Somnambulance

Chapters

Chapter 1: Touchdown
Chapter 2: Communication
Chapter 4: First Contact
Chapter 5: Heart to Heart
Chapter 3: Hoofprints

Chapter 1: Touchdown

“What art thou doing in mine domain? Furthermore, what is thine intention here?”

“Captain Azure, can I get a check on the fuel pressure, oxidizer pressure and ignition system status? Frost, please give me the readout on the reaction control thruster system, attitude control, and stabilizers?” I reached a hoof above my head to flip a few various switches as I floated in the cockpit, weightless.

Astral Azure was silent for a moment as she contemplated the display in front of her before replying, “Fuel pressure is nominal. Oxidizer pressure is nominal. Ignition is…” she began to say before reaching out a hoof, flipping open the cover for the ignition primer and turning the key located inside, “…Ready to go. All main engine systems are a-go, the candle is ready to light when you are.”

“All reaction control thrusters are primed. Controllers are showing no faults. Attitude is stable. Stabilizers are ready to activate if necessary.” Morning Frost pushed her reading glasses back up onto the bridge of her muzzle to keep them from floating away. Lighting up her horn, she levitated a clipboard close to her face to squint at the fine print. “Orion, can I get a check of status on the life support systems, the standby supply, backups, and—“ Morning Frost flipped the page and hoofed through it before continuing. “…If any are throwing an error code, either seven six two or four nine seven, please check the coolant loop integrity and efficiency values.”

I checked the holographic display in front of me, parsing through the differing pages and windows until I was satisfied that no errors or faults presented themselves. “Oxygen supplies one, two, and three are operating at an average of 99.5% efficiency. Standby is, well, standing by. Backups are ready to come online if and when necessary. No error codes are being thrown and the cooling system is nominal.” Floating over to my command chair I seated myself in it before starting to tighten the harness. With a smile, I looked to my left at chief scientist Morning Frost, and to my right at Captain Astral Azure. “Well, I’m satisfied that everything is in order for descent. You make the call, Captain.”

Frost strapped into her command chair. “I’m satisfied, it all checks out to my eyes. What's the ETA on our next opportunity for a retrograde burn to the landing site, Orion?” Tapping the side of her helmet the glass visor appeared in a flash. Frost tapped the side of her helmet, bringing up the instrumentation and holographic display.

“Ten minutes.” I tapped the side of my helmet to bring up my own visor, feeling the cool flow of filtered oxygen against the beaded sweat on my temple. “Are you going to make the call to Cap-Com that we are a-go for descent or are we going to have to go through this shit all for the fourth time?” Turning to not so subtly glare at the unicorn to my left.

Frost turned to glare back at me. “I just want to make sure that we aren’t going to plow right into the moon because of your silly hotshot attitude! And, for the record, I am satisfied with this attempt to run the pre-burn checks. Third time’s the charm after all!”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Unicorns and their preposterous superstitions.

“Quiet, both of you. I’m about to make the call.” Pressing a button on the console in front of her, Azure glared at both of us for a moment before looking out the cockpit window.

There were a few moments of silence before a static laden voice came over our helmet’s speakers. “…This is Cloudsdale mission control. What can we do for you today, Captain Azure?”

Azure took a deep breath “All systems are a-go. Trajectory seems nominal. Luna Four is ready for our retrograde burn to the lunar surface in roughly T minus eight minutes. Over.”

“We read you loud and clear,” the mission controller replied, "Retrograde burn for the lunar surface in T minus eight minutes. Please make individual audible confirmation that you are ready to begin the countdown.”

Astral looked to her left at Frost and to her right at me before nodding. “This is Captain Astral Azure, I am ready to proceed.”

I smirked as I turned to look at Morning Frost who was frantically hoofing through her checklists. “This is Flight Commander Orion Zephyr, ready to rock and roll.”

After a few moments of painful silence she finally looked up at the two ponies staring directly at her, groaning with unmasked annoyance. “This is Chief Scientist Morning Frost, ready to proceed as needed.”

Both Azure and I breathed an audible sigh of relief. We had been trying to get through the pre-landing checklists for the last two orbits with pushback from Frost at every turn. But, finally, we had a successful check of the systems and could move on to landing.

“Mission control acknowledges and is forwarding the countdown and telemetry for the burn to Luna Four. Faustspeed. We’ll be in touch after your landing. Over and out.”

Keep it cool. Keep it calm. This was going to be a cakewalk, I'd practiced this hundreds of times in the simulator back on Equis. Everything was going to be fine. You got this Orion, it’s just the most important and pivotal moment of your career. No pressure, right? …Right?

“Orion, are you alright? You look a little lost in thought there, bud. Got stage fright?” Reaching out a hoof and tapping me on the shoulder, Azure gave a sympathetic smile.

I flinched back in surprise before catching my breath. “No no, none of that fright stuff, Captain. Just a little, er… Not overwhelmed? But I certainly have a lot on my mind right now,” I fidgeted in my chair and grabbed the control column as a bead of sweat rolled down my neck. Damn, I really wish I could itch that. With a small sigh I started taking stock of all the switches and buttons I would have to press, reciting their order over and over in my head.

“If the greenhorn gets us both killed then I’m going to haunt him. Even if he doesn’t and breaks a landing leg or anything else, the bean counters back home are going to be docking his pay until the end of time,” Frost noted, breaking me out of my trance.

“Frost…” Azure began to say before the Frost cut her off.

“I mean, I’d really prefer if you didn’t get us all killed, Orion. This mission would have had a much smaller chance of failure if Circuit Solder hadn’t broken his leg at the last minute and was with us. In hindsight, we really should have just delayed the mission and waited for him to recover!” she bemoaned, throwing her hooves above her head in frustration.

I glanced over my shoulder at the empty fourth command chair, where our master mechanic was supposed to be. He had tripped on a rock and shattered his leg a week out from launch and there was no replacement for him ready. Yet another set of responsibilities I needed to cover for. Joy.

“Morning. Frost. I’m going to have to ask you to calm down and, for the love of all that is good in this world, shut the fuck up. Your comments are distracting him and not helping. Let him focus for Celestia’s sake! That’s an order,” Captain Azure shouted, taking the both of us by surprise. “I understand that you are nervous because your little crush is not here. But for the love of Faust, don’t make it our problem. This mission is not going to fail. We are not going to die. We are going to land, spend our thirty days doing science, then go home and get paid.”

Frost gasped, glaring at the captain with seething hatred. “How dare you bring my love life into this, Azzy. That’s uncalled for and incredibly unprofessional for someone in your position!”

T minus three minutes.

Maker, help me. I wanted out of this flying shitshow. Three more minutes. I could survive three more minutes. Gripping the control column with both my hooves I shifted my wings inside their covers. Just ignore them. Just ignore them and get the shuttle down safely.

“If you don’t want us commenting on it then maybe you shouldn’t make such a show of it. It’s incredibly unprofessional on your part and, frankly, I’m beyond tired of it. What do you say, Orion?” Azure looked over and gave a sly wink, throwing her head back slightly for good measure.

She wanted to make a game of tormenting Frost? At any other time I’d jump at the opportunity but now, right now? I grit my teeth together even harder. At this rate my dentist was going to have a conniption when I got back to Equis. “No. Comment.”

T minus two minutes.

Reaching across the column I flicked off the autopilot switch and, with a shudder, took the ship under manual control. With a quick tug on the controls I spun the shuttle around to face away from our direction of travel and through the huge front window I could see, to my right, the surface of the moon streaking along below us. Far, far in the distance to my left was Equis. Home. It was all I had ever known my whole life. I was on the cusp of a new chapter in that life and I was determined to make the most of it.

Frost squeezed the arms of her chair in a white-knuckle grip as her hurried breathing fogged her helmet. “Fuck, I sure hope your hotshot pilot knows what he’s doing…”

Azure turned her head slowly to glare at Frost. “I told you to shut the fuck up so he can focus, why are you still talking?”

T minus sixty seconds.

I silently began to pray to whatever higher power might be out there, my hearing going out of focus as I directed every ounce of attention I had at the countdown clock. It ticked down faster and faster, ever accelerating towards zero.

I yanked back the control column with all my might, the main engines firing sequentially in response. I could feel myself being pinned to the seat, and the bickering of the two mares ceased as the G-forces stole the air from their lungs. The low rumble and shudder from the engines reverberating throughout the ship was a symphony to my ears. The sound was deafening and, before my body even had time to adjust, I pushed the stick back forward and the engines cut off.

Checking the display in my helmet I started comparing the projected and actual telemetry values. It was damn near perfect. We would only be coming in a few kilometers off target, and that was close enough to correct for in the final landing burn. My hearing slowly started to return as I could hear both Azure and Frost gasping and wheezing for air. Served them right for making nuisances of themselves.

“O… O-Orion…” Azure croaked, swiping the holographic display in front of her feebly with a hoof, “A-are we on course, or do we need a c-correction burn?”

I glanced over at the altimeter, which was ticking down from two hundred and fifty to two hundred kilometers, then to the artificial horizon to check our attitude and speed. “No correction necessary, Captain. I’ll be starting the landing burn at fifty kilometers. Give or take a couple minutes till we reach that point. Is Frost okay?”

Frost turned to face me, her glasses having slipped down her muzzle. Lighting her horn, she picked them up before setting them back on the bridge of her muzzle. “Fuck. You. Y-you stupid fucking oaf. Of course I’m fine, just a little shaken is all”

I couldn’t help but smile as I reached up to the overhead controls to adjust the engine’s gimbal trim for our next burn. “Well I’m glad you’re okay too. Are we done with the fighting now or are we going back to discussing our love lives?”

Frost remained silent, staring directly forward in non-acknowledgement. Well, I tried to be nice. If she wanted to be an asshole about it then we could certainly play that game.

There was a soft clicking as the altimeter continued to count down towards zero. One hundred and forty kilometers. One hundred and thirty kilometers. One hundred and twenty kilometers. With a sigh I reached forward and flipped on the stabilizers then punched in the coordinates and estimated altitude of our intended landing site into the flight computer. A warning popped up on my hud that we were one hundred kilometers and rapidly closing.

Morning Frost then spoke up, looking out the window at the surface rapidly coming up to meet us. “Orion, it’s time to consider firing the thrusters. You don’t have much time left to decelerate.”

Azure glanced over at the airspeed indicator and altimeter before eyeing up the secondary control yoke in front of her. “Frost, he knows what he’s doing. Let him fly the ship how he feels comfortable, please. Orion, is the emergency auxiliary control on? I need to be able to take control if you pass out.”

I rolled my eyes before flipping the copilot switch on my own control yoke, unlocking Azure’s and allowing her to pull it back into position. “I’m glad you’re so confident in my abilities as a pilot. But, as you wish, Captain,” I snarked, mentally noting that the altimeter was now at sixty-five kilometers and rapidly closing as the moon’s gravity took hold on our craft.

Azure glanced over at me with a wink before pushing the yoke away from her. “Steady as she goes, Orion. But, if you’re confident you can handle it by yourself then I’ll leave her to you and you alone. Take us down gently, kiddo.”

I winked at her in return. I had this in the bag now, I suppose that I could afford to have a little fun with it.

Morning Frost’s eyes went wide as the altimeter dropped below fifty-five kilometers. “Orion. Give me control of my yoke. Now,” she commanded, trying to pull the control column to her but finding it locked in place.

Azure leaned back in her command chair and looked over at me as she stuck her tongue out. “Orion, ignore the request from the Chief Scientist. That’s an order.”

Mimicking her ease I gently rested my hooves on the controls as the altimeter counted down to fifty kilometers. “Ma’am yes Ma’am. Anything you say!”

Frost licked her lips, staring at the altimeter. “Orion, this joke is not funny. If you aren’t going to initiate the burn then I will.”

Captain Azure whistled to herself as she looked out the cockpit windows at the ground as it gradually came up to meet us. “What do you think the weather’s like back in Cloudsdale? Do you think I’ll be able to start planting my annuals when we get back? Just pansies and carnations, none of those tulips or petunias or anything of that sort mind you.”

I smiled smugly, taking one of my hooves off the yoke and resting it under my chin in a thinking pose. “Annuals? Oh, we’ll be back on what, March 18th? You should be fine to start planting them if you’re sure to bring them inside whenever there is a cold snap. The days are only getting warmer from here on out after all.”

The altimeter dropped to forty-five kilometers.

“Orion this isn’t funny, fire the engines for the love of Faust!” Frost screamed, fruitlessly yanking on her control yoke as the panic set in.

I kicked my rear hooves up onto the console and crossed both of my forehooves behind my head. “Hey Captain, do you think comms will be set up in time for the Buckball game tomorrow tonight? I really want to see Clousdale beat the absolute stuffing out of Salt Lick City. Oh! And I’m pretty sure Trotpeaka and Fillydelphia are playing too! I know how much you’ve always loved Trotpeka,”

The altimeter hit forty kilometers. Various angry beeps and sirens started blaring in the cockpit as red warnings flashed up onto our helmet displays. The autopilot spoke into my helmet,

“Low altitude warning, pilot intervention required.”

Astral Azure smiled genuinely. “Oh, Trotpeaka is playing? Now, that’s news to my ears. We’ll have to get the communication array set up first thing when we land so we can have a beer and enjoy the game once we get the rover unloaded. Thank you for telling me that, I think it will be an absolutely wonderful opportunity for a little camaraderie with my friends.”

“Impact imminent. Impact imminent. Engage thrusters.”

“We’re going to fucking die!” Frost screamed, bracing herself for impact.

The altimeter hit thirty-five kilometers and immediately my hooves shot out and grabbed the yoke, slamming it back as I firewalled the main engines as far as they would go. The G’s were unbearable. I felt as if, in that moment, I had aged forty years; all my limbs grew heavy and feeble as I reached out and punched the throttles for the landing rockets, RCS thrusters, and every other form of propulsion at my disposal. I smashed my hoof against the landing gear button and was relieved when I could hear the soft whir of them extending over the thundering exhaust of the rockets. The ship slowed and went gradually from upright to horizontal as the ground closed in.

Thirty kilometers became twenty, then ten, then five, then one.

Airspeed was twenty-five meters per second and dropping. The landing leg extension light came on as they fully extended, followed by a soft thump as they absorbed the impact of the landing. Pushing the yoke forward I shut off the main engines, then the retro rockets and reaction control thrusters before letting out a long, shaky sigh of relief.

“W-we have touchdown on the lunar surface.” I groaned, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. My head was pounding in angst from being tossed around so violently.

Azure coughed and sputtered, breaking out into a pained but hearty laugh as she brought her forehoves above her head in foalish glee. “H-holy fucking shit Orion. Th… That was awesome! Never, ever do that again!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. “Duly noted and ignored, Captain!” Grinning ear to ear I looked over at Frost who, much to my own amusement, was passed out in her seat. “Looks like Frost couldn’t handle the G’s, Captain. What a shame.”

“I see, I better call in the successful touchdown and report that she is conked out for the time being,” she snickered before pressing the comms button on the control panel in front of her, “Mission control, this is Luna Four. We are happy to report a soft and successful landing on the lunar surface. We have landed on target plus or minus a few hundred meters, and the only exciting thing to note is that Morning Frost passed out due to the G-load. Over.”

There was a moment of static before the voice at mission control came through the speaker of my helmet, “We read you. Welcome to the Moon, Luna Four.”

Azure unbuckled her harness before staring back over at me. “I’m sure we are both in mutual agreement to keep this stunt out of the mission report and any books we may write in the future, right?”

I found myself unable to wipe the shit eating grin off my face. “Positively nothing, Captain.”

* * *

I slowly shimmied underneath an electrical panel, holding a flashlight between my teeth. The smell of singed electrical… something was filling my nostrils. Damnable electronics, all the Earth Pony engineers back home had insisted on having electronics over spell matrixes for ‘safety’ wherever possible, which meant that now I had to put myself in an unsafe situation by sliding on my back underneath an array of high-voltage lines. Safety my ass. I’d prefer having a spell explode than have 280 volts passed through my body, frying it to a crisp.

“Orion, I don’t mean to interrupt your duties, but do you mind grabbing a box of cabin filters for me? It seems those stupid ship designers intended for them to be just out of reach for me.” Azure’s voice came from somewhere out in the room. Finally, somepony that echoed my sentiment about this new ship design!

I pulled the flashlight from my maw with a free hoof. “Yeah Captain, I'm just going to need a minute, chasing a fuse that's not playing nice. I've checked half the panels in this room and have come up with nothing to show for it.”

“That’s fine. I’m taking some inventory down in the medbay, just come find me when you’re done.”

“Before you go, when are we doing our ceremonial ‘first steps’ on the surface?” Shining the flashlight out of the cabinet at her face I continued, "You know I’m absolutely itching to leave some hoof-prints behind, It being my first time on the moon and what not.”

Astral Azure laughed and held a hoof up to shield her eyes. “Don't worry, Orion. You’ll have left more prints than you can count before the end of the day, I promise you that. We just need to finish checking over the mechanical status of the ship before we can unpack and stretch our legs.” A moment passed with nothing but the quiet ambience of the machinery below our hooves before she continued. “You know, it was a much, much bigger deal on Luna two. TV cameras and all, they didn’t even want to do a live broadcast this time since the public has already seen it thrice!”

I rolled my eyes before readjusting the flashlight a little lower, shining the light in her eyes again. “Bah. Luna two this, Luna two that. You and Frost always love to rub it in that you’ve been here before,” I grumbled. Yet another reminder of my greenhorn status.

Azure stepped to the left and out of range of my flashlight. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

“I… Wasn’t trying to imply that, Orion,” Azure said, tapping a hoof against the floor, “If anything I’m jealous of this being your first Lunar mission. You have two seasoned veterans to fall back on, and you don’t have to uh… Perform for the cameras and folks back home. If anything this mission is even more special that way, no one is experiencing this but us.”

I ground my teeth as my focus returned back to the fuse box. “I suppose you're right. Even though Frost is quite the thorn in my side.”

“Just try to get along, I’m sure you’ll find that she’s a valuable friend. I felt the same way about you when we first met, but look at us now! I’d trust you with my life in a heartbeat.”

Even though she wasn't visible I could picture the soft smile on her face. “I’ll try, no promises.”

“Thank you, Orion. I’ll be in the medbay if you need me, swing by after you’re done and I’ll give you another assignment.” Azure said, the sound of her hooves on the metal floors gradually trailing off to nothing.

I deeply sighed. This was a job for Circuit Solder, that buck would have known exactly what to do in this situation. He, a master electrician and engineer with years of experience and missions under his belt. I? A stallion far too large for this cabinet who could barely find a fuse by himself, even with the help of a wiring diagram. It was a true shame that he went and broke a leg during the week before launch. He was so excited to finally be assigned on a mission with Morning Frost, they were just lovebirds like that. Hopefully he was holding up okay back on Equis.

Taking the torch back up in my mouth I slid further and further into the belly of the beast, shining the light over my head, pleased to find that I was staring directly at a blackened and misshapen fuse.

“Finally. I’ve been looking for you for ages,” I muttered to myself, gently bringing my hoof up to the panel and pulled the fuse free. I quickly tossed it out the door to the electrical cabinet before pulling the replacement out from under my wing. Reversing the process, I clicked the new fuse into its proper place in triumph. Maybe this electrical stuff wasn’t too hard after all!

Sliding out from under the electronics I made to get up and make for the exit before something else could fail and need fixing, but slammed my forehead into the upper edge of the open cabinet for my troubles. I sharply inhaled. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

Clutching my throbbing temple with my forehoof I managed to finally extricate myself from the cabinet of doom. I changed my mind, I hated electronics once again. Swearing under my breath I kicked the cabinet cover closed. That’s when I noticed the drops of blood on the pristine floor. Touching my hoof to my forehead and bringing it back down to eye level I found it gently spattered with red ichor. Stay calm. Stay calm. It was just a little gash, I had to go down to the medbay anyways, everything was going to be fine.

I picked up a towel from my toolbox and wrapped it around my forehead to prevent it from dripping blood everywhere before heading for the door. With a small tap on the keypad, the door silently slid open and I exited into the hallway. Azure was going to reprimand me for being so careless.

Trotting leisurely down the hallway I took a moment to admire its blandness. Crisp whites and grays molded together and drifted apart at the odd doorway or storage space, then fused back together on the other side of the offending convenience. It reminded me a lot of a hospital, except straight out of a sci-fi film. Still, it somehow retained a level of comfort and coziness that could not be explained. Likely due to seeing those same walls and uninspired features a thousand times during the training for this mission.

My hoof beats reverberated as I went, but slowly became muddied as I drew closer to the medbay. It was just the sound of Morning Frost and Astral Azure talking, or, wait… All the rooms were supposed to be soundproofed. I shouldn’t have been able to hear them at all. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Engineers at their finest.

“I don’t care. I’m telling you that it’s unsafe and an undue risk to the both of us, Azure. He’s a loose cannon and going to get us both killed!” came Frost’s voice, quiet and muffled.

Stopping in front of the door I looked down the hall to my right and then my left before being left fixated on the doorway before me. My heart lifted, spurred on by the apprehension of what might be happening inside. Who were they talking about? This was their business but I… Well, it couldn’t hurt to just listen for a minute—I’d just listen for a few seconds until I could find a time to head on in. Stepping closer, I quietly placed my right ear up against the door for some good old fashioned eavesdropping.

“…Frost, I understand that you are unamused by his antics but please, calm down so we can discuss this calmly and rationally. I don’t care who on this crew is lodging a complaint, they need to do it respectfully to all parties involved, including myself. I can assure you that I share half the blame as I played into the joke as well. Only because I am confident in his abilities and was aware that we were never in any real danger.”

After a short pause Morning Frost stamped her hoof. “Azzy, I am frankly appalled that you're taking his side on this. He could have gotten us all killed, he caused me to lose consciousness, and Luna knows, there could be damage to the ship from the hard landing!”

“Frost, need I remind you that you’ve always had a low G-tolerance? You passed out on the launch of Luna two. Regardless, I’m not going to comply with your request to have him reprimanded and court martialed. He’s a valuable member of this team, and this organization as a whole. I—“

“If you aren’t going to do anything about him, then I will. It does not take much to write a scathing report.”

“Is that a threat of subverting my authority on the matter, Morning Frost?”

There was another long pause, broken by Frost chuckling. “No, no. I can assure you that it’s not a threat at all, it’s a promise.”

“Now Frost, two wrongs don’t make—“

But this time, I was the one to cut her off. With the smack of my hoof, the door to the medbay slid open and I cleared my throat, Azure turning and looking at me with a pleading stare, while Frost had seething fire in her eyes.

“Now, Ms. Morning Frost, need I remind you that the process for reporting involves taking your issue to the one you have gripes with first before you take it to a higher authority? Or has it been so long since you’ve read the rule book that you think it no longer applies equally to you?” I clenched my jaw, trying to keep myself from devolving into petty insults. I was going to be the bigger stallion here.

Morning Frost scoffed, high-stepping up to me before jabbing my chest with her hoof, “I don’t want to hear it from you, rookie. You’re young, dumb, and frankly insufferable. I don’t know why the agency thought that you would be a good fit for this mission but, spoiler alert, you’re not.” Jabbing me again at the outset, I took one step back towards the door, to when she advanced equally as she continued to rattle off, “You never graduated from a technical school. You have no military background. You have never contributed anything to science or the good of all pony-kind. You never proved yourself to be a capable leader, specialist in your field, or of any worth or merit whatsoever to this mission, or better yet, the agency as a whole.”

“N-now Frost, that’s uncalled for! I simply wanted to point out that—“ I took a wary step back. Frost continued her advance and I continued to match her in retreat as we entered the hallway. I hesitantly flared my wings ready for a fight and Frost did nothing but snort in my face in response. Never being given an opportunity to defend myself with words I resigned myself to the fact that I might have to defend myself with my hooves instead.

“…That you’re not following the rule book on this. Now, take a few breaths and calm yourself and we’ll find a way to settle this injunction between us like professionals.”

“Frost—“ Azure began to plead, standing up from her chair.

“I’m not done yet, Azzy,” Frost spat, never taking her eyes off me. “Orion, you’re nothing but an overgrown high-school jock. You’re dangerous because you don’t think ahead and consider your actions and how they might affect others. You’re worthless to this mission, the autopilot could have done your job, but you’re only here because of the technicality of needing to fly the ship manually in an emergency situation. You have no purpose here, you have no merit and frankly you have no redeeming qualities that could make up for your overarching uselessn—“

Azure shot forward and slammed into the pink unicorn’s side, causing her to stumble a few steps down the hall before she was able to regain her footing. “Frost, that’s enough!” Azure bellowed, pushing me aside and situating herself squarely between us. Her pale blue eyes were lit with hot fire as she spoke, “I will not tolerate you verbally abusing other members of the crew, Morning Frost. Consider this your one and final warning; continue this foolishness and you’re the only one who I will be writing up.”

Frost scoffed. “As you wish, Captain. But, I’m not going to work with him if I can help it. Expect it to be a two pony mission from here on, as it really should have been.”

With a harrumph, Morning Frost turned and trotted away down the hall before Azure could reply. What a fucking bitch, and here I thought that sometimes I could have an attitude problem.

Astral Azure shook her head back and forth slowly as she muttered under her breath. “Frost, Frost, Frost, what am I going to do with you?”

I sheepishly took a step back, the single clop of my hooves causing the captain to turn her head and stare directly at me. This was it, the end for me. Life was nice while it lasted!

“Orion,” Azure remarked, her smaller form stretching up to her full height.

“Captain,” I replied, standing at attention, ready for whatever horrors awaited me.

She began to bring up a hoof to smack me but it froze and hung there gently swaying in the air. There was a moment of terrifying silence as she regarded me, as if she hadn’t truly decided what she was going to do yet. Her muzzle scrunched and her head tilted to one side slightly as she spoke, “Orion, are you… Bleeding? What happened?”

I stood in place, not knowing what to do except reply, “I got up too fast and cut my forehead on a sharp edge. Please don’t worry, I’ll be—“

Astral Azure’s hoof fell before pointing at the doors to the medbay. “In there. Now.”

