FTRD: Faster Than Rainbow Dash

The dim red emergency light shone brightly, briefly outlining them.
The room looked and felt different.
They all sat around the metal table, Dukes rubbed his head and Presidio had her head down, her blue mane sprawled outwards.
Steel had his arm around her, he was looking down, dazed, confused, hypnotized.
Cursum sat there, strangely still, even his head had stopped its odd movement.
Cam broke the eerie silence.

"Oxygen at 67%."
Duke sighed.

"Thank you Cam, cease notifications."

A beep went off and the room fell silent again.
Steel broke the silence.
"It's amazing how that you only realize how short life is before you die."
Presidio looked up at him.

"Something you regret in life?" She said Smiling

Duke chuckled.

"I regret something in life, never actually getting the rank of Captain."
Steel looked at him In interest.
"How are you flying this Beast of a ship then."
Duke licked his lips
"Well, before the war I was a crew member on a pirate vessel, I was the First mate and we were making fortunes across the galaxy. The captain started doing things me and the rest of the other crew didn't like, so... I killed him."

The room fell silent.
"I then took the ship, but we were attacked. They sent droids aboard and they got everyone, I just managed to jump away."
They sat there listening in to his story, Presidio had put her hooves underneath her chin and Steel crossed his legs.
"I then ran out of fuel and the Federation found me, I then did small freelance jobs for them."

Steel eyes widened.
"You were a mercenary?"

Duke laughed.
"Yes, yes I was. Long story short, I signed up with them and they let me keep my ship and they gave me a small crew."
They all looked at him still in interest.

"What about you Steel." Duke said pouring himself a drink.

Steel shrugged and put his hooves on the table.
"My story isn't as 'eye opening' but when I was, uhh around 18, my academy had a, what they called 'A ball', that was actually just a lot of booze and a lot of really loud music... and there was a girl there."
Steel looked down seemingly lost in trance.
They all chuckled a bit at Steel
"And I was to scared to talk to her, I wanted to ask her to dance but...I didn't and she died the very next year."
The room fell silent again.

"I'm so sorry Steel." Presidio said.

"How did it happen." Duke asked.

Steel looked out the window into space, the stars seemed infinite and bright.
"A group of Federation Sympathizers, when the war started, came and forced us to join... She said no."
Tears had filled his eyes.

He turned to Duke.
"And that is why, I joined the Rebellion." He said sadly.
A tear streamed down his face.

Presidio wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm so sorry Steel." She whispered.

"It was a long time ago, but... Thanks. What about you Presidio."
She wiped her nose and sat up.

"Regrets? Nah."

Duke put down his glass.
"Bullshit, you have to have something."

She sat up laughing.
"OK,OK,OK. When I was about 7, I traded my brother for a hover bike."
The room erupted with laughter.

"You tried to give your brother away... For a bike. Ha. Priceless."
Presidio folded her arms and sat back.

"Only regret in life, mainly cause I had to save up to buy him a bike."
Everyone was laughing now.

The laughing died down and all eyes turned to Cursum.
Cursum looked back at them curious.
"Story? Story! I have no story."

Presidio laughed.
"You have to have at least one regret."

Cursum looked away from them sheepishly.
They all looked at him with anticipation.
"When I crashed on the death world, rules were created, kill to survive, scavenge to kill, kill to find, find to kill, all paths lead to the same end... Death. I did things i never wished i did... and i would do anything to change it"

The mood seemed to drain from the room.
They all stared at their hooves .
Duke broke the silence.

"Cam, put on some music."

"Certainly sir, preference."
Duke thought for a moment.
"Genre: Jazz. Artist: J artison W."
A smooth saxophone tune started to play through the speakers.
Presidio smiled.

"Ah, you love this guy don't you."

Duke shrugged.
"I don't love him, he's just a good player."

Presidio laughed.
"I swear he's the only Artist you have."

Duke chuckled.
"Sir, fires have depleted our oxygen supplies and they are critical."

Duke stopped and he bit his lip.

"Thank you, and Cam... It's been an honour."

"Thank you sir."

*

Duke was tapping the table.

They had all stopped speaking finally and they all felt tired from the lack of oxygen.
Steel sat by the window with Presidio, not speaking.
Steel slowly stood up.

"Uhh, Duke? You might wanna see this."

Duke sighed and slowly stood, his walking was slow and sluggish.
Duke got to the window and peered outside.
He scrunched his face in confusion.

"What the hell." He breathed.
Outside, three warships glided, they didn't reassemble any known ship.
The ship was a diamond blue and the entire structure seemed to be made of crystal, there was no visible entrance and only a giant shard of what seemed to be the actual ship.

A small chunk broke off of one of the ships and slowly glided to the pirate ship waiting to strip The Kestrel of goods.
The shard hit the ship and electricity surrounded the ship, it slithered and climbed all over until the ship looked nothing but a large ball of electricity.

The electrical charge expanded and then thinned out until it disappeared.
The ship was no longer there.

An alarm soon went off, the red alarm didn't seem to make much of a difference to the room.
"Intruders on board." Cam said plainly.

Duke moved away from the window.
"Presidio? Do you have your rifle?"

Presidio shook her head.
"Left it on my bunk."

Duke nodded.
He turned around and looked to the door.
As soon as he did it slid open and a normal pony walked through.
His coat was a pale blue and his mane a dark silver.

He saw Duke and electricity soon wreathed around his hooves.
The pony got closer to Duke.
Presidio stood and ran in front of him, throwing a punch.

The pony rose his hoof and blocked it, shocking Presidio as she stumbled back.
She threw another but this time he grabbed her hoof and jabbed her neck.
She shook and fell to the ground, electricity bounced around her and spasmed on the floor.
Steel looked down at her.

"You bucker!" He shouted as he picked up a chair and charged.
The pony raised his hoof and Steel started rising off the floor.

"What the buck!? Let me down!"
The pony had no expressions and he punched the air with his hoof and Steels eyes rolled back and he stopped moving.
The pony now stood in front of Duke.
Duke was frozen, Unknowing on what to do.
He then felt a large thud against his neck and then a large shock.
He looked to the pony who had just hit him.
Duke looked to his arm and saw electricity around it.
"Buck" he muttered as he collapsed and all went black.