked and when shi opened her eyes, they were a solid gold in color. “See? Got my shades already,” shi said with a grin.

Tigerbright explained, “Starwalkers are adapted to space. Shi can survive for over an hour out there without a spacesuit. You couldn’t be in safer hands, Twilight.”

The alicorn smiled. “I’m learning so many new things today. And there’s no time to ask follow-up questions!”

Violet said, “Pure torture, isn’t it, Auntie?”

Ceres laughed. “Well, I learned a pony can spacewalk without a suit, so l think we’re even. Anyway, back to business. While I’m keeping my eyes on the Princess, you two watch both of us for problems. If anything goes wrong, use the shuttle’s comm to call the Phoenix. Don’t try to help otherwise. Leave it to the experts.”

“Umm…” Violet said hesitantly. “Can I point out a possible exception to that?”

The foxtaur lifted a curious eyebrow. “And that would be…?”

“I could use telekinesis to pull Twilight back if needed.”

“Hmm, like Zelkie can. Okay, but only if it’s absolutely necessary, and only after the surge has passed completely. You might unwittingly exacerbate a problem otherwise.”

“I don’t want to interfere – I just want to let you know that I’m available in an emergency.”

“Always good to have a backup plan. Space is very unforgiving,” agreed the foxtaur. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road. Evacuating airlock now.” Shi lifted a translucent safety panel and pushed a button.

A green status display changed to yellow. The sound of pumps removing the air thrummed through the craft. Violet noticed that the starwalker’s muzzle was firmly closed, lips compressed into a seal. Hir nose was wrinkled as it too closed off. Unseen were all the other orifices shutting themselves off from the dropping air pressure. It did not take long for the process to complete and the status light change to red, stating “VACUUM”. Then the only sound that the observers could hear was the tap of Twilight’s hooves transmitted through the metal floor as she moved toward the exit. They watched as Ceres opened the outer hatch and they could see the stars beyond. Twilight stepped to the edge of the doorway and then pushed herself off. Now free from the influence of the shuttle’s artificial gravity field, she drifted smoothly away as the foxtaur paid out the tether line.

“How far is she going to go?” Tigerbright asked.

“Not far,” Violet replied. “She just needs to be a safe distance so that any corona effects from interacting with the mana surge won’t reach us.”

“I thought that shield of hers was supposed to stop that kind of thing?”

“Without knowing exactly how that spell was constructed, I can’t tell you definitively how it works, but I do know that when we’re talking about Auntie Twilight, trivial leakage means a whole lot more when you’re the Alicorn of Magic.”

“Ouch. Gotcha.”

They estimated that Twilight was fifty meters away when she raised a hoof. Ceres brought her to a halt so smoothly that there was no back-drift, and the alicorn hung stationary relative to the shuttle.

“Now we wait,” the mare said without taking her eyes off her Auntie.

Of course, when standing around waiting for something to happen, seconds seemed to crawl by. However, when the surge arrived, there was no mistaking it. The shuttle cabin grew brighter as the protective runes lit up, but they were nothing compared to the light show outside. A pulse of energy radiated in all directions from the alicorn as her coat brightened to a near eye-searing level before the observation window automatically darkened. Then the duo could see that Twilight’s mane and tail had grown into an enormous raging fire containing every shade between deep purple and pure white. Her eyes emitted lambent beams that seemed to focus on something distant. Then the chakat saw a coruscating ray of magic shoot out from her horn then disappear in an instant.

The incredible display of power continued for several long seconds before the mana surge ended. The alicorn’s pyrotechnics were slower to die down but, eventually, she seemed to have her magic firmly contained once more. At a signal from Twilight, Ceres began to reel her back in.

Violet stepped back from the window. “Whew! I’m glad that worked as planned. At least I hope Auntie Twilight got that location we need.”

“Would it have anything to do with that beam of magic that she shot from her horn? Maybe she locked onto the array.”

“What beam? You saw something I didn’t? We really have to check out that magic vision of yours sometime soon.”

Tigerbright grinned. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did somepony get jealous that another female outshone them for a few seconds? Don’t worry, I’ll regale you with tales of your boundless MRRFFF!” The last word was cut off by a hoof gently placed in the chakat’s mouth.

The unicorn mare chuckled. “Don’t let your silver tongue dig yourself a deeper hole than you can jump out of, my dear.”

Tigerbright spat out the hoof but hir smirk remained unchanged. “Oh? Do I detect a hint of caution in this warning?”

“Just that alicorns sometimes take compliments very personally.” Violet smiled and turned back to the observation window. “Playtime is later. Right now we are supposed to be keeping an eye out for trouble.”

They waited impatiently for the alicorn to enter the airlock and for the pressure to be restored within while Ceres untethered her. When the inner hatch opened, Twilight stepped through with a triumphant smile and she vibrated with excitement. Her eyes were still glowing from the lingering effects of exposure to the surge.

“Found it! It’s on the far side of the moon!”

“Hidden away from easy discovery just like the one on Chakona,” Violet said.

“Was that a tracing spell that you shot from your horn?” Tigerbright asked.

“Oh, much more than that!” The alicorn clopped her hooves in excitement. “The spell had to work against the torrential flow through the arcane ether, thus requiring a propulsion component. The spell package was also designed to mark the area for exploration and send back location data which is now contained in this enchanted orb.”

Twilight held up a tennis ball-sized sphere and the chakat peered at it intently. “Ooh! I see craters. That’s the general area where the array is hidden, I gather?”

Twilight’s smile grew a little manic. “You can see that too? Ooh! I’m going to love testing your new abilities! We’re going to have days and nights of endless joy and discovery!”

Violet put a foreleg around the alicorn’s withers. “Calm down, Auntie. You’re jittery with an excess of mana. Let’s go through Celestia’s meditation and breathing exercises.”

“The Princess of Magic has been exposed to a level of power few beings can keep under control, let alone utilize,” came a familiar masculine voice from beside Tigerbright.

The chakat turned around to see the Rakshan deity squatting in the cramped confines of the shuttle, watching with interest as Twilight fought to contain the raging energy within her. At Tigerbright’s raised eyebrow and unasked question, he shrugged. “I was curious too.”

“Is she going to be alright?”

“The alicorn is strong and her will shall prevail. Nevertheless, I believe I shall help ease her struggle.”

Sojourner reached out with one of his long limbs and a finger touched Twilight’s horn. The alicorn sighed and slumped to the deck, the glow fading from her eyes. “Ooh, I’m not in a hurry to do that again,” she said fervently.

Ceres said, “Well, if you’ve done everything you intended to do, I’ll call the Phoenix to come pick us up.”

Violet replied, “Yeah, we’re good.”

Twilight grinned. “And I’ve got a comm call to make to a certain Alicorn of the Moon!”

Tigerbright said, “So you can tell her she lost a bet?”

The purple mare chuckled. “Precisely!”

# # # # # # #

Author's Note

So Tigerbright really belongs among the Equians now.

Art by Foxenawolf.