As she examined the village further, she noticed it was populated by ponies. None were artificial intelligences, nor did they show signs of ever having been. Their bits jangled in their pouches. They smiled and laughed as they walked. Many seemed excited by the sight of this new pegasus.

None of them were ponies Rainbow recognized right away. "What happened to your original crew?"

"Original?" a stallion asked with clear quizzical tone. "Crew? Oh! You mean the starters. You should ask S'rah about that."

Rainbow blinked at that name. "That isn't a very pony name."

The stallion shook his head. "She was given a name by the Buzgar, a blessed event. She holds it dearly. Now, the question is, who are you?"

"Oh, duh." Rainbow slapped her forehead, nearly knocking her helmet askew. "I'm Rainbow Dash. But wait, why do you keep calling these aliens like that? Like you look up at 'em? I mean, some of them are pretty big, but more than that."

"You really don't know much about them, huh?" he responded, ears flicking forward. "What kind of life did you come from?"

Rainbow considered briefly. "Not sure how to answer that. Space ship." She pointed up at the sky. "Above the clouds, way above. Higher than a pegasus could hope to flap. Speaking of, I notice you have no pegasi." She saw plenty of earth ponies and unicorns, but not a single set of wings outside of her own.

He shrugged weakly. "Yes. It happens." He offered no explanation for that mysterious comment.

She tilted her head sideways. "Huh, odd. Let me see this 'S'rah' you were talking about. And why don't you call them Sarah? Almost the same and easier to say."

They shrugged. "Don't know. We learned the name the way it is." He walked away, gesturing with a nod to follow. He headed directly for one of the buildings in the place and walked inside, gesturing with a thrown hoof for Rainbow to follow.

Inside, a mare stood behind a pulpit. "Oh, a new face! I don't see those often outside of births. What miracle has allowed this to happen?"

Rainbow rubbed behind her head nervously, glancing about to check if her wings had space. "Nothing miraculous, honestly. I came from space." She pointed upwards.

S'rah approached with a smile. "Space? Are you certain you're not confused?" Her eyes went to Rainbow's wings, resting there. "And what a curious sort of pony you are. Tell me and be honest, are you from another pony ranch? Where are you from?"

"I said." Rainbow pointed up more emphatically. "Space, and a ship inside it. Look, I know you all came from a ship, at some point a while ago. I don't know what happened after that, and I'd love to find out."

S'rah stepped in close and pressed a hoof against Rainbow's shoulder. "Please, calm yourself. Welcome to the Sra." She held out her foreleg for a hoofshake, smiling broadly.

Rainbow cautiously accepted, eyeing S'rah for some sign of deceit. "Like S'rah, your name?"

"Similar." She walked around Rainbow. "Here, we are loved companions of the Buzgar. They found us when we arrived on their planet in a great ball of flame. They were scared, and we were hurt, but they were kind, and they took us in. Now we live among them, here, where they can come and behold us living our lives. To them, we are very curious creatures. To us, they are loving parents, caring for us. Our Buzgar." Her voice dropped in awe for a moment as she gestured out a window towards one such giant creature strolling past. "The good bugs watch over us, every day. They don't allow anything to harm us. You arrived, was it in fire?"

Rainbow inclined an ear back. "I avoided the fire, made a nice gentle landing. They, uh, Buzgar seem pretty nice so far."

"Yes! Oh, yes." She bounced up and down giddily. "They're the most wonderful creatures. And now we live among them. Now, we start again and build for ourselves a home among our hosts. So long as we stay inside our area, we are free to do as we wish. The only rules are to stay inside, and to do no harm to each other. As if we would want to." She nuzzled in close to Rainbow Dash, startling her.

The unicorn nearby spoke up again. "See, I knew it wasn't true. We weren't created here."

Rainbow backed away from S'rah. "Okay." She reached up to bat at her ear. "Captain? Were you listening to any of that?"

A slight pop followed, as speakers turned on. Twilight spoke clearly through them. "I am now, sorry, it didn't work until just now."

Rainbow faced S'rah again, holding a smile. "So, if I had a way for you all to see the stars, from past the night sky, would any of you want to go that way?"

S'rah hesitated with a hoof half-extended. "No," she got out finally, shakily. "Our lives are here." She held her hooves over her head. "It is paradise! Besides, that would break one of their rules. We are not to leave our area. It is safe here. Safe and good. We live in harmony with our protectors, and it would upset them terribly were we to leave." She shivered. "We live or die on their whim."

Rainbow sighed at that response, shaking her head sadly. "You heard that, at least. The ponies here, I think, are descendants of the originals. They're basically pets of the Buzgar. Or, uh, zoo exhibits? They're well cared for, and pretty happy, but I'm not even sure they want a rescue."

A distant sigh crossed the comms, along with static crackle. "Keep investigating. Maybe you can find the original crystals of their ship. Ask them if they know where they arrived. If we can, at least, rescue the original ponies, I'd mark that as a success."

Rainbow turned to S'rah again, adjusting her posture to look more friendly. "Can you show me where you first arrived? I'm curious."

S'rah started towards a door. "Curious. Always curious, silly Hooves. Come. It will take a few hours.

Rainbow blinked as she trotted after S'rah. "A few hours?!"

