Call Back the Cap-Com

The crowd is silent as they stand before the podium in front of me. My subjects, normally so jovial, so cheerful and happy, so alive, are gathered around in somber silence.

Running a mental check to make sure my speech is properly and fully memorized, I begin.

"My friends," I say, the words coming soft, yet clear; amplified by the microphone, they ring out through the crowd, reaching even those on the edge of the mass and the cameras ensuring that they reach all of Equestria.

"I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of Equestria, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Luna and I..."

Tears, unbidden and unwanted, begin welling up in my eyes, and I blink them away. I will not - can not - show...

...Show what? Weakness? Sadness?
They've seen plenty of that from me recently.

When the tears come again, I do nothing, letting them etch lines down my face, dripping onto the wood below me. Still, I must reassure them. Even if their leader is broken, they need hope.
I need hope.

"Luna and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a tremendous loss." My voice wavers as the flags behind me - one for Equestria and one for the Equestrian Space Program, both at half mast - flutter in the breeze, framing the large portrait of eight figures.
Eight of my charges, of the souls I'd tried so hard to protect...
Gone.

"Everyone knows of the multiple failures of the ESP; getting a rocket into the atmosphere was never an easy task. At times, it seemed an impossible one. But we'd never had a failure in flight. We've never had a tragedy like this."

The crowd is still quiet. I can hear sniffles; the sound of quiet weeping as the gathered mourn together.

"I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program. And what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute.

I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for the ESP, or who worked on this mission, and tell them: 'Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it.'

"And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they, the Challenger Eight, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn eight heroes today."

The poster behind me lights up, illuminating the figures in turn.
"Applejack. Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie. Rarity. Spike. Fluttershy. And lastly, my two students..."

The words won't, can't come. I'm perfectly aware of why; I know that once I say them, I'm forced to accept them as fact.
But this is what we do, what I do; what Equestria does. We move on. Even when darkness chokes us, we move on.
And I need to say them.

"Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle." I finish.

The crowd's crying intensifies, as does mine and my sister's beside me.

"For the families of the eight, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, 'Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy.' They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.

We've grown used to wonders in these recent years; With the meteors that have landed, bringing us new technology, new materials, and new ideas, it's hard to dazzle us. But for five years now the Equestrian Space Program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and, perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers."

And now I've arrived at the part of the speech I dread the most. The children, the ones who will never fully understand what happened this morning, the ones who my precious ones sacrificed their lives to help; I must address them now, explain why they'll never see Princess Twilight or Spike or their sisters ever again.

"And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of Equestria who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's take-off. I know it's hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we will continue to follow them."

There is a collective silence. It's fitting, in a way. The smart ones put two and two together, and the others have simply run dry on tears. No matter; the final address will be the thing they remember most.
The tears have stopped. My voice is no longer trembling. The next words I speak are loud, bold, and clear; they need to be.

"We will continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye, slipping the surly bonds of this world to venture boldly into the infinite.

Thank you."

The crowd explodes with noise, an outraged cry of rage and pain and fear. I stand there, staring it down, taking it in.
It's my fault this happened; this is my penance, my punishment.

As I stand there, and as the crowd roars, as the Royal Guards attempt to keep them back, there is a flash.
A blinding light.
A wave of magic that makes the world sway.

And there they are.

All eight of them, standing proudly on the stage, dressed in the same orange uniforms they donned only hours ago.

This can't be real.
This is not real.
They died. All eight of them. I saw the shuttle explode; felt the sweeping loss as eight lives disappeared forever.
And yet here they stand, unharmed and unworried, as if they'd only been gone for a few minutes to use the restroom and have come back to find everything different.

There is a stunned silence as everyone - myself included - attempts to process this.

"Well," Sunset Shimmer finally says, blinking and gazing at the scene. "This has a twisted sort of irony to it."

"You can say that again." Twilight replies.

I can't tell if I black out at that, or if it's Pinkie Pie's cry of "This calls for a celebration!" that does it.

Author's Notes:

All right, here we go! Another series!
I got the idea all at once while listening to a certain song, and decided to make it a fic. I've got some neat ideas for where to take it, and I'm pumped just thinking about it!

Tick Off the Time Bomb

I don't tell the people gathered there much at first; I'm more concerned for my friends. They're getting more and more nervous the more the reporters crowd in on us, and with the Princesses unconscious, there's nobody stopping them. The crowd's curious, the light grey of their emotions hanging like clouds overhead, and I hold up my hands, stopping the tide of words and questions.

"Look, I know you guys have a boatload of questions, and you all pretty much just watched us die," I say calmly. "But we're really hungry and really tired. Do you think this could wait for a few hours, maybe until we've eaten something?"

I put on my best 'weary traveler' look, and their emotions flip from curious to concerned instantly, like hitting a switch, as they back up. We get up from the platform, and Twilight and I team up to carry the unconscious princesses away, taking them to Canterlot Castle.