“But Captain, I can tend to my own wounds. I received the same training as you and feel as if I’m perfectly capab—”

“Medbay. Now. That’s an order, Orion,” Azure commanded, giving me a stare that said she would tolerate no argument.

I nodded slowly and made my way inside, climbing gingerly onto the examination table before lying down on my back. This was probably going to hurt.

* * *

Azure poured a small amount of a pink potion from a bottle onto a clean gauze before pressing it to my temple. My cut burned as it came into contact with my skin, but the pain quickly subsided.“Orion, I appreciate your honesty and drive to defend yourself, but I had the situation handled. Metaphorically ‘in the bag’. Then you came waltzing in and set her off with your presence. She was already annoyed at you before and now she is downright pissed.”

“I know, Captain. But I’m begging you to imagine that you’re walking down the hall minding your own business, then you hear, well, that. What else was I to do in that situation? Walk away?” I winced at the sudden shot of pain, pulling away from her just a little.

“Yes. You should have just walked away and brought it up to me later and I could have explained the situation to you.” She taped the gauze down before packing up all the loose items on the table into a medical kit. “Let this sit until tomorrow morning and then you should be able to take it off. If it still hasn’t fully healed by that time then please, let me know about it immediately so I can redress it.”

I furrowed my brow as I contemplated her thoughts. “You don’t actually mean that, do you? You would never have stood for that treatment, not in a million years.”

“No, I’m just required to say that for legal reasons. Leadership training and all. But, in all honesty, I suppose that I might have done something similar. Our brains are hardwired to fight back in the face of adversity, or at least, that’s what the eggheads in leadership training said.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I sat up. Azure and I always had a compatible sense of humor, even in tense situations.

“All jokes aside Orion, you must understand that Morning Frost, she…” Azure started as she typed down a medical report on her laptop. She paused and sighed, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. “Bud, you’re my best friend in the whole world but there’s only so much I can do to help. She has hated you from the very first day you met, and even though she regards me as one of her best friends, I can only lead a pony to water.”

I nodded solemnly in agreement. Frost was always a stubborn one who wanted her way or the highway and, if you couldn’t get with the program, she just wouldn’t include you in it. She’d been like that ever since I’d met her during my first week with the ESA; always trying to trip me up in front of my peers and make me look bad. I never knew quite for sure why I was her favorite target, but one day I’d either find out, set her straight, or both.

“…You know she’s under a lot of stress right now, what with Circuit Solder breaking his leg and having to sit the mission out. Then his duties being half-shouldered onto her. I’m not trying to justify her actions, you’re also taking up the other half of his responsibilities which are way out of your area of expertise and you’re taking it in stride. I just think it’s important that you try to understand where she’s coming from, have a little bit of sympathy, and maybe you’ll get a little back. I will agree, the way she spoke to you was not fair at all, actually some of the most brutal speech I’ve seen from her in a long, long time.”

I waved her off with a wing and a smirk. “Oh, it’s fine Azure. I’m not hurt, I’ve had worse verbal beat-downs in my life. My parents actually had quite the knack for it!”

Azure giggled and set her laptop aside on an adjoining countertop when she was finished typing. “Now, there’s the good ‘ol Orion I’ve been missing. Comedic and charming as ever. It’s nice to see you acting like yourself. Nevermind Frost, she can go stick it.”

I blinked once, then twice, awkwardly rubbing the back of my head. Charming? She just called me charming? There was no way she actually just said that, this must’ve been another one of her jokes. “I— Uh… Don’t think I would use that word in any vocabulary to describe myself, but thank you..?”

Azure snickered, quickly stifling it with a hoof. “Oh, Orion. You don’t need to be so humble about it. C’mon, accepting a compliment won’t kill you, it’s completely normal.”

No, this was a joke, surely. I refused to believe otherwise. I rustled my wings and looked off to the side as the awkward silence persisted. After what seemed like an eternity I plucked up the courage to speak. “Azure, is this a joke at my own expense? I don’t quite think I get it…”

Azure stared at me, eyes wide as she blinked. Then, she looked down at the floor and rubbed her neck with a hoof. “Uh… Yeah, sure. If it sounds like a joke then it was probably intended to be one. Sorry that it didn’t land, I’ll try harder next time to make it funny for both of us.”

The feeling in the air was strange. I felt as if I had done something wrong, maybe even made a huge mistake. Thoughts were gnawing away at my mind left and right, I just couldn’t see where I fumbled the conversation. It was going so well! “O…Kay? If I said something wrong then just tell me, I’m just at a loss for where I—“

Azure quickly cut me off, her officer tone bleeding through. “Private Orion Zephyr. It’s. Fine. Nothing’s wrong, all is well. How about we just move on? There is still a matter of great importance that we need to discuss in relation to… To… Well, you in particular .”

Celestia help me. I could feel a sense of overwhelming dread surging inside my core. I was in trouble, big trouble. In for one of those iconic Astral Azure chew-out sessions. I braced myself for what was to come, whatever it was.

“Orion. I think that, while not optimal, it is pertinent that you stay here at the ship, at least until the day after next. We need to unload the rover and start moving stuff out of the cargo bay and I think that it’s unwise to let you and Ms. Frost get too close to one another, just for the sake of avoiding further conflict. I’m not mad at you, quite the opposite actually. I’m glad you stood your ground in the face of her bad mouthing you. But, I’m going to need to go calm her down as well and try to find the root cause of this impasse between you so it can be smoothed over.” Azure looked away, avoiding my gaze with a pained expression. She’d always told me how she hated having to be a leader when push came to shove.

“I… I-I…” As I tried to speak I felt a choking knot rise in my throat. She knew how much this mission meant to me and that’s why she couldn’t look me in the eyes. Over a year of training culminating in this mission and she was going to deny me my ceremonial first steps. I slowly slumped my back as I sat on the examination table, trying to collect my thoughts.

“N-Now Orion, you know this is nothing against you personally, if I could have it any other way you know I’d choose that in a heartbeat. I just don’t see a way to—“

I slid off the table, landing on my hooves with a reverberating thump which caused her to fall silent. Stretching to my full height I looked down at her as our eyes locked. I tried to force a smile, but felt as if what came out might have just been a grimace. “Azure, I… I understand. You don’t need to apologize. The mission should always come first.”

Azure looked up at me, her eyes glistening under the artificial light, any remnant of her commanding tone fading away. “Orion. I’ve watched you grow up from a starry-eyed greenhorn on his first day to a competent and proficient stallion in your field. I don’t care what Frost says, you’re the best pilot I’ve ever seen, and you’ve retained your spirit, resolve, and personality while climbing to the top of the ranks. I admire that. You never let anyone beat you down or take your personality away from you.” With a soft smile she brought up a hoof and patted my shoulder reassuringly. It brought little comfort, but I could feel the caring intent behind the gesture. “I’m sorry it has to be like this, I—“

I leaned down and pulled her into a hug, the rest of her apology being muffled beyond comprehension by the dense fur on my chest.

“W-woah, hey! We have a hugger on aisle six!” Azure wrapped her hooves around my neck as she returned the sudden embrace. I could hear her heartbeat, firm and unwavering as she pressed against me.

I gently patted the top of her head with my hoof, then released her from the hug. “I already said to not apologize for it, Azure. We’re good, nothing’s wrong between us, friend.”

Azure sniffed, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye. “Thank you, Orion. Sorry, the stress is seemingly getting to everyone today! I’ll try my best to smooth all this over by tomorrow, in the interim, I’m dismissing you from active duty until 0630 tomorrow. Go, get a shower and some rest. I’m confident that we can handle the rest of the unloading by ourselves.”

I nodded and stood at attention, giving her a brief salute before spinning on my hooves and heading for the door. “Ma’am yes ma’am.”

Chapter 2: Communication

“Your domain? You’re kidding me. This is the damned moon, nopony owns the moon!”

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP…

The sound droned on in my ears and caused them to ring uncomfortably. Rolling over to face the wall I pulled the covers further up over my head and tried to ignore it. The bunk was cozy, the bunk was warm, the bunk was where I was meant to be. Why couldn’t a pony sleep in for once? I was a hard worker just like everyone else, surely I deserved a little extra shut-eye just this once.

The alarm clock continued on in its pragmatic indifference. Mocking my attempts at self-care and a good night’s sleep. The clock didn’t care that I was tired, the clock didn’t care that I was cold, the clock wanted me to get up, nothing more, nothing less. It was cold, calculated, unwavering. It never ran slow and was always precisely on time, down to the picosecond. I regarded the lowly alarm clock with reverence, it had achieved a level of dependability that I could never hope to match.

“Ship… W-what time is it?” I groaned, cozying myself further into the covers. Why was it so absurdly cold in here anyways? Hopefully Frost didn’t set my thermostat absurdly low, if she did then would retaliate accordingly, regardless of what Azure had said—I had a few ideas for some pranks to die for!

“Time is: 0600 hours. Alarm set for… Fifteen minutes ago. Solar weather is—“

I shot a hoof out from under the sanctuary of my covers, bringing it down on the alarm clock. The beeping was finally silenced as I groaned and sat up, lazily blinking my eyes as they struggled to take in the world around me. I was behind schedule, but nowhere near late. Yet.

“—mild to elevated, reduce exposure to sun wherever possible when outside the vessel. If you feel as if you have taken too high of a radiation dose, been flashed by the sun or have optical afterimages or speckles that persist for more than four hours, please seek medical attention.”

Yawning, I sat on the edge of the bed. My cozy covers called out for my return. but I paid them no heed. The time for sleeping was over and it was now time to get the day started in earnest. Normally I’d have woken up hours before when Circuit Solder would get up, but he wasn’t here and, well, maybe it was best not to dwell on the absence of my friend. There was a day that needed me on the front foot.

“Turn on the cabin lights at fifty percent. Change the thermostat to sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. Turn on the shower and maintain one hundred and ten degrees.” I slipped off the edge of the bed on shaky hooves and yawned.

The lights came on and I took in the room around me. It was bland but cozy, just like the rest of the ship—a mottled assortment of sharp grays and whites everywhere you’d turn. To my right was the door to the central hallway. To my left, there was some open space and a large window which looked out onto the black nothingness of the lunar surface. Directly opposite the bunks there was a mirror and a standing closet with a glass door, two white and blue spacesuits hanging proudly on the hooks, perfectly lit by both the display lights of the closet and their own glowing accents. Hanging behind each of them was a helmet while oxygen packs and my set of detachable wing-covers sat on the floor. Faust above, I never got tired of seeing those when I got up. They were not only cool as hell but, well, they were double cool as hell!

“Error. Error. Thermostat control is not responding. Reverting to the backup control scheme… Backup control scheme is nonresponsive. Please enact maintenance.”

I groaned, rubbing my eyes with my hooves. I was beginning to miss the previous ship model, they had already sorted out all the little quicks before I started learning to fly them. “Ship, add room 13A thermostat repair to the maintenance to-do list, priority low. Schedule repair time for this afternoon.”

The lights in the room flashed green in acknowledgement before returning to normal. As much as I hated some of the new design choices, the verbal assistant feature was one of the better ideas that had been implemented as of late. Saved me having to type things into the ship’s computer system on the workstation in the corner of my room.

To the left of the closet was the bathroom door which I made my way over to, stumbling a little in my groggy state. Clicking the keypad with my hoof, the door silently slid open and a hot waft of steam and the sound of running water filled my senses. I had time for a shower, so why not indulge myself in a quick rinse?

As I stepped into the shower I could feel my cares float away. The jets of scalding hot water were reassuring and comforting, telling me that the day would be fine. All I needed to do was get all the odd jobs around the ship done and by then Azure might’ve been able to talk some sense into Frost. Today was going to be easy. I stood there and reveled in the feeling for a few minutes before I’d had my fill.

“Turn off the shower.” I stated, the steamy-hot jets of water shutting off immediately. Then there was a blast of warm air as the drying cycle turned on. I shook my coat to loosen any remaining water before stepping back out of the shower.

Standing in front of the mirror I picked up a bush, trying my best to square up my buzz-cut mane. It has always grown from the color of my coat to a dark blue as it grew longer but micro-gravity hygiene was a cruel mistress and I had given up on trying to let it grow out long ago. Nothing was worse than having little strands of your mane float in front of your eyes when your helmet was on. So, I kept it meticulously buzzed down, right to the bottom inch of the blue layer, it’s just how I liked it.

I never understood why Frost had insisted on keeping her braids, they were probably so unbelievably uncomfortable to stick into her helmet. Her suit even had to have an extended tail to manage her braids, whereas Azure and I were just able to tie up our own into bob-tails and use the standard tail nubs.

I kept a watchful eye on myself in the mirror. The blue-steel coat, dark blue blaze on the bridge of my muzzle, and muddy-brown eyes I was all too familiar with stared back at me, sharing the same focused expression. I didn’t look half bad when having to keep up appearances. Though, I guess maybe it was time to take some scissors to the stubble under my chin, it was getting a little too long after all.

Azure’s voice came out of nowhere. “So… Do you always stare at yourself in the mirror this long, or is this a new thing? I never took you as the egotistical type.”

I whirled around and stared at Azure who was leaning against the bathroom door frame with a casual ease. The pale eggshell-blue of her coat glistened in the low light. She must have just gotten out of the shower too.

“C-Captain! I thought I was supposed to go on shift at 0630, my apologies.” I set down the brush, raising my right wing in salute.

Azure chuckled, sauntering into the bathroom as she looked me up and down. “At ease, Private. I merely wanted to drop by and see if you could help me with my mane. Normally I’d ask Frost to do it, but she’s still out like a rock and I don’t think I’m going to be able to wake her before breakfast. You know how she is.”

I scrunched my muzzle, regarding this turn of events with uncertainty. “Brush your mane? Azure, you’re twenty-four. I think you are perfectly capable of brushing your own mane if you set your mind to it.” I slid the brush across the countertop to her.

Azure frowned, sliding the brush back to me. “I can brush it, sure. But I’ve been trying really hard to replicate that style you did for me that one time on the space station, what was that, the RS-11 mission? Do you remember it?”

A flood of memories passed across the front of my mind, taking me back years in a single moment. Wow, had it really been that long? “Yeah, I remember resupply mission eleven. That was the one where you sprained your ankle and I had to help you function for a week. Good times. I still remember—“

“Let’s not bring up that much about it, Orion. You know that one was a kick between the legs for me. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and then some more on top of that.” Azure trotted over beside me, looking at herself in the mirror. “So, can you do it or not?” She harrumphed.. “I bet you just want to watch me butcher it horribly, don’t you?”

I smiled at the thought. While it would be funny to see her try, she was the captain of this mission and I was obliged to help her if she asked for it. I looked over her messy bed-head, mulling over how best to attack it and get it into shape. “Well, I suppose just this once I can help you, especially since you asked so nicely.”

Picking up the brush I ran it through her messy mane, taking out all the knots and bird's nests I came across. She really did have a lovely mane, a gradient of blues and teals which wove an intricate tapestry, not unlike the sky when far away from the cities and light pollution of central Equestria. I gave her mane a slight swoop to the right, then set down the brush. “You know, your mane would really be something else if you just took care of it more. You need to train it to hold the shape you want, otherwise it’ll just be a bed head. Not that that style looks bad on you, it’s just unbecoming of a Captain.”

Azure hummed to herself, turning her head from side to side as she admired her reflection. “Yeah, I’m well aware. How’d you learn so much about keeping up manes anyway? Surely you’re not a fashionista in your free time, that would be super off-beat for you.”

I smiled, trotting out of the bathroom and standing in front of the window, admiring the faint glow on the horizon as the sunrise neared. Azure followed closely, standing by my side. “You learn quite a few things when you have two younger sisters. I was always having to help them do their manes or pack lunches so they could get to school on time. Every day of middle and high school I rose with the sun to help get them ready to go, and to make sure mom and pops got out the door with all their things too.”

Azure raised an eyebrow. “You never told me that you were that involved with caring for your siblings. That’s quite responsible of you, Orion.”

I shrugged, watching as the sun peeked over the horizon, bathing the lunar surface in a pale white light. “It’s never come up in conversation before, so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning.”

“Buddy, you’re lucky to have siblings. As an only child, trust me on that fact. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. You’re blessed to have them.”

I glanced over at Azure, who was looking off with a distant stare. Something had shifted with her demeanor and I didn’t quite know what to say in response. So, we stood there in silence until I could find a way to respond to her. “I know, Captain. Thank you. I’m sorry for not mentioning it sooner, I suppose that…” I rubbed the back of my neck with a hoof, struggling to hold onto my train of thought. “That, well, I’m sorry. I’m kind of blanking on what to say here.”

Azure sighed and smiled, replying in a quiet tone, “Don’t apologize Orion, we all have our secrets. Never let work become your life, keeping your personal life separate is how you find balance”

I nodded in agreement. “That’s for sure. Secrets are just a part of life, you don’t want to just throw everything out in the open.”

Azure smirked, nudging her flank against my own. “You have secrets? Oh, please tell me absolutely everything.”

I rolled my eyes, nudging her back. “Maybe another time, Captain. Secrets are something you have to work for—“ My gaze caught on a glimmer of light in the distance, It was there for a moment then gone the next. “…Huh. Did you see that? It almost looked like there was something out there to the south catching the light of the sun.”

Azure scrunched her muzzle, staring off into the distance. “Yeah, I thought I saw that out of the corner of my eye as well. Probably some crystalline rock reflecting the sun.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it. I’ll see if it happens again tomorrow morning, if so then maybe I can triangulate the location and we can go pick it up for posterity. Wouldn’t that be kind of neat?”

Azure snickered, punching me in the shoulder playfully. “You want to drive out all the way out there for a silly rock? You’re joking. Now, where were we… Ah, yes. You were going to tell me some of your secrets!”

I laughed, turning away from the window as I headed for the door, Azure trailing close behind. “How about a cup of coffee and some breakfast first? Then I’ll see what I can divulge to you, on the assumption that you’ll be doing the same.”

“It’s a deal, you dork,” Azure replied as we trotted out of the room and headed towards the kitchen in the front of the ship. “How do you want it, black? Decaf? Something else entirely?”

“Just straight black is fine. You know all that sugar and creamer is for the weak!” I replied, ruffling my wings slightly in indignation.

Azure chuckled. “Well, I’m the weakest there is then! I have no clue how you drink it like that, it’s just an awful experience.”

“Authentic. It’s an authentic experience. You wouldn’t understand, it’s an acquired taste.”

Azure rolled her eyes. “Believe me when I say this. No. Thanks. You can acquire all that taste for yourself.”

We rounded the corner and I took a seat at the table, Azure cantering over to the coffee maker. With a soft click it turned on and started to heat up. Leaning back in my chair I took a look around the kitchen, my gaze falling upon a large book sitting on the countertop. “So, are you doing a little light reading, or is that one of Frost’s?” I asked, pointing at it with my hoof.

Azure poured two cups of coffee, setting one in front of me and the other at her own place. “Oh, that? It’s one of my manuals from when I was doing training to become a commissioned officer. Just some ‘light’ reading, I’ll explain more later once Frost gets up. Want some cereal with your coffee?”

I regarded it with apprehension. “…Yes. I’ll take a bowl of cereal. Should I be worried or am I just being irrational?”

Azure set a bowl in front of me, pouring some cereal into it. “Oh, you shouldn’t be worried at all, so long as you listen. If anything it’s our horned friend who should be worried. But, then again, I had a long talk with her last night and have it in good faith that she will behave.” Azure stuck her tongue out and winked before grabbing the book, setting it down at her place with a heavy thump.

I picked up my spoon and shoveled some of the sweet cereal into my maw, being interrupted promptly by the kitchen door sliding open. Morning Frost tramped in, flinging open one of the cabinets with her magic and levitating out a bowl before setting it opposite from me at the table as she sat down.

“Good morning, Azzy. How was your sleep?” Azure sauntered over and poured some cereal into her bowl.

Frost groaned. “Not long enough, it’s never long enough…”

Azure made her way back around The table and took a seat, flipping open the book and hoofing through a few pages. “You know, Frost, I find it incredibly ironic that you are not a morning person, even though you—“

Frost glared daggers at her. “Captain, with all due respect, you have made that joke more times than I can count. It has gone from a knee-slapper to detrimentally unfunny. If you would be so kind as to find better material, I’d be most grateful.”

Azure raised a hoof in defense. “Now come on Frost, let’s not start the morning like that. It was just a joke.”

Frost continued to glare at Azure for a few moments before turning her attention to the bowl in front of her. She picked up a spoon and started to chow down without another word.

I took a few bites of my own breakfast before glancing around the table. The tension in the air was palpable as we sat in silence. Each one of us is either engrossed in our food, or in our own unwillingness or inability to speak. There was an unspoken tension in the room, a prevailing sense of tentative and uneasy peace which no one wanted to break.

A time passed before Azure broke the silence, shuffling through a few pages of her manual between bites of cereal. Both Frost and I turned to look at her, which she took as her own cue to speak. “So, I couldn’t help but notice that yesterday we had some difficulties communicating with one another. No specific individual was at fault, we all devolved into choice words and overreactions. I’m not mad at anyone though, we can fix this, but only if we keep level heads and talk to one another with the level of respect and professionalism that our job demands.”

I glanced over at Frost who was already glaring at me with disdain. “Okay. I’m willing to talk, so long as it doesn’t devolve to blows.”

Morning Frost groaned, levitating her spoon up to point at me. I felt as if I should be offended by it, but it came off as nothing but childish to me. “Azzy, I already told you last night. I don’t want to—“

“Frost, you promised.” Azure whined, looking up from her breakfast with pleading eyes, “A unicorn’s word is as good as gold, you know what superstitious shenanigans happen if you go back on a promise. Especially a Pinkie Promise.”

“Ugh. Please don’t remind me that I let you talk me into that. I just know that that’s going to bite me in the ass later… Fine, a promise is a promise and I’m a mare of my word. I’m here at the table, so, what do you have to say?”

Azure leaned back, a relaxed smile spreading across her face as she tapped the open book in front of her. “I was looking through some of my old manuals last night, the ones from when I was doing my leadership training courses to become an officer and, well, I suppose that there’s nothing wrong with being upfront about it. I brought both of you here for a little team-building. A department that, given unforeseen changes in responsibilities and expectations, we are seemingly lacking in. It’ll be fun, trust me!”

Frost contemplated Azure for a moment before slamming her face into the table. “Captain, you can’t be serious…”

I raised an eyebrow, turning my attention back to Azure. “So, what would these ‘team-building’ exercises entail? Are we talking about sharing fears or trust falls or…” I paused, seeing a pointed look in Azure's eyes as she waited for me to be quiet, “...What exactly do you have in mind?”

Azure grinned. “I think we’ve lost sight of where we’ve come, and where we’re going. How about each of us share a little about how we got into spaceflight, and what we hope to achieve, both for this mission and beyond. That’s not too open-ended a question, is it?”

“Azzy—“

“I’ll go first.” I interrupted, tapping the table with my forehooves.

Azure turned toward me and nodded, glancing down at the book. “Alright, share your name, age, and race.”

I furrowed my brow. “Uh, why exactly? You already know all that information. I don’t think any of that is going to be of use.”

Azure stared at me before tapping the manual. “You’re the one who volunteered to go first. We are going to do this by the book, just like we did on the very first day of this assignment. Do I make myself clear, Private?”

I gulped, raising my hooves in defense before nodding slowly. “Of course, Captain. As you wish…”

Azure smiled. “Good. So, give us your name, age, and race.”

“Hi, I’m Orion Zephyr, 22, pegasus. It’s nice to meet you…?” I replied sheepishly, looking over at her for a sign of approval.

Azure glanced down at the book, then back up at me with an encouraging smile. “It’s nice to meet you Orion. Do you have any family? What was your upbringing like?”

“I have a mother, a father, and two wonderful younger sisters. My father is a weather pony, specifically a cloud-buster. Mom is a pencil-pusher in the cloud factory in Cloudsdale. I had a pretty normal upbringing, or so I think, though mom and pops were always busy. I had to juggle my own education, caring for my younger siblings, and making sure everyone got out of the house on time every morning. I guess you can say that I had to grow up quick so that my sisters didn’t have to.”

“Tell me, Orion, how did you come to work for the Equestrian Space Agency?

“Oh, that’s a little bit tougher.” I rubbed the back of my neck with a hoof, trying to put my thoughts together. “Well, ever since I was a little colt I had always loved flying, and night skies. I got good grades in school, particularly in comprehension of aerodynamics and flight mechanics. After I graduated high school I applied to join ESA as a pilot, and was accepted into the training program.”

“So, how long have you been with the agency? What goals do you have for your future?”

“I’ve been with ESA for three years, and two of those have been as an active astronaut. Nine missions later here I am at the pinnacle of my career, Flight Commander on Luna Four. Even though that position is just fancy terminology for ‘pilot’, I consider it the apex of my journey. My goals are to continue to fly and to reach for the stars, just as I’ve always done. Especially with my friends beside me.”

Azure clapped her hooves together, practically overflowing with delight. “Orion, that was absolutely lovely! Thank you for sharing with us, you get a solid A+ on your grade.”

Frost rolled her eyes, resting her head in her hooves. “I detest this with every fiber of my being. I’m not doing it, you will not be able to make me. I refuse.”

Azure relaxed in her chair, sticking her tongue out at Frost. “It’s not your turn yet anyways, it’s mine.” Azure slid the manual over to me, giving a sly wink. “Alright Orion, you’re the interviewer now. Hit me with your best shot!”

I smiled before reading the page. “Alright, share your name, age, and race.”

“Hi, my name is Astral Azure, 24, earth pony.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Azure. Tell me about your family. What was your childhood like?”

Azure brought a hoof up to her chin, thinking for a moment. “I was born in Trotpeaka to two wonderful parents. My father, an earth pony, and mother, a pegasus. They were both in the office sector, though were always home every morning and night like clockwork. Some of my fondest memories growing up were leading my group of friends all over the city during the summer months, looking for trouble to get ourselves into.”

