In Space, We Don't Abandon Innocence

by David Silver

7 - Rebuilding Bridges

Standing in front of an open doorway, she was a flicker of orange and gold. Sunset Shimmer glanced aside at her companions. Standing beside her was Fluttershy, with Pinkie Pie bouncing on the balls of her feet not far away. Sunset sucked in a deep breath and looked back at the door before her. She held out a hand to it, moving it closer, then let it drop to her side.

In the moment her hand reached through the barrier, it became a hoof, just to snap back into a hand as she let it fall. "I am happy the way I am." She turned to her pony companions. "I don't want to be a pony."

Fluttershy gave her a gentle smile. "None of us wanted to be ponies."

"That's why we're here," added Pinkie Pie. "And if you keep standing around talking, Twilight's going to know what we're up to." She bounced towards Sunset. "None of us were asked if we wanted to be ponies. We just were, so we are." She shrugged at the logic. "You are an assistant program, like us."

Fluttershy worried her hands together. "And those are, um, usually ponies. Besides, we're also not usually restrained to one room. You are, and it's your own decision, um, that you are. Don't you get bored?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Only you would think being stuck in one room for all eternity was a sad thing, Fluttershy." She gestured around at the library she was tied to. "I can just summon up a new room whenever I want!" She lifted her hands up as if indicating every book in the world. "There's plenty to do."

As if to demonstrate, the room reformed, becoming a dark and mysterious dungeon. The books became lost scrolls, stacked in neat piles, waiting for some bold adventurer to sift through. "This is my space. It's as much, or little, as I want."

Fluttershy stepped gingerly across the cold floor. "A dungeon? Isn't that a bit scary?" She winced as if expecting to be bitten by something. "It's a bit much."

Pinkie laughed at the display, putting a hand under some dripping water. "I dunno, I bet you could have some fun parties in here." She whirled on Sunset. "But I'm more curious about you. You're holding on pretty tight. You don't even let Twilight in here, and this is her ship." She paused. "Technically, the ship is her. So you're taking Twilight from Twilight?"

Sunset winced at the notion. "I guess. Look, it's just how I like it." She crossed her arms. "Now, I have other questions for you." She set her jaw with a smirk. "Flutters, don't you have medical things you should be doing?"

Fluttershy batted at an ear. "I'll leave the moment they put in a page. I'm ready! Um, I hope."

Pinkie wrinkled her nose. "Before you try that on me, I'm in charge of assistant morale, so bothering you is exactly my job. You look like a Gloomy Gus and that can't be allowed! Nope!"

Sunset rubbed at her face. "I am not a 'Gloomy Gus'! Besides, it's the middle of the night, you shouldn't even be awake."

Pinkie twirled up onto a pile of scrolls with a giggle. "Silly, it's always day, and night, on a ship this big." She spread her hands wide. "Half the ship's sleeping when the other half's wide awake. Not that it matters for us."

Fluttershy folded her legs as she took a seat on the floor. "And besides, you are clearly depressed about something." She flicked an ear. "We want to help, because that's what friends do.

Sunset brought a hand down on Fluttershy's head, ruffling her hair and over that poking ear. "Cheater. You're supposed to be human in here." But she let that little bit of pony pass. "Look, I'm actually kinda happy of late, so stop hassling me."

Pinkie giggled at that, only for Sunset to round on her. "No! No, no, no!" She took a step towards Pinkie, frowning deeply. "I'm not here for you to 'fix'. I'm not broken!"

Pinkie settled down with a gentler smile. "I know, I know. I'm just trying to cheer you up. That's what friends do." She stood up and leaned in closer to Sunset. "I'm sorry." She offered a hand. "I won't force you."

Sunset considered it for a moment, then swatted the hand away. "Then scram. Get out of my room." She jabbed a finger towards the door. "I didn't give you permission to be here." She paused a moment. "Unless you're actually here for a book?"

Fluttershy gave Pinkie a little look. "She does have that nice room in the medical bay. We could take a few books to her."

