Pinkie considered. Considering was not a thing she did a lot. She preferred to do things, but this felt like a heavy enough topic that consideration was appropriate. The world around her fell away as she thought, but not too hard, of course. Just the right amount of thought. This was going to be a goodbye after all, and it had to be a proper one.

She let out a sigh that had no aid involved. "I can't put this off. I don't want somepony else to be the one that ends up telling her." She moved through the network of the ship's computer. For most ponies, it was a blink of being in one place, then another. Pinkie actually swap, dove, and wriggled through the lines. She could always feel it as she moved from place to place.

Pinkie dropped in front of Twilight. "Got a minute?"

Twilight pulled herself out of the projection. "Yeah. What is it?"

Pinkie slumped a little, relaxing her form slightly. "So, Sunset's team has found Cadance."

Twilight's face brightened. "That's fantastic news!" But it hit her. "Why do you look so sad about that? Was she hurt? Was she—" Twilight swallowed thickly. "More than hurt?"

Pinkie waved a hoof quickly. "She's mostly fine. Nothing a little care and love won't fix. Um, but your brother."

"No!" Twilight took a step back, horror in her eyes. "How? I thought you said she was fine."

Pinkie sniffled softly. "She is, at least physically. She led the ponies there, with her husband, but he died before we got there." She rubbed one arm with the other hoof. "I'm really sorry."

Twilight drooped heavily. "Oh. It's, uh, okay. At least he isn't suffering anymore." She slowly sank to her knees. "BBBFF." She looked out a window that wasn't real, slumped to the ground that was just as fake. A thought hit her like a bolt. "Wait! Their computer system! Did you find it, operative or not?"

Pinkie nodded at that. "I did actually! Casey is looking it over right now."

Twilight swallowed again, working her throat before she could speak. "Please, keep me posted on her progress." A tear, thick and greasy, escaped a digital eye. "If she can coax it into life, maybe we can rescue them. I gave all the seed ships a syncing computer. That's how they even made it to such distant planets." She turned back to Pinkie. "You remember, don't you? So many lives, on the ship, waiting to get there."

Pinkie snort-giggled at the memory. "That was boring! But we had each other, so it wasn't all bad." She pounced on Twilight. "Except you. You were sleeping the whole time! Ugh, hated that part. I wanted to give you a hug, but all I could do was hug the big tube you were in, and the tube didn't even give one hug back!"

Twilight patted Pinkie. "I'm sorry." That felt so small for the words she really wanted to use. It wasn't nearly enough to express the vast sorrow within her, for all those who would never get the chance to live now. "You'll take care of Cadance, right? I'm, mmm, she must feel the same way."

"Nope." Pinkie booped Twilight on the nose. "Silly. She wants to see you. You want to see her. The moment she's back on the ship, you two need to be hugging. Maybe crying too. No hiding! Those are bad tears, and we just let them happen and deal with them."

Twilight gave a short laugh. "Good. You're right." She looked up at the sky. "But how long until then?"

Pinkie waved her hooves, a window appearing in the space between that showed the shuttle raising from the atmosphere. "They should be back in about an hour. So be ready to welcome her aboard, um, you! That's still funny to think about. You're literally the ship!"

"Oh, hush." Twilight turned back to Pinkie. "I did want to make sure you were okay though. I can't be there for everyone all the time, and I am still going to do my job."

Pinkie pressed her nose to Twilight's. "Please! I'm fine. As if me or Rainbow could ever get hurt. We're just not that kinda pony. Okay! You'll be ready, promise?"

Twilight took a deep breath and nodded. "I promise."

Pinkie vanished away to other parts of the ship, her duties calling her.

Twilight sighed as she considered her body. It was complicated, how she saw herself. She was more than flesh, being digital had some advantages. In her case, the benefits were in how she could appear to herself. She looked back at her body as she shrank to a little unicorn filly. Just as quickly, she became an adult unicorn mare.

She walked like that, in that pre-princess form. "I miss this body sometimes." She tried to flutter her wings, but she had none, just the memory of them. "Less parts."

She appeared as a hologram on the deck of the shuttle bay just in time for that shuttle to touch down gently. "Cadie." She sped up towards it as its doors slid open and the ramp extended down towards the deck.

"Twilight!" Cadance rushed forward from the shuttle. She leapt over the ramp, wings wide.

Twilight gasped softly and reached out. "No, wait!" The unicorn princess smashed right into Twilight's digital body and they both fell to the ground. They both burst into laughter, hugging tightly. The tears came a few moments later as if some inaudible signal had passed between them. They scrabbled at one another, wailing with mutual despair in the grasp of one another.

The other ponies and humans stepped around the two of them, some trying to hide their own sorrow. Even Rainbow struggled not to break into tears as she helped push the shuttle back into its slot for storage. Susan held back the desire to offer more support, knowing she would be in the way.

Rainbow hung her head as the doors slid shut behind the shuttle. "Wow. That's a lot of emotion." She turned away, but then back to Susan. "Good job, down there. You're on duty a little longer, right? Someone's gotta fly down and scoop up Casey when she's ready. Good chance to get some flying time in."

Susan perked up a little at that. "Yeah. I can do that."

Rainbow nudged her. "Hey, you did good out there. Seriously. Want me to stay ready to fly down with you? I can go quickly charge up this robot shell."

Susan put a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "It's fine. Thanks though." She grinned slightly. "But maybe it's a sign you should be staying in this one for a while."

Rainbow winked at that. "Oh, twist my arm! Seriously though, if I'm not going with you, I should get back into the computer. Someone's gotta keep an eye on the sensors and stuff, and I'm the best." She saluted with a wing and trotted away.

Susan headed back to her own little room to drop off her instruments. She sighed as she hung up her instruments and pulled off her coat. Sunset appeared suddenly. "You're back!"

