FTRD: Faster Than Rainbow Dash

Their ship just came out of Rainbow speed.
They had appeared in a nebula, not a large one but one with a violent enough storm to knock off engines and sensors.
Duke peered out the window into the nebula.
All he saw was cloud, purple cloud, with the occasional flash of lightning.
"Cam, how's radiation shielding holding?"

"100% sir, I estimate that the shielding will last for exactly 3.4 years without unnecessary calamities."
Duke walked towards the door and it slid open, the hallway stretched in front of him.

The nebula knocked out their lighting for most of the ship, the hallway was cold and dark.
"Can't even see my own hoof in front of my face." Duke mumbled to himself.

He heard a hoof step behind him and he spun around and drew his weapon,pointing it into the darkness in front of him.
"Cam, transfer power from bridge to this room."

"Certainly sir."

The lights flickered for a moment and Duke strained to see what was in the room.
The lights finally stabled and dukes eyes adjusted.

He looked around and saw nothing, just the same chrome white walls he sees everyday.
He holstered his pistol and trotted away.

"Cam, revert last order."
The lights shut off once again.

*

"Ugh, why don't you work." Presidio shouted at the engine.
Duke walked in and chuckled.

"Machine not agreeing with you again?"
Presidio threw a spanner to the floor.
Presidio had her implant out.
It was connected to the side of her head near her ear, it extends an places a green glass plate in front of her eye.
"No, it just doesn't want to work."
Duke chuckled again as he trotted over to the exposed engine in the floor.

"Here let me try." He said as he picked up a spanner and clambered down to the platform below.
He looked at the engine, coolant wires ran over it and a large fuel sign sat above a large amount of pistons.
He tapped the engine and and circuit board fell out.

Duke looked at Presidio and she climbed out of the engine platform and trotted away and left the engine room.
She shouted behind her "Show off."
Duke chuckled.

He began to work on the engine and tested it several times with Cam.
He was just about done when he heard some footsteps behind him.

He turned, only to be greeted by the window gazing at the nebula outside.
He stared for a moment and turned back to the engine.

"I need to stop hitting the cider" he thought.

*

Presidio and Duke both sat In the bridge and ate dinner.
Artificially grown steak, organic potato, slug gravy and a shot of home made vodka.

"The engines fixed, finally." Duke explained.

"Someone forgot to rewire the circuitry and divert water cooling." He continued.
Presidio stuck her tongue out at him.

"I also think I'm sick."
Presidio stopped eating and finished her mouthful.

"With what."she said with half a mouth still full of food.

"I don't know, I'm hearing noises."

Presidio laughed
"Haha, you've been drinking too much."
Duke didn't laugh.

Presidio stopped laughing and sighed.
"If it'll make you feel better,we can ask Cam to scan you."

Duke looked outside.
"Okay."

After a few seconds of silence Cam spoke.
"No foreign virus's detected."
Duke sighed.

"See, nothing." Presidio said.
"Now we better get some rest, we have to jump a few sectors to get away from the Rebel fleet."
Presidio stood and left the room but before she left she said "Duke, try to get some sleep."

He mumbled and she took this as a yes.

*

Duke woke in his sleep to the sound of weapons powering up.
He put on his armor and picked up his pistol quickly.
"Cam who's in the Weapons Control Room."

There was no reply.

"Buck."

He left the room and walked through the darkened hallways.
The purple nebula outside have some light to the hallways.

A flash of lightning made him jump and lit the room up briefly before retreating back into darkness.
He soon found the weapons control room and opened the door and aimed his pistol into the room.
Inside was a large arachnid like species,

It looked like a giant spider, back from home but it had large hairs on its legs and instead of pincers it had spikes, almost like javelins.

Duke hesitated as he watched it crushing the console and throwing things around the room.
Duke fired two shots and hit its legs.
It screamed in pain and spun around, it's eyes glowed a fire ruby red, the two pincer like spikes shot towards him, he didn't have enough time to get out the way.

The spikes hit him straight in the chest, making him release all his breath.
They pierced his armor like butter and blood sprayed everywhere.

Duke froze, his hooves became weak and he dropped his pistol.

His eyes dimmed and he collapsed to his knees, soon darkness engulfed his eyes.

*

Duke jolted out of his bed breathing heavily.
He patted his chest to find no wounds.

"Just a dream, just a dream." He muttered with quick heavy breaths
Duke got out of his bed and put on his armor.

He attached his thigh holster and placed his pistol inside.
Duke grabbed a nutrition tube from his desk and plugged it into his side.
He hated nutrition tubes, it was just a way of eating without eating.

He walked to the bridge and Presidio was there doing system check ups.
"Good morning. Good sleep?" Presidio asked.

Duke was dazed and didn't hear her.

"Hello? You there?"

Duke shook his head and looked at her.
"Sorry what was that?"

Presidio laughed.
"Sleep? Was it good?"

Duke still seemed to take a while to process the question in his mind.
"Oh yes,yes."

He trotted over and sat down in his chair. It was a very comfortable chair for this kind of ship.
He looked around at the console and seemed confused.

Duke then hit a few buttons and spoke.
"Cam, plot a course out of the nebula."

The engines hummed and they once again only saw Rainbows through the windows.
They came out in an empty sector of space, only the flicker of stars and the distant nebula behind them lit outside.
"Captain, I am detecting an intruder alert." Cam said in his monotone AI voice.

Duke sat up straight and started speaking urgently.
"Where?!"

Cam waited a while and then replied.
"Weapons control."

Dukes face turned pale and his heart sank.

Presidio stood and galloped to a locker at the far side of the room and pulled a rifle out.
"C'mon lets get the bucker."

Duke sat there hesitant but eventually stood.
He unholstered his pistol and they both galloped to the Weapons Control Room.

"Cam, lock all exits from the WCR." Presidio shouted.

As they approached the control room the doors lights turned red to show it was locked.
They both stacked up on the door.

"Cam on my mark unlock east entrance.
Presidio looked at Duke.

"Ready"

Duke looked back at her with a plain expression.
"Ready"

"Three, two, one, Mark!"

With the final call the doors unlocked and they both charged into the room.
There a yellow male unicorn stood looking confused saw them charge in and dove to the ground.
"Don't shoot, for Celestias sake Don't shoot."

The unicorn was in a rebellion power armor.
He was cowering on the ground obviously distressed.
"Name and rank? Now!"

Duke shouted at him.
He whimpered and covered his head with his hooves.
"Steel, Steel Perito, weapons expert."

Duke stared at him.
"Why are you here? How did you get on my ship?"
Duke questioned.

Steel mumbled and soon spoke louder.
"Umm.. I was ordered to search for weapons and then uh alarms went off and then I was thrown against the wall from Rainbow speed and then the systems went down and then i got locked in the room and..." He was cut off by presidio shooting her gun against the ground.

Duke looked at her.
"Thank you Presidio."
Duke looked back to Steel.
"Now, what to do with you."