Far Beyond Equestria

Sweetie awoke with a start. Her ears were ringing. The scent of tar and ash filled her nostrils as she pushed her face out of the dirt. However, she didn’t make it far when a new sound assaulted her ears—the high-pitched whine of a tricorder at the base of her horn.

“Don’t move,” Julian commanded.

Sweetie obliged. The disorientation lifted from her as she stared into the barren wasteland of the impact crater. She felt fine for the most part. There was something new… A strange energy coursed through her. She was awake. She was ready to take on the universe!

Julian knelt in front of her. He held up his hand. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Sweetie frowned. “Three,” she replied in a flat tone. “I feel fine.”

“Fine?” Julian asked with a hint of surprise. He leaned in close to her face, peering deep into her eyes. “Eye color is green, pupils look fine.” He leaned in so close his nose was almost touching hers. “No damage to the retinas…”

Sweetie’s eyes crossed as she looked back into Julian’s eyes. She was tempted to push her snout into his nose. Instead, she moved away slightly, so his hot breath wasn’t in her face.

“Yes, fine,” she repeated. “I can see just fine.”

“Yes, I suppose you can.” He stood up. “You appear back to normal.”

Appear back to normal? Sweetie got to her feet as well. Although irritated, she wasn’t sure she felt normal.

“Well…” Julian started and then trailed off.

“Did you see her?” asked Sweetie. Her eyes met Julian’s, and she could tell he struggled to continue his thought. “Well, what?

“For a moment you were levitating with dark blue energy around you. Your eyes were glowing—radiating bright white light.” He looked down at the ground. “And after you hit the ground, I thought you were gone. You nearly phased out of existence.”

Phased out of existence? Like going into the abyss? One second here, another nowhere. Was it that same abyss that haunted her dreams? Sweetie shivered.

The fact her eyes glowed white reminded her of—she pushed the thought out of her mind. She didn’t want to dwell on something impossible while everyone stared. The Touch of an Alicorn was an old story. “I assure you, I am more than fine.”

“Okay, just wanted to make sure. You did something unusual—more unusual than normal.”

“Well, the tetryons are gone,” said Nerys. “After that incident and that other pony everything is gone.”

Sweetie’s eyes widened. “You saw her? You saw Luna?”

“I saw the faint image of a tall dark blue pony with wings and a horn.”

“After your horn lit up, I saw her too,” said Jadzia. “My tricorder didn’t register her the same way it registers you. It showed a highly concentrated and contained structure of tetryons. After her hoof passed through you, you were lifted off the ground. You started to fade as your eyes grew bright white.”

Sweetie exhaled. “I wonder…” Sweetie looked around at everyone. They were all staring at her as if she might explode. “Are those tetryons coming back?”

Jadzia shook her head. “The hole in subspace was sealed. Why?”

“I want to see if we can get her to come back. Maybe Luna is trapped in there… in a void.” Perhaps the same void she almost disappeared into.

“Sweetie, even if we could open up subspace like that, I’m not sure it’s a good idea.” Jadzia gestured around the crater.

“Maybe it can be opened safely from this side,” said Sweetie. “Think about it: it was always opened from the other side in an explosion of energy. Maybe we can open it from the outside and control the energy.”

“Sweetie that’s completely reckless—”

Julian’s reply was cut short by Jadzia. “She might be onto something, Julian. We could perhaps open a subspace rift from this side with a focused dekyon beam. But not here. We need to find another planet where tetryons are building up and subspace is already ruptured. Unfortunately, by the time we do that, I doubt any pony will be left alive in there.”

Sweetie shook her head. “Luna is a goddess. She has powers way beyond the average unicorn. She will survive.”

“Sweetie, unless there’s a breathable atmosphere in there—”

“She will suspend time,” Sweetie said with a final and definite tone. “Trust me. Luna will not meet her end by this stupid space anomaly.”

Nerys was the first to speak after a moment of silence.”Okay, suppose she does suspend time in there, time is still ticking out here in the normal universe. How long do we have to find another opening before they start closing and she is lost to eternity?”

“Can’t we just punch a hole in subspace?” asked Sweetie.

“Not easily or safely,” Jadzia replied.

“Come on then! Let’s get back on the spaceship and find another one!” Sweetie pranced in circles. “Why are we wasting time on this planet?”

Nerys frowned. “So you don’t want to search for more survivors?”

Sweetie stopped in her tracks and sighed. “I do… but if we lose Luna forever…” She shook her head. “You don’t understand how important Luna is to Equestria. She is not just a princess who rules the country with her sister. No, she is the Princess of the Night. She enters ponies' dreams, guides them, and takes away the nightmares of foals. She is our alicorn in the dark—our beacon of light for those lost in the dark.”

Nerys approached Sweetie and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I understand, Sweetie. I think we can search from the runabout for another opening and search the planet.”

“I will have to modify the sensors to search the planet for specific biomarkers.”

“My search for organic residue under the soil wasn’t promising. I think it’s unlikely anyone was sent here, but…” he trailed off as he looked at Sweetie’s somber expression. “But I think a more thorough scan will confirm that.”

Sweetie didn’t want to wait for the transporter. She was ready to teleport to the ship! She fidgeted and grinned. How impressed would they be to transport back and find her already there?

She couldn’t teleport to the ship. That was far away. It was too far for her or any pony. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she would make it. She shook her head. This was not the place to test such feats. If she missed, she wouldn’t be around to try again.

“Mekong, four to beam up,” said Nerys.

As soon as the ship materialized in front of Sweetie, several things happened simultaneously: the lights flickered and went dark, several consoles exploded, and a loud siren blared. There was a sharp shock in Sweetie’s chest. Her heart palpated. Out of instinct, she threw her shield up, deflecting the sparks and pieces of debris flying around them.

“It’s okay, Sweetie, you can drop the shield,” said Jadiza.

“What happened?” asked Julian as Sweetie’s pale-green barrier disappeared. “That’s the second time that thing has come in handy,” he muttered to her.

“Power surge?” asked Nerys. She approached the nearest console. The smooth glass was cracked and dark.