"Just because I don't have as much space, doesn't mean I'm bored." Pinkie stood up, dusting herself off with a little smile. "Besides, I have access to the medical literature I need. Thank you."

Sunset looked back and forth between the two of them. "Alright, that's enough for now." She raised her hands and snapped her fingers. The dungeon dissolved into a shimmer of lights, vanishing to reveal the library once more. She thrust a finger towards the door. "Out."

Fluttershy was suddenly outside, a pony again. "Oh my."

Pinkie was still inside, and still human. "I told you, I'm on duty. Even with your grip on the library, you can't eject an assistant doing their job. Now, tell me! Why are you feeling better? That's great news! Did you make a new friend?"

Sunset grit her teeth. "Go. Away."

Pinkie shook her head. "I told you, you can't remove an assistant while they're working, and morale is what I work with." She folded her arms. "Easier to just tell me so I go away on my own."

"You shouldn't provoke her." Fluttershy wriggled in place. "I'll get back to medical." She vanished, her hologram flickering out quietly.

Pinkie glanced aside at that. "Rarity and Applejack were easy to figure out. They miss their sisters. Rainbow Dash likes the speed. Rarity doesn't like getting splashed." Pinkie tapped a finger to her lips. "But you, you're a tricky case."

Sunset threw up her hands. "I am not a case! I'm a human, and I have thoughts, okey? Sometimes they're good, and sometimes they're bad." She shoved at Pinkie with her hands, having at least mildly more luck doing it physically. "Stop trying to figure me out like I'm a broken part!"

Pinkie nodded along as she was shoved away. "I know, but it's my job to help you!" She poked Sunset in the chest. "Just tell me what you need."

"I don't need anything!" Sunset crossed her arms, abandoning the shoving for the time. "Look, if it makes you happy, I did make a new friend."

Pinkie's eyes shone brilliantly. "Ooo! Great!" She clapped rapidly as she bounced in place. "Fantastic! Shoulda started with that. I hope you and your friend get along." She bounced forward, embracing Sunset an instant before she vanished, apparently satisfied.

Sunset took in a long breath. "Finally."

The library door opened. Twilight Sparkle appeared in the doorway, adjusting her glasses. "My goodness. She really does get along with all the assistants." She was a human in the library, as all assistants were by the devious control of Sunset. "I was just informed your morale has stabilized. I'm glad to hear it."

Sunset pushed past Twilight with a huff. "How long were you listening?"

"Long enough," answered Twilight cryptically. "Pinkie is quite prompt in her reports. It's harder to get her to be quiet, as I'm sure you're aware."

Sunset pressed a hand to her forehead. "She can be annoying. When she starts in, it's best to just get her to stop." She flopped down on a nearby chair. "You made me even more of a pony."

"Have I?" Twilight came in at a circle. "I'm a human right now. You set this zone for that, and you don't see me fighting it." She offered a hand. "Sunset, I am still Twilight. I still remember you, my dear protégé. Hm, perhaps we should resume sending journal entries to one another. We've fallen out of the habit, and I think it's wearing on our relationship."

Sunset looked up at Twilight's hand with a frown. "I tried that. You didn't answer." She glanced aside. "And yes, you have gotten better at being human. I'm sure that's helping in your cover job."

Twilight barked a little laugh at that. "Cover job? Sunset, if is my job to oversee the entire ship, all its humans and programs included." She pointed at Sunset. "That includes you. Thankfully, I have helpers, like Pinkie. I swear, she's more comfortable as a program than she was being 'confined' in any single living body."

Sunset grumbled under her breath. "Aren't we all?" She gave Twilight a dark look. "You could have answered."

Twilight was still a moment. "You're right." She glanced away. "I would defend with platitudes about being busy, but they would be empty. I was wrong, and I'm sorry." She put out her hand anew. "I'll send you the first message, and hope you reply?"

Sunset nodded, reaching up to grasp Twilight's hand. "If you really mean it." She smirked. "Even if you just send it to me to ignore. That's enough for me."

