Per Audacia Ad Astra: A MLP Space Opera - Part 1

BrutalityInc

With the sound of screeching metal and a prolonged hoot of a train whistle, the locomotive ground to a halt with a lurch on its rails at the station. As the train finally came still, the air hissed with the venting of steam from the engine, completing its arrival.

No sooner had the bell ring, the doors of the carriages were thrown open, and its passengers poured out like fruits from an overturned basket. Behind the passenger carriages, the station’s two cranes were quick to work, loading and unloading cargo alongside the work-ponies carrying goods on and off the train.

Before long, the platform was crowded, with many wide-brimmed hats touching rim to rim. Most of these visitors, and those waiting for them, are ponies. Some, however, are buffalos, native around this region; there are also a few griffons, donkeys, cows, and even dragons, their presence becoming increasingly frequent around these parts. They greeted and conversed merrily, their voice and laughter soon filled the air.

The reasons they came to Appleloosa were as diverse as the colour of their hides and manes, as well as the clothes they wore; some were relatives visiting family, with fillies and colts taking off from their parents to throw themselves in the warm embrace of their grandparents, while siblings high-hoofed, and couples kissed. Others were here to do business with associates, chatting about stocks, taxes and pay almost as soon as they meet. Some are here looking for work, and a few even came to stay, here in this frontier town in the middle of a great desert, having come here from afar with the promise of new opportunities, new beginnings.

Some visitors, having no one to greet or had other matters to attend to, quickly left the station by the nearest exits, going into the town proper.

One of them is an orange pegasus mare, who stood out from the rest of the crowd in both appearance and demeanour. She wore a pair of flight goggles over her forehead, under her purple mane, and inexplicably, a red ribbon on her purple tail. Seemingly unbothered by the sweltering heat of the noonday sun, she wore a leather bomber jacket, and carried a cumbersome looking duffle-bag. Her cutie mark is a lightning-shaped purple wing overlaid on a tri-coloured kite shield.

She wore a frown on her face as she surveyed the main street, which is bustling with activity from local ponies, commuting in town for lunch. It has been years since she had visited Appeloosa, and the place has gotten larger, more developed; there were more shops and stores, selling all kinds of wares and commodities, mostly agricultural produce from the local farms and orchards. Whereas one saloon once stood, there are at least a half dozen, the sound of music and dancing could be heard even from across the crossroads. There are evidently a larger population now; she could see the houses go as far as she could see down the avenue, and the orchards in the distance had increased in size, partly to support the larger pool of residents.

The orange mare stood near the entrance of the train station, out of the way of the crowd now exiting to the sound of the leaving train. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at the clock-tower, and upon realizing the time, her frown deepened.

“She told me in the letter she’ll be here at this time…” She thought to herself in irritation, “I swear, if she’s going to make me stand around for a whole hour in this heat after missing for two years, friend or not, I’m going to – !”

“Scootaloo, darling! Over here!”

Scootaloo turned, and saw some-pony waving at her from just down the street. She wore an angular hat over her unicorn horn, and her grey rose and mulberry coloured mane. Her dress is a modest print of floral pattern and polka dots in muted colours, just down below her equine knees in length, complete with wide sleeves and modest tops, as is currently fashionable. Her light harlequin green eyes and light-gray coat could barely be seen in the shadow cast by the umbrella blocking out the noonday glare, held by an earth-pony stallion next to her, incidentally carrying her hoofbag and luggage.

It took Scootaloo a few moments to recognize her, but when she does, her demeanour brightened considerably.

“Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo called out, dodging nimbly the ponies that got in her way as she half-galloped, half-fluttered over to her friend, before giving her a hug that Sweetie returned. “It’s so good to see you!”

“You too, darling! It has been a while.” Sweetie Belle concurred, smiling.

“Well, it has been hard finding time to meet up ever since we parted ways at high school.” Scootaloo noted, rubbing the back of her head, “We were all busy, being involved with a lot of things…”

“Indeed. I suspected, but I didn’t think you would turn up today.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Well, let’s just I say got myself some free time.” Scootaloo noted, smiling. “Even if I don’t have it, I’ll make myself some free time just to see my friends.”

