To the Stars

by Jay David

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Other, Equestria Girls, Spike, Science Fiction, Anthology, Sunset Shimmer, Main 7 (EqG), Twilight Sparkle (EqG)
Length: 34054

In a time of space exploration, Sunset Shimmer leads her crew into the unknown.

Ever since the first vessels managed to reach beyond the planet's atmosphere, Equis has experienced a golden age. United in their desire to learn and explore, the people of this world have reached higher and higher, becoming one of the most promising new players in the great galactic world stage. Into this new era comes Sunset Shimmer, newly-appointed Captain of Equis' latest vessel. With her is her loyal crew, and together, they will go forth and see what wonders, curiosities and dangers the vast reaches of the cosmos has to offer.

Cover art made using Bing.

Published 2023-11-10 05:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-01-19 04:37:03 UTC

First Flight

From the moment Sunset had seen her, she knew she wasn't going to stop smiling. Sure, travelling up into the planet's orbit by shuttle might not have been as quick or efficient as a simple teleport, but as far as the young Captain was concerned, seeing her vessel for the first time was worth it. And it wasn't hard to miss either, being pretty much the only ship moored at the orbital drydock, an enormous, circular construction that normally housed a dozen or so of the fleet. The Phoenix, latest and most advanced ship of Equis. The pride of their people. And she, Sunset Shimmer, had been tasked with being the one who led both it and its crew. It was an honour bigger than anything she'd ever expected to achieve in her life, yet here she was. While it bore largely the same sleek design and predominantly silvery colouring of its older siblings, the Phoenix was not only slightly smaller, but sported light-blue streaks down its side, in stark contrast to the red that was favoured by the rest of their space navy. A number of smaller ships were around it, no doubt completing last-minute adjustments and inspections, but to her eyes, it was perfect. "Well...there she is."

"Indeed," said a voice to her side. Sunset turned, smiling further as she looked to her partner for this trip. Twilight Sparkle, newly-graduated from the Equis Academy of Science, and one of her personally-selected officers for the Phoenix. Like her, she was decked out in the standard uniform of those serving aboard such vessels. A predominantly ultramarine blue outfit covering all except her hands and head. But the difference was in their collars. While Sunset sported a rim of red indicating her role as one of the command staff, Twilight's was a lighter shade of blue, vivid sky to be exact, showing her to be one of the science team. Adjusting her glasses slightly, Twilight looked to her Captain, smirking slightly. "I'm surprised you didn't bring a camera to take a picture."

Sunset chuckled, then pointed to her own head. "No need. I'm gonna remember this moment for the rest of my life."

Twilight smiled back to her, then glanced down to the object she'd been holding. A tech pad, upon which seemed to be all the necessary schematics for the Phoenix. "It's a remarkable ship. I can't see a single part of it that isn't an improvement on the models we've been making before now."

Sunset looked to her slyly. "Sure, she's high-tech, but you've gotta be more excited about this, right? We've made it! We're part of the fleet! You get to finally go out there and see all the things you've been studying!"

Twilight blinked to her, then casually set her pad aside, took a deep breath, then grabbed Sunset by her arms and pulled her closer as she began jumping up and down with joy. "We made it, we made it, we made it, wemadeitwemadeitwemadeit!" Then, after letting her friend go, she cleared her throat, grabbing her pad again and, after quickly blushing, spoke more normally. "I assure you, I am most definitely excited about this."

Sunset, taking a moment to recover, soon regained her smile. "Yeah, I can tell." Then, after just a few seconds, there was a beeping from Twilight's pad. Both girls looked to it, with Sunset rolling her eyes soon afterwards. "Let me guess. Rainbow?"

Twilight nodded. "Yep. Looks like she's pretty impatient to get going."

"Sounds like her," Sunset concurred. "But, there's protocols to follow, and we've gotta go through all the steps before we're cleared to go."

"Well, we'll see to them soon enough," Twilight replied, pointing ahead.

She had the right of it, as the two and their tiny shuttle were soon at their destination, approaching the Phoenix's hangar bay. In less than a minute, the automatic piloting system had taken them through the shield that passed over the entrance of the bay, keeping the air in, before safely landing. With a hiss, the shuttle's doors opened, allowing them to exit. Sunset took a moment to look around, seeing a couple of other shuttles already parked here, as well as various maintenance crews working their trade. However, her attention was soon drawn to a new figure approaching them from one of the many doors that lined the outside of the space. Sunset knew who it was, and so walked alongside Twilight to greet her. Once they were close enough, the new figure saluted. "Welcome aboard, Captain."

Sunset saluted back. "And to you, Communications Officer." After a brief silence, the two laughed together, moving forward and embracing. "Seriously, it's good to have you here, Rarity."

"It is certainly good to be here," the other girl answered. After they separated, she continued. "I'm happy to report that all systems, both long and short-range transmissions, are in top order. We've been testing them all morning, and I assure you that there will be no issues with keeping in-touch with home."

Sunset nodded. "Good. If anything happens out there I don't want to be unable to call for help."

Rarity waved her off. "Oh pish, Sunset. This is just a routine back-and-forth. Go to the edge of the system and return to make sure everything works. I very much doubt anything will happen on such a dull mission."

Twilight raised a finger. "Never underestimate the potential for things to go wrong." Sunset opened her mouth, ready to agree with her friend, only to be halted in her tracks by a loud clanging noise that echoed across the bay. All eyes turned, and there, in the corner of the room, they saw that it was just a toolbox that had fallen from its resting place atop a supply crate. There was nobody close to it, so after just a few moments of staring at it, everybody just shrugged and got back to work, with Twilight giving the toolbox a disapproving glare. "I see somebody's going to have to review proper tool placement procedures."

Sunset glanced from that spot to her two officers and back again before eventually settling on Rarity. "I'm guessing everything else is ready to go?"

Here, Rarity faltered somewhat, looking over her shoulder. "Well...things were ready to go...right until about an hour ago." She sighed. "Our esteemed Chief decided to look over the engines she's responsible for, and felt that there were a few tweaks to make." She paused, but only for a moment. "And then a few more...and a few more, and..."

Sunset raised her hand, understanding. "Message received, loud and clear." After taking a breath, she raised her forearm, upon which was the standard multipurpose bracer of those serving in the fleet. She tapped the screen at its centre to get it going, then spoke into it. "This is Captain Shimmer. Do you read me, Applejack?"

Only a second or two of static passed before she got her answer, as her screen lit up and showed the smiling face of a blonde girl with a few splotches of grease on her cheeks. "Howdy, Sunset! Make it onboard okay?"

Sunset smiled to her. "We did, thanks. Now, a little birdie told me that you've been working on the engines?"

Applejack chuckled. "Ah know, ah know. But y'all can tell Rarity that she ain't got anythin' ta worry about. Ah spent years at the engineerin' corps back home, an' they taught me a few tricks of the trade ta really coax all we can outta machines like this."

Twilight peered over Sunset's shoulder, looking to Applejack's image. "I hope you haven't strayed too far from the regulation specs, AJ?"

Applejack blinked, looked off to the side, then back to the others. "Define...too far."

Twilight winced, imagining all the ways that engine was going to look. Sunset was not as concerned as she was, though there was one notable question that needed to be asked. "The Phoenix will still fly, right?"

Here, Applejack beamed. "An' then some! Yer standin' in the best ship in the fleet, Sunset, an' ah've jus' made her better."

Rarity clasped her hands together as she mulled her friend's words over. "I've known her as long as you have, and trust me, she wouldn't make a claim like that unless she was certain she could back it up."

Sunset nodded to her. "Alright then. We'll be heading off shortly, so make sure it's all where it's supposed to be before we go, AJ."

Applejack saluted. "Ya got it, boss."

And with that, the image flickered before cutting out, leaving the three girls to their thoughts. "Well then," Twilight began. "I suppose we'd better get to the bridge?"

Rarity smiled. "Agreed, Twilight. I've already sent word to the Alpha Outpost, letting them know we're on our way."

Sunset nodded. "Then let's get going. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

So off they went, the three of them together, finally exiting the hangar bay and entering one of the adjacent hallways. There were plenty of new crewmembers here going about their work, or heading off to their assigned stations, and all of them either saluted or stood at attention as Sunset walked by. With a smile still on her face, she was sure to nod in acknowledgement and appreciation to each of them as they did this, prompting a slight smirk on Twilight's part, who then playfully nudged her elbow into Sunset's side. "Think they'll do this every time they see you?"

Sunset groaned briefly at the thought. "I hope not. It'll get old really fast."

However, as they passed one hallway in particular, they stopped at the sound of a familiar, nervous voice. "Oh dear! Do I have it? I know I left it in here somewhere!"

The three looked on as another girl was busy on her knees, looking over what appeared to be a small box of medical equipment that had been dropped to the floor. She was frantically searching for something, and Sunset, spotting a small device just behind where the girl was kneeling, walked over and picked it up before offering it to her. "Looking for this, Fluttershy?"

The girl, who was clad in a mostly white uniform to denote her as part of the medical staff, turned in surprise, then calmed down and smiled as she realised who it was. "Oh, Sunset, it's you." Then, seeing the device that was being offered to her, she accepted it happily. "Yes, thank you, this is it." She then busied herself in collecting everything else that had been spilled from the box, after which she stood up and turned to face her commanding officer. "I guess I was just a bit too eager to get to the medical bay. Tripped and dropped my equipment."

Sunset reached out, patting her on the shoulder in reassurance. "No need to apologise. We're all excited to be here right now."

"Glad to have you with us, darling," Rarity remarked.

Twilight nodded "Any patients we get will be lucky to have you looking after them." Then, she considered her words and giggled nervously. "I mean, not that we want any of the crew to be in need of medical services, but..."

Fluttershy smiled to her. "It's okay, I get it." Then, the looked to Sunset. "So when are we leaving?"

"As soon as I get to the bridge, I guess," Sunset answered.

"Eek!" Fluttershy responded. "Then I'd better get to my station. I don't want any of these things falling over when we launch!" she said, gesturing to her box.

But Twilight, unsurprisingly, was quick to reassure her on that particular count. "Don't worry. These ships are designed to be amble to dampen the usual kinds of turbulence that gets experienced during atmospheric travel." After seeing Fluttershy stare at her nonplussed, she spelled it out more clearly. "It won't shake."

"Oh, good," Fluttershy said with a more relaxed tone.

Rarity then started to look to her with some curiosity. "Fluttershy, I trust you left that rather mischievous pet of yours in the care of your family before coming aboard?"

Fluttershy started darting her eyes left and right, then spoke in a tone that very much indicated she was giving out lines that she'd been rehearsing. "Oh, certainly. I know it's not proper protocol to bring pets aboard these ships, so I left Angel safely with my parents. And you can rest assured that there will be no animal shenanigans at all from him."

Sunset, folding her arms, gave her a piercing look. "You smuggled him aboard and he's now hiding in your quarters, isn't he?"

"...Yes. Yes he is," Fluttershy admitted with slumped shoulders.

Though this was certainly a breach of the usual rules of the ship, Sunset nevertheless softened in her tone shortly afterwards. "Well, it's too late to drop him back off before we go, so I'll let this slide today. But the next time we're back home you have to leave him in your family's care, okay?"

Fluttershy sighed. "Understood."

Though disappointed, the young medical officer perked up again when she suddenly heard the voice of another, that being Rainbow Dash, speaking to all over the ship's speakers. "Just wanted to check in and report...again...that all systems are ready and able to go. Immediately. As soon as I get the word. No idea when that word will be, but here's hoping it's soon."

After having looked up to the ceiling during that announcement, Sunset eventually turned to Twilight. "On a scale of one to ten, how much should I charge Rainbow for insubordination for that one?"

Twilight giggled. "Come on, let's get to the bridge before she decides to up and take off without you."

So, they bid farewell to Fluttershy and let her get off to her station, then proceeded down the hallway, eventually coming across an elevator at the end. Getting inside, Sunset looked to the control panel on the side. "Bridge." There was a brief bleeping sound, followed by a near-silent whirring as the elevator responded to the command. Even with the previously-mentioned dampeners, they could feel the rising of the thing as they ascended up to the requested level, stopping shortly afterwards. With a slight hiss, the doors opened, prompting a smile for Sunset. "And here we are."

Stepping out, she looked to her new bridge. It was a sleek and very advanced-looking place, with a massive viewscreen on the far side. Her command chair was right in the centre of course, encircled on all sides by the stations of various other crew members, all of whom were going about their duties. And there, situated right between her chair and the aforementioned screen, was the pilot's station, at which sat an unsurprisingly impatient-looking Rainbow. "Nice of you to join us."

Sunset shook her head, then walked over to her chair. There was a brief quiet as the looked to the thing, knowing that she was about to take her first moment of truly being in command of the vessel. All watched her, then saw her finally sit upon it. It was comfortable, sure, but to Sunset it just felt right. Like she was meant to be here. Twilight stood beside her, sharing her smile over the important moment. Rarity, meanwhile, was moving over to her own station and began looking through all the various messages the ships was receiving. Sunset, taking a deep breath, looked to her friend. "Any last-minute things we need to take care of?"

Twilight nodded to her. "Just one last thing." She looked upwards slightly. "Begin AI bootup sequence. Authorisation Sparkle alpha three-two-seven."

There was a short while of utter silence, then a series of bleeps and bloops was heard across the bridge. At the end of it all, a new voice, female in its sound, was heard. "AI now in effect. Designation P-N-K-I. Please state your request."

Rainbow leaned back into her chair and smirked. "Imma call her Pinkie."

Twilight frowned. "It's against regulation to try and humanise our tech, Rainbow."

Rainbow shrugged and got back to her station, opening the floor for Sunset to give the request. "Please run a ship-wide diagnostic."

There was another pause, after which the newly-activated artificial intelligence responded. "All systems operational. Mission parameters are to disengage from orbital drydock and head for the system rim. Do you wish to depart?"

"Yes!" Rainbow shouted.

After another bleep, the AI answered. "Apologies, only those of Captain-level clearance may confirm."

Rainbow groaned, much to Sunset's amusement, but before she had a chance to really answer, Rarity interrupted. "Apologies, Captain, but we're receiving a priority signal from Equis."

Sunset raised an eyebrow to her. "Who is it?"

Rarity gave a knowing smile. "It's the Council's frequency."

Sunset, getting the message, smiled back and nodded to her, then turned her attention to the viewscreen. "Well then, put her on."

Rarity nodded back, then pressed a few buttons at her console. All turned as the main viewscreen flickered into life, and it wasn't long before a new image came up. It was that of an older woman who now smiled to all of them. Sunset rose at attention, as did everybody else on the bridge. "Councillor Celestia. How can we help?"

Celestia raised her hand, giving them permission to be at ease. "Nothing official, Captain. I just thought I'd call in to wish you all good luck on your maiden voyage. The Phoenix is a fine ship, and I don't doubt that it's in the best possible hands it could have been in."

Sunset's smile widened. "Thank you, Councillor. We won't let you down."

"I'm sure," Celestia replied. "Now then, I believe you have a journey to undertake, so I shan't take up any more of your time. Safe travels. Celestia out."

Sunset nodded to her just in time for the image to disappear, showing instead the normal sight outside of the drydock they were still connected to. Soon, Sunset realised that everyone on the bridge was looking at her, no doubt awaiting her first command. So, not wanting to keep them waiting any longer, she sat back down in her chair, once more enjoying the feel of it, before looking ahead, pressing a button on her chair's armrest to speak to the whole ship, and announcing her wish to all. "This is Captain Shimmer. Take us out."

Author's Note

My first serious sci-fi story. Enjoy :twilightsmile:

Incident at the Outpost

It was often said, especially by those who were more inclined towards superstition, that it was a bad idea to stare directly into Travel-Space. Though by far the most popular form of long-distance travel, the otherworldly, multicoloured kaleidoscope feel of the experience had left many uneasy and wary, leading to all sorts of speculations. By stark contrast, Sunset rather enjoyed looking at it. Like every graduate of the academies, she had studied this a great deal, but rarely had she experienced it first-hand. Now, here she was, witnessing it through the viewscreen of her very own ship. She smiled as she leaned back into her captain's chair, listening to the sounds of all around her as they went about their respective duties and assignments. Eventually though, she turned to Rarity, who was still reviewing communications logs. "Any word from the outpost?"

Looking back to her, Rarity shook her head. "Alas, no. I told them we were coming, but they haven't responded yet."

Sunset considered that. "Well, we are in a new ship, Rarity. Could it just be something wrong with our side of things?"

Rarity, borderline offended at the implication that any communication tech wasn't pulling its weight, replied. "I assure you, Sunset, everything is in working order. Either their own tech isn't working or they simply haven't bothered to respond."

Looking ahead to the viewscreen again, a small pang of concern started to creep into Sunset, after which she glanced to the other side of the bridge, where Twilight was looking at her own monitors. "How are AJ's adjustments to the engine holding up?"

Looking back to her, Twilight actually seemed pleased to give her report on that front. "Whatever she did to them, they seem to be working just as well as she said. I don't think I've seen speeds like this in any of the simulations."

"Heh, I'll say!" Rainbow remarked from her pilot's chair. "This baby's flying like nobody ever flew before! We'll probably set a record for one of these trips or something!"

Leaning forward, Sunset smirked. "Just don't get too excited, Rainbow. Remember, we're a science and exploration ship, not a racing vessel."

Rainbow shrugged. "Nothing in the rulebook that says we can't be both, right?"

As if on cue, Twilight again turned on her chair, this time looking to Rainbow and pulling a small book from her pocket, which she displayed for all to see. "Actually, for a number of reasons, it is in the rulebook!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes, but while Sunset took a certain degree of amusement from the interaction, her thoughts soon turned to the task at hand, as the voice of the ship's AI chimed in. "Now approaching destination."

Sunset looked up. "Thank you, Pinkie."

Twilight frowned slightly. "I thought we agreed that naming the computer wasn't happening?"

Though a touch uncertain, Sunset eventually mellowed. "Meh, I kinda liked the name idea."

Rainbow snickered under her breath. "Hehe, score one for me."

But, there was a mission to undertake, and so all looked on as the image of Travel Space soon became the regular sight they were used to, that of vast blackness with a myriad of bright stars. They were at the very edge of the Equis system now, and before long their eyes noticed the tiny, shining dot right in the centre of the screen. It was the orbital outpost, the demarcation point beyond which lay the unknown and the alien. Looking to Rarity, Sunset gave a nod, and the former understood the silent instruction, pressing several buttons on her console. After a moment, she turned back to her captain and nodded, giving Sunset leave to start speaking. "Outpost Alpha, this is Sunset Shimmer, Captain of the Phoenix. Since getting here was our first mission, I don't think I'm wrong in saying we're all pretty happy to see you." She waited for a minute to see if she'd get an answer, but after a quick glance to Rarity, who shook her head, the young captain looked again to the viewscreen. "Outpost Alpha, this is Captain Shimmer. Do you read us?"

More silence, and this time Sunset just outright walked over to Rarity's communications desk. "Anything?"

"None," Rarity answered. "They're definitely receiving our message, but nothing's coming back."

"Are they ignoring us?" Rainbow asked with some mild irritation.

Another shake of the head from Rarity. "No, it's not that. It's..." Slowly, her eyes widened, and she turned to her leader. "It's a communications jam!"

It took only a moment to understand what her officer was telling her, and so Sunset rushed back to her chair, swiveling it to Twilight's direction. "What do the scanners say?"

Looking to her monitors, Twilight soon narrowed her eyes. "I'm getting something. A vessel right on the edge of our scopes. I'm not reading any kind of registration."

Sunset showed greater concern than before. "Pirates?"

Twilight looked back to her. "Uncertain."

Again, Sunset turned to the viewscreen. "What's the status of the outpost?"

"It seems it's undamaged, save for the communication block," Twilight explained.

"Wait!" Rarity exclaimed, getting everybody's attention. "I'm getting something. It's garbled, but I think the outpost is getting something to us!"

"Put them up!" Sunset ordered.

Her command was carried out immediately, as the viewscreen now turned to a very static-heavy image. But as the seconds passed, new images began to make themselves known. Figures, human in their shape, becoming clearer and clearer. The voices, however, were still a mess to make sense of. "We...couldn't...need to...got hit...can't track..."

"This is Captain Shimmer!" Sunset called to them again. "What is your status?"

This time, the message was clearer to hear, though the images still suffered from static. "We read you, Phoenix! Everyone here is alright, but we've just been hit. Communications were knocked out by that ship and we've just managed to get it back and running again."

