//------------------------------//
// Archive Two: Parties, Ponies, Princesses, and Parties 
// Story: Arrow 19: Rescue Mission 
// by Lord King Cocoon 
//------------------------------//

Representative’s Log: Erica Dean
March 21st, 2262 @ 07:42 GMT

When we successfully landed on the surface and got out, we expected a whole new world. We expected to see brightly colored equine-like creatures everywhere. We expected there to be excitement from our arrival. And we even anticipated the possibility of Captain Edwards to be ready to greet us.

Do you know what we didn’t expect? A welcome party. And just to clarify, I don’t mean a group of people… ponies… whatever… there waiting to greet us when we arrived. Though in hindsight, it can be described as that as well. No, this was a literal party! A celebration! With music, games, dancing, food and drinks, the works! And boy can ponies party!

From the point we touched down and got out to long into the night, it was a party. And the odd thing was that when we saw Captain Edwards, he said that he made sure it was a small party. If that was a small party, what were they originally planning?! An entire week-long party?!

Anyway, during that party, I was able to catch a few pony words and their translations. Like the pony words for ‘party’, ‘welcome’, ‘Ponyville’, etcetera, etcetera. There were also four banners. One of them was in English, saying “Welcome to Ponyvile”. I can only assume the other three said the same thing. One of them used English letters, but I assume was in the pony language. And the other two I assume were the English and Pony translations of “Welcome to Ponyville” written in their own lettering. I later found out that the banner was supposed to say “Ponyville”, not “Ponyvile”, but the foals that made the banner didn’t quite know the English spelling.

I gotta give these ponies credit. They make good food. It’s so similar to some of the food back on Earth but different at the same time. Perhaps I’ll run a DNA test on one of those apples some time, as well as do a little translating. Trish had been videotaping some of the party, and I’m sure she got a shot of the banners.

As for the offer that GSA told me, I have not given the offer to Captain Edwards yet. I couldn’t do it during the party because…it was a party. The locals wanted to welcome us, whereas business would be better done in a calmer, more professional environment.

Well, that’s about all I have to say for now.
[ADDITIONAL NOTE]
One last thing. Did you know ponies know how to make prosthetic limbs? Apparently, Captain Edwards was given a pair of prosthetic legs, allowing him to walk again. I noticed that they’re a bit clumsy. But it’s still impressive nonetheless.
[END LOG]





Representative’s Log: Troy Story
March 21st, 2262 @ 08:17 GMT

The first thing I plan on doing today is to test everyone’s blood sugar levels. When the ponies party, they party hard. And as with any party, there were party snacks. And with how many party snacks there were…it’s a good thing there’s a medical officer on this mission that Alec had officially dubbed as “Terra Squad”. I’d criticize him for hacking into the ship’s system, but it was harmless, and quite intuitive on his part. I’m sure the video log will provide the proper details about that.

Potential diabetic concerns aside, let me tell you about how these ponies party. To say it was unexpected would be an understatement…

[LOG SECTION DELETED]

Apparently, Erica had already said just about everything I just said in her own log entry. So it’s best not to waste storage space on what had already been said.

Rambling aside, I’d like to take notice of Alec during that party. He actually handled himself well during that party…for the most part. To be more accurate, he did well for being an introvert. But that pink pony, the hostess of the party, overwhelms him like flipping a switch. He had to get out of the crowd to calm his mind. I kept an eye on him from a distance to make sure something didn’t happen. After all, who knows what will happen here, especially when he becomes unresponsive.

This is where things got interesting. There was this yellow pony who seemed to also take notice of him. She approached him cautiously, almost as if she were afraid of what he may do to her if she got close. She tried poking him a few times, hiding behind a rock each time. When it got through her head that he wasn’t reacting, she became more insistent, knocking him down in the process. When he got back up, this startled her, running to hide again. But just got back into the same position as before as if nothing happened.