“How are things in Cloudsdale, at the Academy?” Sweetie Belle asked.

At that, Scootaloo stopped smiling, “Well… not as well as I hoped.” She muttered, decidedly vague. “And how about you? Are you still at Canterlot? And what’s with all the luggage?” She asked before Sweetie pressed further.

This time, it was Sweetie Belle who looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Well, I… also had quite a bit of free time after I graduated last year at magic school.” She said hesitantly, also obtuse in her words, “So I had been… travelling around, I suppose.”

Both were silent for a few moments.

“Anyways, I suppose you got the same telegraph as I had?” Sweetie Belle asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, and I figured you did too on the way here.” Scootaloo confirmed, nodding, “Must had been quite a surprise, wasn’t it? It’s been two years since I heard anything from her!”

“She didn’t even remember to write to you until now, had she?” Sweetie Belle noted with shock, “Either that, or she thought I would relay it to you. I have had some faint, sporadic contact with her over the last two years. I posted many long letters to her and even tried dialling a few long-distance telephone calls, and all I ever got in return were a few short telegraph messages reporting that she’s fine and hoping we’re the same!”

Sweetie Belle turned to the earth-pony stallion who had been holding her umbrella and luggage. “I take it that you remember this fine gentle-stallion? She told him to pick us up.”

“I was standing right here this whole time, ya’know.” That pony said to Scootaloo, more amused than annoyed, his local ‘buckaroo’ accent thick.

“Sorry, Mr Braeburn.” Scootaloo said, flushing slightly with embarrassment and… something else, at the sight of the tall, older, but still handsome hat wearing Apple farmer. “Just got caught up with a friends’ reunion.”

“Naw, worry yourself none. I understand them feelings.” The gold-coated, gamboge-and-amber maned, pistachio-eyed stallion in a brown sleeveless vest said cheerfully. Scootaloo noted he seems to be quieter than she known him to be, “Been a while since I had seen you two cutie-pies ‘round these parts. Want me to give you both a traditional Appleloosan welcome?”

“Actually, we’ll rather like it if you tell us where’s Applebloom?” Sweetie Belle suggested, “She messaged us that she was going to meet us at the train station today.”

“Oh, yes, that! She asks me to tell you two she’s sorry she can’t show up in person.” He said, even as he picked up Scootaloo’s heavy duffle-bag with barely a hint of effort and led them down the streets of Appleloosa. “She seemed to be awfully busy working on something. Well, more busy than usual.”

“Really?” Scootaloo quiried, raising an eyebrow “Just what is she up to? She can’t possibly had been that busy for the last two years.”

“Hay would I know. We gave her lodging ever since she moved in to Appleloosa, but she hardly shows up at the dinner table or sleeps in her own bed these days. Now she doesn’t even appear at all.”

“Well, I guess we’re about to find out.” Sweetie Belle noted, walking alongside Scootaloo and Braeburn to the motel. “What can you tell us about her work here? We heard she became an apprentice to a mechanic.”

“Not just any mechanic, ‘the Mechanic’.” Braeburn clarified, “It’s not his real job; we call him that around here ‘cause he’s a real whiz with machines, so we hire him to fix up all that new-fangled farming equipment we have whenever they break down.”

“What do you know about him?” Sweetie pressed, ears raised to pick up even the tiniest details.

“Only that he came from Ponyville himself, a few years before Applebloom. Some kind of egghead type, apparently.” Braeburn continued, “Don’t know much about him myself; I don’t think any-pony here does. In those occasional times he shows up in town, every other weekend, he prefers sitting on his lonesome in a corner at a saloon, heads down to his eldritch papers and plans on the table, writing and mumbling to himself about ‘equations’ and ‘variables’.”

“Sounds like a… wacky guy.” Scootaloo said cautiously, as he tried to recall from his memories some-pony who had been just as eccentric back in Ponyville.

“He is a weird fellow, that one; and he never talks with anypony in ways ponies could understand.” Braeburn commented, “Strangers makes every-pony nervous, so if he weren’t so good with tinkering things I don’t know if folks here could stand him. We tried to keep Applebloom away from him, but one day our thresher broke down and we ask him to help look at it.”