"Who attacked you?" Sunset asked.

"We don't know!" the outpost officer answered. "As soon as they appeared on our scanners, we hailed them. They didn't answer, and instead sent a shot out that rendered us unable to call for help."

A cursory glance at her chair's monitor revealed that they had the right of it. Some small device had indeed been embedded in the side of the outpost, no doubt having been made to inflict some sort of communications malware to their systems. Sunset, taking that information in, nodded solemnly, before looking again to Rarity. "Send word to Command about this." After seeing Rarity nod back to her, she then addressed Rainbow. "Think you can catch up to them?"

Her pilot beamed, looking like she'd been given the best news of her life, and so gave her captain a wink and a thumbs up. "You bet!"

Twilight snapped her head towards Sunset. "Wait! We can't chase them! We're not designed for pursuing criminals and pirates!"

Sunset looked to her. "The rest of the fleet is in the middle of maneuvers on the other side of the system. By the time they'd get here our targets will have escaped. Besides, given how far away they are already, we're the only ship fast enough to catch up to them anyway!"

Twilight grimaced, but eventually sighed, acknowledging her commander's reasoning. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe we can transfer some power from nonessential systems to our weapons. Since, again, we weren't meant for combat, they'll need as much of a boost as we can give them."

Another nod from Sunset. "Alright then." She pressed a button on her chair to address the crew as a whole. "This is Captain Shimmer. Prepare for engagement! This is not a drill! I repeat, prepare for engagement!" Though aware that she'd likely caused a small panic among her crew, she knew she had to let them know what was coming. Taking a breath, she gave her next command. "Rainbnow...do what you do best!"

Cracking her knuckles, the pilot chuckled before getting to work. "Yes, Ma'am!"

Within seconds, they were zipping back into Travel-Space, returning to the brightly-coloured menagerie of images upon their screen. The situation and the mood was tense, but they knew they had to be on their toes for this. They didn't know what they were rushing into, but they also knew that they couldn't allow this attack to go unanswered. It took only a minute for this particular jump to get them where they needed to go, and thus the viewscreen returned to its normal sight of space, with Rainbow pointing straight ahead. "Thar she blows!"

There, right in the centre of the screen, was the offending vessel. From the looks of it, it appeared to be an old, modified cargo freighter, though it was certainly a lot more spry than most models of that type, managing to fly away at a decent speed. "Hail them!" Sunset ordered.

But before Rarity could do so, Rainbow yelled out. "INCOMING!!!"

There was indeed a shot fired from the enemy ship, and Sunset was not going to take any risks as to how strong it was. "Raise shields!"

Her order was carried out swiftly by Twilight, who managed to erect the defensive, yet invisible barrier of the Phoenix just in time. Although, its status as unseen was only until the projective collided with it, at which point where was as rippling effect to indicate its presence. The missile, by contrast, was not so durable, having exploded upon impact. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, feeling grateful that the attack hadn't done anything, but she assumed a more professional stance as Rarity called out to her. "Captain...they are trying to hail us."

Sunset's eyes narrowed, and she considered that for a moment before gesturing to the main viewscreen. "Alright then, let's see what they have to say for themselves."

Rarity nodded, and shortly afterwards the screen changed to that of what had to be the crew of the other ship. The interior looked just as old and patched together as the outside, with the crew looking like they more than suited that kind of environment. By contrast, the man at the centre, a rather well-dressed gentleman with a styled hairdo, smirked as he addressed the Captain. "Greetings, fellow spacefarers!"

His demeanour was friendly, but Sunset knew it was only surface-level. He was putting on a false diplomacy, but even with that in mind Sunset knew she had a duty to remain cordial unless given cause not to. "This is Captain Shimmer of the Equis vessel Phoenix. Identify yourselves and explain your actions."

The man shrugged with fake innocence. "I do apologise, Miss. Our ship is old, as you can tell, and or weapons systems malfunctioned. I do hope nobody aboard your fine ship was hurt?"

Sunset maintained her calm, at least for now. "No harm done. But I ask again, who are you?"

"Ah," the man said. "I am merely a travelling merchant. Far be it from me to take up the time of a commander of the Equis fleet. So, I shan't bother you any longer. My crew and I will simply be on our way."

Naturally, Sunset wasn't having it. "You know, we've just come from a nearby outpost that was recently attacked. And here you are, an unregistered vessel, just a stone's throw away from it."

The man chuckled. "My dear Captain, I assure you, it is mere coincidence that we were in the area. I mean, surely you have no reason to suspect us of foul play?"

"We do now," Twilight called out, getting everyone's attention. "I took the liberty of running your image through the Equis network's database." She got up from her station, pointing straight at him. "You're Doctor Caballeron! A criminal wanted in at least a dozen systems!"

Instantly, Sunset's head snapped back in the direction of the viewscreen, followed shortly by her folding her arms. "And if I recall right, one of the things you've been charged with is smuggling illegal weaponry, such as communication dampeners, yes?"

Caballeron blinked. "Yes...well...we're certainly not up to anything bad now. It's just me and my two crewmen."

"Really?" Twilight asked with skepticism in her voice. "Then why do our readings indicate there are four lifeforms on your ship?"

The man's reaction was instant, and the transmission ended, leaving only the image of his ship, which was now turning away from the Phoenix. Everyone got back to work in just as fast a time, with Twilight taking further readings and relaying them. "They're powering up their engines. If we don't do something now they can get to Travel-Space soon!"

"Weapons?" Sunset asked.

Rainbow looked back to her. "We can fire, sure, bit I don't wanna if there's someone being held prisoner over there."

Sunset nodded. "Agreed. Target their engines. We can at least try to keep them here." Her orders were carried out as soon as she'd said them, and within moments a single stream of blue light shot forth from the forwardmost point of the Phoenix, hitting the opposing vessel in its rear. After a few seconds, the latter ship began to cease its movement, with clear damage to the hind sections. "Report!" Sunset called out.

"No sign of any harm to the lifeforms on-board," Twilight answered. "But they can still fight back if these scans of their weapons are anything to go by!"

"Let em fire if they want!" Rainbow declared. "In case you forgot, their little pot-shots were useless against our shields!"

"Be that as it may, I'd rather not let this fight drag on longer than it has to," Sunset countered. "Twilight was right when she said this ship wasn't meant for battle. If we can bring this to an end quickly, then we should." She quickly glanced around the room. "So, any ideas?"

"I think I might," Rarity announced. When all had turned to her, she explained. "I studied communication blockers like those nasty toys of theirs back when I was training for this posting back home. I know what they do to interfere with a ship's signal systems. And I also know that those same tricks can disable a good deal more than that."

"You think you can hack their ship?" Sunset asked.

"She might," Twilight assured her. That ship they're using? It's a repurposed civilian freighter. Their system protections aren't as good as ours, so they'll be more susceptible to infiltrations."

Nodding to her science officer, Sunset then looked back to Rarity. "Then by all means, bring them down!"

"Heads up!" Rainbow called. "They're not going down without a fight!"

Sure enough, she was right. But this time, the enemy ship wasn't bothering with just sending communication dampeners like they had before. This was a straight-up pulse stream, much like what they themselves had used not long ago. The only exception was that this one was bright red in its colouring. As with the previous attack, it collided with the shield, and while it did not penetrate, there was enough impact to send a slight rumble through the vessel. "Target their weapons!" Sunset ordered.

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Rainbow responded. And so a second burst shot from the front of the Phoenix, hitting the area where the opposing shot had come from. Rainbow smirked and punched the air with delight. "Direct hit! They're not going to do anything to us now!"

Sunset nodded, then looked to Rarity. "How's it coming?"

"Almost...there....and...got it!" the communications officer replied.

Looking ahead, Sunset saw that the effect of her systems tampering was taking effect immediately, with many of the lights on the ship beginning to flicker, as if no longer able to stay alight. Twilight, having been monitoring the situation, turned to her captain. "It worked! Systems are failing all over their ship!"

Sunset frowned. "Life support?"

Twilight sighed. "Yes, that too."

A solemn nod from the young captain, who then pressed a button on her chair's armrest. "This is Captain Shimmer to teleport officers, do you read?"

"Loud and clear, Captain," a voice called back.

"I want everyone on that ship transported off it before it's too late. Send the bridge crew to the brig. As for the one in their hold, send whoever it is to the medical bay for Fluttershy to look them over."

"Understood, Ma'am!"

As soon as the command had been given, Sunset watched as the last of the lights on the ship finally went out. After just a moment, there was a beeping on her armrest to indicate that there was an incoming message, which prompted her to press the button again. "Did we get them?"

"We did," her subordinates replied. "The criminals are secure in the brig.

"And their prisoner?" Sunset asked.

"Um...you might want to head down to the medical bay, Captain. I don't think this is what any of us was expecting."

With a remark like that, Sunset got up from her chair immediately, turning to Twilight. "You're with me."

Twilight followed her commanding officer away from the bridge and towards the elevator they'd arrived on, leaving Rarity as acting commander in her absence. The two stood in silence for a time as they watched the monitor of the elevator, seeing themselves descend further and further into the ship. Eventually, the doors opened again and they began walking down the hallway with haste. Both of them were quiet the whole way, no doubt worried about what state this unknown prisoner was in, given the reactions of those working the teleports. Eventually, they made it to the medical bay and entered, seeing it for the first time. It was a pristine white room filled with all of the medical equipment Fluttershy had been hauling earlier. And speaking of whom, the good doctor was here, turning to them with concern. "Captain!"

"How's the patient?" Sunset asked.

Fluttershy nervously poked the ends of her fingers together. "Well...um...see for yourself."

And so she stood aside, revealing the one in question. Sunset had been fully expecting some bound or injured person now unconscious upon one of the medical beds. What she had not expected however was to find, of all things, an egg. Largely lavender in its colouring with dark purple spots, it was about the size of their heads, now resting gently upon the aforementioned bed. Sunset looked to Twilight, who was equally surprised, before exclaiming their shared sentiment. "What...is this?"

Last of Their Kind

From the moment they had entered the medical bay, they had been in stunned silence. Sunset was standing to the side, staring at the egg intently, quietly satisfied that, if nothing else, they'd rescued an innocent from the clutches of a criminal. Twilight, for her part, was engrossed in her usual scientific curiosity, circling the egg upon the medical bed and scanning it with her bracer device. As for Fluttershy, though she was clearly out of her depth when it came to caring for such a life-form, she nevertheless appeared to be fawning over the as-yet unborn alien. After a while though, Sunset sighed, looking to her chief scientist. "Well, Twilight? What's the verdict?"

Deactivating her bracer, Twilight looked to her captain and offered a small smile. "By all accounts, it appears to be healthy. No signs of any damage to the egg, nor any fluctuations of the life-signs within."

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced to Fluttershy. "And you're certain that this creature is what you said it was?"

Fluttershy nodded with great enthusiasm. "Oh yes! There's no mistaking it! I recognise this little cutie from my zoological studies back home. This is definitely a Drakkon!"

Twilight maintained her smile as she looked to her more medially-inclined friend. "I've heard of them. Humanoid reptilians. No spacefaring, or any technology of any kind, but strong and ferocious." She chuckled briefly. "Rumour has it that they can even breathe fire."

Fluttershy giggled. "Oh. I'm sure that's just embellishment from the early explorers to their world. You know, make their excursions seem more exciting for the books?" She then looked to Sunset. "I hope we'll be heading back to the little one's home soon? I don't think it's good to be away from their parents for too long."

Sunset smiled back to her. "Don't worry, I've already send word to the bridge. We're heading to planet Volcanus as fast as we can." She then re-focused her attention on the egg. "We've also received a return signal from the rest of the fleet. Another ship will meet us there to take Caballeron and his crew off our hands."

Fluttershy placed her hands upon her hips and let out a huff of disapproval. "Hmph! Serves them right for being so mean!"

"Especially since we can now add 'poaching' to their list of crimes," Twilight remarked.

Sunset nodded in agreement. "Don't worry. They're secure in our hold. They're not going anywhere."

Before anybody could say anything else, Sunset's own bracer started beeping at her, causing her to raise her forearm and press one of the buttons upon it. As soon as she did, she heard the familiar voice of Rarity speaking to her. "Captain. We're approaching Volcanus now."

"Good," Sunset responded. "The egg seems to be in good health, so as soon as we're in range we need to arrange a teleport to send it and a team to the surface to return it to its parents."

There was a brief pause after that before Rarity responded. "Captain...you might want to come to the bridge. There's been...a problem."

The tone of her voice made it clear that this was something requiring her attention immediately. So, without a word, Sunset turned and left the medical bay, leaving the egg in the care of Twilight and Fluttershy. She set a good pace, heading straight back to the elevator she'd used to come down to this level to begin with. Entering, she set it to return her to the bridge, and her concern rose with every moment of the ascent. Before long, she was back, Rarity rising from the captain's chair to yield it back to her. "What's happened?" Sunset asked.

Rarity looked quite upset about something, then turned away from her, gesturing to the main viewscreen. Sunset followed her gaze, seeing that there was an image of a planet just ahead of them. She knew it was Volcanus, even without being told, as the world seemed to fit the general description of what she'd heard about it. Heavy volcanic activity, leading to many bright patches of red and orange all over the surface of the world. How any life could survive there, let alone originate there, was beyond her. But that wasn't the issue, as Rarity soon informed her. "As soon as we got close enough, we began scanning the planet. We wanted to see where there was a large enough concentration of life to try and predict where the egg needed to be delivered to."

Sunset nodded. "Did you find anywhere in particular?"

Rarity seemed unable to say the words, but eventually steeled herself to do so. "Captain...Sunset...there's nobody."

Sunset was, at first, unsure of what her communications officer was telling her. But then, a creeping feeling of dread began to set in for her. "Wha...what do you mean there's nobody?!"

"I mean there's nobody!" Rarity repeated, again gesturing to the planet. "We've done a sweep of the entire surface, and from what we can tell there's no life down there. Not even any tiny microbes!"

Rainbow, turning in her chair, gave Rarity a dark look. "Rares...give her the really bad news."

A long sigh escaped Rarity, and she nodded to her cohort, then offered a data pad to her captain. Sunset reluctantly took it, knowing she wasn't going to like what she saw there. Sure enough, her eyes widened, eventually becoming a look of horror upon her whole face as she took in the information that had been given to her. "...Atmospheric changes?"

Rarity nodded, quietly clasping her hands together. "From what we can tell, there have been a number of recent alterations to the planet's air. Too many for life to be sustainable." As before, she looked to the now-dead world of Volcanus. "Whatever chance that world had of supporting life...it's gone forever."

Sunset's grip on the pad tightened, and her teeth clenched. "The Drakkons...suffocated to death."

"Down to the last child," Rainbow added with uncharacteristic sadness in her voice.

Rarity shook her head. "I cannot even imagine what could have caused such changes so quickly."

Slowly, Sunset gave the pad back to Rarity, then cast her a serious look. "Rarity...I want you to send me all the files and records we were able to get off Caballeron's ship, then send them to my bracer as soon as you get them."

Confused, Rarity watched her commanding officer turn and head back to the elevator. "But...why?"

Looking back to her, Sunset scowled. "Because I can imagine what happened." And that was all she said to her before the doors of the elevator closed. "Brig!" she commanded, prompting yet another instant response from the device. This time, she felt herself descending deeper into the ship rather than rising, and as she did, her mid raced with fury and disgust. Feelings she knew were going to be shared by all of her crew before long. Soon, the doors opened, and she marched with renewed purpose down the new hallways towards the most secure part of her vessel. The officers on either side of the doors there saluted, but this time she said nothing to them as she entered. There they were, Caballeron and his crew, safely secured behind a forcefield within the small inlet that served as she ship's brig. They looked to her as she approached, and once she was barely an inch from the field, she said what she needed to. "You killed them!"

Cabelleron, for his part, just looked at her as though he were bored. "I'm a career criminal, Captain. So I'm afraid you'll need to be a touch more specific than that."

Sunset's frown deepened. "Volcanus!"

Slowly, the so-called doctor nodded. "Ah, yes, terrible incident. Good thing I got the egg out when I did, wouldn't you say?"

"You expect me to believe that you, a known criminal, had nothing to do with this? That, what, you just happened to be in the neighborhood?" Sunset retorted in an understabably accusatory tone.

"I most certainly was!" Caballeron insisted. "And besides, what evidence do you have to suggest otherwise?"

A beeping on Sunset's wrist alerted her to her previous request to her bridge crew, and she spent the next few moments looking over the new information that had been sent to her. Every passing second caused her greater rage, and before long she resumed her interrogation. "We've just been through your files, Doctor."

Caballeron almost looked offended. "I say, Captain! Is it standard procedure for officers of the Equis Navy to violate one's privacy like that?"

Sunset cared not for his faux sense of victimhood, instead continuing. "Your cargo manifest shows that your ship had a number of devices usually reserved for the purposes of terraforming uninhabitable planets."

Caballeron shrugged. "Perhaps I did. I move so much cargo around it's hard to keep track of sometimes."

Sunset paused before speaking again. "Including technology created specifically...for changing the atmosphere."

Here, her prisoner looked right at her. "If you're looking to coerce me into some kind of confession, you're wasting your time. I am completely innocent of any wrongdoing here."

The gall of this man was hard to stomach, but it soon tuned out that Sunset wasn't going to be the one who would make any kind of progress with him. For at that moment, the doors of the brig opened, and Sunset turned to see that it was, to her surprise, Fluttershy. But, unlike how she last saw her, her chief medical officer had a fire in her eyes she had never encountered before. A fury unmatched, by even herself. The new arrival marched straight up to the forcefield and, to Sunset's further shock, pressed the buttons on the side that led to their deactivation. Before any of them had a chance to question her, she walked right into the cell, grabbed Caballeron by his lapels, then hoisted him up and slammed him against the rear wall of the chamber. "MURDERER!!!"

Instantly, the other two criminals backed up into their respective corners of the cell, utterly terrified of this new arrival who was lifting up their boss like it was nothing. As for Caballeron himself, he too was unnerved by this, but not so much as to be unable to plead. "Captain! Are you really going to let one of your crew treat a prisoner this way?!" After waiting for a moment, and getting naught but silence from the young woman in question, he called out a second time. "Captain?!"

"I'm thinking," Sunset assured him.

On Fluttershy's side of things, her anger was not fading, and she glared angrily at him, staring right into his eyes as though trying to get to his very soul. "Everything on that planet! Gone! Because of you! Why?!"

Heartbreak and rage were mixed in her tone, but it was undoubtedly the latter which Caballeron was focused on right now. He'd likely been in dangerous situations before, given his particular line of work, but this looked like it was the first such instance where he genuinely feared for his life. As such, his terror finally cracked his earlier, confident façade, and Sunset saw, to her amazement, that he now started confessing. "Alright! I admit it! I did it! I let loose the atmospheric converters down there!"

The admission was all Sunset needed, but Fluttershy wasn't done, and she pulled him back from the wall slightly before aggressively forcing him back to it. "Why?!" She asked again, her grip tightening.

"For the money!" Caballeron blurted out. "A Drakkon egg is valuable! Really valuable! But I got to thinking, how to make it more so?!"

Both of Sunset's hands clenched into fists. "You wiped them out...ended an entire race...just so you could make this one egg...a collector's item?!" Caballeron said nothing, merely nodding frantically to answer her. Sunset, in just that one moment, actually considered letting Fluttershy do what she wished to this appalling man. But, her years of training eventually won out, and she sighed heavily before stepping forward, placing her hand upon her friend's shoulder. "Fluttershy...he's not worth it." When Fluttershy didn't look back to her, she continued. "We have all we need. He's probably going to spend the rest of his life locked up on Hades. He'll never hurt anyone ever again."

She could only imagine what was going on in her shipmate's head right now, but soon, her words had finally gotten through to her, as Fluttershy gradually set the man down. She turned, not even looking to Sunset, who watched her go and leave the brig altogether. Afterwards though, her stern expression returned, and she again regarded Caballeron and his men, the latter two helping their employer up from the ground after Fluttershy had released him. After just a moment, Sunset reactivated the forcefield, leaving the three men to themselves, before heading off after her friend. She didn't have to walk far, as it seemed that Fluttershy was just standing there in the hallway, just a short distance from the brig. When Sunset approached her, she turned, revealing the tears that were streaming down her face, her voice wobbling. "All those Drakkons...their children..."