“Subspace fissure is my best guess,” said Jadiza. She scanned the area around the transporter platform. “Possible remnants of the hole in subspace dissipating.”

“And what? Just bad timing?” asked Julian. “It went off right when we beamed in.”

“It was me,” said Sweetie. “I set it off… I’m not sure how. After Luna’s hoof passed through me, something changed.” She looked at Jadzia with an apologetic look. “I know your scanners won’t detect or prove it, but I felt it.” She rubbed a hoof over her chest.

“Dax, I need a damage report, Doctor, see what you can do for her,” said Nerys. “We will diagnose the problem later. Right now, we need to know the ship’s status and how much life support is left.”

“Understood,” said Jadzia. “Primary systems are down. Auxiliary power is gone. We are on emergency power only. I can have this diagnostic terminal operation in a few minutes.” Jadiz pulled a panel off the wall, exposing the complex machinery hidden behind.

Even with Sweetie's limited experience with this technology, she knew something was wrong. The stuff hidden behind the wall panels was colorful and hummed with energy. However, this one was completely dark and quiet. Jadzia seemed to know what to do as she extracted several colorful glass chips.

While Jadzia was busy, Julian scanned Sweetie’s body at an agonizingly slow pace. “There is some bruising on your muscles around your heart. You felt a little more than something. That was a serious jolt you felt.”

“It didn’t feel great. Find anything else?”

“Your serotonin levels are slightly elevated, but nothing life-threatening.”

“Major, good news, I can restore the auxiliary power in two hours…”

“The bad?” asked Nerys.

“We only have an hour of life support left.”

Nerys slammed her tricorder down on the console next to her. “Come on!” She took a deep breath. “Alright, forget the auxiliary circuit. Our phasers on low should be enough to kick-start the matter-to-antimatter reaction.”

“You want to shoot the reaction chamber with a phaser?” asked Jadzia in disbelief.

“Used to do it all the time fighting the Cardassians. We would also pull the power packs from the disrupters and throw them in the reaction chamber for a few extra hours of life support. We only need to provide a blast of energy to restart the engines to get primary power back online.”

Jadzia shook her head. “This goes against literally everything Starfleet says in this situation. One wrong move and we won’t be here to try it again.”

Sweetie gulped. “Can’t we just go back to the planet? Won’t Sisko come looking for us eventually?”

“Normally, yes. But we don’t have the power to transport down there.”

“The escape pod then,” said Julian. “Its power systems are independent from the Mekong’s.”

“Independant and also dead,” said Jadzia. “I already checked it.”

Sweetie pushed past Julian to where Jadzia was working. “Anything I can do to help?” she whispered.

“Unless you know a safe way to jump-start the engines, I don’t think so,” said Jadzia.

Sweetie grumbled as she sat on her haunches. “So that’s it? We just sit here and suffocate?”

Jadzia shot Sweetie an irritated look. “We’re not giving up.”

Sweetie wasn’t listening as she continued. “I hate it here. It’s one thing after another. Can’t we catch a break?”

There was a loud cluck. Jadzia yanked her arm out of the wall with an exasperated groan. She took a deep breath. “Sweetie, I understand your frustration.” There was a great deal of strain in her voice. “Right now, I need you to keep out of the way so I can work.”

Sweetie backed away. Julian put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you assist me in repairing the subspace antenna so we can send out a distress call?”

Sweetie gave a single nod. “Maybe I should get out and push,” she muttered. Jadzia wasn’t mad at her, but she felt rotten for adding to her irritation. She vowed she would make it up to her if they ever got out of this situation.

“Do you know how to fix the communications?” asked Sweetie. “I mean… you are a doctor…”

Julian smiled. “Quite right. I have taken the Starfleet engineering extension courses and read up on all the specs on these runabouts. I’m no Miles O’Brien, but he has taught me a few things. I’m not totally inept as Miles would say.”

It wasn’t the most reassuring list of qualifications. However, Sweetie knew considerably less about antennas, and she still wasn’t sure exactly what subspace was. If she could be helpful, even a little bit, she would feel like she was contributing something and staying out of the way.

“If it’s not damaged, I can connect it to a backup power pack…” Julian opened a panel. He traced a finger across the dark glass inside. “Somewhere in here… ah, here it is!” He pulled a black cable out from behind the glass.

“That’s the antenna?”

“It’s the primary power coupler. Now we have to inspect the antenna, which is aft.”

Sweetie followed Julian to the conference room in the back of the ship. He stood upon the table and opened a hatch in the ceiling. Sweetie peered into the opening. To her surprise, there was a lot of space up there—enough space for Julian to climb into and move around.

“Everything looks fine—I don’t see any damage.” He scanned the area with his tricorder and then shrugged. “Everything is fine except it has no power.”

“So now we plug it into that powerpack thing?” Sweetie asked.

“Yes. It should have enough power to make a distress call to Deep Space Nine and a general distress call to any ship near us.”

“Then they can rescue—wait, hang on. It took us four hours to get here, but Jadzia said we only had an hour of life support left.”

“Four hours in a runabout class ship. The Defiant can be here in forty-five minutes at her maximum velocity,” said Julian.

Sweetie followed Julian back to the front of the ship. To her shock, Jadzia and Nerys tore it apart completely in the short time they were gone. Most of the panels had been opened, cables and hoses were everywhere, and more rectangular chips were spread across the floor and consoles.

“I’m connecting these to the secondary systems,” said Jadzia. “Too much power directly into the dilithium chamber will overload the containment field.”

Sweetie shook her head. She hoped whatever they were doing would work. She didn’t like the idea of sitting in a spaceship with no air and heating.

“Sweetie, I need you to monitor the power levels in this pack. When the indicator lights turn yellow, it is out of power,” said Julian.

The power pack was simple enough. It was a silver brick with some lights and buttons on the side. “What about this light?” she asked, pointing to the large red one in front.

“If that lights up, get away. It means there’s feedback of power, and this pack will only handle so much before it explodes.”

“Of course it blows up,” Sweetie muttered.

“Since there are no other active power sources on the mains or the secondary systems, it won’t be anything to be worried about.” Julian smiled. “But I do need you to tell me when it gets low so I know when to stop transmitting.”