I grinned, shuffling my wings slightly as I got comfortable in my chair. “Now that doesn’t surprise me one bit, thank you for sharing. How did you come to work for ESA? How long have you been employed here?”

“I got through my schooling early and without a hitch, then went to the Trotpeaka Aerospace Institute where I did two years in Flight Logistics. One of my professors tipped me off on ESA, or rather, saw some potential in me and took it upon himself to schedule an interview for me. Let me tell you, I was so surprised when I got a letter in the mail for that. Almost five years and sixteen missions later, the rest is history.”

“…And what are your goals? What do you hope to achieve on this mission?”

“I hope to get through this mission with no injuries and having achieved our goals but most of all, I want to leave here with lifelong memories of my friends that I can cherish.”

I couldn’t help from beam ear to ear, it was such an on-point response for Azure.

Both Azure and I turned to look at Frost, who was sulking in her chair with an unamused expression. “What? What do you want me to say? Do you want me to divulge my childhood and all my internalized fears and regrets? You’re not my therapist, you’ll get nothing like that out of me.”

I tried to give her an honest smile. “Well, I for one want to hear your story. You’ve never told me much about your past.”

Azure stood up from the table, taking her empty bowl over to the sink. “Come on Frost, it’s not going to kill you to open up a little in front of Orion. Everything here is confidential.”

Frost muttered something unintelligible under her breath, looking first to me, then to Azure before giving a dramatic sigh. “This is so stupid. Alright, fine. ‘Hi!’ My name is Morning Frost, age 27, unicorn. I grew up with two well-off parents in Canterlot, and went to the University for a four year degree in Exogeology. I was scouted out and hired by ESA as a researcher, later as a flight specialist. Four years and eleven missions later, here I am, suffering immensely at the hooves of my fellow crewmates and want this stupid mission to be over with already.” Frost crossed her hooves, frowning in displeasure.

“Did you not want to share anything about what you hope to achieve?” Azure asked leadingly, sitting back down at her seat.

Frost brandished the spoon at me again. “No. Not while he’s here.”

Azure opened her mouth to protest but I spoke first. “Frost, I respect it. You don’t have to tell me.” I had to mentally remind myself that I was supposed to try to get along with her, whether I liked it or not. It wasn’t about me anymore, it was about the mission at hoof.

Frost’s brow became furrowed as she contemplated me. There was a silent pause before the spoon was released from her magical grip and it clattered to the table below. “…Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Azure clapped her hooves again. “Good! This is wonderful progress! You’re both well on your way to being—“

Frost and I turned in sync to stare at her. She wavered, but continued her thought. “…Friends. Well, maybe not yet, but progress is progress.”

Frost stood up, pushing her chair back under the table. “Azure, as much as I would love to continue these exercises, we really must get a move on with our day. There is only so much light to take advantage of and we have so much that needs to be accomplished. Do you have a debrief for us?”

Azure nodded, getting up from the table as well, holding a sheet of paper in her hooves. I followed her lead and also got up, standing at attention ready to receive orders. “Of course. Mission control has given us our first day's worth of mission objectives, they are as follows…”

“Primary objective, set up six seismic monitoring stations, inter-spaced by two and a half mile intervals in a formation to the northwest of the landing site for triangulation of moon-quakes. Ensure all stations are operational and in sunlit locations.

Secondary objective, set up the communications array to strengthen the data stream being sent back to Equus. Verify the integrity of the electrical system under the new shift in power draw and make changes accordingly.

Tertiary objective, inspect the exterior hull of the ship and take note of any damaged paint or hull plate caused by rocks being kicked up during the landing procedure, make a report of any damage and apply repairs where possible. Check landing legs for settling or sinking. Verify integrity of any easily accessible windows or seals.”

Azure set down the sheet of paper with a confident smile, her commanding tone starting to leak back into her words. “So, Frost, you’re with me on setting up those seismic stations. Orion, you can help us load those onto the rover before seeing to the communications array. If you can finish all that before it’s dark, see to the inspection of the hull. It shouldn’t be much more than inspecting the whole ship with your suit’s flashlight.”

My ears perked up. Azure has changed her mind on wanting me to stay at the ship? Well, it was still technically at the ship, but at least I would be able to get out of the airlock and stretch my legs for an hour or two. I wasn’t going to complain.

Azure smirked, winking in my direction. “I see that you’re lost in thought there Orion. Yes, that means you’re going to be working outside today. You’re welcome.”

Morning Frost rolled her eyes. “Trust me, it gets very old after a week or two. Especially when you get back from a long day’s work and have to get all that regolith off your suit. You won’t know true pain until you spend a half hour dusting yourself off in the airlock just so you can come inside without getting it everywhere. I swear, it statically sticks to anything it comes into contact with!”

I stepped out into the hallway, Azure and Frost following behind me. “Frost, forgive me, but it sounds like you are speaking from experience. Is that the case?”

Frost laughed, catching me completely off guard. “Heh, at least you have a few brain cells up there. Yes Orion, you’re correct in your assumptions. Even I stumbled and fell more times than I’d care to admit on Luna Two. The best part is that you will too, and I’ll be there to laugh when you inevitably eat shit.”

I stopped outside the mare’s quarters and chuckled, turning around to face them. How tactful of her. “Be sure to record it for posterity, I want to watch it later with my future offspring. I’m going to hold you accountable on this, don’t disappoint me!”

Frost cackled. “Oh, I will. Believe me on that.” With a swish of her braid, Frost ducked into the room and out of sight.

“Orion, suit up and meet us in the cargo bay in fifteen minutes. We’re going to have to hunt through all the crates to find the seismometers and it’ll go faster with all three of us.” Azure said, waving a hoof at me before slipping through the doorway.

I tried to wave back, but she was already inside. Well, guess it was the thought that counted. Turning around I trotted a few paces down the hall with a pep in my step, quickly entering my room with a relieved sigh. Looking up, I set my sights on the space suit hanging up in the closet. It was time to get my hooves dirty.

* * *

There was a soft crackle of static through my helmet’s speaker as Morning Frost spoke. “Orion, whatever you do please please please don’t drop that crate on your way to the rover. They are hyper-sensitive instruments and we will not only have no way to replace them, but will also not be able to achieve one of our mission goals if you fumble them. Do. Not. Trip.”

I shifted the metallic crate on my back. This was one of the moments where I wished that the suits had actual jointed wings, it would make balancing an order of power easier. “I got it, Frost. Don’t worry, I did table service at a restaurant in Cloudsdale while I was in high school. I learned how to balance… Well enough.”

An unamused snort emanated from the speaker. “I don’t appreciate you trying to make this lighthearted, I need those seismometers to fulfill my own obligations to this mission. Just don’t drop them.”

I gingerly trotted across the cargo bay to the side of the rover where Frost lifted the box off my back with her magic, setting it on the flatbed. The rover in question was a six-wheeled contraption whose appearance I could best equate to a soup can, but given the ability to locomote at low speeds. It had a large spherical front window and some portholes along the side and was just barely large enough to seat four. The main attraction, though, was the short flatbed on the back and a small crane for handling heavy equipment. It reminded me of how my little sisters would try to draw a cart when they were younger, but Its utility and function more than made up for its silly appearance.

“What are you doing standing there? Go get another one, we still have three more to load!” Frost waved me off with a hoof. Turning, I trotted back across the cargo bay and passed Azure. She paid me no mind though, too absorbed in taking down notes on a holographic clipboard that she had in her hooves.

“So, Frost, why exactly is ESA trying to determine the rate and severity of moonquakes anyways? If there are any they haven’t been strong enough to rattle any ships on prior missions, especially now that we have auto-leveling and cushioning landing struts.” I picked up another box and heaved it up onto my back, the process repeating once again before Frost responded.

“Because we aren’t worried about ships, Orion. We are far more concerned with the feasibility and stability of constructing structures. The moon is the ideal place to both build and launch craft further into the solar system. Once you get past the initial monetary cost of establishing a presence here, you should be able to save over half the cost in Delta-V to get anywhere in the solar system you want, which saves a lot of money launching brutish rockets from Equis.”

I waited for her to take the next box off my back. “So… You’re saying that they are looking into building a moon base?”

Frost picked up the box then stuck her tongue out at me. “Yes, Orion. They are looking into building a moon base, how smart and observant of you.”

Azure coughed before shutting off her clipboard, collapsing it before returning it to one of the front pockets on her suit. “Frost, let’s not get started down that path, we were doing so well for the past half-hour. Just get along for another fifteen minutes and you don’t have to talk to him again until we get back tonight.”

Frost unapologetically murmured. “My my, that sounds absolutely lovely.”

I picked up another box while Azure grabbed the last one, both of us bringing them back to the rover in equal stride. With a flash of her horn, Frost lifted the last two seismometers onto the flatbed.

“Good, that should be everything accounted for. I’m surprised that Orion didn’t drop anything. Well, there’s always tomorrow I suppose.”

“Frost, what did I say about being disparaging to crewmates? Think before you speak, please,” Azure groaned as she heaved the last of the equipment up onto the bed of the rover before climbing up to ratchet strap it all down.

“I did nothing of the sort. I was just observing that he always had a tendency to drop stuff back in train—“

“Frost, I said to keep it to yourself,” Azure commanded, clearly unamused by the unicorn’s antics. She gingerly climbed up the ladder and stepped past the equipment, opening the door to the rover’s airlock. Morning Frost promptly followed her inside and shut the door.

I cantered out ahead of the contraption as the cargo bay ramp lowered, revealing the vast panorama of the lunar surface as far as the eye could see. I made my way to the equipment locket near the door and retrieved a bright red traffic baton, lighting it up and holding it in my hoof. I leisurely backed up down the ramp, guiding the rover as it rumbled forward. “Now, you two be safe and don’t do anything reckless, please. If you get into trouble, call me. If something isn’t working then consult the manual first, then call me.” As I followed the over further and further down the ramp I could feel the gravity decrease. The artificial gravity talismans only had so much range.

“Duly noted, Orion. We’ll be as safe as ever. Will the communications array be up for that Buckball game tonight? I do still want to watch it with you, and I guess Frost can watch it with us too if she wants. Assuming we get back in time!” Azure replied.

Frost let out an audible huff, and I could see her looking at her watch pointedly as if to hurry us along. “No thanks, I don’t watch sports. I’d rather be working on examining the new data in the lab.”

“Oh, boo. We can enjoy the game without her. Be safe and we’ll see you tonight! Don’t forget to do that visual inspection of the ship, we want to make sure everything is still in good order. Let me know if anything is egregiously broken.” After a moment the soft static cut off as both Azure and Frost disconnected from the live frequency.

I sighed, watching as the rover gradually drove away, kicking up spurts of regolith behind it that hung in the air for a time as it bounced along across the surface. Man, it looked like so much fun. I wish I could have gone with them but there was work to be done. Looking down at the ground I found that I had taken a few steps off the ramp. Lifting a hoof I revealed the tread pattern of the suit’s hooves below me. I couldn’t help but smile. My first steps. I snapped a photo before making my way back towards the ship, taking my time as I tried to get a feel for the lower gravity.

My whole body felt light, which was par for the course. I did only weigh a sixth of what I weighed back on Equis. Still, it was quite the change to acclimate to. When I tried to walk normally I leaped more than I actually walked. Gentle, I had to be gentle.

Tapping the side of my helmet I turned on the suit’s flashlights and began to meticulously inspect the engine bells and plumbing that was within my reach. Everything on the backside of the ship was pristine and glossy, but wouldn’t be that way for long. The second we brought this thing back into Equis’s atmosphere it would go from new out of the box to used. Soot and burn marks everywhere, that would be the true test of this beast’s resolve and build quality.

I made my way underneath the rear landing gear, noting a few scratches here and there. I took pictures with the helmet’s camera and continued on, taking mental notes of where all the damage was located. As I came fully underneath the ship the scope of it was more evident. Lots of little dings and scratches on the surface from rocks being kicked up by the landing thrusters, but nothing more serious than that.

I breathed a mental sigh of relief. While I wasn’t hopelessly lost, Circuit Solder had much much more training on this side of things. I would have to make a report and send it back home to have mission control assess the risk, then make a complete step-by-step process plan for each individual repair. Solder could just see the damage and know exactly how to fix it, then do it immediately to boot. Truly he was a master of his craft.

Coming to the front landing gear I pressed a hoof against it, the boot magnetically sticking to it. With ease I pulled myself up onto it, walking vertically up the strut before finding myself suspended upside down from the underside of the vessel. Each of my hoofbeats sounded heavy and metallic as my hooves stuck then released themselves from the hull. It wasn’t fluid at all and felt like walking through a field of particularly suction-prone mud. Though the gravity on the moon was low, the act of walking around on the ship was physically draining.

Leaning down I examined the bays that stored the landing gear. Nothing of note, they were pristine as they should have been. No signs of hydraulic leaks or any scuffs or rubbing against the hull from the deployment.

An alarm for abnormal blood pressure came up on the HUD in my helmet. Yeah, no shit. It’s not like I was upside down and all the blood was rushing to my brain. I shook my head and trotted out from underneath the hull, going from upside down to vertical. Now on the side of the ship, I examined each and every triple-paned window for cracks and thankfully found none.

Finally coming to the top side of the ship, I took a long look around at the light gray, crater-riddled expanse that extended in every direction for as far as the eye could see. Above it all was the black night sky, speckled with tiny dots of light — Stars, tens or hundreds, even thousands of light years away. Cold and distant, but ever present.

Hanging in the sky was the blue-green marble that was Equis. Looking at it from this far away truly put into perspective how small we ponies were. Everypony I had ever known, ever interacted with, and everything I had ever experienced in my life was just… There. All contained within that little marble in the black abyss.

I pulled up the notes tab on my suit’s HUD and a holographic keyboard popped into existence in front of me. I sat down and brought my hooves up to it and typed.

Ship in good shape, minor cosmetic damage on underside. No seal leakage alarms. No cracked windows, no noticeable damage on the top side of the ship, recommend adding blue accents to improve visual appeal. No damaged heat shield talismans as far as I can discern, recommend more thorough inspection after re-entry to evaluate exterior surfaces prior to next flight. Attached photos of nicks and scratches, please advise further if my analysis was inadequate.

—Orion Zephyr, Ship Commander for Luna Four

And with a click I sent the report on its way. I sat there for a while, looking around and pondering the beauty I had found myself in. It was then that I noticed a strange feature in the landscape, as if someone had taken a large brush and drug it across the surface, almost like a fault line back on Equis— but much narrower. It originated to the north and continued to the south, directly through the landing site, only being disputed by the large circle of dust that had been kicked up by the rockets. I stood up, squinting to try and discern what it was, but not getting much of a better view.

Well, it had only been about an hour and Azure and Frost probably wouldn’t be back for a few hours more. I mulled over the idea of going down to examine whatever it was, but… Hmm. What if… What if it was something important? Something groundbreaking?

Frost’s words from the night prior flashed to the forefront of my mind. Sure, I hadn’t contributed a discovery to science yet, but this might be my chance. Worst case it was nothing more than an odd crack in the surface, and I just got some extra cardio for the day. It couldn’t hurt to look.

I trotted off underneath the hull and hopped back down onto the surface, making my way across the circle of disturbed ground towards the area where I had seen the strange formation. As I got to where I was sure it should be, I could find nothing out of the ordinary.

I sighed and turned back towards the ship which was glistening beautifully in the sunlight. “That doesn’t look half bad, at least I didn’t come all this way for nothing,” I muttered to myself, taking a step backwards to take a photo. That’s where I made my mistake. I stepped on a loose rock, stumbled a few steps then sat down hard to arrest my fall.

I lifted my forehooves from the soil, coated all the way up to my shoulder in a spatter of regolith that had been kicked up during my fall. “Well, I’m going to need to clean this off before Frost gets back or else she’s going to—“ Looking down at the ground in front of me I noticed a soft circular depression in the soil. Standing up I observed another, then another. They trailed off into the distance as far as I could see, each one spaced equidistant apart from its neighbor and getting slightly deeper and defined as they got further and further from the ship. “What the..?”

I took a few steps forward, venturing further outside the circle, not fully comprehending what I was looking at. There below me was a, while not perfect, painfully clear impression. Deep and circular with the faintest indentions of horseshoes. My pace quickened and I could feel my heart begin to race. Every step forward brought me to even better defined imprints in the lunar soil, until I suddenly froze in place. There was no way this was a natural geologic feature, fault line, or trail of micrometeoroid impact craters, there was only one explanation left. Hoofprints. They were hoofprints.

Chapter 4: First Contact

“What, do you have a deed? Maybe even a proof of purchase? Oh, oh! How about a receipt?”

“Thou art a… strange phantasm of the mind. We thought that we were resting to a sufficient degree so as to render such illusions annulled. Alas, it seems we were mistaken in that regard.” The alicorn’s voice was feminine and sickly sweet in tone. I did not know whether I should uphold it as being wildly unique, or be deathly afraid of its darker undertones. It made me both shudder in fear and listen intently to every word with respectful admiration. The voice commanded power and respect.

What frightened me the most is that she never opened her mouth once to say any of these things, no, she was directly projecting them into my mind! She took a step towards me and all I could do was stare unblinking and unmoving as I desperately tried to think my way out of the situation I had found myself in— I had no idea what she was or what it was capable of, I couldn’t just run away. I mean, she bore a striking resemblance to Luna, but the princess was back on Equus, surely.

The alicorn strode across the outcrop before stopping not a yard in front of me, her sleek wings folding closed with agonizing languidness. Each and every breath created a small cloud of frozen vapor as she stood there deep in contemplation. My mind raced—how in the hell was she breathing, much less making clouds of condensation? This was the moon, a near total vacuum, not a chilly winter’s day back on Equus.

Then, the alicorn hummed, tilting her head to the side as she regarded me. “So strange. We have no idea where the thoughts that conjured your appearance came from. This is something entirely new to us but, in the end, you are nothing but an apparition.”

I stared up at her, tears beginning to well up in the corners of my eyes. I wanted to look away, I wanted to go back to the ship, but I couldn’t bring myself to break its gaze. Her deep green eyes seemed to look right through me, freezing me in place. I was certain that this was a mare, or at least, feminine enough in voice to be called one.

She took a deep breath, sighed, then spoke once more. “While thou art certainly quite the interesting apparition, we are not benefited by thine presence in any way. We understand that our mind is slipping, but we shall not entertain such specters. Thus, we will dispel you back to the depths of our consciousness.” Extending a hoof, the alicorn lifted my chin until it was satisfied I was looking at it directly. “Goodbye, don’t come back.”

It then took its hoof and, with a satisfied smile, waved it directly through me as if it was wafting steam away from a pot. The feeling was intrinsically revolting, I wanted to vomit. I didn’t want whatever this thing was to touch me, much less phase through me. The synapses in my brain began to reconnect and, without even thinking, my right hoof shot up and sucker-punched the alicorn directly in the jaw, causing her to stumble back a few steps and sit down in pure astonishment.

She blinked, a confused look plastered on her muzzle before she lifted one of her armored forehooves, wiping away a dribble of blood from her lip. The alicorn stared at blood, dumbfounded before quietly remarking, “Thou… T-thou art no illusion…” Rising to her hooves at a glacial pace she repeated itself much louder, practically screaming. “Thou art not an Illusion! Thou art real! Thou art of flesh and bone!”

My brain finally reconnected with my hooves and I backpedaled, nearly tripping over myself as I tried in sheer panic to make distance between myself and the eldritch being. “W-what the actual fuck! Why are you in my head!? Get out!” I stumbled backwards to the edge of the ridge, glancing back and trying to judge how fast I might be able to make it to the bottom. My estimations were not in my favor, if I wanted to make it to the bottom intact anyways.

“T-Thou hit us.” The alicorn muttered, her slitted eyes narrowing as they focused solely on me. Her mutters gradually morphed into a reverberating yell, causing my ears to ring violently. “How darest thou strike us, Nightmare Moon, princess of the lunar realm?! Thou shall pay dearly for thine insolence, sniveling whelp!”

I gulped, glancing back over my shoulder again as I considered my options. Either take a tumble down the hill and try to outrun her, or try and talk my way out of it. Surmising that a tactical retreat was in order, I tried to buy some time until I could figure out exactly how I was going to get away. “N-Nightmare Moon? Like, the old mare’s tale? You’re supposed to be dead, gone, reduced to nothing! How are you—“

Nightmare Moon grit her teeth and sneered. “Old. Mare’s. Tale? Thou mean to tell us that, Nightmare Moon, the most fearsome and powerful being Equus has ever known, has been reduced to a character in a foal’s bedtime story?”

I waved my hooves in front of me defensively. “No no no, it’s a good story! Great even! Lots of virtue and morals to be taught, and with the revised version, it includes the part where Princess Twilight and her friends defeat… Uh. Mmm... Maybe we don’t need to talk about that part.”

I could see a vein pulsating on her forehead as she glared daggers at me. “Princess. Twilight. Princess! Twilight! That cur is a princess now?!”

I was dead. I was so unbelievably dead. Absolutely fucked. There was no way out of this situation, I might as well just lay down and accept my fate. Rest in peace, Orion Zephyr. “Uhhh… Yes?”

She breathed heavily, snorting sparkling clouds of icy vapor from her nostrils. A few moments of agonizing silence followed before she finally spoke with a tremolo of rage, causing my ears to sting as the volume climbed higher. “We advise that, lest we do something rash, thou chooses thine next words very, very carefully. We are the ruler of this realm and we do not take kindly to trespassing—“

I took a step further back, nearly slipping as I crested the top of the hill in retreat. “There’s no need to shout at me, I promise you that I didn't mean to strike you, it was a knee-jerk reaction!”

She grit her teeth, eyes twitching as she began to scream. “Never ever interrupt us again, worthless slime! We are the Lunar Queen. We are the Empress of the Moon. You will treat us with the respect and admiration we are owed! We are no fool, we foresee thy attempt at escape. Come, bow and worship your ruler, miserable peasant!”

I felt a strong push from behind me and I sat down, desperately flailing my hooves to stop as she dragged me away from the edge with her magic. I couldn’t take it anymore, I felt like my head was going to explode. “Faust almighty, my ears! I don’t care if you are the Queen of Trotland, you’re going to burst my eardrums if you don’t speak softer!”

Smiling wide, she circled her tongue across the tips of her teeth as she continued undeterred. “Thou hast an unrestrained tongue. We will speak in the royal Canterlot voice as loud and as often as we wish! Now, bow before the might and awe of—”

I glanced back frantically. The tumble was becoming more and more enticing by the moment. Who cared if she knew I was going to flee? I’d surely be safe if I could only make it back to the ship in time, I just needed to find a way to distract her. “What, bow before Nightmare Moon? A defeated foe of Equestria? You make me laugh. You’re not my princess, I only bow to Princess Twi—“

“Silence!”

Feeling a painful tug from my backside I was unceremoniously hoisted into the air, hanging upside down at eye level with Nightmare Moon. Her eyes were burning with a fire of uncontainable hate as she somehow managed to raise her voice to a peak yet I reached by mortal ponies. My ears begged for mercy, or maybe it was her voice which was laden with feedback, I couldn’t be sure. “We told thou not to ever interrupt us again. We have grown incredibly tired of thine contemptuous behavior. But, we are a merciful ruler and will offer you one last—“

I had an idea. I spoke loudly, trying to hide my fear. “Sweet Celestia, I can’t hear you over the static in your voice! It’s hardly regal and extremely embarrassing—I would have expected better of a princess!”

Nightmare Moon glared at me before continuing to spiel, the overwhelming static replaced by an equally intensive echo. “Quiet, wretch! We are a merciful ruler, so we will offer thou one last chance to apologize, grovel at our hooves, and pledge allegiance to—“

I smirked. She had taken the bait. “We’re on the moon, not in a vaulted cathedral. Cut it out with the echo, your speech is garbled and competing with itself. Come on, have some class while you address your ‘subject’.”

She grit her teeth, the fire in her eyes glowing brighter. She cracked her jaw and spoke, the echo replaced with a drier rasp. “Pledge allegiance to the Lunar Empire, damnit! It is a great honor, one unbefitting of a miserable, worthless pony such as thyself. But we, Nightmare Moon, have decided to treat you with undeserved grace and—“

“Come on, that’s even worse! It’s too dry and rings like a bell, you’ve lost all your regal pomposity. Surely you can do better than that. Hell, I've heard street merchants that demand more respect than you do. This is so disappointing, I expected better.”

Her eyes stared through me at something far away, followed by a faintly audible clicking as her voice returned to normal, speaking to herself in a trance. “We have adjusted the reverb, the tremolo, amplitude, and fade. Is this more preferable?”

I grinned. “Perfect.”

She blinked and snapped out of her musings, sneered again, and raised the volume to eleven. “Be quiet, miserable welp! You have interrupted us for the final time. We shall ensure that thou suffers a long, excruciating painful demise for thy contemptuous and churlish behavior! Dost thou have any last words?”

“Yep! Not today.” I used all my lower body strength to swing back as far as I could and, as her eyes went wide, I swung forward— bashing the front of my helmet into her muzzle. there was a small spatter of blood and she shrieked, stumbling back and tripping on a rock, landing on the flat of her back. My plan had worked perfectly. One small problem. In her lapse of concentration she had understably let go of me. One tiny issue. I was six feet off the ground when this occurred and dazed by the headbutt. I fell directly on my head, albeit it was nothing like it could have been had it occurred back on Equus, but it still sent a throb of pain as I crumpled to the ground.

Shaking my head quickly I turned and dove off the precipice of the ridge. It would not be a fun tumble, but anything was better than being face to face with that eldritch evil! I smiled—that was actually really clever of me, I thought it would have been much harder than—

Suddenly I was yanked from the air, being unceremoniously deposited back on the ridge, standing straight and upright, unable to move my hooves. Oh, come on! I was so close!