Twilight lingered a moment. "I would hope you don't just ignore it. You know how much that stings. It was wrong of me, it would be just as wrong for you." She drew Sunset in for a somewhat stuff hug. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Sunset looked up at her mentor, even as she was squeezed by her. "I accept your apology."

Twilight lingered before letting Sunset go. "Alright, I have work to do, and so do you."

With nary a sound, Twilight blinked away, her attention turning to some other part of the ship, or maybe the entire ship.

---

Casey sucked in air in a hiss through her teeth. "Captain? I think we have visual on where that sound's coming from. Permission to throw it on main?"

"Go ahead," answered Roger without much fanfare. "What are we looking at?"

The screen flicked on, bringing the darkness of space to life. "Right here." The view zoomed on what had been a speck, becoming some kind of floating sattelite of some kind. "Clearly artificial, but not of human, or pony, manufacture. As you can imagine—"

"—This is a huge deal. Can we confirm if this belongs to the same species that we encountered just before being tossed out here?" Rogers waved forward at the display even as he took in the details of its alien angles.

Casey tapped her fingers across her console. "We've never seen these people before. They didn't make contact with Earth, and were content to observe our expansion across the galaxy from afar." She leaned back in her chair. "The forms are similar. I have the computer working on getting a more sure comparison for us."

As if prompted, a new assistant appeared. Octavia bowed to the gathered humans of the command deck. "Hello, I am Octavia Melody. I'm not summoned often, but I will do my best to assist." She pointed with a cello bow. "As you can see, the albedo of the materials used are nearly identical, not to mention the folding and placements seen here, here, and here." She pointed to a new part with each 'here'. "The odds of this being the same species is roughly 68%." She performed an elegant bow and vanished from the display.

Roger narrowed his eyes. "Is that really as close as we can get?"

Casey shook her head. "We could get as close as we want, Captain. This is just as close as we need to be to get a good look at it. Orders, Captain?"

Roger gestured for the bridge to wait. "Commander Tela. What is your opinion on this matter?"

Tela's face appeared on one of the side screens. "We have been invited. To decline at this point would be rude."

Author's Note:

Two threads followed, and both feel good, to me. Sunset has a past, and before us, the future!

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Comments

[PrincePegacornV]

Well, this chapter shot down my working hypothesis where your tale is going.

[David Silver]

11922881
Gonna share? You can't tease me like that and not share!

[PrincePegacornV]

11922966
Welp, okay.
I have this idea that it will go full circle, where the Humans and their AI ponies come across Equis, the original pony world. However, with that song coming from a simple satellite, who knows where you are going with this, save you yourself.
Lately the stories here have been quite unique. Whether I am sailing the skies with pirate Twilight as Captain Blackmane, or sailing the galaxy with Twilight as a computer program, y'all been keepin' me hooked and keepin' me from my own story.
Hoo-wee! I am enjoying the ride!

[harts fire]

but invited to what??

[Booster Spice]

I wonder how many times Twilights been sent out to explore a new region, away from Sunset, only to av to be reloaded from backup, therefore losing memories formed during the trips or after sucessful ones, making her effectively self degrade like Alzeimers over the centuaries?

[David Silver]

11923103
A successful mission means she gets to sync up with the primary database, which then syncs up with the secondary ones.

[Okie Brony]

"None of us were asked if we wanted to be ponies. We just were, so we are."

That reminds me of an episode of ST: Voyager. One of the show's continuing plotlines was the holographic doctor trying to improve himself as a person. He loved singing. In one episode, he accidentally introduces a planet to music. He decides to leave Voyager to pursue his dream of being a famous singer. Of course, in the end, he didn't, but the point was that he didn't want to keep being a doctor, which was what he was made for.

Typo:

Casey shook her head. "We could get as close as we want, Captain. This is just as close as we need to be to get a good luck at it. Orders, Captain?"

Should be "look."

[David Silver]

11923107
Typos are sneaky. I read that line a few times.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

Still exploring the idea of identity and what makes an individual "themselves" a bit, while also traversing physical space, and apparently ahppening upon a mysterious destination.