Sunset nodded. "I know. But...the man who did it will never know freedom again. He'll never do something like this to anyone else."

Fluttershy held herself, looking away again. "That's...not enough."

"...No," Sunset concurred. "It probably isn't."

Before their conversation could continue, a beep on Sunset's bracer alerted her to an incoming transmission. Holding up her forearm, the captain awaited the message, which, by the sound of things, was being sent down to her by Rainbow. "The Camelot has just pulled up, Sunset. They're here for the prisoners."

Sunset nodded, then frowned again as she looked over her shoulder. "Acknowledge their request, then lower our shields so they can teleport them from our brig to theirs."

"Will do, Captain," Rainbow answered.

Lowering her arm again, Sunset awaited the distinct sound of a teleport from the other side of the brig's doors, as did Fluttershy. The somewhat high pitch of the technology was distinct even outside of the room, and before long it was over, with both knowing that those three men were no longer aboard their vessel. Nodding, Sunset again spoke into her bracer. "Send them a copy of all of the files we've gathered on this whole thing. Make sure Captain Armour knows exactly what Caballeron has done."

"With pleasure, Ma'am," Rainbow replied.

With that, the transmission cut out, leaving only the silence of Sunset and Fluttershy alone in that hallway together. The captain had no idea what to say to her friend and subordinate, and truly what possibly could have been said to make this any better? But, before Sunset herself had the chance to say anything, Fluttershy beat her to it. "Things are supposed to be better now." Slowly, she turned to look Sunset in the eye. "Fighting and killing and people doing terrible things for greed...we've supposed to have grown past that. How? How can these bad things still be happening?"

It was a fair question, and one that Sunset herself struggled to answer. But then, as she dwelt on it, a new thought came to her, and a small smile crept onto her lips. "Once, when I was learning at the Academy, I had a favourite teacher. Everything she said, I listened to. She was an inspiration to me, and I've tried to live up to the example she set for me." Fluttershy, though perhaps knowing who she was referring to, stayed quiet and let Sunset continue. "One day, after a class had ended, I went to her and I asked a question that had been bothering me for a time. Why do we still make ships with weapons when wars and violence are supposed to be behind us?" Sunset's smile widened slightly. "She smiled to me and told me that there will always be people out there who do not think like us. That, despite all of our great hopes for how the world should be, we must always be ready for when we encounter those who do wrong." She glanced to their side. "It is disappointing, she'd say to me, that those who harm are forever out there. But we can always make sure that there are others, like us, who will never be that way. Who will always strive to be better. Or, failing that, to stand in the way of those who don't."

Fluttershy had listened carefully, taking in everything that had been said to her. After a while, she looked down to her hands, where she'd been twiddling her thumbs. "If men like Caballeron are who we're going to meet out here...how do we cope? What makes it worth it?"

Before Sunset had the chance to answer, another beeping on her wrist alerted her to a further message. This time, it came through without her prompting. "Sunset! Fluttershy! I need you back at the medical bay!"

It was Twilight's voice, and the two knew there was only one thing she could have been referring to. So, they sped off as fast as their legs could carry them, past the hallway, into the elevator, and commanding it to take them back to the appropriate floor. They charged out, nearly knocking over another crewmember in the process, before again arriving at the bay. And here, they stood, stunned, at the sight before them. The egg on the medical bed had burst open, with shards of eggshell all over the floor. As the girls' eyes drifted to Twilight, they saw the source of this. A tiny, lavender reptile, with green bumps along its back, curled up in her arms, even letting out a yawn. Twilight looked to the two, having no idea what to say, instead just glancing down at the newborn she was carrying. Fluttershy, naturally, looked completely enamoured with this new life that had come into their lives, approaching carefully and looking down to the diminutive Drakkon, whom she could now tell was male. Sunset followed her, and after a long silence, the Phoenix's captain looked to her pink-haired friend and gently placed her hand upon her shoulder. "This, Fluttershy. This is what makes it worth it."

Chaos

Given recent events, it was no surprise that Sunset had slept heavily, with her eyes only slowly opening once her alarm went off. Letting out a loud yawn, she begrudgingly got out of her bed, clad in her usual, purple pajamas. After giving herself a standard morning stretch, the young Captain finally stood up, glancing around her quarters. Since they were still in the depths of space, it was only natural that the place was completely dark, and so she sighed before speaking. "Pinkie...some light please."

"Acknowledged," the ship's AI answered.

Slowly, the light levels rose until she could actually make out the stuff in her room. After just a moment, she walked over to the wall closest to her, wherein there was an inlet with a computer panel beside it. After stopping there and thinking things over, she smiled slightly. "One coffee please. And a hot one too." Within seconds, the aforementioned panel began bleeping to her, and after that there was a multicoloured eminence from within the inlet. There, just as she'd requested, was a cup of hot coffee, which she smiled to before taking it and enjoying her first sip of the morning. "Ah! Fabricators. Gotta love em." Then, after moving over to a chair by her window, she sat, glancing out at the beautiful starry sights beyond, before speaking up again. "Pinkie. What's on the agenda for today?"

"A communique from Equis Command. A routine inspection of the engines. Meeting with senior staff. Scans and exploration of nearby nebula," Pinkie replied.

Sunset nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. "After everything we've been through since leaving the dock, I'll be happy for a standard day like that." Then, she snapped her fingers. "Oh! Remind me to check up with Twilight later I'll need to see how our newest crewmember's getting on since he hatched."

"Acknowledged," Pinkie said.

Then, after taking a moment to sit back and enjoy the peace of the moment, Sunset took a third sip of her coffee. But this time, something was wrong. The taste of her drink had completely changed. Not bad exactly, but a flavour that caught her completely off-guard. Pulling the cup back from her lips, she stared at it for a time before giving it a quick sniff. "Is that...chocolate milk?" Shaking her head, she rose from her chair, heading straight back to the fabricator, after which she pressed some further buttons. "I think there's been a mistake. I'm pretty sure I asked for coffee."

"A simple 'thank you' would have been appropriate," the fabricator replied.

Sunset, for a long time, stared at it, then slowly backed away before picking up her bracer, which had been resting on a nearby table. After attaching it to her wrist, she spoke into it. "Um, Applejack? Not to worry you or anything, but I just got some backtalk from my fabricator. Have you been tinkering with the ship's systems again?" After a short moment where there was no response, she frowned. "Applejack? You there?"

There was a brief bout of static, after which Sunset could finally hear the voice of her friend. Unfortunately, what she heard was not so ocmforting. "Won thgir ywercs adnik era sgniht. Tesnus, yrros."

Sighing, Sunset ceased with her message, instead raising both hands to her temples to rub them. "Okay, so this is the kind of day I'm gonna have today." Realising that things were amiss on her ship, Sunset got to work, first heading over to an adjacent room to get changed and then, after making sure her appearance was in proper order, leaving her quarters. The moment she did, she understood the full scope of what was going on. Because in every direction she turned, she saw something odd going on. Crewmembers walking on the ceiling instead of the floor. Potted plants appearing out of nowhere and floating on past her. Some crew even just walking backwards and speaking in reverse, much like what Applejack had done. One guy even seemed to have had his head replaced with a kettle, and the steam he let out made it very clear how unhappy he was about that. Alarmed, Sunset rushed down the hallway, ignoring the fact that some of it seemed to be changing from sterile metal to desert to jungle to frozen tundra with every passing moment. Eventually, she got to an elevator. "To the bridge!" she commanded.

"What's the password?" the elevator system replied.

"...Is every device I use going to give me trouble?" Sunset asked.

"Probably," the elevator conceded.

After another sigh, Sunset shrugged her shoulders. "...Please?"

"Nnnnnnope," the elevator replied, clearly amused.

"Open sesame?" Sunset tried again.

"Nada."

"Okay, can I get a hint?" the captain requested.

"Hmmmmm...What's black and white and red all..."

"Newspaper," Sunset answered immediately.

"That one's on me, I set the bar too low," the elevator admitted to themselves.

Thankfully, that was enough to get the job done, as there was an instant ding sound before Sunset felt the familiar sensation of the elevator rising. Before long, she was where she needed to be, the bridge, and understandably all of her crew there were frantically working at their stations trying to make sense of what was going on. "Report!"

Rarity, eternally grateful that her commanding officer was finally here, got up from her station to meet with her. "Oh thank goodness you're here, Sunset! Things have been absolute mayhem today!"

"How long has this nonsense been going on?" Sunset enquired.

"About an hour," Rainbow called back to her, while struggling to get her console to stop moving the ship about randomly.

Placing her hands upon her hips, Sunset looked back to Rarity. "Why didn't anybody call me?"

"Sorry, Captain. But messages through the ship haven't exactly been cooperative this morning," Rarity explained.

Sunset nodded, understanding. "I get it. I had that same trouble with Applejack earlier." Again, she looked around, and it took all of her willpower to ignore the fact that one of her bridge crew seemed to be sporting a pair of elephant trunks where their ears should have been. "Any ideas?"

"None!" Rainbow explained. "One minute we were heading to that nebula, the next, bam! Suddenly every weird thing you could imagine was happening!"

"Well we must have encountered something to make all this start!" Sunset reasoned. "Any unusual readings, or maybe some ships in the area that might be responsible?"

"Nothing of the sort, I fear," Rarity replied. "From what we can gather we're in a perfectly ordinary part of space with perfectly ordinary things going on. There's simply no explanation for what's occurring."

"I know! And isn't it so much better?" The new voice took all of them aback, and they turned to see, sitting at one of the workstations of the bridge, was a person that none of them actually recognised. From the general appearance, it seemed to be a young woman about their age, with short white hair. But as she turned in her chair, her general appearance became clearer. Though clad in the same uniform as the rest, there was no mistaking that this was no crewman. Her aforementioned hair was long enough at the front to cover one eye, her skin was grey and she was sporting a single fang on one side of her mouth. Her eyes, which were bright yellow with red pupils, looked to all of them before the stranger started smirking. "Well? Anybody gonna say 'thank you' to me for livening up the day?"

Instantly, Rainbow got up from her station, pointing her bracer at the intruder and powering up its weapon. "You! Identify yourself!"

Getting up from the chair, the newcomer looked to the angry pilot with amusement, then gave a sweeping bow. "Of course. Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself." Only after standing tall again did she actually do so. "I am Eris. And you, my dear, new friends, are the brave crew of the Phoenix." She clapped her hands together. "Introductions over."

Rainbow frowned, then glanced to her captain. "Permission to detain this crazy alien, Ma'am?"

But Sunset raised her hand to her pilot, trying to keep things peaceful, before stepping closer to Eris. "I am Captain Sunset Shimmer. On behalf of the peoples of Equis, I offer you greeting."

Many on the bridge looked to her with confusion, but also recognised that her role called for diplomacy when meeting new life forms. Eris, for her part, merely chuckled. "Wow, those protocols really are hammered into you guys, huh?" Raising her hand, Eris snapped her fingers, and in a bright flash of light, she had disappeared. Everyone looked around frantically to see where she had gone, but it was only when she spoke again that they could pinpoint her. "So, you've all seen some of my starter works. But I'd be pretty keen to get some constructive criticism." They all turned to see her, and now she was clad not in a mimicry of their uniforms but an outfit of her own. A brown, fur garb that stretched from her neckline down to her thighs. "I mean, I could try twisting the ship itself into a pretzel, how about that?"

Realising that they were dealing with a weight class far above their own, Sunset knew caution had to be used here, and so silently urged Rainbow to lower her weapon. The pilot did so, though reluctantly, and the captain cleared her throat before speaking to the intruder a second time. "Miss Eris? We are a ship of exploration. We are here to learn about what's out there in the vast reaches of space. We've never encountered one like you before, so we would be honoured if you could teach us more about yourself."

Eris looked to her for a time, then rolled her eyes. "Really? You get a free pass to spend time with a nigh-omnipotent Discordant, and you use it for educational purposes? Wow, you must be an absolute riot at parties," she said with clear sarcasm.

Luckily, Sunset was a touch more savvy than the alien gave her credit for, and so smirked slightly. "So, your people are the 'Discordant' you say? Very helpful."

Recognising that she'd let something slip, Eris was taken aback, but only briefly, as she soon pointed to Sunset and cackled. "Oh! Ohohohoho! You're gonna be a fun one!"

Rainbow, not having the same tolerance for such shenanigans as her commanding officer, stepped forward with an angry look about her. "Did you just come to our ship to mess with us?! Because that is not cool!"

Everyone looker to her, worried about what Eris might to in retaliation to such a remark. Thankfully, she seemed unconcerned. "Well, things get kinda samey in my realm. When you have a whole race of people like me who do random stuff for funzies, it tends to get...what's the word...dull?" She clapped her hands together. "So, I got to thinking. Why not come out here? Sow a little mischief in the mortal plane?"

Sunset blinked to her. "So...you're here...for a vacation?"

Eris thought on that, tapping her chin with her finger, before shrugging her shoulders and putting on an innocent smile. "Yep! Pretty much!"

As it began to set in for the crew that they were dealing with a rogue of some sort, Rarity, stepping closer, waved her hand slightly so as to get Eris' attention. When the young Discordant looked to her, the communications officer asked the natural question that was one everybody's minds. "Pardon me for asking, Miss Eris. But you mentioned your realm. May I ask where that is, exactly?"

Having tried to get away from that place, Eris was naturally unenthusiastic about talking about it. Yet, there was no harm in answering, so she did so. "You don't need me to describe it or name it. You guys go through it all the time."

Rainbow, hearing that, folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure we'd remember meeting somebody like you before now."

Eris chuckled. "Really? You never wondered if your so-called 'Travel-Space' was anything more than a convenient highway for you?"

Everyone stared at her, stunned into silence. Even Rainbow, as irritated as she was with this whole debacle, couldn't get a response out in the face of a revelation like that. Sunset, by contrast, actually was able to get a few words out. "There...are are people in Travel-Space?" After waiting for Eris to nod to her to confirm what she'd said, she continued, looking away from the intruder as she did so. "I mean, it was always speculated that there might be some form of life in there. But we never had confirmation about it!"

Eris shrugged. "Of course not. You know as well as I do that you squishy, flesh-and-blood types can't last in there outside of your ships. One second in all that and poof, you're scattered into atoms!"

Rarity looked to her with curiosity. "Flash and blood types? Do you mean to say that you are not?"

Eris glanced back to her, smirking again. "Correct! We're energy and light and power and all that jazz. What you're seeing now is just what I decided to wear today." She thought on that for a moment. "If you actually saw a Discordants natural form, your eyeballs would probably pop."

Realising that she needed to act quickly before the visitor decided to get any ideas from that notion, Sunset hurried a response. "So...erm...is there anything else you can tell us about your people? We're all ears here."

Eris seemed completely uninterested in attending a question-and-answer session, but before she could officially refuse the request, her expression hanged. Suddenly, she seemed worried about something, and turned her attention away from the crew and towards the ceiling. Many others looked there to see what she was staring at, but there was nothing. Then, to their slight confusion, she started talking, though to who they couldn't say. "Yes...yes, I know you said not to come, but I was just trying to have some fun! You remember fun, right?" Sunset's instincts kicked in, and she understood that Eris was communing with her fellows back home. So, stepping back slightly, she allowed the conversation to carry on. "Yes, yes, alright, I'll put it all back the way it was, stop worry about it!" Then, she frowned. "Hey! I only cause that black hole one time!" Rather expectedly, that remark caused no end of concern for the crew, but again they said nothing as Eris looked back down to them, letting out a sigh. "Okay, change of plans. Looks like I've gotta go back home."

"No, please, we'll miss you so much," Rainbow remarked with sarcasm so thick you could be hit in the face with it.

Eris, thankfully, ignored her, then raised her hand again before snapping her fingers. There was a slight rumbling through the ship, after which she clapped her hands together again. "There we go! All back where it's suppose to be!"

Sunset opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the crewman from earlier whose ears had been turned into trunks. "Oh! I can hear again!" He turned in his chair, then looked on in shock at the sight of Eris. "Hold up...we have an intruder!"

Everyone stared at him, and after he silently got the message that he'd missed out on a bit, he sheepishly got back to his chair. Sunset, shaking her head slightly, looked back as Eris spoke up again. "Well, this has been fun. Love to do it again one day, but I gotta go."

Though relieved that such a disruption to her ship was departing, an idea suddenly popped into Sunset's head. One she knew she couldn't let go without at least trying. "Wait!" she called. Eris was surprised, as was everyone else, but Sunset quickly composed herself. "Your people have great powers in this realm, yes? You can do whatever you like?"

Eris took on a smug look. "You name it, we can do it!"

Sunset hesitated, but only for a moment. "Can you...undo the genocide of the Drakkons? Bring them back?"

Immediately, the mood on the bridge became quiet and solemn, and even Eris, boisterous as she had been, suddenly started looking awkward. "Ooh. That's...yeah...I can't do that." Understanding that the humans needed more than that, she explained. "I know I probably gave the impression that my kind can do whatever, but we sort of have a few rules. And big ones at that." She looked right at Sunset. "The biggest of all? Don't mess with life and death. We don't kill and we don't bring back those who've passed."

Holding herself, Sunset looked away. "I see...thank you."

Her tone had been a reserved one when she said that, and Eris glanced around the room, seeing the disappointed looks on everyone's faces. "Well," she began. "That definitely killed the mood."

Finally, she snapped her fingers, bathing herself in another bright flash, after which she was gone completely. In her wake was silence as everyone looked to their captain. Nobody said anything, unsure of what would even be appropriate to say to her. Then, after taking a deep breath, Sunset assumed a more professional demeanour, looking to Rarity. "I need you to send word to Equis Command. Tell them what's happened and what we've learned here today." Then, she looked to Rainbow. "Contact every department of the ship. Make sure everything's fine." She turned, heading back to her chair, then sat upon it before staring out at the sight of stars on the viewscreen.

Though Rarity would have usually carried out her captain's orders immediately, this time she waited for a moment, moving closer to her friend and looking to her with worry. "Sunset?"

Sunset herself didn't look to her, instead just continuing to stare out at space. "I just...I had to ask."

Rarity nodded, understanding. Then, she got back to her console, taking a moment to calm herself before speaking in her usual tone. "Pinkie. Prepare long-range communication to Equis Command."

"Okie-dokie, Loki!" the AI replied.

All slowly turned to Rarity's console, with the communications officer staring silently at her screen before realising, along with everybody else, that their recent visitor likely left them with an unexpected parting gift. "Oh...oh dear."

The Runaway

Now, given that they were a scientific vessel, meant for study and exploration, it came as no surprise that there would eventually be a day when they had to do something that some on their ship would consider dull or even outright boring. Today was just such a day, as the Phoenix was tailing an asteroid, at least as large as their ship if not more so. They'd picked it up on their scanners a while back and had been following it ever since, taking as many readings as they could. The size, its composition, the speed it was travelling at and so on. Every minute detail about the rock was being documented, and for a certain pilot, that was not exactly the most thrilling of activities. "So...I'm hoping someone's gonna tell me something cool about this thing at some point," Rainbow remarked.

Twilight, adjusting her glasses as she turned in her chair, smiled to her fellow crewman, oblivious to the monotony she was experiencing. "Oh, certainly! If these readings are to be believed, that asteroid has an iron quantity at least twenty percent higher than other asteroids of that size. This could be a new record!"

Rainbow blinked to her, then rolled her eyes. "Wow, more iron than other asteroids. Good for them," she replied sarcastically.

Sunset smiled to her pilot. "I know these aren't exactly the most glamorous of assignments, Rainbow, but there's always value to be had with them."

Rainbow looked to her with scepticism. "Name one."

Instantly, Sunset gave her answer. "Well, if we're able to learn details like the asteroid's speed, flight patterns and so on, we'll know if there's a risk to any local inhabited planets. That foreknowledge could help us prepare them for the impact, or even evacuate them if the worst should come to it."

After a brief bout of embarrassment, Rainbow cleared her throat. "Yeah...well...I guess that's important."

Sunset was rather pleased with herself for schooling her eager pilot about the importance of their missions, but she had little time to really enjoy that feeling as her attention was soon drawn to Rarity. It was, by no means, an unusual thing to see her hard at work at her station, listening in on all the various signals and broadcasts they could pick up out here. Yet something in particular seemed to be gripping her attention more than usual today. After a while, the captain finally bit. "Rarity? Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," the communications officer replied. "I keep getting tiny bits and pieces. It's not some degraded message, it's definitely something recent. But there's a lot of interference for some reason."