“And Applebloom…” Sweetie Belle began.

“Was taking a break from working in the orchard. She walked pass the barn by chance and recognized him, then asked questions about what he’s doing. They kept talking well into the afternoon, then going on about scientific principle this and technical know-how that, and by the time he was done at sunset, they were inseparable.” Braeburn finished.

“And you just let her go to him, like that?” Scootaloo muttered incredulously.

“To be honest, we were too shocked to protest. I never seen any-pony as happy as that miserable son-o-tumbleweeds was when she said yes to his offer of ‘internship’.” Braeburn muttered, “It’s almost like… like he just found the only pony who had ever been able to understand and talk to him in the same language.”

Both Scootaloo and Sweetie looked at one another, unsure what to make of this. The thought of their friend being involved in some sort of grand shenanigan with an individual of dubious sanity did not appeal to them a single bit.

But then again, at least she is still doing better than they are, it seemed, involved in something she seemed to have passion for…

“So where are they, now?” Sweetie Belle asked just as they arrived at their motel.

“Out at the abandoned warehouse pass the edge of town.” Braeburn told them, pointing in the general direction with his right hoof.

“We’ll head there as soon as we settle down in our rooms, then. I want to know what kind of tomfoolery Applebloom got herself into!” Scootaloo declared empathetically as they walked into the motel lobby.

“Let’s not jump to hasty conclusions here, Scootaloo. She could really be up to some great scientific or engineering project that ponies here don’t understand.” Sweetie Belle advised.

“If that guy is who we think he is, do you reckon it would be something great? Or something disastrous?!” Scootaloo rebuked.

“...Admittedly, the latter.” Sweetie said hesitantly, “I still remember what happened last time, but just because he screwed up on that occasion doesn’t mean he’ll do it again…”

“After what happened? I’m not taking any chances.” Scootaloo said “And Applebloom is right in the middle of whatever that he’s doing. I want to know what they're up to, and if we must, we’ve got to get her out of there, even if I had to drag her out from there with my own hooves!”

The two young mares kept on their heated discussion for a while even as they checked in. Throughout their conversation, they never noticed the two ponies sitting on one of the coaches, listening in to everything they are saying behind their newspapers, their curiosity increasing with every moment.

BrutalityInc

The warehouse was large, visible even from a distance. And it was also visibly in a state of disrepair, its crumbling edifice seemingly held together by ramshackle, improvised patch-jobs that seemed to be barely holding the wooden structure together. On the roof, they could see what looked like arrays of antennas and radio dishes sticking out of holes and hatches on top, evidently later additions.

As they approached it down the uneven dirt road on a cart that Braeburn is currently pulling, both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle felt a foreboding sense of apprehension.

“Pardon my curiosity, but why was a warehouse built so far away from the rest of the town, anyway?” Sweetie Belle asked aloud.

“We once thought the land nearby was good for expanding the plantations, so we built it here for storing more produce. There was even going to be new tracks to be paved from the main route for cargo trains to come by.” Braeburn explained, “But the land turned out wasn’t as good as we thought, and the demand was lower than expected. Plus, a lot of unusual mishaps and accidents happened during construction. Either way, that project went nowhere. Since no-pony wanted a big, empty and useless building, except him, we let him take up residence in there.”

“Spacious and out of the way. Sounds like the perfect place for all sorts of mad scientist stuff.” Scootaloo commented.

“Some nights, you could hear faint tinkering and mechanical noises coming from there, even from my house. Gives me the creeps.” Braeburn noted with concurrence. “And it got worse these past few months, too. I don’t know how long before Sheriff Green and his posse would come knocking on his door. He ain’t as lenient as old Silverstar; hard-as-leather fellow don’t like strangers or those who disturbs the peace.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head; she really hopes whatever Applebloom is doing doesn’t get her into trouble.

Braeburn pulled over just outside the entrance of the fences, letting both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hop off. “I’ll be back later to pick you two up, but for now I got to get back to work at the fields.” Braeburn said as he turned to leave, “You two sure you’ll be alright?”