I’ve got to give that pony credit for her persistence, even if she seemed a bit timid. I wonder if ponies can sense when something’s wrong. After several minutes of poking him, she got a reaction from him. Nothing special, just him reaching his hand towards her…causing her to run and hide again. It occurs to me that maybe that pony is an introvert like Alec, who also may have needed some time away from the excitement. But I digress. Alec held his hand out, unmoving, before bringing it back to himself. Seeing him back in his closed-off position got the pony’s attention. She moved towards him to try again. He reached out again, which caused her to flinch, but didn’t run. He kept his hand out as if tempting a dog to sniff it. He was letting her come to him. After a few moments, she took his offer and reached her hoof to his hand. That led to them shaking hands…hooves…you get the idea.

To Alec, this was his first contact. A true interaction with a pony who understood him better. Now that he opened up a little, she offered him a half-eaten cupcake, appearing ashamed that she didn’t have a full one to offer. But he smiled and accepted it, splitting it in half so that they could share. At this point, I rejoined the party, since I felt he was in the presence of someone who wanted to make sure he was comfortable.

It was fascinating watching them share this dialogue without uttering a single word. They knew that they couldn’t just talk. In short, actions speak louder than words. It’s something you have to witness for yourself. Unfortunately, Trish didn’t record the event. At least not that I know of.

Well, I guess I’ll finish this off by convincing Alec to give his report. That is if he wakes up sometime in the next five hours. I’m sure GSA doesn’t have to be told again that Alec is not a morning person.
[END LOG]





Representative’s Log: Trisha Powell
March 21st, 2262 @ 09:07 GMT

Good morning GSA! I know the doctor said Alec would make the next log. But we all know he’s not waking up anytime soon. Doc had given me a-

Doc: “So now I have the nickname of ‘Doc’?”
Trish: “What? Don’t you like it?”
Doc: “Just as long as you remember that I do have a real name.”

As I was saying, Doc had given me and Erica diabetes checks. Really? It’s not like one night of binging on sweets is gonna give us diabetes.

Doc: “Well considering that the only one at that party that ate more sweets than you was that pink pony, I think I have reason to be concerned.”
Trish: “I didn’t eat that much.”
Doc: “If I tested your blood and it came up negative, I wouldn’t even have to be worried about testing the rest of us.”
[EDIT: THE NAME ‘TROY’ HAS BEEN CHANGED TO ‘DOC’]

So the Doc does have a sense of humor. Anyway, to describe the party, I’ll just upload the video.

[INITIATING VIDEO FEED]
(Alec) “So do you think GSA will approve of our new title of Terra Squad?”
(Troy) “I don’t think they’ll like that you so easily hacked the system. But the intent was good, so I don’t think they’ll have a reason to deny that title.”
(Trish) “You guys don’t mind that I’m recording, right?”
(Alec) “I’d do it too. It’s not every day you step foot on an alien world. Although I’d be more impressed if this world actually looked alien.

*The hatch to the Blue Pegasus opens*

(Erica) “Well, the gravity on thi-”
(Ponies) “WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!”
(Randy) “Or as they say here, Muhk’yu ot Llive’eenop.”

*Several ponies cringe*

(Twilight) “What he meant to say was Muhkleu ut Lliv’eenwuhp.”
(Trish) “Hey! You’re that pony from that video who manipulates Captain Edwards with cuteness!”

*Twilight laughs awkwardly as she blushes*

(Randy) “This pony who uses cuteness as a weapon is named Twilight Sparkle.”
(Erica) “I remember her from the first video log of the two of you. If I remember correctly, your name in your native tongue is Tyahlya’oot L’krahpss?”
(Twilight) “How did you-”
(Erica) “One of my specialties is translating foreign languages.”

*Erica heads off with Twilight, Alec and Troy follow Randy, a shot of the Welcome banners*

(Pinkie) “Hi! Me Eekneep Yop! What your name?!”
(Trish) “My name’s Trish! I’m here representing the United Kingdom!”