There, a few yards ahead, stood a powdered-donut Nightmare Moon, wings spread and fangs bared. Blood gushed from the front of her muzzle as her eyes narrowed to pinpricks. “Thou art a bastard! We will be trying to remove this cursed regolith from our mane for years to come! For that, thou will pay with thine life.” Pawing at the ground she let out a snort, seething hatred in her eyes. Leveling her horn at me, Nightmare Moon sprung into an enraged gallop.

I braced myself for the inevitable, still recovering from the screeching sound of her projecting her voice directly into my head. But as she dove head-first into my chest she passed harmlessly through my body. A sickening cold and a feeling of violation washed over me and I reeled back in bewilderment. “S-sweet mother of Celestia, what the fuck?!”

Nightmare Moon was terrifying, but the absolute feeling of dread and numbness that went through my body, shocked me to my core. The infliction was nearly indescribable, like being torn apart and put back together in just the few seconds that she made contact with me. It felt as if the cold void of space slipped inside me and drove the warmth from my body. That wasn’t even the worst part, that came from the sensation of being disassembled on an atomic level before hastily being put back together again.

A slug of vomit rose to the back of my throat which I just barely swallowed back down. With a quivering breath I was eventually able to pull myself from my haunches, legs shaking like a newborn foal as I glanced down the hill.

Nightmare Moon tumbled, the eldritch alicorn unable to correct herself as she bounced head over hooves, kicking up a voluminous cloud of moon dust as she hit the bottom of the rise. “A-Ah! Gods dammit!”

How in the hell had I gotten myself into this situation? I couldn’t help but let out an impassioned laugh. I needed to run, I needed to get away while I had the chance, but the sight of her tumbling helplessly before hitting the bottom with an oomph was just too funny to resist. She was down there, dazed and disoriented and I was ready to escape. I had the upper hoof, I could afford to laugh just for a moment.

She shook herself off and rose to her hooves, staring daggers at me as she lit her horn with an insane smirk. “T-Thou will pay! Nopony laughs at us and survives!

Suddenly the ground beneath me shook and I was caught in an ever-increasing tumble of loose rock. I frantically flailed my hooves, desperately praying that the grips on my suit’s boots would win out. But the more and more I fought the further and further I slipped down the hillside until I lost my footing. I slid, foundered, and started to uncontrollably cartwheel down the hill. My head screamed out for mercy,still throbbing from Nightmare’s deafening vocalizations, not to mention being dropped on my noggin.

The world blurred around me and I lost my sense of direction, a dull pain rippling through my extremities. The suit was armored and softly padded on the inside, but that did little to change the fact that I was being rattled like a cowbell.

Suddenly it all came to a hard stop but my head continued to spin. I couldn’t see anything except the dusty, gray Lunar soil my visor was buried in.. I groaned and rolled over as I tried to regain my bearings,meeting the gaze of Nightmare Moon as she loomed over me.

She leered, a toothy grin plastered across her muzzle. “Now, where were we? Oh, yes. We remember now, thou were taking great delight in our unfortunate miss. Alas, we will not make the same mistake this time.” She slammed her forehooves down, pinning my shoulder blades as I tried to push away and flee.

I could feel my wings instinctively fighting against their protective covers. If I were back on Equus I could fly away, I could escape, I could free myself! I wanted to survive, I wanted to live, this couldn’t be the end for me!

Taking a deranged delight in watching me struggle for my survival she then leaned close before licking the front of my visor, making sure her glinting teeth were plain as day. “We gavest thou a chance to avoid this fate, but it seems as if this is where we must bid thee farewell. Send our warmest regards to Faust, cretin.”

With that Nightmare Moon reared up, cackled, and brought her hooves down with a terrifying might on my helmet. But there was no shock, no impact, not even a sound. They merely passed through both my helmet and my head itself, intensifying my migraine to the point where my eyes began to tear up from the pain.

She stared in confusion, lifting her hooves again and bringing them back down with the same force as before. No result, apart from making me feel even more queasy. She brought them down again, and again, and again. “Why. Will. Thou. Not. Perish!?”

“I-I don’t kn—“ My stomach decided that It’d had enough and, helmet or no, I was going to vomit. With a convulsion I emptied the contents of my stomach onto the front of my visor, unable to stay my nausea any longer.

Nightmare recoiled in disgust, backpedaling as she ensured that she did not somehow get any onto her own hooves. “A-aah! Art thou trying to spit bile onto us?! That is revolting beyond words! Repugnant! Contemptible!”

Aiming through the gaps in what had been my breakfast I placed a sharp kick in Nightmare Moon’s gut. She immediately doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach as she swore. “Faust have mercy, thou will pay for that one!”

I darted from beneath her and ran like hell, trying my best to ignore the stench and soggy feeling as the vomit that has once been plastered to the glass slowly began to slip down my neck. I took a quick gulp from the straw in my helmet, spat it on the glass, and kept going. Cleaning the suit was a later-me problem, I needed to get the hell out of here!

A resounding crack echoed through my helmet followed by a sharp pain in the back of my head. Glancing back, I was horrified to find that Nightmare Moon was gaining on me, horn alight as she levitated a swarm of rocks around herself as she closed in.

“Haha, thou are a fopdoodle! We have found thine weakness! If we cannot incapacitate thou with our own hooves then a volley of sediment will have to suffice! Fear us, for thy doom is nigh, pony!”

Shit. I put everything I had into my legs, whipping them to gallop even faster as I was pelted with stones. Cresting another rise I lost my hoofing and stumbled to the bottom, recovering after a moment before struggling to climb the other side. Suddenly it felt as if an anchor had been tied to my rear hooves and I slipped back down the hill. Cursed magic! I rolled and brought my forehooves up to defend myself.

She was on top of me in a second, panting with a triumphant expression as she held a large rock in her magic. She brought it high over her head and brought it down with righteous fury on my visor, causing a spider-web of cracks to spread from the impact point.

I could see my eyes narrow to pin pricks in my tessellated reflection and warning popups began to appear all across my HUD. My vision filled with red and white, my heart raced, and my life flashed before my eyes as the reality sank in that a thin layer of glass was all that was protecting me from the vacuum of space.

Nightmare Moon grinned psychotically, lifting the rock up again. “Hah... ha… We wonder what will happen when we shatter your armor’s visor? Clearly, the battlefield between us will be leveled— face us fairly, Knight!” The glass in front of my muzzle glowed a bright blue and, suddenly, the cracks began to heal themselves. Nightmare gasped. “Thou has self-mending armor? This is not fair! Cheater!”

She brought down the rock again, peppering the glass with cracks only to have them rapidly fixed. Again and again she slammed the rock into my helmet to no avail, then, without warning, the stone slipped from her magical grip, rebounded, and collided with her horn. She screamed, grabbing her horn instinctively to protect it from further attack.

I jumped up, tackling her to the ground without a second thought. If she wanted to fight to the death I’d just have to oblige. I wanted to live!

We writhed and rolled wildly, quickly becoming coated in regolith which did nothing to help our grip on each other. I felt the nauseating pass through my gut, she must have just tried to kick me. She then brought a hoof up and plunged it through my chest, causing another slug of vomit to rise to the top of my throat. I was going to win, I was not going to lose my life to her! I didn’t know why she couldn’t hit me but I was going to use it to my own advantage.

Winding up a hoof I punched her in the cheek, Nightmare Moon spitting a mouthful of blood onto my visor in response. “Take that, wretched scunner! We thought that thou might be a simple wretch, but nay, thou knowest how to fight! Thou must be a noble knight sent to vanquish us!”

I tried to wipe the blood away but only smeared it onto the sleeves of my suit for my troubles. In my moment of distraction she had grabbed another rock, scraped it against the chestplate of my suit in a short-lived shower of sparks that filled my HUD with warnings about my suit’s integrity.

I brought my weight down on her again and we returned to tussling. She writhed and squirmed as we rolled back and forth—I was on top, the bottom, and everywhere in between from second to second as we fought. I could feel myself tiring, but I tried to shove that thought to the back of my mind. “Fuck you! Stay down! Just let me go, it’s not worth it!”

“W-we will never capitulate to the likes of—“

We rolled over again and I suddenly found myself on top of her, pinning her back to the ground. She gasped for air, eyes wide as she stared up at me with gritted teeth.Her breath dusted my spiderwebbed visor with ice as it fixed itself, splitting her furious image into a puzzle of fragments. I looked down, realizing that she had been scratched and scraped all across her upper body, oozing crimson from multiple places on her neck, chest, and legs. Maybe rolling around fighting in literal shards of glass lunar glass wasn’t the best for your skin.

Her muzzle received the worst of it though, badly bruised and gashed from the multiple hits to the face as the bridge of her nose was bled out from under her helmet. Her hooves weren’t in much better shape, having lost her hoof-guards somewhere along the way. She coughed, struggling for a moment but failing to free herself from under my weight. She gazed back into my eyes with a look that I had not seen in them yet. Fear, it was fear. “We… W-we art out of practice it seems. How… H-how unfortunate…”

I too began to gasp for air, relishing the break in the action. I had to stop myself from taking deep breaths however, the last thing I wanted was to deplete my oxygen to the point where I would not make it back to the ship and render this all for naught. My attention eventually wandered back to her eyes as they looked up at me, her lip quivering.

Her expression became more determined and she spat on me, a measure of confidence returning to her voice. “Just get it over with already… We know thou came here to vanquish us, to finish us off once and for all! Show us an ounce of chivalrous respect and make it quick, it is the right we deserve as a royal.”

“I… I didn’t come to the moon to finish you off, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I had no intention of killing you, on the contrary, you attacked me first!” I chuckled to myself. This was insanity, what was the world coming to? “Tartarus, I didn’t know you even existed until twenty minutes ago, I thought that you were obliterated by the Elements. Everyone thought you were cleansed from existence.”

She scoffed, a grimace plastered on her bloody muzzle. “We art alive and well and see no reason as to why we should not be! Be warned, take us not for a fool, knight. Surely it is Celestia, nay, that imbecile Luna who sent thou here to doest her work for her!”

I could not stop myself from laughing. She seriously thought that I of all ponies would be sent to vanquish her? She was insane, absolutely off the wall! “Hah, you’re going to be in for quite the surprise then, your terribleness.”

Nightmare Moon scowled, hacking up another slug of blood which she spat onto my visor with phlegmatic indifference. “If thou art not here to dispose of us, then what art thou doing in mine domain? Furthermore, what is thine intention here? Come to gloat? To sightsee? To mock our imprisonment? Spit it out already, sir knight.”

I bit my tongue. I couldn’t just tell her how or why I was there, at least, not outside of layman’s terms. Even though I had her subdued I couldn’t keep her like that forever. Who knew exactly what she was capable of? Sure, I had been able to get the upper hoof on her because she seemingly couldn’t hit me, at least not physically. That was odd in and of itself and left me with even more questions than answers.

Why was she still alive? How was she here when she was supposed to be an evil form of Luna? Why did she have a ring on her horn? No, I couldn’t tell her anything yet. I needed to play my cards right and determine her capabilities and the threat she posed first. “Your domain? You’ve got to be kidding me. This is the damned moon, nopony owns the moon! That’s foolish talk, especially coming from somepony who is imprisoned here.”

She started to raise her voice but never once tried to escape from beneath my hooves, more focused on shouting at me than smiting me down. “Of course we can own the moon, we have been here for over a millennium! We have more right to it than thou doest! Thou art in no position to challenge us for it! Colonizer! Land grabber! Thief!”

I glared down at her, my ears thoroughly unamused by her change in volume. I tried my best to steer the topic away from myself, I needed to know more about her. “I’m not here to challenge you for the ownership of the moon, your highness. Regardless, it's preposterous to say that you own it. What, do you have a deed? Maybe even a proof of purchase? Oh, oh! How about a receipt?”

“We do not approve of thine tone, pony. Show the empress of the moon some respect! We can show thou a deed if it would remove all doubts and misgivings about our legal ownership of our lunar realm.” She harrumphed, tossing her ethereal mane back. “That is not the matter at hoof. If thout art not here to quell us, then why art thou here to begin with? Prove thine intentions to be peaceful, knight.”

This was not going the way I had hoped, she was proving herself too stubborn to fall for a quick diversionary topic. “My name is not ‘knight’.”

She raised an eyebrow, a slow smirk spreading across her scuffed and scratched muzzle. She spoke with a sweet, almost seductive tone, with just the slightest hint of arrogant sarcasm. “Then what is thine name, sir knight? We demand that thou divulge it to us. Lest we know not the name of the one who bested Nightmare Moon in combat.”

I bit my lip for a moment, looking from side to side. Surely it couldn’t hurt, right? Humor her on this one tangent then I would use that credit to press her further for information. “Orion Zephyr. My name is Orion Zephyr.”

She smiled. A terrible, toothy, unsettling smile. “Orion Zephyr. This is an adequate name, now, tell us Orion Zephyr. What art thine intentions encroaching into our domain, uninvited and unwelcomed? Thine prior actions do not inspire confidence in us.”

I looked to the side for a moment, trying to put my thoughts together. How much could I tell her and keep the ship and, more importantly, Azure and Frost safe? “Well… It’s complicated. But, suffice it to say, they are not nefarious intentions. Completely peaceful, and I will not be here for long at all.”

She stared, unrelenting. “Explain. If our rivals sent thou not, then why art thou here?”

I groaned, ready to be made fun of. “Well, I am here mainly to study lunar geology. I don’t know if you had geology in your heyday, but geology is the study of—“

Nightmare Moon’s eyes went wide as she began to piece together the roots of the word in her mind. She cackled, writhing under my hooves with mirth. “Rocks? Rocks? Thou came all this way to study some stupid rocks!? Haha!” She squirmed with laughter and, finding I could no longer hold on to her, I let go. Immediately I took a few precautionary steps backwards to make some distance between us in case she had more fight left in her. But she didn’t get up, only rolled around in cachination, smearing moon dust into her open wounds as she did so without a care in the world. “We could've told thou that there is nothing interesting here and saved thou the trouble! Hah, that’s rich! Thou’st come to study the stones! The sediments!”

Today had gone from hopeful, setting out in search of adventure and curiosity, to exhilarating and terrifying, learning of the existence of and battling with Nightmare Moon, to now having said eldritch, immemorial evil, mock my job description. Could it truly get any worse? I honestly hoped she got up and electrocuted me with a bolt of dark magic, at least then I’d be saved from the embarrassment of it all.

Her laughter gradually died away and she rose shakily to her hooves, spreading her wings wide as she tried to shake the regolith from her everything.

I gulped, feeling as if I had made a grave mistake letting her back up as she stood, looking down on me once again. “How did thou come across us? The moon is a vast place, surely thou did not stumble across us by chance. Better yet, how did thou travel here in the first place? The elements are the only magic we know strong enough to send a pony to this realm.”

I took a step away from her, uncomfortable with the direction she was trying to steer the conversation. Why was I even still talking to her? Alas, the fact that I was talking to an alicorn that should not even exist glued me in place. I sighed. My mother had always told me that one day my curiosity would be my undoing. I should have listened to her sooner, maybe I wouldn’t be having this conversation.

I took a deep breath and tried my best to answer clearly and concisely. “Well, erm… I simply followed your hoof prints. They led me to you, after long enough.”

Her eyes went wide, jaw dropping open slightly in response. “Our… Prints…? May the stars curse us, of course! How could we have not deduced as such?! We shan’t make the same mistake again.” She lit her horn, stamping one of her hooves down into the regolith. When she lifted it back up there was scant a single misplaced granule to indicate that she had stepped there. “See? We hast become impossible to track! We never considered that it would be a problem but, seeing how thou camest across us, we have now secured our privacy.”

I kicked my brain. Thanks a lot. Now Nightmare Moon both knew of my existence and could covertly stalk wherever she wished. Real smart of you, Orion. Real smart. I had to turn this around, now! “Say, what’s with that ring on your horn? I don’t recall hearing in the tales that Nightmare Moon was one for jewelry and ornamentation.”

Nightmare Moon paused, looking down at the ground, then up at the stars. “The firmament is a sight to behold. Majestic and awe-inspiring, even after a millennium we have still been unable to count and track every last star that hangs within its embrace. …And the regolith, hast thou taken any samples of it yet? ‘Tis quite the interesting sedimentary feature, to be sure! Much knowledge of the moon’s formation could be gleaned from it.”

My brow furrowed. “…And how about your ability to phase through me? It’s odd, because you were able to grapple and pin me, but not make physical contact with your own attacks. That can’t have been intentional, what causes that? Is it the ring? Or is it some intrinsic rule of your imprisonment by the Element of Harmo—“

Nightmare Moon took a step back, rubbing the back of her helmet with a wingtip as she looked over at Equus, then towards the sun in the distance. “Egads! Wouldst thou just look at the time?! Not to mention that our hoof-guards, they are missing! We have quite a considerable amount of ground to search for our possessions.” She scoffed, gesturing to herself with a hoof. “And our appearance, we are disheveled! We have been dusted with regolith and need time to work it from our mane and, much more pressingly, our wounds!”

I stared in disbelief as she began a gradual retreat backwards up the hill, talking to herself all the while as she began to sweat profusely. “Oh, and we simply must get back to our evil scheming about how we shall destroy the element bearers and retake our rightful place on the throne of Equestria! Important things that a mere mortal such as thou couldst never hope to fathom.”

I stood in stunned silence for a few seconds, captivated by what I was witnessing. “Did you not just want to know about how I got here? Why am I studying lunar geology? H-hey! I’m talking to you, where are you going?! I thought you were Nightmare Moon, ruler of the lunar realm! Feared by all and fearing no one in return?!”

She hurried her pace, grabbing one of her misplaced hoof-guards from nearby and locking it back into place on her forehooves as her voice began to trail off with the distance. “Nay, we have no further interest in thy endeavors! Stay as long as thou wishest, but do not try to follow us or otherwise interact. We art very busy and simply do not have the time to spare! We bid thee farewell, Orion Zephyr. Thou wilt not be seeing us again, goodbye!” Turning tail, she dashed over the top of the hill, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

I was left alone in absolute silence, questioning myself what in Faust’s name just happened. Nightmare Moon had just fled. Wait, Nightmare had fled. I was free to go. I didn’t think twice, I turned and sprinted back in the direction of the ship. This was too much for me to process and the last thing I wanted was for her to return, having had a change of heart and wanting to exact her revenge.

* * *

“Sweet Celestia, Orion, where have you been!? I know you said you’d be out for awhile, but neither of us thought that you’d be gone to the point of only having an hour of oxygen left!” Morning Frost dismounted hurriedly from the rover, prancing up to meet me. “Tartarus, what did you do to that camera?! It’s destroyed! You said you’d be careful…! Mark my words, Orion, when we get back inside I’m going to beat you over the head with a training manual for breaking that expensive and irreplaceable piece of equipment!”

I groaned. I had hoped that I’d be back before Frost and Azure, but it seemed as if I was sorely mistaken. Still, it was not like I could just tell her about what had just happened, not yet. I had taken deliberate care to wipe all the blood off myself just for that reason. Something I hadn’t even considered yet was the condition of the helmet-cam I had borrowed. I shuddered to think about how smashed it probably was. Gritting my teeth, I began to spin her a convincing story. “I just took a tumble off a ridge, it’s nothing. I’ll be—“

Frost came to a stop in front of me, at a loss for words. She stuck her hoof out and ran it across the long gash across my suit’s chest piece, mouth agape. “You fell off something tall enough to cause that and didn’t think to send a transmission to either of us? Orion, that was reckless of you. I mean, we both knew you were reckless, but I thought you had at least some common sense in there somewhere.”

I sighed, trying my best to react in kind to her jabs. “I’m sorry about the camera and the suit, Frost. It was an accident, honest. I didn’t break anything critical so I didn’t contact either of you because you were already behind on your own tasks. The last thing any of us needs is mission control on our backs as to why we are falling further behind. I know it was foolish of me not to do so, but I didn’t want to worry either of you. I’m sorry. I hope you can understand.”

Frost sighed defeatedly. “Well, at least your heart is in the right place. Come on, I’ll help you get all that dust off and throw that suit in the fabricator to repair the damage. Luna’s sake, Orion. You’re covered head to hoof! Did you at least catch it on video?”

I chuckled a little. “No, I don’t think I did. I guess you were right though, I was going to eat shit in spectacular fashion eventually. Also, about the suit, I may have, er, lost my stomach a little bit after the fall. Nausea and all.”

Frost grimaced, turning towards the cargo bay ramp with a nod. “Well, maybe hit the shower and wash it out first, then we can use the fabricator. I know the feeling. It’s unpleasant.”

I followed her, curiosity piqued by her response. “You’ve puked in your suit before? Gross.”

“It was my first launch and I made the mistake of eating beforehoof. Cut me some slack. Not everyone can withstand the G’s like you can, Mr. Featherbrain.” Frost rolled her eyes as we entered the cargo bay, falling in stride with me before bumping my flanks. “Well, I suppose I’m glad that you’re okay. Or, at least I have to say that for legal reasons. Having to repair a suit is far better than having to write a letter back home. That’s the last thing any of us want to do, mainly because of the amount of paperwork involved and not because of the subject matter.”

I nodded in agreement as we entered the airlock, Morning Frost helping to remove the dust from the more hard to reach places. It was honestly refreshing to hear her snarky tone again, it meant I was back home safe and sound. “Well, I’m glad to see that you’re in such a good mood today. Where’s the Captain at, anyways? I thought she was with you working on those seismographic monitoring stations?”

Frost smiled, running me over with one of the static dust wands. “Oh, she already went inside to work on a report to send back home, that and a letter to her parents. I was just finishing some paperwork on the rover when I saw you show up. I’m sure she’ll be overjoyed to see you back safe and sound.”

I smiled, reaching out a hoof to press the keypad and cycle the airlock. There was a rush of air and the lights went green and I was finally able to remove my helmet. It was good to be back.

Beside me, Frost removed her own helmet only to immediately wrinkle her nose and wave her hoof. “Oh, yikes. Yeah, Orion, you actually reek. Please go shower. Preferably now. You can tell me more about the ‘tumble’ you took later, just leave the suit in the machine shop once you’ve washed it and I’ll work on fixing it up tonight. Should be as good as new tomorrow.”

I turned back, gave her a sincerely apologetic look, then trotted off to my room. It was embarrassing but at least she only made fun of me a little for it. It could have been far far worse, knowing Frost. Entering my room I was greeted by a blast of bone-chilling cold. This time I didn't even bother asking the ship how bad it was, instead I went directly to the bathroom and shut the door. Whistling, I made quick work of stripping out of my suit and under layers before throwing the latter into the washing machine.

Stepping into the shower I breathed a warranted sigh of relief as the scalding hot water took my worries away. There was no more Nightmare Moon. No more having to explain myself to my comrades. No worry about what that might entail if the agency found out about either. Just peace, true inner peace. I grabbed my suit and pulled it in, trying to rinse it out to the best of my ability. I counted my blessings, the contents of my stomach had been about as fluid as they could have been, so at least they went down the drain with little fuss.

Shutting off the water I waited for the drying cycle to dry both myself and the suit to a suitable degree before draping it over my back. As I passed the mirror on the way out of the bathroom I had a passing thought about brushing my mane, but decided against it. Sure, it was a mess, but I would just have to shape it up again in the morning. I’m sure that the only one it would bother would be me.

The room was frigid, as usual, and I spent as little time in it as possible on my way to the door, shaking off any residual water from my coat in the hallway instead of in the ice box. I trotted down the hallway, calling out for Azure. “Azure? Azzzuuureee? Captain, where are you at?!”

There was no response, of course. Just my luck, she was probably in the bathroom or something and couldn’t hear me. I trotted down the hall to the workshop, clicking my hoof against the keypad and, after the door opened, wandered into the darkened interior of the space. I fumbled around a moment for the light switch and, after a few seconds of searching, finally found it and cut on the lights in earnest.

The machine shop was a voluminous, but oddly cozy space. Around its circumference were an array of work tables, tool boxes, and other varied equipment. There were manual machines and computerized ones as well, sitting side-by-side on the tables or tucked away on their own stands to the side. There was a knee mill, a lathe, drill press, shaper, arc welders, sheet-metal rollers, and all other manner of equipment for both making spare parts and maintaining the ship. This was Circuit Solder’s own personal sanctuary and, even though he was not here, I felt as if I was intruding on a peaceful place.

The centerpiece of the room was a large glass and metal box with a rugged steel table inside, overlooked by a number of robotic armatures. That was the fabricator. It could weld, it could print, it could machine. Plastics, metals, rubbers, composite materials, you name it and it could handle it. An absolute Faust-send to making spare parts in the field.

I sighed. I wished Solder had taught me more about using it, it would be so unbelievably awesome to be able to utilize it to its fullest extent. Although, it was not needed. Solder or Gear Shift could just model and design the parts back on Equus and send the files up to be made, that was far easier and more reliable than having an under-trained operator like myself.

I set my suit and helmet down at one of the workstations, pulling out a set of screwdrivers from a nearby drawer. I gingerly removed the magnetic mount of the camera from the helmet before placing the assembly in front of me. Honestly, it didn’t look half bad. Sure, the casing has been slightly mangled and the lens shattered, but we could print a new case and we had a number of spare lenses. Nothing said that the electronics were busted, although I was about to find out.

Taking one of the screwdrivers in my maw I gingerly removed screw after screw. Eventually I was able to pry the casing to the camera off, revealing the assortment of electronics inside. Now I was by no means a camera technician, but I didn’t see anything broken or smashed. I smiled. It seemed as if the protective shell had done its job, at its own sacrifice as intended. Although, maybe I should just call Solder to be sure—

There was a click from behind me and the sound of the door sliding open with a quiet hiss.

“Orion. There you are.”

I stumbled off the stool and stood at full attention, holding the best wing and hoof salute I could muster. “Yes ma’am, Captain Azure!”

Azure entered the room with a lackadaisical pace. Ending up in front of me with an unresolved expression, torn between relief and rage.

I gulped. “Captain, I’m sorry I took so long getting—“

Azure slapped me across my face, causing my head to lurch to the side. Then she just stood there in silence, staring at me as her body quivered slightly. A minute passed and I brought my head back level, holding my straight-up posture.

