Author's Note

btw, all art is done by AI

Prologue: Interview

Inside a dark and small bedroom, a young purple female moved around in her bed, unable to sleep. The young female was called Twilight Sparkle, as she couldn't sleep as today was a big day for her. She was going to her job interview for the Letha Company. She sat up on her bed and turned on the window screen, revealing the beautiful, deep space outside. The stars glittered against the darkness of space, making the scene even more enchanting. The moon that orbited the planet shone brightly like a diamond, providing its soft glow to the surrounding areas. Upon revealing the city space station that orbited the planet, it was filled with lights of many colors.

Twilight turned on the bedside light, illuminating the room with its soft blue glow. She stretched her arms above her head and gave a huge yawn. She took a quick look at the clock; it read 0800 hours. With a groan, she turned off the clock and stood up. Today was the big day, and she needed to get prepared. She went over to the small wardrobe, taking out her interview clothing and a towel. She made her way over to the bathroom, opening the door and closing it behind her. She took off her t-shirt and pants and entered the shower, turning the handle so the water could spray on her.
As she took a shower, she couldn't help but feel nervous about the upcoming interview. It was something that she had always dreamed of since she was a young girl. She always wanted to visit other planets, see new animal life forms, and maybe even learn their languages and customs. It was a dream she always held onto, and now it could become a reality if she got the job. After the shower, she dried herself off with a towel and put on her bra and panties. After drying her hair, she brushed her teeth and began to brush her hair. Once she was done, she put on her black skirt and blouse and slipped on her brown high heels.
She looked in the mirror, taking in her reflection. She smiled and nodded at her reflection, giving it a thumbs up. "You got this, Twi." She said to herself, With a satisfied sigh, she exited the bedroom, closing the door behind her. As she entered the super tiny living room/kitchen, It wasn't a surprise that Twilight was living in a somewhat poor area of the living section of the station. She worked at the local library as a librarian, not earning a lot of money from the job, but it was a job. But it would not last for long, since the library was shutting down in a few weeks, and that meant she would be out of a job.

"I really need this job!" thought Twilight as she turned on the small-screen TV and started to make breakfast.

The screen came to life, revealing a news channel. The female anchor was reporting about the current events of the station, mostly about politics.
Twilight tuned out the TV and began to make breakfast, but her pony ears twitched as she heard an ad. She turned to it and smiled with glee. On the screen was the Letha Company symbol.

"Letha Company is seeking to hire a new team to go out and study the galaxy while learning new animal life forms. If you think you have what it takes to be on an exploration team, then come to our company and we will see if you are right for the job." spoke a female voice, as videos of workers of Letha, dressed in orange space suits and gas masks, were exploring an unknown planet. "That's right. We need a team, and you could be one of the candidates," continued the voice.

Twilight made a simple toast with eggs. "Yes, yes! I'm perfect for the job," she thought as she watched the rest of the ad.
The screen cut to black and returned to the news. Twilight turned off the TV and ate her breakfast. She made sure to not get crumbs or yolks on her clothes, as she did not want to show up looking unprofessional.

She finished her breakfast and made her way to the front door. She took a deep breath and exited the apartment, making her way down the hallway to the elevator. The elevator arrived with a ding, and the doors opened. There was no one inside the very dirty and cramped elevator.

"Ugh, why do the maintenance guys have to keep putting the cleaning off?" thought Twilight as she stepped into the elevator, holding her nose.

She pressed the ground-floor button and waited for the doors to close. The door closed, and the elevator went down, passing each floor until it reached the bottom.

As the doors opened, the smell of stale air and mold invaded her nostrils, making her gag. She quickly exited the elevator and made her way towards the entrance, opening the front doors. Revealing the rundown section of the space station. Above her were aging sky screens, showing images of the blue skies. Some of the screens died years ago and were never replaced. The roads were cracked and littered with debris. The buildings were old and in a state of disrepair, with the windows either having cracks or covered in graffiti. The place was also littered with homeless ponies and other creatures like dragons; some were sleeping on the ground, while others were just standing and waiting for someone—maybe drug deals.

"I really need to move out of this dump!"

It wasn't long, but Twilight reached the tram station, and it was packed like every morning. Twilight quickly pushed her way through the crowd and made her way over to the ticket machine. She took out her pass and scanned it on the scanner, buying her ticket, but she bumped into someone, dropping her ticket.

"Oops, sorry, dude." said the tomboyish female voice, realizing she bumped into twilight.