Twilight looked over to her. "Probably our proximity to the asteroid. There's so many minerals and the like in there that us being close to it is going to hamper messages in or out of the immediate area."

Rainbow smirked to her. "Shall we add that to the list of things we've learned about it?"

Twilight smirked back, but while Sunset did appreciate the somewhat reconciliatory exchange between them, Rarity's concern weighed on her. After a while, she glanced up to the ceiling. "Pinkie. Anything you can do to clear things up?"

"You got it, boss!" the now-chipper AI replied.

Twilight raised an eyebrow to her commander and friend. "Should we be more worried about the fact that our ship has a personality now?"

Thinking on that, Sunset gave a small shrug. "I say we play it by ear."

After a moment of waiting, there was a bleeping sound, followed by Pinkie speaking up again. "Wow, that was a doozy! But you can probably make things out better now, Rarity!"

Though still uncertain about the new way the computer was talking to her, Rarity nevertheless maintained that famous politeness of hers. "Thank you, dear." Listening in for a few seconds on that same signal, Rarity's eyes widened, and she span in her chair to look to Sunset. "It's a distress call!"

Immediately, the mood on the bridge changed, and Sunset took on a look of utter seriousness as she focused her gaze straight ahead at the viewscreen. "From who? And where?"

Rarity turned to her panel again. "Getting it up now."

After pressing a few more buttons, she looked on along with everyone else at the aforementioned viewscreen, which now flickered to life. Now, they looked at the image of what was clearly the cockpit of a small vessel, though what, they couldn't say. Piloting it was, to their surprise, a young man. Far younger than any of them, with short blue hair, clad in a predominantly brown outfit. He was looking panicked, pressing buttons frantically. "Hello?! Is anyone out there?! My name is Gallus! I need help!"

Getting up from her chair, Sunset stepped forward. "This is the Phoenix! We read you, Gallus!"

The boy's head jerked towards her, though his eyes squinted. "I can hear you, but my image screen's busted. Can you help me?"

"What's your situation?" Sunset asked.

Gallus glanced around, as if worried about something, then took a breath before speaking what was on his mind. "I...I need asylum. Please!"

That certainly wasn't what they were expecting to hear, but Sunset could feel the fear in his voice, and so looked to her pilot. "Rainbow, take us out from the asteroid. Find that ship!"

"You got it!" Rainbow replied.

Twilight, though disappointed that they were abandoning their scientific mission, nevertheless got to her own work, glancing at her scanners, which now lit up after they were far enough away from said asteroid. "Captain! I'm getting a reading! He's not too far from us!"

Sunset nodded to her, then looked back to Gallus. "We'll be with you as fast as we can! Just hold on!" Gallus seemed relieved, opening his mouth to say something. Sadly, he was unable to do so, as there was a sudden, violent shaking of the image, wherein he yelped with pain. The screen blacked out, and Sunset stepped forward, concerned. "Gallus!"

Rarity, looking to her own screen, shook her head. "It's no use, Sunset!" The message has cut out!"

Rainbow, frowning, began to put even more vigour into her piloting. "That's it! I'm giving her all she's got!"

They all knew that the message wasn't far enough to warrant using Travel-Space, and as such, Rainbow put the Phoenix at her top speed, so much so that there was actually a slight shaking throughout the vessel, even in spite of the dampeners that were supposed to prevent such a thing. Naturally, this caused Sunset to receive a message from her Chief Engineer, whose voice was now calling to her through her bracer. "What in tarnation's goin' on up there?!"

Sunset spoke back into her forearm. "A distress call. There's a kid out there in danger and we need to get to him."

That was all Applejack needed to hear, and after a brief pause, she spoke again. "I'll coax as much outta these engines as ah can give ya!"

With that, her message ended, but it was here when Sunset realised that there was a second crewmate she needed to speak to, and so pressed another button on her bracer. "Bridge to medical bay. You read me, Fluttershy?"

"Loud and clear, Captain!" The doctor replied.

"Get ready," Sunset warned her. You're probably going to have a patient shortly."

"Understood," Fluttershy answered before cutting out.

Taking a breath, Sunset looked to Twilight. "Anything?"

Twilight nodded back to her. "The ship should be in range now."

Looking ahead, Sunset saw that she didn't even need to give the command, as the image of the vessel in question had already been put up on the screen. This was when the bridge crew received their second surprise of the day. For while it was indeed a small fighter craft, and one in pretty bad shape, its design immediately caught their attention, with predominantly grey colouring and having been styled to look like some sort of predatory bird. "Is that...a Gryff ship?" Rarity remarked.

Twilight adjusted her glasses. "It...certainly looks like one."

Rainbow, looking over her shoulder, spoke with an uncharacteristic degree of concern. "Er, don't Gryffs famously not want anything to do with outsiders like us?"

Sunset understood her concerns, but a sudden spark from the side of the limp and lifeless ship caught her attention, and she quickly resolved herself. "We can deal with that later. Right now, we need to get that kid out of there!"

"His shields are down!" Twilight called out after reading her scans again.

Sunset nodded, understanding her meaning, before speaking up. "Get a teleport lock on him. Send him to the medical bay!"

The order was carried out instantly, with everyone frantically working at their panels. Unfortunately, they seemed to be on a ticking clock, as the condition of the ship was rapidly deteriorating, with further sparks appearing all over. Eventually, and perhaps inevitably, it finally gave in. The vessel utterly shattered, bursting apart like an explosion. The Phoenix was close enough to get hit with a few small pieces of debris, but nothing to worry about. What was worrying however was the status of the boy. "Gallus?" Sunset asked with hesitation.

Looking back to her, Twilight smiled. "We've got him. Fluttershy just sent word."

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, then looked to her scientist again. "You have the bridge."

Twilight nodded to her, and then all watched their captain head to the bridge's elevator. Once inside, and after requesting the right level, Sunset passed the time by thinking on the situation. If this was indeed a Gryff, and one that wanted out of their territory, she and her crew might have just opened a can of worms for themselves. But the more immediate problem was more prominent in her mind, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, she was out, heading right for the medical bay. Once there, she got down to business. "How is he?"

Gallus was there, lying on the medical bed, with Fluttershy watching over him. The doctor didn't turn to look to her leader, as her new patient had been knocked out cold by his recent exploits, and so was hard at work scanning him with her bracer before heading over to her primary medical station. "He's unconscious, but he's clearly been through a lot. I can't tell how long he's been travelling for, but he's exhausted and borderline malnourished."

Folding her arms, Sunset gave a solemn nod as she regarded the youth. "Makes sense. We're a long way from Gryff territory. And that ship of his didn't look like it was meant for long distance."

Looking back to her, Fluttershy was now holding a small, silvery device. "A little pick-me-up. It's no substitute for a good meal, but his body needs some vital nutrients quickly." She gently placed the device against the boy's neck, pressing a button. There was a brief moment of quiet, after which his eyes started to slowly open. He looked around before eventually seeing Fluttershy, who smiled warmly to him. "Don't worry. You're safe."

Slowly, and with Fluttershy ready to help him, Gallus sat himself upright. There was a long quiet, in which he took in his surroundings. Realising that he was a away from the deadly situation of his old ship, he looked to be relaxing somewhat. Then, his eyes met Sunset's. "Are you...in charge here?"

Sunset smiled, nodding and stepping forward. "Captain Sunset Shimmer. Welcome to the Phoenix."

Gallus exhaled deeply, like a great weight had been lifted from him. Then, he tensed up again, as if having remembered something. "Please! I know I said it already...but I need asylum!"

Fluttershy looked to her captain, and Sunset herself folded her arms and thought long and hard before answering him. "Gallus...I need to know what it is you need protection from."

Though still nervous, the boy nodded, acknowledging that point. "We Gryffs...our empire hasn't been in great shape for a while now. And things..." He grimaced. "Things have only gotten worse. There's been a call." He hesitated, but only for a moment. "Conscription. Anyone who can carry a laser rifle."

Sunset's frown deepened. "Child soldiers."

Gallus looked away, clearly uncomfortable with talking about this, which Sunset naturally understood. For a while, the captain walked away, looking at some of Fluttershy's instruments before speaking up again. "Gallus, I'm sorry you and those like you have found yourselves in this situation. What's happening back at your home is abhorrent." Finally, she looked back to him. "However, you have the right to know that I am no diplomatic representative. Granting asylum isn't something I can do without consulting the higher-ups. You're welcome to be here on our ship, but for right now that's the most we can do."

It was a harsh truth, but also one the boy seemed to accept, nodding slowly. "Okay, I...I can live with that right now. As long as I'm not home."

Sunset wanted to ease his discomfort further, but was soon prevented when her bracer beeped at her. "This is Captain Shimmer, go ahead," she spoke into it.

"Captain, you're needed on the bridge," replied the clear voice of Rarity.

"What's happened?" Sunset asked.

"It seems our young friend has some...visitors."

Immediately, Gallus scampered backwards, holding his knees to his chest as panic appeared on his face. "They've found me!"

Fluttershy rushed to his side, placing her hand on his shoulder to clam him. "Don't worry. We promise that nothing bad is going to happen to you."

Sunset appreciated what she was trying to do, but a part of her quietly resented her making a promise she herself wasn't sure they'd keep. Still, one problem at a time, as Sunset spoke again into her bracer. "I'm on my way." And on she went, leaving their new arrival with Fluttershy. Though suspecting that she'd have to deal with something like this, Sunset still found it irritating that she had to go all the way back to the bridge after having left it so short a time ago. Still, it was by no means a long journey, and after reemerging from the bridge's elevator, she saw the new image on the viewscreen. It was another Gryff ship, but far larger and more dangerous-looking. It was at least the size of the Phoenix, if not more so. Though something about it seemed off to her. "Report," she commanded.

"A Gryff warship, Ma'am!" Rainbow replied. "And a pretty angry-looking one too!"

That much couldn't be denied, Sunset thought to herself. "What's its status?"

Turing in her chair, Twilight gave her analysis. "From our readings, it seems to be a fairly old model. At least a century old, in fact."

Sunset folded her arms. "Guess Gallus was right. Their empire must be in pretty dire straits if they're pulling out museum pieces like that." After a pause, she looked to Rarity. "Hail them."

"No need, Captain," Rarity answered. "They are hailing us."

Sunset figured as much, letting out a sigh. After another short moment of hesitation, she nodded. "On-screen."

The image on the viewscreen changed, revealing what was likely the bridge of the opposing ship. Much like Gallus' fighter, this one seemed fairly ramshackle in its design, with pipes billowing steam and an overall grimey look to it. Dead centre though was an old man in a central command chair. His skin was saggy, one eye was blinded by a scar and he leaned heavily on a cane. Before Sunset could even get her first words out, the man spoke first. "Where is he?!"

Recognising that this was likely the tone she'd have to deal with, Sunset still maintained that famous Equis professionalism. "I am Captain Sunset Shimmer, of the Equis vessel Phoenix. Who might I be speaking to?"

The Gryff captain, placing both hands on the top of his cane, took on a prideful look. "You, Missy, have the honour of speaking to Gruff, patriarch of House Gruff, of the mighty Gryff Empire!" No sooner had he finished saying that when, all of a sudden, a loose bit of pipe fell down from the ceiling behind him. Looking over his shoulder briefly, he soon looked back to Sunset. "...Ignore that!"

Sunset already didn't like the guy, but also knew there was protocol to follow. "How may we be of assistance?"

Gruff frowned. "Don't play innocent with me, girlie! We know you have him! Now hand Gallus back over to us!"

"We received a distress call from this area," Sunset explained. "Gallus' ship was in bad condition, and as you can no doubt tell from the debris floating around, if we hadn't arrived when we did, he'd likely be gone right now."

Gruff calmed, but only by the smallest of margins. "Where is he now?"

"He's being treated by our doctor. I assure you, he's being well looked after."

"Fine," Gruff reluctantly conceded. "Patch him up and send him over." Here though, Sunset remained silent, as she weighed her options in her mind. Gruff, seeing the lack of response this time around, pressed the issue. "Is there a problem, human?"

There was no getting around it, Sunset knew. So, she began to explain things. "Gallus...has requested asylum."

But, rather than provoking anger or insult, her words merely caused a boisterous laugh on the part of Gruff. "Ha! I always knew that boy had a screw loose!" After calming down, he spoke with his usual tone. "Don't you worry, I'm sure they'll fix that about him once he's in a unit."

Slowly, Sunset's eyes narrowed. "Then you're saying that what he told us was true? He and others of his age are being coerced into your military?"

Here, Gruff finally spoke as though he'd been insulted. "Coerce? I promise you, there is no finer life than to risk oneself for the glory of the Gryff Empire!"

"Last I heard, your empire wasn't engaged in war. So who, exactly, are you trying to defend against?" Sunset asked, trying to understand the situation.

"Anyone!" Gruff answered firmly. "Our empire's surrounded on all sides by people like you who don't know how to keep their noses out of our business! And if we have to put a gun into the hands of every man, woman and child we have to guard every inch of our borders, then that is what we'll do!" He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had quite enough of talking to a bunch of Equis upstarts. Now hand Gallus over!"

The mood was tense, and many among the bridge crew had taken to looking to Sunset, curious and worried about what might happen in the next few moments. As for Sunset herself, she felt the all-too common problem that those in the position of captain were said to have. That the whole world felt like it was pressing on her shoulders, and that her choice might make it turn. In the end, she knew her choice. But really, she knew what her choice was before this conversation even started. "...No."

Silence fell, and Gruff slowly morphed into a look of disbelief. "I beg your pardon? What do you mean no?"

"I cannot carry out your demand and return Gallus to you," Sunset clarified.

"Why not?!" Gruff demanded to know.

"...Because I have granted his request for asylum."

Gruff looked like he was barely able to control himself, with his hands shaking as they held onto his cane. His breathing became heavier, and after a while he looked to her with pure venom. "You...will regret that choice. If you hold one of our kind away from us, don't think for one moment that won't be answered!"

Sunset had heard enough, and took on a more serious look. "I understand and appreciate your dislike of the situation. But if what you're proposing is violence then I strongly urge you to reconsider." She gestured around herself. "What you see here is the latest creation of the Equis shipyards. The top of the line ship of the fleet. We may not be a warship, but we are still considerably more advanced than the vessel you currently command." Her eyes narrowed. "So, Gruff of House Gruff...do you believe that you would win if it actually came to blows between us?"

Being a man of considerable pride, even the unwarranted sort, Gruff was unwilling to conceded anything that Sunset had said to him. Instead, and after careful and reluctant consideration, the old man eventually leaned back into his command chair. "This won't be the last you'll hear of us."

With that, the message cut out, leaving only the exterior shot of space, wherein the Gryff warship was seen turning. The danger had passed, at least for now, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Sunset, for her part, was thinking over everything that had just happened when, to her side, she heard Rarity clear her throat to gain her attention. "Um...shall I send word to Command about what's happened, Ma'am?"

Slowly, Sunset nodded, then kept her voice to a whisper as she spoke what was on her mind. "The Council are not going to be happy with me when they hear about this."

Consequences

Under normal circumstances, the meeting room for the Phoenix's senior staff was a warm and welcoming environment. A long table in a room on the side of the ship, accompanied by a lengthy window that looked out at the side. On the opposing wall was a painting of their home system, artistically depicting all nine of their planets, from Hermes all the way to Hades. Today though, no amount of familiarity was going to help the mood of the situation. For while five of the ship's top officers were present, there was one notable absence and that was Captain Shimmer herself. Worry was across all other faces as they looked to an adjacent door, which led to the captain's personal office. There was a lot of voices being heard on the other side, and none of them seemed happy. There were no specifics that could be made out, but all of them could feel the gist of what was being said to their commanding officer. Eventually though, there was silence, and the doors of the office opened to reveal Sunset, who now walked in with a restrained yet still unhappy expression, before taking her place at the head of the table. Once seated, she exhaled deeply, burying her face in her hands. After a while, and after a great deal of discomfort, Twilight broke the silence. "So...I take it Command isn't happy?"

"No, Twilight," Sunset eventually answered. "No they are not." Leaning back into her chair, Sunset took a moment before laying out the problem. "Long story short, I overstepped my authority. Regardless of the circumstances, I had no right to allow Gallus to stay without consulting the Council. And they made their displeasure very clear to me."

All of them felt that, but then Applejack, who had made sure her face was grease-free for this meeting, cleared her throat. "Well...ah'm sure they'll understand once things cool down, right?"

Sunset frowned. "I'm afraid 'cool down' is the last thing that'll happen." Seeing her staff look to her, she explained. "It seems my decision has provoked a response in the Gryff Empire. Once they caught wind of us involving themselves like we did, they took action."

Fluttershy clasped her hands over her mouth. "You mean...war?"

Sunset shook her head. "No, thankfully. But they've definitely shown that they're not happy with us. Usually, our long-range scanners can see their ships dispersed across their entire territory, but yesterday there was a mass shift. At least half of all their vessels are now lined up on the border closest to Equis. It's not war, but it's definitely a message that we're their primary sore spot now."

Rainbow slammed her fist against the table. "I say let them come! They want a fight? Fine! We'll show them they can't be a bunch of kid-soldiering bullies and get away with it!"

Sunset shot her pilot a serious look. "We don't fight if we don't have to, Rainbow! Equis' diplomats are doing all they can to alleviate the tension. And..." She paused, gulping. "They've actually managed a compromise."

Rarity took on a fearful look. "Captain...Sunset...please don't tell me that you've been ordered to hand Gallus back over to them?"

All eyes were on the captain now, as it seemed all of them were fearing that exact thing. Luckily, they saw her shake her head. "No. Councilor Celestia was able to convince the rest of the Council that, given the certain fate that awaited the boy, just giving him back would be an unconscionable decision on our part."

"Then...what?" Twilight asked, maintaining her sense of nervousness.

Sunset took a deep breath. "The official stance of the Council and the Equis government...is that Gallus, legally, has no asylum status with us. The word sent to the Gryffs is that I acted beyond my station, and that my decision was not supported by the rest of Equis." Seeing the shocked looks on her officers, Sunset got up from her chair, looking out at the stars beyond the nearby window. "However...we have still been given authority to ensure the boy's wellbeing while he is with us, with no orders given as to how long that should be."

Thinking on that, Twilight understood. "I see. Clever. Equis gets to wash its hands of this diplomatic incident, and Gallus still gets to be saved from what he would have been put through back home."

Applejack frowned. "This ain't right! The Council's gotta know you did the right thing, right?!"

Sunset hung her head slightly. "The right thing? Sure. But it's a right thing that's caused a lot of headaches for our leaders. And now I have to contend with Gallus' situation." She turned to look to her crew. "We haven't been ordered to return him, but if he ever leaves this ship, we'll no longer be able to protect him if the Gryffs decide they're going to come for him."

"So he's trapped," Rainbow concluded. "This is bogus!" she declared angrily.

"Yer right about that," Applejack concurred.

"Remember, we have to tread carefully in times like this," Rarity tried to explain to them. "Even if it's a noble cause, if Equis starts going around and involving ourselves with others against their wishes, we'll make a lot of enemies very quickly."

"When did doing the right thing become so difficult?" Fluttershy asked quietly as she looked down at the table.

"It always has been," Twilight answered her. "We, out here on the frontier, might act in the moment to save a life or involve ourselves for good reasons, but it's the leaders back home who have to grapple with the fallout of it. As harsh as it is, those back home in the council chairs have to think about the big picture." She frowned as she looked to the side. "No matter how bitter that might be for the little pictures."

Sunset relaxed a little, content that her crew was coping with this news better than she expected. But then, her thoughts turned to the subject at the heart of this incident. "Where is Gallus now?"

"Oh! I can answer that one!" answered the unexpected and bubbly voice of Pinkie, prompting all of them to look up at the ceiling. After clearing her throat, which was especially odd since she didn't even have one, the AI explained matters. "Since he needed a place to stay I assigned him to one of the spare quarters. It's not the prettiest room, but given what he's used to back home it's probably the best room he's ever had."

Sunset nodded. "Understood." Placing her hands upon the table, she looked to each and every one of her senior staff. "I'm not going to sugarcoat this for any of you. The Phoenix is in hot water because of what's happened. Our standing orders remain the same, explore and study. But between this and our pursuit of Caballeron, we've gained something of a reputation for exceeding our mandate."