“Morning Frost told me everything. Orion, I am commanding you to stop being so stupid. What in the world has gotten into you?”

I stared dead ahead, trying to not meet her righteous gaze. “Captain, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to—“

Azure grabbed me by the chin, dragging my head down to her level. My eyes reluctantly tracked to meet hers. They were filled with proverbial fire. “Orion, I don’t want your apology. Do you even realize how badly that could have gone?” She stamped her hooves in unbridled rage as tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes. She glanced over at my suit, then back at me. “We could have been shipping you home in a body bag, that’s what could have happened. That’s incredibly selfish of you, Orion. We’re a team. We look out for each other. If you’re not going to be a part of that team and tell us when somethings wrong then you’re not only endangering yourself, you’re endangering everypony else on this mission. I will not tolerate that, regardless of if you’re my friend or not. Do you understand?”

I bit my tongue before responding. “Yes ma’am, I understand. It will not happen again.”

“If it does, I’m transferring you. We will not be flying together ever again.” Azure reached up with her hooves, wrapped them around my neck, and pulled me into a tight embrace. She sniffled and began to sob softly. I hesitantly reached out a hoof to pat her head, but she swatted it away before I could react. She sighed, speaking quietly under her breath. “Orion, what am I going to do with you…? I’ve been trying my best to avoid you all day— and then you go and pull a foalish stunt like this and force my hoof…”

I squirmed a bit in her grip. “If something’s wrong we should talk about it, Azure… Communication is the cornerstone to—“

She reacted by pushing me away before standing up. “Don’t preach to me about communication, unless you want to add being a hypocrite to the growing list of negative traits on your mission file. Hopefully it will not come to that…”

Azure sighed again, wiping a tear from her eye. “Orion, I want you to inventory the entire kitchen and write down every single ration we have unboxed. Take your time, think about how your words and actions might affect those around you. When you’re done, leave the paperwork on the table and go straight to bed. That’s an order.” With that she turned and trotted out of the workshop, closing the door behind her.

* * *

I stared at the ceiling of my bunk. I should have been asleep hours ago, but the land of rest was refusing to take my ticket. My heart throbbed slowly in my chest, the warmth it provided working against the icy chills as I snuggled further under the covers. I exhaled, breathing a cloud of icy vapor which glinted in the dim light that permeated the room. It flew on unseen currents, twinkling in the air before gradually fading away. Just like how Nightmare Moon had breathed those transient clouds, now so did I.

I rolled over, staring at the wall. Try as I may, I could not escape the thought of the terrible, eldritch creature I was sharing the lunar surface with. What if she came in the night and sabotaged the ship? How was I going to tell Frost and, more importantly, Azure about her? Was she really a threat, or could I stomach my fear and learn more about her for the sake of science?

The gears in my head continued to turn and sleep continued to evade me. The thoughts came creeping in. How would the princesses react? How about ESA? Would my career be in jeopardy if I held my tongue and said nothing? Kept it all to myself? Would… Would my friendship with Azure be at stake?

Azure... I curled up under my blankets further, feeling their reassuring warmth. She had been acting incredibly weird the past few days, she must just be stressed. Surely that was it. I would have to make sure I stayed on her good side. Tomorrow was a new day, I could ensure that I remained helpful and professional so that she wouldn’t think any less of me.

I sighed deeply, reaching my hooves out from the protective warmth of the covers, picking up my helmet and holding it weakly above my head. Tapping the side caused the display to turn onto the photo gallery, just where I had left it last time I had looked an hour ago. I flipped through, picture by picture. The hoofprints. Nightmare Moon, crouched on the ridge as she reveled in the beauty of the sky. And, as I clicked again, one last photo which I had not taken.

It was her, overtop of me when she first pinned me at the bottom of the ridge. Teeth bared, tongue outstretched on its way to licking my helmet. I shuddered momentarily, that has been so undeniably gross. I had not taken the picture, it must have been a malfunction in the camera from being smashed on the way down the hill. The lens had been cracked, but the glass had not yet been shattered, giving the whole scene a fragmented view.

I stared into her eyes, pondering all that she had said in our encounter, especially how it had ended. Why had she been so afraid to answer my questions? If she was really the all powerful vessel for evil and jealousy that my mother had told me all those years ago then why, why, why? Why had she run away? Why had she spared my life? Better yet, how had I defeated her?

I groaned, banging my head up against the headboard of my bunk. Better yet, why had I not finished her off when I had the chance? I would have been a hero to Equestria, like the Element bearers. Why couldn’t I have just killed her when I had no questions in my mind?

Alas, I had done what I thought was right. In the process, I may have just doomed the entire mission before it had barely begun. I finally knew why I could not sleep.

It wasn’t fear, it was regret.

I regretted that I had gone out by myself. I regretted that I had discovered Nightmare Moon. I regretted that I had not removed her as a threat when I could have. I… I…

I bit my lip. I regretted that I could not get more answers from her.

I brought the helmet close to my chest, hugging it protectively with my hooves. There was no sense living in regret now, I needed to buck up and live with the consequences of my actions. Tomorrow was a new day. It could be better. I could find a way to tell Azure and Frost, I could find a way to smooth over whatever was going on between us and move forward. I just needed to wait for the right moment to tell them.

My eyelids became heavier and heavier, slowly shuttering my field of vision into an all-encompassing black. My whole body relaxed in unison and I felt myself slipping down, down, down. Ever deeper, ever darker. I just needed… To wait… Just… Needed… To…

Chapter 5: Heart to Heart

“How art we supposed to know that we were to remain hidden at all times? Regardless, thy hoof gestures for us to duck were quite unnecessary and insulting. We expect a full apology for thine indignant behavior to a royal.”

I reached out, grabbing a hold of the halyard line to bring the sail down by a few feet. Having already furled the jib I was gradually, as the sea and prevailing winds became more erratic, reducing the amount of sail in use. All I needed to do was control my heading; going anywhere in the face of a rising storm was out of the question. I just had to batten down the hatches, lower the sails and secure all the rigging to ride it out.

I sighed, giving another great heave to lower the head of the mainsail a few feet towards the boom. The wind reached out, tugging and clawing like a savage beast trying to tear it away from my control, but I would not let it. My life depended on maintaining control of my cruiser.

The wind howled in my ears and, as the rain began to fall, the sea around me started frothing and foaming with each gathering swell. Gritting my teeth, I hauled the mainsail down another few feet and tied it off at the nearest cleat before returning to the wheel. While I was trying my best to stomach the quite understandable queasiness, both from unease and being tossed around, my gut continued to ache with discomfort.

Suddenly there was a flash and an ear-splitting crack of thunder and I watched in horror as the steel wire of the forestay snapped like a twig. I clambered across the deck to secure it, only to be buffeted by a huge gust, the small boat rocking helplessly in its wake.

I struggled to steady myself and once the boat started down the next swell, I pushed forward until I was stopped by another sound—the tired groan of a rope as it gave way.

I froze and turned, just in time to see the boom vang torn apart, hanging limply. Looking up I only had a fraction of a second to realize how screwed I was before the sail boom swung around and caught me in the side, knocking me clean off the vessel into the cold and unforgiving ocean.

Re-emerging above the waves I coughed, trying to expel a copious volume of seawater from my lungs, all the while paddling towards my helpless sailboat. The more I struggled to reach it, the further away it was tossed. With every paddle, waves crashed down upon me and sent me under, the gale screaming loudly in my ears.

I screamed, swimming as fast as I could, but in only a moment my diminutive boat had gone up a swell, down the other side, and out of view for good. The water chilled me to my bones, draining my spirit and resolve. Each crash of the waves sent me under for progressively longer until I could no longer reach the surface. My sense of self-preservation told me I needed to keep trying, but it was no use. Down and down I sank—deeper, darker, colder.

I was always told that drowning wasn’t such a bad way to go. The cold embrace of the water was said to lull one off to that eternal sleep and whatever waiting beyond this plane of existence. My eyes became heavy, blurred by the saltwater, leaving me with rapidly diminishing vision as I sank. This was it. The end. The blaze of survival that had been kindled in me from my first breath faded, replaced by a cold. Too cold to properly comprehend. Words like freezing simply didn't do the sensation justice as it filled my core, drowning and subduing warm to an icy numbness.

The only fire that remained within my form was the searing pain from my lungs as they screamed for oxygen— yet that too faded in time. All was black, all was well. I’d drift off to that eternal rest any moment now. I did wonder what my parents would do with me gone. They’d be fine, I was sure. So would my friends, and everyone I’d ever met. Life would go on. It always had and it always would, but not for me. My time had drawn to a close.

I opened my eyes one last time, only to be greeted by a piercing pair of blue-green eyes, staring back at me. The asphyxiation had finally gotten to my brain, I reckoned.

Then, there was a voice. Echoing throughout my mind as if it were a mighty cathedral. “Orion… Orion… Orion!”

* * *

The covers were so warm, so secure, so comforting. My mind harkened back to my days of youth sleeping in on the weekends. What simpler times those were! No job, no missions, no Nightmare Moon, just blissful sleep.

I pulled them up over myself a little with a contented sigh. For being two-hundred and forty thousand miles from home this was still awfully cozy. I was subconsciously aware that the alarm clock was blaring, but it would wait. Just five more minutes, then I’d be ready to start the day.

“Sweet Celestia, just wake up already—we don’t have time for this Orion!”

Then, suddenly there was a torrent of cold. I shot up, slamming my forehead into the underside of the bunk above me and, consequently, writhing in pain, I rolled out of bed and hit the cold, unwelcoming floor with a meaty thump. My eyes fluttered open, looking up at the form of a group of Azure’s standing over me, an empty water bottle still clutched in their hooves.

I blinked and the duplicated image gradually focused down to a single Azure, the smallest of smirks showing at the edges of her lips before she spoke. “You’re late, Orion. Over half an hour late, to be precise. What in Tartarus is wrong with you? You never oversleep like this.”

I glanced up and over at the still beeping alarm clock. 0706 hours. Well damn, I had overslept by a fair bit.

She glanced over at the clock, then at me, then at the clock again before reaching over and turning it off with a careful press. She threw away the water bottle in the bedside trash can, then returned her gaze to me. “Is that better, sleepyhead?”

I nodded slowly, giving a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that, Captain. I won’t let it happen again, I promise. I was just having a nightmare and— oh! That reminds me, I need to speak to you about something mission-critical, if you—“ I stopped, feeling a tickle progressing down my forehead.

Azure’s brow furrowed, then her eyes widened in surprise. “F-faust have mercy Orion, you’re bleeding! What the hell did you— Oh.” She smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head before regaining her composure and standing up straighter, “My apologies for the rude awakening, but you were late for today’s mission briefing. Don’t do it again.”

I nodded, rising to my hooves before shaking the water from my coat, making sure to get as much on her as possible.

Azure flinched back, a goofy smile returning to her muzzle. “H-hey, watch it hotshot! I’ll write you up for your impish behavior!”

I smirked, having dried myself to a sufficient degree and rendered my comrade wet in the process. “Oh yeah? I’d consider wasting a whole water bottle quite impish, potentially even mission-hampering. I could write you up for that!”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “The dehumidifiers will get it, goofball. We still have a standard rations load, even though Circuit Solder is not with us. A single bottle of water is not going to kneecap us, Orion.”

I groaned. That brought some not so pleasant thoughts to the forefront of my mind. “I’m well aware that most of our water will have been recycled or caught from the air by the time we head back to Equus, Azure. There is no need to remind me…”

Azure nodded. “Well, let’s get that cut of yours patched up and find out what you’re going to be doing today. I have some paperwork to deal with and need to start preparing for our first mission brief for the Administrator, so that’ll eat up most of my day. By the way, you said you had something important to tell me?”

I glanced around before replying. “Yeah. It’s a long story but, suffice it to say, I have evidence to… to… Well, to prove that—“

“Azure!? Azuuuure!”

The door to my room slid open and Morning Frost strode in—suited up, minus her helmet, readjusting the glasses on the bridge of her muzzle before regarding both of us for a moment. “Ah, there you are, Captain. I see you were able to wake our freeloader! Good,” she said with a snort, glancing over at me with the same level of indignation as someone who just saw a cockroach on their floor. She was already starting the basic bitch behavior this early? Today was going to be a day, I could already tell. Luna, help me and give me strength…

“Well, I just wanted to remind you that, as per the mission directive we received this morning, there is an impetus on sample collection today. The sooner we get out there the sooner we can break for lunch.”

I opened my mouth to give a taste of early morning snark, but Azure immediately stuck her hoof in my maw to shut me up. “Of course, Frost. I know you really want to hurry up and do some science but, as I already told you earlier, I need to work on getting ready for our performance checkup later in the week and don’t think I can swing it…” Azure gave a wavering smile before continuing, “Not to mention I woke Orion here a little too hard and he bashed his head on the bunk above him. I need to take him to the medbay and get him patched—“

Frost sighed, seemingly dejected, before picking up my spacesuit, helmet, and saddlebags in her magic. “I can already see where you’re going with this, Azure. Go work on your paperwork. Administrative duties have the utmost importance, especially since they are your main responsibility. I’ll take our clumsy compatriot to the medbay and get him fixed up really quick. I… Suppose he can be of some use for sample collecting. At least I can check off that the area was canvased—saying nothing to the degree of skill that was employed doing so.”

I bit my tongue. The unbridled audacity of Frost. There were some days I could just ignore it, and other days I wished I could see her outside of a professional environment and settle our score. Today I was in a gray area between both possible outcomes. Surely Azure would tell her off, she almost always did when she crossed a line like this.

Azure looked at me for a fleeting moment, seemingly mulling over the possibility. “Well… If you promise to bring him back in one piece with his self-esteem intact, I don’t see any reason why you can’t work together today—if that’s what you want to do.”

My heart dropped. Down, down, down into a bottomless pit with no return. My own friend was throwing me to the wolves! Or wolf in this case. I might as well just lay down and die, that would be better than this. But that’d be too melodramatic… Nopony wants that on their obituary—maybe I could just frame it as a tragic aerospace accident instead. That could work!

Frost snorted, puffing up her chest before taking on a quite regal and unequivocally insufferable tone. “No, it’s not particularly what I want. What I want is for you to assist me, or Circuit Solder to be here, or literally anypony but him. But, we all have a job and responsibilities to uphold, and if taking this featherbrain along is what gets the work done, then so be it. Come along, Orion, let’s fix up that predictable blunder of yours and get you suited up—we are already behind schedule and I will not suffer any more delays today.”

With that display of pure professionalism out of the way, Frost cocked her head to the side, beckoning me to follow as she turned and trotted out of the room with all my gear floating about her. My teeth clamped down on my tongue even harder as I tried to keep some more colorful words to myself, only to shudder reflexively as Azure placed a hoof on my back—rubbing my shoulder in monotonous and soothing circular motions.

“Azure, you don’t have to say anything. I know she’s good at smiling for the camera and making everything seem fine in front of oversight. She just doesn’t like me, or maybe she doesn’t like my personality—or she just hates pegasi!”

“…Or all of the above. I suppose we won’t ever know unless she blatantly tells you why. I know it’s probably no consolation, but I’ve tried to ask her before and she remains tight-lipped on the matter.” Azure sighed, removing her hoof from my shoulder and straightening her stance. “Something tells me it’s something painful though. Maybe you… remind her of somepony else who hurt her? A relative? Friend? Ex-coltfriend? Maybe I’m just grasping for straws.”

Now that was a thought. It did make me wonder, what was it specifically about me that she could not tolerate? For all my joking and mood-lightening, I didn’t go out of my way to spite her that often. No, that was triggered by her instigation more often than not, so what was the spark that lit the flame of her distaste? “I don’t know. Like you said, all that could be done is ask her… But, if you had no luck, and you’re her best friend, what chance do I have?”

Azure nudged her flanks against my own in a friendly, reassuring manner. “Orion, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this line of work is to expect the unexpected. It’s probably just a matter of finding the right moment. Now, before she interrupted us, you said you had something important to tell me?”

Damn, I had honestly hoped she had forgotten already, I was struggling to find the right words to explain it to her. ‘Ah yes, Nightmare Moon exists and she tried to kill me!’ That would just blow over so well and totally not get me ridiculed. Then again, Azure was the pony I trusted most—maybe she could suspend her disbelief just long enough for me to show her the evidence.

“Well, you see… I found something yesterday while I was exploring out on the surface, and it may sound absolutely crazy to you, but—“

“Orion! Chop chop, let’s get a move on!” Frost shouted from the hallway.

Azure rolled her eyes and laughed. “Give him a minute, Chief Scientist! I’m talking to him about something important.” She shook her head, messing up her mane a bit before returning her focus back to me, “You were saying you found something, Orion?”

I gulped. “Y-yeah. I took some pictures on my helmet cam, which is…” It was then that I realized that Frost had taken my helmet with her, leaving me without any of the evidence I needed to show Azure. I deadpanned immediately, causing Azure to burst into laughter.

Azure grinned, already putting two and two together. “…And it’s with Frost now, haha! Odds are she won’t be receptive to any further delays. How about you show me tonight? Or tomorrow morning? It just depends on when I get my metaphorical mountain of paperwork done for this conference call.”

I nodded somewhat sheepishly, praising my own good fortune in the back of my mind. I really did need more time to gather my thoughts so I didn’t sound batshit crazy. “That sounds like a plan, Captain.”

She smiled, nudging me out the door and into the hall. “Well, off you go! Please let me know how today goes—and if she ever gets a little too spicy on the radio, it’s just as easy as muting it for a few minutes. I won’t fault you for that. Don’t worry, if something happens then I’ll get in touch over the emergency channel.”

I trotted out into the hall with her, laughing as we made our way towards the medbay in step with one another. “Silence? Silence sounds good, especially in the context of Morning Frost.”

She giggled, pausing in the hall as we reached the medbay—speaking in an unnaturally loud voice. “Orion, for what it’s worth I’m glad I chose you from the stack of résumés for this mission. You were and still are the right choice, and I’m even more glad that I can count on you for a good laugh at any time!”

An annoyed scoff emanated from within the room, along with an under-breath muttering of quite a few obscenities that would make a tradespony blush with shame. “We get it, Azure, you have no regrets yet, that day is coming though— I’m certain! Come on in Orion, let me fix that little boo-boo of yours so you can stop delaying our mission.”

Azure snickered, giving my flanks a hard shove to get me moving into the medbay “As much as I hate to say it, she is right, y’all have quite the busy day of sample collection. Better hop to it, big guy. I’ll see you on the other side!”

I tried to force a smile for Azure, waving a wing goodbye before taking the hint and trotting through the doorway into the medbay. As the doors slid shut behind me I was treated to a most interesting sight. Morning Frost had one of the red and white medical kits mounted to the wall grasped in her magic and was trying with little success to pull it off.

She glanced over at me with an infuriated expression, seemingly daring me to make a snide comment about her predicament. “I always hated these medkits, the magnets on them are too strong! It would have made much more sense to lock them to the wall instead, but nooooo, we just have to do everything experimental, fancy, and ‘new’ on this ship model instead of being proven and practical!” She growled frustratedly, whipping her head back as if the extra effort on her part would yield a different result. I was watching the definition of insanity play out in front of me over and over again as she tried in vain to pull the kit off of the wall.

I sighed, trotting over to her. “Do you need any—“

“Yes!” She shouted, slumping to the floor with a pant. Had she really exhausted that much of her magic trying to get it off? She must have been at it the whole time Azure and I were talking. I couldn’t help but feel somewhat bad for her, even if it was just a passing thought. I did not recall her magic being that weak, maybe she wasn’t sleeping well or something?

I stepped forward, gripped my hooves on opposing sides of the metal box, and gave it a firm yank. To my surprise, it came off quite easily, leaving me stumbling back a few steps to maintain my balance. I turned the medkit over in my hooves, looking at the two strips of magnets on the back in bemusement.

Frost slowly stood up, brushed herself off, and magically pulled the medkit from my grasp as she trotted over to a nearby chair. Opening the container up mid-air and perusing its contents, she levitated my spacesuit and other effects over before depositing them in a haphazard pile next to the chair. “Now, Orion, if you would be so kind as to take a seat, I will fix you up in a jiffy. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt at all, I promise.” Somehow I did not believe her, as her voice dripped with sadistic sarcasm.

I apprehensively made my way over to the chair and took a seat, at which point I was assaulted by a blinding light as Frost examined my forehead with a flashlight. I blinked a few times, doing my best to ignore her antics and remain as professional as possible.

“Tsk. That’s a nasty cut! How did you say you got this again?” Frost said, turning off the flashlight and pulling a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cloth from the medkit.

I couldn’t help but groan. Was she really going to question me the whole time? “I overslept. Azure decided to, after being unable to wake me gently, arouse me from my slumber by pouring a bottle of water on me. Needless to say, my head shot off my pillow and… Ow, Faust have mercy, Frost!”

I hissed through my teeth as Frost pressed the cloth against the cut, rubbing it around sparing no amount of pressure as she thoroughly cleaned the wound. “Watch it! No need to be so harsh!”

She huffed, tossing her long braid to the side as she leaned over me to examine her workmanship. “No, the cut has to be cleaned extensively, every medical training handbook on Equus will tell you that, Orion. Now, would you like stitches or for me to glue it back, good as new?”

I glared at her, wishing I could crush her into a ball and toss her into the nearby garbage receptacle with my mind alone. “Why not use a potion? We should have plenty of those for— Ffffffff…!” I bit down hard on my tongue, starting to taste copper in my mouth as Frost grabbed the two edges of the cut in her magic, pulled them tightly together, and squirted a bit of medical-grade superglue on the gap. It burned like hell, reminding me of the first time I tried whiskey in my youth.

Frost gloated, starting to pack away the contents of the medical kit. “Glue it is, it’s much faster. Also, it’s mission protocol to conserve heavy-duty healing supplies in case of emergency, no? Or has it been that long since you last read the rulebook?”

There were some days I really wished that my parents had taught me to throw punches at my troubles. Then again, I probably would not be in this career if I was. It didn’t change the fact that I’d like to take her out back and show her a little retribution, but, I had promised Azure that I’d have a good day, so I held my words and not so nice thoughts to myself.

“…Thank you for your help, Frost. I appreciate your valuable and irreplaceable medical expertise.” I put on my best smile through the throbbing pain. Kill with kindness, kill with kindness—that’s what mom had always told me.

Frost did a double-take, evidently expecting much, much harsher words. She closed the medkit, still clutching it in her magic aura as she regarded me. “Well, you’re welcome, Orion. I’m glad my years of medical training on the side could culminate in some use, even if it is just patching up boo-boos and ouchies. Now, get suited up and let’s—“

There was a loud click and immediately the room was plunged into utter darkness. Frost shrieked, the sound of the medkit clattering to the floor echoing throughout the medbay as the low rumble of the A/C system winding down faded away to nothing, that and every last door on the ship slamming shut with a resounding clang. “L-Luna damn it all! Why can’t this ship just fucking function as intended!? Tripping breakers, leaks, faulty systems, I’m surprised and relieved that nothing’s exploded yet!” Frost groaned, the audible and repeated smack of hoof against forehead echoing in the silence. “And don’t get any ideas on changing the status quo on explosions, Orion, for the love of Faust.”

I smiled, although she couldn’t see it. “I didn’t plan on it, although that does sound quite fun.” I could feel the icy daggers shooting in my general direction after that comment.

Frost snorted. “I’m just going to try and ignore that I heard that, smartass. Anyways, the emergency lighting should come on just about…. Now! Uh… right now! Maybe now?”

But the whole ship remained blanketed in darkness and silence, the dim light from a few panels being the only remaining source of illumination. I heard Frost trotting in place, her hooves tip-tapping on the floor, clearly anxious as she turned the flashlight on and stepped toward the door, hitting the intercom panel and calling out. “Azure? Captain? Is everything alright!?”

There was a crackle from the ship’s intercom system before Azure’s voice projected from a speaker mounted in the ceiling. “Yeah! Everything’s fine, I caused a power-trip fault while taking various systems offline for inspection! Trying to finish a report. I’m already at the breaker box, just waiting for the reset timer! Proceed as planned on your assignment, I’ll get everything squared away.”

Frost breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, understood! We’ll head over to the airlock and leave for our mission once emergency power is restored!” Frost then turned to me, flashing the flashlight in my direction and temporarily blinding me again. I brought a hoof up over my face, trying to shield myself from the beam. “Did you get all that Orion?”

I hissed angrily. “Of course I did, for Luna’s sake watch where you’re pointing that thing! I can feel you burning my retinas!”

“Well sorry, I was just trying to give you a little light. You heard the captain, meet me in the airlock and we’ll get started,” Frost said with a sing-song hum, hitting the door’s override and trotting away down the hallway.

My eyes widened. “F-Frost! Come back! I need that flashlight to get suited up!” But the sound of her hoofbeats faded away down the hall without hesitation. Damn you, Frost! Why must you always make my life miserable, why?! I mentally kicked myself before cautiously getting out of the chair and fumbling around on the floor for my things. Okay, there was my suit, saddlebags… I fumbled around still further. Where was my helmet? I smacked the side of my head with a hoof, trying to remember the scene before the lights had cut out. Had she left it on the table or on the floor?

Pulling my suit on was a challenge, especially without any light, and without the slight friction reduction that the underlayers normally provided. I mentally kicked myself again. If I Celestia-damned chafed because of Frost's antics I would be pissed.

It definitely took a little trial and error but after a minute or two I was able to wriggle into my suit, then went searching for my saddlebags. There was one! It was a composite, almost metallic and sturdy bag with a U-shaped bracket that would slip between my wing covers and the body of my suit. This one felt like the left one. They adhered with magnets to both my suit and wings, ensuring a strong connection so they would not fall off—even when loaded down with equipment.

Frost’s voice nagged from down the hallway. “Orion, what’s taking you so long!? I thought everypony was trained to suit up in under five minutes under stressful circumstances! Three and a half and counting!”

