Twilight was woken by a knock at the door.
“Spike, get that please,” She said.
The knocking continued.
“Darn it Spike,” She groaned as she sat up.
It took a few seconds for her to remember where she was. She wasn't in her library, safe and sound in Ponyville. She was Celestia knows where, on a craft floating through space, at war with a terrifying group of beings that want to destroy everything. The knock at the door rang again.
“Hold on,” She called as she wrapped the door in her magical aura.
Twilight choked back a yelp at the sight of the creature at her door. It reminded her of an ant, but much bigger and with a proboscis instead of mandibles. Its thorax sat upright, with a pair of arms extending from the sides. It brought it's left arm in front of it and a voice emitted from a device on it's wrist.
“Forgive us. It is our purpose to ensure cessation of hibernation.” The machine had a feminine voice. “You must partake of sustenance intake. This will be available for one hour, thirty seven minutes.”
“Um... Thanks?” replied the unicorn as she watched the insect-like being move to the next door.
Her attention was brought back to the spartan living quarters she was given. There was nothing but a dresser and a surprisingly comfy bed. After making a mental note to ask about getting something to decorate the place, Twilight decided that breakfast was just what she needed. She jumped out of bed and levitated a brush one of the female humans had given her. She straightened her mane and stepped out the door only to realize that she had absolutely no idea where she was.
“Hey, pony girl,” called a familiar voice, “You look lost.”
Twilight looked to her left to see Debby approaching her in what looked like a wheel chair. The unicorn smiled at the pilot and waved.
“Hello Debby. I am lost.” She said, “Very lost. This place is gigantic. Could you please help me find the cafe?”
“Pff HA. Cafe?” the Aviva's response was concerning to say the least, “That's a good one. Cafes serve real food. All we have is a mess hall. C'mon, I was on my way to get some grub anyway.”
As the unicorn followed her escort she struck up a conversation, “So you eat insects?”
“What?! No! What gave you that idea?” asked Debby laughing at the unicorn’s conclusion.
“You said you were going to get some grubs, like insect larvae,” replied Twilight.
Debby laughed, “Grub is slang for food genius.”
“Oh, of course.” Twilight blushed from embarrassment.
“Ya know, you're alright for a nerd,” stated Debby.
“Hey, I’m not a nerd. I’m a scholar,” Twilight defended.
“And that's different, how?” countered the half human.
“A nerd is somepony who is overly analytical, socially awkward, and-oh Celestia I’m a nerd.” The revelation hit a little softer than Twilight would have assumed.
“Haha, don't worry about it,” Debby chuckled, patting the pony on the back, “Out here, nerds rule. They keep this boat afloat.”
The pair entered a small room and stopped. Debby pushed a button on the wall and waited.
“What are we doing?” Twilight asked, “Why are we sitting here?”
As if to answer, the door they had just entered slid open to reveal a hallway that wasn't there before.
“I'm guessing you don't have lifts where you're from,” said Debby, noticing the confused look on Twilight's face.
“We do but not like that,” replied the unicorn, “They're just used to move heavy equipment and building materials around.”
“If you find that amazing, I got some things to show you that I know you’ll love. Here we are.” The injured Aviva lead the lavender mare into a large room filled with at least a dozen different races, ranging from humans and Aviva to things that look more like small dragons, all eating. “Right this way.” Twilight was led to a line of various beings waiting to get fed.
“Scrambled eggs, pancakes, and fruit, if you would please.” Twilight ordered her breakfast.
The short stocky server let out a bellowing laugh, “I don't even need to see ya to know you're new.” He served up a tray with a disgusting looking brown goo.
“We don't have real food anymore, but we'll get some when we stop in port in a few days,” responded Debby, “Let's go pony girl.”
“Yo! Twilight, Debby!” called a voice from over the crowd.
“Curt!” Twilight replied with a smile.
“What's up, Cunt,” debby greeted.
“Nothin much, Chicken Wing,” he replied, “How was your first night, Twilight?”
“Not too great. I kept having nightmares about... that... at least the bed was soft.” The unicorn quickly changed the subject, “Honestly I was expecting the beds to be hard as rocks, but it wasn't so bad.”
“That's cause you got an officers room.” Seth commented.
“Oh, good morning, Seth,” Twilight greeted the large human, “I didn't see you there.”
“I'm hurt.” He exclaimed, clutching his chest dramatically “I thought we were friends.”
“So you do make jokes,” Twilight teased.
“Only when I’m not on the job,” replied Seth.
“So, Debby, do you mind if I ask what happened?” Twilight pointed to the pilot's leg.
“I broke it trying out a new stunt on my board,” she said.