“We’ll be fine, sir. We have all been in tighter places.” Sweetie Belle said, letting her horn glow a bit with her magic, “If anything happens, I’ll signal you.”

“Got it, and I’ll come galloping as fast as I can.” Braeburn nodded, then started to canter away, “See y’all at sundown!”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle watched him go, he and his cart disappear into the distance back to Appleloosa, before turning back towards the large wooden structure Applebloom and her boss had holed up in.

“Are you ready for this?” Sweetie Belle asked Scootaloo.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Scootaloo replied. Though honestly, she’s not sure what to expect when she sees Applebloom.

They approached the great wooden doors, and, ignoring the sign saying ‘DO NOT DISTURB’, Scootaloo did the honours of knocking.

They were met with silence.

Scootaloo knocked harder, and this time, they could hear the sound of stomping hoof-steps and indistinct shouts by a mare.

“… Blast it, can’t you read?!” Applebloom yelled in her temper as she opened the doors, “We’re very busy right now, and don’t want any…!”

She stopped as she beheld her two friends before her.

Scootaloo frowned, raising an eyebrow. “Is that how you greet your old friends?” She asked irritably.

Applebloom’s expression changed from anger to shock, then went pale with horror.

“I… I… no, I thought…” She sputtered incoherently. Then, she blurted out, hooves holding her head, “I’m so sorry! I – I completely forgot that you girls are coming! I mean, I meant to go fetch you two, but then this issue with the consoles came up, so I asked Braeburn to do that and then more problems just kept popping up and I was just going to get some equipment and then – !”

“That’s enough, Applebloom, it’s alright! We understand!” Sweetie Belle said soothingly, putting a hoof on Applebloom’s shoulders, “Take a deep breath and calm down. My word, you’re spluttering like Princess Twilight does on one of her bad days.”

Applebloom did so, and her agitation faded. With a nervous laugh and smile, she continued, “Anyways, it’s… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Two years isn’t just quite a while, Applebloom.” Scootaloo admonished, still irritated. Then she noticed Applebloom’s frazzled hair beneath her goggles, the smears and stains on her body coat and lab-coat, and smelt an odour that made, “And I see you didn’t exactly gone through that time in a good shape either…”

“… I guess I got a lot of explaining to do.” Applebloom muttered. Then, with a sigh, she said “Well, come on in, then! Make yourself at home. Boss is busy working out the kinks off the main project with his… associate. We can catch up on old times until he’s finished.”

The two mares hesitated slightly before the huge door. Then, mustering their courage, they followed Applebloom in.

BrutalityInc

“I… see.” Applebloom said, sounding rather dismayed, “So, none of us had really been doing well lately, haven’t we?”

Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded. Things had not gone the way they wanted for all of them. And in the presence of Applebloom, a member of the Apple clan who shared her elder sister’s instincts for telling truth from lies, it was impossible for them to evade or hide their failures from the others any longer.

They were sitting on an old sofa in the middle of the warehouse, on a platform that had been cleared out as the ‘living room’ of the complex.

The area was cramped, cluttered with machinery and junks of all kinds, all in a state of organized chaos. To their left could see several chemists’ benches with countless vials, test-tubes, beakers and cylinders, many half-filled with chemicals of various colours, over a bin under the bench that seemed to be filled to the brim with broken glass, abandoned sterile gloves and smeared towels.

To their right, they could see a large, cylindrical chamber, built from panels of wood and bent metal sheets, connected to generators and various panels by wires and conduits; a large propeller, with one of its fan-blades bent and broken, as well as smashed models of what seemed to be vehicles of all kinds scattered on its floor shows its identity as a crude wind-tunnel.

Behind them are rows of potted plants, most of them dead, behind opaque curtains and under switched off lamps of unusual designs. Empty cages next to them seems to had held animals, once. Dead animal parts were held in preservative-filled jars in contorted forms, a gallery of grotesque displays, on top of what seemed to be a dissection table.