“Yeah, well normally my spacesuit pieces aren’t strewn about haphazardly, much less having to suit up in the pitch black! Cut me some slack, Frost!”

“Tick-tock, one minute left…”

I scrambled around, not because I was going to let her rush me, but because I had taken too long to suit up. Now where in Equestria was that second saddlebag?! I searched under the chair and table, on the table—finding my helmet in the process, and started to shuffle around in a larger and larger radius from where I had been seated.

“Thirty seconds, Orion!”

I grit my teeth. “Don’t rush me, I’m working on it!” Suddenly, there! My forehoof brushed against something solid on the floor. With a sigh of relief I scooped it up, and let it magnetically stick into place to my wing. Perfect, now to just make it to the airlock. I swiped my helmet off the table and slotted it into place, fumbling through the dark into the corridor, waiting for the suit’s systems to come online so I could use the flashlight.

With a slight whir, the red emergency lights came on throughout the ship as I trotted my way into the airlock next to Frost. She had already finished stuffing her braid into her helmet and quickly got it on.

She scoffed, pressing her hoof on the keypad to start the airlock cycle. “It took you long enough, any more and I would have had to write you up for incompetency. Which, while I would take great pleasure in, sounds like even more paperwork I don’t have time for—given the amount of science that needs attending to. Consider yourself lucky.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied, content to sit in silence for a few moments as we waited for the airlock to open into the cargo bay.

Morning Frost harrumphed, tapping her hoof impatiently against the floor, only to be rewarded by the airlock doors opening with agonizing slowness. I guess they weren’t as peppy as they normally were operating on emergency power. “Finally! It’s about time, let’s hit the road.”

I followed in step as she practically pranced across the cargo bay and down the ramp to the lunar surface. “Say, Frost, why are you in such a hurry? We have a month to get all this done—I’m sure we have days of nothing built into the end of the mission just to complete tasks we didn’t get around to…”

Frost clicked her tongue dismissively but also took her sweet time in coming up with a reply, as if she really had to think about it. “…Well you see Orion, there is so much science to be done, and procrastination is the enemy of discovery!” We cantered past the rover, which had been parked neatly nearby to the ship for later use. “Now, it’s time for some peer-to-peer and your assignment. I have some sample collection bags for you in my saddlebags, let me just…” Frost turned around, using her magic to root around in her bags until she looked up at me and froze, mouth slightly agape.

“Uhhh… Is something wrong, Frost?”

She deadpanned, beating a hoof repeatedly against her helmet. “Orion, I had curbed my expectations for this, but you really are a dumbass.”

What in Tartarus was she on about this time? I glanced over my left shoulder, everything was in order—saddlebag in place and wing-cover pretty and straightened. Then I glanced over to my right and immediately felt my cheeks flush. That was definitely not a saddlebag attached to my right wing, that was the medkit from earlier. “I… U-uh… It was dark and you wanted me to hurry? I’m sorry?”

Frost groaned, pulling the sample bags out before levitating them over and stuffing them in my singular saddlebag. “Sweet Celestia, Orion. Sometimes I wonder what the hiring ponies saw in you, much less how you made it this far.”

I stared at the regolith between my forehooves in shame. For once this blunder was completely on me and I deserved the chewing out I was getting. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“It’d better not, especially since half the contents of that kit are probably ruined by the temperature difference. Now, where was I… Oh, of course, the mission briefing. I’ll try to spell it out to you as deliberately as possible because, evidently, rushing and extrapolation are not in your skill set yet.”

I glanced up—refocusing my attention on Frost while biting the inside of my cheeks to keep from exploding. Kindness, kindness, kindness… Never mind that she just embarrassed you and will definitely be telling Azure later, just focus on the task at hoof, Orion. Just a temporary setback in the grand scheme of this mission, you’ll survive. Of course, that was completely ignoring the fact that if she’d waited five seconds for the lights to turn on I would have been fully dressed with all the right equipment for the job.

“Today we will be canvassing an area about a kilometer in diameter around the landing site in search of rock and soil samples—just collecting a baseline of what is here in our general area so it can be compared to prior landing sites. That means that each of us has a five-hundred-meter hemisphere to search, or at least that can be inspected from afar.”

I nodded, taking extensive mental note of everything she said. Just collect a few ‘average’ samples and visually look for any objects of interest. It sounded easy enough!

“…By my calculation, four or five hours should be enough-ish. That said the area won’t be completely searched, but it already wasn’t going to get searched properly because, erm,” Frost waved a hoof at me, “…That, that’s why.”

I rolled my eyes, my attention drifting beyond Equus’s most pompous and self-centered unicorn to the lunar surface and starscape behind her. It really was gorgeous, to think that there’d be ponies waking up to this stellar beauty every single day for months on end once they finally set up a moon base… I didn’t get to choose my assignments but, man! Count me in, a hundred-thousand times and then some.

I looked back at Frost, pressing her for any further instructions. “You’ve made that abundantly clear. Is there anything specific that I should be looking for that might be outside of the norm and scientifically significant?”

She smiled smugly. “Atta boy, Orion. That’s exactly what I was going to tell you next. If you find anything with signs of crystallization, either micro or macro, that would be worthy of taking a sample. That indicates that it cooled quickly or slowly when it formed. Additionally, if you find—“

My attention subconsciously flicked away again, I could have sworn that something in the background had moved. Maybe my mind was just playing tricks on…There it was again! A deep-blue speck poking out from overtop a large boulder in the background. I looked directly at it, and it quickly disappeared behind the rock. I immediately felt my brow become a little clammy, maybe I was just seeing things—Nightmare Moon has said she was not interested in us and would not be—

“Orion. Pay attention.” Frost said, standing up a little straighter as I quickly brought my gaze back to her.

I gulped slightly, clearing my throat. “S-Sorry. Still getting used to the landscape, it is oddly beautiful in a way, no?”

“Yes, it is otherworldly. Now, if you find any rocks that show signs of strike-slip fault action, or any other metamorphic process that is found on Equus but not known to occur on the moon, please take a sample. Crater ejecta is also of some interest, but collect baseline samples before collecting any of that type or—“

The blue and black speck in the distance poked up from the rock again, this time staying visible for longer. There was an unmistakable ethereal mane, the tiniest glint off a polished helmet, and a pair of deep green eyes this time. I glanced back and forth between it and Morning Frost. This was not going to be good.

Duck… I mouthed. Hide. Run. For the love of Faust, please duck!

“…If you find anything of any other sort. Just do your best and we’ll collect any other additional samples tomorrow before widening our search further—“

I waved my left forehoof in a downward motion repeatedly, praying that she would get the message and, for the love of all that was good in Equus, just make herself scarce! I could see the alicorn tilt her head slowly, eyes widen with realization, and finally duck down behind the boulder again.

“Orion, what the hell are you doing?” Frost asked, glancing over her shoulder in the general direction of where I had been looking. After a few breathless moments of scanning the horizon she turned to face me, her annoyance evident.

Damnit, I needed to think fast. “I, uh, I have a really bad cramp! I-I need to stretch and I didn’t want to interrupt your mission briefing, I’m so sorry!” I said hurriedly, leaning forward in a downward dog pose and stretching my back in an attempt to sell it. “Ahhhh, that feels so much better! My back and forehooves were absolutely killing me.”

She looked unconvinced, but eventually rolled her eyes and scoffed before trotting past me. “Very well then, I think my explanation is boring you, and you’ve probably received enough already. Since you seem to be so enthralled by the landscape in that direction, you search the southern search area, I’ll take the northern one. I’ll call you on the radio when it’s time for lunch, happy searching.”

I waited a few moments for her to pass me by before turning my gaze back to looking for—

“Orion.”

I turned back, putting on a sheepish smile. “Yes, Morning Frost?”

She glanced back at me out of the corner of her eye before smirking mischievously. “Don’t take another tumble, please. Not because I care about you getting bruised or knocked around, but because I am not going to help you dust off your suit in the airlock, nor am I going to help you fix whatever the hell you manage to break this time with your foolishness. Kapeesh?”

I blinked, nodding along. “Kapeesh, completely understood.”

Frost’s smirk grew a little before she scoffed, turned, and cantered off behind the ship—shortly followed by a static indicating that she muted her helmet’s microphone. I did the same before slumping to the ground, my anxiety-weakened knees giving up on me. That was close, too close.

My heart thumped away in my ears, gradually calming to a placid and rhythmic pace as I gathered my thoughts together. Ok, so Nightmare Moon was within visual range, which was far too close for comfort. That was a complete one-eighty from yesterday when she said she wanted nothing to do with us. I needed to be rid of her, and fast—or else Frost would find out and be the death of this Faust-forsaken mission in the process.

The scenarios started racing through my head. Frost would see her, she’d freak out, she’d take pictures and write a report back to ESA—If she didn’t just lose her mind and override the ship’s controls and make us leave of her own choice. That or she’d find the hoofprints and… Celestia have mercy, the hoofprints!

I fell over myself as I shot to my hooves, breaking into a full-bore gallop towards the rock in the distance. Really, to call it a ‘gallop’ was generous. Moreso one sprinting vault after another, carrying me a few yards before my hooves came back into contact with the surface and I launched myself again. I was surprised I hadn’t eaten shit yet, but didn’t want to try my luck by thinking about the mechanics of my movement too much. I’d probably stumble and faceplant if I did. I only had a singular thought coursing through my mind—I could not, by any means, let Frost follow any print trails and find her way to Nightmare Moon.

* * *

I rounded the rock cautiously, looking for the eldritch horror that was Nightmare Moon. Alas, nothing. I cursed myself for taking so long to get here, had she moved on to a new piece of cover? Canvassing the whole area behind the boulder I also came to the odd conclusion that there was not a single trace of, well, anything. Not a hoofprint, disturbed stone, not even— tink!

There was a hollow, metallic clank as something hit my helmet. I instinctively wheeled around, expecting her to be right behind me. But the dark princess was nowhere to be found, then where had…? I glanced up towards the rock, locking my gaze with those terrible, slitted pupils. There was Nightmare Moon, crouched with her forehooves beneath her and hindquarters raised up, her ethereal tail wagging from side to side slowly behind her. I couldn’t break my gaze away. She was positioned like a cat about to strike. Wait, about to strike?

“Huzzah! En garde!” Nightmare shouted with glee, springing off the rock with a toothy smile.

I turned and desperately tried to open the distance, but my hooves slipped on the loose regolith and I struggled to get off the line until… Oomph! A weight bore down upon my back and I face-planted hard into the lunar soil in front of me, my vision now mostly obscured, save for a sliver of sky visible near my temple. My ears started to ring, both from the whiplash and the gleeful cackles of laughter from the alicorn now standing on the square of my back.

Nightmare Moon’s archaic, regal accent projected into my mind once again—with a painful lack of sympathy for my own eardrums. “Haha! Thou are certainly tricky, knight! We have licked our wounds, changed our stratagem, and art ready for a rematch! We shall best thou in the field of combat and regain the honour which art rightfully ours!”

How in Luna’s name was she doing that? It felt like her body ignored the lesser gravity and I had the full weight I’d expect back on Equus bearing down on me. It made it much harder to breathe. I groaned, my poor back crying out for mercy. So… Damn… Heavy… “Hnnng… M-my name is Orion, we’ve been over this already…”

Nightmare huffed, pressing one of her metallic hoofguards against the back of my neck. “Thou art witty, Orion. A fool, but witty nonetheless. Now, get up! We must fight.” With that she jumped off of my back, letting me breathe normally once again. “Come now! We must not delay, I have many matters that require my attention.”

I lifted my head slightly, shaking it gently to remove the dust from my visor before looking back up at her. I was not going to play this song and dance again, especially considering I was still sore from our prior scuffle. I knew she couldn’t harm me in any appreciable way. Sure, she could jump on me, evidently, but that was letting gravity do the work. “No, I refuse your challenge, Nightmare Moon.”

“Thou cannot refuse, we are the princess of the lunar realm. Thou must engage us in combat,” she said, snorting in annoyance.

I had started to form a quippy remark, but the words fell flat in my mind as I stared up at the alicorn leering over me. I didn’t know why. Well, that was a lie, I did know why. Kill with kindness. But kill her with kindness, seriously? Was I really considering that, for the enemy of all harmony in Equestria?

“I yield the field of combat to you, Nightmare Moon. I came for the peaceful purpose of scientific study and openly challenging you to combat is contrary to my peaceful mission directives. I fought with you in self-defense before, but I will not do so again. You are of no danger to me.”

Nightmare's jaw dropped open as she stepped back, mouthing my first sentence back in silence as she stared wide-eyed at me. “Excuse us, thou—yield the field?”

All I did was smile and nod. She was thrown for an absolute loop. All she could do was stare daggers at me, hoping that she might vanquish me with looks alone.

She groaned, visibly upset, sitting down and holding her forehead in her hooves. “This was not what we planned, thou are ruining everything! We were supposed to beat thee in combat and feel… feel… Vindicated! Superior! Better! That we accomplished in triumph!”

I rose to my own hooves, shaking myself off before sitting down. “Sorry to disappoint, I just have no interest in fighting you. You can still try if that makes you feel better.”

She grit her teeth, glaring with seething hatred at me before relenting. “That would hardly be honourable of us. We would be victorious, yes, but victories won against foes who will not fight back are shallow and meaningless.”

She certainly had a way with words, for being batshit crazy. “Well, if that settles things then you need to leave. You are too close for comfort to my ship, especially since Frost is—“ I bit my tongue, damnit, I forgot that I was talking to a creature who tried to kill me less than a day ago.

The ethereal alicorn raised an eyebrow curiously. “Frost? Is that the name of the pink unicorn who accompanied thee?”

I bit my tongue even harder. Stupid mind. Stupid tongue for getting ahead of it, and stupid me for having a tongue and a mind in the first place! I tried to think of a way to tell her a little truth while also not telling her too much, especially about anything going on back home in Equestria. The less she knew, the better. But at this point, I’d tell her just about anything to make her leave.

“…Yes. That was Morning Frost. But she would not take kindly to your presence—she’d probably freak out and want us to leave immediately, and probably succeed in that, through one way or another. You need to stay hidden and out of sight—better yet, stay away entirely.”

She harrumphed, turning her head to the side before glancing at me. “How were we supposed to know that we were to remain hidden at all times? Regardless, thou’s hoof gestures for us to duck were quite unnecessary and insulting. We expect a full apology for thine indignant behaviour to a royal.”

I did a double-take. She wanted me to apologize for keeping her from being found? Clearly she misunderstood the situation at hoof. “Look, I’m sorry but I’m serious, you need to go, now! If Frost follows your hoofprints and finds you that could be—“

Nightmare interrupted. “That will not be a concern, we assured and will reassure thou of such.” She lifted her left hoof and pressed it into the lunar soil before lifting it back up again, the regolith rebounding as if she was never even there.

I stared, eyes wide. She had shown the ability to do that yesterday, I just thought it was going to be temporary so she could slink away unfollowed. I had almost forgotten that she was an alicorn and, even though it seemed she was diminished in power, still had magic to use. “But what about—“

“…We also took the liberty of erasing all our prints within a sizable radius of thine… what did thou call it, a ship?” she said with a laugh, shaking her head from side to side, “It looks like no ‘ship’ we have ever seen, but we will take thou’s word for it… does it sail? Fly perhaps?”

I blinked, scrunching my muzzle slightly in thought. Okay, that certainly made things easier, but she was still too close. “W-well, flying is a good way to summarize its function,” I replied, intent on not revealing anything that I didn’t have to. “And while I appreciate your efforts, I’m really not comfortable with you being so close to the ship, especially while any of my other comrades are outside doing work. Better yet, why are you here? You said you wanted nothing to do with us or our endeavors—or so you so tactfully put it yesterday.”

Her brow furrowed and she stood up, so I followed suit. “We suppose that our prior determinations may have been a bit rash and… Perhaps we have a little time to interact, in between all our diabolically evil scheming of course.”

I nodded along slowly. “I can’t imagine there’s much of anyone to converse with up here.”

Nightmare Moon winced at my observation, looking away sheepishly and kicking at the ground idly. Was she embarrassed? Her demeanor reminded me of recess on my first day of grade school. I had no idea what to do or where to fit in, that’s for sure. “That’s… Not entirely incorrect. Thine mind is certainly sharper than we expected it to be. But that is not of concern, we want to know what thou art doing.”

Okay, sure. Put on that secretive alicorn persona again, I’d figure out your motives eventually. “Well, I was supposed to be collecting some rock samples because you nearly revealed yourself to Frost. I really should be getting back to that, actually…” I mused, reaching back into my saddlebag and pulling out a sample bag before looking around for anything interesting to put inside it.

Nightmare snickered, bringing up a hoof to stifle it quickly. “We almost forgot, thou art here to study rocks. What a noble and philanthropic pursuit.”

I huffed, trying to ignore her as I found a particularly bland stone to put in the sample bag. “Geology is an important science! We’re trying to better understand the makeup and formation of the moon. It’s not frivolous, it was important enough a pursuit to bother sending us up here…”

“Well, we have a proposition for you then, Orion Zephyr.”

I glanced up from my work, Nightmare Moon staring back at me with her concerningly toothy grin. Faust have mercy, she needed to stop that. “And what would that be, your Highness?”

She tapped her horn with a hoof a few times before replying. “Well, if thou would be so kind as to remove this ring from our horn, we will help thou find the best, most interesting and valuable rocks that our domain has to offer.”

“Uh, well, considering I have no idea what it does, no thanks?”

Her eyes went wide. “Not interested? Surely thou cannot be serious! I’m sure thou would like to prove thyself capable amongst thou’s peers. How better than to bring back the most valuable rocks?”

Tempting, but still a no. I had a general idea of what that ring might be doing, especially given that she was asking me to take it off for her. I stood up straight, giving her a smugly confident expression before responding. “Well, you would need to tell me in detail what the ring does, why you can’t remove it yourself, and if I can keep it after.”

She crossed her hooves before snorting a cloud of icy vapor at me. “Thou hast no right to tell us what we will and will not do. We are the one with dominion here, not thou. Thou will do well to learn that, or else...”

I smiled happily, turning to trot away in search of more samples. “Well, I suppose it’ll be your loss then and not mine.”

“W-wait!” Nightmare said pleadingly, causing me to stop and turn to face her again. “We will tell thou about the ring, but thou must swear on thy life to never tell a soul. Upon fear of death, we may add!”

I hissed through my teeth. “Ooo, threatening hmm? That certainly doesn’t win you any trust. Seems like you really need that ring off!”

Nightmare stamped a hoof. “We will tell all if thou swears to secrecy.”

I smirked, turning back to her with a shit-eating grin. “Sure, sure. But I don’t think help in finding samples is enough to risk removing it. I need your word that you do everything in your power to stay out of sight of the others first and foremost. Next, I want the truth and nothing but the truth regarding the ring before I take it off.”

She stuck out a hoof without a second thought. “Thou hast a deal.”

I took her hoof up in my own, giving it a firm shake. “Then we have a deal, Ms. Moon.”

Her deep emerald eyes glinted sharply, their almost reptilian slits narrowing slightly as she relished the outcome. “Good, good. It is a magic suppression ring, it has no effect on our lethality, if that is thou’s concern, it only hinders our ability to retain magical reserves and perform more complex spells. Spells that, we may add, will aid in us staying hidden as thou requests. We cannot remove it because that is the point of a suppression ring, and thou can keep it for all we care! We just want to be rid of it, ‘lest our horn start growing around it if we must suffer wearing it any longer.”

I grinned. “You know, unicorns wear these in the bedroom to—“

“Yes, YES. We are well aware of their use, thou acts as if the degeneracy of ponykind has changed over the last millennium—trust us, it has not.”

“And how exactly would you know that?” I pressed, testing my luck.

She snorted, glaring with a cold lack of amusement as her cheeks darkened slightly. She bowed her head, bringing her horn within easy reach. “Take the ring off, we had a deal.”

I mulled over these revelations in my mind, staring at the rune-etched ring on her horn. This was probably a terrible idea but, then again, I had proven myself quite capable of weaselling my way out of tricky situations. She didn’t seem like she was lying, especially with the extent she had gone to ensure the secrecy of the matter. Why go through all the trouble?

“That’s right, we had a deal and I’m a stallion of my word,” I replied, placing a hoof on either side of the ring before carefully slipping it up the length of her horn before removing it entirely, quick to stuff it into one of the pockets on my forehooves for later study.

Nightmare Moon arched her back methodically, lighting her horn with a crackle of electric arcs as she spread her wings wide. She grunted in a satisfied way, eventually dimming her horn and re-folding her wings. I could have sworn that her eyes and mane glowed a little brighter than before, but I might have just been imagining it. “We thank thee, thou hast no idea what it’s like to be stuck to telekinesis and cheap parlour tricks for a thousand years—or how fogged the mind can become over such a long time! There’s so many spells we will have to re-invent, since they have escaped our memory from lack of use…”

I chuckled nervously, taking a few steps back. “Y-yeah, just don’t plan on having any test subjects for any of those spells.”

She glanced back at me with a subtle, toothless smile, only interrupted by her fangs protruding from her lips. “Of course not, we had a deal and, just as thou upheld thy end, so shall we. Now, let us find you some rocks, shall we?”

I relaxed slightly, which seemed to make her smile just a little more. “Well, you can lead the way, since you know exactly what you’re looking for.”

Nightmare nodded, lighting her horn and bringing her head down to ground level, scanning from side to side before moving on with a slight limp to her steps. “Trust us, this should not take— aha! See, not long at all.” She hooved at the ground gently, pushing aside the first few inches of regolith before levitating up a jet-black basalt with a brilliant white crystal embedded in it. She examined it thoroughly before turning and presenting it to me, much to my own amazement. “See? We are a mare of our word! There are many more nearby to find yet, although, only take what thou needs. There is no reason to arouse suspicion among your peers by bringing home too many trophies, hm?”

As I took the crystalline sample up in my hooves, I nodded in agreement with her. I was a little amazed at what I was looking at, but I didn’t want to show too much emotion over it. I could just imagine Frost’s reaction, she’d be both excited and livid that I was the one who found it. “That’s right, I honestly hadn’t even considered that yet. Bringing back a single ‘diamond in the rough’ won’t arouse any suspicion, but many might! Maybe just the one will do for now, I'm sure you can help me find more at a later date.”

Nightmare Moon puffed up her chest proudly, ruffling her wings a little. “We assure you, there is no being on the moon more knowledgeable than us!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. For being the most evil creature imaginable she certainly had a way with words all her own. Still, I was trying to be cautiously reserved around her, she was not my friend. Now that was a thought, friends with Nightmare Moon… Impossible, there was no way on or off Equus that that’d ever happen. I pointed towards her right foreleg for a change of subject. “I noticed you’re limping, are you completely healed from our, er… misunderstanding?”

She glared for a moment before relenting, pulling the hoof in question away and trying her best to hide it behind her other foreleg. “It is no matter, we assure thee that we art in tip-top condition. The best, as we always are and always have been!”

I didn’t buy it. “May I see it then? If I caused it then I should fix it, it’s the least I can do as a gesture of goodwill.”

Nightmare Moon opened her maw to protest, but looked at me, then at her hoof, then back at me before sighing deeply and dropping to a lying position. “Fine. Thou mayest inspect the damage, but nothing more.”

I smiled honestly, sitting down in front of her before taking up her foreleg and, much to her chagrin, sliding off her hoof guard to reveal whatever was underneath. It was a deep gash, maybe an inch or so deep, and three or four inches long, neatly squared on the leading edge of her foreleg. “I don’t remember stabbing you, how’d you get this?”

Nightmare looked like she was about fifteen seconds from either smashing my skull in, or bolting—and I really wished she’d do neither. “Well, thou misshaped our guards a little with thou’s blows, and the ornate filigree began to dig into our flesh on the way home. We put them back to the proper shape, but the gouge remains. No worry is warranted, it will be healed tomorrow.”

I shook my head. Stupid, so so stupid. I reached back and pulled the waylorn medkit from my side. “Well, I have something that could help, if you could just give me a moment to—“

She tried to rise to leave, picking up her hoof-guard in her blue magic aura. “We have interrupted thine important rock-collecting tasks for too long, we simply must be—“

I grabbed onto her hoof, careful to avoid the area of the cut. I stared intensely at her, causing her to freeze in place. “Stop right there. I’m trying to right my wrongs and help you, now sit down and let me treat your leg.”

She blinked, glancing back and forth as if someone might see her. Eventually, she relented and laid back down, turning her head to avert her gaze. “Fine. Be quick, we have matters to attend to.”

I sighed, relieved that this opportunity to make amends was not going to escape me. I opened up the medkits and rummaged through its contents. Frost had said that half the stuff would be ruined by being exposed to a vacuum, so at least what was left would be going to a good cause. I pulled out a roll of bandage and—huh. I picked up a small potion bottle filled with a deep red fluid. I shook it slowly, a little surprised that it hadn’t frozen.

Even more curious now I pulled the stopper from the bottle. Still, it didn’t freeze. I guess it was magic after all, maybe they thought this far ahead? Well, it was worth a shot. I gently poured it onto the open wound where it bubbled and sizzled, eliciting a wince from the alicorn.

“That feels pleasant,” Nightmare Moon retorted, clenching her teeth together tightly. Still, she observed my every motion out of the corner of her eye with interest.

I rolled my eyes and started with the gauze, wrapping her hoof up tightly before responding. “No one ever said healing potions were pleasant. This should do the trick for you though, it’ll feel much better in a few minutes.”

She said nothing for a long time, continuing to look elsewhere. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a wave of static feedback from my helmet’s speaker.

“Zzzt… Orion? Orion! Just checking in, I’m ready to head in for lunch. Did you collect any interesting samples? I’m hoping for a yes, but I also realize you probably struggled to pick up some interesting dirt, much less any rocks.”

I groaned, clicking the side of my helmet to unmute my microphone before replying. “I appreciate all your encouraging words, Frost. I did find one sample you might find interesting, but I’ll let you be the judge of that… Any idea what’s on the menu for lunch…?”