“Hmmm,” Twilight looked at the leg in thought, “I might be able to help. I know a spell that accelerates the bodies natural healing ability. It won't heal you instantly, but it'll have you back on your feet by tomorrow.”
“Whoa, really?” asked Debby with an excited grin.
“Yeah,” The equine mage confirmed, “Two of my friends are always competing with each other and, thus, always getting hurt. So I learned it to keep them from killing themselves.”
“Well, hell, that sounds awesome,” The temporarily crippled woman said, “Maybe I can find a way to thank you.”
“Well, you could teach me about those machines you fly.” Twilight offered.
“OK, if my legs healed by tomorrow, I’ll teach you about the fighters.” Debby agreed.
Twilight stood up and faced her new friend. “Now there is one side effect to the spell. The rapid healing causes moderate pain. It'll feel like you're trying to walk on a twisted ankle.”
“Fine by me. Pain don't bother me much,” the pilot replied.
Twilight closed her eyes focusing on her magic, her horn glowing with a lavender aura. Debby's leg was wrapped in a similar light. After a few moments she winced, holding back a grunt from the sudden pain. After a couple of minutes the glow faded and the unicorn opened her eyes again. When she looked around she saw every eye on her, most weren't friendly. She remembered what she was told about magic outside Avol.
“Um, Curt,” She said nervously, “You said only the Dratali could use magic here right?”
“Yeah, why?” replied the soldier. He looked around at the faces of the others in the mess hall, “Oh...”
“Ha!” Seth said loud enough so others could hear, “The Dratali won't know what hit them. Wait till they find out we have an adept now too!”
Seth, Debby, and Twilight looked at him like he was bonkers.
He leaned in and whispered, “Play along.”
“Right.” Twilight whispered before saying louder, “Umm... Hopefully with magic on your side... uhh... the tides will turn in our favor, and the Dratali scourge will finally be defeated.”
The expressions of disdain turned to confusion, shock, excitement, or a combination of the above. They all thought Twilight was going to fight for them. At least most did. A few of the faces in the crowd still looked rather skeptical of the magic wielding pony.
“That was a close one,” Twilight said with a sigh before taking a bite of the ‘food’. “Ack! What the hay is this?” The others laughed.
After the four ate (with difficulty on the unicorn’s part) they gave a call to the admiral to get permission to give Twilight the tour of the ship. He allowed it since she was familiar with them. The tour went smoothly. Twilight saw a large gym with equipment she knew nothing about. The theater was a lot like the one back home except with chairs for bipeds instead of ponies. The lounge had several comfy looking chairs and couches as well as a mini-movie screen that people were gathered around. After several other places they came to the most important one... the library.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“And three months later when you came out...” mocked Rainbow Dash, getting a chuckle from everyone present.
“I probably would have if they let me,” Twilight admitted, “But I only spent an hour in there that time.”
“Oh mah stars, Twi. How did ya manage?” said AJ.
“What I'm more curious about is how they managed to get you out.” Celestia teased, “It took me four and a half hours to drag her out of the Canterlot archives on her first visit.”
“Well I'm skipping that part, because I don't want to give you guys any ideas,” stated the purple pony much to the disappointment of her audience.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
The four headed toward the hangar bay. Twilight was still mad about not being allowed to stay in the library, but Debby promised her a manual on the SF-23. At least she would be able to read on something that Equestria doesn't have
The first thought Twilight had when they arrived at their destination was that it was the biggest room she had ever seen. It could probably fit over half of the homes in Ponyville.
“This is the C-98 Big Boy. Our heave transport,” Debby explained indicating a massive box like ship, “That one is the C-104 Little Boy, the one that brought you here.” They walked (and rolled) a bit farther through the hangar. “These are our combat craft, what I fly. We always work in groups of threes. The SB-7 Juggernaut, our heavy bomber.” She pointed to a ship that resembled a spearhead with wings. “That one is the SF-44 Hunter, our interceptor.” This one was the smallest vehicle in the place. It was a more cylindrical shape with a pointed nose and four small wings, two on each side, “And this bad boy is my baby, the SF-23 Executioner. This is our primary gunship. It's equipped with twin Elesian charged particle cannons, a class 3 concussion missile launcher, and an Avivan type F kinetic barrier projector.”
“Wow, that's quite, um... what does all that mean?” Twilight asked.
“Awesome, pony girl,” the half Aviva said sagely, “It means awesome.”
“Yeah, I gathered as much,” Twilight deadpanned and rolled her eyes, “What I'm asking is what are those things you listed that make it awesome.”
