A few days later, Rarity had completed her work on their actual space suits. The results were impressive. The suits were skin-tight and brilliant white overall, with gold chest flashing and silver fetlock and neck rings, just like in the comic books... although there was also that distinctive Rarity touch, which gave them an air of style, of class.
Out of an excess of zeal Rarity had arranged a public fitting and presentation of the results at her Boutique in Canterlot. And the store was jam-packed with ponies, many of them parents with small fillies and colts in tow.
"Commander Dash? Can I have your autograph please?"
"Sure thing, squirt!" Rainbow used her teeth to grab a pen from her suit pocket, and scribbled her name on the young pony's leg-cast. Rainbow waved as the colt hobbled away to show his parents.
Then Rainbow turned to look at Rarity, sitting next to her. "This is unreal! We haven't even been to space yet, and we're already famous! I haven't signed so much stuff since I first got into the Wonderbolts!"
"Well!" Rarity fluffed her mane with a forehoof. "It's nice to know our efforts are appreciated." Then she extended the hoof to admire the fit of her own suit. She'd custom-fitted a suit for each of them, including a smaller version for Spike. She'd even designed a miniature suit that perfectly fitted Gummy... although the alligator seemed more inclined to try to eat it.
"Excuse me, uh... Commander Dash?" said a hesitant filly.
"Sure, no problem," Rainbow said, automatically reaching for her pen. "Where do I sign?"
"Do you know Nellie Hoofstrong?"
Rainbow abruptly came to a halt. The pen dropped from her mouth.
Then she grinned broadly. "Don't I, though! Isn't she, like, the coolest?"
"Yeah..." The filly looked bashful. "I really like her. I just... wish I could tell her that in person."
"I hear ya, kiddo. And you know what?" Rainbow put a suited forehoof on the filly's shoulder. "Next time I see her, I'll be sure to mention you to her. What's your name, by the way?"
The filly whispered it, in a voice barely above a squeak. But Rainbow caught it nontheless. And in response to the filly's wordless gesture, Rainbow gladly signed her autograph book, with both her own name... and Nellie Hoofstrong's.
The filly stared at it, wide-eyed. And then she leapt up to hug Rainbow. And then raced off to show her waiting parents.
Rainbow just stared after her, smiling wistfully.
Rarity clucked her tongue. "I know you're trying to make the children happy, Rainbow. But it's not really right to lie to them like that."
"It's not a lie!" Rainbow replied testily. "I was a fan of the Wonderbirds myself before most of these kids were a gleam in their parents' eyes. And Nellie Hoofstrong was my hero too. I know her as well or better than anypony in this room. And you know what else, Rarity?"
"What?"
"Look around, at all these fillies and colts. I just realized... they're Wonderbirds fans! They're not here to see us. They're here to see the Wonderbirds... or at least, the next best thing to them." She pointed a hoof. "That little filly, Rarity? That little filly is me, when I was her age. Desperately wanting to meet Nellie Hoofstrong, her hero. Wanting to train with her, and fly away with her to the Moon and the Stars." Rainbow stared around at the young ponies, anxiously holding their parents' hooves, trying to work up the nerve to approach the spacesuited team before them. "That's what we are to these kids, Rarity... their heroes made real. We're not just going to the Moon for ourselves. We're going for them... to live their dreams, to be their dreams..."
Rainbow suddenly looked afraid. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"And I really, really hope we don't screw this up for them!"
"We won't, dahling," Rarity reassured her. "We'll just go to the Moon. And then we'll get back safely. And then... well, I suppose that's it, really!"
"Yeah, Dashie!" Pinkie said. "You'll see, we'll make it happen!"
"Absolutely," Spike agreed. "We won't let you down, Rainbow!"
"Thanks," Rainbow said. "But that's not enough. We gotta give these kids something more. We've got to give them their dreams, show them their dreams are real, even if the movies aren't. Show them their dreams are important, and not something to be taken lightly!"
"All right, then," Rarity said. "What do we do?"
Rainbow thought quickly. "Okay, look. I'm Nellie Hoofstrong, commander and explorer. Rarity, you're Madame Huru, unicorn mage and Mistress of Mysterious Powers. Spike, you're Buzby Parsec, bravest co-pilot alive, who can fly anything with a throttle!"
"Ooh, ooh!" Pinkie was bouncing with excitement. "Me next! Do me!"
"Pinkie... you're Engineer Hoof Wrench. You can fix anything!"
"Yay! I can fix anything!" She paused, looking baffled. "Huh? How do I do that?"
"Yes, I mean really, Dash!" Rarity looked offended. "I know how much these characters mean to you. But we can't possibly pretend to be them!"
"I'm not saying we should. Just think of us as their real-world ambassadors. If the kids asking for autographs ask about them, or want someone to pass on a message to them, or want their autograph instead of ours, then that's what we give them. We give them what they want from us: their heroes, live and real and talking to them. And if there's any hard questions, let me field those, since I know the movies so well. Just be the characters these kids came to see. That's all we have to do for them!"
The others nodded, and they all set to work. And with each autograph, each whispered question, each look of amazed wonder, each squeal of delight, Rainbow could tell it was the right thing to do. And it wasn't only the children who were smiling as a result.
