Chapters
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Twilight could see the prospector in the viewfinder ahead of them, with its invisible cone of hyperaccelerated particles blasting almost directly back at the Equinox. But it didn’t matter—the ship could make interplanetary trips in a pinch. But the Equinox could travel between stars. It was a chase the Prospector was doomed to lose.“We’re in range for disruption,” Applejack’s voice came in only slightly distorted over the radio, echoing around in her helmet. “Just give the order,…-
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Sacrifice Applejack’s project. 47% Twilight didn’t want to tell any of her friends they had to stop working. Each one of the crew had some critical mission to accomplish, or at least they thought they did. But ultimately there was only one pony on the crew she trusted to protect the ship from gravity and wind.“I get ‘ya, captain,” Applejack said, raising her welding mask with the back of a hoof. There was a strange metal claw-apparatus on her foreleg now, one that folded flat when she walked but…
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No, it’s time to be a leader. Twilight could see the desperation in Applejack’s eyes, the pain and despair. This was a pony on the end of her rope, who had already given so much of herself to save the life of a pony she didn’t even know, who was frayed from sickness and worry over her own death. A pony who had been unexpectedly been returned a member of her own family, only to come so close to having them snatched away again.“No,” Twilight said, voice flat.“What do ya mean, no?” Applejack…
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Have a crew meeting 65%“So that’s where we stand,” Twilight said, as soon as she had finished summarizing all of the relevant facts. They were all gathered together in the workshop, the largest enclosed space in the camp. Well, everypony except Node. The construct hadn’t ever really acted like a member of her crew, and less so lately. It had its own workshop, and refused to leave for days at a time.But the others were all here, gathered around the table. Rainbow Dash with her weather jumpsuit and…
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Equinox Bill of Repair:1. Hydroponics 8/8 COMPLETE2. Repair the prospector 4/4 COMPLETE3. Fully Refuel 2/204. Backup Cryogenics 0/45. Replace field equipment 0/26. Study of communications blackout 0/?Twilight adjusted the space suit a little tighter about her chest, wishing the standard design had done a little more to accommodate alicorns. As though just adding extra space for legs and horn was enough…But she couldn’t rightly protest—this was her first visit to the mining site since the day…
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No, we just don’t have the resources 63% There was no denying just how important that information would be. Not knowing when their world would become instantly unsafe might mean the difference between Equestria’s survival and its slow death. But at the same time, she knew too much about the state of the ship to allow it.Her expression hardened. “Rarity, I want this as much as you do. But we just don’t have the medical resources. We’re already pulling ponies out of stasis as quickly as we can.…
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Send an Unmanned Probe 61% Twilight watched the little probe’s faint exhaust trail as it shot away from the Equinox, building speed for its descent into the atmosphere of Proximus C. She wasn’t the only one on the bridge—Rainbow was there with her hooves on the weapons. Sunset sat at the coms console, with Rarity on the science station and Node just sort of orbiting around.Node’s new body demanded to be seen in a way that no synthetic pony could’ve. She’d made almost no compromises for the…
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Go look for the others to help first (except Node)43% Spike was in the cockpit of an Apollyn fighter. It didn’t matter that none of the interceptor craft had ever been built for a dragon, and that his claws should’ve bene clumsy on the controls meant for hooves. It didn’t matter, because Spike was under attack.The metal of Spike’s fighter screamed as he passed into the cone of a Changeling Entropic Accelerator. Armor plates bent and strained as complex alloys decomposed into their constituent…
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Slow and Methodical 64% If a repair this serious had been on Twilight’s own ship, she probably would’ve jumped at the chance to try something more radical. She had some interesting ideas based on the Signaler tech she’d seen on Proximus B. But in the end, those ideas had to fall away beyond the simple, terrifying reality of what they faced.This was the last of their species. Princess Celestia had apparently died to get this ship here. Luna too, by the sound of it, and Cadence. She could not treat…
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Complete the mission 98%They quickly worked the next morning, packing up the shelter and sealing it away into the tight vinyl container it had come in. In theory the inside was still safe from contamination by the environment of Proximus B, though in practice they would probably sterilize it before using it again, if they could.Twilight could sense Applejack’s discomfort as she informed her prospecting partner of their destination. But while Applejack kept glancing back at Node, she didn’t argue. “I…
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