“Hold on, I'm no good at teaching stuff like that. That's why I'm giving you that book. It has everything you need to know,” Debby said before wheeling up to a guy at a work table, “What the fuck are you doing?”
“What does it look like I'm doing,” retorted the human man.
“It looks like you're dickin' around with your pistol instead of dickin' around with your fighter,” Debby chastised, “Stow that, I got someone to introduce you to.”
The male raised an eyebrow when he saw the lavender unicorn. “Uh, Deb, the captain's gonna flip when he finds out you brought a pet on board.”
“Excuse me.” Twilight said indignantly, “I'm not a pet, I'm a pony.”
The guy jumped back in surprise. “Holy shit it talked.”
“Idiot, this is Twilight Sparkle. Curt and Seth found her stranded on Klimese. Twilight, this is my wingman Lt. Aden Rane. He's kinda of a dweeb, but he's a pretty good pilot.”
“It a pleasure to meet you Lt. Rane.” Twilight said as she held out a hoof.
“Call me Aden, Ms. Sparkle,” he took her hoof in his hand, “The pleasure's mine.”
“Please, call me Twilight.” She responded.
“Where's the manual for the SF-23?” Debby asked Aden.
“There's one on the desk over there,” He said, “So Twilight, I'm curious, how did you end up on Klimese?”
“A unicorn named Xander created a rift in space and it sucked us in, well most of us.” Twilight said, “It only got his head.” She shivered at the memory of finding the severed head.
“What was the deal with that guy anyway? You only told us a few details about what happened,” Curt asked.
“He used to be the head of Canterlot University's R&D department.” Twilight began, “He was given the task of identifying and deciphering an ancient tome. It was discovered in an temple that was determined to be over 5,000 years old. The book was simply named The Black Book after the black leather binding. Just the fact that the book was leather was strange, but even stranger than that was that the book was in perfect condition.”
“A five thousand year old book in perfect condition?” asked Aden, “How does that work?”
“Some kind of ancient magic,” Twilight explained, “Most of the sentient races on my world can use magic in one way or another.”
“So can you?” he asked, curious and a bit wary.
She smiled and her horn flashed, “Does that answer your question?”
Debby laughed, “Nice stash.”
“What?” asked her wingman as he felt the new handle bar mustache on his lip, “Nice. I like it. So you're an adept, huh. Sweet.”
“It's against regulations. You're shaving it,” ordered Debby.
“No need.” Twilight's horn flashed again and Aden's face was once again hair free, much to his disappointment. “Now where was I... right the book.”
“Xander was given the book to study. For a full year he worked at it but with little success, or at least that's what he said. One day my friends and I were visiting the castle when princess Celestia asked me to take a look at Xander's notes. When I was looking through them I noticed that they seemed half hearted. It was as if he didn't care. The details were shoddy, the tests were mundane and few. This didn't make sense with how enthusiastic he always seemed about the book. The only reason I could think of as to why his notes were like that was because those weren't his real notes. He was like me. He’d take notes on everything no matter how small it may have seemed. I’ve read several of his other reports on artifacts and the detail was astonishing. I knew he took better notes than what he presented, the only question was where were they. After a little searching I found them in a secret compartment in the ceiling, and what they said scared me.. he found a spell that would let him steal the magic of the princesses and rule over Equestria.”
“And if those princesses of yours are as powerful as you make them out to be, I could see why that would scare you,” Seth added.
Twilight nodded and continued, “When my friends and I went to confront him, he cast a spell that threw me out of the window and who knows what to my friends. Luckily we were only on the second story. When I got back up there he and my friends were gone. I traced the teleport spell he used and found out where he went. When I caught up with him we fought for a little before he opened a portal and flung me and his head to that planet.”
“Damn. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's traitors.” Debby seethed, “Well, here's that book you wanted. Who's want's to grab some dinner?”
With that the five of them left the hangar and grabbed some food while Twilight regaled them with stories of her adventures and fun with her friends. She told them about Nightmare Moon, Discord, and other villains she and her friends faced. They mostly enjoyed hearing about the shenanigans around Ponyville.
“So how long have you lived in Ponyville?” Aden asked.
“Eight years now.” Twilight answered, “The best eight years of my life.”
“You got family, husband, children?” Seth asked.
“I have a brother, my parents, and my adoptive little brother Spike, he’s a dragon, but no special somepony and no foals. I’ve never had time for things like that.” Twilight replied.
“Dude!” Debby practically yelled, “Your little brother’s a dragon! You are officially the second coolest person on this ship.”