For a few brief hours, there in Rarity's shop, the Wonderbirds lived again, adored by their fans, young and old...
... or at least, close enough so it didn't matter, really.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Thank you, Commander Dash," Celestia said. "Now, would you mind giving our distinguished guests a brief overview of the design and function of your spacecraft?"
Considering Rainbow had only recently been given an engineering walkthrough herself, this was a tall order. Especially trying to figure out on the fly how to discreetly dumb it down to suit the patience of the griffon and dragon ambassadors standing beside Celestia.
The ambassadors were already staring at her attentively and expectantly, so she pulled it together and started talking. "Sure, Your Highness! Well, as you can see it's a multiple-stage rocket... which you can think of as being like a small pony, standing on the shoulders of a large griffon, both standing on the shoulders of an even larger dragon."
The two ambassadors nodded understandingly... and just a little smugly. Rainbow gave herself a mental pat on the back and then went on. "So, at launch, the dragon gives us a huge boost to get everything off the ground. Then the griffon gives us another boost to put us into orbit. And from there, the spacecraft on top fires its own engines, and makes the journey to the Moon and back."
"And what is it that's up there, on the Moon?" the griffon grumbled. "What's so important you feel you have to go to all this trouble?"
"Well..." Rainbow bit her lip. The truth probably wouldn't go over so well here. "It's for science... and we're developing all kinds of cool technology as part of this project... and yeah, it's kinda for the pride of doing it, I suppose."
The ambassadors still looked unconvinced.
"Perhaps," Celestia suggested gently, "we might ask one of the ponies building the spacecraft for his view. Excuse me, ah, Iron Girder, wasn't it?"
The leader of the earth-pony construction team nervously shifted his work helmet to his other forehoof and cleared his throat. "Uh, yes, Your Highness?"
"If you would, what does this project mean to you, personally? Why are you working so hard for its completion?"
"Well, I dunno!" Girder thought about it, and then shrugged. "I suppose it's for my kids, really. See, they're huge Wonderbirds fans, and..."
"Wonderbirds?" The griffon interrupted, looking surprised.
"Yeah, they're really into the movies. I wish they still made 'em, the kids love 'em so much. They get all excited about space travel, and science, and exploration and... well, like that. Anyway, working on this project, I get to go home every night and tell the kids their father's been working on building a spaceship, just like the one in the movies. Just like the one Nellie Hoofstrong rode to the Moon." He grinned self-consciously. "And you should see their eyes light up at that! Makes me real proud, being able to bring their dreams to life like this!"
The griffon was nodding understandingly. "The younger griffons at home are much the same way. Beats me what they see in this sci-fi stuff! But it gets them excited about learning and improving themselves, and making something out of their lives, so I can't fault them for that."
"I agree!" said Sharp Gem, the amethyst-hued dragon. "Once we finally understood the point of sitting around watching movies, instead of actually doing things, we really got into those historical films about the battles between the dragons and the Yaks. But I should bring home some of these Wonderbirds films, too. It'll help us better understand pony culture."
"Seriously?" Rainbow goggled, unable to contain herself. "The Wonderbirds?"
Celestia gently laughed. "Commander Dash, you need to understand that trade with other nations is about more than just resources and technology. It's also about ideas, about imagination, about the kinds of dreams that help pull a society forward, give it a goal to pursue collectively that makes the day-to-day worth bearing. And one thing Equestria does well is making those dreams tangible... as entertainment. In short, we are a net exporter of dreams, through our books and plays and movies. History, fantasy, science fiction... it's all Equestrian culture, and thus is of intrinsic interest to our neighbors in other lands."
"Hadn't really thought about it that way," Rainbow admitted. She smiled. "So I and my crew are kind of cultural ambassadors, huh?"
"Indeed you are," Celestia said proudly.
"No one'll argue with that, missy." The griffon snorted. "Provided you can actually get this boondoggle off the ground!"
"Well," Celestia replied smoothly, "to do that, we'll need to complete its construction. Which brings us back to the trade discussion we were having earlier. You can see now why we're so interested in arranging trade for titanium and other metals from the Griffon Kingdom, and for hydrocarbons and other propulsive materials from the Dragonlands. We are building dreams here, both for our citizens, as well as for yours. And with your nations' help, we'll be able to complete the project well ahead of schedule."
"You make a strong case, Princess," the griffon allowed. "I'll be sure to mention it to the grayfeathers back home. For a project as important as this, we should be able to arrange a mutually beneficial trade deal."
"And I'll make sure Dragon Lord Ember knows of it as well," said Sharp Gem. "Given you have a dragon of your own on the flight crew, and with such an important role, I'm sure she'll see it as a matter of national pride for us to provide whatever support we can."
"I'm grateful to you both," Celestia said. "Now, let's continue our tour with a visit to Princess Twilight's castle, so that you can see how the flight will be monitored and managed."
She led the ambassadors away, but not without casting a pleased smile in Rainbow's direction.
And Rainbow just stood there, unable to take it in. "The Wonderbirds..." she whispered, "... as cultural exports."
Then she shook her head in disbelief.
"Those guys must really be hurting for entertainment back home..."