Sweetie nodded. She knew Julian didn’t really need someone to monitor the power brick. He was trying to make her feel helpful. And she was fine with that. She had no idea what Jadzia and Nerys were doing, and for once, she felt like the less she knew the better.

“Okay, here we go,” said Julian. He tapped a button on the side of the power pack. All of the lights on the side turned bright green. The console behind him flickered to life.

“There’s not enough power for a hail… Sending a distress call over the Starfleet emergency channel now.”

The lights on the power pack turned yellow. “Julian, it’s running out of power.”

“One more time.” His hands were a blur on the console. “Sent! Maybe…”

“Maybe?” asked Sweetie as the console went dark again.

“There is a lot of subspace interference. With the sensors offline, I have no idea where it is. But I send one to DS9 and to any ship that might be in our area.”

“Good work, Doctor,” said Nerys. “We are almost ready here.”

“I rigged this to divert extra power to the injectors. This will help superheat them,” said Jadzia. She had removed her blue jumper and was wearing a purple tank top. Her hair was a mess and her face had splotches of grease.

“Will the engines start with all of the subspace stuff going on around us?” asked Sweetie.

Nerys shrugged. “There’s no way to know until we try.”

“We are ready,” said Jadzia. She pulled out her phaser and pointed it at a strange metal apparatus before her. It was a large metal box with two enormous tubes connected to it and dozens of small wires going around it. “Why don’t we all move away from the consoles? This isn’t going to be a smooth power transfer. A few overloads are bound to happen.”

Sweetie moved into the middle of the room, trying not to step on any cables or tubing.

“Firing.” A golden beam of light emitted out of Jadzia’s phaser. Sweetie held her breath as the beam connected to the metal box. For a few moments, nothing happened. Eventually, the metal box started to glow red-hot. “Increasing the phaser level.” The metal box grew white-hot. Sweetie leaned back as her face became unformatably warm. “Now.”

Nerys pulled a level at the back of the box. She yanked her hand away quickly, blowing on it after. Several consoles flickered, sparks flew out of a few consoles, and the low hum of technology started.

“Reaction is still not starting,” said Nerys. “The injectors are still too cold.”

Jadzia’s phaser flickered out. “Empty.” She tossed it aside. “We only have two more phasers.”

The lights flickered, the consoles went dark, and the ship went quiet once again.

“I think these runabout engines require a little more energy to jump-start than a Bajoran raider,” said Jadzia.

“Well, we can try two phasers,” said Julian.

Jadzia shook her head. “Too much power and you vaporize our makeshift power transfer device. We need a constant beam at exactly the right energy output, and it needs to last longer than a hand-phaser.”

“I could do it,” said Sweetie.

Jadzia looked at her with a curious expression.

“What? You think I can’t heat that thing and put a bunch of energy into the engines?”

“No…” said Jadzia slowly. “But can you put enough energy into it? I don’t want you to get hurt in the process.”

“I don’t know, but what else are we going to do?”

Nerys shrugged. “She’s got a point.”

“I will use the lowest power I can and increase as needed,” said Sweetie.

“Okay, but if something goes wrong you have to break your… spell,” said Jadzia.

Sweetie walked over to where Jadzia was standing. The energy transfer device was more than a simple metal box. Several smaller metal fins centered around two metal points with several wires between them. “What is this thing?”

“Phasers don’t have a stable energy output the same way a ship can transfer energy to another ship, and I didn’t want to fire a phaser directly into the dilithium chamber. So, I rigged this device from the ship’s ship-to-ship power transfer module to normalize phaser power before dumping it into the dilithium chamber. Unfortunately, I think the energy bleeds off too fast.” Jadzia shrugged. “Best I could do in such little time, and I’m no Chief O’Brien.”

Sweetie nodded. She understood most of that. While that filled her with pride that she was getting the hang of the technology, it also worried her. How far did the technological rabbit hole go? Would she forget what being a pony was about if she fell deeper into that hole?

Time and place, she thought. She pushed those thoughts down and focused on the task in front of her. “Just tell me how to do this so I don’t blow us up.”

“Focus your spell on the outside areas. Once it turns red, it will focus that heat energy to the center. When the center starts to glow, I will open the power transfer.”

She took a deep breath as she focused her power. A slight tremble fell over her body. “Sorry,” she said. “This spell… I can do this.”

“Sweetie, if it’s too hard to cast, don’t stress it. We can try Julian’s idea,” said Jadzia. “It will require more engineering, but better that than overextending yourself.”

Sweetie shook her head. “No, I can cast this. I never thought I would use a spell like this for this. This is a spell of self-defense. It’s dangerous in the wrong hooves.

“But, this is no time to be weighed down with Equestrian historical baggage. Time and place.” Sweetie focused her magic and cast her spell without any further thought.

A pale green beam extended from her horn and hit its mark. Sweetie took a deep breath. She went in with barely enough power to burn paper, and she knew she needed much more than that. She slowly ramped up her power output. The pale green beam grew brighter, and a low-frequency buzz could be heard.

The box started to glow red-hot, and the internal fins were heating up. She felt the heat radiating off it, and she looked at Jadzia with a questioning expression.

”More,” said Jadzia.

She pushed more into the beam. Sweetie frowned. There was more power there; there was more power than she had ever felt in her life. She held off tapping into it to cast a questioning look at Jadzia.

“More,” said Jadzia. “Give it more! Energy is bleeding off fast.”

Sweetie narrowed her eyes as she focused. She felt her eyes widen as energy radiated from her entire body. She pushed it all through her horn. The power consumed her. She felt… good. The ship faded away from her in white light. Her hooves left the deck plates, and she looked down upon the ship from high. It was a perfect picture in her mind. She understood. She put the exact amount of energy into her spell with a simple adjustment. The ship roared to life. Consoles exploded around her, but she paid little attention.

“Hold it a little longer!” Jadzia’s voice echoed in her mind. But she already knew the reaction hadn’t started yet. She was powering the ship.

”How is this possible?” Nerys yelled. Or perhaps it was a thought? Sweetie wasn’t sure. What was the difference anyway? Thoughts were words unspoken.