“Rehydrated salad? Vacuum-sealed hayburgers? Hell if I know Orion, I’m not a school lunch-mare— your dietary needs and the nutrition algorithm will decide what’s available to you, if it were up to me you’d be having nutritional paste. Come on, don’t be slow. And I’d love to see how mundane your sample is, I’ll meet you back at the ship in thirty minutes.”

I glanced up to give Nightmare Moon an apologetic look for the interruption, but she was gone. All that was left in her wake were the neatly repackaged contents of the medkit, ready to be closed and returned to my suit. I looked around for a moment but saw no sign of her, so I sighed. “That sounds like a plan, Morning Frost. I’ll see you back at the ship shortly…”

* * *

Lunar medical care, duh. [Source]

Everyone has that one coworker, right? [Source]

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long! I’ve been battling a new line of work for the past year, struggling with long-term writer’s block and general motivation issues surrounding my creative pursuits. This chapter has gone through the hell of four or five rewrites–some shorter, some longer, and I’m still not fully content with it. I have cut much fat from this chapter for the sake of brevity– although those words have not gone to waste. Many of the ideas that did not tonally make the cut have greatly benefited the next and subsequent chapters.
But at some point discretion is the better part of valor, and it's best to keep moving forward rather than try to tweak to perfection. Thanks for sticking around! (:

Chapter 3: Hoofprints

“Of course we can own the moon, thou art in no position to challenge us for it!”

I sat, staring in silence at the hoofprints. Bringing a hoof up to my helmet, I tapped the camera on the left side and took a photo, then another, and another. I stared at the fresh stills displayed on my helmet’s HUD—no, I wasn’t dreaming, and I wasn’t going insane either, they were still there.

I shook my head, blinking a few times as I contemplated them. I had always been told that Princess Luna had been imprisoned within the essence of the moon, hence her title as the ‘Mare in the Moon’. But this was completely contrary to the tales I had been told as a foal. I had always been told it was a magical, more spiritual imprisonment. Had she really been on the surface for a thousand years?

Now that I'd noticed them, I gazed into the distance, able to trace the prints over the hills and ridges until the distance became too great to discern them any longer. This could be huge, turning everything we had known about Luna’s imprisonment on the moon on its head! What had she done during that time? Where did she go? Did she stay in one place, or nomadically wander across the surface?

Standing up, I pulled a scale out from one of the pockets on my forehooves and set it next to one of the prints before bringing my hoof down, leaving my own impression in the lunar regolith next to the hoofprints for reference. As I snapped a photo, my mind raced. The hoofprints needed to be documented correctly, hell, I could even write a report on them! I paused, contemplating. This was a discovery, my discovery, and far more interesting than Morning Frost’s damned rocks. I would need to keep this myself for a while, at least until I could collect more evidence.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as my racing mind was interrupted by a crackle of static from the radio, followed by Azure’s voice. “…Orion, are you there? …Hello? Can you hear me?”

I fumbled over my thoughts for a moment before replying. “This is Orion Zephyr, I read you quiet and only somewhat clear.” I spun on my hooves and trotted back to the ship, trying to get a better signal as the transmission cut in and out. Figures, the radio’s range would be severely limited if they were behind a ridge or particularly large hill.

Azure’s voice came over the radio again, a hint of annoyance in her tone. “I’d take it based on your transmission quality that you haven’t set up the array yet, we’ve been trying to get in touch with you for the past five minutes.”

I grimaced. I had been so lost in the discovery of the hoofprints that I had completely forgotten to set it up. “My apologies, Captain. The inspection of the ship took a little longer than I anticipated and I just wrapped it up. I’ll get on that immediately.”

There was a momentary pause before Morning Frost’s voice cut in. “Orion, why was your GPS marker reading so far from the ship just a moment ago? Surely you didn’t forget to calibrate it before you put your suit on, if so, then please remember to do it next time. We need to know where you are in case of an emergency.”

Shit. I racked my brain for a response. “I… Uh… J-just wanted to snap a few photos of the ship in good lighting. My folks back home wanted me to take a bunch of photos of the mission. Y’know, they probably want to brag to all their friends about my achievements. Plus, it’s important that your stay is properly documented, just for posterity in the future.”

There was an overbearing silence. Certainly she wasn’t suspicious, I hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary. “Well, I suppose that makes sense for a tourist like yourself. Luna help me, some days I still cannot believe that our tax dollars go towards sending ponies like—“

“Frost, we just talked about this. Keep the snide comments to yourself.” Azure interjected.

Frost sighed. “Fine. Be sure to send a few photos back to mission control once you set up the communication array. We need to send some files anyways to calibrate it and make sure the data stream is operating at peak efficiency.”

I breathed a mental sigh of relief. “Will do, Frost. I’m on my way now to set all that up, should be done before you two get back.”

Azure chimed in. “Oh, of course. Orion, I was trying to get in touch to tell you that, for reasons that I will not share, we are running behind schedule and only have two of our seismometers set up. We’re projecting that we’ll only get three more finished before we need to start heading back to the ship due to running out of daylight. Seems like we’ll be finishing the rest tomorrow.”

A plan started formulating in my head, but I held my tongue. “Understood. Are we still on for the hoofball game tonight? You don’t have to stay up that late if you don’t want to, but I’m going to watch it.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You don’t know how badly I want to see Trotpeaka kick Salt Lick City’s—“

Morning Frost interrupted. “Captain, watch out for that—“ There was a large thump over the radio, followed by an annoyed groan. “…rock. Azure, did you seriously just do that again?”

Azure laughed sheepishly. “S-sorry. I promise I didn’t see it that time!”

“Do you need to let me drive? I’d like to get there in one piece and, frankly, your rover handling scares me,” Frost grumbled.

“We’re fine, almost there too! We’ll get there even faster when I shift this puppy into maximum overdrive. Yeehaw!”

“Gods help me, I’m going to be sick…”

I opened my mouth to speak but, as I did so, my helmet’s speakers began to fill with static.They must have driven out of range or behind a particularly large hill. I thought I heard Azure saying something, but her voice was garbled far beyond recognition. With an amused smile I shut off the radio, listening to nothing but the sound of my steady breathing. Some ponies would have found the silence maddening, but I had always found it to be oddly comforting in a way. If anything it helped my thoughts take the forefront without much effort to focus myself.

Glancing back at the hoofprints off in the distance, then at the clock, I noted that it was nearly noon. The communications array still needed to be set up and the day was already half spent. I wouldn’t have time to investigate further until tomorrow, assuming that Azure and Frost would be heading out again to finish their tasks. Shelving the thought of Luna’s millennium-long exile on the moon, I quickly made my way back around to the cargo bay ramp, relieved to feel the embrace of normal gravity again as I pranced up the ramp and into the spacious storage area. What I was not relieved to feel was the weight of the suit pressing on my back, and while my jaunt outside the ship hadn’t been more than two and a half hours, I definitely felt more than a little drained after all the physical activity, even in a low gravity environment.

I made my way to the airlock and, with a click of the keypad, the door shut behind me and the room began to pressurize. I reached over and pulled a magnetic wand out of a cubby in the wall and began to wave it all over myself, all the hitchhiking dust from my excursion onto the surface sticking to it happily. Lunar dust was no joke, essentially a finely ground, jagged glass. Thank Celestia for the ponies in R&D for figuring out how to remove it so efficiently and, while their invention best resembled a high-tech cross between a lint roller and a cricket paddle, its utility was not lost on me.

Once I was satisfied with the cleanliness of my suit I knocked all the dust off the wand into a receptacle before returning it to its alcove in the wall. Then, with another press of the keypad on the opposite wall, the door to the ship slid open. I pulled off my helmet, taking in a deep breath of the pristine air. I squirmed in the suit a little, feeling my moisture-wicking under layers pinch and bind a little as I did so. I needed to get out of this thing already, I was starting to feel constricted and stuffy.

Entering my room the first thing I was met with was a blast of frigid air. I stood in the doorway for a moment in disbelief before I spoke. “Ship, give me a temperature reading for my room and for the hallway.”

“Current ambient temperature in rooms 13A and 13B is 37°F. Main corridor is 69°F.”

My jaw dropped as I stepped over the threshold into the room, thick clouds of my breath fogging the air. I was rethinking things, maybe I didn’t want to take my suit off after all. With a sigh, I pulled the wing covers off, then the back of the suit from the neck to my flanks split open. I stepped out of the suit and hung it, the helmet, and the wing covers back into the closet where they belonged. I shivered, glad that I was still clad from neck to hooves in the undersuit, a jet-black latex and spandex wicking garment that had blue bands around the hooves, neck, and tail—signifying that it was mine. Guess they would be doubling as pajamas unless I could figure out what the hell was going on with my thermostat.

I grit my teeth and unzipped the back of the bodysuit, practically tearing it off before chunking it into the closet. Darting from the room, I swiped my tablet from the nightstand as I passed, shivering slightly as the door slid shut behind me, leaving me in the comparatively warm hallway. Make no mistake, I was a fairly sizable stallion with, while no snow-pony, an adequately thick coat. But that cold was a little much, even for me. Pegasai had higher internal body temperatures for flying at altitude, but that did me little good when my room was a literal ice box.

First the thermostat, then the hoofprints, now the thermostat again. My to-do list for today was growing rapidly and I needed to address it sooner rather than later before it got further out of control.

* * *

“Have you tried… Hm. No, we tried that already— Have you checked the status of the hatch? Maybe you’re getting a faulty sensor reading and that’s why the array isn’t extending.”

I groaned, smacking my forehead with a hoof as I held the tablet in the other. It had been a fruitless hour as both Circuit Solder and I had been continually stumped by a fault in the communications array. “No, the hatch status is a-ok, Solder. I was just up there and verified that it wasn’t impeded. I’m getting a good reading on it being open, the comms array just won’t extend from its stowed position.”

Solder tapped his hoof against his chin, lost in thought. “Try resetting the breaker. I know that might sound silly, but my many years dealing with tech has taught me that turning that off then back on again sometimes corrects the strangest of issues.”

I facehoofed. He couldn’t be serious. “And that’s going to work… How exactly? I mean I’ll do it, I just see no merit in it.””

“You never know until you try. Like I said, sometimes it works.”

With a scoff I stepped over to the breaker box, flipping it off then back on again with a click. Making my way back across to the array panel, I pressed a large green button and was green by the sound of a mechanical whir somewhere above my head. “Array extension is at 10%, 50%, 90%… Done. Well I’ll be damned, Solder, that worked like a charm!”

As I looked back over at the tablet Solder shot his hooves in the air victoriously, leaning so far back as to nearly fall out of his wheelchair. “Yes, haha! Another phantom issue, quashed and vanquished by the incredible Circuit Solder!”

I couldn’t help but smile, that was the Solder I had been missing, such a ball of positive energy. I reached my hoof forward and tapped the glass, followed by Solder tapping his camera in return. “Nice job, bud. I knew you had it in you, it was just a matter of time until you figured it out.”

Solder blew a raspberry before taking a sip from a water bottle. “Had it in me? No sir, you’re the one who fixed the issue— I’m not even there, I’m just making suggestions. Take some credit for yourself for once, Orion. Your humility is going to cost you one day, mark my words!”

Rolling my eyes I set about closing all the panels and cabinets we had opened to diagnose the issue. Thankfully it hadn’t been too much of a mess, I was half afraid that I’d have to take another trip outside and start tearing apart sensitive electronics looking for something broken or miss wired. Fortunately that had not been the case, this time anyways. “Oh, please. All I did was hold the metaphorical flashlight and screwdriver, but, if you insist, sure. I was the one who fixed the array.”

He leaned back again with a guffaw, having to bring a hoof to his muzzle to stifle his laughs. “You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve been hurting for a laugh lately. By the way, how are you holding up on your end, rookie? Have you done anything fun yet? Oh, oh, please tell me you’ve gotten to tromp around on the surface, it must’ve been an incredible experience.”

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, shifting my wings a little as I looked away from the tablet. “Yeah, I’ve got to go out on the surface, for a couple hours anyways. Just ship inspection duties, though, I did find—“ I caught myself. I trusted Solder like the older brother I never had, but I had no idea how he’d react to the hoofprints, let alone if he’d keep them to himself. “…Some interesting basalt samples near the ship. My apologies, my mind is elsewhere today.”

Circuit Solder smirked, running a hoof through his green mane. “Apology accepted.

I’m glad you’ve gotten to get out and stretch your legs a bit. I’m really sorry that I’m not there, I know my tasks and responsibilities are a little bit of an undue burden on you, but you’re rolling with the punches to the best of your ability.” He ruminated for a few moments, lost in thought himself. “But, if I may ask, where is your mind today? Hopefully on something practical, like mares. You’re a young buck in a prominent job, the world is at your hooftips!”

Ugh. Not this shtick again. “No, not on mares, Solder. The same is true as I told you last time, I’m not really ‘friends’ with any right now, not in that way.”

“Y’know, Azure is pretty cute— and you’re always on each other's tails like lost puppies. Have you thought about asking—“

Nope. Dead stop. “Uh, no. She’s my best friend, Solder. I could never ask her out. What if I ruined everything we already have?” My thoughts momentarily wondered to all that might go wrong. She could say no, she could say yes and we could ruin our friendship, or she could just laugh in my face. That Would be the worst outcome.

He beamed, giving me a proud smile. “Well, I’m glad you know who your friends are and think of them before yourself. That’s mighty mature of you. …On an unrelated note, how are Azure and Frosty holding up?”

I raised an eyebrow. “…Frosty?”

Solder blushed, smiling sheepishly as he avoided my gaze. “Excuse me, Ms. Morning Frost.”

“Oh, Azure and Frost are holding up well. The former is trying to make sure we don’t have shouting matches or otherwise be at each other’s throats. She’s doing her typical administrative duty to the best of her ability given the circumstances. As for the latter, well, I suppose she’s doing well, also doing most of the shouting, but doing the best she can I guess.”

Circuit Solder winced, shifting his position in the wheelchair. “I’m sorry to hear that. Frost and I… Well, we— Erm… It’s complicated. She has a lot on her mind and I’ll tell you when she’ll let me.”

I smirked, sticking my tongue out at him. “What, surely you two aren’t tying the knot, are you?”

Solder looked down at the ground in silence.

My eyes went wide. “No way. B-buddy, I’m incredibly happy for you, this is huge!”

“J-just keep it to yourself. We haven’t made anything official yet, and plan on keeping it that way for a while. I only led you to that conclusion because I trust you almost more than anyone else on Equis. Promise me you’ll keep it to yourself?”

I beamed with pride. “Loose lips sink ships. You have my word, I know nothing. When’s the wedding?”

Solder continued to look away, rubbing his temple with a hoof methodically. “I… Well, we haven’t really decided if we want to have a ceremony or not, or even when that might be. I think our general consensus is within a few months of Frost getting back, and it’ll probably just be a trip down to the courthouse with a few friends— Nothing fancy, we want to stay out of the public eye the best we can.”

I slowly nodded, trying my best to give him a reassuring smile.

He smiled in return. “Thank you, Orion. I know I can count on you to keep it to yourself. You’ll know more in due time, these things can’t be rushed.”

There was a creak in the background followed by a black and white pegasus mare quickly trotting into the room balancing two cups of coffee on her wings. “Sorry I'm late, Mr. Solder, there was a line a mile long at the canteen to use the coffee maker. I’ll be sure to get there before lunch next time.”

Solder levitated one of the cups from her wing and set it on his desk before responding. “Ah, Gear Shift, it’s about time you got back. Don’t worry, I understand the delay. Thanks for the cup of coffee, I appreciate it.”

“Anytime boss.” The mare trotted off and set down her own cup at a smaller desk positioned to the side of the room, littered haphazardly with papers, spare electronics, and tools.

Solder took a sip of his coffee before speaking again. “Gear, have you met my friend Orion?”

The mare tensed up, glancing over at the screen before quickly trotting to Solder’s heels. She eyed up the camera and monitor nervously, trying her best to stand up straight and look as formal as possible. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”

Solder chuckled, gesturing to the mare. “Well, this is Orion Zephyr, pilot on the Luna 4 mission. Orion, this is Gear Shift, my new apprentice. She’s in college for a degree in engineering, and is serving out a paid internship with us for the time being. ”

Gear Shift’s deep magenta eyes widened, her mouth falling open a little. “Y-you mean… He’s actually on the moon? Like, right now?”

I smiled, spreading a wing in greeting. “Hello, Ms. Gear Shift, It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Welcome to ESA! Yes, I am actually calling from the moon— I would take the tablet outside to prove it, but I just got in from an inspection and I’m really not keen on going back out just yet!”

She snickered, nodding her head in understanding. “There’s no need to prove it, I’ve heard all about you from Solder already. It’s nice to meet you too.”

Solder beamed with pride, casually leaning back in his wheelchair. “Gear here has been learning the ropes real quick and I’m having her pour over the ship schematics daily to get acquainted, we’ve even taken a few trips across the base to go examine the training dummy version. My hope is that she can take the night shift and we can provide around the clock technical assistance if need be.”

“Now that’s an idea and a half, buddy. It’ll make my job a whole heck of a lot easier. ” I adjusted my hold on the tablet, my hoof quickly becoming tired holding it.

“See? My ideas are worthwhile at least half the time!” he chuckled, glancing back at Gear Shift. He patted his hooves on his desk lightly, still smiling as he looked back to the camera. “Heh, well, it’s about time we get back to work, I need to drill my apprentice here on the HVAC system if we are going to effect some repairs.”

My eyes widened, of course! I had completely forgotten to mention the busted thermostat. “Before you go, I meant to ask you. Do we have any spare thermostats on board? The control panel in my cabin is non-functional and the ship’s computer cannot seem to override it. I’m living in a bucking ice-box right now!”

“Hmm… That’s an interesting one, I’ll have to check the ship’s manifest and see if there’s a spare. If not, we’ll just send the schematics up to the fabricator and we’ll make a new one in-house for you. Gear and I will work on finding the problem and make a fix for it.“

Gear Shift puffed up her chest. “Damn right we will! It’ll be fixed in—“

There was a click and the door behind me slid open. I turned, the bright light of the corridor forcing my eyes to readjust a little. Morning Frost stood in the doorway with a blank expression for a moment before speaking. “Oh, there you are Orion. Azure has been looking all over for you.”

I groaned. Shaking my head. “Yeah, one minute Frost, I’m trying to sort out a technical issue with Solder right now. If you can just give me a moment to finish, I’ll be right along when I’m done.”

Frost’s eyes lit up. In a flash she snatched the tablet from my hooves with her magic. “Oh, you’re talking to Solder? What’s up, babe? How are your legs feeling today, any better?”

“H-hey! I’m trying to get critical work done” I protested as Morning Frost shoved past me to take a seat on a nearby box.

Frost waved a hoof at me, shooing me from the room. “I’ll take it from here, Orion. Run along now and go talk to Azure, you know she hates to be kept waiting.”

I cursed under my breath as I took one last look over Frost’s shoulder at Solder and Gear waving goodbye before I stepped out into the hallway, the door shutting behind me. I had been told as a foal to “speak softly and carry a big stick”, but some days Frost made me want to scream at the top of my lungs and club everything in sight with a tire iron. Absolutely no sense of personal space, outside her own that is.

I trotted down the hallway, passing the medbay, lab, engineering, and all of the forward storage compartments before making my way up to the cockpit. I pressed the keypad and the door slid open, but the room was dark and completely devoid of life. Turning around, I made my way back down the hall calling for her. “Azure? Where are you at? Frost said you needed me?”

I passed the mare’s quarters and was greeted by a shout from the other side of the door. “I’m in here, Orion. There’s no need to go around causing a ruckus!”

I backpedaled, standing in front of the entryway. “What did you need me for? It sounded important.”

“I’ll tell you in a second, stop loitering around out there and come inside already, doofus!”

I pressed the keypad with my hoof and the door opened with a hiss. I blinked, then rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing straight. There, in the center of the room was Azure, stripping out of her suit without a care in the world. She was glistening with sweat and… I finally realized that I was ogling. As I felt my face flush with heat I covered my eyes with a hoof. Nope, I should not be staring at that! “C-Captain!”

Azure let out a hearty laugh, finishing wriggling free from her spacesuit and letting it drop to the floor with a rustle. “Haha! You’re as red as a sunset! I know I’m no ten, but you still can’t help but stare, hah!”

I looked at the floor, scraping the metallic tile with the edge of my hoof. “I’m sorry Captain. I didn’t mean to stare.”

Her hoofsteps echoed off the walls of the room as she cantered up to me, so close that I could feel her breath on my neck. “You know, you’re the one stallion who I’ll let ogle at me anyplace and anytime~”

I took a confused step back towards the door before Azure stamped her hooves in delight, laughing her heart out. “I-I’m sorry! I just couldn’t help myself. You can open your eyes, Orion.”

I hesitantly took my hoof away from my face, staring down at her. I had always thought of her as a taller mare but, like this, her being a half a head shorter than I really showed. She was still clad in her suit’s under layers, black with teal bands, and she shimmered and glistened with sweat from head to hoof. I averted my gaze, first to the wall, then the ceiling, then the floor before reluctantly returning to her.

Azure stuck her tongue out and batted her eyelids a few times. “So, Private, how do I look?”

My mind went into a frenzy. How in the hell should I even respond to that? None of this was in any training manual I’d ever read. What I wouldn’t give for a translation guide for mare speak! “I… Uh… Pretty.”

Azure snickered, turning in a slow circle. “Does it make my flanks look big? Be honest.”

I bit my tongue. I wanted out, I didn’t like this, I didn’t know what to say or do, let alone what to think. I glanced back at the open doorway and briefly considered turning tail and making for my room as fast as possible. The freezer would be better than this situation. “I-I…” I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I was calm, I was rational, I wasn’t going to be afraid. “I don’t think it makes your flanks look big so much, but it does amplify your… Your… Curves.” I braced myself for a slap, a blunt object, some upwelling of rage, but no reckoning ever came.

Azure smiled, taking a step back and giving me a chance to breathe. “Is that a bad thing or a good thing in your opinion, Orion?”

Shit. Luna damn it all to Tartarus. “I uh— well you see… Good, it’s a good thing! I mean, some may see it as a bad thing, but to me it’s not… Not err… Bad.”

Azure licked her lips with a smirk. “Interesting, I like your answer. Unfortunately, although I’d love to be easy on your eyes, I’m also cooking alive in this right now and really, really would like to take it off. How about you go snag me a towel from the bathroom while I get undressed?”

I gulped and nodded. “Yes ma’am. Right away ma’am.” Trotting past her I entered the bathroom and shut the door behind me, slumping to the floor with my back against it. She was crazy, absolutely insane-in-the-membrane crazy! She was toying with me, teasing me for a laugh. Odds were she had a camera somewhere filming everything so she could have a laugh at it later. My ears burned, I must have been coming down with something, maybe I inhaled a little too much moon dust. I should just cancel our plans and go to—

There was a knock at the bathroom door. “Orion, is everything okay in there? I didn’t mean anything, I was just teasing you. You can come out now. I don’t bite, not hard anyways…”

I stood up and grabbed a towel off the shelf before opening the door to Astral Azure’s waiting figure. She had undressed herself and was dripping here and there with sweat as a faint steam rose off her pale blue coat. She still had a confident smile plastered across her muzzle, standing up straight and unmoving. Without a word I stared past her, hoofed her the towel, and mademy way to the door.

“Thanks for the— Hey, where do you think you’re going? We haven’t even talked about why I called you here! You aren’t dismissed!”

I muttered a few curses under my breath before spinning on my hooves to face her, trying not to make eye contact as she dried herself off and threw the towel into the nearby laundry receptacle. “What’s the matter with you, Orion. You look like you’re about to jump out of your skin. Is something wrong?”

I looked down, feeling her piercing gaze all the while. “Sorry, Captain. It’s been a really long day and I’m not operating at 100%. I have a lot on my mind right now.”

Azure playful expression died away under a brow furrowed with concern. understanding, She nodded slowly, gesturing to the bottom bunk across the room. “Then sit down and let’s talk about it, buddy. You know I’m in your corner right? You can tell me anything.”

My gaze shot back to the door as a little Orion on my left shoulder told me to run, and one on my right told me to stay and trust her. “I… Suppose it couldn’t hurt, just for a couple of minutes.” With a sigh I clopped over to the bed and sat down, nearly hitting my head on the top bunk as I leaned back.

Azure sat beside me, leaning up against the end of the bunk. “So, what’s on your mind, friend?”

I sat in silence as I racked my brain for thoughts. I didn't want to address the actual elephant in the room, so I searched my brain desperately for something else to talk about. The hoofprints came immediately to mind, but I couldn’t just tell her about them outright, not yet. She would be so overjoyed to know that I found them but… but… something in my gut just didn’t sit well. I needed more information before I could bring it up. Well… There was the possibility that she knew more than I knew and maybe, just maybe, I could ask a few questions under the table to get what I wanted to know. “Being alone all day today, it’s bringing up some memories. In particular, I remembered my mother telling me the tale of the two sisters, and how Luna was banished to the moon at the end of the Nightmare War. was Luna actually imprisoned in the essence of the moon in a spiritual sense, or onto the surface as a physical sense? I ask because you’ve been here before, and wonder if you’ve seen any signs to support one conclusion or another.”

Azure hummed, looked off into the distance as she thought. “I can’t say I know which is true. Luna hasn’t written a memoir about her time on the moon yet, Faust knows why. I’m sure that it would be a bestselling history book overnight.” She sighed, giving me a look of half-hearted intriguie. “It’s quite an interesting question. I can’t say that we’ve seen any evidence that she was sent to the surface. Though, it is entirely possible. We would be talking about the traces of a single pony on an object the entire size of the moon. I know weathering is still a thing up here, what with asteroid impacts and whatnot, but I don’t think it occurs to such a degree in a mere thousand years; at least for the extent it would take to fill in tracks.”

I raised my brow, turning to face her a little better before nudging her with a hoof. “It seems like you’ve given the question quite the thought yourself. Similar first time experiences.”