"Man, it's been a while since we were here." Spike says, running a hand through his hair and grinning. "I'll have to take some pictures; get Archer up to speed."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Rainbow replies.

We continue our chat, moving on to other topics. How odd it is that, even though it's been a long time for us, Equestria is exactly how we remember it, how tall the buildings are, whether or not Pinkie should use Party Cannon 2 to decorate for the upcoming party; meaningless, trivial things that friends discuss.

Soon, we're inside the castle, and Luna and Celestia have been laid in their beds - we didn't really know what else to do with them. The maids, butlers, and castle staff fuss over us, ushering us into a private area; soon, we're in the Kitchen of the Dawn, a large cooking area that bridges Celestia and Luna's rooms.

"All right, Pinkie." I say, looking around the kitchen. "What have you got to work with?"

Almost instantly, Pinkie's rooting through the cupboards and fridge, examining the Princess's food stores.

"We have cereal..." she begins, listing off the things inside. "We have cake, we have some pasta, and we have some steak."

"How much steak?" Rainbow asks, suddenly very interested in the proceedings.

"Steak." Pinkie replies.

“That sounds delicious, Pinkie.” Rarity cuts in.

Pinkie grins, excitement flowing from her, and rushes to the back of the kitchen, leaving us in the castle dining room.

“Man, I wish we’d brought some pirapyx along." Dash says wistfully. The others chuckle.

"I wonder how the others would react to them." Rarity says. "They are rather odd creatures."

"Not ta mention they'd be everywhere within a month." Applejack adds, smiling.

The steak's done in record time, and we begin eating.
As per usual, the food is phenomenal, although I've come to expect nothing less when Pinkie's-
A burst of concentrated, raw emotion hits me like a train. I double over.

"Sunset!" the others cry as they rush to me, concern glowing magenta around them.

The emotion itself is an odd cocktail; three parts heart-destroying grief and seven parts confusion, mixed with a very large portion of hope and doused with fear.
The pure, raw force of it overwhelms me, making it hard, if not impossible, to think of anything else but the feelings rushing through me.
Yeah, being an empath isn't easy.
At least I know what's making it; There's sobbing coming from Celestia's room.

Twilight puts a hand on my back, and the others gather around me. As they do so, the door to one of the chambers opens, and something hits me, hard, bringing me to the ground.
And then the emotions stop, only to be replaced, suffused, by the most incredible, indescribably bright white emotion I've ever felt. I gasp, trying to drink it in as much as possible, absorb the feeling, keep it with me forever.
After all, pure joy is hard to come by.

There's a high-pitched noise, and as I open my eyes, I realize that Princess Celestia's making it.
From on top of me.
And, apparently, Twilight.

"Princess!" the others cry, and they move to head towards us. I hold up a hand to stop them. After a while, they sit down, returning to their meal.
She needs this moment.

We lie there, Celestia still squealing in delight, until another voice breaks the silence.

"This is truly no dream." Luna says, words clear with wonder. "You have returned. You're alive!"

"We are?" Rainbow quips, biting into her steak. "Hadn't noticed."

Rarity shoots Dash a glare, and she smiles.

"Seriously, though; it's really us." Spike says. "It's good to be home again, let me tell you."

I've been lying here long enough, I think. I tap Celestia on the shoulder and she gazes up at me, tears flowing down her face.

"You can let go of us now." I say gently.

"Yes." Celestia replies. "I can."

We sit there for a while longer.

"C-Can you please let go?" Twilight says meekly.

"No." Celestia says.

And there we lie, the Princess of the Sun embracing the two of us.
To be honest, I agree with her; I need this too.

"All right, all right, settle down!" I call, the mic amplifying my words and sending them across the wide, crowded room. The cloud of curiosity is back, making it look like it's about to rain, even though we're indoors.

The reporters, news crews, and normal people settle down in the chairs provided, and Twilight takes a deep breath. Nervousness begins seeping from her, a purple haze that I interrupt with a hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be all right." I say to Twilight. "You've faced down things a lot worse than a crowd of journalists."

The nervousness is gone, replaced by a weak orange glow. Twilight smiles, as do I.

Being an empath isn't easy, but it's rewarding.

"So,"Twilight says calmly. "What do you want to know?"

The crowd begins mumbling again, and it looks like a vote's being taken; people are raising their hands. Soon, the vote's decided, and a woman walks up to the table the eight of us are sitting behind. Her green-and-gold hair make an odd contrast to the purple cloud around her, and I give her a warm smile.

"It's alright." I say quietly. "We're not gonna bite."

The woman chuckles, and the cloud thins, though faint traces of it are still there.

"In answer to your question, Twilight..." the woman says. "We want to know everything."

"Well, that's no surprise." Applejack quips.

