//------------------------------//
// First Contact 
// Story: Song of the Stars 
// by Jacker 
//------------------------------//

	The Cosmos. Infinite. Vast. Beautiful. Luna's Domain was something that took Twilight Sparkle in awe every night. With a small but powerful telescope she gazed upon it, ever vigilant and ever curious. Throughout most of Equestrian History the stars were said to be spirits or other supernatural entities, though some suggested they were simply decorative pinpricks of light Luna arranged in aesthetically pleasing formations. Nobody really knew for sure. The princesses had done nothing to discount those stories, so people believed what they believed. However, in recent years new theories had emerged from the greatest scientific minds on Trinity, (homeworld of Ponykind, Dragonkind, Zebrakind, and then some) theories that challenged previous notions and 'facts' that could bring about great scrutiny to those who presented them.

These theories held that each star was like the one that orbited Equestria, and perhaps had their own planets that they circled. Some even insisted that in other solar systems, the planets orbited the stars and not the other way around. A few scientists had dared to even call this natural, and Celestia's tampering with their solar system 'unnatural'. Twilight couldn't help but cringe at the term, but Celestia never denied this and neither had Luna. It seemed the goddesses were content to stay out of tampering with the natural collective thoughts of their people.

These new theories really made Twilight wonder. There were so many stars in the sky, each possibly with their own celestial bodies orbiting or being orbited by them. Could any of these be like Trinity? Could there be ponies or other life living on them? Questions like these boggled the young mare's mind. Who or what exactly was out there? 

These usual questions, however, were not on her mind tonight. Different questions were boggling her, and these ones did far more then just intrigue her.

"Uh, Twilight. It's getting pretty late..." Spike called from inside her tree house. 

Twilight turned towards the entrance way to the balcony she stood upon and shouted back, "Just a few more minutes, Spike. I'm trying to confirm something."

"Confirm what?" Spike asked, walking out to the balcony and munching on a few rubies.

"Well, I'm not sure but it seems like a few of the stars I had previously charted..." She paused, baffled at what she was about to say. "..Aren't there anymore."

Spike shrugged at that. "Maybe Luna just did some rearranging." 

Twilight shook her head. "We've already been through this, Spike. The stars aren't actually controlled by Luna. She really only controls the moon and small bodies within the solar system. At least that's what the latest theories suggest. When Celestia moves the Sun less light pierces the atmosphere and-"

"Yeah, I get it Twilight," Spike chuckled. "I still don't believe in all these new theories."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Enjoying your new rubies?"

"Oh you bet!" Spike enthused. "I'm so glad me and Rarity had such a good gem hunt the other day. Spoils of work, I say!" He munched down another.

Twilight smiled at that. She knew full well her friend was taking advantage of the young dragon, but at least she was kind enough not to make him work for free, and she knew that he would too if she asked him of it. With that thought, she turned her attention back to her telescope and peered through it and into the night. For the past few days she had been keeping watch on a particular section of the heavens. There were a few stars there, or at least former stars, whose positions had been recorded as the same for thousands of years. However, one by one they seemed to be twinkling out, one vanishing every night, with the stars around them completely untouched, and she had no idea what could be causing this.

"So Twilight, if these stars aren't just spirits or whatever people believe, and are burning balls of gas like you say they are, what do you think could be getting rid of them?" Spike asked.

"I'm not sure, Spike... a few physicists in Canterlot had speculated of the possibility of objects called black holes. These objects are supposedly the remains of dead stars with gravity so powerful that they can pull in any matter, even light."

"Explains the black part."

"Right, and they can also swallow stars," Twilight said. 

Spike's eyes shot wide open at this."W-wah?!" He then gazed into the sky nervously. "There's no chance of one eating our star, right?"

Twilight chuckled, "Of course not, and even if there was I think Celestia might be able to do something about it. The chances of one coming and gobbling up our star are just so remote. However, it's not as remote as five stars disappearing due to them in one week." She paused, bringing a hoof to her chin in thought. "No, whatever is causing this must be something else. I know for a fact that they didn't go supernova, though..."