A slight change in power output. It became easy for her, and she knew the reaction started. She cut her spell, and she came crashing down to the ship. Her world shrank. In front of her was the metal box, glowing white-hot. It nearly blinded her. She gasped and staggered backward, collapsing in a heap.

“Main power is coming online. Primary systems are functioning,” said Nerys. “Good job, Sweetie.”

Sweetie pulled herself to her feet. She looked around the ship. It was the same ship she had been in, the same technology she didn’t understand, and the same unfamiliar hum of technology keeping them alive.

Julian rushed forward with his tricorder, checking her over. “You’re a powerful little thing,” he said.

A simple ‘yeah’ was all Sweetie could muster in reply. She felt cold and empty. That feeling was gone—the feeling of raw power, unharnessed. It was there! If she could control it, she could go anywhere and do anything.

“Your eyes did that thing again,” said Julian. “They turned bright white. How are you doing that?”

Sweetie shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“However you did it, you powered the ship yourself for almost a minute before the matter-antimatter reaction started,” said Nerys. “That kind of power…” She shook her head. “Sweetie, we all wouldn’t be here with a little more power, but you balanced it perfectly. How?”

Sweetie shook her head. “I can’t explain it. But for a moment in time, I understood it all. I simply knew what had to be done, and I did it. Just like an alicorn…” Sweetie trailed off as it hit her at last. “Alicorn,” she muttered. “No. That’s impossible.” She looked over her body. No wings. She was the same size she had always been. “Luna…”

“Luna?” asked Jadzia.

“Yeah…” Sweetie shook her head. She gave Jadzia a look that suggested she wanted to talk later.

Jadzia frowned and then nodded. She took her seat at the front of the ship. “Well, let’s get out of—” Her console buzzed angrily. “The helm won’t engage.” She moved some of the glass chips around in the open center console, but it repeated the buzzing sound. “It’s connected, the engines read as online, but we aren’t moving.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” said Julian, “but disruptions in subspace can cause the nacelles to depolarize.”

“Yes, that would stop us from forming a warp field, but impulse engines should still work—unless the polarity of the engines is reversed too.” She pushed some buttons on her console. “So ahead any amount is station-keeping, aft if also station-keeping, what if—” The ship started to vibrate. “It’s no use.” The vibrations steadied out as Jadzia stood up. “We have main power, but the engines themselves are no good.”

“And what’s more, I’m detecting the containment field is losing cohesion,” said Nerys. “Attempting to stabilize.”

“Just received word from DS9,” said Julian, “The Defiant is on her way.”

“Now we have to hold this thing together until she gets here,” said Nerys.”

“Maybe we should wait on the planet?” suggested Sweetie. “I mean while we still have the power to get down there.”

“That might be the best course of action,” said Julian. “The containment field is stabilizing, but we are hemorrhaging power… from somewhere.”

“It’s the engines,” said Jadzia. “They are pulling power. The helm won’t respond, and the nacelles are fused: no propulsion. The power couplings are fused too, so I can’t cut power. The primary controller is part of the secondary systems which are still offline. I can’t shut it down. Sweetie is right, we need to use what power we have left and get out of here. We are looking at an impulse engine overload.”

Sweetie rushed to the transporter platform. It went dark the moment her hooves landed on it.

“Transporters are offline!” Julian yelled.

“We’re out of options!” Yelled Nerys.

The ship shook violently, causing Sweetie to slide off the glass transporter platform. She grabbed ahold of a console to steady herself. The vibration increased, accompanied by a roar louder than the ocean. Sweetie folded her ears over.

“When I say brace, grab a hold of something solid and cover your head!” Nerys yelled.

“Come to me!” Sweetie shouted.

“Eighty percent power!” Jadzia yelled.

“Hurry! I can protect us!”

“Ninty percent!”

“Ninty-eight percent!” Julian shouted as he ran towards Sweetie. Nerys was right behind him. Jadzia was still climbing out of her seat when the loud rumble turned into a high-pitched whine. “Hurry!”

Sweetie grabbed Jadzia with her magic and yanked her across the ship. The force of Jadzia colliding with her almost knocked her over. She threw up her shield around them.

“Brace! Brace! Brace!” Nerys screamed.

A massive ball of fire could be seen from the front window. It swirled and spun around with swirls of red and green flames and back smoke.

A force more powerful than a kick from Big Mac impacted Sweetie’s shield. It knocked the wind out of her. She heard someone next to her smack into the console. Her shield flickered. She focused as she attempted to catch her breath. The ship shook and shimmied violently. She was glad the console she was hanging onto for deal life was strong enough for all of them.

The planet, which had been a constant source of light, was gone. It reappeared only to disappear quickly. Then again and again. The cabin flickered with light as the planet came and went.

“We’ve lost attitude control,” said Jadzia. She took deep breaths as the ship’s shaking stopped. She had a nasty cut across her forehead.

Julian examined Jadzia’s forehead closely. “It looks superficial. I can stop the bleeding with a dermal regenerator.”

“Dead in the water and out of control,” said Nerys. “Inertial dampeners are surprisingly still functioning. Not much else is.”

“Life support is stable. For now,” said Julian. He checked his tricorder. “Correction: Life support is stable here. The aft section is gone.”

“Structural integrity is failing,” said Jadzia.

Sweetie dropped her shield. She took several shallow breaths. She felt lightheaded.

Julian wrapped his arms around her. “Breathe,” he said. “It’s alright. Just relax and breathe.”

She took comfort in his embrace, which, more than anything, calmed her. She regained her breath, and after a few moments, her head cleared.

“Be right back.” Julian grabbed his medical kit from under some rubble. He pulled out a small silver cylinder device. Sweetie recognized it as the object she used to demonstrate her telekinetic abilities. That felt like a lifetime ago. Julian held the device to the cut on Jadzia’s head. His hand made a sweeping motion as pale blue light ran across her face. Slowly, the cut disappeared.

“What do we do now?” she asked when Julian returned to her.

“Survive,” said Nerys. A chill ran down Sweetie’s back.

“I’m attempting to null out our spin with the thrusters,” said Jadzia. “If I can, it will save what’s left of the inertial dampeners.”

