Title:           Ponies in Space (Ep 2 - Gold Rush)
Author:          Pony_Azathoth
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/F45CZ5cN
First Edit:      Friday 14th of September 2012 08:48:30 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Friday 14th of September 2012 08:48:30 PM CDT

>Anonymous and his crew carefully undocked form the Sunrise.
>Rainbow Dash had practiced this many times in the simulation, but it still put everyone on edge
>The ship was soon out and freed, and everyone relaxed.
>Fluttershy spoke up
"Anonymous, we're getting a message from Celestia. It's our first mission."
>Anonymous nods
"Put it up on the screen."
>She taps a dial and the screen appears
>Celestia appears on the screen, a window into space behind her.
"Hello my little ponies, and Anonymous. Your first mission is pretty important, so listen up. We need you to take the Harmony towards a nearby asteroid cluster. The asteroids are filled with rare and valuable metals, which we will need to continue making repairs and for later in case we build more warships. The trouble is we think a nearby race of aliens called the Xatlings are trying to claim it first. Your mission is to claim the asteroids for the Equestrian fleet, and try not to spark a small-scale war while you're at it. Over and out."
>Fluttershy spoke again
"She also added an attachment to the file that shows the coordinate of where the asteroids are."
>Anonymous nodded
"Send them to Rainbow Dash, let's get moving."
>Rainbow Dash nods, and sets a course.
>The group stay at their stations for a while, but it would be over a day until they reach the asteroids.
>Space was a pretty big place.
 
>As they flew, they got better acquainted with the ship
>They have seen the whole ship top to bottom before, but now they get to see it for real.
>First, Anonymous and friends looked around the ship to see what it was like.
>The main room was the bridge. It was at the front of the ship and was heavily guarded.
>The ship had 2 basic levels, the top level being the bridge and crew quarters, the other parts being cargo and engineering.
>The area behind the bridge was pretty open, having several future couches and space futons
>Enough emergency bedding for many, many more people, if that was required.
>There was a small closed room that acted as a kitchen
>There was also a small garden in the upper levels, and a medical bay off to the sides of the central area.
>The layout was very organic up here, making everything flow together smoothly.
>They all checked out their rooms next, and they were in for a nice surprise.
>Each one had a room that was spacious and attuned to them, with each having interior decoration in their rooms like back in Ponyville
>Not too long ago for them, but in reality it was thousands of years old
 
 
>Twilight had her library room. It also functioned as a library for the whole ship. Her old dusty tomes were there, but a silver book was on the bed.
>She was confused and amazed when she opened the book, finding double touch screens on both sides.
>It was very lightweight, and could access a huge amount of information
>It was much easier to access information then a regular book.
>But it seemed the Princess must have known Twilight loved her old style books, so the majority of the shelf books were large old volumes
>Twilight loved the old style books, so she would have to thank the Princess later.
>She also had her old fashion window, and it looked out into space.
>Touching the glass opened a display that let her put fake images on there, including movies, pictures, ship schematics, as well as a simulated view into p0nyville
>She pressed the simulated view, and she looked outside. She saw a few of her very old friends walking around the town
>She saw Cheerilee walking around.
>Twilight was quiet, and then she turned off the display.
>She then noticed something peculiar by her bed, it was mechanical and wrapped in a bow.
>She leaned in for a closer look...
 
>Pinkie Pie's room was bright and just like hers back at P0nyville
>She jumped on her future bed that looked like her old bed
>She giggled with glee, looking over all the fun stuff that was in this room.
>She found her tuba
"Look Gummy, my-"
>Pinkie pie sat down
>She didn't feel too happy right now
>She poked around the room, not glum, just not hyper and excited like usual.
>She strolled down memory lane, bittersweat memories
 
 
>Fluttershy opened her room to a great surprise
>A few animal friends!
>just a few, a small white bunny, a squirrel, a mouse, a humming bird, and a raccoon
>Fluttershy said high and hugged them, learning their names and figuring out where there food was and stuff
>It seemed they were genetically altered to need as little food as possible
>Fluttershy wasn't sure how she felt about that, but she understood why that was
>Her room looked like wood all over, just like the inside of her cottage
>her bed and everything.
>She also saw a small door at the back
>just like her old door that led to her backyard
>Instead, it led to the botanical garden
>no doubt for her pets
>Fluttershy also saw the garden have several area dedicated to apples, carrots, and a few other key foods
>she looked down at the cute white bunny jumping around the garden, her thoughts leading to angel and all her other pets...
 
>Rarity stepped inside her room
>It was just like hers back from p0nyville
>there were even two mannequins!
>And a decent amount of fabrics and other tools
>she wondered how she would be able to get more later, but for now she was just thanking the Princess in her head for the wonderful gift
>She looked around the room, smirking and knowing that Sweetie Belle would not be messing with her stuff
>Then again, she felt as if she would want that, at least every once in a while...
 
