Chapters
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Applejack 36%Twilight wasn’t sure she was ready. On the other side of that airlock door was an alien world—a place that had once overflowed with life. A city big enough to hold a billion, billion ponies, all gone cold and dead with the unstoppable advance of time.It was the moment this mission had been preparing her for, in many ways. It was the ultimate goal of their trip.“Why are we stationary?” asked the probe from in front of her. It had been fitted with a radio transmitter, that would repeat…-
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Gradually reduce her dose 52%“Twilight, you have to understand… what you’re asking for isn’t…” Fluttershy took a deep breath, stopping beside her in the hallway. “She’s doing better, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “She’s healing. She doesn’t need to be so drugged she’s barely conscious anymore. You know how awful that is for Pinkie… being stuck in a little room like that…”“I know she’s not doing well, captain…” Fluttershy shook her head. “But the reason she was able…
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Twilight gets air, Sunset fixes the Equinox 43%“I’m not happy you left her up here,” Spike’s voice said over the radio, following Twilight through the halls towards the docking bay. She moved quite slowly, both from the lack of gravity and the bulky EVA suit that she wore. “I don’t trust her yet. Fluttershy is too kind to stop her if she tries anything we don’t want her to.”“Sunset isn’t as bad as she used to be,” Twilight muttered, rounding the corner towards the docking bay. She was…
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Twilight knew Applejack wouldn’t be happy even before they reached the docking platform. But whatever else might be said for the former prospector, she had good common sense. Whatever distrust she might still be feeling towards Spike, she didn’t show it.“Here to join our little investigation, eh’? Guess you didn’t quite get to finish yer beauty rest.”Spike chuckled weakly, showing no sign of his emotional weakness earlier. I’m glad I didn’t tell him that Applejack was the one who discovered…
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Applejack’s BreakthroughTwilight hardly even saw her friend over the next few weeks. Applejack was a ghost amid the conduits, occasionally emerging in the mess hall to grab a few dry hay-cakes and hurry off again. The work was obviously taking its toll on her—Applejack’s coat wasn’t growing back nearly as healthy as Twilight’s was, and her limbs still shook a little while she walked. At the rate she was going, they might run out of drugs before she ran out of need for them. Twilight cut her own…
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The drive was exactly as awful as Kyle had expected. They stopped only once, and when the truck opened the sun was only beginning to rise. They had a few minutes and almost no privacy to relieve themselves without a trace of dignity, then it was right back up the steps onto the truck. Fay didn’t blast them with magic and tear the truck to pieces, but she did cry almost constantly after their stop, with only a brief respite while she ate. There was no privacy for that either, though at least having her…-
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Excavate, find whatever else might be buried here. 53% Twilight stood at the edge of the chasm, staring down at oblivion. Her own hooves were stained, her body was weak and there were multiple small wounds on her body, all from the excavation.The prospector was a mining ship, and so it contained several large diggers. Twilight didn’t know how to operate them, but Pinkie did, and so it fell to her and Fluttershy to go through what she turned up. And whenever radar indicated there might be something ahead,…
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connect it without giving it mainframe access 74%It was hardly the time to be worrying about Spike’s project. With Pinkie Pie’s revival, Twilight barely had the time or the energy for what would come next. But with as invested as Spike was into the project, some part of her worried that if she didn’t throw it out an airlock or help him soon, she would wake up one morning with the reactor shut down and the computer monopolized by another alien.“Okay, Spike,” She swallowed, trying to keep her face…
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Spike takes the pony prisoner 49% Applejack’s advice made perfect sense—space was merciless and cruel, he knew that even better than she did now. It didn’t matter-- he couldn’t kill someone just because it made sense. Even so, that didn’t mean he had to make the pony think she’d won.Spike attempts to act like a badass and intimidate over the radio. Success. “Alright stowaway, this is what we’re going to do. I want you to leave everything but your suit on the Prospector, then climb across.…
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Reinforce the Reactor 59% Repairs took about a day, a day Twilight spent helping members of her crew where she could. She spent most of her time with Pinkie in Hydroponics, replanting trays they had left sealed against their long time on the surface. They had at least five months of real food left in storage, certainly no reason to worry about abruptly running out. But the best way in Twilight’s mind to stay ahead of all that was to never fall behind.Finally—though some part of her still ached slightly…
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