Sweetie turned to Julian and whispered, “What happens if those dampener things fail?”

“We get tossed around in this thing like a rollercoaster with no restraints,” he muttered. “If we can deactivate the gravitational field, we won’t be in as much danger.”

“It took the entire thruster pack, but our spin has slowed significantly. I think they will hold until the Defiant gets here.” Jadzia sat back in her chair, taking a deep breath.

“Have any more tricks, Sweetie?” Nerys cast a glance over her shoulder in Sweetie’s direction.

Sweetie shook her head. “I can’t teleport us to the surface.” She felt a tinge of power inside her saying she would make it by herself, but she wasn’t sure that was true. The distance was further than any pony she knew could do. “A more powerful unicorn or an alicorn could open a portal… I have no idea how those work.”

Sweetie sat on her haunches as she thought. If she could get back into that state of understanding, she could open the portal to the planet. Maybe even open one on Equus! It was all there, right beyond her reach. How did she get there the first time?

Julian took a seat on the floor in front of her. “This Luna, you mentioned. She’s a goddess, right?

Sweetie nodded.

“If she’s trapped in there, couldn’t she open a portal out to the planet? Or make us a portal out of here?”

Sweetie shrugged. “I don’t know how portals work. Maybe she can’t make one in there… maybe she tried and failed and that’s why she didn’t appear solid. I don’t know!

“Why me? I don’t know anything about anything. I’m just a dumb filly. If Twilight got stuck here, she would have been home the next day!”

Julian ran a hand through his hair. “Sweetie, please stop beating yourself up. No one is expecting you to know everything or to be all-powerful. You are brilliant. Everyone here knows it and has seen it. You saved my life three times now if my count is correct.”

Sweetie looked away from Julian. Jadzia and Nery were in the front seats having their own private conversation. A single tear ran down her cheek. “I just… I feel so useless.”

“Come here.”

Sweetie looked at Julian with a frown. He beckoned her over again. She walked over to him.

“Sit down next to me.”

Sweetie sat on her haunches. She was thrown off as Julian wrapped her in a tight embrace. “You are far from useless, miss one and only Sweetie Belle.” He pulled her saddlebags off her. There was a soft clunk. Her medal lay upon the deck, occasionally reflecting the planet’s light.

She sobbed softly in his arms as he picked it up. “Starfleet doesn’t give this award to anyone.”

“H-how d-did I get that, anyways?” she asked, while she tried to get herself under control. She took a few deep breaths but it wasn’t helping.

“For saving my life,” Julian replied with a swift smile.

“But not anyone gets that,” said Sweetie.

“True. Since you’re the first of your kind to arrive here, I petitioned Starfleet to give you ambassador status. You represent Equus and Equestria to The United Federation of Planets.” Julian put the medal back into her bag and fastened the buckle.

Sweetie was speechless. She hugged Julian back and rested her head on his shoulder.

After a while, Sweetie released Julian from her embrace. She leaned against the wall and watched the planet move across the front window. Valos Three wasn’t such a bad place. The small part she saw that wasn’t an impact crater seemed ideal for ponies to live. Fresh air, lush and green, and a warm climate. Warm… Sweetie leaned forward. Cool air rushed in behind her and she leaned back again.

“Is it just me or is this wall getting warm?”

Julian placed a hand on the wall and quickly recoiled. “Oh, yes, that’s really warm.”

Sweetie scooted forward. Her back felt hot. She cast a glance over her shoulder. Her back had a couple of red marks like she had been in the hot tub too long.

“Major,” said Julian, “we have a problem.”

“Never a dull moment.” Nerys and Jadzia rushed over. She started scanning the area, but Jadzia was already typing furiously on the console. “Several plasma fires in the aft section. The ship is burning up!”

“I’ve created a containment field around the forward section, but it will only buy us—” The ship went completely dark. “No time at all.”

“Come on, Defiant. Where are you?” Julian looked towards the front window as if he might see it waiting there.

“Ten minutes of breathable air, maybe twelve if we don’t panic,” said Nerys. She tossed her tricorder into the various pieces of the disassembled panels.

Sweetie's heart pounded in her chest as she looked around at each person and piece of scrap metal lying around. Surely there was something! Something they overlooked or forgot to try.

How does a portal work? Come on, Sweetie, think! It’s do or die! Teleport them one at a time to the surface! Can I get them there? How far away is the surface? We are going to die here. In space. In orbit of some unknown planet.

A loud bang and vibration pulled Sweetie out of her spiraling thoughts. She jumped to her feet. “What was that?”

“The structural integrity is collapsing in the aft and mid sections,” said Jadzia.

“We have four spacesuits,” said Nerys. “Those have several hours of air.”

“There’s just one problem with that plan,” said Jadzia as she pointed to Sweetie.

“Go for it,” said Sweetie. “It makes more sense you three survive.”

“Pragmatic to the end,” said Jadzia. “In Starfleet, we do not leave crew members behind.”

“No,” said Sweetie. “Use the spacesuits. I have an idea…” She grinned. It was the most insane, most reckless thing she had ever come up with. Never in a million eras would a pony do what she was about to do.

Jadzia frowned as Julian's mouth fell open with realization. “Please tell me you aren’t thinking of doing what I think you’re thinking.”

Sweetie gave a slow nod. “It’s the only way.” She looked at Jadzia. “Pragmatic to the end. Also probably insane.”

“Sorry I don’t follow,” said Jadzia. “Julian, what is going on?”

“If she’s planning what I think she is, she won’t need a spacesuit.”

Jadzia shook her head. “Absolutely not! I will not allow you to go on some suicide mission. There’s no way you will hold enough air in there, it won’t protect you from the radiation, and the cold.”

“I don’t know about the radiation or the air,” Sweetie admitted. “But I can keep the cold out.”

“Sweetie…” Jadzia sighed.

“What the buck else are we going to do? We stay here and burn up or suffocate? It’s our last option. How long until the Defiant gets here?” Sweetie didn’t even care she was cursing. Given the circumstances, she felt it was warranted.

