Stars filled Luna's sky. Each of them formed an integral part of a network that spanned light years. Little did the inhabitants on the surface know of the true vastness of their universe. A crisp breeze wafted through the rolling hills of the land just outside Ponyville. Crickets can be heard chirping amongst the rustling leaves of numerous trees. The rushing stream curves its way around the land, accentuating the lush grasslands' figure and color. Of the few creatures who were still up at this hour were a creme-colored earth pony and her marefriend: a mint-colored unicorn.
"Can we go home now, Lyra?" The creme one spoke up.
"But I'm so close! I know it landed somewhere around here!" replied the mint.
"Why do you even care so much, anyway? It's not like you're the only one searching for it. I am sure there is some much more qualified group that has been dispatched by-" Bonbon's attention was directed to the now crouched Lyra who appeared to be sniffing the ground. "What are you doing now?" asked the defeated Bonbon.
"I KNEW it!" exclaimed Lyra, much to Bonbon's chagrin. Several nights ago, a meteor could be seen rocketing through our atmosphere. Officials claimed it was nothing but a freak occurrence; an asteroid that had been knocked off of its course. I personally found it funny how none of the royal astronomers, or even Princess Twilight, had seen it coming. But, of course, outside our planet was a deadly void and if we couldn't traverse it with magic, then I find it rather difficult to believe that anything else could. That was where Lyra came in. She always had a fascination in myths; so much so that she decided to major in mythological studies in college. This, sadly, made me the only money-maker of the household. I mean, seriously. What kind of job did she hope to get with a major in a dead subject in the most literal sense? Even though she pulled in chump change from her street performances, I still love her. This meteor, she said, was her "big break." According to her, millennia ago, humans and ponies coexisted, the humans giving us technology while we provided hard labor that they were incapable of doing. This was a thriving relationship until one day, the humans grew greedy. They began to condone pony slavery as they kept their technological advancements to themselves. Eventually, however, the gods grew dissatisfied with human behavior. They gave us powers beyond our wildest imaginations: magic. They destroyed humanity's library of knowledge in what is now northeast Zebrica. They then separated our worlds by great distances in order to prevent us ever reaching each other. Now, however, Lyra claimed that the meteor was not just a meteor but a sign of the humans. How she arrived at this conclusion? Humans = technological whizzes and tech = the ability to do anything. How do I know all of this? You try spending three years with a mare that begins ranting about mythology when you ask her for a bit of pleasure as opposed to simply stating that she is tired and not become a fellow expert on pointless information. Not that she ever is. Evidently considering that it is 11:34 pm and she is behaving like a diamond dog.
"That is the scent of burnt metal! This was no meteorite!" Lyra exclaimed as she began to giggle with slight hysteria. "To the Night Court!"
"Oh, dear..."
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Luna's moon shone light through the regal stained glass depicting the three princesses residing in Canterlot. The Lunar Guard patrolled the halls in front of the throne room. The musty smell of antique carpet was heavily present and the only noise that could be heard was that of the crickets. That is until Lyra landed just in front of the castle entrance with a thump as Bonbon struggles to keep up with panting and sloppily galloping. I guess this is what I get for making pastries for a living. she thought. Together, they began their trek towards the throne room. "Do I really have to embarrass myself with you?" queried Bonbon.
"Of course! That's what relationship is all about. facing the unknown head-on and together!" replied Lyra.
"Not when the unknown is absolutely impossible..." Bonbon cautiously muttered. The guards stepped aside when they recognized who the two approaching mares were and allowed them to make their way into the throne room. There, sat upon her marble throne, was Princess Luna. In front of her, were anywhere between 15-20 ponies all waiting to voice their opinions to the princess. The two ponies waited for their way through the line and bowed before the ruler. "Welcome, my little ponies. We are happy to listen to thy thoughts." regally stated the diarch. "What has you troubled?"
"Hi, Princess Luna- er... I mean, your Highness. I was wondering if you were aware of the meteorite that crashed down outside of Ponyville but, somehow, could not be found." Lyra sheepishly sputtered out.
"Of course, and I assure you that we have taken every measure-"
"It was built by humans." interrupted Lyra.
"I beg your pardon?" Luna star, head tilted.
"I smelled metal near the supposed crash site. Burnt metal. That means that the object is artificial in origin." Lyra stated, adopting a teacher-esque demeanor. "It is rumored that the humans grew too technologically advanced and greedy to coexist with us. And-" Lyra paused as she noticed a smirk grow on Luna's face. "Your Highness? Is there something I am missing?"