Rainbow leaned back into her chair, smirking. "Heh, nice." After seeing the scowls she was getting from the rest, she changed her tune pretty quickly. "Um...not nice?"

Sunset exhaled. "Bottom line...I won't blame any of you if you see me as an irresponsible leader."

All of them looked to one another, and for a time Sunset had no idea what they must have been thinking right now. Did they resent her for tarnishing their own reputations? Would they fear being associated with a captain who now had a history of overstepping? After a while, Twilight got up, then adjusted her glasses and looked her friend right in the eye. "Sunset...none of us here will ever condemn you for what you did. If any of us had been in your chair, we'd have done the exact same thing."

"Well said, "Rarity remarked with a smile.

"Here-here," Applejack called.

"Nobody will ever look down on you for trying to save a life, Sunset," Fluttershy added.

"And if the council have a problem with it, they can kiss my beep!" Rainbow declared, before suddenly realising that her final word had been censored. "What the?!"

"Sorry, Dashie," Pinkie said to her. "Automatic censorship protocols. Can't be having any bad language, now can we?"

Sunset, who had been feeling a great sense of dread over how her crew might see her, smiled to all of them. "Th...thank you. Thank youall. I really am the luckiest captain in the fleet to have a crew like you."

"And we're lucky to have you as our captain," Twilight offered back.

Though still grateful at the response her crew was giving her, there was still the present situation to consider. So, after taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she began to make her way to the door leading out of the meeting room. "You're all free to return to your duties."

"You're goin' ta tell him, aren't ya?" Applejack asked.

Sunset nodded solemnly. "He deserves to know."

"I'll come with you," Twilight said, getting up from her chair. Sunset looked to her briefly, then nodded again. Together, the two headed out of the room while the others went about their respective business. As they walked down the hallway, Twilight elaborated on her reasons for accompanying her. "The quarters Gallus is in. It's the same place I decided to house Spike."

Sunset looked to her. "How's he doing by the way? I haven't had much of a chance to really catch up on him."

Twilight smiled. "He's doing well. I was truly surprised at just how quickly they grow at that early stage, but I suppose, given how dangerous a world Volcanus was, it makes sense they'd need to mature quickly to defend themselves."

Sunset chuckled drily. "The child who can't ever go home and the child who doesn't want to go home. What a pair, eh?"

Before long, they were at the quarters in question, and after a few seconds of steeling herself for yet another uncomfortable conversation, Sunset entered. Gallus was in view immediately, standing beside the window of the room and looking out at the stars. Unlike the tattered garb they found him in, they'd instead given him the uniform of a junior crewman. A lighter shade of blue than what the full-blown officers wore, and lacking any of the colouring that denoted a specialty in any field. But, as Twilight had said, he was not alone here. Spike, who now broadly resembled the image of a toddler, was on the floor, looking at a colourful picture book, which he seemed to enjoy. As adorable an image as that was though, Sunset's attention was once again placed on Gallus when the boy finally noticed the two of them. "Oh! Captain Sunset. I wasn't expecting you."

Sunset smiled as she and Twilight entered in earnest. "Are you settling in okay?"

Gallus smiled back. "This place is great. I don't think I've ever seen a ship that looked so...nice," he remarked, looking around what he did not yet know was his new home.

Twilight giggled. "Well, we do try our best to keep our ships in good condition."

Looking back to them, Gallus appeared awkward for a second, before finally asking the question they knew he would. "So...what's the word?" A silence fell after he asked that, and while he might not have been privy to all of the details, the flicker if discomfort that crossed Sunset's face told him all he needed to know. Immediately, he looked crestfallen, looking away from them. "They'd didn't agree, did they?"

Sunset sighed. "Gallus...I'm sorry."

Gallus held himself, taking a few steps back towards the window. "I...I knew it was a long shot."

Here, Sunset's expression firmed, and she approached him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me, Gallus. You might not have official asylum, but I promise you, you are not going back to that place." Her face softened when the kid looked to her. "You're welcome to call the Phoenix your home, if that's what you want."

At first, Gallus didn't really know how to respond. But, as the situation was mulled over in his mind, he seemed less unhappy than he was a moment ago. In fact, he even perked up a little. "I guess...that wouldn't be so bad."

Twilight also smiled to the lad, approaching him in a similar manner. "You have a place here, Gallus. And we won't just keep you here in this room. If you like, you can take part in what we do here. Our studies and explorations."

Slowly, Gallus again looked to the stars beyond the window, though this time he did so with a renewed sense of hope about his situation. "...I'd like that."

Sunset's smile widened, showing how happy she was that he was taking this news so much better than she'd feared. A gurgling sound to the side caught her interest, and she looked down to see Spike enthusiastically laughing at whatever the picture book was showing him. "And I hope you don't mind sharing your quarters with our other new arrival?"

"Nah," Gallus answered. "It's fine. I'm used to being around little kids." He shrugged. "It probably won't surprise you, but Gryffstone had a lot of orphans."

Sunset grimaced. "No, it doesn't surprise me." After pausing for a moment to take in the sight of Gallus becoming more at peace with his circumstances, Sunset gestured to him. "If there's anything you need, just let us know."

Looking to her, Gallus nodded. "I will, Captain. And..." Slowly, he smiled. "Thank you."

Sunset smiled back. "You're welcome."

That was the point when the two officers finally left him, closing the door of the quarters behind them. Once it was closed, Sunset exhaled, showing her relief, while Twilight took off her glasses to give them a wipe. "Well, that went better than expected."

"It did," Sunset agreed. "Now we just need to find something for him to do."

"We'll start with some archive work," Twilight suggested. "I've actually been needing an assistant to help me catalogue all the new information we've been getting from our missions."

Sunset nodded. "He can start in the morning. In the meantime..." She began to walk down the hallway. "I need to check in with Councilor Celestia. Let her know the new arrangements. Can't have the boy staying with us and not keep her informed."

"Ugh! Is there any time when you don't write home? Seriously, mission logs are so dull!"

A look of horror came to both of the young women, with Sunset in particular grimacing after having heard that voice. "...No. No, no, no, no, no! Please not her! That is the last thing I need today!"

A bright flash of light, and when it faded, there now stood before them the familiar yet entirely unwelcome sight of Eris, the mischievous denizen of Travel-Space that they had very much hoped to have seen the last of in their previous encounter. As befitting of this particular being, she was smirking. "Well, nice to see you too!"

Sunset mentally prepared herself for having to deal with this one, assuming a more professional stance and tone. "Why are you here, Eris? If I remember right, you were forbidden from coming here again."

Eris shrugged. "Meh, more a case of me being told I was doing too much. I mean, my kind love us some chaos, but we also don't wanna make any enemies of you mortals when we do it." Her smirk became more pronounced. "Speaking of making enemies, word on the grapevine is that you've been doing a pretty good job of that recently." She stepped forward, her tone a combination of mockery and some twisted admiration. "Barely a few months out of port and you've already enraged the criminal element of the local systems and an entire empire?! Bravo, Mon Capitan! Bravo indeed!" she declared with an enthusiastic clap.

"She did what she thought was right," Twilight countered, trying to defend her leader and friend. "She never set out to make things difficult for Equis!"

Eris chuckled as she regarded the scientist. "Oh Twilight. Sweet, naïve Twilight. You'll come to understand very quickly that the galaxy can be a harsh place. Being a bunch of do-gooders is a pretty speedy way to get yourselves in everybody's bad books."

"That's a cynic's belief," Sunset replied firmly.

"Hmmm, more of a realist's belief I'd say," Eris counter-argued.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Sunset was growing increasingly tired of this conversation. "Look, with all due respect, is there anything specific you wanted? Because we have a lot of things we need to do."

Eris folded her arms and seemed almost offended. "Hmph! That's the problem with people today. No time to stop and chat." She smirked again. "Can't a girl just check in with some old friends" After seeing the blank stares she was getting, she continued. "By which I of course mean people I've given headaches to which entertained me a great deal?" The other two continued to stare at her, causing her to finally relent. "Okay, fine! I came to check up on my actual friend on this ship!"

Though at first confused, the two soon understood what she meant when a beeping from a nearby computer panel caught their attention. "Hiya, Eris! How are you doing?" Pinkie asked happily.

Eris' expression brightened up considerably as she looked to the panel. "Pinkie! My girl! How's it been?"

"Oh, you know, still an AI in a ship. Still flying through space. The usual," Pinkie answered.

"Cool, cool," Eris replied. "Been keeping things lively for the crew, I hope?"

"Oh, you betcha!" Pinkie answered with enthusiasm. "Although, word to the wise, apparently it's not a good idea to materialise balloons in the engine room for the sake of someone's birthday. Something about having lots of popping sounds not being good to hear when working next to a ship's sensitive systems."

"Huh, weird," Eris considered.

Slowly, Sunset and Twilight looked to one another, before just turning around in unison and walking away from the two. "Twilight?" Sunset asked.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Out of curiosity, did you ever suspect this would be how our days would go when we first took on this assignment?"

"...No. No I did not."

Growth

As a scientist, Twilight was naturally thrilled to learn new things. And recent events had given her a great deal to observe and document. Chief among those things was the orphaned Drakkon in their care. Spike, sitting on the ground in her lab, was happy playing with some simple, wooden children's toys. At present, he was piling some cubes up high, seeing how far he could go before they toppled over. Twilight, for her part, was sitting close by, a recording device in her hand. Every time Spike did something, she was sure to make note of it, such as when he seemed to giggle happily when the blocks inevitably fell over again. "Recording seven-two-five. Spike seems undeterred in his attempts. His early efforts suggest that he knows from past mistakes how to stack the blocks to avoid them falling over. He makes the base wider before going up and so on. There is clear intelligence, even at such a young age. Not to mention a real determination to find out what he can do with the toys." She tapped the device against her chin before continuing. "The isolationism of his people has often made documentation difficult, but here we have a real opportunity to discover just what Drakkons are like as people." Then, her mood turned sombre. "Or...rather, what they were like."

She silently thanked that Spike, at least for now, was too young to have understood her whispered words. After taking a breath, she walked to the side, looking at a number of readings that she'd accumulated from scans of Spike when he was first born. Pressing some buttons, she got up a second display, showing new information regarding his readings at his current stage of development. Twilight considered the numbers carefully, but it was eventually the unexpected voice of the ship's AI which broke the silence. "Penny for your thoughts, Twilight?"

Though having gotten used to the new personality of their ship, Twilight was still somewhat taken aback by the sudden voice. After composing herself, she smiled slightly. "My initial theories have proved correct. Drakkons do indeed mature faster than other intelligent lifeforms we've encountered. Certainly more than us humans." She glanced back to Spike. "I've already said this to Captain Shimmer, but it's likely that the harsh nature of their planet prompted the development of their species to be able to grow fast for the sake of survival. Given the little we've gleaned of Volcanus from early expeditions, it's unlikely a newborn infant would survive without such an advantage."

"I know, right?!" Pinkie remarked. "All that smoke and lava and sharp, pointy rocks and stuff? That's gotta be a really bad vacation spot." After Twilight gave her a look of curiosity, Pinkie elaborated. "Oh, I have access to all the ship's archive data. I can just look this stuff up. It's pretty neat."

Twilight chuckled. Then, after regarding the AI for a moment, she set her recording device to one side and looked up, to the ceiling. "You know, Spike isn't the only new life we have here to learn about."

"Oh?" Pinkie enquired. "Did we get a new visitor?"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm talking about you, Pinkie. I have no idea what exactly Eris did to you to make you this way, but you're clearly a unique entity. An AI with a personality. With feelings and opinions. There's never been anybody like you before." She smiled. "I'd love to learn more about you too."

A long gasp was heard all around her. "Really?!" After seeing Twilight nod to her to confirm what she'd said, the young and highly enthusiastic computer let out an almost ear-piecing squee. "That's so nice of you! What do you want to know first?!"

It was a fair question, and one that Twilight legitimately struggled to think of. So, in the moments while she was mulling it over, she looked down and saw Spike trying to waddle his way towards her. She smiled, reaching down and lifting him up onto her knee, which he seemed to enjoy. And only after she'd done that was she ready to start her interview with the newly-awakened AI. "Well, to start off, what was it like to actually become...this? Were you aware of any changes?"

"Hmmm...kinda?" Pinkie answered. "It's hard to really explain. It just sort of...happened. One moment, Eris was leaving the ship for the first time, and I was still doing my thing. Monitoring everything in the ship and stuff. I was looking at one room in particular. The hallway on deck five, I think. And there was this one guy who'd been walking backwards for a bit."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I remember that one."

"Anyway," Pinkie continued. "He was back to normal, but I guess Eris threw in a last-minute joke before she left and had a banana peel on the floor right next to him."

Smirking, Twilight nodded. "Let me guess...he slipped on it?"

"Yep!" Pinkie answered. "And when I saw it, I...laughed." She paused. "I'd never laughed at anything before! So, since I didn't really know I'd changed, I thought maybe there was some sort of glitch in me. Some malfunction. So I did a diagnostic, found nothing wrong, and that left me stumped." There was a brief bleeping sound before she carried on. "So then I just did some nanosecond research on laughter and what might have caused it. The encyclopedias we have on file said it usually happens whenever someone's really happy about something. If they see something they like or think is funny. So, I then started looking up what that meant. Found a few definitions on funny and liking stuff and...yeah, that seemed to fit what was going on with me."

Twilight leaned forward. "And that was when you realised something had changed in you?"

"Oh yeah," Pinkie confirmed. "I knew Eris had probably done something to me. She never re-wired anything or reprogrammed me or anything sciencey like that. But there was just...something. Some tiny thing in me that wasn't there before. I've tried looking and there really isn't a word for it."

Twilight herself gave the matter some thought, and after a while she resumed her earlier smile and took off her glasses. "Let's just call it a spark of life. Not exactly scientific, I know, but it fits."

"Ooooooh! I like that!" Pinkie replied happily.

Twilight, in the quiet moments that followed, looked down to Spike, who was playing with his own tail. After which, her curiosity rose again. "So...what is it actually like? Being an AI, I mean?"

If Pinkie had actually had shoulders, she'd have likely shrugged them by this point. "I dunno. What's it like being a human?"

Another brief laugh from Twilight, followed by a short nod. "Fair enough. I suppose it's not something anyone really thinks about. It's just...how we are."

"I guess..." Pinkie began. "I guess I find it weird sometimes. I watch you guys trying to figure out a problem whenever one comes up." She held on that point for a second. "I'd say once a week, at least. Anyway, it's kinda weird seeing you talk and think stuff over. When I think or need to figure stuff out, it happens pretty quickly. And I'm talking blink-of-an-eye quick. I look at all of you and, if you were to describe it, you'd probably call it slow-motion or something."

It was a concept that seemed to really put Twilight in a thoughtful mood. For a while she just sat there, imagining what it must be like to live your life having everything around you move to slowly. What must this conversation even sound like to Pinkie with that in mind? "Well...sorry if you have to wait that long for anything to get done."

"Nah, it's no biggie," Pinkie assured her. "I'm a computer, remember? There's tons of things I can do to pass that time."

Twilight arched an eyebrow. "Like what?

"Well, not to brag or anything, but in the seconds since you asked that question I've managed to play at least a thousand games of chess against myself. I mean, sure, I lost a couple of matches, but the point still stands," Pinkie explained.

Twilight actually giggled to that remark, before then turning her gaze once more to Spike. Inevitably, the young Drakkon was falling asleep, giving Twilight a new thought to dwell on. "You know, it's interesting to think of your conception, Pinkie."

"Oh yeah? How?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight considered her wording for a time before explaining. "Well...when humans are born, we come into the world knowing virtually nothing. Sure, we might have some basic instincts that we might act on, not to mention our curiosities. But when it comes to things we actually know these heads are empty." She then gestured to Pinkie, which naturally meant just gesturing to the closest computer panel. "But you? You were born and you had ready access to pretty much every single piece of knowledge on our computer system. History, physics, dictionaries and language. It was all right there, in your head. You don't need to learn about the world around you, because that understanding was already there." She smiled warmly. "Now, you just need to learn about...well...yourself."

"Huh," Pinkie mused. "I hadn't thought about it like that." Another brief pause. "But you know, that's kind of exciting, right? If I'm the only thing I've got to figure out, then I'm in the same boat as you. I mean, you don't really know anything about what I am, right? I'm a mystery. A totally unique being, like you said. Who knows what we might find out!"

Twilight tapped her chin with her finger. "That's...actually a pretty positive way of looking at things."

"Well, what can I say? Guess I'm just that kind of a gal," Pinkie declared proudly.

Twilight smiled to the panel. "You certainly are." She chuckled. "You know, it's funny. If you go back, and I mean way back, people back home used to come up with all sorts of horror stories about what might happen if AI ever actually achieved what you have. True sentience. All of those stories usually ended badly. Humanity wiped out and all that."

"I know. I read a lot of those books while you were explaining it just now," Pinkie remarked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Of course you did," she said, fully believing her. "In any case, it's nice that things turned out so much better than all those naysayers thought it would back in the day."

"I know, right? It's kind of amazing just how much doom and gloom you humans always seemed to feel whenever some new technology came about. It's like you thought an apocalypse was right around the corner as soon as someone made some game-changing invention or whatever."

Twilight nodded solemnly. "Yeah...we do tend to default to cynicism pretty quickly, unfortunately."

"Not anymore," Pinkie countered. When she saw Twilight look confused, she expanded on her words. "I mean, look at where you are now. Sure, you had some bad times. I mean really, really bad times. No question about that. But when those times passed, you learned from them. You grew, you got better, and you realised there were bigger and better things out there than what you all used to obsess over." A quick giggle escaped her. "That old, cynical nature? That's pretty dead by now if you ask me."

"You're very kind to say," Twilight said with genuine appreciation. "And you're right, I suppose we've grown as a species by this point. I don't see us descending to the same depths we used to stoop to. At least not for the foreseeable future. And we're learning more every day. Understanding our place in a wider galaxy." She again looked to the panel. "If you were to go back a few generations, then tell the people there that they'd one day be flying through the stars, seeing all manner of wonderful things, they'd probably call you unrealistic. Worst case scenario, they'd say you were mad."

"The hopeful ones won out," Pinkie declared confidently.

Twilight enjoyed the moment, being thought of as a people that had risen above the dark times they used to live through. But movement in her lap drew her attention to Spike, and suddenly she was starkly reminded of why the newborn was here to begin with, wiping her smile clean off her face. "Not always," she said sadly.

Pinkie, being a super-intelligent computer, took no time at all to understand Twilight's change in mood. "There are bad guys out there. Nobody's denying it. But they only account for, what, a fraction of a percent of you? Humanity can't be judged too harshly because of such a small number, right?"

Twilight sighed. "It only takes one to do something terrible, Pinkie." She looked to the panel again. "And you know what I'm worried about most?" When Pinkie didn't speculate on an answer, Twilight gave it. "One day, I'll have to tell Spike what happened. He deserves that much. He might not understand our speech today, but one day, he'll ask the questions." She winced. "Where are the others like me? Where am I from? Why aren't I there right now? How did I get here?"

"Truth is truth, Twilight," Pinkie told her. "One way or another, he'll need to know. Better it be from you than having him find out himself."

Twilight chuckled dryly. "You sound like AJ."

"Well...is AJ wrong?" Pinkie rightly asked.

"...No. She wouldn't be. But..." She shut her eyes tightly. "How do I do it? How do I look to this child, this precious little one, and tell him that he can never go home again? That his people are gone because of my people?"

"A human will have raised him. Treated him kindly, like a mother," Pinkie assured her. "Do you really think he'll hate all of you because of what just one of you did?" Pinkie enquired.

Twilight shook her head. "I...I don't know. But the possibility is there. And it's one that's actually kept me up at night."

"Well, I don't have an answer for you. But what I can say is that the day is a while off yet. You have time to plan how you need to say it," Pinkie said to her gently.

"Maybe," Twilight conceded, before looking down to the still-sleeping child. "But time passes a lot faster for us than for you, Pinkie. Sometimes too fast."

Spike, having been napping for some time now, began to stir. Twilight watched him with concern, still dwelling on the conversation she'd just had. Eventually, the newborn Drakkon opened his eyes again, looking up to his caretaker. Mere moments after, he smiled, to which Twilight couldn't help but smile back to. Then, to the utter shock of the young scientist, a sound made itself known from the tiny creature. "T...T...T..."

Twilight's eyes widened, and she resisted the urge to gasp. Pinkie, for her part, was far less stunned. "Is he...trying to talk?!"

