Title:           Ponies in Space (Ep 1 - Reintroduction)
Author:          Pony_Azathoth
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/1UiZ04MP
First Edit:      Sunday 9th of September 2012 10:09:16 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Sunday 9th of September 2012 10:09:16 AM CDT

>Twilight Sparkle looks over her tomes
>She is worried, this is as big of a thing back when she learned about Nightmare Moon coming back.
>She hops over to her telescope and looks into the sky
>Scanning for the object she was worried about
"...The comet is just getting closer and closer."
>She wonders why nobody else had been talking about this
>She only had basic equipment, unlike the professional star-gazers at Canterlot.
>She couldn't have been the only one who noticed the comet changing it's trajectory, right?
>She runs over to a sleeping Spike
"Spike! Wake up! I need you to take a letter right now!"
>Spike tries to ignore her but she soon levitates him out of bed and he gets to writing, not without mumbling some not-curse words under his breath
>She ignores this, she needs the letter sent
"Dear Princess Celestia,
I have noticed a new astrological phenomenon, a comet which is supposed to fly over Equestria once every 4000 years is now changing course and is headed straight for Ponyville. I ask for permission to evacuate the town as soon as possible.
-From your most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."
>Spike breathes the letter away and then curls back up in bed before Twilight shakes him awake again
"Spike, did you even hear what I was saying!"
>Suddenly, Twilight heard a strange noise outside
>She then saw a flash of bright light appear in front of the library
>She ran downstairs, ready for anything
>She knew it had to be connected to the comet somehow, right?
>Maybe it was the Princess, come to visit at this moment?
 
>Twilight slams her door open and sees the light condense into a tall shape
>It forms a large lump, with two small protrusions on the sides and the bottom splitting into two legs, with a final head forming on top.
>The light fades as the thing is revealed, it's pink skin being seen
>Dark hair, blue eyes
>It's a giant, hairless monkey
>Technically, an ape
>It's also wearing some clothes
>The ape looks around and sees Twilight, and freezes, its eyes opening
"What-"
>Twilight is surprised it can talk, but she doesn't talk to the ape because she feels strange
>She feels very, very cold
>She looks up, and sees with horror that the comet is coming right down where she is standing!
>Just then, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity all rush up to Twilight and the monkey-man
"Twilight?! What in tarnation!"
>Twilight sees the comet coming in and realizes that she can't evacuate anyone in time
>She had done her calculations incorrectly
>There was only one last, final ditch effort
>Twilight digs her hooves in the ground, and her horn glows
"Watch out! I'm going to try and stop this thing!"
>The others back up, they are now in a circle around the monkey man
>The monkey man speaks
"What's going on, where am I?"
>None of them answer, they are all too busy looking up
>The comet is massive now, and everyone feels very cold
>Twilight's horn fires a beam that hits the comet, and an immense amount of energy flies everywhere
"Woah!"
>They all start to feel even colder and colder as the comet disintegrates
>The super-cold ice falls around them, freezing everything and making a great fog cover the area
>Through the smoke, the citizens cannot see what is happening
 
>Within the cloud...
>Fluttershy and Rarity are screaming and freaking out
>Pinkie Pie is catching tiny ice flakes on her tongue
>Applejack is cheering on Twilight, who is still blasting the comet with her magic
>Rainbow Dash jumps over to Anon.
"Stop this comet!"
>Anon looks confused
"I don't know how! I just appeared here!"
>Rainbow Dash looks pissed
"You just so happened to appear during the comet strike! You have to be related to it!"
>Anon shook his head
"I don't even know where I am, or how I got here! I have nothing to do with this!"
>Rainbow Dash prepares to jump on Anon, she is growling
>Applejack bites Rainbow Dash's tail to stop her
"Rainbow! We have more important things to worry about right now!"
>Rainbow stands up, and she folds her wings up
>Fluttershy gasps and points at Twilight, whos legs are freezing
>All of their legs are freezing
 
>Slowly, all of them freeze fully.
>Anon and the mane 6, all frozen in a huge pyramid of ice, with Anon in the middle
>The comet is destroyed, and the members of ponyville cheer
>But then, the icy fog begins to clear
>Revealing their frozen heros
>They were all now silent, they weren't sure what to do
>Spike walked outside the Library and saw the p0nies frozen in the ice.
>He began to cry as he saw Twilight frozen face
>But she wasn't dead
>She would wake up eventually
>In a very, very long time...
------------------------------------------------------
>Twilight slowly opens her eyes, feeling cold all over.
>The first thing she sees is her teacher, Princess Celestia standing over here
>Princess Celestia looks a little older, but she has kept her natural beauty.
>Twilight is joyous to see her teacher, and really wants to ask her questions
>She tries to jump for her, but her feet are still frozen solid
>She also feels very light headed
"Don't worry Twilight. We'll have you and your friends thawed very soon."
>Twilight falls into a state of half-consciousness for a while before finally being freed
>She is given a blanket and some hot coco
>She watches as her friends are slowly freed, and also sees the dim outline of the monkey-man in the middle of the group
>She also looks around to see where she is
>She looks like she is in a large room made out of metal
>That's odd, she's never seem something like that before
>She starts to chat up Celestia.
"Princess! I'm so glad to see you again. Where are we? What happened with the comet?"
>The Princess looks at her with a far off look, like remembering an old memory
"Well Twilight, you stopped the comet. That comet would have destroyed much of Equestria, but you managed to stop it. But in the process, you froze yourself and your friends. And that strange entity."
 