"Hey, watch it!" snapped Twilight, looking at the blue girl but quickly going quiet as she noticed the outfit the rainbow-haired girl was wearing.

She wore a long black hoodie. The hoodie, adorned with white strings, drapes elegantly over her slender frame, emphasizing her enviable figure. Bare legs complete the look, with black high-heeled boots adding an extra touch of allure to the already gorgeous design. Twilight felt her face burning up. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." apologized Twilight, trying not to stutter.

"It's okay. Just watch where you are going, cutie." said the girl as she made her way over to the boarding gates with a briefcase in hand and vanished into the crowd.

Twilight sighed in relief and quickly picked up the ticket, entering the gate and waiting for the tram to arrive.
After waiting for a few minutes, the tram arrived with a hiss and the doors opening.

"Please mind the doors as they close. This is an automated tram service message." The tram closed its doors and began to move, heading to the next station. The journey to the center section of the space station was quite long, as the tram had to stop at each station, letting ponies and other creatures off and on.

After an hour, the tram finally reached the station that was nearest to the Letha Company headquarters. Twilight sighed in relief and exited the tram. As she exited the tram station, she was greeted by the beautiful sight of a clean and well-maintained street, free from the filth and poverty of the outer district. The roads were smooth and not cracked, with the occasional pothole, but the roads were wet and had puddles after the weather system rained here. The buildings were shiny and looked brand new. There was also a mix of both ponies and other creatures roaming the streets. She was about to head out when a passing car drove by, splashing her with muddy water and soaking her from head to toe.

Twilight stood there, in complete shock and horror, as the car drove away. She quickly turned to the car and screamed, "Hey, what gives!? I have a fucking interview, and now my clothes are soaked. You're going to pay for this, you ASSHOLE!" but the car was gone.

Twilight groaned and began to wring out her wet clothes and hair, but she could hear laughter behind her.

"Ha ha, that fucking sucks, dude! Ha ha!" laughed the familiar voice, making Twilight turn around and see the same girl from before, making Twilight blush again.

"Oh, it's you again." said Twilight, trying to act cool and calm.

The girl walked up to her and smirked, "Wow, dude. You look like shit!" said the girl, chuckling hard.

Twilight rolled her eyes and said, "Gee, thanks! Do you know where the nearest laundromat is? Maybe I ca-oof!" Twilight suddenly felt something being pushed on her chest, realizing it was the girl's briefcase.

"Here, take it!" said the girl, handing over the briefcase to Twilight.

"W-w-what?! You want me to carry your bag?!" asked Twilight, confused and a bit annoyed.

The girl started to laugh and gave Twilight a soft punch on the shoulder. "It's my interview clothes. Take it; I really don't care if I get the job or not. I've had enough of these bullshit interviews and just want to leave this shithole of a station." explained the girl.

"So, you don't want to be interviewed at all?!" questioned Twilight, still confused.

"Dude, just take the briefcase, please." pleaded the girl, looking a bit annoyed.

Twilight sighed "Fine, fine." taking the briefcase and following the girl, who knows of a nearby public bathroom in a park, not too far from the station.

The girls entered the restroom, and Twilight entered the stall and began to strip off her wet clothes. As she was about to undress, she looked over to the briefcase, wondering what was inside. She slowly opened it, and to her surprise, the clothes inside were very different from what the girl was wearing. It was a black suit with a tie, black pantyhose, and a mini black skirt. Twilight was speechless, and she blushed furiously when picturing the girl wearing it. "Why would this girl be carrying around an outfit like this? Thought she be getting a fast food job or lower end job."

Twilight could hear knocking on the door. "You better not be jerking off in there?" said the girl, snapping Twilight out of her trance.

"I-I-I'm not!" cried Twilight, embarrassed.

"Well, hurry up and change. I want to see if it fits you." said the girl, making Twilight blush again.

Twilight started to change, but she could hear the girl talking to her and asking what job she was going for. "I'm trying to be an explorer."

"An explorer? Like going to some alien planet?" asked the girl, a bit surprised.

"Yes."

"What company are you going to be interviewing with?"

"The Letha Company."

"Oh? Same here. Let me guess, you bought into their stupid Bullshit TV ad? That's so fucking cheesy." said the girl, chuckling.

Twilight puffs her cheeks, blushing. "Yes, I did, and they need an explorer." answered Twilight.