They talked a while longer before Twilight let out a yawn and bid them goodnight. She found her way to her room and climbed into bed. As she laid there, her thoughts drifted to what Seth said at breakfast. Yeah, it was only a way to let everyone know that she wasn't a threat, but she couldn't help but think that she actually should use her magic to help. The only problem was how she would help. This is war, and that means if she wanted to really help she might have to kill again. The memory of that Dratali soldier she killed forced it's way to the front of her mind, sending chills down her spine.
“Can I do that again?” She asked herself aloud, “Can I kill again?”
She thought about that question for a while. She imagined one of those beings trying to hurt one of her friends back home. She pictured Rarity being shot by those terrible weapons. She imagined Applejack and her family in the burning ruins of their home. She thought of Fluttershy’s terrified face before one of those things took her life. It didn’t take much for her to get the answer she was looking for.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“What was your answer?” Asked Cadence, though she already knew the answer.
Twilight looked up at her friends with a fierce determination in her eyes, “Yes. If anything were to threaten any of your lives I would not hesitate to kill them. I wouldn't enjoy it but I’ll do what I have to to protect my friends... all of them.”
“Why don't we take a break for now, Twilight?” Celestia suggested, “Luna and I have neglected our duties for long enough. Why don't all of you come to Canterlot with us? That way we can still attend our duties and we can still hear all about your trip.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Twilight agreed.
1737396 the want it need it grenade? actually no i remember from some comments that were for "on the wings of angels" its a halo fic with a similiar story line as this one
1738421 And a damn good one at that. I just wish I could have gotten this up a little faster so people would stop comparing the two. I might use the want it need it grenade idea or something like it.
1738446 i was actually refered to this story by the author of "otwa" through one of his blog posts i really like it
I like where this is going, and you're fleshing it out nicely. Could still use more detailed descriptions (for instance, I have no idea what color anything is in this story!) but otherwise I like it!
No special somepony, hmmm? It would be quite an awesome twist for her to take a liking to one of the humans or aviva, perhaps as a way of dealing with the stress of war and being cut off from all of her friends with no idea if she'll ever get home...
Update right after I finish the last chapter? Likelier than you think.
1738462 I thought people would like that.
1738463 Wow, I know he said he likes it, but I didn't know he recommended it to others. That's kinda an honor for me. OtWoA is my favorite Sci-Fi story on this site.
1738470 A romantic side story may find it's way into the story, but most likely not. I do like a good romance in a story, but I'm just not sure it would work in this.
You know, it's a bit bothering that they all agreed to this healing spell like that... I mean, they hardly know if magic even works on that and stuff... maybe it's dangerous, different? I would say it's against some regulations. Then again it seems like the only adepts are with their enemies(unless I got something wrong)... said protocols might not exist... Still, R&D department will be furious to let such an opportunity slip by... meh, it's not like there will not be more cases to treat.
Do continue, please.
1738513
Oh, no, not romance, nor 'clop'. I thinking more along the lines of seeing her friends reactions if she mentions 'getting some tail while on shore leave' or something similar. After all, if she acts like a marine, and talks like a marine, shouldn't she chase tail like one? Or at least have her human/aviva friends try to drag her out to do so? It is a good way to deal with stress, medically-speaking.
It would also highlight how much she's changed, assuming you want her to have changed that much.
I never said this but the description of the Dratali reminds me of the Kig-Yar, from Halo.
So the crew are suspicious of the alien adept? Talk loudly about how she is on your side!
1738421>>1738446The Want It, Need Grenade is about as awesome as Celestia is old.
1738513A romantic sub-plot could work if you do it properly.
1738421 I guess I know what you mean but I read "Dark Wanderings" (Twilight in Fallout-fic) before "On the Wings of Angels" but I found the refernce there as well. I guess there is a new meme forming.
PS: Interesting, I got no note on your answer, the system might be broken.
sweet chapter as always. have her fly the ship to canterlot just to create shock and awe and for shits and giggles for us readers at the reaction of other ponies in canterlot
Awesome story! That is all.
1738543
Twilight's already changed quite a lot. When asked, she didn't hesitate a moment before saying she would kill to protect her friends. Now, Celestia, Luna, those two would kill but only after exhausting other options. While I'm certain Twilight still wants to love and tolerate, her level of tolerance is probably a lot lower and the next time she gets in a magic fight, she's got a gun.
1738513
You should understand that your hesitance is going to force everyone to hope that there will be something along the lines of romance.
Anyway - in general - nice, but not descriptive enough. The logic is sometimes a little off (mostly because you don't explain the logic and decisions all that much and we have to guess on them)
And yes, try to be more descriptive. Test your skills in giving every dialogue and every gray wall a unique feature that I as a reader will just have to know about. (Great comment about color somewhere up there)
Please do not introduce romance into this story. It would distract a lot if done wrong and it would still not be fun to read if done right. Just my opinion though.
