Co-authored with Shaslan & Novelle Tale
SEIZE THE DAY, SEEK THE STARS
Spitfire: a curmudgeonly ex-Captain of the Wonderbolts ( normal flight division).
Vapor Trail: young, fresh-faced Ensign of the Wonderbolts (spaceflight division).
On a years-long, meandering supply run aboard The Wanderer to Equestria's outlying colonies, there's plenty of time for new discoveries, both mundane and never-before-seen alike.
There's also plenty of time for old wounds to fester.
But maybe, just maybe... there's also time enough to heal.
Written for the 2024 Wonderbolts Sitewide Contest, sponsored by Quills & Sofas Speedwriting, and the Science Fiction Contest III.
Cover art by the incomparable Shaslan (naturally).
Chapters (6)
Okay I wasn't planning on doing by-chapter comments here but
is too great a quote not to call out. (Also, I really like the worldbuilding behind it!)
Looking forward to seeing where things evolve from here, and hoping that Spitfire will find a way to make peace with this particular hunk of crystal-tree-space garbage :D (or at least with herself).
I figured something had to happen on the journey other than Spitfire's slowly spiraling boredom and depression and Vapor's cheerful hyperfixation but the space whales are very cool -- I love how they're integrated into the existing worldbuilding around star beasts while also still being their own distinct thing, threatening and awe-inspiring in equal measure.
Also oof, poor Vapor, she's trying so hard.
Ahh, this was lovely! I really enjoyed how Vapor and Spitfire played off each other in this fic; how clearly distinct their POVs were and the deft way y'all mixed their existing canonical personalities with enough additional history of how they got from ~canon to here and layered in their own unique perspectives on how to interact with the spaceship-magic of the scifi aspects -- one of the things I love about AUs, especially, is seeing not just the canonical versions of the ponies, but also how they interact with the non-canonical aspects of the setup, and how it changes them and their outlook in return, and y'all nailed that.
(Also everything about the crystal-tree-space garbage ship was great and I would totally read another 20k words of Vapor nerding out about it. :D Especially since I'm pretty sure I caught the hint of a spark of possible sentience right there near the end, and exploring that would be a whole additional layer of fun and cool.) It's a bit bittersweet that Spitfire doesn't ever learn to properly 'fly' it the way Vapor does, because it feels like she would enjoy it -- but it also feels right, and I like that she is at least starting to find her path again, even if it's not the path she would have wanted in the past.
Anyway, not saying this needs a sequel, because I think it stands on its own quite well. But if y'all ever did write a sequel, I'd totally read it. :D
What a great story! I really enjoyed reading it. The two povs do feel very different, and I think you can really feel Spitfire's bitterness compared to Vapor's enthusiasm.
I really thought Spitfire was going to fly the ship at the end. It seemed like she did for a bit but then she was sad that she hadn't. It would have been nice for her to get a new way of flying. But going back to the academy seems right for her.
I think Vapor's happiness even with the difficulties just makes this story seem so hopeful!