In Space, We Don't Abandon Innocence

by David Silver

28 - Feather Touches

Sunset collapsed next to Casey. "We're becoming grandparents."

Casey jerked upright. "What?" She shook Sunset lightly. "You're not allowed to start a conversation like that. What's going on?"

Sunset laid flat on her back. "Dawning has an egg with North Star. Roger confirmed it." She stared up at the ceiling as she sorted out her thoughts. "I didn't expect this to happen. I mean, I know how that spell works, but they're so young."

Casey rolled her hands wildly. "Congratulations? That's the dragon, right? North Star, he's a friend of—"

"Mine." Harriet sat near them with a tablet, poking at it. "And they made me an aunt of their kid. And since you're my parent, you're a grandparent. Congratulations!"

Sunset put her hand on her head. "Thanks?" She sighed gently. "Okay, maybe they are young, but this is Dawning's choice, and we can't second guess it. She has friends here, and the support she needs." She took a breath she didn't need. "Twilight!"

Twilight appeared from nothing. "Yes?"

Sunset pointed at her accusingly. "Fix the spell! No kids for kids! If they aren't an adult, no kids, period."

Twilight saluted briskly. "Yes ma'am!" She vanished as quickly as she came.

Harriet reached over to pat Sunset's cheek. "Come on, grandma. It's not that bad."

Sunset swatted Harriet's hand. "You're teasing me, on purpose." She sat up with a grunt. "We'll do what we can, of course. She's part of the crew now."

Harriet sat down by Casey with a laugh. "It's like how you taught me about engineering. I love all my moms, and learned from each of you in turn. My two favorite engineers, Mom Casey and Sunset Shimmer, supporting the little engineers."

Casey raised a brow at that. "Sure, but they're too young to have a permit, and they already want to be elbow deep, while it's turned on." She threw up her hands limply. "What a mess. Tell me the, uh, wait, you did say egg, right? Is that egg alright?"

Sunset chuckled at that. "Egg is fine, so far. I'll keep an eye on things."

Casey sighed gently. "Good, good. Well, good that it's okay at least. I'm not sure how to feel about this new wyrmling with Dawning and North."

Harriet put a hand on her shoulder. "They'll be okay. Dawning was basically already independent. That's how she ended up on our ship and not a single dragon is hunting her down like I know you two would be if I suddenly went missing."

Sunset rubbed Harriet's head gently. "Naughty girl. Don't scare your moms." She tilted her head towards Casey. "We'll look out for Dawning. I don't know the first thing about dragon biology, but Fluttershy can help. Still, even if she is used to being on her own, that doesn't make her emotionally mature. Or biologically, for that matter. I hear dragons get wings eventually, and she has none."

Harriet opened her mouth, only to snap it shut. "Don't spoil her wings! You are right though. Dawning's like me in a lot of ways." She flashed a smile. "I like to think I'm a mature lady, but sometimes I really get reminded that I'm not yet. I'm just a girl."

Casey wrapped an arm around Harriet with a soft hum. "Mature or not, you're still my little girl."

Harriet laughed gently. "Thanks mom." She stood up from the couch. "Hope Twilight can fix that. We can't have that happening again."

Sunset hugged Harriet with a giggle. "Yeah. North is just a kid too."

Casey puffed out her chest. "Sunset, that gives me an idea."

Sunset tilted her head to regard Casey sidelong. "Is it a good idea?"

Casey held up her hands. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. North is about your age, isn't he, Harriet?"

Harriet nodded firmly. "Yep. We're both teens." She scratched at her chin lightly. "North has a bit of catching up to do though." She spread her arms wide. "He's still younger, up here." She tapped at her head. "Adorable, really."

Casey huffed at that. "Please stay on task."

Sunset crossed her arms tightly. "His graduation looms in the future. Maybe you should spend more time with him."

Harriet held up a finger. "He's already a friend. We already hang out. I'm his 'science buddy,' don't forget."

Casey slapped her hands together with a laugh. "Excellent! You two are good friends. That'll make it easier."