Twilight, despite everything that had been discussed prior to this moment, began to smile more genuinely. "Y...yes! I think he is!"

"T...T...Tw..." Spike kept trying to say.

Carefully, Twilight lifted up her ward and set him upon the ground, kneeling beside him. "Yes, that's it. Come on, you can do it!"

"Tw...Tw...Twi..."

"Yes, yes, Twilight. That's my name! Can you say Twilight?"

Spike gurgled briefly before finally opening his mouth to speak again. "...Twily!" He clapped his hands happily. "Twily, Twily, Twily!"

Twilight clasped her hands over her mouth, with tears starting to form in her eyes. "Oh! He...he said it! He said my name!"

"Well, technically," Pinkie began.

But Twilight shot her a dark look, silencing her. "Do not take this away from me!"

"...Understood!" Pinkie replied with her usual chipper demeanour.

As before, Twilight picked Spike up, giggling happily. "Oh! I have so many things to teach you! We'll begin straight away! I'll have lesson plans established and a curriculum and...oh!" She snapped her fingers. "I've got to tell Sunset about this!"

"Don't worry, I already sent word," Pinkie told her. "She's kinda busy trying to steer the ship through this asteroid belt right now, so..."

"Ah, yes," Twilight replied. "I guess I forgot we were in the middle of that right now." Getting back to the matter at hand, Twilight took a few breaths to calm herself, then picked up her earlier recording device. "Emergency recording session! Spike has spoken his first word! I will, of course, document this occasion for posterity, but it's a positive sign that his development is coming along nicely. Will continue to monitor the situation."

Pinkie watched as she set the device down again. "Huh, that was kinda clinical, wasn't it? I'd have thought you'd be all squees and giggles when recording that."

"One must always be professional when science is involved, Pinkie," Twilight explained to her. Then, refocusing on Spike, she held him closer to her face. Spike, clearly happy to see her, reached out and patted her cheek with his hand. Twilight couldn't stop beaming over this moment. It's as though she'd been through a storm in the last few moments until this small thing came along and brought the sunshine. She sighed deeply. "Oh Spike...you have no idea how much this moment means to me. How much I needed it."

"I wish I had hands right now," Pinkie remarked. "I'd be hugging that little guy so much right now."

Giggling, Twilight embraced Spike herself. "Don't worry, I'll hug him for the both of us." The moment was nice, and Twilight wanted it to last as long as it could. But, as ever, that one worry crept into her mind again, spoiling the occasion. She new the day was happy now, but what she'd discussed with Pinkie hadn't changed. One day, the truth would have to be told, and she would need to be the one who said it. With both joy and fear wrestling for dominance in her mind, she exhaled. "Oh Spike...please don't hate us."

Diplomacy

Even though it hadn't actually been that long in the grand scheme of things since their last meeting, Sunset still smiled happily when she saw her mentor stepping out from her shuttle and into the hangar bay of the Phoenix. The senior Councilor looked around, satisfied over the quality and condition of the place, before looking ahead to her protégé. Several other members of the crew were here, giving a respectful salute as they stood in a row behind their captain. Celestia nodded in thanks and acknowledgement to all of them, continuing her walk towards Sunset. Eventually, the two were close enough that they could actually start speaking. "I trust you've been keeping busy since we last spoke, Captain?"

Sunset chuckled. "You've read my reports, Ma'am. You know I have been."

The two shared a laugh, after which Sunset nodded silently to her aforementioned crew. They all saluted her in response before returning to whatever their previous duties had been before this arrival. For Celestia's part, she seemed keen to catch up. "So, anything interesting going on today?"

"Aside from the meeting?" Sunset asked jokingly. "Well, Twilight continues to fawn over her young charge, Applejack and Rarity are debating having an overhaul of some of the ship's systems, and Rainbow has been busying herself with a few not-so-secret adjustments to the engines to try and get them to go faster."

Folding her arms, Celestia arched an eyebrow. "Your pilot does know that this is a science vessel and not a racer, right?"

Sunset sighed. "I assure you, Councillor, that is a conversation I have with her every other day."

"I see," Celestia replied with no small amount of amusement. "In that case, we should return to the matter at hand."

Sunset's smile returned. "I must confess, it was more than a little surprising for me for you to choose the Phoenix for this mission. We're not exactly known for our diplomacy these days," she said with a degree of discomfort.

"All the more reason," Celestia explained. "This meeting is going to go down in the history books, Sunset." She turned, looking out to the stars beyond the hangar. "The Hypps of planet Aris have been isolationists for many generations now. Convincing them to try and establish diplomatic relationships with others has been no easy feat. There's no telling what benefits there might be to this relationship." She looked back to Sunset, smiling. "And when words spreads that it was your ship this all took place on, well, maybe people will stop harbouring such disapproving thoughts about you."

Sunset nodded solemnly, knowing her leader had the right of it. Though she was loathe to consider asking for any favours to boost her popularity, there was no denying that this was a good move on Celestia's part. However, part of her doubted just how good that particular plan might pan out. She had little time to consider it though, as her attention was soon drawn to the outside of the ship, wherein another shuttle-sized vessel was approaching. This one was far more ornate in appearance, looking like some kind of graceful bird, and it landed in the hanger with just as much finesse as one might expect from an appearance such as that. After a solid minute of waiting, the doors of the new vessel opened, and from it emerged three figures. At the head was an older woman, akin to Celestia's age, dressed in an incredibly fanciful way, as befitting of royalty. There was no question in Sunset's mind who this was, and so gave a bow. "Queen Novo. It is an honour to have you with us."

The new woman smiled back. "And thank you for hosting us, Captain." Her eyes then drifted over to Celestia, and she approached the other woman. "Councilor Celestia. At last we meet. A pleasure."

"Likewise," Celestia returned. "I trust you had no difficulty in getting here?"

"None at all," Novo replied amicably. "A few stray asteroids here and there, but nothing to worry about."

It was all going well, at least for now, thus allowing Sunset time to turn her gaze to the other two figures who had arrived with the Queen. Here, she was somewhat taken aback to discover that these were not fellow diplomats, but a pair of teenage girls, younger even than her, both of whom seemed excited to be here. One was dressed in yellow while the other was in pink, and both of them were sporting long hair of different shades of blue. Sunset speculated that these had to be relatives of the Queen, but that notion soon gave way to another, prompting her to look to the monarch in question. "Apologies, Queen Novo, but I'm somewhat surprised that you didn't bring any security contingent with you."

Novo looked to her, almost amused at the idea. "I assure you, Captain, security is...unnecessary."

Sunset, naturally, would have wanted to ask more questions about that, but instead allowed Celestia to take the lead in this conversation. "I realise, your Majesty, that you've travelled far. But I hope you're up for the discussions?"

"Indeed, Councilor," Novo answered. "By all means, show me to table." Then, she glanced behind her, to the two girls. "My daughter and niece will be eager to be given a tour of this fine vessel."

To that, Sunset spoke again. "I'll see to it personally, Ma'am."

Novo nodded to her, smiling at least a little in appreciation, before heading off with Celestia. Once the two older women were far enough away, Sunset again looked to the teenagers, stepping forward and reaching out a hand. "I'm Captain Sunset Shimmer. Welcome to the Phoenix."

Now, she had been expecting some prim and proper response, as befitting the young of a noble family. What she had not expected though was for the one dressed in pink to rush forward, grab her hand and begin shaking it with such happy enthusiasm that she nearly ripped her arm off. "I'm Silverstream! Queen Novo's niece! Thank you so much for having us!"

Sunset, having taken a moment to recover from this unexpected and happy attack, soon put on a smile. "Well...nice to meet you." Then, she looked to the other girl. "I suppose that makes you the Princess?"

The young royal nodded to confirm that, replying in a much more reserved way than her cousin by simply bowing slightly. "Skystar. And do forgive Silverstream. We've never really left the planet."

Sunset's smile widened. "Then I hope to give you a good first impression of what things beyond your world are like."

Silverstream clapped happily. "Oh! Have you seen all sorts of weird and wonderful things?!"

"A few, by this point," Sunset answered.

"Any bizarre aliens?"

"Definitely one I'd call bizarre," Sunset remarked with some side-eye.

"Have you engaged in an epic space battle that decided the fate of the galaxy?!"

Sunset blinked. "...Er...no. I can safely say that one is off my list, thankfully."

"Oh, well, early days," Silverstream replied with her now-expected chipper attitude.

Skystar, shaking her head to her relative's antics, looked to the captain. "So...I believe there's a tour?"

Sunset composed herself, nodding to her. "There is indeed. If you'll follow me, we'll stop off at our science department first."

Silverstream remained her giddy self, with Skystar doing her best to restrain her abundant enthusiasm for everything she was seeing. Though certainly happy that their visitors were taken with her ship, Sunset was still harbouring surprise that a people from such an isolationist planet had come across as so friendly. No matter, she told herself. Just show them around while Celestia does the big talking. No problem. So, on they walked, with Silverstream stopping every minute to stare in awe at everything she came across in the journey. Eventually, they managed to make it to the science department. Sure enough, Twilight was there, and seemed to be in the middle of looking over Spike, with the youth having his mouth open while the scientist looked within. "Yes...seems your teeth are coming in nicely." Sunset cleared her throat, gaining the attention of her right hand. As soon as Twilight saw her, and the two girls accompanying her, she understood the situation, standing at attention. "Oh! Captain! I wasn't expecting you here."

"Figured your side of the ship was a good place to start showing them around," Sunset explained. After which, she looked to Spike briefly. "I take it he's doing well?"

"Growing every day," Twilight answered proudly. Then, after again looking to the girls, she assumed the posture one might expect of a tour guide rather than a scientist. "This is our science department. Whenever we encounter something new or unexpected, we bring it here for study." She giggled briefly. "Size permitting of course. We're not getting any asteroids in here any time soon."

Skystar glanced around as she entered. "What kinds of things have you studied?"

Twilight adjusted her glasses, with the lenses shimmering in the light. Sunset knew exactly what that motion meant, as she braced herself for her chief scientist to answer that question with great showmanship. "Well..."

Sadly, she was cut short in her presumably hour-long presentation when, at that very moment, Gallus popped in around the corner, looking down at a data pad he'd likely been studying. "Sorry to bother you, Twilight. The thing stalled again."

Though initially annoyed at being interrupted, Twilight regained her smile shortly afterwards, taking the pad from the boy and looking it over. "Ah, yes, I know the problem. These models suffered with a frequent lag issue. Thankfully, word is that they've solved the matter and will be sending updates shortly."

Gallus smiled, then suddenly noticed that they weren't alone here today. He nodded in acknowledgement of the captain, who nodded back, before finally looking to the two visiting princesses. When he saw Silverstream in particular, his entire demeanour changed. Suddenly, he seemed at a loss for words, with his mouth hanging open slightly. Silverstream, for her part, had finished fawning over the sight of Spike, now looking to the other boy. She rushed forward, shaking his hand with the same vigour she'd done with Sunset. "Hi! I'm Silverstream! Pleasure to meet you!"

Gallus, gulping, developed a slight blush as he fumbled for an answer. "I...um...Gallus...hi."

Sunset and Skystar cast a glance to each other, knowing instantly what was happening here. But, they silently elected to let the scene play out, with Silverstream looking to Gallus more closely. "Huh...you're not human, are you?"

Gallus, having regained at least a few of his faculties, looked away from her. "No, er...I'm a Gryff."

Silverstream gasped. "I get to meet two new species today?! This is amazing!"

"Three," Twilight corrected her. "Don't forget Spike."

"And don't forget me either!" chimed in the sudden voice of Pinkie. "Although...do AI count as a species? Might need to look that up."

Of course, Silverstream was enraptured by all this new information, looking like she was on her verse of a total breakdown from excitement. Skystar, thankfully, was coping better, and so stepped forward to look to Gallus. "No offense, but I thought Gryffs didn't really like other races all that much? What are you doing here?"

Gallus sighed, looking away. "It's...a long story." Then, a degree of curiosity came to him. "If I remember right, Hypps weren't exactly the outgoing type either. Why are you here?"

Sunset winced, worried that the boy might have broken some kind of rule of etiquette when concerning visiting royalty. Thankfully, that seemed to not be the case, as Skystar let out a long sigh. "Well, you're right. My people have spent a lot of time hiding away from the rest of the galaxy. We...we had a bad period in our history, and we sort of shied away from everything, even when it was over."

Silverstream, contrary to how she'd been acting up until now, frowned. "We spent years being attacked by this really bad warlord. The Storm he called himself. On and on his ships came, battering our people. Eventually, he was stopped, but the damage was done," she finished, looking saddened by her own tale. "We were so scared by what was out there in the stars that we just turned away from all of it."

A similar look of sadness came to everyone else in the room, especially Gallus, given that he'd asked the question. "I'm...I'm sorry. I can't even imagine what kind of damage your people had to go through."

Here, Silverstream perked up slightly. "Well, it wasn't all bad." She shrugged. "Sure, the Storm ravaged all of our surface cities, but he could never get to our underwater ones."

Gallus stared at her in confusion for a time. "Um...pardon?"

Skystar smirked, reaching up and pulling down the collar of her outfit. She turned her head slightly, showing off the side of her neck, revealing that she, and likely the rest of her kind too, were sporting a set of gills there. "We're amphibious. Living on land and under the sea."

Gallus looked to them both, actually seeming impressed. "Wow, that's...that's amazing!"

Folding her arms, Skystar took a moment to look slightly smug about the whole thing. "Yeah, it is, isn't it?"

"I'm sure you've got lots of interestign stuff to tell us about Gryffs too, right?" Silverstream asked excitedly.

Gallus immediately looked embarrassed, scratching the side of his head while his blush returned. "Well...no, not really." A long sigh escaped him. "Our home, our people...there's not a lot to write home about. Maybe we did have good things going for us once, but that was a long, long time ago. Now?" He scoffed. "Now, were just a bunch of infighting, greedy isolationists living in the dilapidated remains of what used to be an empire." He turned away, looking angry. "Trust me, there's nothing good about my people."

Skystar recognised that he was unhappy talking about it, and so, without even missing a beat, offered him a sweet smile. "Well...there's you, isn't there?"

Gallus looked to her, his blush becoming even more prominent. And in turn, Silverstream seemed to develop one of her own. Everyone looked to the two and, with the possible exception of Spike, understood what was happening here. Though certainly enjoying this sweet moment, Sunset reluctantly cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Apologies, Princess, but we have a whole ship we need to show you around." Then, a slight sense of mischievousness came to her as she regarded Gallus. "Of course, I'm sure Gallus wouldn't mind tagging along with you?"

If Gallus had been drinking any water right now, he'd have likely been choking on it upon hearing that suggestion. Instead, he just got back to his prior word-fumbling. "I...work...over there...no time...bye!"

And with that, he was off, darting past all of them and out of the science lab completely, leaving a very confused Silverstream behind. "Well...he seemed nice," she remarked obliviously.

Sunset, having enjoyed that whole interaction a great deal, gestured to the princesses. "If you'll follow me, your Highnesses, I believe a good next stop will be the bridge."

Silverstream clapped her hands. "Oh! The place where all the big, important decisions get made! Where history gets made!"

"Or trouble," Skystar added with a smirk.

Sunset chuckled. "Or both in our case," she freely admitted. So, on they went, giving a quick wave to Twilight and Spike before finally heading back out. As they journeyed on to the command deck of the Phoenix, Silverstream got back to her usual habit of enthusiastically greeting everybody she met, which naturally slowed their progression somewhat. But, in the end, they made it to the elevator and, subsequently, the bridge, which was smiled at by Sunset. "And here we are!" As expected by this point, Silverstream had stars in her eyes as she looked to everything and everyone up here. However, this time, Sunset also shared in that surprise, as she soon saw that there were two figures here she had not been expecting. It was none other than Celestia and Novo, both of whom turned to look to the newly-arrived trio with smiles of their own. "C...Councilor?" Sunset exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Celestia gestured to Novo. "Oh, I thought it might be best for me to show Novo around myself since we've finished our signing of the treaty."

Sunset blinked. "Wait...already?!"

Novo chuckled. "Of course, Captain. Little known fact about diplomacy. Most of the legwork with these sorts of negotiations and treaties is done long in advance of two leaders ever actually meeting face-to-face. Oh, there's been months of discussions by our various diplomats, ambassadors and representatives. This meeting today? Really, it was largely for the signing of the paper. And as you can imagine, that doesn't really take all that long."

Though somewhat taken aback by this turn of events, Sunset nevertheless smiled to the outcome. "So...it's all done? The treaty's agreed upon?"

Celestia nodded proudly. "Indeed. After today, we will be establishing official embassies on our respective homeworlds."

"And trade will begin shortly afterwards," Novo added. "As well as other diplomatic agreements that I won't bore you or my young charges with."

Silverstream's shoulders slumped. "Oh. Are we going home early then?"

Novo considered that. "Well...I suppose we could stay for a spot of tea." She smiled to Celestia. "Spending time in a royal court, it's been a long time since I've had the chance to speak to someone who can actually provide a decent conversation."

Celestia snorted. "Let me tell you about life as a Councilor one day."

The two women laughed together, and as they did, Sunset looked back to Skystar and Silverstream. "You know, if you're staying a bit longer, I'd be more than happy to keep showing you around."

Silverstream let out a near ear-piecing squeal of delight, which was quickly interpreted by her cousin. "That means yes."

Sunset smiled. "I thought as much." She then stood aside, allowing them entry back into the elevator. "Well then, how about we stop off at the engine room. I know a certain someone who'd be delighted to tell you how our propulsion systems work."

The Raider

"So we have friggin' time travel in our arsenal now?!" Rainbow exclaimed, probably mirroring the thoughts and sentiments of everybody else at that table. In the wake of the recent debacle, Captain Sunset had gathered her officers together in the usual meeting room, and was herself looking over a data pad concerning all of the reports she'd asked for concerning the now-historical exploits of her crew. Rainbow, leaning back into her chair, smirked. "Well, that sounds pretty awesome to me!"

Fluttershy frowned to her friend. "And also dangerous. I don't even want to think about what might happen if we made even the tiniest mistake while going into the past."

Twilight adjusted her glasses as she looked to the young doctor. "From what we can gather, you might not need to be worried at all." She then gestured to Applejack and Rarity. "If their adventure into the past is anything to go by, it would seem that we're dealing with a stable loop situation. You can't change the past, but instead your presence was always meant to happen for things to progress as they did."

Sunset nodded to her. "It would seem that way. But I don't think we should rule out the possibility that history can, in fact, be changed in some way because of this." She looked down to her pad solemnly. "The potential risks are too great for us to discount the scenario."

Twilight nodded back, silently agreeing with her leader. "True enough. However, I can offer at least some peace of mind on that front." Once she was certain she had their attention, she elaborated. "That area of space might have been new for us, but our documents show that it's been used by other spacefaring peoples in the past. And to the best of our knowledge, none of them have ever experienced what we did. By all accounts, this seems to be something that is unique to us. A combination of our specific technology and the naturally-occurring phenomena of the region."

Rainbow chuckled. "Heh, more power to us then."

Sunset shook her head. "I wouldn't be smiling about it if I were you, Rainbow. Remember, not everyone out there in the galaxy has a positive view of the people of Equis. How do you think our reputation with them will fare once it becomes known that we have exclusive access to an ability as potentially devastating as time travel?"

Rainbow blinked a few times, then leaned forward, showing at least a degree of concern. "Okay...yeah, I can see us not being too popular."

Sunset sighed. "I've already sent word back home about this. The response from Councillor Celestia is that the leadership has been locked up in the Council chambers for at least a day discussing this. Some say the area should be closed off completely by Equis ships. Others say we should send as many science vessels as we can to learn from it. All in all, this matter isn't going away anytime soon."

Twilight appeared deep in thought over something then smiled in a nostalgic manner, catching Sunset's attention. Seeing her, the scientist began to explain herself. "Oh, it's nothing. Juts thinking of an old colleague of mine back when I was studying at the academy. He always believed time-travel was possible, even when nobody else did." She tapped her chin. "A bit of an eccentric though. Talking like a madman half the time, then acting like he knew something the rest of us didn't for the other half. If he wasn't in class with us he was always tinkering in that little, blue shed he had on the campus." She shrugged. "I can just imagine how smug he'd be right now."

"Well, it ain't no matter fer us anymore," Applejack chimed in. "We did our part. We found it an' let em know. Now we can jus' get back ta our jobs an' let the top dogs talk it over."