She smiled, leaning against my shoulder. I felt my body relax as I could feel the slow, rythmic thump of her pulse. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Maybe we might find evidence if we look hard enough. You never know what’s out there, we’re only four missions into our explorations. There’s still plenty we don’t know.”

I forced a smile, trying to think of a way to change the subject. I didn’t want her knowing what I knew, not yet. “Well, that’s about all I had. How was your mare’s day out with our favorite unicorn?”

Azure blew a raspberry. “Pffft, favorite? I don’t know about that. Circuit Solder is a pretty high bar!”

I laughed, feeling my smile widen. “Aww, come on. Frost is your best friend. Don’t do her dirty like that, Azure!”

She snickered, elbowing my side playfully. “Fine, fine. She’s my favorite unicorn. As for how our day was, relatively uneventful which was a nice change of pace. We did however have a long talk about getting along with you, again… Did you notice if her behavior was any better after we got back?”

I brought my hoof to my chin.. “Well, she definitely brushed me off a bit, but at least she didn’t insult me or otherwise make me feel any worse, which is definitely a change for the better in my eyes— albeit a small one.”

“That’s good. I’m glad.” Azure continued to hum, leaning a little harder against me. “Y’know, Orion, this is what I miss most during the downtime between missions.”

I cocked my head to the side, resting it against her own. “Miss what exactly? Me being an absolute menace and breaker of safety regulations?”

She giggled. “No, not that. I miss having these moments with you, my best friend. There’s something comforting and freeing about the isolation of not being on Equis. It allows me to… to…” She waved a hoof, struggling for the words before finally blurting out, “Speak freely! …I think that’s what I’m trying to get at. I’m able to be real and honest about what I think because no one else is here to judge me for what I say, especially around you.”

I felt a pang deep in my chest. That was so sweet of her. I wrapped a wing around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. “Azure, you’re so hopeless, you know that?”

Azure giggled. “I know, completely hopeless. I’m glad you're along for the ride.”

I grinned, sliding off the edge of the bunk and getting to my hooves. “So, don’t we have a hoofball game to enjoy? If you can rearrange the seating in the cockpit real quick I’ll go grab a few snacks from the kitchen. Don’t want to watch on an empty stomach.”

She hopped off the bunk sporting a wide grin. “You know, here I was under the impression that I was the one giving orders, being the captain and all.”

I trotted out into the hallway, Azure following close by my side. “I never said it was an order, just a suggestion.”

“Go get snacks for the game, Orion. Rendezvous back at the cockpit in five minutes, That’s an order.”

I saluted with a wing before heading off down the hallway. “Ma’am yes ma’am. Consider it done.”

Azure smiled, gave a little snort of approval, then headed back up the hall in the opposite direction. I quickly reached the kitchen and was surprised as the door slid open before I even reached it. Morning Frost came prancing out, a protein bar and a glass of water floating in the air behind her. Noticing me she stopped, a wide grin plastered on her muzzle. “Oh, hello there Orion. How was the ship inspection? Have you sent in the report yet? If you haven’t submitted it then I would recommend doing that immediately, mission control needs that information to help determine the ship’s status.”

I shimmied past her into the kitchen as she stood outside the doorway. Making my way to the cabinets I rummaged around until I found a bag of chips before directing my attention back to her. “It was a good day, very quiet. A change of pace, to be sure. I already sent the report in, not to worry, everything was nominal. What’s got you in such a good mood? You look like a school-filly who just aced a test.”

Frost rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m just glad I got to talk to Circuit Solder. Sorry for interrupting your little chit chat.”

My mind blanked. Had she just apologized for something of her own accord? Like, the Morning Frost actually apologized? “I… Thank you?”

Frost smiled, a motion which made me incredibly uneasy. “You’re welcome.” I cantered out of the kitchen with the chips tucked under a wing as Frost fell in step beside me. There were a few moments of palpable silence before she spoke again. “So, Orion, where are you heading?”

“Oh, Azure and I have that Trotpeaka versus Salt Lick City hoofball game we wanted to watch tonight. She’s actually up in the cockpit now rearranging the command chairs.”

Morning Frost clicked her tongue. “You know, you’re not supposed to change the configuration of command seating unless you are moving from a four seater to a six seater config. I’m pretty sure that’s in the rule book somewhere.”

I sighed. “Well, we are going to put it back in the morning, not to worry. Mission control doesn’t need to know, aye?”

“This is true, I won’t say anything so long as you put everything back to the way you found it first thing tomorrow. I’m not trying to rain on your parade, just citing the safety concern in case we need to get off the moon quickly for whatever reason.” Frost fell out of step and stopped in front of the door to the lab. “Well, this is where I’m heading. Have an enjoyable evening. Don’t break anything.”

I waved a wing back at her before continuing onto the cockpit. That interaction was… strange. I was glad she was in a good mood for once but something about her volume control and lack of insults made me even more worried than if she had been swearing at the top of her lungs. Something was up, I just wasn’t sure what, I just didn’t have time to get to the root of it.

As I entered the cockpit the sight of Azure pushing together two of the command chairs along the slotted rails in the floor greeted me as she took a step back to admire her work. “I got chips! Are we ready to rock and roll?”

Azure looked up, giving a playful wink. “Of course, all ready to go. Just need to flip on the display and find the right channel.”

I trotted around and fell back into one of the chairs, hugging the bag of chips to my chest with my hooves. Azure followed suit beside me, picking up the remote and clicking the power button. With a bright flash the massive glass windshield of the ship lit up and showed a series of menus. She expertly navigated through them before the game, already a few minutes into its first quarter, came up on the screen. “Look at that, heh. Already up seven to nothing. I have the feeling that this is going to be a fun one.”

I nudged her in the shoulder playfully. “Trotpeaka is one of the best in the league. I’d expect nothing less from the city that birthed the greatest spaceflight commander known to ponykind.”

“Oh, stop it you!” Azure leaned over and pulled me into a loose headlock, messing my mane up with her free hoof. I silently bemoaned my poor buzz cut. I’d have to reshape it in the morning now.

With a grunt I pulled myself from the headlock, turning and sticking my tongue out at her. “So, did you grab anything to drink, or should I be heading back to the kitchen during the next commercial break?”

Azure smirked, leaning down to get something from under her seat. With a flourish she produced a large bottle of Wild Pegasus whiskey before hoofing it to me. I sat there, mouth agape as I stared at the bottle in my hooves. “I… How? How in Tartarus did you smuggle this on board? Where in Celestia’s name could you have even stowed this where it wouldn’t break during launch?

Azure leered. “Oh, a mare never gives up her secrets so easily, even to her best friend. Let’s leave it at ‘I have my ways’ and call it a day.”

“I didn’t know you drank, much less drank whiskey. You never crossed me as that sort of type, Azure.” I turned the bottle over and read the label. Vintage from the year 1004, wow. That was a thirty-five year old bottle, it could not have been cheap. “So, do you always drink stuff at this price level? Typically I just get one or two years of age, or make my own cider in a keg at home. Even on an astronaut's salary, stuff like this adds up if you overindulge.”

Azure laughed, leaning back in her chair as she watched Salt Lick City run an offensive play on the monitor. “That’s the thing, I don’t drink. I got it for a special occasion, or just to enjoy when and if we had time to unwind. Figured that now was as good a time as any— why don’t you take the first drink, Orion?”

“Oh, I’d be much obliged, but I’ll just have one swing. This is strong stuff, even for a hard-working stallion with a high tolerance such as myself. Responsible drinking isn’t fun, but it’s necessary to keep from making stupid decisions.” I smiled, pulling the cork from the bottle with my teeth. Lifting the bottle to my lips I took a mouthful of the sweet liquid fire, swirling it in my mouth slowly before swallowing. A river of searing heat ran down my neck and I couldn’t help but cough as I returned the bottle to her. “Ehuh, s-strong stuff!”

Azure held the bottle in her hoof, scrutinizing it for a moment. “Well, as they say, you only live once. Bottoms up!”

* * *

Azure hiccuped, glancing up at me with out of sync eyes as the blush on her face deepened to a deep scarlet. “Orion, are you secretly a snow pony? You’re soooo soft. Ya know; I dated a sno’ pony in college, she weres really pwetty. Not so good in bed but… suuuper soft and— an… pretty. Promise you’ll be better in bed than her?”

My mind tripped for a moment and I tried to gain my bearings on the situation. We’d been steadily working on the bottle throughout the game and my head was feeling more than a little fuzzy. “What did you say?”

She huffed, climbing over the armrest of her own seat and plopping down unceremoniously in my lap. Pressing her forehooves against my chest, she stuck her tongue out before giving me an unsteady lick to my chin. “Be good in bed for me, pwease? That’s an order.”

I could feel my own cheeks start to flush as I tried to push her away. “I’m not sleeping with you, Captain. I think it’s your bedtime, you’re absolutely hammered. Why would you drink that much? To try and one up me and prove a point, or are you just that asinine?”

She puffed out her cheeks and glared a glare which to her must have seemed quite imposing, but only reminded me of the many times I told my younger sisters ‘no’ when out shopping. “I’m. Not. Drinky! You can’t prove eet!”

I grabbed her chin with my hoof, turning her head from side to side. Azure’s eyes lazily rolled back into her head before eventually returning to focus on me. “Uh huh, right. It seems to me that you can’t hold a drop of alcohol to save your life. Azure, it’s time for—“

She bit her lip and moaned, her forehooves trending down past my chest to my stomach. “Yeah, treat me rough like that. Naughty stallion!”

Nope! Nope! Nope! I grasped the smaller earth pony and slung her over my shoulder before getting out of the command chair, readjusting her until she was draped over my own back like a sack of flour. “Okay, none of that. It’s time for you to go to bed, Captain.”

Azure kicked weakly, flailing her hooves at the back of my head. “But I don’t wannaaaaa! I’m in charge, I order you to— Stop! Let me go! Put me down! What about the game?!”

I trotted toward the door, trying my best to ignore the pounding headache she was giving me. “You can check the final score in the morning, it’s time for bed. You’ve had your fun, now it’s time to rest.”

Azure pouted, tugging on the back of my mane with her teeth. “You’re takin’ me to bed? How romantic of ya… I knew I’d win!”

I smacked the door keypad in annoyance before cantering into the hall, making my way a few doors down to the mare’s quarters before opening the door and making my way inside. Faust above, I just hoped that Frost wasn’t in bed already or else she’d be in for quite the rude awakening.

Azure’s vain attempts at resistance began to taper off as I gingerly unloaded her onto the bottom bunk, tucking in the sheets and putting a pillow under her head. “Stay here, don’t try to get up, just go to sleep okay?”

She grumbled, eyes glassy and heavy as she tried to look in my general direction. “Why are there six of you…? I’m not complainin’, six dreamy stallion studs all fer meeeeee!”

I rolled my eyes and smiled, giving her a gentle pat on the head. She muttered a few more garbled words before curling up and flitting off to sleep. That was a learning lesson, Azure should not, under any circumstances, be allowed near alcohol again. Especially if I wanted to keep my—

“Ehem.”

Turning, I stared hard at Morning Frost, who was leaning against the doorframe, before trotting over to her. I glanced back at Azure before speaking in a hushed whisper. “Good evening, Frost. Sorry if you overheard all that— Azure had a little too much to drink so I made the executive decision to take her to bed.”

Frost raised an eyebrow curiously, responding in a whisper. “Drink? That draft buffoon smuggled a bottle of liquor onto the ship? This is Luna 2 all over again…”

I raised an eyebrow, leaning in a little closer. “Again? What do you mean by ‘again’?”

Morning Frost sighed. “Oh, nothing more than you think. She managed to sneak a flask onto Luna 2. It led to quite the interesting evening. I wouldn’t call her a drunkard, but she definitely can lean onto alcohol to loosen her own mood and make herself more confident. Heh. She couldn’t stop from hitting on everyone in attendance. I’d take it that she did the same to you?”

“Yeah… I guess you could say that.” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, glancing back over my shoulder at Azure. “She really talks a whole lot of shit when intoxicated, that’s for sure. What do you want me to do about the remaining liquor? Hide it? Take it outside and smash it? Your call.”

Frost hummed, poking me in the chest with a hoof. I took a tentative step back, not quite sure what to say as she spoke, “Well, you look as if you handled it pretty well, so you can have it. Hell, it might become handy to help suffer the arctic temperatures down the hall— Speaking of which, while we weren’t able to fix the thermostat in your room we were able to kneecap the efficiency of the cooling system and get it up into the mid 40’s. You’re welcome.”

I smiled. “Thank you, I’ll probably work with Solder on that issue more tomorrow while you and Azure are out and about.”

Frost turned her head to the side slightly. “What, you aren’t coming with us? We could probably use an extra hoof, even if you are a little clumsy at times.”

My heart leapt with excitement at the prospect of helping out our real mission, but it quickly plummeted as I realized that it would mean I couldn't work on my own discovery. Those hoofprints beckoned to me like a siren’s song, and I definitely still wanted to follow them... I had to satisfy my own curiosity first and foremost, then I could dive into the tasks at hoof. I didn’t need those prints eating at the back of my mind forever. “No, no. I have some things I want to square away here at the ship, inventory and reading a few technical manuals and whatnot. It’s more responsible for me to stay behind so we have somepony close by…” I brought my hoof to my chin, thinking for a moment. “Besides, I also want to stretch my legs and take some samples. I promised mom and pops that I’d bring them back a rock!”

Frost’s eyebrow raised, but she quickly shrugged, apparently uncaring. “So be it, I offered. Well, thank you for putting her to bed Orion but it is getting rather late into the evening. I’ll take it from here, you go get some sleep. We need to have a conversation one of these days, not now, but soon. Azure thinks it's important that we see eye to eye, so we should at least try for her sake.” She gingerly stepped past me, her long braided tail gently brushing against the floor as she made her way over to the bunk.

“I suppose we should, eventually. Goodnight, Frost.” I turned tail and cantered back to the cockpit, locating the bottle of Wild Pegasus and tucking it under a wing. Azure had done a number on it but there was plenty left, so long as I just had sips in moderation. Trotting down the hall my mind returned to Azure, what she had said— I shook my head trying to remove the thoughts from it. No, Azure did not have a thing for me. That was just the liquor talking. Besides, she had always told me that she liked mares, and I was definitely not one of those. I sighed. Still, we would have to clear the air in the morning, I didn’t want an awkward cloud hanging between us.

Reaching my room I took out the bottle of whiskey and slugged back a gulp of fire before ruffling my wings and opening the door. There was an icy blast of air, but I paid it no heed and stepped inside unafraid of the cold. The biting cold lashed my coat but was quickly lost in the back of my mind as I stuffed the whiskey into the drawer of my bedside table. I flopped with a grunt of satisfaction onto the bed and happily cozied up underneath the blankets as the lights shut off, leaving the room shrouding in a comforting darkness. I shut my eyes and every so slowly drifted off to sleep, ready to greet the next day with grit and resolve.

* * *

The incessant beeping filled my ears again. Faust above, why was my sleep always lacking in rest? Was I cursed to forever lack the lasting respite which I so desperately wanted? I grumbled, trying to ignore the alarm clock as it only seemed to grow louder with each passing minute. I snorted, a cloud of vapor hanging in the air from the cold. Fine, fine! I’d get up!

“Hnnnrg… Ship, give me the time and please, for the love of Celestia, turn off the alarm clock. I’m up, there’s no need to assault my eardrums…”

“Time is: 0617 hours. Alarm set for… 0545 hours. Solar weather is low to mild. No further precautions are needed. Please, have a productive and efficient day on the lunar surface!”

I tumbled out of bed, landing on the cold composite floor as I struggled to get to my hooves. Late! I was so incredibly late! I slipped, took a tumble and met the floor again, then finally got to my hooves with some degree of stability before sprinting for the bathroom. Smacking the keypad the door opened twenty times slower than I would have wished and I slipped through before it was even finished.

“You have… one. unread message from Morning Frost at 0550 hours. Would you like to read it?”

“Yes!” I shouted, slightly annoyed. Grabbing a tube of toothpaste I squirted it directly into my open maw before scrubbing for all I was worth with my toothbrush, quickly spitting in the sink. I stuck my head under the faucet and got a mouthful of water to rinse before taking a brush to my mane.

“Orion, Azure and I decided to get on the road early to ensure we would have time to finish our tasks. We will not be back till this afternoon. Azure is instructing you to take the morning off, if you so desire.”

I tore out of the bathroom and sat down hard at the computer, typing furiously on the keyboard and waiting with great impatience for the messenger application to pull up. After a few moments it finally opened and I selected Morning Frost’s contact and began to type.

Morning Frost,

Sorry for my delay, I overslept a little. Instructions are understood, but there are also plenty of tasks all over the ship that could be attended to in your and Azure’s absence. I will keep myself as busy and productive as possible while still ‘taking it easy’, as per instruction.
Have a safe and pleasant day, don’t be afraid to call if you need something. I’ll see you after lunch.

I pressed the enter key and leaned back in my chair with a relieved sigh. Crisis averted, I would no longer look like a lazy featherbrain! Suddenly something caught the corner of my eye and I turned to the window. The sun was coming up and out to the southwest, there was the faintest glint of something reflecting the sun. I watched silently as it glowed brighter and brighter until it suddenly vanished to nothing as the sun rose high enough.

I squinted hard, trying to judge the distance to whatever it was. Maybe two or three miles? I couldn’t be sure. It was in the same direction of the—the hoof prints! My brain stumbled. Of course, I had completely forgotten about writing a report about those prints, I'd have to get after that ASAP. An idea popped into my mind. A wonderfully brilliant idea.

I did have the morning off, so why not go out and collect some better photos of the prints? See how far they extend to the south and west and see if I could find that crystalline rock in the distance. Two birds with one stone, then I could skedaddle back to the ship and get some work done. Three hours, tops. I could even get a camera from the equipment lockers to take some high fidelity photos while I was at it.

Standing up from the desk, I stretched my wings out slowly. Well, why not? Worst case I didn’t find the rock and I still collected all the evidence for my report. I could have it done and forwarded to mission control before lunchtime! The adrenaline of the speedy wake-up waned and I could feel the cold coming in again to nip at the tips of my ears. I should get dressed anyways, why not suit up and take a couple hour walk on the surface?

Trotting over to the closet I picked up the under layers off the floor and slipped into them, somewhat glad to feel their tight and warm embrace. At least I wouldn’t freeze anymore! Next I pulled the suit out of the closet and stepped into it, the back magically sealing up as I got comfortable. These suits were a lifesaver, I could still remember my first few missions where we had hard-torso spacesuits with individual legs you had to attach. Now that was a pain, especially in microgravity. The difference between taking twenty minutes and twenty seconds to get suited up could not be over stressed, truly they were an appreciated change. One of the better quality of life things that had come out of R&D in the past few years.

These suits were also much sleeker and lighter in weight, plus came equipped with a number of handy incantations loaded onto their spell matrix. Self-cleaning, automatic repairs for any cuts in the skin or cracks in the glass and the like. They definitely put my mind more at ease, a fear of the ever-crushing, icy vacuum on the other side was one I had once had, but, over my many missions, had gradually pushed to the back of my mind.

I stretched my wings one final time before slipping their covers on and adjusting them a little for maximum comfort. It would be better if we had actual articulated wings, but that would just be too many joints and failure points to be viable. I did feel sorry for some of the other pegasi in the program who were a little more claustrophobic when it came to having their wings bound but, alas, it was just a price you paid to be an astronaut.

Picking up my helmet, I set it on my back and trotted out of my room making my way to one of the equipment supply rooms a few doors down. The lights kicked on as I stepped inside and I quickly perused the lockers and drawers until I came across one labeled “CAMERAS” in obtusely bold letters. I pulled one of the cameras out and stuck it to the left side of my helmet. It magnetized to the side with a click and after I tugged on it a few times to confirm it had adhered properly, I lifted the helmet up to put it on. The helmets required a quarter turn to the left to slot into place, then an equal turn to the right to lock them down.

As I did so I felt the cool rush of purified air brush against my muzzle. The lights on my suit glowed and the HUD on the helmet burst to life showing its standard range of information. Remaining oxygen supply, vitals signs, notes, navigation markers, et cetera. Satisfied everything was in order, I trotted out of the supply room and down the hall to the airlock, ducking inside and waiting patiently for it to cycle.

This was going to be my discovery, my moment to shine, and I was not going to lose heart now. There was work to do. After a couple of seconds a red warning beacon came alive and the doors opposite me slid open. With a deep breath and a confident smile, I set off across the cargo bay and down the ramp, stumbling just a little as the gravity decreased. In another moment I had rounded the ramp and set off on a leisurely bounce across the lunar surface, reaching the trail of hoof prints in no time.

Crouching down on my forelegs I tapped the left side of my helmet, snapping a high-quality photo of the prints with the camera. The still showed in the corner of my HUD for a moment before being whisked away to the helmet’s storage drive. Satisfied I stood up, turned back for one last glance at the ship, then set off across the surface about ten feet abreast of the prints, keen on not disturbing them just yet.

My mind began to wander as I navigated past small craters and rocks, making my way up a small rise overlooking the landing site. What would Azure and Frost think of all this? I mean, Azure would be absolutely elated at the find, probably want to give me a hug too, or multiple. Frost on the other hoof, yeesh. She’d probably be a little upset that she wasn’t the one who discovered them, but that would pass. I’m sure that, soon enough, she’d probably be writing a replacement report for my own with much better detail. She’d always been good at report writing…

I topped the rise and started down the other side as my mind wandered. Hopefully Morning Frost wouldn’t try to claim it as her own discovery, that would suck. I felt a resistance against one of my forehooves and, in an instant, the world spun around me as I tumbled in slow motion down the hill. Coming to a stop sitting upright in a daze at the bottom I looked down at my suit, absolutely coated from head to hoof in regolith.

“Well, shit. That wasn’t fun at all,” I muttered to myself, standing up and looking back at the mess of impact and slide marks behind me. Still, the hoof prints continued in perfect intervals, both down the hill and up the next one in front of me. These must have been from later in Luna’s tenure on the moon. If I had so much trouble learning to walk properly with the help of gripped boots I couldn’t even imagine what bare hooves were like. Not to even mention the fact that regolith was, essentially, a fine glass. It couldn’t have been painless to walk on.

I snapped another photo, shook myself off the best I could, and continued on up the next hill with greater caution. I’d definitely need to run myself over with the dust removal wand when I got back, I was a mess.

And so, I walked, and walked, and walked. Up hills, down others, avoided steep crater walls and small patches of rubble here and there. With no clear way markers, no trees or buildings, no mountains, and no signs, it was hard to stay in a straight line for long. I found myself making quick glances to the compass on my HUD to make sure I was holding a heading. The hoofprints didn’t care, they maintained a perfectly straight course, until they didn’t.

I stopped, getting the lay of the land around me. The hoofprints made a wide arc before climbing a steep incline, maybe more than fifty or sixty degrees. How the princess had scaled it so effortlessly was anyone’s guess. I turned back to look at the ship, but it was obscured by the many hills I had crossed. Gritting my teeth in annoyance I started up the grade, constantly slipping and losing ground, then gaining, and losing it once more as I struggled. The ground here was more rubbly and rocky as the finer regolith turned into scarp, then rocky outcrops of exposed basaltic rock.

I would have to take note of this place, these were some pretty varied samples. Might even be able to take my rock hammer and break some off to take with me. Tiring as I approached the top I mentally decided that this would be the last hill I climbed, then I was going to try and find that crystalline rock. It couldn’t have been far from here based on what I had seen earlier. I might even be able to see it directly from this newfound vantage point.

Heaving myself over the apex of the slope, I yawned and rustled my wings in their covers. Now that was a workout, even in low gravity. Turning myself to the vista I expected to be in front of me, I froze in bewildered silence. At the end of the hoofprints was a large black and blue blob powdered with a gentle dusting of regolith.

Sirens blared in my mind and my chest tightened in response. But contrary to the voices in my head telling me to turn tail and run I instead took a step forward. It perplexed me, what was it? As I drew within a few feet of it I could better discern its shape. It must have been a statue of Luna, It had similar proportions and colorations, not to mention the fact it never moved.

I stepped forward cautiously, bringing myself only a few paces before I could not stomach going any further.. I blinked hard. Maybe I was hallucinating, perhaps running low on oxygen from over exerting myself? A quick peek at my suit’s O2 levels dispelled that notion—I still had just over four hours of oxygen remaining. Raising my left hoof up to the side of my helmet I tapped the camera and it gave off a brilliant flash as it took the photo. Glancing over to the corner of my helmet, I waited patiently for the image to show up. No, I wasn’t hallucinating. Whatever it was was still there, even in the photo.

I chuckled to myself, shaking my head a little. What was wrong with me, why did this have me so unnerved? It was clearly an object. Sure, it was unexpected and strange, but harmless. Unexpected was good, that meant a new and valuable contribution to our understanding of the—

As I looked up from the HUD my mind blanked. My heart raced and every beat thumped like an artillery piece in my eardrums. There, mere paces in front of me, stood a towering figure. Jet-black coat, glittering hoof guards that caught the light of the sun and reflected it with an eerie glow and, upon its chest, was a pearlescent blue peytral emblazoned with the likeness of the moon.

There was movement. My haunches trembled as its vast wings unfurled. I could do nothing as my gaze slowly rose to meet its own. The… thing’s eyes were a vibrant green, slitted and menacing. It wore an armored helmet matching its other attire and from it protruded the longest horn I had ever seen, etched with a spiral pattern and slightly curving backwards. Behind it trailed a vibrant blue-purple mane and tail speckled with stars and constellations that wafted and fluttered on some unseen wind.

It snorted, releasing a cloud of frost which shimmered and glinted as it hung in the air. But what terrified me most was when the corners of its mouth pulled back to reveal a sharp, carnivorous smile. It had large, pearly white fangs and my thoughts quickly jumped to how easily it could crush my neck.

It regarded me for a moment that stretched into infinity and, after that had passed, the monstrous alicorn before me spoke.

* * *

The best hoofprint tracker! [Source]