In front, they could see a table with various electronic equipment piled on top of one another, including an arcade videogame machine that had been cannibalized and jury-rigged for another purposes, and bundles of wiring weaving in between them and on the floor. Some had smashed screens, others with panels open revealing blackened and burnt-out cathode-ray tubes.

Evidently, there had been a lot of experiments gone on in here, but not a lot of successes. The whole place feels like the loci embodiment of repeated failures and frustration. Which seemed rather appropriate to what all three former Crusaders are feeling, now.

“Everything was going so well.” Scootaloo said despondently, ignoring her surroundings, pausing to drink from a bottle of cider she appropriated from the fridge. “I passed the Wonderbolts entrance exam with flying colours. I was made the lead pony of my pair, and together we were the top of the class. In another month’s time, I could had made it to the reserve, and then it’s a beeline towards active Wonderbolt.”

“And then, THAT happened?” Applebloom asked, having heard what Scootaloo told her. Both she and Sweetie Belle were shocked beyond words for a while upon hearing it.

“I made a mistake, being reckless, pulling that stunt.” Scootaloo shook her head sadly, “A lot of cadets got injured, and it was all my fault. The worst part is that I knew this might happened, but I didn’t care. I didn’t listen to my instincts because I was being overconfident.”

“And… they kicked you out of the Wonderbolts Academy because of that?” Sweetie Belle said, feeling crestfallen by her friend’s subsequent punishment. “But… but surely Ms Rainbow Dash understand you didn’t mean it! That you were trying to - !”

“Impress her?” Scootaloo completed it for Sweetie Belle, “She knows, Celestia damn it, she knows! She even saw it coming and warned me not to do it, but I didn’t listen.” She hung her head in shame, “There was no excuse. And when the hammer came down, she was the one who swung it.”

“Oh Scootaloo…” Sweetie Belle said, feeling sorry for her friend.

“For the record, I don’t hold it against her, and vice-versa.” Scootaloo insisted, still crestfallen, “She accepted my apology, said she’s glad that at least I admitted I made a mistake, not like her old wing-pony Lightning Dust. But rules are rules, and I broke them. as the Captain of the Wonderbolts she can’t give me any special treatment, even if I was her protégé, nor will I ask for any.”

“Well, at least it couldn’t get any worse than that…” Sweetie Belle said with assurance.

“It did.” Scootaloo snapped, swigging another mouthful of cider, before continuing “Later that night, when I was packing… Rumble came, and…”

Scootaloo hesitated, swallowing hard, then, “He broke up with me.”

Both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom gaped. Scootaloo looked down again, holding back her tears; she’s already cried enough.

“That… that varmint!” Applebloom seethed. “Why would he do that?”

“Yes, why? Was it because of what happened?” Sweetie Belle pressed, also fuming.

Scootaloo shook her head, “It wasn’t working out anyway,” She said dismissively, “But neither of us wanted to be the first to admit it. Guess he thought with me leaving the Academy for good, he’s got the perfect excuse.”

“He had the audacity to do this on the worst night of your life?!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. She settled down, but was still calmly furious, “I don’t care what’s his excuse. If I ever meet him, he will pay dearly.” She declared, her voice deathly cold.

Applebloom frowned; she had a feeling that wasn’t the whole story, and Scootaloo was holding something out on both of them, or didn't know the whole story. But given the awful memories it must evoke, she refrained from pressing further.

“Well… guess you had it easy compared to what Scoots had gone through.” Applebloom turned Sweetie Belle, who somberly nodded.

OtterP (With minor edits/additions)

Apple Bloom tilted her head. "What happened...?" She asked, little hesitantly, not sure if Sweetie Belle wanted to tell her that.

"Oh, it is not that big deal." Sweetie Belle waved her hoof. "I kind of blew up the university's lab." She said quietly.

"What!?" Apple Bloom yelped, shocked. "D-did anypony get hurt?"

"No, no, just minor injuries, nothing serious." Sweetie Belle said quickly. "But I did get suspended for some time..." She added.

Apple Bloom's ears drooped. "I am sorry to hear that... What happened there?" She asked.