"The plan, so far," the woman continues. "Is for them to ask you some cursory questions, and then have me stay with you for a while afterwards, so I can write down your story."

"That's a change." Rainbow says. "Last time we were here, the news people were at each other's throats."

"We decided that the best thing for all of us would be to publish the story all at once." the woman replies, pride tinging her voice golden. "This is something all of Equestria needs to hear about; money and fame don't matter this time."

"That's awfully charitable of them." Fluttershy says, smiling brightly. "Come sit here with us, then. There's a spare seat right over here."

The woman obliges, and we spend a minute or two making sure she's settled in comfortably.

"What's your name?" Spike asks.

"It's Bright Idea." the woman replies. "It's nice to meet you all."

"All right!" I call. "Now that Bright Idea's joined us, you can all ask your questions now!"

The reporters surge forward, and we all chuckle; this is what we'd been expecting.

The questions come all at once, and so I stop them, asking them to ask one at a time.

"Canterlot Times here." a man says. "Just to clear things up a bit, and give some background; what were your positions aboard the Challenger?"

"That's a great question!" Twilight says. "Thank you so much for asking."

"We'll start with me, Ah guess." Applejack cuts in. "Ah flew the ship."

"I was the ship's engineer." Rarity adds. Confusion begins swirling with the curiosity above us.

"Twilight and I both worked in the lab." Fluttershy continues. "Although I worked more with animals and plants than she did."

"It's true." Twilight says. "I studied anthropology, while Fluttershy was our biological expert."

"I worked with the computers." Spike says. "I designed the guidance systems we used."

"I made food!" Pinkie says cheerfully. "And maps! But mostly food. Oooh! Guys, remember that one time I made a map-shaped cake?"

"Sunset and I were the surface team." Rainbow says, holding out a hand to stop Pinkie before she gets too far. "I found artifacts on planets, and then I'd study 'em back up in space."

They turn to me, and I give a smile and a small shrug.

"Rainbow would collect the artifacts," I say. "And I'd go looking for intelligent life. My... abilities made me a great ambassador."

Another hand raises. I point to it.

"You, in the back." I say.

"Miss Rarity," a smooth, refined voice asks. "Am I correct in hearing you were the engineer of the vessel?"

"Indeed I was, Jet-Set." Rarity replies.

"How could someone so refined, so intelligent as yourself stoop to working with machines?" There's incredulity in Jet's voice, and we all share a quiet chuckle.

"Some time before the sky exploded, I'd developed quite a fondness for machinery." Rarity replies. "It started with my sewing machine, I suppose; after fixing it time and time again, I began to appreciate how intricate and deliberate machinery can be. Engineering and dressmaking are surprisingly alike, when you think about it."

The confusion of the crowd dies down significantly. Apparently a lot of people were wondering why Rarity, a dressmaker, would be a mechanic. Huh.

From there, the questions become more predictable, and we settle into a pattern, taking turns to answer while Bright Idea writes everything down.

Soon, the questions have run out, and the crowd's dispersed, leaving the nine of us sitting there.

"That was a thing." Rainbow says, stretching.

"Indeed it was." Rarity seconds.

Then, a thought strikes me; Where are we going to sleep?
I ask Bright Idea, and she simply shrugs.
We sit there in thought for a few seconds before Applejack speaks.

"Well, if Bright Idea promises not ta tell anyone, Ah suppose we could just..."

"Sleep up there?" Pinkie finishes. "I don't see why not."

We all turn to Bright Idea, and she gulps.

"I promise not to tell anyone." she says.

"No matter what?" Twilight says.

"No matter what!"

"Well, it's settled." Spike says, lifting his arm and talking into his watch. "Archer, nine to take aboard!"

Soon, the now-familiar light of teleportation envelops us, and we're standing in a metal room, cylindrical in shape. Doors are set into the walls, each one with symbols above them; the eight of our personal insignias, and a new symbol; what looks like a signature.

"Archer," Spike says, arching an eyebrow. "Why'd you rearrange the ship again?"

[THERE_IS_SOMEONE_NEW_ABOARD] a monotone voice replies. [A_NEW_ROOM_WAS_REQUIRED]

We all turn to Bright Idea, who's glowing translucent grey with curiosity and wonder.
The eight of us share a look, and we all know that the second she snaps out of it, she'll be popping off questions rapid-fire.

"Night!" Pinkie says, heading to her door. "See you guys tomorrow!"

"Later, nerds." Rainbow says.

"G'night, all."

"Good evening."

"Talk to you in the morning."

"Um... Goodnight."

Soon it's just me and Bright Idea.

"Your room's probably the one with the signature." I say, patting her on the shoulder. "Get some rest; we're telling you everything tomorrow."