"Well, I was going to say good luck, but with a cute butt like that, you'll make it in no time with those dirty old farts." said the girl, laughing hard.

Twilight was speechless and felt her face getting redder and redder.

"What's your name?"

"I-It's Twilight Sparkle; what's yours?" asked Twilight, finishing getting dressed and turning around, and was shocked to see the girl hanging on the door stall, peeping the whole time.

"Rainbow Dash, nice to meet you, cutie pie." smirked Dash, looking at Twilight up and down. "Nice body by the way!"

Twilight felt so embarrassed that she kicked the door, sending Dash flying and hitting the wall. "Y-You can't call me that! PERV!" She screamed, covering her already-dressed body.

The two finally arrived at the Letha Company headquarters. A tall, sleek building with large glass windows that gleam under the fake sun. The lobby was large and spacious, with a modern design. The floors were marble, reflecting the lights from the chandelier above. There were several plush couches arranged in a semicircle around a large coffee table. There was also a water fountain, which emitted a soft hiss. Twilight and Dash both made their way over to the front desk and were greeted by a receptionist.

"How can I help you, ma'am?" asked the receptionist.

Twilight bowed, but Dash just stood there, tapping her foot. "We have an interview with the Letha Company. Can you please let us in?" said Twilight, taking out her phone and showing the email.

The receptionist looked at the email and smiled. "Of course, Ms. Sparkle and Ms....?" asked the receptionist, looking over at Dash. Looking up and down at her outfit.

"Rainbow Dash. Just call me Rainbow, sweet cheeks." Dash said, smirking and lowering herself to the receptionist, looking directly into her eyes and showing her email on her own phone.

She blink a few times and not caring "Alright, Ms. Dash. Follow me and we will get you situated." said the receptionist, standing up and leading the girls over to the elevator.

Twilight kicked Dash on the leg and gave her a glare. "Quit it with the flirting!"

Dash rubbed her leg and gave Twilight a look. "Why? are you jealous?" teased Dash, winking at her.

"N-No!" snapped Twilight, looking away and blushing but not looking where she was going, and bumped into a large male who was wearing a white lab coat.

"WATCH IT, PUNK!" snapped the male, giving her a glare.

Twilight yelped and bowed repeatedly. "Sorry, sorry!" she said, trying not to stutter.
Twilight kept bowing until she entered the elevator with Dash, who was laughing her ass off.

"I'm surprised you can even walk without breaking your neck." laughed Dash as the elevator doors closed.

Twilight just rolled her eyes and waited for the elevator to reach the top floor. When it reached the floor, the receptionist led the girls down a long hallway, lined with numerous doors on either side. At the end of the hallway was a large door labeled 'CEO's Office'. The receptionist stopped in front of the door and knocked.

"Ms. Sparkle and Ms. Dash are here for their interviews." said the receptionist.

"Come in." said a female voice from inside the office.

The receptionist opened the door, revealing a large, well-lit office. At the center of the room was a large desk, where a tall woman was seated. She was a tall and slender pony with a long, flowing mane. She was dressed in a sharp business suit, wearing white heels.

"Thank you, Maple. That will be all." said the woman, dismissing the receptionist.

"Of course, ma'am." The receptionist exited the room, leaving the two girls alone with the CEO.

Twilight was sweating bricks, but she could see Dash was cool as a cucumber but also acting like she doesn't want to be here.

"Welcome girls. I'm Celestia, the CEO of the Letha Company. You both must be eager to be explorers, right?"

Twilight bowed and said, "Yes, we are."

Dash, on the other hand, shrugged and simply said, "I guess. I just want to get off this shithole station."

Twilight's mouth gaped open, but Celestia chuckled and said, "I see, Ms. Dash. Well, I shall begin with you first."

Dash gave a cocky smile and made her way over to Celestia's desk, where she sat down in the chair.

"Well, what is the job description? And I'm pretty sure the pay is great." Dash said, grinning and putting her boots on the desk.

Celestia didn't seem fazed by Dash's behavior, so she pulled out a folder and a contract and set them down on the desk.

"The job is a simple one. You are to travel to nearby planets and moons and explore them. You will be provided with all the necessary supplies, and the company will reimburse any expenses. You will receive a generous salary when you reach a certain quota and will have access to the company's research and relaxation facilities."

Dash scoffed and said, "Sounds easy enough. What's the catch?"

Celestia smirked and said, "Well, you will be traveling to places that are uncharted and not very well known. Which means you will have to deal with hostile lifeforms, which are just wildlife. So, do you think you are up for the challenge?"