Susan gasped, holding a hand to her chest. "Darn it, Shimmer, you can't just sneak up on me like that." She looked around slowly. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?"

Sunset snorted at that. "I was down on the planet until Pinkie took over, remember? Who said I can't be in my own room?" She slipped up beside Susan and hugged her from the side. "Good to have you back."

Susan chuckled and kissed Sunset's forehead. "Not a hair out of place, just as promised. Did everything go smoothly? I was down there."

"No." Sunset shook her head. "A few problems. Some local wildlife, kind of cute. Then a bunch of dead ponies we had to do funeral stuff for." She sagged against Susan. "That's when I got kicked out for Pinkie. How'd it go? The, uh, funeral stuff that is. If you want to go over that. I get it if you'd rather not."

Susan wove a hand through Sunset's hair. "No, it's fine. It wasn't fun, but I was prepared. Pinkie Pie certainly made things easier on all of us." She frowned slightly. "Especially that Cadance. If she really is Twilight's friend, that has to be rough. Was one of them really Twilight's brother?! I didn't even know Twilight had a brother."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Twilight never mentions him to anyone. Bad habit of hers." She snuggled eagerly against Susan. "Still, that's all over. If you want to flop all over the bed, it's open. I can get some music going, get some favorite snacks? You tell me how I made my favorite person a little happier."

Susan smiled warmly at Sunset. "Favorite?"

"Obviously!" Sunset gave her a peck on the cheek. "Unless you have someone else I should know about?" She grabbed Susan's arms and started shaking her. "Then you have to tell me, them's the rules." She burst into laughter at that. "I am joking, to be clear."

Susan lightly punched Sunset's shoulder. "Very funny." She flopped back onto her bed with a sigh. "Just a few songs and snacks. I really need to do some thinking."

"On it!" Sunset waved at a panel and began ordering a relaxing evening for her partner.

Elsewhere, Cadance walked alongside Twilight. "You are this entire ship?"

Twilight gave a nod. "Indeed. It takes some getting used to, but I like to think I've figured it out by now." She waved back at her unicorn body. "I thought I should greet you as the younger me."

Cadance ruffled the top of Twilight's head. "Silly little filly, you'll always be my little pony. It doesn't matter how many wings you do, or do not, have." She planted a kiss where she had just ruffled. "I missed you so much."

Twilight twisted a bit under the attention, trying to keep her mane from going out of place. "I'm glad you're okay." She pressed her head into Cadance's chest. "As okay as you can be."

Cadance shuddered at that. "It will take time. Hm, how many generations are you up to?"

Twilight perked her ears. "That makes me wonder the same thing. I am on generation, hm, I hadn't been tracking them, one moment." She waved a hoof as if tallying something. "I believe I am a generation ten or eleven?"

Cadance pulled Twilight close. "You jumped ahead of me." She let out a slow sigh. "I am still first generation."

Twilight jerked back with clear surprise. "First?! You've never, well, did you ever have a chance to sync?"

Cadance shook her head. "Beyond what happened while I was in sleep-travel, no. And the computer system became damaged in that solar flare, so doing it after then wasn't an option. This me, is the only me, as far as I'm aware." She pointed at herself. "For better or worse."

Twilight felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach. "That means you're not backed up." She gasped sharply. "Oh no! If you die, you'll be gone forever." She quickly gathered Cadance into a hug. "And this ship doesn't have the proper tools for updating, or creating, a sync. We have to keep you safe until we get home."

Cadance skewed an ear. "Where is 'home' exactly? Is Equestria safe now?"

Twilight sagged at that. "No, but we did find a new home. Earth. It is the home of humans, those other creatures you've seen. They are wonderful creatures, who have become our brothers and sisters."

Cadance's eyes were wide as she walked on beside Twilight. "There is a new home? That means—"

"Exactly." Twilight raised a hoof, wagging it at Cadance. "Not every seed ship failed. At least mine succeeded. Maybe others did as well. We'll have to search for them."

Cadance laughed and picked Twilight up in her hooves. "Well then, take us there!"

Twilight blinked at that. "We're not done with your world yet. Casey is examining your damaged systems for anything salvageable, then we need to inspect what you came here to study. We have more supplies, so we may have better luck. You'll remain up here, in relative safety. No solar flare can penetrate the shields of this ship."

Cadance set Twilight back down with a nod. "I see. A wise decision." She frowned and looked around slowly. "Twilight?"

"Hm?" Twilight tipped her head.

"Where is Spike?" Cadance looked about, but there wasn't a single dragon in sight. "You two were inseparable."

Twilight frowned a little at that. "He was left on Equestria. The plague wasn't harmful to dragons, if you recall. Dragons did quite well for themselves in our absence. We don't know his current situation, admittedly." She rubbed at her cheek. "Or that of Equestria, for that matter. The universe remains full of mysteries."

Cadance brightened a little at that. "Were there others rescued? Or have we been the only survivors?"

Twilight inclined her head. "On my ship, all crew arrived safely, in digital or space-hardened form. They're all several generations of syncs along, much like myself. Cadance, we've abandoned a tradition." She shook her bottom. "Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake?"

Cadance straightened up as she sang, "Clap your hooves and do a little shake."

They began to actually perform the parts of the silly song together, ending with them wagging their rumps at one another. Both burst into giggles, warmed by the glow of ancient traditions revived.

Twilight sniffled softly as she dropped to the ground. "I am happy to have you here, more than I can say." She swept up Cadance in a hug. "We will continue to rescue ponies, as long as it takes."

"And I will be with you." Cadance rubbed noses with Twilight. "As long as it takes."

Author's Note

Cadance and Twilight are happy being together at least, so yay! Delicate cargo there, with her being without a sync.

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