“Assuming she doesn’t run into any trouble with subspace fissures in this system, she should be here any minute,” said Nerys. “Alright, we’re doing Sweetie’s plan. With any luck, we will only be out there for a few minutes. Sweetie, whatever the hell you are planning, may the Prophets guide you. I sure hope this isn’t the last time I see you, kid.”

Sweetie rushed forward and gave Nery a quick hug. She gave Jadzia a tight hug as well. When she got to Julian, she put her nose to his. “Thank you,” she whispered. She kissed his cheek.

“I’ll be patching you up after all of this, I suspect,” said Julian. He patted her shoulder.

Jadzia put a hand on Sweetie’s face. “May Celestia and Luna look after you.”

Sweetie smiled at her.

Sweetie spent the next few moments preparing herself with slow steady breaths as the other worked fast to don their spacesuits.

“Skip the checklist,” said Jadzia. “Got power? Got air? Good.”

Nerys shrugged. “I like it. Starfleet can be quite efficient sometimes.”

“Starfleet doesn’t have very many officers over three hundred years old. These things haven’t changed much in that time.”

They donned their helmets and waddled to the bulkhead across from them.

“When you are ready, Sweetie, I will depressurize this chamber.” Julian’s voice sounded so strange through whatever gadget was allowing him to talk through his helmet. “After that, we will open this hatch. We will do our best to stay with you. We will have maneuvering capabilities.”

“Got it,” replied Sweetie. Her heart pounded in her chest. “Okay, here we go.” She concentrated on her spell. Her horn lit up, and a familiar green dome formed around her. She made it as big as the room would allow her. She pulled as much heat from the air as she could. She inverted the shield so all heat would stay in. Next, she formed a second shield on top. If she was going to last more than a few minutes, she needed a way to vent the carbon dioxide. She knew from science class that she couldn’t have a vacuum between the two shields or all of her air would be sucked out when she vented the carbon dioxide, so she made sure the gap between the two also had some air.

After she gave Julian a confident nod and heard the hiss of air leaving the cabin, she realized she had made a critical error: her shields would never fit through the hatch they were about to open. It was too late. Julian had opened the hatch, and all three stepped out of the ship into the abyss.

With no other option, Sweetie concentrated on a third spell. She couldn’t believe she was going to do it, but the second she felt the spell grab hold of her, her shields, and the atmosphere she trapped, she was committed.

In a flash of green light, she found herself drifting into nothing. She flailed around. There was nothing to hold onto. She held onto her shield spells for dear life.

She stopped struggling and looked around to get her bearings. Valos Three provided a lot of light, but the space around her was surprisingly dark. The others were nowhere to be seen. She saw the Mekong. Or, rather, she saw the green flames and pieces of sparkling debris. She had teleported farther away from the ship than she thought. Pieces of debris tumbled around her.

Now all she could do was sit there and hope she could hold her spells long enough.

“Well, I hope you’re having a good laugh, Q. Not going to show up to say ‘I told you so?’” Great, now I’m talking to myself and wasting my air, she thought.

Floating into nothingness was almost peaceful. Almost. She heard every breath she took: a lulling rhythm of a long inhale and a short exhale. However, it served as a reminder of her limited air supply.

Time went on. It had been more than a few minutes, and there was no sign of another ship. The others would be fine for a while, but she was worried. Fatigue was setting it. Beads of sweat rolled down her face. She was feeling light-headed.

“Time to cycle,” she muttered. She concentrated as best she could. Her inverted shield was keeping the heat in a little too well. She focused on another spell as she swirled the air inside her shield. She isolated the heavier CO2 in the mix and pushed it to the outer shield. At the same time, fresh air came into her bubble. “That’s it; all the air I have.”

In the distance she finally spotted the others: three white dots, approaching her. She smiled at the sight of them.

Their approach was slow. Her only fixed point of reference was the Mekong which looked much smaller; it either burned up completely or she was drifting away from it. It was impossible to tell. She couldn’t think of a single spell that could change her direction of travel or cancel her velocity. But it was best to be far away anyway, in case the ship exploded.

Her breathing became difficult to control. Sweat dripped from her face. Her goal of surviving seemed distant. The stars spun before her like a kaleidoscope.

Come on, Sweetie! Focus! Her verbal splashes of cold water were losing their efficacy. Sleep sounded nice. Sleep and it would all be over, and that would be great. She was exhausted.

She maintained focus on her spells. She knew the complex task ahead as she attempted to separate the CO2 from the air. She repeated her steps to push the CO2 out. As it filled the outer shield, she focused on opening part of the outer shield. She would vent some of the CO2.

Her head was aching. Her focus drifted, and the outer shield fell. Sweetie’s eyes shot wide open. The remaining thin air expanded in her shield. She gritted her teeth and concentrated on everything she had left. She fought the increased pressure on her shield wall. Her lungs burned as she struggled to breathe.

Her mind was slow and dizzy as if she had no care in the world. A great fog clouded her mind as she clung to reality with her final breaths. A voice in her mind said to let go. It will be over, and you won’t feel this pain anymore. If this was what dying was like, why did so many ponies fear it? She guessed that was an important question, but she couldn’t think of a reason why.

Her shield flickered as her attention wavered. She gave her head a hard shake and redoubled her efforts to keep her spell active. The loudest voice in her head told her to stay in the game. It wasn’t her time. But that voice wasn’t her own. Or was it? Reality was blurring between her fractured thoughts.

The others were closer now. She made out each of them by their size. They flew towards her in a tight formation. However, they came to an abrupt halt before they reached her. They vanished into sparkling blue light. Sweetie frowned. Surely she was seeing things. She wished she could see Apple Bloom’s pretty face. She wanted that to be the last image in her mind before she gave into the cruel environment.

Then she was there, smiling at her. “It’s okay,” she said. Her voice was soft and sweet. “I’m here, and always will be.” Apple Bloom put a hoof over her heart. “I’m in here.” She spoke a simple truth Sweetie always knew to be true.

Sweetie’s eyes rolled back. Her shield failed as sparkling blue light surrounded her.

An eerie silence fell over the orchard as Sweetie walked out of the barn. Swirls of light and clouds circled the sky as it bathed the orchard in an unnatural blue light. A beam of pure energy shone in the center, blindingly bright.

