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Description
After the discovery by Twilight Sparkle of the true physical properties of Magic, it was found that devices could be made that could perform simple "spells" to make previously impossible things possible - among the innovations was Faster Than Light travel via "Teleportation," energy-based weaponry, antigravity devices, and special thrust engines capable of reliably operating in space without consuming large amounts of fuel and oxidizer.

Because of these new innovations, Equestria embarked on a great age of exploration. While Their Majesties, Princesses Celestia and Luna, had no foul intentions, they found that even settling on unincorporated planets with no sentients was frowned upon by other, more established races in the space race. After all, what business did a race of small, not very physically strong-looking, and, to be blunt, cute ponies have in the realm of interplanetary conquest?

It soon became blatantly clear that Equestria's interests at home and abroad needed to be protected. It was from this that the Mk. 1 "Pegasus" fighter was born. Over several, rapidly developed generations, the initial design was improved into the Mk. 7, seen here.

The Pegasus concept was based upon the Pegasus ponies themselves. When idle, in storage, the craft sits literally upon it's four main thrust engines, wings folded along its back. In flight, the engines tilt rearwards. Standoff rings allow the engines to start and idle while sitting against the floor, an addition to the Mk. 2 generation, as Mk. 1s tended to be hard to start and hard to handle on the ground without them.

The pilot lays on his or her stomach, on a special gee-couch. While this may seem uncomfortable to bipeds, the posture is natural for quadrupedal ponies, and many bipedal races find that the ponies can take turns that would make them black out. The couch has an internal oxygen supply, and serves as a jetpack in the event of ejection. Pilots wear an MCP spacesuit that completely covers their body in case they must leave the craft, and the suit directly straps to the couch, though many pilots need help strapping in. The suit does have a tail zipper so that ponies on base can let their tails out- they must have the tail stuffed into the suit for flight.

For armament, the Pegasus has four MagiBlaster energy projection cannons, as well as an internal missile bay that opens to launch missiles. The craft is also capable of shortrange FTL due to a "Teleportation Drive," which opens into an alternate dimension where travel time is shorter, similarly to a Hyperdrive. The craft does have aerodynamic control surfaces to assist in atmospheric flight, an advantage many craft don't have - if all four engines or the antigrav cut out, the pilot can glide in on aerodynamic flight as backup.

This particular craft, flown by veteran pilot Captain Rainbow "Crash" Dash, is "Rainboom's Revenge," a tribute to Capt. Dash's former, long-in-the-tooth Mk. 3, "Rainboom." "Rainboom" had a nasty reputation among mechanics, as Dash would often bring her back smoldering, often with one engine not working, due to her risky flying style - the only one in the end who would fix it would be a young filly by the name of Apple Bloom. "Rainboom" was destroyed in an initial battle with the canine-esque Caynids, and sadly had to be replaced by the newest Mk. 7 model. Dash was fond of her old craft, but is slowly growing attached to this craft as well. Of note is that she considers her conquest of Nightmare Moon as a "kill," and paints the navy-colored moon under her canopy as a tribute to what she considers the first victory of her long career - much to Princess Luna's chagrin.

MLP: FiM, Rainbow Dash (c) Hasbro, adapted for TV by the MLP team
"Pegasus" Starfighter (c) James McHenry/Jim Prower

Description
After the discovery by Twilight Sparkle of the true physical properties of Magic, it was found that devices could be made that could perform simple "spells" to make previously impossible things possible - among the innovations was Faster Than Light travel via "Teleportation," energy-based weaponry, antigravity devices, and special thrust engines capable of reliably operating in space without consuming large amounts of fuel and oxidizer.

Because of these new innovations, Equestria embarked on a great age of exploration. While Their Majesties, Princesses Celestia and Luna, had no foul intentions, they found that even settling on unincorporated planets with no sentients was frowned upon by other, more established races in the space race. After all, what business did a race of small, not very physically strong-looking, and, to be blunt, cute ponies have in the realm of interplanetary conquest?

It soon became blatantly clear that Equestria's interests at home and abroad needed to be protected. It was from this that the Mk. 1 "Pegasus" fighter was born. Over several, rapidly developed generations, the initial design was improved into the Mk. 7, seen here.

The Pegasus concept was based upon the Pegasus ponies themselves. When idle, in storage, the craft sits literally upon it's four main thrust engines, wings folded along its back. In flight, the engines tilt rearwards. Standoff rings allow the engines to start and idle while sitting against the floor, an addition to the Mk. 2 generation, as Mk. 1s tended to be hard to start and hard to handle on the ground without them.

The pilot lays on his or her stomach, on a special gee-couch. While this may seem uncomfortable to bipeds, the posture is natural for quadrupedal ponies, and many bipedal races find that the ponies can take turns that would make them black out. The couch has an internal oxygen supply, and serves as a jetpack in the event of ejection. Pilots wear an MCP spacesuit that completely covers their body in case they must leave the craft, and the suit directly straps to the couch, though many pilots need help strapping in. The suit does have a tail zipper so that ponies on base can let their tails out- they must have the tail stuffed into the suit for flight.

For armament, the Pegasus has four MagiBlaster energy projection cannons, as well as an internal missile bay that opens to launch missiles. The craft is also capable of shortrange FTL due to a "Teleportation Drive," which opens into an alternate dimension where travel time is shorter, similarly to a Hyperdrive. The craft does have aerodynamic control surfaces to assist in atmospheric flight, an advantage many craft don't have - if all four engines or the antigrav cut out, the pilot can glide in on aerodynamic flight as backup.

This particular craft, flown by veteran pilot Captain Rainbow "Crash" Dash, is "Rainboom's Revenge," a tribute to Capt. Dash's former, long-in-the-tooth Mk. 3, "Rainboom." "Rainboom" had a nasty reputation among mechanics, as Dash would often bring her back smoldering, often with one engine not working, due to her risky flying style - the only one in the end who would fix it would be a young filly by the name of Apple Bloom. "Rainboom" was destroyed in an initial battle with the canine-esque Caynids, and sadly had to be replaced by the newest Mk. 7 model. Dash was fond of her old craft, but is slowly growing attached to this craft as well. Of note is that she considers her conquest of Nightmare Moon as a "kill," and paints the navy-colored moon under her canopy as a tribute to what she considers the first victory of her long career - much to Princess Luna's chagrin.

MLP: FiM, Rainbow Dash (c) Hasbro, adapted for TV by the MLP team
"Pegasus" Starfighter (c) James McHenry/Jim Prower