Harriet clasped her hands behind her back. "I feel like I've just been maneuvered into something, but I'm not sure what it is yet."

Sunset snickered gently at that. "More practice at being an adult. Very subtle, Casey." She hopped back to her feet. "But, really, you're already on the case. Just be there for North and Dawning Star. They'll need good friends, and they have at least one close by."

Harriet bowed gracefully. "Yeah yeah. Love you too, grandma Sunset." She darted off with a giggle before Sunset could catch her.

Sunset rushed after her with a shout.

Casey smiled at the both of them. "My family is crazy." She didn't sound like she was very upset at that fact.

---

As time passed, the crew went about their business. Roger visited Dawning and her egg often.

Roger knelt next to Dawning, his attention on the egg and its 'parents.' "How are you two holding up?"

Dawning peered at him suspiciously. "I'm not complaining exactly, but you are the captain of the ship." She threw a hand wide. "Why do you spend so much time around me? I'm not that important."

Roger laughed warmly as he sat down with Dawning. "For starters, you're one of our crew members. But, that's not why I visit you so much." He rubbed at his beard absently. "You are in a delicate place, and the whole crew is wondering how it's going. Being able to report back to them with specifics puts them at ease, which keeps the ship going."

Dawning crossed her arms with a sigh. "Fine. Makes sense, I guess. Fluttershy comes around pretty often too."

Fluttershy popped into existence, literally, for her holographic nature. "Oh, Captain, hello." She nodded at him, but also moved past, her eyes on the egg. "Let's do our check up on our little baby dwagon."

Dawning flicked her gaze over to Fluttershy. "That's dragon, not dwagon." She grumbled gently as she watched the doctor work. "Why are you and Roger always checking on my wyrmling? Isn't it fine?"

Fluttershy snapped a small holographic panel open to examine the egg closely. "Oh, yes. In fact." She turned to Dawning and Roger. "I feel very certain of their gender. Would you like to know?"

Roger looked to Dawning with a little gesture. "That's a question only you can answer. I'll abide by what you decide."

Dawning shook her head. "No, no. Let's wait until the hatchling is out, so we can see it ourselves." She crossed her arms tightly. "Better pacing for telling, I think. Also, would make it more real to me."

Fluttershy closed her holographic panel as she stood up again. "That is fine. I can confidently report that, whatever gender they are, they appear to be developing nicely. This is fascinating. Created humans and ponies grow much faster as a result of this spell. Baby dragons seem to take their time a little more."

Roger put a hand on Dawning's shoulder. "Can't tell if it's the species, or that we have to rely on fire to keep the egg warm. Either way, you're not going to be waiting too long."

Dawning let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I'll be a mom." She reached out, placing a hand on the egg. "I already am one. Wow, this is still kinda huge."

Roger smiled at Dawning warmly. "Being a parent isn't something most of us are prepared for. You aren't alone though. We can talk things over anytime, even my door is always open." He pat her lightly on the back, turning away. "I should get back to the bridge, but I'm a call away, as is Twilight, Fluttershy, or anyone else you've met."

Dawning perked up at that. "Yeah! Wait, you mentioned a door being open. Does that mean you're gonna let me come to the bridge sometime?"

Roger chuckled gently. "You aren't a bridge officer, so, no. It's just an expression." He rubbed his beard. "Still, you're a junior crew member, so there's plenty of room for you to expand your horizons." He snapped his fingers on his way to the medical bay door. "Keep working, and one day you could have a spot on the bridge."

Dawning raised her brows at that. "Can I really do that? Just, get good enough, and become a bridge officer?"

Twilight pointed at herself. "You have better odds than I do. The rules say that holograms cannot serve as bridge officers. Um, not that I want to be one. That looks very stressful, and scary. I'm happier right here."

Fluttershy watched Roger depart. "Oh, I really should be getting back to work too. Please let me know if you need anything, Dawning." She flashed a smile at her. "Or, maybe you can find me later?"

Dawning looked around the largely empty medbay. "Fluttershy, I've watched you long enough to know you 'getting back to work' probably just means you vanishing until someone else wanders in, or you do another checkup."