I walk through my door and enter my room, still decorated how I like it - thanks, Archer - and flop down onto my bed.
Being an empath is complicated; at night, people's emotions often keep you up, so you learn quickly how to force your body to sleep.
I do so now, falling into black, restful oblivion...

...But not before I hear Bright Idea let out the biggest flat 'What.' I've ever heard. I nod off with a grin on my face.

Author's Notes:

Yay! Chapter 2! More faffing about before we get to the actual story!
Next chapter will actually have some meat to it, but for now, have this bit of expositionary fluff.

Let Felicity Fly

"So..." Bright Idea says to the others as we eat breakfast at a small diner in Canterlot. The sun, just risen, shines through the restaurant, illuminating the nine figures seated at a table. "We're just not going to talk about the fact that your ship's still here?"

"What's the big deal?" Rainbow answers. "It's not like it changes anything about the story."

"Don't worry." Twilight says, giving Rainbow a look. "We'll explain everything."

"But where do we start?" Pinkie asks. "We had a hee-yuge adventure out there! There's so much to say that whenever I try explaining it, everything just gets jumbled around!"

"We'll start the way every other story starts." I cut in, smiling. "At the beginning."

"All systems are go." Rarity calls. Her confidence, a bright, orange glow, suffuses the engine room, and I smile. We've all come so far; everything we've spent five years working for is coming together, and - even as detached from my emotions as I am - it feels great.

I close the door on Rarity as she engages the locks on her chair, strapping herself in. The corridor leading to the cockpit is long and wide, and I climb up it, glancing at the rooms off to the side, making sure everything's running smoothly; it is.

"Do we have auto-pilot yet?" I call into Spike's room.

"98% done!" he replies, and I shout for him to keep up the good work, nodding to a calm, blue-glowing Fluttershy as we pass each other. Her place is not in the cockpit, but in the lab; Twilight and I will share the front row view with the pilot.
I enter the cockpit to see Twilight already strapped in, swiveling in her chair like a little girl. I chuckle at her and strap in, the cloth of the belts wrapping snugly around me, holding me fast to the seat.
Twilight wiggles a bit in her chair and swivels it to face me, excitement and nervousness swirling in a purple-and-green vortex around her. I give her a reassuring smile.

"We've got this." I say, poking her in the chest with a finger. "We've been training for, what, five years now?"

"I know, I know." Twilight replies, rolling her eyes at me as the purple fades, replaced by lime green anticipation. "Still, it's hard not to be nervous, you know? This is just such an amazing opportunity!"

"Yeah, I understand." I say, taking another look around the cockpit that encloses us, glass and metal and plastic and all sorts of computers and navigation systems; it's a wonder to behold.

"And ta think," Applejack says, orange confidence radiating off of her as she climbs up to the pilot's chair, situated in front of Twilight and I. "Two years ago, we'd have never even thought this whole thing was possible!"

"I know, right!?" Pinkie's voice, yellow happiness dripping from the sound, floats to us via the intercom. "This is the best thing ever!"

"Pinkie, get in your chair." I say. "Takeoff's waiting on you two!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're on our way." Rainbow's voice replies. "She just got sidetracked in the little girl's room."

"Again?" Spike's voice chimes in. "What did you have to drink, Pinkie?"

"Oh, two gallons of soda, a pint of water, some apple juice..."

"I mean after we boarded."

"Oh, two gallons of soda, a pint of water, some apple juice..."

"Pinkie, get in your chair right now," Dash says. "or I'll put my foot so far up your-"

"Aaaaand we are strapped in and ready for takeoff, Twilight!" Pinkie calls.

"Spike!" I press the button on the intercom, sending a message to the crew's quarters. "Got an ETA on that auto-pilot?"

"Done!" he calls. "I've got the module safe in the lockers; heading to the engine room now!"

There's silence for a few seconds, broken only by the beeping of the various terminals and consoles, before Spike talks again.

"Ready!" he calls, his voice full of green.

"Everyone's ready, then?" I call. No harm in making sure. "I can let Celestia know?"

The seven other crew members signal their readiness again, and I press the green button on the right armrest of my chair, the one that sends messages to Mission Control.

"Canterlot, this is Sunset Shimmer." I say. "We are ready for takeoff."

"Roger that, Sunset." Celestia's voice replies, full of glowing, golden pride. "T-Minus ten. Nine. Eight. Seven."

I share an excited glance with Twilight. Even though we're prepared, it's still so new, so incomprehensibly amazing, the possibility of going into space.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

The engines rumble, then roar.
The planet begins to fall away in front of us, leading to clouds.
We're doing it.
We're doing it!
We're going into space!

And then there's a beeping.

"Mission Control," Rarity says, yellow fear staining her words a grisly color. "There's something wrong with our engines!"

"Something's hit the galley!" Pinkie calls. "I don't know what it was, but it was big!"

"Damage to the nav room!" Rainbow Dash yells. "Feels like a train just hit us!"