*Pinkie looks confused*

(Trish) “How much of our language do you know?”
(Pinkie) “Uh…”
(Trish) “How much can you talk like us?”
(Pinkie) “Oh! Little! Me have… me have hard big word!”
(Trish) “I…think I understand you.”
(Pinkie) “Cupcake?!”

*Pinkie hands Trish a cupcake, Trish takes the cupcake*

[NEXT SCENE]
[NOTE: Scene includes alien dialogue being externally translated. Translated dialogue will be marked for later reference.]

*Alec and Troy are talking with three fillies*

(Alec) “So Twilight taught you her translation spell?”
(Sweetie Belle) ~“Yep! Pretty neat, huh?”
(Alec) “Yeah, it is!”
(Troy) “So, what do Cutie Mark Crusaders do?”
(Apple Bloom) ~“Originally, we were tryin’ to work together to get our cutie marks. But when we got our marks, we realized that our special talent was to help others with their cutie marks. So we either help other ponies to get their cutie marks, or we help other ponies rediscover what their cutie marks mean.”
(Troy) “That seems like a lot of responsibility for ponies your age.”
(Scootaloo) ~“What’s that supposed to mean?! Are you saying we’re just fillies?!”
(Alec) “We’re not saying you’re just fillies. But you are fillies.”

*Sweetie Belle appears to be strained*

(Apple Bloom) ~“Are you okay, Sweetie Belle? Yer not lookin’ too good.”
(Sweetie Belle) ~“I’m fine. This spell just takes a lot of energy.”
(Troy) “I can imagine. Languages are complex.”
(Alec) “So how did you three get your cutie marks?”
(Scootaloo) ~“Well, it basically happened when we convinced the bully to use her special talent for good.”

*Sweetie Belle passes out*

(Apple Bloom) “Eetyus Lebb! Eenwuhpmuss teg ple’h!”
(Alec) “Uh-oh! Without Sweetie Belle, the translation spell is deactivated!”
(Scootaloo) “Tow? Uth nushialznayrt lepss!”
(Troy) “I think she just over-exerted herself. But I’m not exactly familiar with pony biology.”
(Alec) “I’ll get Twilight! She can also act as a translator!”

*Alec leaves*
…
*Alec returns with Twilight and Erica*

(Twilight) “What happened?!”
(Troy) “I believe Sweetie Belle over-exerted herself trying to use the translation spell. I think she’ll be okay. But I wanted a second opinion.”
(Alec) “And another translator.”

*Twilight’s horn lights up*

(Twilight) “I told Sweetie Belle not to use that spell for too long. She’ll be alright. But she may have a headache when she wakes up. I’ll go get Rarity so she can take her home.”
[END VIDEO FEED]

The rest of the video is basically just more partying. I’ll include the rest if you want to watch it. But I think I got what I wanted in.

Alec: “Is it my turn yet?”
Doc: “It was supposed to be your turn awhile ago.”
Trish: “It looks like the grump is finally awake!”
Alec: “I’m not grumpy. Actually, wasn’t I supposed to make my log before you?”
Doc: “Well, if you had woken up earlier, you would’ve.”

Well, it seems grumpy has woken up. And since-

Alec: “I’m not grumpy!”

-I have nothing more to say, I’ll end my log here and let grumpy make his log.
[EDIT: THE NAME ‘ALEC’ HAS BEEN CHANGED TO ‘GRUMPY’]
[END LOG]





Personal Log: Grumpy
March 21st, 2262 @ 09:41 GMT

Does my log entry say… Damnit, Trish! Now I gotta change that back.
[END LOG]
[EDIT: THE NAME ‘GRUMPY’ HAS BEEN CHANGED TO ‘ALEC’]





Personal Log: Alec Willey
March 21st, 2262 @ 09:43 GMT

There!

Anyway, I know this is supposed to be an official log. But I doubt I have anything else to say about yesterday that the others haven’t already said. Especially considering that Trish had recorded the party on video. Though, it’s impressive how alike their style of partying is to ours. Though in this case, it was like New Years’ in the middle of Time Square.