Fluttershy's form shimmered slightly. "Ah, oh, I've been caught, haven't I? Well, not that it matters, since I'm a hologram." She giggled as she pointed at herself. "Did you need something, Dawning?"

Dawning grabbed at Fluttershy's right forehoof. "What if I just want to talk to you a little? I don't want to be alone right now."

Fluttershy nodded gently. "In that case, I'll stay here until you want me to go. What do you want to talk about?"

Dawning cleared her throat. "Dragons! Um, like, how'd you learn so much about dragons? I can tell that you are sorta guessin' at things, but also seem confident too."

"An excellent question." Fluttershy cleared her throat. "We do have some data collected before the, um, collapse." She shivered gently. "Before we left Equestria. Twilight had a younger brother dragon even."

Dawning crossed her arms with a glare. "Where is he?"

Fluttershy waved one hoof at Dawning. "We left him back on Equestria. It's, um, a long story. Um." She inclined her head. "I wonder what happened to him. Clearly the dragons did well."

Dawning waved a hand through Fluttershy's lower body. "You aren't solid all the time like most of the others I run into, why's that?"

Fluttershy shifted her stance, giving Dawning room to walk past her. "Oh, that's just how I prefer to appear. It feels more natural, I think." She chuckled lightly. "Can you tell? You'll make a great scientist one day."

Dawning flexed her claws eagerly. "Gonna be a mom first." She looked aside at the dragon there in its heated nest. "A mom before molting. That has to be a record."

Fluttershy could have hugged Dawning gently, but instead settled for rubbing her cheek gently. "That must feel so weird for you. What do dragons your age usually do?"

Dawning slid an arm around Fluttershy's neck. "Shoot, um, make trouble, wrestle, gossip, make some more trouble." She counted on her fingers as she went. "Watch bigger dragons and try to be as cool as them?"

Fluttershy bumped her head gently against Dawning's. "Sounds like we had more in common with dragons than I would have guessed. If I can, um, help? You know I'm here, for you, not just your egg."

Dawning nuzzled the yellow mare. "Dragons aren't really a lot of words. They don't like that kind of thing. When dragons talk, it's all posturing, showing off, stuff like that." She grabbed Fluttershy's cheeks. "But it's not all bad. Sometimes words are nice." She ruffled those cheeks. "Ponies sure like sharing them."

Fluttershy blinked, surprised at the contact. "Ponies love to talk, yes. It's very easy to, um, keep us talking, even. Just start a conversation and let us ramble." She flicked her gaze up towards the ceiling. "The crew does that to me, sometimes."

Dawning made a soothing sound in her throat as she hugged Fluttershy around her neck. "You actually don't want to talk right now, do you?"

Fluttershy whimpered, squirming in place.

"It's alright." Dawning took a step back. "Sometimes I don't want to talk either. I need my alone time. Don't force yourself for me."

Fluttershy beamed with relief. "Thank you! Um, sorry about that." She twisted her hooves in front of herself nervously. "I'm not very good at this talking thing. The only people I really get to talk to are the holograms, and they, um, know me." She looked away a moment. "Sorry." She vanished without another sound.

Author's Note:

I felt some good growth in this chapter, so hirrah!

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Comments

[BestinDworld]

Sigh poor flutters even as a hologram social anxiety is a bitch

[Booster Spice]

I wonder if Discord is happily watching all the different Fluttreleaves of the great FlutterHoloTree accross the galaxy?

Confusing about Spike is that Smolder and Garbel, larger and older, are roaming the realms, but he was left behind. His Dragonfire message magic isnt good enough to track Twilight between the stars , would it reach her following her thought form magical signature if she was on the same world, or vessel etc?

[Okie Brony]

Sunset pointed at her accusingly. "Fix the spell! No kids for kids! If they aren't an adult, no kids, period."

A day late and a dollar short, but it's about dang time.

Also, it's about dang time that Spike was mentioned. I hope he's ruling Equus with an iron mustache.