"Super-wah?" Spike asked.

Twilight's threw him a smirk. "Wow Spike, you're not usually this interested in scientific topics."

Spike shrugged. "Heh, I guess this space stuff is just easier to understand. No complicated terminologies and stuff like that. A hole in space that's black? It's called a black hole."

Twilight couldn't help but smile. She was glad her faithful assistant and her seemed to have found a scientific topic they could both enjoy.  "I've heard Neigh Degrasse Tyson say the same thing." 

"Who?"

"One of the leading Astrophysicists in Canterlot," Twilight explained. "He specializes in..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "Making complicated topics in science easier to understand for the masses."

Spike smiled. "I'm glad someone does it."

"Anyway, when a massive star, one much more massive then our own reaches the end of its life, it detonates in a massive explosion called a supernova. It pretty much spews its guts all over the cosmos."

"That's pretty cool," Spike admitted. "But you think that didn't happen to any of these?"

"No, we would easily be able to tell if they did. Actually, there's evidence to support that these same stars that have been disappearing aren't even stars. Some have postulated that they are actually completely different galaxies, they just look like stars because of the distances involved."

"Galaxies?" Spike asked.

"Basically, whole systems of stars outside of our own system of stars that are quadrillions of miles away."

Spike quirked an eyebrow at that. "Isn't that like..." He paused. "Err... 16 zeros?" 

"Mhm."

"So wait, whole groups of them are disappearing?"

"I'm not sure. My first thought was that something was simply blocking their light, but what could be blocking the light from those galaxies specifically? They are spaced pretty far apart from our perspective."

Spike shrugged again before letting out a yawn. "Well, if what you're saying about the distances in space being as large as they are is true, whatever it is is probably too far away to worry over."

Twilight rolled her eyes again. "I know that, it's just... interesting."

"Well, don't let it keep you up all night."

"Hey, you're not trying to call me obsessive are you?" Twilight asked in a sarcastic tone.

Spike smirked slightly. "Well at least you're becoming self-aware. Good night, Twilight."

Twilight smiled at that. "Good night, Spike."

With that, Twilight sighed and tilted her telescope downwards. Spike was right, she was spending a bit too much time with this project.  Whatever was causing this most likely wouldn't be bothering Trinity or Equestria. She walked back inside the massive tree that was her home before making her way downstairs to her humble little kitchen. With a small pot she began heating a glass's worth of milk, her ticket to a good night's sleep. 

Her mind soon drifted back to the stars as she did so. If what the astronomers in Canterlot were saying was true, that those very same stars were actually entire galaxies, what could be blocking their light and their light alone? They were spaced too far apart for it to be one object, and if it was one object it would have to be truly massive and outside of their own galaxy as to not block the light from nearer, actual stars. Twilight shivered at the thought of some unknown massive object half the size of their galaxy coming careening in towards them. 

Then her rational side quickly kicked in. It was probably just pony error that was the problem. Or was it? She had seen those galaxies there one night only to see them gone the next, and she was sure she charted them accurately. She even crossed-checked her findings with star charts she had in her own library. Then again, maybe those galaxies weren't actually galaxies or stars, but planets or smaller objects in their own solar system. After all, no direct observations could be had with current technology to make sure. Most of the theories that postulated what objects in the sky were came from tracking their movements, analyzing their light and complex calculations. 

They had discovered a few planets in their solar system already, and observations and calculations had shown that they were actually orbiting their star and not the other way around like with Trinity. However, those planets had different, more sporadic movements compared to the the other pinpoints of light in the sky that were the stars. The five 'galaxies' did not have that, they had been recorded as being in the same position for thousands of years. Besides, the chances of all five of these objects being something then what they had been known as for years was slim.

There was still the possibility that these 'galaxies' were actually just stars, as had always been notioned in the last hundred years. The theory that they were galaxies was still being debated. However, if so, they were still spaced so far apart that if something was blocking their light it would still have to be massive. It would actually be a more rational theory that these stars, galaxies, or planets, whatever they were, were actually removed from the cosmos by something. But all at nearly the same time, and by what? Multiple objects light-years apart simply disappearing in the space of a week due to separate events ... insane.