>Twilight looks around
"...We're not in the same time, are we, Princess?"
>Celestia slowly nods, she always knew Twilight was a quick one
>It was pretty obvious when Twilight saw the small digital display to the side of the wall
>Twilight felt a bit horrified, but also intrigued
"...How long were we frozen, Princess?"
>Princess Celestia shakes her head
"Wait, my most faithful student. We should free your friends first."
>Twilight is upset, but watches as the p0nies with the strange and bright tools freed her friends from the cold ice
>Fluttershy is freed first, she is concerned about her friends but hugs Twilight, glad to be out of the cold ice
>Next is Applejack and Rarity, who is upset that the ice messed up her hair
>Applejack says she has the worst charlie-horse in the history of charlie-horses
>Then Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are freed, and all that leaves is the monkey man
>The workers are trying to get him out, but he was in the coldest ice of all
>Princess Celestia diverts their attention towards the a wall
"All your questions are about to be answered, Twilight."
 
>Celestia touches a glowing wall panel
>And suddenly the whole wall begins to open up
>The ponies all stand in shock as they look at the window
>And they see stars
>Millions, billions of stars
>Huge clouds of something
>Twilight is most shocked of all, her whole body trembling
>She can tell by the clarity, she's not under an atmosphere, she's in space
>She now realizes why the walls are all metal
>She almost faints, but Celestia talks and she listens
"That comet you stopped, Twilight? It was not a natural occurrence. It was a weapon."
>Twilight looks at the Princess, the other ponies do to
"Our planet, our home of Equestria, it was brought under attack that day. There are... things that live in the infinite darkness and cold of space. They are called The Far Ones."
>Twilight sits down, this was almost more then she could handle
"That comet was the first of many, an attempt to destroy the bright life and energy of Equestria, and to be taken over by the dark ones who hate us. They sent many other comets, and many places were made cold and inhabitable. Most of Equestria was fine, but much was destroyed too."
>Twilight listens, wrapped up in her quick overview
>Celestia looks out among the stars, looking nostalgic and sad
"We and the other races of Equestria banded together. We had to, for all of us to survive. Our purpose was so great, the power of harmony was great with us."
>Celestia looks nostalgic again
"The dragons carried goods to and fro, the diamond dogs dug gems that would be used in our ships, p0nies farmed food and powered up the magic generators, dragons also tended the forges. We soon built a small fleet of ships that, we thought, we defeat the enemy fleet."
>Twilight looks on, realizing this story may not have a happy ending
"We sent them out, and encountered a single ship. It was the one redirecting the comets. We engaged it with everything we got, and we managed to defeat it. Many good p0nies died that day. But then our scholars took the telescopes to the sky, and saw there were thousands, hundreds of thousands approaching."
>A single tear rolls down Celestia's face
>The p0nies look mortified
 
>Celestia then smiles a bit, but it looked like a sad smile
"So, we left Equestria."
"WHAT!"
>Applejack was standing straight up, horrified
"Yes. We left. We took as many ponies as we could."
>They are silent
"...But not all of them were saved. The Far Ones took over Equestria. I doubt any on the surface survived. And even if they did... they wouldn't be alive now."
>Applejack slammed her hoof down
"You didn't leave my family there, did you!?"
>Celestia shakes her head slowly
"No Applejack. We took all of your family, as well as the families of all the elements of harmony."
>Applejack looks hopeful
"So, can I see them?"
>Celestia looks sad again
>Twilight knows, based on the technology they had around them, that wasn't going to happen
"I'm sorry Applejack... They aren't with us anymore. It's been 1000 years since you were frozen."
>Applejack looks stunned, as well as all the other poines
>Except Twilight, she expected this
>It still hit her like a ton of bricks though
"We would have woken you up sooner, but you were stuck on the planet. Only through a special mission done with our best spies and through many military losses were we able to recover all of you from our frozen remains of a planet."
>Twilight looks down, shaking her head slightly
>She can't believe this
>This has to be some sort of bad dream
 