Dash thought for a minute and smirked, "Sure, I'll do it."

Twilight was stunned, but Celestia wasn't finished.

"Now, for the second part. Your outfit is quite interesting."

Celestia looked at Dash's outfit and was wondering why she came like this, but Dash rolled her eyes and said, "Sorry, but my interview clothes were ruined and the only thing I could find was this." When Twilight heard that, it never hit her until now that the girl gave her interview clothes because her clothes were ruined by that car. She clutches her hands on the briefcase, mad at herself for not realizing it sooner and ruining Dash's chance of getting the job.

Celestia didn't say anything and handed Dash the contract and a pen, saying, "Please sign here and then you can go and get tested for any drugs and give some blood samples."

Dash quickly signed the contract and stood up, taking the pen and headed out the door, not even bothering to say thank you or goodbye, but she did wink at Twilight, who blushed.

"Well, that was a strange one." thought Celestia, turning to Twilight and motioning for her to sit.

Twilight sat down and handed Celestia her phone, which had a list filled with the things she wanted to do as an explorer.

"My, my. This is quite an impressive list, Ms. Sparkle. Are you sure you can accomplish all this?" asked Celestia, reading the list and seeing that it was a very long one.

Twilight nodded quickly. "Yes, I am. I'm positive I can do this, Ms. Celestia."

"Well, let's get to the interview, shall we?"

"Of course."

Celestia stood up, looked out of the window, and started to say, "Do you know our company history? We are the space exploration pioneers. We've explored many worlds and discovered many new animal species. But, sadly, the galaxy isn't a safe place, so we decided to focus on terraforming and colonization. Even taking odd jobs on the side. The founders of the company, Letha and her wolf husband, Zeek, have been pioneers in space exploration and colonization. They have traveled across the galaxy, exploring and discovering new worlds. Until Letha's untimely death, leaving Zeek to be the lone CEO and renaming his company after his wife." Celestia turned her head towards a painting on the wall, a painting of a grey wolf, Zeek and Letha, but she was covered in darkness, both posing in their space suits and holding a flag of the company logo. She continued to talk. "But the galaxy is a dangerous place, and not everyone wants to settle on a planet. Many have found the galaxy to be a harsh and unforgiving place and many have died, including our workers. Some have been killed by hostile alien wild life, while others have died of natural causes. In recent years, we've seen a rise in these deaths within the company by suicide and we tried to keep these numbers down by offering better pay, but it wasn't working as we're still losing a great number of workers, so we started hiring anyone. But in doing so, we have been labeled as a "lethal company" and some people have questioned the integrity of the company as death rates are even higher with untrained workers."

Twilight nodded and said, "But what does this have to do with the job position I'm applying for?"

"Well, Ms. Sparkle, the reason we are hiring isn't for exploring itself, but rather..." Celestia turned towards Twilight, giving her a stern look. "Scavenging."

"Scavengers? but-"

"Yes. On the planets and moons we explored, we created settlements and company buildings, from mining to research, but some of those places went dark. We need to recover whatever we can from them, like supplies, high-value items, and any important research data. Even high valued scraps. We cannot rely on the government to help us recover those sites, as they are more concerned about the war on the planet side than helping us. So, we had to create a Scavenger Unit." Celestia gave a small laugh and continued to explain, "Named after the nickname the company was given. Board wasn't happy about it but hey, it sounds catchy."

Twilight gulped and said, "Lethal Company."

Celestia gave a small smirk and nodded. "That is correct, Ms. Sparkle."

Twilight was silent, but Celestia was still smiling. "However, scavenging can be a dangerous job. I know it's not the job you wanted, but you'll still have the opportunity to explore and learn. Even better pay more. So, do you think you can handle this?"

Twilight thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes, I can do this."

"Excellent. Then let us begin the second half of the interview." said Celestia as she sat back down in her chair. "How well do you know Rainbow Dash? The way you two were acting, it seems like you two are a couple."

Twilight's eyes widened and she blushed deeply. "N-n-no! We've just met!"

Celestia raised a brow and said, "Are you sure?"

Twilight nodded and explained the whole story—the car, the outfit, everything. Celestia didn't say a word until the story was done.

"So, you and Ms. Dash, aren't a couple? That's surprising."

"It is?!" asked Twilight, still blushing.