>Applejack opened up the door to her room, and immediately she smiled
>The whole room smelt faintly of apples
>Just like home
>She ran her hoof over the bed, and looked out the window
>It was of space, of course.
>She walked over and touched it, and the window changed to a moving image of an apple orchid
>Sweet Apple Acres in the morning
>She looked down, suddenly feeling very homesick
>She looked back at her flank, seeing her Cutie Mark
>Applejack tapped the screen and crawled into her bed
>She sobbed gently to herself
>Her family was everything to her, and now it was gone
>Not her friends, they remained. But her family was gone...
 
>Rainbow Dash strut into her room
>The whole thing looked very white
>It looked and felt like clouds!
>Well, she knew it was artificial clouds, but they seemed similar enough
>She walked over to her bed, and saw a complete collection of Daring Do books!
>She squealed and jumped onto the bed, looking over the books
>She saw that the author had written at least half a dozen more before she passed on
>Rainbow Dash giggled in excitement
>She then looked out the window and saw the blackness of space
>She didn't touch the screen, instead she just sat and thought
>She thought back to when they activated the ship just a short while ago, when they took off...
 
>Rainbow Dash and the other six pones walked to the lower decks with the Princess, Anon lagging behind
>He was not needed for this bit, so he just stood back
>They came down to the Harmonic core, the heart of the ship
>It would be their power source for everything
>And all they needed was to put the elements inside
>Twilight dawned her weird crown thing, and the others slipped on their necklaces
>Celestia took a few steps back, looking at Anon and giving him a wink
>The Elements of Harmony focused their energies, and began to float
>The pure, white energy radiated around them, and soon beamed into the Harmonic core
>The energy seemed to be captured, contained
>The mane 6 floated down, their job done
>The Harmonic core was now glowing on the inside, the glass panel slide shut and locked
>The tube was glowing a bright white, and the whole ship seemed to buzz with power
>This was the most powerful and pure source of energy around, and it showed.
>Anon was pretty impressed with it, over all.
>(Flashback end.)
 
>Anonymous entered his room
>His was most spartan of all, but he actually liked it.
>Near the front was a sort of office desk and two chairs, like if he was to act as a mediator to any problems people may face aboard the ships
>He wasn't sure if that was to compliment him or just to cram it into his room.
>Deeper in the room, all Anon found was a huge window that stared out into space and a nice, central bed
>It was one of those round beds too
>Perfect for banging hot alien babes
>Anon laid down on the bed, sighing and relaxing
>He looked to the side and saw a small refrigerator build into the cabinets that spanned around the room
>He reached down curiously and opened it
>It was full of booze
>Fucking score.
 
>Anonymous reached down and grabbed a bottle of the stuff
>He looked it over, seeing it was made primarily of apples and other products
>Still it looked good, and he doubted he could get anymore unless they docked with the Sunrise again
>Anonymous sat on the bed and looked down on the side, finding several buttons and switches
>Several let him turn the bed, or raise the front or the back
>Then he saw a strange blue button
>He pressed it
>Suddenly, he found himself floating
>He tried to reach the button again but he couldn't
>He flailed his arms, reaching out
>he let go of the drink, which floated to the edge of the bed and then fell straight down to the metal floor, its glass shattering instantly and spilling the alchoal everywhere
>Fuck
>Fucking zero-g bed settings
>Eventually, Anon managed to turn it off and clean up the mess
>He then noticed a large touch screen wall near the front of the room, which he went up to
>He saw it could also be used as a full body mirror
>Anon checked himself out, he thought he looked pretty good in his uniform.
>Maybe he should just go to the bridge in his underwear sometimes though
>When nothing special is happening. He will be spending all of his time with naked horses anyway, so might as well
 
>Everyone slowly left their rooms and met at the meeting area
>They sat a giant circular couch
>Though really, it was more of a couch with 4 sections, and there was ample space between them
>The couch sections were bolted into the floor, part of the ship
>The ponies all met up, with Anon coming up.
>He looked around
"Wait, where is Twilight?"
>They looked towards her room
>They really didn't know where she was
>Soon, Twilight's door slid open with that satisfying sound
>She ran out, obviously excited
"Hey everyone! look!"
>Behind her, a fucking metal bird flapped and followed her to the couch and landed next to her on the metal backing of the couch
"Look, it's Owlowiscious 2.0! Celestia gave it to me as a gift. He can do all sorts of interesting stuff, and will be really useful on any away missions."
>The others are very interesting, nodding and looking at the metal owl
>But soon, Anon broke it up with a cough
"So, what are we going to do with these... aliens."
"Xatlings." Twilight corrected
>Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes
"Well, what are we going to do with these Xatlings? They want the asteroids as much as we do!"
>They all went deep in thought, each one giving different reasons for their ideas, but no one really came up with a great solution.
>Rainbow Dash offered a simple solution.
"Let's just make sure we beat them there, then!"
>Twilight nodded
"In that case, I'll go check on the lower decks, then."
>She got up and walked off, the owl following
>The conversation soon turned from business to the rooms, how pleased they were with all of it, and still how amazed they all are with the technology around.
 