>Celestia motions around them
"We are currently on the Sunrise. It's the flagship of our fleet. What's left of it anyway."
>The ponies look around themselves, looking at the strange metal walls and unnatural panels
>This was nothing like the grassy and open world of Equestria.
>Celestia speaks again
"We are currently far, far away from Equestria. We are still being pursued by The Far Ones, who want to eradicate all of us. We have been at constant war for the last 1000 years. Our technology has improved dramatically, but The Far Ones are so numerous and powerful... we've never been able to get an advantage, just survive. We've lost many good p0nies. Too many good p0nies."
>She looks far off, and then looks back at the group with a bit of pride and hope in her voice.
"The mission to rescue you was over a hundred years in the making. In fact, it even took several years to unfreeze you, as we had to use low-intensity lasers in order to not damage you under all that ice. But you're finally back. And now, we might be able to turn the tide."
>Twilight and her friends look at each other
>They know what this means
"You mean the Elements, Princess?"
>Celestia smiles at her students
"You're still just as sharp as ever, Twilight."
 
>Celestia clears her throat, and then begins to walk away from the window
"Well! Let's go take you for a walk around the sunrise. 1000 years without any walking will give a cramp to anyp0ny."
>Twilight and her friends look at each other and the monkey-man in the ice nervously, but still get up and walk with their Princess
>They walk to the end of the room, and then come to a metal door
>Twilight sees no way to open it
>Celestia takes a step open
>The door slides open with a *swoosh*
>Pinkie gasps
"OH MY GOODNESS! IT'S THE COOLEST DOOR EVER!'
>She plays with the door sensor while the others keep moving
>Celestia can't help but giggle a bit
"Things have changed much for me, my little ponies, but for you it's just been a moment since that fateful day."
>Twilight couldn't help but notice the great sadness, but remembrance in Celestia's voice
>As they walk down the halls, each pony sees interesting things that catch their eye
>The whole ship is a technological marvel, and the ponies are 1000 years behind the times
>Celestia and some crew members just smile in a bemused fashion, as if they were modern humans watching a caveman playing with a TV remote.
>But as they walked, they soon felt some warmth come through them
>Rainbow Dash spreads her wings, and then looks right at the Princess
"Princess Celestia, is there anyplace for me to stretch my wings?"
>The Princess smiles at her
"In just a moment, Rainbow Dash."
>They come across a huge metal door with a giant picture of Celestia's cutie mark painted upon it
>Celestia opens it up
>They are not prepared for what is inside
 
>As the huge doors open, the p0nies eyes went wide
>Within is an absolutely MASSIVE spherical chamber
>And in the center is a massive ball of light and heat
>They see grass and plants and crops all around the sides, with the gravity all holding them down at all points around the sphere
>Twilight is more shocked the others
"Princess- how did you..."
>Celestia giggles
"I used to move the sun every single day Twilight. I wasn't about to let The Far Ones have our beloved sun, so I took it with us."
>Twilight still has more questions, there are so many scientific problems with this
"Twilight, I'll let you look over the hundreds of spells that deal with the radiation, heat, size of the sun, the instability and everything. But for right now, just be calm and listen."
>Twilight listened as Celestia began to walk across the grass, they also noticed the small clouds floating overhead
>Rainbow Dash jumped up in joy and flew up to the cloud, laying on it lazily.
>The other ponies giggled, Fluttershy also took a few careful flaps and floated off the ground a few feet as well
>This room is just so full of life and energy and warmth
>Unlike the rest of the cold ship.
 
>They look around at the inside out mini planet and see trees, lakes, a desert
>Basically a place for every creature in Equestria
>Though it's so small and artificial
>They walk along the outside and eventually reach another door, built into a hillside
>It slides open and they go back into the artificial parts of the ship
>They see all sorts of things, all sorts of new technology
>As they keep going and going, Celestia fills them on all sorts of new technology and historical events
>It is very interesting
>Twilight is beginning to notice something
>They are going around in a circle
>Soon, they arrive back in the ice room and see the floor wet with cool water
>they see the monkey man frozen in ice with some parts of his body out of it
>They see him twitch a finger
>Soon, the workers have him out of the ice completely
>He is sat down with a blanket and mug of coco
 