"The lab's been hit too!" Fluttershy's voice, normally quiet, rings through the intercom frenzied and frightened.

Rarity's voice has descended to the grey-gold of panic now. "They're not supposed to - how are they even doing that!? They're about to overload! Someone-"

And then there was light.

I'd expected death to come swiftly; after all, an explosion doesn't exactly take its time... well, exploding.
But there's nothing but the light. I can feel the seat under me, I can hear the crew; from Pinkie's high-pitched wail and Fluttershy's quiet sobbing to Applejack's near silent 'Oh, horseapples.'
But the burning, the death...
It doesn't come.
Instead, as the light somehow grows brighter, two words echo through the ship, emanating from the intercoms.

"Look up."

"We still don't know exactly what it was that made the engines fail." Applejack says as we walk slowly down the boulevard that leads to Canterlot Castle. "But later on, we figured out why we didn't die."

"It turns out," Rarity cut in. "When the engines failed, they began producing their own magic, which flowed into the energy storage."

"The storage that was set to feed into the engines." Bright Idea gasps.

"Exactly!" Rarity exclaims. "It created a feedback loop that opened a - let's call it a 'rip' - in space-time, which we fell through. The excess energy released itself the only way it knew how, creating the explosion the rest of Equestria saw."

"Well, what happened after that?" Bright Idea asks. The crew looks at me, and I shrug, resigning myself to my role as storyteller.

"Well, eventually, the light fades..." I begin.

Eventually, the light fades, leaving the three of us sitting there, strapped in, wondering what in the fresh, orange-speckled Tartaurus just happened. Eventually, Twilight presses a button and talks into the intercom.

"Crew," she says. "Report. Are you all right?"

"I'm shaken, but not stirred, Cap'n." Pinkie replies.

"Rarity and I are all right." Spike answers.

"Ditto in the nav room."

"I'm not hurt, and the lab equipment seems unharmed..."

"Looks like we're all okay." Applejack says. "Considerin', you know..."

"I'm heading up to the galley." Spike calls.

"Good idea." Twilight replies, her voice shaky. "In fact, let's all head to the galley, and talk about whatever just happened."

Twilight unstraps herself, and, as I begin loosing myself from my reclining prison, begins glowing a multitude of colors.

"Hoh boy." I mumble as Twilight curls up into a ball and proceeds to have a mental breakdown.

"I did not!" Twilight protests. "I just... Took a seat; that's all! I sat down on the floor and thought everything through calmly, logically, and-"

"Yeah, she pretty much threw a tantrum." Rainbow interrupts.

"She didn't just fly off the handle." Pinkie adds. "She did an acrobatic freaking pirouette off of it."

"You weren't even there!" Twilight protests. "How would you know!?"

"The intercom was on." Applejack replies. "Everyone heard you."

Twilight stops, a shocked look on her face.

"I do believe some of the words you used were 'Celestia or Star-Swirl or Great Faust or whoever's up there, kill me now.'" Rarity adds, grinning. "At least, that's what I could make out between expletives."

"I don't wanna know what kind of books you got some of those from." Spike laughs. "But at the same time, I wanna read them all."

"Okaywe'redonetalkingaboutthisnow." Twilight says, face red. "Sunset, why don't you get on with the story?"

I nod, grinning, and take a breath, only to be intrrupted by a flash of lime green light.
A small, white diamond lands at my feet, along with a small, broken piece of metal. I pick the items up, and find the metal to be exactly half of a coin.
I've been summoned.

"I'm sorry." I say, turning to the others. "But I need to go. There are some friends I've been neglecting, and I need to let them know I'm alright."

The others nod; we trust each other.

"We can tell the story just as well as you." Rarity says. "Go talk to your elusive mentors."

Nodding again, I speak into my watch.

"Archer, local transport please; about seventy-two klicks northeast. Thanks."

The light of teleportation envelops me, and Canterlot disappears.

So, after my - alleged - mental breakdown, we all go to the galley and begin talking things out. We discuss different courses of action to take, and eventually decide on trying to make our way back to Equestria; keep in mind, at this point, we thought we were in space.
Then Spike glances at his diagnostic tool - it's nothing big, just a panel that keeps him up to date on the status of the ship's electronics - and notices something rather odd.
We have no life support. No air. No artificial gravity. No pressure regulation. All of it was offline, knocked out by the launch.
So the question has to be asked, and Sunset asks it:

"Where's the air we're breathing coming from?"

Needless to say, we're all pretty perplexed, until Pinkie suggests opening up one of the viewports and having a look around. We oblige, heading over to the wall of the galley and unlocking one of the small, circular side ones.
What we see is astounding.
We're in a forest teeming with green and purple plants, not growing up but hanging down, as if from some giant ceiling far, far above us. Yet, there's light, brighter than an Equestrian afternoon.