“Sweetie!” Apple Bloom’s voice echoed. “Get away from that thing!”

Sweetie stood transfixed. The trees were bending towards… whatever that thing was. The wind was at her back, pushing her towards it.

Apple Bloom caught up to Sweetie. “Come on. Let’s get back in the barn.”

“What is that? Do you see how it’s pulling the trees towards it?”

“Sweetie, you idiot! Let’s get away from it before it pulls us in too!”

“Yeah, I think you’re right!” Sweetie shouted over the wind. It was so intense that Sweetie’s hooves slid along the dirt. She swore loudly as she collided with an apple tree. The wind had her pinned against it. “Grab a tree!”

Apple Bloom screamed. Her hind hooves dug into the dirt, leaving deep ruts as the wind pulled her along. She was lifted off the ground

Sweetie watched in horror. She continued to fight, but it was no use. “Apple Bloom!” Sweetie darted out from the tree only to be knocked over and scooped up by the force of the wind. “No!” She screamed. She pointed her horn at Apple Bloom and cast a spell. She intended a shield spell but she couldn’t hold her focus as she careened through the air.

As she tumbled helplessly, she reached an alarming altitude in a short amount of time. Ponyville was a tiny collection of lights far below. She would not survive the fall. The bright blue light loomed ever closer. From this distance, she saw it was a rift in the fabric of the world. Something otherworldly had cut through Equus.

Below her, she spotted the yellow filly. She was encased in a green bubble floating as gently as a leaf on the wind back to the ground.

Sweetie didn’t have much time to dwell on that as she stared into the blue-white abyss of oblivion. She was powerless to stop her from crossing into it. Her last thoughts were of Apple Bloom. She knew Apple Bloom was safe. She felt it in her soul. Her mind went blank as the light took her, and her world darkened.

The room came into focus. She was lying on a bed. If she had to guess, another infirmary bed. This bed was worse than the ones on DS9. In the distance, she heard hushed voices, but she had no trouble understanding them.

“She survived?” asked Nerys. She sounded concerned and impressed. “It was lucky we found her at all!”

”That unicorn has nine lives,” said Julian. “Aside from hypoxia, she’s fine. Her shield failed right as the transporter locked on. She was exposed to space for fractions of a second.”

“Aren’t unicorns lucky in human culture or something?” asked Nerys.

“I don’t know, but I think our unicorn is just insane,” muttered Jadzia with a soft chuckle. ”She gave me a heart attack”

Julian cast a glance at her. He froze and looked at her again. “You’re awake!” he rushed over. “How are you feeling?”

“My head hearts,” Sweetie replied. She rubbed a hoof through her forelock. “Where am I? Is this the Defiant?” Sweetie sat up in her bed. The infirmary was smaller than the one on DS9. The tree beds were crammed into corners of the room with consoles on the walls behind them. The center of the room was open, however, that only emphasized the size. Jadzia, Nerys, and Julian stood in the center, taking up the entire area.

“Yes, this is the Defiant. We will be back on DS9 soon,” said Nerys. “I’m glad you’re okay, kid. You had me worried. You had us all worried.

“Anyway, Commander Sisko needs me on the bridge. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I go up there.” Nerys turned and walked out. The doors promptly slid open to let her pass and then slid shut.

Sweetie smiled as she felt some heat on her face. Julian was looking at the console behind her bed, but Jadzia was giving her a curious look. “What?” asked Sweetie with an innocent smile.

Jadzia smiled. “I see you.”

Sweetie looked away.

“Uh-huh,” Jadzia taunted.

“So um—” Sweetie’s eyes darted around the room as she tried to change the subject. “When can I get a tour of this spaceship?”

“Another time,” Julian replied. “I don’t want you going anywhere just yet. And I want to keep you in the infirmary when we return for further observation.”

“Yeah, I was thinking of just moving into the infirmary,” said Sweetie casually. “I mean I might as well just live there at this point.”

Julian chuckled. “You end up there often. Your medical file is already bigger than many officers’. Not to mention you’ve already added several chapters to our medical journals.”

“You’re welcome?”

“Doctor, is it really necessary to keep her so long?” asked Jadzia.

Julian sighed. “I suppose I could release her to your care, but she is not to do anything for the rest of the day.”

“I think I can manage that,” said Sweetie. After everything she had been through in addition to getting the rest of her memory back, she had no desire to go anywhere or to see anyone. She clung to her last look at Ponyville. The town hadn’t exploded.

“Sweetie, I will get you a tour of the Defiant another time,” said Jadzia. “Or maybe…” A mischievous grin crept across her face. “Maybe Nerys can show you around.”

Sweetie looked away with a sigh. Who was she kidding? She had a better shot opening a portal to Ponyville than anything with Nerys.

Jadzia brushed Sweetie’s forelock aside and rubbed the side of her face. “I’m only teasing you.”

“Teasing?” Julian looked from Jadzia to Sweetie. A wide grin spread across his face. “Major Kira? Really? Now that is interesting.”

Jadzia rolled her eyes at him. “Anyway, Sweetie, I should tell you now before this goes on any longer. Kira Nerys is only interested in the opposite sex.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Sweetie sighed. “My shot with her was one in Tartarus anyway. I have a type.” Sweetie shrugged. “School-filly crush. Besides, my heart is set on Apple Bloom.

“If I were serious, I would have said something to her. Mares are very… forward when they want something. The stallions are the ones who think they’re clever when they say they want to ‘come over and plow your field.’”

Everyone laughed while Jadzia shook her head. “Trust me, Sweetie, that’s nothing new here either.” Jadzia shot Julian a glance.

“I have never used such a euphemism,” Julian huffed. “Anyway,” Julian said sternly, “I need to run an experiment tomorrow with your magic, Sweetie. It’s important. It could hold the key to all of this.”

The rest of the journey passed uneventfully. Before Sweetie knew it, they were docking at DS9. She never thought she’d be happy to see the station again, but considering everything that happened, she was relieved to be done with the failed expedition. She still had some worry about ponies being at Valos Three, but she was less than enthusiastic about returning.