>Twilight walked down to the lower decks, checking up on things
>Everything looked fine
>She went into the Science Lab, to see what she would be working with during much of her time.
>She saw tons of advanced machines and scanning tools, as well as tables and little tools to use with her horns. She even saw a decontamination chamber and a specimen storage cage, which could double as a jail!
>She knew there was information on the lab in that technologically advanced book, so she would check that out later.
>She eventually made her way into the Harmonic Core chamber.
>She sat on the lightly humming metal floor, seeing the floating bright, but gentle light of the elements
>It was so pure and calm, but so powerful
>She just sat there, admiring the light
>As she stared into the light, she thought about everything, the future, the Far Ones, everything.
"...It is really nice."
>Twilight jumped, looking to her right and seeing Anon standing behind her a bit
>He looked down at her, sorry
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
 
>Twilight sat back down, looking at the car
>The hum coming from it was constant and rather loud, but the thick walls kept it from seeping into the rest of the ship
>Just staring at the core made Anon feel very peaceful
>It was... very harmonic.
>A door opened, the two looking over at it
>It was Applejack
"Ya'll should come upstairs now, Rarity is picking up something strange. Also; come help make dinner."
>The two looked at each other, and then went upstairs.
 
>The group gathered on the bridge, not at their stations but standing around Rarity, who was fiddling with the controls
"I'm picking up several large object on the long range scanners. I think they are the asteroids. But there are also larger objects behind those, which I believe are ships."
>Anon nods.
"Well, by the time we get close enough to get more information, we can eat and sleep."
>The others agreed.
>Suddenly, they heard a stomach growl loudly
>It was Pinkie, of course
>She smiled, hopping up.
"Time to eat!"
 
>The Ponies and Anon crowded around the dinner table, the food ready in record time
>He smiled as his food was placed before him
>He wasn't too thrilled about his new vegetarian diet, but it was fine.
>Everyone ate quickly, talking and chatting
>Anon was, as usual, the quietest one.
>He didn't have much to relate with these herbivores, but he thought he should try
>He turned to Rainbow Dash, and spoke
"Hey Rainbow Dash, how are you handling the closed space of the Harmony? I know you love to fly, so it must be cramped for you."
>Anon spoke in a kind, polite way made to make conversation.
>Rainbow Dash scowled
"What, you don't think I can handle it?"
>Anonymous realized his mistake almost instantly
"No! I just wanted to be nice, that's all."
>Rainbow Dash turned away from him chomping on some fruit and just sitting silently
>The whole dinner went quiet after that
>Anon could have sworn the food tasted like spaghetti.
 
>After dinner was over, the crew of the Harmony went to their beds for their first night aboard the spacecraft.
>They went to their rooms, quickly preparing for bed
>Taking showers, brushing teeth, and then slipping under the covers
>Anonymous did the same, but instead he propped his head up a bit
>He looked out the window into space
>It was somehow blissfully peaceful
>He soon drifted to sleep
 
--------------------------------------
 
>He awoke not to his own body, but to a light chiming sound
>He listened, it was Fluttershy
"Anon, please come to the bridge. I mean, if that's ok with you..."
>Anon just smiled, stretching and putting on his uniform and walking out of his suite and up to the bridge.
>He already was loving how the ship was set up, he just basically went a straight shot to the bridge from his room.
>He entered the bridge, seeing everyone at the station
>Except for his chair, looking lonely
>He walks over to it and sits, looking out the window.
>He sees a few objects in the far distance, a few large gray dots and a smaller green dot
"What's up? Rarity, what are those?"
>Rarity looked at Anon, and then back to her screen
"The gray is a large asteroid, perfect for mining."
"What's the green?"
>Her eyes narrow a little
"A Xatling ship."
 
>Anon stared wide eyed at the green dot in the distance
>They got there first?
>The Harmony... failed? Already?
>It was quiet, until a small beep came from Fluttershy's terminal
"We are being hailed, Captain."
>Anonymous nods, and Fluttershy put it up on the big screen
>Anonymous raised an eyebrow as he got to see the Xatlings.
 