"Well, I'll be honest with you, Ms. Sparkle. Ms. Dash isn't the type of person I usually hire for this job. Heck, surprised you aren't questioning why I didn't tell her the real reason she was hired, the whole Lethal Company unit."

"Well, I wasn't going to ask, but..."

Celestia chuckled. "I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no. We don't hire people to be expendable. In fact, we only send groups of four to six people, sometimes only two if it's a small scavenging recovery job. The reason I didn't tell her the real truth is, well, because she doesn't seem to care at all, whatever reason I gave her. She just wants to leave this station, which I don't blame her for, to be honest."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, she was complaining a lot and even told me that."

Celestia leans back in her chair. "She's the type to kill herself; that's the feeling I got." Twilight was completely taken aback by what she just heard: "Like she has a death wish or something, I can see it in her eyes. It's the same look of someone going to kill themselves, and I've seen a few with that look within the company."

Twilight started to worry a ton and gave a small "Oh."

"But when she looks at you, I see someone wanting to live. For some reason, you are the motivation she needs, so I hope you both work out well together. which is why I'm putting you two together in a team; I'm sure with you around her, she won't jump off a cliff and kill herself."

Twilight was worried but smiled and said, "Thank you, Ms. Celestia."

Celestia laughed and said, "Well, enough chit chat; let's get you tested and registered."

After many hours later, Twilight and Dash were now working for the Letha Company and were outside the building and it was nigh time. Twilight remembered what Celestia told her and asked Dash, "You don't want to kill yourself, right?"

Dash looked at Twilight and gave her a smirk and a wink. "No. Why?"

Twilight wasn't convinced and was about to speak up when Dash cut her off. "Look, if I did, I wouldn't be standing here, right? I would have had off myself a long time ago, like that stupid girl in the mall a few weeks ago. I would have jumped off rather than shooting myself like that."

Twilight looked a bit shocked, and Dash sighed, "Look, I don't have a death wish or anything. I'm just tired of living here. It's boring as hell, and I just want to get out of here. Besides, the job does sound exciting, plus the pay is good and we can explore. So, let's stop being mopey and be happy, ok?"

Twilight still wasn't convinced, but she let it go. She wasn't going to force the truth out of her; after all, she just met her, and the two haven't gotten to know each other yet. But maybe, if she is willing to be friends with her, she might tell her. Why not invite her over to her place? After all, they are going to be spending a lot of time together, so they might as well try to become friends.

"Hey, Dash? Want to come over my place and have dinner with me?"

Dash looked surprised. "Really? Well, It's not like I have anything else to do." Dash blushed as she scratched her cheek. "Sure, it will be fun." She gave a thumbs up. "Plus, I never met a girl putting out so quickly. Nice~"

"P-putting out?!" yelled Twilight, looking embarrassed.

Dash started to laugh as she punched Twilight on the shoulder. "Just teasing, Twi. But seriously, thanks. I really appreciate it. Now, let's go!" Dash started to head back to the tram station, and Twilight was behind her, upset.

"I'm not that kind of girl, you know!" said Twilight.

"Yeah, yeah. And I'm a virgin, hahahaha!"

"Rainbow! This is just a thank you for letting me use your clothes! Plus, becoming friends! Nothing else!" screamed Twilight, bright red in the face.

Jump cut to Twilight and Dash in Twilight's bed, both just finished having sex and looking up at the ceiling, covered in sweat and both blushing. While a box of pizza on the floor.

"Not that kind of girl, huh?" asked Dash, smiling and laughing as she turned to her new lover after grabbing a slice of cheese pizza.

Twilight took her pillow, smacked her in the face, and shouted, "Don't you dare talk! All that flirting you do, but you truly were a virgin!" Twilight was laughing as she saw Dash blushing hard and dropping the pizza from shock.

"S-So!? What's your point?! It felt good, didn't it?!" asked Dash, trying to save her pride, but started to worry as she said, "R-Right?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and hugged Dash. "You're so cute when you're mad and worried."

"Shut up!" grumbled Dash, returning the hug.

Both girls stayed like that, hugging and not speaking a word. It wasn't an awkward silence, but a comforting one. It felt nice to be in the arms of someone who loves you and cares about you.

In the CEO room, Celestia was sitting at her desk, looking out the window, and thinking, "They're perfect. With them, the company will be safe. I just hope they won't find out." She turned her chair around, looking at two shadowy figures, and spoke to them, "If they do, they will end up like the others, won't they?"

End of Proloue