"That's how long it takes at a trot, yes." She was setting out from that little town, into the wilderness that seemed to still be part of their allowed area. "They fenced in the place we landed, and enough space to spread. The Buzgar are very kind." She turned and stared at Rainbow for a few moments. "Your mane and tail. They are quite colorful." She laughed with good nature and resumed her trot.

The walk itself was relaxing, at least. Rainbow admired the woods they traveled through and watched curiously whenever a local bird or bug chirped at them. "So, they built fences to protect you all?"

"Yes." S'rah turned an ear back at Rainbow. "To keep any mean things out, including Buzgar who do not know how to handle ponies properly. We are to approach them only if they wear the proper badge, that tells us they do know how to handle us. Ponies are delicate, and neither they, nor we, want anyone hurt."

"That makes sense, actually. When a race meets another that is smaller than themselves, the bigger race is often stronger and could hurt the weaker one." Rainbow glanced back at S'rah. "You have unicorns, don't you?"

"Oh, yes. Unicorns and plain ponies." She pointed to her head and its lack of horn. "I'm just a plain pony. No horn for me."

Rainbow chuckled, amused by S'rah's complete lack of ego and cheerfully self-effacing attitude. "Those usually perform magic. Have you seen unicorns performing magic?"

"Yes!" S'rah's exclamation rang with joy. "They can lift things with their horn, and glow in the dark. Useful tricks." She grinned as they turned a corner and entered the clearing where the old ship rested. It still looked intact, if damaged from its harsh arrival. The door was stuck half-open, and vines wrapped around one entire side of it.

Rainbow accelerated for it with a growing smile. "Be right back, I just have to look inside."

S'rah stopped to observe as Rainbow entered that dim interior. Sunlight penetrated only a small distance beyond the entrance. Much of the seed ship was hidden in shadow. Rainbow searched anyway, using her headset for a source of light. Fortunately, she was learning the layout of those seed ships. They were standard in layout. With a sweet, she knocked a panel open and stuck her head right in.

She dug around in the wires and came out with two intact crystals. "Got two, the rest look damaged. These aren't looking too hot either, but they're the best of the lot." She tucked the pair into a bag she had hanging across herself and strapped them tightly for safety.

S'rah watched as Rainbow emerged. "Did you get whatever you wanted? Did it help? Was anything in there important?" She inclined her head. "There isn't much in there. Was this just curiosity?"

Rainbow paused to rub under her headpiece. "This was more than idle curiosity. This was my mission, and I accomplished it, thanks to your guidance, S'rah."

She smiled warmly and gestured Rainbow close. "I am glad I could help." She wrapped Rainbow up in a hug. "New sister."

Rainbow froze in place, blinking and mouth hanging open a moment. "Uh. Sure." She returned the embrace with a quick, awkward hug. "Alright then! Thanks. I gotta get going, though."

S'rah looked utterly baffled at that. "Get going to where? Surely back to the town with me?" She pointed the way. "I will show you, if you've forgotten."

Rainbow chuckled and waved her front leg. "Nah, remember when I mentioned being able to travel the black sky? I gotta get going that way again. I'll be gone soon."

S'rah tilted her head. "Two rules. Do not harm each other. Do not leave the safe area. You are about to break a rule." She leveled a hoof at Rainbow. "That is bad, and may make them angry at us. Forget that silly idea."

Rainbow pointed at herself. "You realize I have wings, right?" She spread them for emphasis. "Besides, I'll be gone before the big bugs notice anything out of sorts."

"No." She folded her arms, rearing up onto her hindlegs. "No. Rainbow, do not break their rules. They only have two. They are our caretakers, and they only ask we stay in our safe place."

Rainbow sighed, seeing how resolute S'rah looked. "I'm sorry," she said softly while facing the mare.

Rainbow curled up tight and pushed off, soaring higher and higher at intense speeds, shooting past the trees and clouds with ease.

Back on the ship, Twilight jumped as a call arrived. "We're being hailed by the planet. Put it on the main screen?"

She nodded quickly. "Please."

A Buzgar dominated the viewscreen. It was High Claw Gatra. "Hooves. We have detected you, leaving as you came. Why did you not stay? You are safer here. Out there is only danger, and we can't protect you, so far away."

Twilight nodded back to the screen. "Greetings, again. We appreciate your concern. Unfortunately, we're not exactly easy to pin down."

"Buzgar try." The claws raised in supplication. "Hooves, we want you to be safe. You are soft warm-bloods. Soft warm bloods that bleed, and die, and break, and splatter. Your little lives are so short, so brief. Here, you can be safe. Buzgar will guard you."

Twilight cringed at the mental images that summoned. "We will protect ourselves as best we can. Thank you, High Claw Gatra. Your people seem genuine in your care and worry, but we will press on. I wish you the best."

High Claw Gatra bowed their head. "Safe journey. Perhaps Hooves change mind and return." They tapped the top of a claw against their head. "Buzgar do not forget you, strange flying Hoof."

Twilight lowered her head, almost bowing. "Until next time."

The channel closed with the High Claw still staring up, as if trying to see Twilight through the heavens themselves.

Author's Note

Mission... success? Sorta? The ponies are living their best little lives, but as part of an insect zoo of sorts.

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