Twilight raised a brow. "And I should be happy about that because why?"
Erin grinned mischievously, her wings fluttering as she leaned back in her seat. "Well, if you're Shadow Paw, then you’ve got a reputation, right? Everyone’s gonna be too scared to mess with us. Might even get a free pass at the mechanic’s shop!"
Twilight shot her a deadpan look. "Yeah, right. The last thing I need is for someone to actually think I’m him. That’s just asking for trouble."
Ava, still bouncing in her seat with excitement, added, "Hey, at least you’ll get some respect! No one’s gonna try to rob us if they think we’re working with the big, bad Shadow Paw."
Twilight’s ears flattened as he stared at the dimly lit controls. "I’d rather avoid the whole ‘working with Shadow Paw’ thing altogether. But if we’re getting repairs and snacks, I guess it could be worse." He exhaled heavily, staring out at the stars. "I just hope no one decides to recognize me. I’m not exactly a fan of drawing attention right now."
Orion, still gripping the controls with white knuckles, hesitated before speaking up. "I-I don’t think anyone will recognize you, Twilight. I mean, it’s not like you look like Shadow Paw, right? You’re, um, not a thief."
"Thanks for the confidence boost, Orion," Twilight muttered dryly, but he couldn’t help the faint smirk tugging at his lips. "I guess I’ve got that going for me, at least."
Erin chuckled, tossing her feet off the dashboard and sitting up. "Alright, alright. No more worrying. Let’s get to Rivet’s Rest and get you some food. Maybe it'll help take the edge off."
Ava grinned. "I can’t wait! Rivet’s Rest has the best food. And the best gossip. We might even hear something about where Levi’s headed."
Twilight’s eyes narrowed, his mind turning back to his old crew and the uncertain fate they had now. "Yeah, maybe. Let’s just get there first. We’re not out of the woods yet."
As the ship coasted through the void, its engines sputtering more than they should have, Twilight couldn't shake the nagging feeling that trouble was waiting for them at Rivet’s Rest. But for now, all they had was the journey ahead. And perhaps—just perhaps—a bit of food and rest wouldn’t hurt.
Meanwhile...20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3abnsTWfsX
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUD42PR2qIE
'Twilight' slumped into his seat with a pout on his face.
"If I hear one more complaint out of you, I'm dropping you off at the nearest rock," Levi growled.
'Twilight' raised his hands in mock surrender, a smirk tugging at the corners of his muzzle. "Alright, alright, Captain Grumpy. No complaints. I’ll just sit here quietly and let you *shine* as the big, bad leader of this merry little crew."
Levi narrowed his eyes, gripping the ship’s controls a little tighter. "Keep it up, and I’ll let Glitch pilot for a while."
Glitch, who had been fiddling with some loose wires near the navigation panel, perked up immediately. "R-r-really?!" she exclaimed. "I’ve been dying to try flying this thing!"
Levi turned sharply, his eyes narrowing at Glitch. "No. Absolutely not."
Glitch’s ears drooped slightly, but her robotic eye blinked a few times, and she grinned. "Aw, c-c-come on, Captain! I’m a fast learner! I p-promise I won’t crash it… probably."
Levi pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath. "The last time you ‘learned’ something, you short-circuited the entire navigation system."
Luna, leaning casually against the doorway with a faint smirk, chimed in. "Let her have her fun, Levi. What’s the worst that could happen?"
Levi glared at her. "You know exactly what the worst is, Luna."
"Fair point," Luna teased, twirling a small orb of dark magic between her fingers.
"What are you doing with those wires, Glitch? And please don’t say you’re trying to ‘improve’ something again," 'Twilight' asked, raising an eyebrow.
Glitch’s tail flicked as she looked up. "I was just… um… p-processing! I mean, fixing! There’s this little thingy that wasn’t… thing-ing right. So I re-routed the… um… other thingy!"
Levi groaned, stepping over to check her work. "If this ship explodes, I’m blaming you."
"It’s not gonna explode!" Glitch said, though her voice wavered slightly as if she wasn’t entirely convinced.
B-7T3 glanced at Glitch. "You have tampered with an essential wire. Probability of malfunction is 32%."
Glitch froze, her ears flattening. "Oh… um… w-whoops?"
Levi threw his hands in the air. "Great. Just great." Levi looked back at B-7T3. "Is fixing the ship anywhere in your programming?"
B-7T3’s glowing blue eyes blinked a few times, as if processing Levi’s question. “Fixing the ship is not within my primary programming. However, I am equipped to observe the problem, suggest solutions, and inform you when the situation has escalated to catastrophic failure.”
Levi groaned. “So, basically, you’re here to tell me when we’re all going to die. Fantastic.”
B-7T3 tilted its head slightly. “Your assessment is accurate. Would you like a detailed breakdown of the possible failure scenarios?”
Glitch giggled nervously, quickly grabbing a few wires and attempting to put them back into place. “N-n-no need for that! I-I’ve got it under control! Totally! L-laggy brain, but I’m good!”
“Probability of success has now decreased to 27%,” B-7T3 stated, causing Glitch to freeze mid-repair.
Luna smirked, stepping forward and peering at the mess of wires Glitch had been working on. “You know, Levi, I could fix this with a little magic.”
Levi’s ears flattened, and he immediately snapped, “No magic! Last time you ‘fixed’ something, the ship didn’t stop glowing for three days!”
Luna’s smirk widened. “You’re welcome, by the way. It looked quite lovely.”
“It was pink!” Levi growled.
“And adorable,” Luna countered, clearly enjoying his frustration.
‘Twilight’ leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed as he watched the chaos unfold. “I don’t know, Levi. Sounds like you’ve got plenty of people who could help. Glitch, Luna, B-7T3… I mean, why even bother being the captain when they’re so capable?”
Levi shot him a withering glare. “Don’t push me, Twilight. I’m already this close to tossing you out the airlock.”
“Noted,” ‘Twilight’ replied, though his smirk didn’t fade.
B-7T3’s eyes blinked again. “Suggestion: prioritize repairs before engaging in additional banter. Current probability of engine failure is now 35% and increasing.”
Levi sighed, running a hand through his fur. “Alright, everyone back off. I’ll handle it before this ship turns into a floating coffin.”
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