>The monkey man sniffles and looks up at the p0nies
"Hello?"
>They are still surprised he can talk, but not too much
>Celestia looks down at him
"Welcome aboard the Sunrise. What is your name? And if you wouldn't mind, what race do you represent?"
>The primate looks around for a second, and then sees the window
"Holy shit!"
>He is shocked, but after a few seconds he calms down and answers Celestia's questions
"I am Anonymous the Human."
>Celestia nods
"Well, hello there Anon. I'd like you to take a little walk with me, whenever you're ready."
>Twilight clears her throat
"Don't worry, Celestia. I think I will take care of him. I'd like to take a little walk around the ship myself, if you wouldn't mind."
>Celestia slowly smiles, the action bringing back old memories of her most faithful student.
>Twilight smiles and looks at the monkey man.
>The monkey man takes a sip from the coco and accidentally spills it on his shirt
>Twilight giggles
"I've got my work cut out for me."
----------------------------------------
>Twilight takes Anon around the ship
>Even though she is a great student and listened very well to the Princess, she can't fill Anon in as well as she had hoped
>So instead, she talks to the crew members she finds and they tell her about different things, including the technology and the times
>Ships are equipped with laser weapons, shields, high powered energy cannons and all sorts of magic and non-magic weapons.
>She takes him around and asks him a few questions about his world
>She is very surprised to hear that his people already went into space, though through much more primitive means then the Sunrise.
>Eventually though, Twilight and Anonymous receive a small button they both wear on their chests
>Twilight's is shaped like a star, and in fact it looks almost exactly like the gem in her element of harmony
>Same color as well
>Anon gets a black circle
>They both jump when they hear Celestia's voice come through the buttons
"These are communicators. Press them and you can talk to people. Come up to the bridge, we have to talk about what's next."
>With a small beep, the message was cut
>Twilight and Anon looked at each other and nodded, making their way to the big central room
>They walk around the inside-out planet and soon find the way towards the bridge
>Once they get there, they go through several checkpoints with p0ny royal guards
>The guards still have that old fashioned gold armor, but it looks much more technology now
>They also see a small barrel-like attachment to the top, and a kind of visor over one of the guards' eyes.
>Anonymous knew it was a gun almost immediately, Twilight took more time to figure it out.
 
>After getting through the checkpoints, they enter the bridge
>The room is meant to look somewhat like a comfortable room, with a bunch of nice comfy chairs and books in the back, and even a fireplace!
>Though they soon found the fireplace was just a hologram placed in front of a heating vent
>Anonymous and Twilight join Celestia, who is handing out communicators to the mane 6
>She addresses them all when that is done
"Hello again, p0nies. And human."
>Anon nods
"This is the bridge of the sunrise. This is where we pilot and control the ship. I brought you here for more then one reason. I needed a secure place to talk about what I have in plan for all of you."
>They nod
"But, I also want to show you some things first. Engineer, bring up the screen."
>A pony salutes and responds
"Aye, Captain!"
>He pushes a couple of over-sized buttons and a blur appears in the air before the big window out into space at the front of the room
>It soon fills up with a huge 3d model of a star-ship.
"This is the Sunrise."
>The group notices the large ball sphere in the center of the ship, it looked like where the sun was kept
"The Sunrise is our flagship. It is the most powerful ship in the fleet, thanks in no small part due to our generator, the sun itself."
>The p0nies understand
"But this is not the only ship. There are many others, in fact. Bring up the Nightfall!"
 
>A large, dark ship appears on the screen. It also has a large ball in the middle, but the whole thing is a bit smaller then the sunrise.
"This is Luna's ship. It is not as powerful as mine in terms of raw strength, but it does have the elegant power source of the moon within it. It is stealthy and we would have lost the fight many times before if it wasn't for this ship."
>The p0nies understand, Anon understands too
>He does have some questions about the implications of moving a sun inside a ship, but that was something the p0nies were more used to so they didn't really question it.
"These are the two biggest ships in the fleet. After these two, we have several hundreds of other ships, all fulfilling minor roles and participating in combat. Also, I have a surprise for you Applejack."
>Applejack looks up the screen, ready.
"Bring up the Big Apple!"
>A large but very flat ship appears in the monitor
"This ship is the Big Apple. It is mostly operated by the Apple family, which is still around today. They produce much of the food all of the ships eat."
>Applejack smiles and looks content. The thought of her family still being alive really calmed her down
>Not anybody she knew, but it was her family nonetheless.
 
>Celestia speaks to them again, motioning towards the Engineer.
"We also have ships named after each of you."
>The p0nies look confused and a bit proud
>Fluttershy asks why
>Celestia explains
"You are the holders of the Elements of Harmony, you saved the world twice. We weren't sure if we could ever recover you from the ice. So we named some ships after you in honor."
>The ponies look proud
>Anonymous feels a bit left out, but that's understandable
>A sleek, high-tech ship appears on the screen
>Twilight knows it's hers instantly from the large symbol painted on the side
>It was a massive painted decal of her cuite mark.
 