>They were green p0nies.
>With tentacles.
>Each one looked a slightly different shade of green, with their manes masses of tentacles
>They also had tentacle tails
>And sharp teeth
"Uhh.. This is the Harmony. What is your purpose for contacting us?"
>The green alien pone spoke the next second, his voice harsh and loud even after the translator fixed his language into the king's English.
"THIS ASTEROID IS CLAIMED BY THE XATLING PEOPLE! REMOVE YOUR SHIPS OR BE DESTROYED!"
>Anonymous sat up in his chair a bit, feeling a bit threatened by this random yelling alien
>He looked to Applejack and nodded, she got the message and raised the ship's shields
"OH? A NOD? YOU WISH TO FIGHT THEN? PREPARE YOURSELF FOR DESTRUCTION! PREPARE TO DIE NON-XATLING SC-"
>Just then, a random green hoof punched the yelling alien in the face
>A new alien stepped onto the screen, it was obviously female, and looked much less imposing
>Even the tentacles. They looked more cute now.
"I'm sorry for Grok's behavior, he's just a bit.. violent sometimes. My name is Xenfa, warrior princess of the Xatling people."
>Anonymous sat back in his chair, nodding
>This was much better, he thought.
 
>Xenfa looked into the screen and around the room, as if she was looking into a space-ship dollhouse
"Ah! You are Equestrians! I did not think so, especially since you've got a monkey doing the talking. I've always been interested in talking with the Equestrians, our diplomatic policies have always been neutral. Anyway, what brings you here?"
>Anonymous was about to speak, before Rainbow Dash jerks her head up to the screen
"We were here for *our* asteroid, before you came in and stole it!"
>Anonymous facepalmed
>Great impression to the potentially dangerous alien race, Rainbow Dash.
>Xenfa scowled at the Cyan p0ny.
"Do you wish to best me in martial combat, filly? Do not think your flank markings somehow give you an advantage, because they do not!"
>Anonymous then noticed that the Xatlings were all blank-flanks
>All this alien shit was wierd
>Rainbow Dash pressed her hooves on the controls, snorting like a bull about to charge
"Rainbow Dash, stop it!" Twilight yelled, obviously upset with how brash Rainbow was.
>She didn't seem to care
>Things were quiet, there was a bit of aggression in the air, ready to burst
>Just then, Rarity spoke quietly
"Uhhh... detecting something coming from the side, captain."
>Anonymous snapped his head in her direction just as the Xatling's suddenly got thrown around inside their own bridge, a bright blue flash hitting their ship
>Oh shit
 
>Pinkie Pie prepared the weapons systems as Rainbow Dash made the ship rotate towards the incoming fire, but away from the Xatling ship in case it exploded or something.
>It was the light blue, ice-tailed kind of ship that could only mean one thing
"Far Ones!" Xenfa cried over the comm screen, which Fluttershy had thankfully shrunk down so they could see out the window better
"Xenfa, do you know about The Far Ones? Are you alright?" Anon asked, looking at his crew as they got ready for a fight
"Yes! We only recently knew of them, they were once just scouts but now they raid and pillage our people's colonies and ships, they are horrible! Maybe we could work together to defeat this ship?"
>Anonymous looked at Princess Xenfa's eyes in the comm screen
"Yes, let's."
>Rainbow Dash sent the ship forward, with Pinkie Pie aiming the ship's primary electron burst cannons
>The Far Ones naturally moved, firing a blue blast of light that was easily dodged by Rainbow's sharp piloting
>Pinkie Pie then fired, her bolts ripping into the ship's shields, it looked like it took heavy damage from that
>Just then, the Xatling ship flew by with a powerful green blast and blew up the small scout craft
"Hey! You stole our kill!" Rainbow said in a huff, while moving the ship again
>Fluttershy brought the screen up again to full size, Xenfa looking more pissed then before
"Are you working with them?!" She questioned, enraged
 
>Anonymous scowled at the Princess
"No! Why would we fire at them if we were working with them?"
>She shook her head, tentacles going everywhere
"To gain our trust, so you can kill me later!"
>Anonymous heard Twilight groan in the background
"With all due respect, your majesty, if we wanted to take down so bad, we would have done it when we were in front of you and the Far Ones were at the side, a perfect flank."
>The Princess thought about it
"Oh, you are correct, purple-coat. I apologize for my accusations."
>The princess then looked at Anon through the screen
"Well, monkey-who-leads, for helping us against those Far Ones I think we will be willing to share some of the ore we gained from these asteroids. It should help strengthen our diplomatic ties with the peaceful Equestrian people."
>Anonymous smiled and nodded
"Thank you, Princess Xenfa. We appreciate the gesture. We hope you strengthen more diplomatic ties with you in the future."
>The princess looked into Anon's eyes and winked
"I'd like to strengthen diplomatic ties with you two, monkey-who-leads~"
>oh jeez
>The aliens disconnected before starting to fill up robotic shuttles with ore in them
>They would be going to the fleet soon
>The group looked at each other, nodding slightly
>Not bad for their first time, at least.
---------------------
End Ep. 2
 
Don't forget to tune in for a later episode where the party returns as heroes, but a new mission that is far away may very well stress their very definition of the term.
Next time on...
 
PONIES IN SPACE