She threw herself on Jadzia’s couch as soon as she entered the room. The couch had never been so comfortable. She needed time to think… another time. She was reluctant to relive or dive into what had happened.

Jadzia walked in behind her carrying her saddlebags. “We were able to get these off the Mekong.” Jadzia sighed with relief when the door closed. She draped Sweetie’s saddlebags over the couch and began removing her uniform. “I’m done with all of this,” she said.

“Are you kidding me?” asked Sweetie as she watched Jadzia. “You have even more clothes under your clothes?” Sweetie laughed. “I swear, you humanoids are scared of your own bodies.”

Jadzia frowned. “These underclothes, or underwear as it’s called, prevent chafing.” Jadzia slid her purple dress over her head. “Scared of our bodies? Maybe some of us. There has been a lot of emphasis on the ideal figure in many cultures, including mine. I would like to say it’s a thing of the past, but it prevails. As such it has caused a lot of body shame. I suppose that concept doesn’t exist in your culture…”

“We have the beautiful figure, but it’s about being comfortable with yourself. No pony I know has any shame in their own body. Even mares when they go in heat… there’s nothing subtle about a mare in heat. Not that stallions are any more subtle with, well, anything.” Sweetie laughed. “It’s such a different culture there, sometimes this dressing up thing here seems a little… silly.”

“So I suppose when we find your home, we should all arrive naked?” Jadzia asked with a smirk.

Sweetie shrugged. “If,” she corrected.

“We will find it,” Jadzia assured. “It might take a little longer, but we will find it.”

“Assuming our efforts don’t kill us,” Sweetie replied. “You once told me all problems have a solution. Well, I think the solution to this problem is magic. Unfortunately, it’s magic I don’t understand. So, I cannot solve this problem.”

“So you’re giving up?” asked Jadzia in a flat tone.

“I don’t know what to do. I don’t have access to Celestia’s library.” Sweetie took a deep breath. “Back on Valos Three, something changed when Luna’s hoof passed through me. This whole time I have been gaining more confidence with my magic. I think these tetryons are supercharging my abilities.”

“Your magic has been more… powerful in the vicinity of them,” Jadzia agreed. “But you’ve been able to do all sorts of things without them like that mass teleportation spell.”

“Yeah, I guess I did do that,” Sweetie admitted. “All of the tetryons were exploding when I cast it.”

“And what changed after Luna?” asked Jadzia. “We noticed you do some really unusual things: twice you hovered off the ground, your eyes turned bright white, and tons of energy radiated from you.”

“Luna has granted me the power of the alicorn.”

Jadzia frowned. “Well, that’s good. Isn’t it?”

Sweetie shook her head. “I feel it. Beneath the surface, it’s simmering. It’s raw power I do not know how to wield. It scares me.”

“Luna must have given you that power for a reason…”

“I don’t have the right,” said Sweetie. “I haven’t ascended into an alicorn, and I probably never will. That right is only granted to exceptional ponies. There have only been two alicorns made in our history.”

Jadzia frowned. “Maybe it’s temporary? Maybe it’s the only way.”

“There’s no undoing it.”

“Sweetie, you are exceptional,” said Jadzia. “Maybe that’s why she gave it to you. I won’t pretend to understand your ways or what alicorns even are, but I think you’re exceptional. You made a real impact on us all. I was really scared when we couldn’t find you out there. I was relieved to hear you were okay after we got you aboard the Defiant.”

Sweetie hugged Jadzia and rested her head on her shoulder. “That was really sweet of you,” she replied softly. “But I don’t have the right.”

“Why do you keep saying that?”

“Because,” Sweetie took a deep breath, “because out there, in space, I almost died. In the end, I gave up. I figured death was easier; that it was nothing to fear. Then the transporter pulled me in. What kind of alicorn gives in like that?”

“Sweetie, stop!” Jadzia snapped. “You’re being way too hard on yourself. You were merely delirious from the CO2. You held on to the very end. Any Starfleet officer would be hard-pressed to do what you did. I am proud to have had the privilege to serve with you at my side.”

Sweetie hung her head. She felt it in her core.

“This Luna is a princess, right?” asked Jadzia. Sweetie gave a single nod. “Then her giving you this power is her right, and therefore you are entitled to it.”

Her logic was undeniable. “You’re right, I’m sorry… I just wish I understood it. This is the kind of power where when things go wrong, it’s really dangerous for everyone. Portals, for instance, are really scary. I read a whole chapter in my textbook about why that type of magic was restricted, and all of the books about it could only be checked out by advanced unicorns in the university.” Sweetie shivered. “But if I can make one, successfully, and it doesn’t kill me or maroon me somewhere else, I can open one in the middle of Ponyville, or wherever.”

“It sounds like these portals cut through space and time. The Federation has encountered technology that has done something similar. Perhaps research from that technology can be helpful. But don’t you need to know where Equus is so you know where to direct the portal?”

Sweetie sighed. “Yet another problem. I don’t actually know, but I assume so.”

“We’ll get you there,” Jadzia assured. “Portal or no portal. And remember what Julian said on the Defiant.”

“You’re always so optimistic.”

Jadzia yawned, stretched, and then stood up. “Come on, let’s have dinner, and then I’m going to bed.”

Jadzia made a creamy potato leek soup. She nearly dropped her bowl in a fit of laughter when Sweetie asked why it was called that if the potatoes weren’t leaking out of it. Despite its silly name, it was delicious.

“Come on,” said Jadzia in the middle of another stretch. She beckoned Sweetie towards her bedroom. “I figured you might want to snuggle, considering everything you went through.”

“I always do, but I’m not sure that’s your only reason.”

Jadzia didn’t answer. She turned and walked into her room, leaving her door open. Sweetie followed.

Sweetie hopped onto the bed and pulled the covers over her. Jadzia pulled her close, her hands stroked her neck down to her shoulders and back. As Sweetie allowed the sensations to lull her asleep, she let her mind wander. There was warmth and empathy around her. It was so peaceful. As she let it consume her, she found herself in a sea of lights. They were pretty balls of light in many different colors. She reached out to touch one. She recoiled in shock. There was more there than light. It was energy. It was alive. It was a soul.