She then chuckled, a funny thought occurring to her. Perhaps everything Equestria's scientists were saying recently were wrong. Perhaps the stars were just pinpricks of light set up in the sky by Princess Luna and she had simply rearranged the five in question. Or perhaps the Princess had the power to move stars outside their own solar system. Maybe she could even move entire galaxies? No... that was ridiculous. So caught up in thought she was, she barely noticed when steam began rising from her pot. She forgot how quickly time could pass when she was in deep contemplation. Shaking her head in defeat at trying to find an answer to the night's dilemma, she opted to sleep on it and perhaps contact Princess Celestia about the issue in the morning.

She poured her milk into a glass and began sipping on it while making her way up to bed, the feeling of the warm liquid trickling down her throat washing a wave of calm over her. Spike was already fast asleep, and Twilight couldn't help but inwardly coo at how adorable he looked. Sometimes she wished she was like her faithful assistant. It usually took her a good fifteen minutes to fall asleep thanks to all the thoughts that cascaded through her mind. If only she could be more care-free like him, it'd make life so much easier. Perhaps it had something to do with him being practically immortal? Then again, it was her nature that had led her to be one of Celestia's prized pupils, and it had enabled her to lead quite the interesting life so far. 

In just the last year she had been an integral part of things that would be written down and told in History classes from now until the end of Equestria. Nightmare Moon's defeat and the freedom of Princess Luna, an immortal princess she had actually helped with social issues and befriended at a later time. Then there was Discord's narrow defeat, and her brother's wedding, her most recent episode of craziness. She cringed at the memory of her beloved teacher cocooned above the royal ballroom, Changelings swarming the city around them while Queen Chrysalis cackled at her victory. Life certainly was interesting lately, and she wondered what would be in store for her next.



Twilight was in a dream world, reliving the moments before she and her friends had defeated Nightmare Moon. Right when she was about to bring about the finishing blow, a large bang emanated out of nowhere, launching her back into reality. Her eyes flung open and she jolted upwards, quickly glancing out of the window near her bed to see if day had come already. It hadn't, but she noticed lights coming on in nearby houses. Whatever had woken her up had woken them up as well. 

"Uggggh, why am I awake?" Spike complained, rubbing his eyes. He smiled slightly, his voice turning dreamy as he said, "Mmmmm, I had just gotten done eating with Rarity at this fancy restaurant in Canterlot."

"I'm not sure, Spike, but whatever it was didn't just wake us up," Twilight said, pointing a hoof towards the houses nearby. 

"Hey, Twilight!" A voice called from her balcony. She recognized who it was immediately. "Something just crashed into Everfree!"

Groggily, Twilight threw her hooves over the side of her bed and started to stand up. Rainbow Dash made her way inside as she did so.

"I saw it myself!" she said. "Well, barely. It was like two giant metal ovals stitched together. I'm not sure if it started a forest fire but its definitely worth investigating. It could be alien invaders or something!"

"Yeah," Twilight yawned. "Just give me a second." She then quirked an eyebrow, "What were you even doing up this early, anyway?" With that, she realized she didn't even know what hour it was herself. She glanced at the clock near her bed which read 5:00 AM.

The rainbow -maned speedster spread a cocky grin, "Decided to give early-morning workout routines a shot. You have more stamina, ya know? That's when I saw it."

"Two giant ovals?"

"Yeah, I couldn't see many details, but it was huge!" she said, holding two hoofs apart to emphasize a large size. "Like five times the size of your tree-house huge. Flew right over Ponyville and into Everfree." She paused for a second, squinting slightly before saying, "Oh yeah, and there were these.." She paused. "... these jets of flame or something like that coming out of its belly."

"Jets of flame?" Twilight asked, becoming more intrigued by the second.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side, "Any idea what it was?"

Twilight thought for a second before saying, "No clue. I'd say it was probably a meteor or something along those lines."