"This is the Twilight Sparkle vessel. It is the second most advanced ship in the fleet, it is the primary science facility. It isn't the biggest, fastest, or strongest ship, but it is the main ship for developing new technologies and for research. It has the greatest Unicorn technicians onboard, and is of vital importance for that reason."
>Twilight Sparkle smiles, it was fitting.
>Celestia motions to the engineer, who changes the picture to a new vessel
>It looks very aerodynamic and sleek, having massive engines
"This is the Rainbow Dash cruiser. It is very fast and avoids getting hit. It has weak shields and weapons to allow more space for engines, but its speed is its weapon. This ship often confuses enemies and it our primary scout ship; it has not failed us yet."
>Rainbow Dash beams with pride
>The next ship came onto the screen
 
>It was a bulkier ship, with three large apples painted on
"Applejack's destroyer is one of our best fighting ships. It is fiercely dependable, and can take amounts of damage that could rip apart the Sunrise or the Nightfall. Its shields are only average, but its armor is intense and very thick. It is not the first to be in combat due to its slower speed, but last to leave. It's also armed with its own repair bay and can repair itself on the fly quicker then other ships, so it can always be ready for a fight."
>Applejack smiles, crossing her hooves. She thought that it was a great ship.
>Celestia clears her throat and smiles
"Next up, for one of the most fun ships in the fleet."
>Pinkie Pie jumps forward
"Ooh! Oooh! I bet it's mine!"
>The ship that came up was indeed Pinkie's Ship, with her cutie mark clearly visible on the side.
"This is Pinkie Pie's carrier. It's primary means of attack and defense is not the ship's cannons itself, but the hundreds to thousands of fighters within itself. They swarm opponents, and are so small and quick that they avoid most enemy weapons. Wherever they are deployed, it looks like quite the party."
>Pinkie Pie grins, seemingly happy for this.
 
"Fluttershy's cruiser is a small but very helpful ship. It houses many of the animals that we rescued before Equestria was taken by The Far Ones, and has some of the best medical facilities in the whole fleet. It also has a special weapon; it's a disabling beam. We've never been able to replicate it, but just like Fluttershy's stare, this ship can disable a ship of The Far Ones for a short while, allowing other ships to get away or attack."
>Fluttershy blushed and smiled.
 
"Finally, Rarity's ship is sleek and stylish."
>Her ship appeared on screen, it was very shiny and covered completely in chrome, her cutie mark the only thing that stood out.
>Rarity made a face
"Ehhh... too shiny."
>Twilight giggled
>Celestia spoke again, smiling at Rarity
"Well Rarity, it's not shiny to look good. It's a stealth ship, the shiny exterior allows it to bend light and reflect scanning tools, making it invisible to enemy ships for a short period. This is used for scouting and spying, as well as getting an edge up in combat. I also hear they have the most fashionable uniforms on the ship."
>Rarity smiled, then looked horrified
"Wait, if it's been 1000 years... Then I have to catch up 1000 years of Fashion!"
>Everyone laughed
 
>It was a short lived thing though, as the room fell silent again.
>For the first time in a while, Anonymous spoke.
"But this isn't the real reason why we are here, is it?"
>Celestia looked at him, her face blank
"That is correct, Anonymous. We have one more ship to cover."
>Twilight's interest got the better of her and she spoke.
"What ship is that, Celestia?"
>Celestia blinks
"Only the most important ship in the fleet, Twilight."
>The group perks up, with Twilight speaking again
"I thought that was the Sunrise."
>Celestia smiles
"Twilight, you're smart enough to know that biggest isn't always most important. Our most important ship is your ship."
>Twilight's eyes almost pop out of her head
"Wh-What?!"
>Celestia grins and turns back to the screen
"Engineer, put up the Harmony."
 
>A tiny little shape appears besides the other huge ships
"Zoom in on the Harmony."
>The screen zooms in on the tiny ship, which it now showed clearly
>The ship is sleek and stylish, very compact and it looked much more high-tech then the other ships.
"This ship is our secret weapon. It is fully self-sufficient, able to replicate any part that is damaged. It also has massive shield generators, able to block out massive attacks. It's weapons allow it to destroy ships thrice its size. It has advanced cloaking and tracking abilities. Its computers can calculate almost anything on command, and the ship is fully capable of landing and taking off on a planet, as well as having two small shuttle pods armed with simple weapons that it can use for escape or exploration. It is the very best we got. But it's not finished."
>The group look at Celestia
"Do you mean-"
"Yes, Twilight. The ship still needs its engine, its power source. And that's why you are all here."
>Twilight breathes, the realization hitting her.
"The elements."
>Celestia nods slowly, the other ponies have it dawn on them as well
"...Did you recover the elements from our homeworld?"
>Celestia lets a smile play onto her lips
"Yes. And I have a special friend who's taking good care of them. Let's go see him."
>Celestia thanks the Engineer and instructs the screen be taken down. She then tells the Mane 6 and Anon to follow her, and she excitedly leads them down a corridor that is also full of guards.
 
>Celestia guides the group down the corridor until she reaches a room with a huge door
>She knocks on it, and they hear something huge from inside step closer
>The door suddenly opens, and the ponies gasp to see a massive dragon inside
>But it's no the dragon being a dragon being a dragon that surprised them
"SPIKE!"
>They run into the room, with Spike laughing and scooping all of them up and hugging all of them
>Anon watched, feeling a bit left out
>Spike laughed, this sound shaking the whole chamber
>It had been 1000 years since he had seen his best friends!
 