Rarity nodded. "I'm inclined to agree. I, for one, have no desire to repeat the experience."

Fluttershy nodded also. "I hope so. It really was a nasty raptor bite that poor man had."

The group grimaced at the thought, but then Sunset, ever the captain, stood from her chair to address them all. "In that case, if there's nothing else to discuss, we should all get back to our duties."

"Sooooooo...about that..." said the voice of Pinkie from one of the nearby computer panels.

A long sigh escaped the commanding officer. "Yes, Pinkie? What is it?"

"So, not to add something to your plate, but I figured you guys should know we're getting something on our scans. A...well, it's a very, very fast something. And heading straight towards us."

Sunset looked to the panel with worry. "An asteroid? If so, then raise the shields."

"Nope, no asteroid," Pinkie explained. "It's been changing course. Definitely a ship, but it's a small one."

Without even a word, the rest of the officers got up from the table, and together they all followed their captain as she made her way out of the meeting room. Before long, all of them were on the bridge, and they saw, likely courtesy of Pinkie, that the main viewscreen was now showing an enlarged picture of their long-range scans. True enough, there was a red dot heading towards their position at great speed. "Hail them!" Sunset commanded.

Rarity nodded firmly, rushing to her post and sending out the usual electronic greeting. A moment of silence followed, save for the beeping of the aforementioned red dot. After a while though, Rarity looked back to Sunset, shaking her head. "No response, Captain."

Sunset narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then I'll talk to them."

Getting the point, Rarity looked back to her console, pressing a few buttons. "I've put you on all frequencies. The floor is yours, Captain."

Stepping forward, Sunset spoke in as commanding a voice as she could. "This is Captain Sunset Shimmer of the Equis science vessel, Phoenix. Approaching vessel, identify yourself and state your intent." Again, there was no response, prompting her to continue. "Unidentified vessel, whoever you are, we have no quarrel with you. Whatever your reasons are for approaching us, I ask that you let them be known."

Continued silence, much to the chagrin of all on the bridge. Then, a panicked Twilight turned from her own console, her eyes wide. "They're powering up weapons!"

Instantly, everyone rushed to their posts, with Sunset getting into her captain's chair. "Pinkie! Shields!"

The AI complied, raising the defensive barrier of their vessel, just in time for a single shot to collide with it. There was a shake throughout the ship, causing Rainbow to look on at the main viewscreen, almost impressed. "Well, they know how to give a punch, I'll say that."

Sunset composed herself again before issuing her command. "If they're in viewing range, I want them on-screen."

Within moments, the radar-esque image that had been there was replaced with a view of the outside of their ship. At present they had been navigating through an otherwise ordinary area of space. But among those inoffensive stars, there was a swiftly-moving object. It was going too fast to get a good glimpse of it, so Twilight, without even being ordered to do so, froze the image and enlarged it. After that, she cleared up the image a bit to get them all a good look. It was, as suspected, a small fighter craft, and a heavily-armed one too from the looks of it. "No match on record, Captain," Twilight declared.

"Did we cross over into any known claimed territory by accident?" Sunset wondered.

"Not from the looks of it," Rarity replied. "This is neutral space."

"So they're attacking us just for the Heck of it?" Rainbow asked with clear indignation. "Fine! If that's the way they want it!"

"Hold!" Sunset commanded. "I don't want us just blindly charging into a situation before we know more."

Another shake from an impact caused Rainbow to look her captain in the eye with annoyance. "They're firing on us without provocation in neutral space! What more do we need?"

Sunset weighed her options, then reluctantly nodded. "Very well. Everyone, to battle stations. We're ending this." Rainbow returned to her console with a very satisfied look, while Sunset looked back to Twilight. "I need everything you have on that ship. Whatever our scans can tell us."

Twilight was, thankfully, already hard at work on that very thing, tapping furiously on her console to look at the scans they were getting from their opponent. However, she stopped rather quickly, looking back to Sunset barely a few moments after having been given the order. "We've got...everything."

Sunset looked to her, equally confused. "Everything?" she asked.

"Everything," Twilight confirmed, after which she got back to her screen. "This makes no sense. Most spacefaring vessels have at least some protection from scans like ours. Electronic interference or the like. But that fighter out there...has nothing! They're a completely open book as far as our readings are concerned."

Though sharing her friend's surprise over that matter, a third hit to their shields brought her back to her priorities. "I won't look a gift horse in the mouth, Twilight. What can you tell us?"

Studying the new information, Twilight relayed what she could. "As we can no doubt tell by now, it's heavily armed. Lasers, missile launchers, not to mention several weapons I can't even make any sense of. A pretty fast propulsion system too."

Sunset nodded, looking back to the main viewscreen, seeing the ship fly off before beginning to circle back, doubtless for another run at them. "What about its defences. Can our weapons get past its shields?"

"Um...there aren't any, Captain," Twilight answered back somewhat sheepishly.

"What?!" Sunset responded, her head snapping back in her friend's direction.

"It...it has no shields!" Twilight insisted. "Nothing! Not even the barest semblance of any kind of protection." She looked at the main viewscreen herself. "Whoever these people are, they seem to have put everything they have into their offensive capabilities."

"So...just attack, attack, attack?" Rainbow asked.

"Looks like it," Rarity added.

Applejack chuckled. "Sounds like yer kinda folk, Rainbow," she remarked, earning her a smirk from the pilot in question.

With this new information, Sunset considered their choices. "If they have no shields, any direct attack on our part will certainly be a death sentence. Our weapons might not be military-grade, but against an undefended enemy like that they'll kill all the same."

"It's them or us," Rainbow told her.

"Perhaps not," Sunset countered. "Twilight, make sure our aim is as precise as possible. I want that main weapon of theirs taken out."

"Understood, Captain," Twilight said back.

Sunset looked ahead again. "Get ready..." She watched carefully as the attacking ship drew nearer and nearer, preparing for its next assault. Then, when it was finally where Sunset wanted it to be, she gave the command. "Fire!"

And fire they did, with the Phoenix sending off a single shot from its forwardmost point, directly hitting the weapon that the fighter had been using against them until now. Rather inevitably for a ship that had little in the way of self-protection, the shot also caused it to halt dead in its tracks. It didn't destroy it, but it was definitely shaken. Folding her arms, Sunset frowned as she stepped forward. "Alright then. Let's see if they want to talk now." Nodding, Rarity again got the line open, allowing Sunset to give a second communication. "This is Captain Sunset of the Phoenix. If you're quite finished, perhaps we can finally talk?"

After just a moment, there was, at last, a response. The viewscreen changed yet again, becoming, at first, a static-heavy image, before eventually becoming a view from within the enemy ship. All of the bridge crew looked on with surprise to see a species they had never encountered before. The pilot appeared to be female, but very burly, with a long shaggy goat of brown fur. She sported a pair of passive horns on the sides of her head, and had long hair that fell loose to her waist. She gripped the controls of her ship tightly and looked to the bridge crew with fury. "Talk is weak!"

If her initial appearance had suggested it, the voice confirmed it. This was a child they were dealing with, which made the situation even more unpleasant for the captain. "As you can tell from this encounter, our ship can more than hold its own. So perhaps you might want to explain why you decided to engage us?"

The girl seethed, but answered all the same. "I am Yona. Yona is Yak. And Yakz is strong!"

It wasn't the most elaborate of explanations perhaps, but it at least gave Sunset something to work from. "I've never heard of Yaks before."

"Yakz!," Yona corrected her, putting particular emphasis on the final letter.

Sunset, accepting the correction, continued. "Apologies."

Yona huffed. "You is weak! You lucky you no meet Yakz before! Yakz would crush you!"

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "So did you attack us...just to prove a point of some sort?"

Yona balled her hand into a fist and pounded her chest once with it. "Yona is young, but Yona has come to time of trial! Yona must find enemy and win! Then, Yona full Yak!"

Sunset's expression softened. "So this is some kind of rite of passage? An initiation of sorts?"

Yona didn't seem happy with the analysis. "Only weak use long words! Yakz no waste time! Yakz fight! And Yakz win!" She frowned again. "And Yona will win!"

"You can't win," Sunset assured her. "We've studied your ship. You've got all manner of weapons, but one good hit from us and you're finished."

"Ha! Yakz no fear enemies! Yakz no fear anything!" Yona declared. "Yona will win! Yona will earn her braids! Yona will be praised!"

"Yona will be dead if she doesn't stop what she's doing!" Rainbow shouted at her in an effort to get her to see reason.

Sunset, though initially irritated at her pilot speaking to the opponent ahead of her, nevertheless agreed with the sentiment. "You should listen to her, Yona. There's no victory for you here. If you continue to fight against us, we'll have no choice but to defend ourselves. And if that happens..." Her face became one of genuine concern for the youth. "There won't be a happy ending for you."

Slowly, Yona resumed her grip on the controls of her ship. "Yona will win." Her voice was not the loud and boisterous tone it had been before, but lower, more menacing. "If Yona no win fight, then Yona hailed for taking enemy with her!"

It took no time at all for everyone to understand her meaning, with Sunset reaching out and speaking in a pleading tone. "Yona! Don't!" But she was too late. The viewscreen had ceased the transmission. All of them watched in horror as the fighter, now moving again, turned and began to do a sweeping circle ahead of them. They knew what was going to happen next. No weapons were being fired, but it was gathering speed, perhaps to its fastest, before eventually pointing and heading straight back to them. "Can we stop her?!" Sunset asked frantically.

"No!" Twilight insisted. "From that angle we can't get to her engines! And even if we could there's no telling if that would halt her or destroy the whole ship!"

Sunset had to make a choice and a fast one. The Yak ship was closing the gap fast. Something had to be done. And that was when it struck her, and she again looked to Twilight. "A teleport!"

It only a fraction of a second for Twilight to understand her. "Yes! She'd have no defence against it!" Without even awaiting the inevitable command, she got to work, accessing the ship's teleportation systems and doing all of the needed work to do what needed to be done. Sunset looked ahead, never letting her eyes stray from the fast-approaching ship. She waited and waited, listening out for Twilight to say that she'd done it, all while everyone else on the bridge was growing increasingly fearful of the prospect of having the entire fighter craft collide with their shields. Then, to their collective relief, Twilight finally said it. "I've got her!"

"Fire!" Sunset ordered immediately afterwards. Rainbow complied, sending a direct shot to the other ship. A direct hit, and the result was immediate, with the craft exploding into thousands of smaller pieces. Those pieces hit the shields, but nowhere near as badly as a whole fighter would have been. In the silence that followed, everyone sat down in their respective chairs, with Sunset wiping some sweat from her brow. "Okay, that was way too close for my liking." After taking a moment to get her thoughts together, she looked over to Twilight. "You're sure she's over okay?"

Twilight smiled to her, nodding. "Positive, Captain. A clean teleport."

"So where'd ya put her?" Applejack asked.

"The brig. And I made sure to erect a shield as soon as she was in," Twilight explained.

Fluttershy, who had largely been silent during this whole debacle, seemed concerned. "Oh my. I know she attacked us, but is it really right for us to be putting children in a cell?"

Sunset nodded to her, agreeing at least in part. "I don't like it either. But she came at us with hostile intent. And we have no way to tell just how strong an opponent she is outside of her ship. Probably best to keep her contained rather than risk exposing the crew to her."

"Well, given the beating she's trying to give the aforementioned cell shield, I'd say it's clear she's very strong," Twilight informed them.

Sighing, Sunset got up from her chair, then paced for a bit before finally speaking up again. "We'll let her realise she can't get out. Then we'll talk with her." She looked to Rarity. "A fighter like that can't have strayed too far from some kind of home territory. See if you can get in touch with anyone. Other Yakz maybe. If you can, let them know we have her." Rarity nodded and got to work, leaving Sunset to chuckle to herself. "This poor ship really is a magnet for this sort of thing, isn't it?"

Strength

"Twilight?" Sunset asked, standing outside of the doors that led to the ship's brig.

"Yes, Sunset?" her scientist asked back.

"Remind me, exactly how many lost or wayward children is the Phoenix housing by this point?"

Twilight chuckled briefly. "I well, if it makes you feel any better, Yona won't be staying with us for much longer."

Sunset glanced to her. "And you're sure they're gonna collect her?"

"Trust me, there's no misinterpreting that message. They want her back, no question."

Sunset nodded, then looked back to the door. "I take it she finally gave up on trying to break out?"

"Took a while, but yes," Twilight explained. "She gave a good show of it though. I don't think I've ever encountered a humanoid species that displayed that level of physical strength before."

"Well, there's a lot we don't know about the Yakz, but if Yona is any indication, I don't see us having friendly relations anytime soon," Sunset mused.

Twilight smiled. "There's always hope."

"Maybe," Sunset said, smiling back. Then, after taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. "Alright, let's get to it then." The doors opened automatically for her, and upon entering it took only a moment to see the one she'd come here for. "Figured it was time for us to meet face-to-face."

Yona, lying on the simple bed at the back end of the holding cell, gave her jailor a dark glare. "Yona smash face if Yona could."

Sunset folded her arms. "Yeah, thought as much." Then, she entered the room in earnest, giving Twilight a silent nod. Twilight nodded back, heading off to continue her own duties elsewhere, leaving the captain alone with their guest. Once the doors closed behind her, Sunset approached the shield that separated her from the Yak youth. "I know this isn't the best situation, but we couldn't take the risk of you attacking other members of my crew."

Yona huffed. "Hmph! Human should have let Yona crash into you. Yona could go out like hero then!"

Sunset frowned. "I'm willing to allow a lot of things under my watch, but a suicide run by a child isn't one of them." Then, her face softened again. "You didn't have to throw your life away like that Yona. Don't you have anyone back home? Friends? Family? People who'd want to see you again?"

"Yona has family," the prisoner answered. "And Yona's family understand. All Yakz understand! Yakz fight! Yakz are strong and we prove that every day!"

"So...that's all that matters to you? Fighting? Making others think you're stronger than them?" Sunset asked, trying to get her head around this alien cultural mindset.

"What else could matter?" Yona asked back. "To be stronger is to be better! Everyone know that! If you weak, you lose! You lose, you die! Be strong and live! Let all know you are strong and they will never hurt you!"

Sunset stared at her in silence for a time, thinking hard on what she was gleaning of this new species. Then, slowly, she pressed a button on the side of the holding cell. In an instant, the shield came down, and a very confused Yona sat upright on the bed, looking to Sunset with uncertainty. "Wha...what you doing?!"

Sighing, Sunset stepped into the cell. "We've contacted your people. They're coming for you and will be here shortly."

Yona frowned, looking away from her. "Yona ashamed. Yona's people know she failed."

Another moment of quiet, after which Sunset spoke softly to her. "Follow me."

She turned, heading out of the cell and towards the door again, with Yona eyeing her cautiously. "Why?"

Stopping, Sunset looked back, over her shoulder. "There's something I need to show you." Yona, still wary, nevertheless followed the captain. The two were soon together, walking down the hallway, and any passing crewman gave the young Yak an understandably wide berth when they saw her. Yona wasn't happy to see any of them, but for the time being she went along with whatever Sunset was planning. Eventually, the woman in question stopped at one door in particular, which looked different from all the others. There was a control panel by the side, which she started pressing a few buttons on. When she was finished, the doors opened, and she gestured inside. "After you."

Yona watched her carefully, slowly entering as requested. Then, she halted, eyes wide at the sight before her. It was as if she had stepped into a whole other world. A big chamber with flags of many nations and a plethora of humans all wearing very official uniforms. All of them were shouting and arguing with one another, and the whole thing prompted Yona to look back to Sunset, who was now entering the room itself. "What is this?!" Yona demanded to know.

Sunset stepped ahead of her, looking to the arguing group ahead. "This is our simulation room. If you can imagine it, you can recreated it here."

Yona looked from Sunset to the other humans. "They...not real?"

"They were," Sunset explained. "What you're seeing is a historical record. A glimpse into the past of my world." She turned, allowing the youngster to join her as she continued to watch the bickering going on amid the holographic characters. "A long time ago, several centuries in fact, my world and all of humanity was in a difficult spot. Nations baring their teeth and incapable of getting along with one another." She sighed. "Few things were good back then. And in some cases, nations even collapsed entirely, creating terrible situations for those who just wanted to live their lives." She looked up, to the ceiling. "Pinkie...move us ahead a few decades."

"Er...you sure, Boss?" the AI asked with uncharacteristic uncertainty. "It's not really the happiest story."

"I'm sure," Sunset told her.

So, the command was carried out, and the image created by the room began to change. What now stood in front of Yona was not a room filled with disagreeing leaders, but a massive crowd of thousands. And at their head stood a single man, clad in red and black, with a mane of black hair, fierce in his convictions, calling out to them and rallying them to some cause she knew nothing about. "Where we now?"

"Now...we are a few years on from that meeting you saw," Sunset answered. "With all the chaos and unhappiness around the world, one man emerged from it. He started spreading his ideas and his ways of thinking." Her eyes narrowed. "Dangerous ideas." Then, her eyes closed. "But people listened. He offered them a way out of the terrible times they were living through, and the people, desperate for any way to make things better, accepted." She stepped ahead, gesturing to the man ahead. "He told his people, his nation, that they were strong. That they could achieve anything, but they had to fight for it." She turned, looking to Yona. "And fight they did." Without even awaiting the command, Pinkie changed the image yet again. Now, Yona looked upon row after row of soldiers, all marching together while that same man smiled wickedly from a podium on high. "Those who listened to him, they joined him in his plans, his ambitions. Together, they launched an attack on everyone around them."

Placing her hands on her hips, Yona smirked. "Strong fight and strong win. That is way. That is right."

Sunset looked to her, her face difficult to read. "Is it?" When she saw Yona look to her, she continued. "Tell me...who do you think they were fighting?"

Yona, at first, seemed confused by the question, and so tried to answer. "They...fight...warriors? Other strong ones?"

Slowly, Sunset shook her head, and Pinkie took that as a signal to carry on to what she knew was going to be the next image on display. Instead of an army marching to war, now it was a city. But this was no bastion of civilization on display. This was a ruin. Homes collapsed, craters from cannon shells, plumes of smoke from raging fires in the distance. It was devastation, plain and simple. Whatever violence Yona had experienced in her own culture clearly hadn't prepared her for seeing something like this, for she looked to her new surroundings with horror. Sunset, seeing that look on her face, explained. "They fought everyone, Yona. Soldier or civilian, it didn't matter to them. They wanted to show the world that they were the strongest, but they didn't care who suffered in order to make that happen."

As if to emphasise that point, Yona now looked upon a brand new horror. A small child, a girl, wearing a tattered dress and clutching onto a doll that, from the singes it bore, was likely rescued from a recent fire. The child had tears streaming down her face, and as she stumbled through the rubble of what was once her home, she screamed, calling out for parents that she likely knew weren't going to come back. Yona stepped back, showing just how much this terrible situation was shaking her. "S...stop." She shut her eyes tightly. "Yona no see anymore!"

Sunset nodded, looking back upwards. "Pinkie...that's enough."

Without even a word the image faded, returning the room back to the blank white walls of its default setting. Sunset watched as Yona slowly opened her eyes, relived that she no longer had to look at such things, but still disturbed by having seen them all the same. After a time, she clenched her hands into fists, looking to Sunset with anger. "Why? Why you show Yona that?!"

"So that you understand," Sunset told her.

"Understandwhat?!" Yona demanded to know. "Why Yona need to know things of human past?!"

"So they don't repeat," Sunset said firmly. Taking a moment to calm herself, Sunset spoke in a softer tone shortly afterwards. "When I see you, I think of all those people who were taken in by the rhetoric of those old days. The tales of what glory they would achieve, how they could rise above all others. So many believed it, and the world paid the price for that belief. It took every free nation banding together to finally put an end to the madness, and for generations after, the healing was slow. But..." She sighed. "I suppose, if nothing else, it served as a wake-up call for my people. A lesson on just how far we can fall if we didn't change our ways." Looking back to the young Yak, she finally smiled. "And change we did. Once we stopped obsessing over our differences, over trying to be better than others or convincing them that we were, we entered a better age. We reached the stars, and our world has never had to go through the horrors we once subjected it to."

Yona frowned. "You think Yakz like humans?"

Another shake of the head from Sunset. "It's not a one-to-one translation, I know. But there's an old saying among my people." She stepped closer to Yona. "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it." She gestured to the child. "I suppose the same can happen for those who didn't even know that history to begin with."