"I apologize, my little pony, but you realize that it is entirely possible that meteorites be comprised of materials found on our planet, do you not? I mean not to embarrass you but I believe assuming that a myth is responsible for the construction of an object from space. I am sure you have many concerns regarding this object of technically extraterrestrial origin but I assure you that the likelihood of this object being created by "humans" is remarkably low. If it puts your qualms to rest, then I will make note of this and dispatch a small search party tomorrow who will attempt to try and catch anything the pegasus fly-by did not. I wish I had more time to converse but, if you will take a look behind you, you will see that there are more pressing issues to tend to." Luna started with a bit of a patronizing tone. Lyra knew she cared about her subjects but having the subject of her life's studies be denied in a matter of seconds for its impossibility stung. She was not done.
Huffing, Lyra stomped out of the throne room as the pony behind her stepped up to take her place. Bonbon quickly followed, eager to leave the tense atmosphere of the throne room.
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The walk home was quiet. Bonbon was worried that she would agitate the short-fused bomb that Lyra currently was if she attempted to console her regarding the interaction with Princess Luna. Soon, however, it seemed that she would not need to as Lyra, she noticed, had a considerable grin on her face.
"I know what I am going to do, Bonbon." Lyra finally stated. Uh oh, nevermind. thought Bonbon. "I am going to go home and get a good night's sleep and reconsider my options in the morning!" Lyra chirped. Suspicious. But, Bonbon was too tired to do anything about it. With a nod, she made her way to the bedroom and flopped onto the bed. Lyra's grin grew wider. ONly slightly faster than a slug, she worked her way back towards the entrance of the house and creaked open the door, her ears painfully reacting to the obnoxious creaking noise it generated. checking one last time to ensure than Bonbon had not awoken, she glided out and shut the door just as slowly as it had opened.
On her way back to the crash site, Lyra began to question the logic of this whole situation. A potentially dangerous object has crashed outside one of Equestria's main population centers and all she sends is a pegasus fly-by? Something seems a little suspicious here. But that doesn't matter. I am going to get to the bottom of this myself. As the lights of Ponyville become smaller and smaller behind me, the only things around me are swathes of grass, the sounds of the wind rustling the trees, and... beeping? To her left, Lyra heard a very faint electronic noise. The only machines that could produce any noise like this, let alone at this distance considering she could not identify the source, were kept locked up in the science institute in Canterlot. Lyra had a decent relationship with Dr. Cutting Edge who was spearheading all sorts of technological breakthroughs such as the telegraph, which allowed instantaneous communication between two locations as far as 1000 feet away without magic! Even then, the technology was highly experimental and how anything like it could be sitting all the way out here was beyond her. As she approached the source of the noise, she still saw nothing. It was as if there was some sort of cloaking magic in action.
She started swiping her hoof around aimlessly, hoping to hit something. After two minutes, the beeping was becoming rather incessant. Her swings became more aggressive and frequent. "Aw, buck it!" she yelled as she leaped into the air in frustration and flailed, using her magic to sloppily but aggressively toss rocks and twigs everywhere. Much to her surprise, she ended up headbutting a very hard metal pole and fell onto the grass below her. Looking up she could not believe what she saw. The seemingly empty space flickered as it was replaced by what could only be described as alien. A tapering metallic structure with glowing red accents that traveled up the structure vertically and occasionally sloping at a 45-degree angle. Standing at roughly 5 hooves tall, it seemed to be teeming with energy but was not natural. It was rooted into the ground as the soil surrounding it seemed to be dug up. Regardless of all of its splendor, there was a noticeable dent in its side and yellow flints like that of a flame spraying out of it. Its beeping had slowed in frequency until it had stopped and the humming of its mysterious internal components as died down. What was this metallic statue and what had she done?
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"Sir, garden world probe A-060 has stopped transmitting."
"What? Pull up its black box."
"Yes, sir." The holoscreen of the command center displayed a mint-colored horse with a glowing horn ravaging her surroundings before she impacted the camera and the screen displayed "Uplink lost."
"Contact high command. Tell them the Alpha Equinus system's species shows signs of precursor activity." the comms officer stared speechless at her superior. "Did you not hear me, officer?"
"R-right away, sir, sorry, sir." the comms operator immediately complied.
"Also, tell them we just won the war." The superior stated as he stared at the looping footage of the unicorn on screen.