"Whoa." Pinkie breathes. "That's trippy."

"Alright, Sunset." Rainbow calls from the entrance to the galley. "We going out there or not?"

We all look at Rainbow, who's busy sealing her helmet.

"What?" She asks, in response to the stares. "Sunset and I are the surface crew, aren't we? And this is an alien planet, isn't it?"

More silence.

"Whatever." Rainbow says, turning to leave. "If Sunset doesn't wanna help me do our job, then I guess I'll have to be the first one to make contact with alien life."

Sunset rolls her eyes and walks to the entrance, sealing her helmet as well.

"If we're not back in an hour, send out a distress signal." she calls, walking out of sight. There's a faint 'whoosh' as the airlock opens.
Then there's a faint screaming.
As the airlock opens again, the screaming fades, and Sunset half-runs backwards into the galley, her eyes wide. She trips over the threshold, and scrambles backward on her hands and feet, putting as much distance between herself and the airlock.

"Sunset!" Fluttershy calls as we rush to her aid.

"Get Rainbow!" she yells. "She can't go out there!"

Applejack rushes for the airlock, and another 'whoosh' signals her exodus.

"Sunset, what wrong?" Rarity asks, as Sunset sits down on a chair and begins breathing heavily, her helmeted head in her hands.

"The planet." she says. "It's alive!"

Just then, there's a tapping at the window.

Author's Notes:

And then there was actual story! Hurrah!
Also, sorry for accidentally posting the chapter twice. :T
EDIT: Added a small intro because time jumps.

Armor the Airlock

The wind rushes past me as I stand on the bluff, looking out over the Badlands. My eyes sweep across the landscape, marking the places I've grown to know; Prospect Heights, The Ravine, Rendezvous Lake...
Equestria's home to a lot of creatures; Manticores, Humans, Minotaurs, Dragonkin, Gryphons, and so much more.
But the Badlands are home to all the creatures Equestria forgot. Everything that decides to live here is faced with a choice; adapt or die. Most of the ones that adapt grow hard, twisted; cold, like the Badlands themselves.
But sometimes, sometimes...
Beauty grows amid the rust-colored stone.

Footsteps behind me, and a familiar mental presence; the weight of a mass of constantly shifting emotions. She is here.

"Sunset Shimmer." a regal voice chimes from over my right shoulder; a deep church-bell sound. "Our representative among the stars has returned to me."

"Indeed I have." I reply, my tone carrying all the formality and gravity of the mere acolyte I am in the presence of an authority as great as that of the Queen of the Changelings.

"Turn, and let me observe you." the Queen commands. I obey.

Tall and slender, the Queen is robed in a gown of traditional gossamer, woven by her subjects. Her body, having won its long, hard battle with itself, is riddled with holes, her skin smooth and chitinous. Her hair, turquoise and tangled in a beautiful pattern, frames her delicate face, from which two blue eyes shine like searchlights; I avert my gaze from hers, as is the custom.

"How dare you?" the Queen says softly. "How dare you!?"

The mass of emotions disappears; the Queen's shield lowers, and a deluge of pure, undiluted joy flows over me. I match it with my own, and the Queen and I embrace, all facades of formality gone; they never were there to begin with.

"First of all," Chrysalis says, tears beginning to flow into my shoulder. "You pull that stunt with the shuttle-"

"That," I interrupt, giving her a look. "Was an accident."

"And I'd be okay with that," Chrysalis says, breaking away from me and pointing an accusing finger my way. "If you hadn't grown taller than me!"

"You know very well how zero-g interacts with the human skeleton." I reply, my tone playful. "You're just jealous."

The Queen laughs, the sound like bells pealing.

"It is so good to see you again, my child." she says, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I thought you lost to me forever."

I take a seat on the edge of the bluff, my legs and feet hanging off into the empty space below.

"I've still got some good decades in me." I say, smiling and beckoning for Chrysalis to join me. She obliges, and we sit there, just staring off into the distance.

"Man, I missed this." I say, my voice echoing my thoughts. "I mean, space is one of the most amazing places I've ever been, but the stone around us, the dust; the Badlands themselves... Space doesn't hold a candle to this."

"Are you saying what I think you are?" Chrysalis asks, curiosity flowing toward me. I sample it, admiring the way even that reeks of joy.

"Probably." I say. "This one mission alone took so much out of me... Maybe it's best for everyone if I stayed here in Equestria."

Chrysalis looks at me, raising an eyebrow.

"There's something else." she says, holding up a finger. "I taste... Regret. Shame. Fear? Sunset, what happened up there?"

I should've known I couldn't hide it from the Queen; she did, after all, teach me what I know.

"I... I made a breakthrough up there." I admit quietly, allowing the fear I feel to leak into my voice. "I came into my Blessing. I'm just not sure how my friends'll react, knowing..."

A hand on my shoulder.