>The dragon was big and strong, but was obviously starting to get pretty old
>Spike soon let them down, and the group realized they were standing on a large pile of gold and gems; must have been Spike's horde.
"I haven't seen any of you in so long!"
>Spike is trembling, he's almost crying
"Twilight! I missed you so much!"
>The dragon bawws
>Then he looks down at Rarity
"...And Rarity. How could I ever forget you."
>Rarity blushes
"You're just as beautiful as I remember."
>Rarity giggles and places out a hoof, which spike takes in a single finger and kisses with the very tip of his huge dragon snout
>Rainbow Dash snorts at the display, muttering under her breath
"...We were frozen, not like we changed or anything."
>But everyone ignores it
>It is very happy, and the group chats for a short while.
>Spike tells them what happened to Ponyville and Equestria after they left, telling them about their friends and family
>The group are happy to hear, but the knowledge that all they have loved before were long dead still gets to them
>Fluttershy crys when she hears that not all of her animal friends made it, with Rainbow Dash putting a hoof over her shoulder to calm her down.
>Rarity is also close to crying, but a lady isn't supposed to break down like that in public.
>Applejack is worse affected, her fresh tears spilling over the metal floor
"My family... my family was everything."
>Twilight walks over to her, concerned
"We're your family too, Applejack."
>Applejack smiled and they embraced, with all 6 of them soon hugging in a circle.
>Anonymous, once again, felt left out.
 
>Not wanting to break up this tender moment, but having things that need to be done, Celestia makes a soft sound to break them up
Celestia's presence also reminds Spike of what he needs to do
>Spike turns around and, after bumping his head into the ceiling, digs through the gold until he finds an ancient old box
>He opens it gently with a tip of a claw, and inside, were the Elements of Harmony.
>Celestia then spoke.
"Anonymous, carry the box with us, would you please?"
>Anonymous nods, picking up the old wooden box after it was closed.
 
>Celestia waited as the ponies made their goodbyes to Spike, with Twilight taking the longest
"I won't have to wait another 1000 years to see you again, will I?"
"No you won't Spike. I'll make sure of it."
>Twilight hugs the end of Spike's huge snout, and then trots to the exit
>With tears in her eyes, she nods to the Princess and the group begins to walk again.
>They first go down the large hall to the sun-room, and then to the forges.
>After going through the hot forges, full of high-tech robot arms building things, they left to another corridor and through more guards.
 
>They arrive into the docking bay
>And they see the Harmony.
>It is huge, shining and looks elegant and powerful
>It is shining with a metallic hull, paint on the side shows the symbol of the Elements of Harmony.
>Anonymous sees that is looks very aerodynamic, which gives credit to the Celestia's comment of it being able to land on planets.
>It also has 6 large landing gears, two on both sides and one to the front and back.
>The bottom of it had a large trapdoor that was no doubt how they got back in/out of the ship.
>They walk around it, looking at all the parts
"We have very little time, my little ponies. We need to get you trained with the ship. Each one of you will have a different role aboard the ship."
 
>They look at each other, nervously.
>Celestia points them each off to a small cubicle in the side of the hanger, with an attendant at each one ready to help them
>Each one is helped into a simulation chair
>They are strapped in
>They hear Celestia's voice over the speakers in the simulation chair.
"Each of you has an important role aboard the Harmony. We matched each role to each one of your personalities and we think it will be the best for all of you."
>The p0nies shift and so does Anon, nervous but ready to listen
"Applejack, your tough personality and perseverance, and devotion to defend your friends means you will be on the shields of the ship. You will have the job of deflecting enemy attacks."
>Applejack nods, it sounds good for her
"Rainbow Dash, as a p0ny who I consider one of the best fliers of all time, you will be the ship's primary pilot and navigator."
>Rainbow Dash beamed with pride, blushing as well. She didn't think the Princess thought that highly of her.
"Pinkie Pie, as a p0ny with very fast reactions and a talent for chaos, you are in charge of the weapon systems."
>Pinkie Pie says nothing, instead just making little explosion sounds with her mouth.
 
>Celestia speaks again
"Rarity, with your fine eye for detail and excellent ability with visual cues, you are in charge of scanners and the stealth systems."
>Rarity smiles, thankful she got a position that was not very uncouth.
"Fluttershy, as a paragon of kindness and having a talent of calming down even the most wild of beasts, you are going to be the translator and communicator. Your natural skill in first aid will also make you a medic aboard the ship, in case someone aboard gets an injury."
>Fluttershy smiles, feeling confident in her position.
"And finally for Twilight, my most faithful student, you will be the chief science director and engineer aboard the ship. You're ability in magic and organization make you perfect to be the one with control and access to the Harmonious core."
>Twilight nods, but she also has a question.
"These roles sound perfect Celestia. But... what about Anon? What role does he have."
>Celestia pauses
>Anon tenses up
"Anon is the captain."
 