1738543>>1738569>>1738878>>1738912 Like I said it is extremely unlikely to ever have true romance because I already have plans that directly conflict with any sort of romantic sub-plot for Twilight. If any romance comes into play it will not be with ponies.
1738937I wasn't talking about for Twilight. I ship Deb and Curt.
1738446
Along those lines, since the magic duel happened forever ago in this AU, will you include the magic recap screen? Or something similar to it, maybe even stock hologram footage of why all sentients should help in the fight against the Dratali in any way they can?
1738576 who knows... I put that story on my read later list looks like a fun read
I need to congratulate to author, I posted comment at chapter 2, about keeping fast update rate. and when I refreshed I noticed that you allready updated :D
Fast but small updates, it is the best way to dose good story. Thank you for doing this.
1738543
Yes I would like to see Celestia's , and Dash's reaction when she tell them, how she "cooled down" some stress. :P While drunk, with some other marine.
1739578 That's what I'm talking about! I think I'd be on the floor laughing
I have no idea why, but when I read this story this is what I hear.
I'm liking this so far. I think one of your biggest strengths right now are the characters. I like your take on Twilight, both post and pre adventure, and your OC's are distinct and likable. The only problems I have are with descriptions and pacing. Several things, especially ships, could use a bit more detail, and things seem a tad rushed at times. Still awesome though, and I'm looking forward to more. By the way, is there anyplace in particular that you are getting your inspiration for the design of the ships. I'm just wondering because I would like to get a better idea of what they look like. Also, I'm guessing their guns are mostly based on the guns from Mass Effect?
1716270 Actually for a combat novel of this character (not talking of Twilight) you usually see works that are fast paced.
I must say for this novel it really is pretty good, though my one and only one question is, When is the next release
ok, i've been wondering. why hasn't anyone made something like this, except she was flung into an alternate universe. meaning that the AU she is sent to is equestria at war....and i just want to see what level of badassery her alternate reaches.
1740054 i know i didn't mean it that way sorry if it came across like that. but yes i did mean poachers
1738937 Something that might be better is some solid friendshipping; getting Twilight close to her new alien friends as companions and comrades-in-arms when there doesn't seem to be hope of going home but ultimately having to leave them behind when the time came can add an emotional touch. Having Twilight wistfully recollecting their little quirks and friendly antics long past like an old war vet that would never trade those memories to ease the hell she went through would be a welcome addition. (I'm sure that's your intention already, if so, sir, I'd like some more please ).
Very good story. The characters seem right, the plot is interesting.
1741050
Sword vs Gun clip? Indiana Jones of course. The original Daring Do...
Its nice getting a chapter a day
1738989
I'd like to see that particular spell used in more fics, but it would have to be minor usage, I think...
Loving this so far; Dashie having an angel twin is awesome.
One small thing though, this chapter could use a run through a spell checker...
Two new chapters? Hell yeah!
The injured Aviva lead the lavender mare...
isn't she only half Aviva?
“What's up, Cunt,” debby greeted.
their joking disrespect for eachother extends to not capitalizing names?
This is the C-98 Big Boy. Our heave transport,
how do you transport a heave?
i would laugh ir there was a ship called c3po or r2d2
“Nice stash.”
'Stache might be the 'term' you are looking for.
1814304
1841113 I honestly thought it was drugs. Gotta love context.
My god, Twilight. That was lame.
Did they turn in a circle or something like a 10-year-old COD player on 10 sensitivity? That was the quickest and most boring tour ever.
Wait, you use that phrase, and then describe the tour? That's a little odd. "The tour went smoothly." can just be left out then.
More of these? They are not needed.
If he's angry about traitors, he doesn't express it as much as you're trying to convey. Actions speak louder than words. How about some cracking knuckles or a heave a breath?
Out here, nerds rule. They keep this boat afloat.
Hm, I like that line.
I was just rereading this, as its one of my favorite stories and I found a very slight, insignificant error.
Debby should be capitalized, as it is a name.
2102274 agreed. also, pickles.
1739617 Tobuscus FTW.
2343595 It is capitalized...
5635283 clearly the error was fixed, and a long time ago at that...note how old the comment ur replying to actually is, over one hundred weeks, thats more than two years...
Only took her twenty odd years to figure it out... Don't worry Twily, that's one of the reason we love you.
6478270 Agreed!
It's a Vrusk from D20 Future.
> It's thorax sat upright
its*
> Cafe's serve real food.
Cafes*