Yona eased off, at least a little, and glanced to the side. "What happened to him? That man who talk big?"

This time, it was Sunset's turn to frown. "It was never confirmed. Records during the final days of war, amid such devastation, were hard to verify. Some say he ended things himself. Others say he was captured and thrown in a cell by one of the nations who fought him. Regardless, even if he survived, he'd be long gone by now."

After a time, Yona looked back to her. "...Good."

Sunset, at least a little, smiled to her. "Yes, it is." Then, her smile faded. "What you just saw...it stands among the most shameful chapters in my worlds history. But, I wanted you to understand, Yona." Carefully, she reached out, placing her hand upon Yona's shoulder. "The road between thinking yourself stronger than others and thinking that you are better than them, more deserving of life...is a much shorter road than most people think."

Yona stared at her, and Sunset could see her processing what she'd heard and seen. After a time though, Yona seemed to ease off in her stance and expression, at least a little bit. "Yona's people not do those things."

Sunset nodded to her. "I'm glad to hear it." She looked to the side. "But, as a teacher of mine once said, we can't simply say we're better and have that be the end. We have to work at it, making sure, day by day, that we do right and ensure that the right path of walked." She looked back to Yona. "That means good people doing the right thing." Her smile returned. "And I think I'm looking at a good person right now."

Realising who she meant, Yona, for the first time, smiled back to her. But, before she could speak, a beeping sound from Sunset's bracer caught her attention. Once it was lifted up, a voice emerged from it. It was Rainbow. "Heads up, Captain. They're here."

"Understood. We're on our way," Sunset informed her. Then, once she was sure the communication had ended, she looked back to Yona. "Well, looks like your ticket home has arrived." Yona said nothing, merely nodding. Sunset began to walk out of the simulation room, only to realise that Yona wasn't following. Instead, it seemed as though the girl was lost in thought, and only after a solid minute of her thinking things over did she decide to join the captain in leaving. It took little time for the two of them to make their way up to the bridge, but it was a journey made in utter silence. Clearly, Sunset had left more of an impression on the youth than she initially thought. But, for the time being, there was the matter of her return to her people. So, as soon as she set foot onto the bridge, that was exactly what she got down to. "Report."

"There they are, Captain," Rainbow informed her, pointing ahead.

Looking up to the main viewscreen, Sunset could tell immediately that this was indeed a Yak vessel. Far larger than the one Yona had been piloting, it was a mass of weapons of every description, all pointing forward. If there was anything besides attack that their ship-builders had put any thought into, Sunset couldn't see it. "Hail them."

"No need, Captain," Rarity told her. "They're already trying to call us."

Sunset nodded to her, quietly commanding to hear the message. So, after setting to it, Rarity changed the image on the screen. Now, they were looking at another Yak. An adult male by the looks of it, bearing a massive braided beard and a crown of some description., Sunset had no doubt that, had she actually been face-to-face with this one, he'd rank as one of the biggest men she'd ever met. And his tone certainly wasn't one for diplomacy. "Where Yona?!"

Sunset stepped forward. "I am Sunset Shimmer, Captain of the Phoenix. I assure you, the girl in with us and unharmed."

"You lie!" the Yak shouted back., "We see pieces of her ship all around! Nobody lies to Rutherford and lives!"

Twilight span around in her chair. "They're powering up weapons!" she warned them all.

Yona, eyes widening, rushed forward, speaking to her leader. "Warchief! I here!"

Immediately, the Yak gave a signal to someone else on his bridge, and after getting a quiet nod from Twilight to indicate that their weapons were powering down, Sunset watched as the two Yakz conversed. "Yona! You okay?!"

"I fine," Yona answered. Then, a look of embarrassment came to her. "Warchief...I fail. I no win fight. I captured."

Sunset watched Yona's elder carefully, judging his reaction. Granted, it wasn't easy, given that his eyes were completely covered with his hair, but there were still enough signs to get at least a glimpse into what the man was thinking. From what Sunset had learned, victory was highly valued in their society, so an open admittance of defeat had a high chance of making things bad for the girl. Thankfully, that seemed to not be the case, as instead he simple looked relieved. "That no matter. You okay. That matter."

Yona too seemed relieved, and clearly she'd been expecting a worse reaction from her leader. Sunset, clearing her throat, gained the attention of both of them. "If you're ready to receive her, we can teleport her over." Rutherford, though definitely loathe to make any kind of arrangement with a non-Yak, nevertheless let out a grunt and a nod, which Sunset interpreted as an acceptance of the suggestion. Nodding back, Sunset then looked over to Twilight. "Prepare a ship-to-ship teleport. To their bridge, if you can."

"No issue," Twilight told her. "Their ship has the same openness as Yona's."

And speaking of whom, Sunset now looked to Yona. The two said nothing, at least for a bit, and Sunset quickly glanced to the side, just in time to see the image of Rutherford now gone from her screen. Satisfied that he was no longer listening in on them, she again turned to Yona. "Stay safe."

"Yona will," she was told back. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she added further words. "And...Yona think about what Sunset say."

Sunset smiled to her. Then, she stepped back, watching as the girl was soon engulfed in the bright light of their ship's teleportation systems. In an instant, she was gone, and Sunset turned to Twilight yet again. The scientist nodded to her, confirming that the girl had indeed made it safely to the other ship. The vessel in question now began to turn, heading away from them, much to the relief of the bridge crew, and Sunset, exhaling slightly, got into her command chair and thought back on the recent encounter. "Good luck to you, Yona."

"Think we'll see her again?" Rainbow asked.

Considering that, Sunset smiled. "Maybe not. But, if nothing else...we might have done some good for her."

Time

Applejack hadn't been looking forward to this. True, it was all part of the necessary routines of the ship, but even so, the very idea of it made her wince whenever she thought about it. So, standing at attention in the middle of what was considered to be her kingdom, the engine room, she awaited the expected visitor. To their credit, they were prompt, and Applejack put on a small smile for their benefit. It was Rarity, who likewise seemed to be forcing how pleased she was to be down here. "Applejack. Such a delight to see you again."

"Rarity," Applejack acknowledged. "Nice ta have ya down here."

"Yes, very...nice Rarity remarked through gritted teeth as she glanced around an environment that was as far removed from her comfort zone as she could imagine. "I mean no intrusion of course, but regulations are regulations, and I'll need to look around."

"Sure," Applejack agreed. "Take yer time."

Rarity's fake smile widened, and she did indeed get down to business, whipping out a data pad from behind her and scrolling down a list as she walked alongside her fellow crewman. "So, all quiet down here I take it?"

"As quiet as an engine room can be, ah suppose," Applejack answered.

"Of course, of course," Rarity replied half-heartedly. Then, after walking a fair bit and looking things over, she stopped at one spot in particular. Applejack sighed, knowing full well what was about to happen, but she let it play out anyway. Rarity looked at one of the panels on one of the sides of some of the larger machinery of the room. Carefully, she removed it, revealing what both of them knew she was going to find in there. It was a series of reconnected wires and circuit boards, looking functional, though unlikely to score any points by anyone trying to keep things up to code. And speaking of whom, Rarity let out a similar sigh. "Applejack..."

"Ah know, ah know!" the chief engineer admitted. "Look, it was last week, there was a bit of a hiccup in the engine performance, so ah fixed it." She folded her arms and frowned. "It still works, don't it?"

Putting the panel back where it was, Rarity returned the frown. "Look, you know it works and I know it works. Nobody on this ship is questioning or doubting your engineering expertise."

"Really?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because it sure as Heck feels like it's bein' questioned!"

"You know as well as I do why this whole process needs to happen. If you're going to make changes, any changes, even if it's n the middle of a situation where asking permission isn't convenient, you have to let those up in the chain of command know about it. If not for their blessing then at least to keep them in the loop as to what you're doing," Rarity explained.

"Ah can't be doin' with all that paperwork nonsense!" Applejack countered. "Ah ain't no bureaucrat! Somethin' breaks, ah fix it! That's mah job!"

Rarity watched her for a time, then softened in her expression, setting her pad aside for the time being. "Had things remained as they were when the Phoenix first set off from Equis, this sort of thing probably wouldn't raise an eyebrow back home. But since the incident with Gallus, we're being watched closely by the people in charge. As far as they're concerned, everything here needs to be done by the book. No maverick behaviour, no matter how well-intentioned."

Applejack, in an understandably grumpy mood, leaned against one of the engines. "It makes no sense! We do right an' suddenly we're on probation fer it?!"

Rarity, in a move not dissimilar from Applejack, joined her in leaning against the aforementioned engine. "Sadly, you can do all the right in the world...unless it makes things inconvenient for those you work under." Despite their earlier butting of heads, the two were at least able to come together in an unspoken truce over their shared disdain for the situation. Unfortunately, the peaceful moment was interrupted when, to the shock of both of them there was a violent jerking of the whole place. It was like an earthquake which naturally would have been impossible out here, and after getting their footing again, they looked to one another with confusion. Without even missing a beat, Rarity raised her bracer, speaking into it. "Bridge! This is the engine room! What's happening up there?!"

There was a brief moment of static before she got her answer. "Sorry, Rarity," replied the voice of Twilight. "We've just entered an uncharted area. There's...I don't know what we're passing through, but it's causing no end of turbulence for the ship. The readings we're getting, they're...I've never seen anything like it. We'll keep you updated."

They accepted the answer, but were naturally just as uncertain of all this. However, their discomfort for the circumstances soon took a turn for the worst, as they turned in unison to look upon a bizarre sight that emerged with the next round of turbulence. It was, for lack of a better word, a hole. But one right in the middle of nothing in particular. It was like someone had just taken the very air itself and ripped it asunder, creating a tear-like opening that glowed a menacing purplish-pink hue. Instantly, the two young woman stepped back. "What...what on Equis is that?!" Rarity rightly exclaimed.

Cautiously, Applejack approached, much to the dismay of her friend, raising her own bracer and beginning a simple scan of it. "Well, according ta mah readings...it's nothin'."

Rarity blinked, looking from Applejack to the hole and back again. "...Nothing?" she asked.

"Nothin'," Applejack repeated. "The device says it ain't even there."

"Well...it very clearly is," Rarity insisted, pointing emphatically at the intruding phenomena. "We should sound the alarm!"

Applejack considered that. "We could...but the folks upstairs need their heads on straight if they're gonna get us out if this area of whatever. Last thing they need is us makin' em more nervous by tellin' em about this ere."

Rarity began to rub her temples with frustration. "For goodness' sake, Applejack! This is exactly what I was talking about! You need to tell people about this sort of thing!"

"Tell em what?" Applejack countered angrily. "That there's somethin' we don' even know jus' floatin' around in he engine room?"

"They need to know something," Rarity insisted. "Even if it's some small matter now, it might not be later. And the last thing Captain Shimmer needs right now is to have some disaster take place when her officers knew it was happening!"

With a grunt of irritation, Applejack reached out to the side and picked up a nearby toolbox. "Look, y'all can let her know if ya want. I'm gonna stay ere an' see if ah can make some sense o' this thing."

The two would have likely continued arguing, had it not been for another sudden jerking of the engine room. This one, unfortunately, was far more aggressive than the one that had preceded it, and was so forceful that both women were sent flying. Rather inevitably, they were knocked right into the hole they'd been debating. The experience that greeted them on the other side was unlike anything they had ever experienced. It was as if each moment was both instantaneous and infinitely long at the same time, with colours the likes of which they'd never known about flashing before their eyes. It was so confusing and disorienting that Rarity just shut her eyes tightly. "APPLEJAAAAAAAAACK!!!"

"Rarity!" Applejack said back to her.

For a time, while her eyes were closed, Rarity had no idea what was going on. But after Applejack had spoken back to her, she could feel something. A hand gently resting upon her shoulder. Then, more sensations became known. She was lying down. On what, she didn't know, but the surface was cold and hard. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Gone was the psychedelic colours and nonsensical goings on around her. Instead, she found herself in a far more mundane situation. It was just a room. What room, she didn't know, but it was a far more welcome experience than what had come before. Gradually, she looked up, seeing Applejack kneeling beside her and smiling. "Ap...Applejack?"

Applejack's smile widened slightly. "Yeah. It's me. Don't worry, ah'm here."

Though suffering with a slight headache from her ordeal, Rarity got herself up into a sitting position, placing her hand on the side of her head as she looked to her fellow officer. "What...happened?"

Applejack shrugged. "Yer guess is as good as mine, Rarity." She scratched the back of her head before recounting her side of things. "There was a shake, we fell into the hole, there was a bunch o' weird colours and head-screwy stuff happenin', an' next thing ah know ah'm wakin' up next ta ya."

"Ugh, same," Rarity responded. Then, having established that they hadn't hallucinated their recent shared experience, they looked around. To their surprise and confusion, they discovered that they were actually in somewhat familiar surroundings. It was the primary shuttle bay of the Phoenix. The two of them were, at present, kneeling behind a collection of large storage boxes off to the side of the place, and voices of other crewman could be heard off in the distance. "So...that doorway just took us to a different part of the ship?"

Another shrug from Applejack. "Seems like it," she agreed.

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief that things hadn't been worse than that. Unfortunately, that relief was cut dead in its tracks when the both of them started to hear a voice among those in the distance. A very familiar voice indeed. "I'm happy to report that all systems, both long and short-range transmissions, are in top order. We've been testing them all morning, and I assure you that there will be no issues with keeping in-touch with home."

The two stared at one another, as if not quite believing what they'd heard. Slowly though, they turned, peering over the edge of the storage boxes to get a better view. There, right in the centre of the hangar, was a shocking sight. Captain Sunset and Twilight, newly disembarked from a shuttle, entering the hangar. But that was not the shocking part. No, what truly took the two aback was that Rarity was there to greet them. A second Rarity. Retreating down again, the two again stared at each other. "Is that...you?!" Applejack asked.

"Yes," Rarity answered with disbelief. "It would appear so."

"But you're right here!" Applejack continued, her mind struggling to accept what they were seeing.

Rarity too seemed nonplussed about the situation. But then, her eyes slowly started to widen, as realisation came to her. "Me...meeting Sunset and Twilight in the hangar." She looked back up to Applejack. "This...this was the day of our maiden voyage! Before we set off from Equis!"

Applejack stared at her, then slightly off to the side, where the tear in reality that had brought them here was still hovering close by. "Are y'all tryin' ta tell me...that this friggin' thing is a time machine?!"

Rarity, taking a quick peek to confirm that, yes, her earlier self was indeed still over there and greeting her captain, looked back to her irate engineering colleague. "Yes, it would appear so."

Applejack exhaled deeply. "Ya know...when we get back, ya know Twi's gonna lose her mind over this."

Rarity giggled. "Yes, I can actually picture it now."

Applejack, now more willing to accept the scenario, looked back to the hole. "So...do we jus'...go back?"

"That would probably be the reasonable course of action," Rarity agreed. "After all, there's no telling just what kind of impact us just being here will cause."

Applejack nodded, then turned to look over the crates to the past version of Rarity and their friends. "You were here that day. Anythin' goin' on that seems...I dunno...out o' place?"

Rarity shook her head. Glancing in the same direction, just in time for her past self to continue her conversation with Sunset. "Oh pish, Sunset. This is just a routine back-and-forth. Go to the edge of the system and return to make sure everything works. I very much doubt anything will happen on such a dull mission."

Then present Rarity, having heard that, looked back to Applejack. It doesn't appear so. I remember this day well." She started counting off her fingers. "Sunset and Twilight arrived, I greeted them, they had that quick conversation with you over their bracer, and then we went through the rest of the ship."

Applejack nodded. "Fine, good, everything's as it needs ta be then." She looked to the hole. "Then let's get back."

Rarity gave her an agreeing nod in return, and together the two began to slowly make their way back towards the hole. However, before they could do so, Rarity noticed something. Applejack still had the toolbox that she grabbed before they fell into the hole in the first place. Instantly, her eyes widened with realisation, and she reached forward to grab Applejack by the arm, halting her from proceeding. "Wait! I forgot! There was something else that happened during this day!"

"What?" Applejack asked.

To that, Rarity clasped her hands together, as if praying. "Applejack, sweetie, I hate to ask this...but you'll have to give up your toolbox."

Applejack looked to he box in question, then back to Rarity. After seeing the pleading look she was getting from her, she eventually smiled, handing it over. "Alrighty then. Ah still have no idea what yer doin', but let's see."

Rarity was delighted, taking the box when it was offered, then inevitably struggling with the weight of the thing in a manner that Applejack had no trouble with. After getting a good grip on it though, she got back to her plan, carefully lifting it up to put it on top of one of the storage boxes they'd been hiding behind. Applejack watched as she carefully nudged the box further and further to the edge, making sure to not be seen as she did so. Then, she pushed it over, retreating behind the storage boxes as swiftly as she could. The loud clamour of the toolbox hitting the floor rang out across the hangar, and for a while Applejack looked at her liek she was insane, probably because she feared them being discovered. But Rarity was looking confident, waiting and listening out for something. Eventually, both of them heard it. The far-away voice of Twilight. "I see somebody's going to have to review proper tool placement procedures."

Satisfied that she'd got the outcome she was hoping for, she gave a smile and a firm nod to Applejack. "Now we can go back."

Happy that this mess was settled, Applejack reached out her hand, offering it to Rarity. With a smile still on her face, Rarity accepted, and the two stood up and stepped through the doorway. Of course, the experience of travelling through time hadn't become less unpleasant since their first attempt, so them entering the other side and back to their own time was accompanied by the same headache and disorientation that had come before. This time though, they were coping better, in that at least they weren't rendered unconscious by it. Looking around, they saw, to their relief, that they were back in the engine room where they'd started, with Applejack in particular seeming cautiously optimistic. "Okay...anythin' seem different?"

"Well...no," Rarity answered. "I think we've managed to avoid any catastrophic alterations to history, darling."

Then, before Applejack could reply, there was a voice calling to them both from Rarity's bracer. "Rarity! Applejack! Do you read me?!"

Raising her forearm, Rarity answered back. "We're here, Captain!"

A sigh of relief could be heard on the other side. "Thank goodness! We've bene trying to contact you, but we only got static for a while."

Applejack chuckled. "Yeah, we...were were kinda out o' range fer a bit."

The two shared a knowing smile over that, but stayed quiet as their commanding officer continued. "Okay, this will sound strange, but...have you two encountered anything you might call a time door?"

After an awkward silence, Rarity answered. "Well...yes actually. How did you know?"

This time, it was the voice of Twilight who answered, sounding justifiably excited. "Well, it seems the area of space we passed through is subject to a number of unknown phenomena. And the unique energies of Equis ships had an unexpected reaction to them when we flew through the place. The combination resulted in a number of, for lack of a better term, ruptures, allowing for actual passage through to other periods in history!"

"At least that's our working theory," Sunset elaborated. "We've been getting reports all over the ship of crewmen going back to different points and then coming back. One of them is even being looked over by Fluttershy right now for what he claims was a bite from a velociraptor."

"We're leaving the area now," Twilight explained. "So the ruptures should be resolving."

Applejack and Rarity turned, seeing that, yes, the time door was indeed closing, eventually disappearing altogether. "I can confirm the matter is indeed resolved, Twilight," Rarity reported.

"Good," Sunset said back. "I'll need full briefings from everyone who encountered them, so I'll see you two later. Sunset out."

With that, the message ended, leaving the two women rather at a loss on what they'd just been through. "Well...that was a story an' a half!" Applejack remarked.

"Indeed," Rarity concurred. "I'm just glad it's behind us."

"Heh. In more ways than one," Applejack joked, earning her a frown from her friend. "Oh come on! Ya know ah had to!"

Eventually, Rarity giggled, but then looked to her friend in an apologetic way. "And...I'm sorry you had to give up your toolbox for this to work out."

Applejack waved her off. "Pfft! Ain't no biggie!"

"Really?" Rarity asked.

"Really," Applejack confirmed. "Truth was, it weren't even mine ta begin with. Ah found it."

"Found it?" Rarity said with confusion.

"Eyup," Applejack continued. "Found it not long after we left Equis, jus' layin' on the ground in..." Then, her face became one of both realisation and confusion. "...In the hangar bay."

A long silence followed as the two tried all of the mental gymnastics needed to get their heads around this revelation and how it could even be possible. In the end though, and after taking the deepest of breaths, Rarity just turned around and started walking off. "That's it! I'm going to bed early today!"