>Almost everyone, even Anon, calls out over the speakers with
"WHAT!?"
>Celestia is silent for a second, letting them calm down
"Anonymous's skills are not well known. But we have studied him. His brain is very good at adapting and learning new things. He has no direct control over the ship, so he can't mess anything up."
>Twilight speaks
"But why do we have a human aboard the ship? Not to be rude to Anon, but he's not a pony, he won't be the same as us."
>Celestia is quiet, and then speaks again
"Anonymous is an alien not from our world. This means that if The Far Ones have a weapon that affects p0nies or any life from our world, it won't affect him. He's a first and last resort."
>They are quiet
>Twilight is still upset, but she doesn't say anything
>She'll wait until later to talk to the Princess about this.
"Alright, are all of you ready for your training? It is going to be very intense."
>The p0nies all slowly agree, and Anon agrees last
"Alright, let's do this."
 
>Anon sat in his chair uncomfortably
>The screens all around him light up, he can look around his pod and see himself sitting at a command center of a ship's bridge
>He is sitting in the middle, his chair looking big and important
>He sees the others materialize into their chairs
>Pinkie smiles and hope from her chair
"Wow this place is so-"
>Her face hits something invisible and she is knocked back
>Celestia's voice comes out over the intercom
"Pinkie, this is just a hologram. Please sit down."
>She sits
"You are now going to be subjected to a dug that allows you to learn at an accelerated rate, and to make time pass for you about eight times slower. We'll speed up the simulation and my voice, to make it seem like the same speed for you."
>Anon felt a metal thing touch his arm and quickly inject him within a nanosecond
>It hurt, but faded almost instantly
>The future is a very wonderful thing
>Celestia speaks again, Anon notices her voice drooping and seeming to be slower, and then quickly returning to normal
"Once we start, you'll be on your own to enhance your learning. Begin the simulation!"
>Anon tensed up as something appeared far off in the window
>Everyone is quiet
>Anon isn't sure if he should speak or just wait
>He watched enough Star Trek to know that the captain should be talking right now
>He clears his throat
"Uhh... Rarity. Can we get an image of whatever that object is? It looks like a comet, but I want more detail."
>Rarity nods, and looks over her display to try and find the right buttons
 
>Rarity slides her hooves around on her console area, seeing the small marked circles that were just about her hoof size
>They were all perfectly flat, and very smooth
>She sees one that say "Help" and she gives it some pressure with her hooves
>Suddenly, little speech bubble things appear in the air above the buttons on them, giving a simplified answer of what they do
>Rarity fumbles for a second, her small screen lighting up with a picture of the display
>Anonymous sees that everyone is looking over at Rarity's screen across the bridge so he speaks again
"Rarity, could you put that on the main screen please?"
>Rarity looks back and looks dumbfounded for a second, then quickly turns back to her screen and finds a large button that does just that
>A huge image appears several feet in front of anon, imposing over the clear window into space that was there before
>Anon sees just stars and such, he can only barely see the comment
"Rarity, magnify the image please."
>Rarity sees a circular sliding thing and turns her hoof on it, the image getting zoomed in
>She giggles, sliding it bigger and smaller, before a sharp glare from Twilight makes her stop
>She zooms in and puts the camera on the comet, which Anon now realized was in real time
>It didn't look like a comet at all
>It looked like a space ship with a long tail of ice behind it
>Suddenly, a tiny blueish light appeared on the ship, and then it seemed to disappear
>Suddenly, Rarity speaks again
"Uhh, Anonymous, was it? There is this little dot coming towards up very quickly
>Anon realized what it was
>It was a weapon of some kind
"Quick, Rainbow Dash, evasive maneuvers! Applejack, raise shields
>They both say "What?" in unison as a massive blue explosion rocks the ship
 
>The window was cracked, one more hit without shields and they were done!
"Rainbow Dash! Dodge the bolts with the ship's engines! Applejack, find some way to raise up our shields so we are better protected!"
>Rainbow Dash slams her hooves into her console, and they all felt the motion of them rocketing forwards
>They were flying straight towards the enemy ship!
>Another blue flash
>The massive blue explosion now happened a ways in front of them, they felt the blast but they didn't take damage
"Good job both of you!"
>They both looked more confused then anything
"Pinkie Pie! Ready our weapons!"
>Pinkie Pie giggles
"Which one? Which one!"
>Even though Anon knew it was a simulation, he was nervous and frightened
"All of them! Fire at will!"
>Pinkie Pie gasped and squee'd, then began to mash her hooves on her console
>Dozens of different colored lights, lasers, and missiles fires from all around the ship and flew towards the enemy
>The enemy ship absorbed the first two hits like nothing with its shields, but then the other shots blasted it to pieces
>They had destroyed the enemy ship
>Anon cheered aloud, some of the pones did too
>Rarity wasn't smiling though
"Anon! Two more behind us!"
>Anon's mood turned grim
"Rainbow Dash, spin us around!"
>RD nodded, taking both hooves on the flat navigation wheel panel
>Suddenly, everyone flet a horrible lurching sensation and the ship spinning out of control
"Not that much!"
 