"Reveal it just before your next mission." Chrysalis says, giving me a reassuring smile. "Best case; they're fine with it, and you can help them so much more."

"Worst case?"

"They don't ever trust you again, but they'll work with you to do what they came to do. Then, afterwards, if they still don't want you coming along with them, stay here. You know my hall is always open to my children, near or far."

There's a long silence as we both think. What she says makes sense; if I were in their shoes, I guess I'd put up with someone like me in order to do what I needed to.
And, me being who I am, my guesses are almost always right.

"Thanks." I say.

"Okay, you've been sitting on it long enough. Give me details! How'd you find your abilities?"

I clear my throat, and try to find a place to begin. I know it's a long story, but I know we both have time.

"We'd just landed - pretty violently - on another planet." I begin. "Rainbow Dash and I were preparing to disembark."

The airlock closes behind us, and Rainbow gives me an excited glance, which I trade for a grin as the doors open and we're given our first glimpse of the outside world.

Now, I have no idea what Dash saw. I have no idea what the others saw when they first glimpsed the planet in person for the first time, but I know what I saw.
The planet was oozing black tendrils of hatred, and it was covering everything. The upside-down-growing trees, the undergrowth, the rocks, the moss on the rocks; everything was stained black with the most foul, soul-consuming hatred I'd ever experienced.

As Rainbow takes in the 'beautiful view' I'm sure she's being treated to, a tendril slowly, almost leisurely, makes its way towards us.
That snaps me out of my stupor, and I scream, flinging myself back into the airlock, closing the outer door after me, trying to put some sort of barrier between me and the hatred.
I run into the galley, to warn the others, and fall over in my haste. My sealed helmet makes a 'thunk' as it collides with the floor, and the sound reminds me of the other person wearing a sealed helmet.

"Get Dash!" I scream, panic tinging my voice steely yellow. "She can't go out there!"

Applejack rushes to the airlock, shoving her helmet on, and the others crowd around me.
I put my head in my hands. How could I have been such a coward? I left my friend out there, to deal with a planet that hated her, hated me, us; all life. And even now, knowing she's in trouble, I can only sit here.
It should be me out there, not her.

"Sunset, what's wrong?" the others ask. How am I going to explain this to them? The entire thing's radiating this back, horrible hatred, almost as if...

"The planet," I gasp, realizing. "It's alive!"

There's a tapping at the window.

Twilight and the others jump, and we all rush to the viewport to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing in front of it.

"There's nothin' out here, you guys." Applejack says, confusion leaking from her. "Ah don't see what the big scare's 'bout."

"Yeah!" Rainbow says. "It's fine out here, really!"

"Ah think Sunset's jus' spooked about somethin' else-" Applejack begins, but she stops suddenly.

"What's that smell?" she asks, sniffing several times, as if trying to chase a scent.

"I don't smell anything." Rainbow says. "You alright, AJ?"

"Your helmet!" Fluttershy cries, pointing at Applejack. "You forgot to seal it!"

"Oh, yeah!" Applejack says, gazing at the small red LED that signals her helmet status. "Lemme jus' get that real quick..."

Her hand moves to seal the suit, but it stops halway there, before lowering to her side.

"You... You didn't seal it." Pinkie says, nervous.

"Yeah..." Applejack says. "It just smells so good out here. I don't wanna stop smelling it, you know?"

Applejack's hands move to her helmet, and she removes it, breathing in deep.

"Wow, it really smells great out here. I just love the way it is out here." she says, her voice an odd sort of euphoric monotone. "Dash, you should smell it, too."

Rainbow, who'd been steadily backing away from Applejack, gives us a look of fear.
It hits me, then.

"Applejack, what happened to your accent?" Rainbow dash asks.

"Applejack, you're showing up blank for me." I say, at the same time. The others give me questioning looks as I zero in my emotional senses on Applejack.

"I can't read anything from you." I say, concentrating. "There's the slightest hint of joy, but it's fading fast. AJ, you're going dark!"

"Rainbow. Come smell this." Applejack says, moving towards Rainbow Dash.

"Okay, nope!" Rainbow says, turning and walking towards the airlock. "All aboard the Nope Train, Destination: Nopesville, Equestria."

"Come." Applejack says, picking up speed.

"Get to the airlock!" Rarity calls as Dash and AJ move out of sight. "We'll get both of you in!"

We rush to the airlock, and I enter, sealing my helmet and opening the outer door. Rainbow dashes for it, her arm outstretched to grab mine-
Applejack tackles her from behind, and Rainbow's helmet light goes red as AJ breaks a rock on the helmet.

This is bad. This is very, very bad.

Rainbow gets up slowly, a look of wonder on her face.

"Wow, it does smell really nice!" she says, her emotions beginning to fade. "I just love the way it is out here."