"I don't know, Apple Bloom." Sweetie Belle said sadly. "I suddenly lost control of my magic, and it was somehow amplified by the lab's equipment. I suppose it's bound to happen; they were designed for magic use in mind after all." She sighed, "I had the best magical tutor in Princess Twilight, and I still managed to screw up, spectacularly. And given my grades..."

Scootaloo shook her head, "I guess we're all not as good as we imagine ourselves to be."

Apple Bloom came close to her friends and put her forehoof on Sweetie Belle's back. "Well, I am glad that you are okay." She turned to Scootaloo. "Well cheer up, you both, we are together once again." She said with a smile. "And when we're all together, we can do anything!"

"Oh, you bet!" Scootaloo grinned, trying to get the mood happier. "Nothing will beat down the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" She said.

"Ain't that right!" Apple Bloom chuckled a little at Scootaloo's enthusiasm.

Scootaloo blushed a bit and rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. She took a step back, looking at the all the equipment in the warehouse. "But Apple Bloom, what are you doing here? All this looks kind of... random." She pointed with her hoof. "And Braeburn told that all kind of noises were coming from this warehouse."

Apple Bloom bit her lip. "It is kind of secret. I am not supposed to tell anypony, but I can't keep secrets from ou guys." She said and stepped closer. "We are building a rocket." She whispered, with a grin at almost went from ear to ear.

Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo blinked. "And when you say a rocket you mean...?" Sweetie Belle asked carefully, wondering what on earth had her friend get herself into.

"A real rocket, a spacecraft that can carry ponies into orbit." She said, still keeping her voice down. "And way beyond."

"I-isn't that kind of dangerous...?" Scootaloo said. "And we heard a thing or two about your boos from Braeburn..."

"Oh, he is okay once you get to know him." She smiled.

Sweetie Belle was about say something when they heard the door opening at the back of the warehouse.

zaku789 (With additions/edits by me)

"Great whickering stallions, what a morning." Some-pony coughed. When he came into view of the Crusaders, his greyish-amber coat and dark gamboge-coloured mane looked blackened and singed, "Applebloom, be a dear and write this down: Never put a magical artifact for shielding near nitro-glycerine. Raw arcane energies might react unpredictably with volatile compounds. The explosion was quite remarkable... though thankfully not life-threatening. Probably because of the shielding artefact…”

"Err... doctor." Applebloom said.

"Hmm...?" The pony hummed as he spotted Scootaloo and Sweetie belle. His cobalt-blue eyes widened.

"Oh, company! Hello, there. Why, it’s your friends from Ponyville itself!” He smiled warmly, “How is the old town, by the way? I do miss it a lot; the ponies there are so much more tolerant of weirdness. I really should go back there and say hello to everyone, once the project is finished…"

The doctor stopped as he noticed the two apprehensive looks from the two guests in the warehouse.

"... Is everything alright?" He asked awkwardly.

"It's fine doctor." Applebloom said, "They got a brief description of you from my cousin.”

"That should explain it.” He muttered, his ‘Standard Equestrian’ accent apparent, “Can't exactly blame them, really. I had been acting rummy about it since my arrival. Though I was obsessive with my enterprise is Pinkie is obsessed with happiness of others at the beginning."

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other, before Scootaloo spoke what both of them had been thinking.

“Yup, still hasn’t changed a bit.” Scootaloo said snidely, “That’s Time Turner alright.”

Kendell2

"Did the artifact survive?" Applebloom asked.

"Oh, yes, it is a GUARDING artifact after all," Time Turner replied. "And thankfully still have a bit of nitroglycerin left, but might take time for the smoke to clear."

"What were you even doing with nitroglycerin anyway?" Sweetie asked.

"Oh, working on a few things for out big project," Time Turner then looked to Applebloom. "Speaking of which, any headway on that console?"

"Ah'm waiting for some equipment tah come in, but Ah should be able to fix it THEN...been one thing after another though."

"Yes, Murphy's Law seems to be being particularly active today," replied Time Turner, dusting off some of the soot from his outfit.

"Murphy's Law?" Scootaloo asked.

"Basically 'anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,'" the stallion replied.

"Sounds like an apt description for all of our situations..." Sweetie admitted.