Rainbow Dash quickly shook her head, "There's no way that thing was a meteor! For one thing, it was coming in way too slow. I'm telling you, it has to be aliens!"

Twilight through her friend a skeptical look. "Rainbow Dash, there's no tangible evidence to suggest life exists on other planets. You've been reading too much of that new Daring Doo novel."

"Ugh,I know what I saw!" Rainbow Dash said, her voice growing increasingly annoyed.

"I dunno Twilight," Spike said."It does sound pretty weird." He paused for a second, "You know, what is it with this town lately? It seems every week there's some crazy event happening."

Twilight shrugged, "Well, we might as well check out what landed in the forest." She smirked slightly, "Don't want to miss a first contact opportunity."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah, you'll see I'm not kidding in a second. And if those aliens mean business, they'd better watch out!" She grinned, flexing one of her foreleg's muscles.

With that, the three made their way out the front door and towards the Everfree Forest. Most of the houses were now dark again, apparently the residents having disregarded whatever woke them up. Despite it being a fairly normal night, a strange smell permeated the air. And to top it all off, high in the sky, a smoke trail was barely visible. Rainbow Dash was quick to point it out.

"See, that's the trail it left!"

"Awww man." Spike said, an excited grin crossing his face, "We're going to meet aliens! We'll be marked down in Equestrian history!"

"Hehehe, that'll be like the fifth time for us." Rainbow Dash said, a grin spreading on her face. 

Twilight rolled her eyes in response. "I will say, the prospect of meeting extraterrestrials is pretty interesting... I kind of hope it is some sort of spaceship."

"Unless meteors are shaped like ovals or the military is experimenting with some strange sort of aircraft, I don't see what else it could be," Rainbow Dash said.

"You're sure it wasn't an Airship? A dragon, maybe?"

The rainbow-haired mare shook her head, "Naw, too fast for that. It didn't look like a dragon, either."

A thought suddenly stopped Twilight in her tracks, causing her friends to do so as well, them throwing her looks of confusion. What if they really were running into a first contact situation? Would she really be able to handle it? If they had the technology to travel between stars, it was likely they'd be peaceful, and the language barrier probably would hinder her ability to screw this up too much. But... but what if she did something offensive by accident? No, they'd probably be more understanding then that.....

Still, it was best not to take any chances.

"Maybe it's best we contact the Princess," Twilight said.

"What?!" Rainbow Dash complained "B-But it might take a half an hour for her to get here! What if the aliens pack up and leave by then? Or... or what if they need help? That crash sounded pretty loud."

Twilight sighed. Her friend did have a point. And here she was thinking there were aliens again. What if she had contacted Princess Celestia and it ended up just being a meteor? Her teacher probably wouldn't be that happy about being dragged away from her slumber for that. No, they'd handle this on their own. 

"Alright," she said. "But if they are aliens, we're going to need to handle this situation delicately. They could think of us as a savage people and react in self-defense if we make any hostile moves."

"I won't throw any punches if they don't," Rainbow Dash said.

A good ten minutes later, they had reached the edge of Everfree Forest, the domain and sanctuary of everything wild in Equestria. Twilight found it funny that extraterrestrials were the least of her worries in that dark abode. Still, she worried for her friend, Zecora. Hopefully whatever it was didn't land anywhere near her. 

"Did I ever tell you guys I really hate going in there?" Spike said, gulping slightly.

"Come on Spike, be a dragon!" Rainbow Dash said, grinning down towards him. Spike threw her a look in response, causing the grin to be replaced by a simpering smile. "Er, sorry, Spike."

Twilight performed a quick spell, causing her horn to begin to glow. She then turned to Rainbow Dash. "Can you fly above the canopy and give us an idea as to where this thing may be?"

Rainbow Dash gave a quick salute before jetting above the tree tops. She scanned about for a moment before pausing, her eyes squinting at something. After a second more, she grinned and flew back down.

"I saw smoke in the distance," she said, landing next to Twilight. She then grinned at her friend, "Rising from a crashed spaceship."