This is a personal log because it’s just that… personal. Then again, the others did see me and probably documented it anyway. But my point of view is more emotional and can’t be properly described without the emotion.

Let’s just get this out in the open. It’s no question that the GSA knows that I’m an introvert. Unfortunately, the party was hosted by an introvert’s worst nightmare. That pink hostess of the party, I’m not gonna say I hate her. In fact, the party was fun, despite being an introvert. However, that doesn’t change that she is just too hyper! Eventually, it got so intense that I had to get out of there and relax. I was right at the breaking point.

I found a hill that was relatively quiet and away from the party. So I sat there. Can anyone in the GSA understand how frustrating it is to love a party, but can’t partake in it because of having excitement limitations that being introverted places on you? Well, that’s how I felt sitting on that hill. Frustrated because I wanted to go back to the party and have fun, but couldn’t on the account that being introverted wouldn’t allow me to have fun!

But, the point wasn’t the party, the point was on the hill. I say that Troy was keeping an eye on me, but didn’t mind. I don’t like feeling like I’m a special case. But it’s Troy’s job. And I did go off on my own in an unfamiliar planet… heh… I call it “unfamiliar” even though the terrain of this planet is so earth-like. But I digress.

While I was sitting on that hill, a timid yellow pegasus slowly came up to me. The best way to describe her was like a deer that was curious about something but was ready to bolt at the slightest sign of movement. In fact, I could describe it as worse. She came up and touched me to get my attention, and she ran and hid behind a rock, and I didn’t even move. I was still in my “recovery mode”, so I wasn’t gonna respond to her. She tried this a few times. Eventually, it came down to her using more force, which knocked me over. And just like a deer, the slightest sign of movement, in this case, me getting up, caused her to run.

For how timid that pony was, I gotta give her credit for how determined she was. After more poking, I finally got to reach out to her. And guess what happened? She hid. I was still relatively unresponsive, so it took a while for my hand to listen to my brain and return to its base position. I honestly was enjoying her company though, even if she ran and hid if one of my arm hairs moved. I was disappointed that she had run from me. But thankfully I hadn’t chased her away. She made another attempt to approach me. I held out my hand again, trying not to make the movement as sudden as before. She flinched but did not run.

It then occurred to me that I didn’t even know what I was doing. My logic was that of interacting with an animal, reaching out to pet her the first time, then reaching out to let her sniff my hand like a dog getting my scent the second time. To my relief, that being after an awkward pause, she reached her hoof out to shake my hand. Thankfully, they do that too. It makes my gesture less awkward. And I’m probably not gonna tell that pony anytime soon that I was originally attempting to treat her like an animal.

Now, it’s not like I wasn’t interacting with others during the party. But that was more about the Terra Squad interacting with the landing party. This however was a personal one on one interaction. I wouldn’t call it a “first contact” per se. But it was my first personal experience here. My “first contact” would’ve been with that pink pony. Emphasis on the word “contact”. I think she’s considered alien even among her own kind. But I digress.

After that was out of the way, the pegasus offered me a cupcake. I noticed that she seemed ashamed about it for some reason. I then took another look at the cupcake and saw that it was already half-eaten. I didn’t want her to think I was unappreciative though. So I took the half-eaten cupcake and split it in half, giving one half to her so we could share it. She seemed to like this gesture and truly opened up to me. Well, as open as one can be when there’s a language barrier. My point is that we were both aware of the language barrier, so we didn’t even try to speak verbally. She seemed to be the quiet type anyway.

At this point, I was no longer in my “recovery mode”. But with that pegasus there, I had no desire to rejoin the party. We were just content to watch the festivities from where we were. The village was beautiful when viewed at a distance when it’s lit up like that at night. And comparing it to the starry night sky created a nice contrast. An active and bright town set against a calm and quiet night sky. People today don’t seem to have that respect for that kind of beauty that they used to. With how our world has become as industrialized as it now is, there seems to be a larger desire to create larger and more fantastic structures than to go out into a forest and see the beauty that exists in nature itself.
[END LOG]