>Rainbow Dash stabilized the ship pretty quick, she seemed to be getting better
>The two other Far One ships were the same as the first, blue and covered in ice
>Anon pointed to the left on on screen
"Pinkie! Fire at the left ship!"
>Pinkie nods and pushes her hoof down
>Nothing happens
>Pinkie looks at Anon, then to her panel
"Oh, it's says it is out of ammunition."
>Goddammit Pinkie
>You look at Twilight, who already seemed busy messing with her panel
>She spoke
"Anon, it seems that the Harmonic Core will refill the weapons batteries slowly over time. We will have to draw power from somewhere else in the meantime.
"Rainbow! Cut engines!"
>She presses the cut engine button rather hesitantly
>Just then, more blasts rocked the ship's shields
"Keep those shields up, Applejack!"
>she nods, minimizing the shield usage by turning it off in between waves of blue energy
"Pinkie! You got enough power now?"
>She nods
"Then fire!"
>A large blast of energy knocks into and destroys one of the two ships, the other turns tail and runs
"Yeah! We did it!"
>Rarity looks worried
"F-Four more coming!"
>Is this nigga serious
 
>Anon barks out more orders
>He waves his hands, frantically getting the pones to work together
"Fluttershy! See if you can patch through to them!"
>She tries, but nothing
"They are blocking us... and the messages they sent in response are full of viruses and gore."
>Fucking Far Ones
>Anon get Rainbow Dash to start moving around on her own, and she drives the ship perfectly
>Only a creature with wings could appreciate the up and down of space, besides just see it as flat
>As they zipped around and blasted over and over, they soon had destroyed all four enemy ships
>Twilight looks relieved
"Good. According to my charts, and our Core couldn't handle much more of that. I'm guessing the simulation must be done now."
>Just then, Fluttershy spoke
"We've got a call!"
>Anon nods, feeling badass for being able to say this
"Put it on screen."
>The screen lights up and shows what appears to be a bipedal robot thing
>With tubes coming out all over itself
>It has several port holes in its head, like one of those old diving suits
>It then spoke in a groggy and pissed off voice
"YOU WILL DIE PATHETIC P0NIES! PREPARE FOR DESTRUCTION!"
>The channel cuts off
"What are those guys' problem?"
 
>Just then, Rarity spoke again, with Dread in her voice
"8 Ships!"
>No fucking way
>The 8 ships appeared seemingly out of nowhere
>All of them blasted bright blue light
>Applejack couldn't block them all, even if the Core did have enough power
>Fluttershy and Rarity screamed as the ship blew apart, putting them in the cold void of space
>Anon felt very cold and could not breath, his voice was stuck in his throat
>Then he realized he could breath, he was just panicking
>He looked around and saw the mane 6 around him floating through space, looking confused
>Twilight looked more amused if anything
>Just then the simulation reset and Anon found himself back in the captain's chair
>Then, Celestia's voice boomed out, and scared them all half to death
"Again."
-------------------
"Today, you're training is over. You will soon be in command of the Harmony. Her crew is now waiting for her."
>Looking around the room, Anon sees only himself, the mane 6, and Celestia.
"Just us seven?"
>Celestia nods
"Yes. The Harmony's strength comes from its crew, and a small ship can have more power for less space, plus it is less detectable. You are the most important tool in our war against The Far Ones."
>Fluttershy looks concerned, and speaks
"We won't just be fighting all the time... will we?"
>Celestia shakes her head
"No. You are a tool, not a weapon."
>Rainbow Dash perks up
"How does that make any sense? Aren't we the most "Advanced and Important ship in the fleet?"
>She nods
"Of course you are. Bit for bit, you're the best ship we've got. But you can't take on a Far One battle cruiser by yourselves, at least not easily. You will be a type of scouting vessel, venturing deep into space to find out more information and try to gather us allies and technologies to fight back against the Far Ones. We've been at war far too long for this to go on any longer."
>Twilight speaks
"Then what IS our job, Princess?"
>The Princess looks up at the Harmony, and places a hoof on it affectionately.
"You will be going where nop0ny has ever gone before."
==================
Stay tuned for Episode 2; where the crew go out and meet some new aliens to dick around with. Hopefully not literally. (No promises)