Twilight's eyes flew open wide at that, her mind beginning to race with thoughts. "You could see it? How far away did it look? Are you sure it was a spaceship?" 

"Yes, not too far, and it definitely wasn't an airship or a dragon. It looked intact too," Rainbow Dash said. She gestured for Twilight and Spike to follow. Twilight's mind went wild. This was it. This was going to be first contact with a race from another planet. The question that was raised in her mind ever time she gazed into the infinite abyss could soon be answered with a yes.

They made their into the wilderness, and Twilight was soon reminded of just how dark the Everfree Forest really was. The thick canopy above them blocked all light from the stars and the moon, making her horn's glow her only means to see. Outside of her sphere of light, anything could be watching them from the blackness. Occasionally, she could have sworn she saw glowing eyes staring at them with her peripheral, though they would quickly disappear whenever she looked directly at them. The occasional cries of wild animals didn't help with settling her, some recognizable, some not. 

The deeper they made their way into the forest, the more this unsettling feeling grew. After a time, Twilight was certain they were being watched.

"Everyone, hang on a second," Twilight said, causing the group to pause.

"What's up, Twilight?" Spike asked.

"I'm not sure... just a feeling," she said in a hushed tone, quickly blackening her horn's light. "I don't think we're alone out here."

"You're just being paranoid, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said dismissively. "I know, the forest makes me feel that way, too. Let's just get some light and kee-"

Before she could finish, a loud zapping sound could be heard followed by streak of light that sailed out of the dark. It flew right over the head of Spike, nearly grazing his upper green rims before slamming into a tree. It dug right through its trunk and kept going, leaving nothing but a burning hole in its wake.

"Woah!" Spike cried. 

Rainbow Dash gasped as more zapping sounds could be heard followed by several streaks of light heading right towards the group. She winced as they drew near, closing her eyes and waiting for them to strike. She then heard several loud bangs, and half expected to open her eyes to find parts of her body missing. However, this was not the case. Instead, she found herself inside a pink bubble shield. She looked towards Twilight, who was wincing as she performed the complicated spell. A few more streaks of light struck the shield, followed by more bangs and blinding flashes of light. Twilight then began to sweat, shocking Rainbow Dash. She had never seen Twilight run out of stamina this quickly while performing a spell.

"I c-can't keep this up for long," she gasped. "You guys need to get out of here. I'll distract... whatever these lights are..."

Rainbow Dash threw her the most exasperated expression she could ever muster. "There's no way I'm just going to leave you here!"

"Me neither!" Spike said, his voice filled with determination.

"J-Just go..." Twilight said, her sweat now dripping onto the ground.

"I've got a better idea!" Rainbow Dash said. With that, she grabbed Spike with her wings and threw him onto her back. She then began grabbed an exhausted Twilight with a grunt and struggled to take off. Maybe it was the adrenaline flowing through her, or maybe she had the strength all along, but Rainbow Dash managed to make it into the air. As more of the streaks of light flew into Twilight's shield, she made it above the canopy. She quickly glanced around, panicking, before spotting Ponyville and making her way towards it. 

"H-Hurry Rainbow," Twilight wheezed, her shield continuing to take a pounding. "Can't... can't..."

Rainbow Dash huffed as she drew nearer to Ponyville and after about thirty seconds noticed Twilight's shield was no longer there. She panicked at the sight, but soon calmed when she noticed the lights had stopped attacking them as well. Twilight was out of commission, though. She had passed out from the exertion. 

"What in Trinity were those lights?!" Spike yelled.

"I've never seen anything like them," Rainbow Dash said, her voice then turning to a growl when she added, "They must be the aliens!" She paused again. "And you're pretty heavy for such a small fry, you know that?"

"Sorry, I've been eating too much gems lately," Spike said, embarrassed, before letting out a sigh. "So much for a peaceful first contact." 

"I don't get it... we didn't even do anything!" Rainbow Dash said before narrowing her eyes. "Unless... unless they meant to invade us all along!"

"Then we need to get to the library so I can get a letter to the princess!" Spike announced. "She'll know what to do." His voice was lacking in confidence. "Right?"