They both turn to me, and there's a look in their eyes that honestly scares me.

"Come join us, Sunset!" they call. "It's wonderful out here!"

They move toward me, and as I back against the wall, the outer door closes in front of me and the inner one opens, sending me sprawling backwards.

"Okay, yeah." Pinkie says, catching me. "That's a thing. That is most definitely a thing that's happening right now, to us, at this precise moment in time, on this creepy alien planet."

I look at her, and she returns my gaze, genuine worry in her eyes.

"I've had the jibblies ever since we landed." she says quietly. "And now Dash and AJ are out there, and the planet's got them."

Once again, my words echo my thoughts.
"And it's all my fault."

"Of course, we all rushed to reassure her." Fluttershy says as the group sits down in a Canterlot park. "But Sunset's stubborn, and guilt never really makes sense. We sat there in silence for what seemed like hours until we all heard a sound that made us jump."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash are pounding on the airlock door.

"Let us in!." they cry, shouting in a monotone. "Let us into the ship!."

We all back away from the airlock except for Sunset, who's still just sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her legs.

The pounding grows louder, and, to our surprise, dents begin appearing in the outer door of the airlock.

"Everyone to the cockpit!" Twilight calls. "Seal any doors you can that'll block them!"

"Does anyone else smell that?" Rarity asks quietly.

Now that she mentions it, there's a slight sweetness to the air, a sort of peppermint-strawberry-orange... ness... that almost floats into my nose.
Have you ever seen something that you just can't take your eyes off of? You know, the kind of thing where while you're looking at it, all you can think about at the moment is 'Hey, look at that thing!'? Well, that smell was the smell equivalent of that. The second I noticed it, I couldn't not notice it, like the ticking of a clock, or when your favorite painting's been shifted exactly three centimeters to the right.

"Yeah..."I say, almost without thinking about it. "It smells really good."

"Craaaaaaaaaaaaaap." Pinkie says, slowly and softly.

"We should be safe." Twilight says, her voice oddly scared. "We’re supposed to be safe! Why aren't we safe!?"

"What's-" Spike asks, before he stops. "Oh no; I can smell it too!"

I don't know why everyone's freaking out; all they need to do is relax and let the smell and the good thoughts drift into their mind, until...

"I don't really remember anything after that." Fluttershy says, eyes downcast. "I was just... drifting, I guess, on the smell and the good feelings it made me feel."

"The same goes for me." Rarity says. "I was taken shortly after Fluttershy."

"And AJ and I were taken from the get go, so we won't be much help from here on in."

"Let me sort things out here." Bright Idea says. "So far, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Spike have been 'taken' by whatever it is that's been controlling everyone?"

"That's 'bout the long 'n short of it." Applejack says, sighing. "Man, if only Ah'd sealed mah helmet..."

"I may as well pick up from here." Twilight says.

As the fear in Spike's eyes grows and Rarity and Fluttershy develop a terminal case of the grins, I can feel the onset of another... 'Think things out session' coming on, and I fight back the panic. Calm, Twilight. Do your breathing exercises.
Soon, I'm removed enough from my emotions to process things. Moving quickly, I grab Sunset and pull her to her feet as she stares blankly into space.

"Cockpit." I say to Pinkie. "Seal off all the doors in between there and here. Go!"

Pinkie springs into motion, her face grim, and I pull Sunset through the ship as Rarity, Spike, and Fluttershy all follow us.

Soon, we've sealed the doors, and we're sitting in the seats in the cockpit of the shuttle. Sunset's curled up on the cushion of one, Pinkie's sitting neatly in another, and I sprawl in the third.
We can still hear the others on the intercom.

"Look, girls." Spike says, his voice strangely happy. "I know I don't have much time before it takes me. I dunno if it's 'cause I'm Dragonkin, or if I'm just not as cheerful a person as the others, but I've got some time."

There's a short silence.

"Man, if only you guys could see my face." he says, his voice thick. "I've gotta look so weird crying right now. Anyway, I figured out why it got to the three of us."

There's a pause.

"Man, it smells great out here... Anyway, life support's off, so all the air we've been getting has been coming from the outside. We just haven't felt it yet because..."

He breaks out into giggles.

"Get this; the ship's got filters! They're there to filter out any 'harmful' stuff in the air before it gets to us. Good thing the smell managed to find a broken one to get through. Man, you guys should really come out and try this; it's great!"

Pinkie's huddled into a Sunset-like ball now. I want to join them. I want to huddle up and cry my eyes out and wish for everything to be okay...
...But I can't. This is Spike's last message. I need to hear it.

"I've only got about ten seconds left, Twi." Spike says. "If... If we don't make it out of here, I just want to thank you for taking me out here. It's been amazing, and if I could do..."

He giggles again.

"If I could do all this over again, I wouldn't wanna do it any other way. Love you, sis."

And then there's silence.