//------------------------------// // To the Stars // Story: Aliens in Equestria, Part II // by knightcommander //------------------------------// ALIENS IN EQUESTRIA, PART II A fanfiction by Knightcommander Chapter One: To the Stars The air was cool, and the sounds of the night were beginning to emerge from their daytime slumber as the sun dipped below the horizon, bathing the land on a lovely pink glow. The lights of the distant city of Canterlot, nestled into the side of a mountain and still gleaming white amidst the darkening sky, twinkled in the twilight that signaled the approach of night. The last bit of sunlight escaping over the horizon from the setting sun reflected off the golden domes of the towers, giving the city an almost heavenly appearance. It was one that made the two lonely figures who observed the city from the banks overlooking a dirt road a far distance from Canterlot wish that they could be there to see it in person. One of the figures, dressed in green forest camouflage accented by long patches meant to resemble local vegetation, shifted around in order to ward off numbness in her legs. She had been sitting there for nearly the whole day, observing the city, and her body was now stiff and her joints screamed in protest whenever she moved, but Lieutenant Da'ri Kil'karin didn't care. This was an important mission, and she was determined to see the whole thing through, no matter how much discomfort it caused her. A relative newcomer to the Altarian Republic Navy, she was still somewhat green when it came to spaceflight, but she excelled in her chosen field, which was exobiology and planetary survey. She possessed a rigorous attention to detail that served her well on several expeditions, including this one. She made it a point to catalog nearly everything she observed while exploring a new planet, and such was the eager curiosity her species possessed that endeavored to learn everything she could about it. Now she found herself on a planet they was officially called A-14468 by the Navy, but she had taken to calling "Equestria" after the name of the largest apparent country on the planet. "Hey Lieutenant, how much longer are we gonna be down here?" A male voice off to her right asked. She turned slightly to see her young compatriot, Ensign Jor Da'ri, shifting about uncomfortably. This was his first Discovery Service expedition, having previously served on a starbase in the middle of Republic space before being assigned to the RNS Observer, and as such he was not used to such rigorous fieldwork. But, the captain had insisted he go with her this time, to gain "useful experience" as he called it. "We're not due back up until 2100." She said. "Keep your pants on." Jor shifted again, trying to get comfortable, which wasn't forthcoming. "What are we looking for again?" He asked. "All I heard was someone talking about a launch." "Exactly." Da'ri said. "Our observations have led us to believe that this species has now developed the capacity for spaceflight." She said. "What exactly they plan on shooting up remains to be seen, and we're going to be the ones that see it." She said. "Wouldn't the high ground be a better option than this?" He asked. She nodded. "But we're not going there yet." She said. "We're supposed to be looking out someone in particular." She said. "Now keep your eyes peeled and stay quiet." She ordered. He opened his mouth to ask who they were looking for, but stopped himself and turned his attention back to the road. He had a feeling she would know. They stayed there for what seemed like hours, until Da'ri's sensitive ears picked up something coming up the road. It sounded like laughing and giggling. She turned to see a group of five Equestrians coming up the road. She pressed a small button on the side of what appeared to be thin goggles she wore, activating a device which brought up a holographic display and zoomed in on the group. They were all female, and consisted of two pegasi, two earth ponies and one unicorn. The two earth ponies were at the front of the group. One was pink with a curly mane and a happy expression on her face as she bounced along, singing some kind of merry song. The other was orange with a straw yellow mane and green eyes that radiated warmth and approachibility. Curiously, she wore what appeared to be a Stetson hat on her head. Perhaps the most striking of them was a the cyan pegasus, who's mane bore all seven colors of the rainbow, along with her tail. She hovered over the group, apparently preferring to fly rather than walk. She was laughing at a yellow pegasus with a long, flowing pink mane, who apparently had said something funny but was completely oblivious to it. Finally, a white unicorn brought up the rear, dressed in a pink cape-like garment with a heart-shaped gem as it's centerpiece, her own purple mane decorated with several gold and jeweled hairpins. "Stay quiet." She said to her companion. "Let them pass, hit the cloak if you need it." She said. Ensign Las'ri nodded and stayed as still as he possibly could as the collection of Equestrians passed by them, quietly observing them as they headed toward the city, unseen by the happy ponies as they passed by out of sight. *** Canterlot, as it turned out, was more than just the city in the mountain. It was two cities in one. At the base of the mountain sat a fortified city populated mostly by working ponies, the everyday laborers and small business owners that kept the economy of Equestria running. Most of their homes were simple, and they wouldn't have it any other way. Despite it's large size, the ponies that lived their made it a point to get to know their neighbors and live in peace with each other. Indeed, it's crime rate was the lowest in Equestria, even lower than the upper city. It wasn't unusual to have many ponies from cities like Fillydelphia and Manehattan move to the lower city of Canterlot to escape the crime that often reared it's ugly heads in those cities. Rarity had never been to the lower city during her various travels to Canterlot, but she had heard of some of her fashions being sold in haberdashers located in the lower city's Old Quarter, something that secretly pleased her. Though she thought of herself as a lady of quality (and indeed many would say she was), she was no elitist, considering such behavior to be uncouth. She had hoped that her designs would catch on with everyone in Equestria, and indeed it appeared that they did. Such a thought filled the generous pony with joy, in addition to being a great boon for her business. From where they stood, awaiting the gates of the upper city to be opened, the lower city looked even larger than it normally did, it's sprawl normally hidden behind the fortified walls that had protected the city for centuries. The gleaming white stones stood in stark contrast to the simple brick and alabaster buildings that made up the majority of the city, with only a white city hall being made in the same material as the upper city, it's own gold towers gleaming. And they said such places couldn't be beautiful, she thought. "Come on, Rarity!" Her friend, the cyan pegasus Rainbow Dash, called. "They're opening the gate, let's go!" She turned to her longtime friend. "Coming!" She called musically, following the rest of her friends; Applejack, the orange farm mare; Fluttershy, the timid yellow pegasus that cared for animals; and Pinkie Pie, the eternally happy and bouncy earth pony who was not complete without throwing at least one party a week, it seemed. The five of them had been summoned to Canterlot by a letter from the sixth member of their circle of friends, the purple unicorn Twilight Sparkle, who had been in Canterlot for almost a year, working on something, something she called "spectacular", and said simply would "blow all of their minds". The five made the trip all the way from Ponyville to Canterlot, eager to see just what she had been up to for so long. *** The central palace of the royal sisters was the scene of much hustle and bustle; a casual observer would think that some sort of huge celebration was about to get started, and if you thought that, you'd be half right. There was something big scheduled for today, and it warranted the biggest party Canterlot could put on. But that could wait. Right now, all that was on the mind of Twilight Sparkle was getting ready for the biggest event of her life. It had taken her over a year of countless days of work, and many hours of frustration, and countless failed attempts, but she had finally made a breakthrough, and now, she wanted to share it with her closest friends. She paced about the grand entrance hall, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her friends. She had sent the letters out asking them to come two days ago, and they were due to arrive any minute. She could hardly contain her excitement at sharing her breakthrough with them. She was on the verge of exploding when a guard came into view. "Miss Sparkle." He said. "You have visitors." Twilight squealed. "Send them in!" She cheered. The guard pony bowed respectively before opening the doors, allowing her chattering friends to enter the hall. Twilight ran over and embraced the first one she could reach, which turned out to be Applejack. "Off!" She grunted as her vision was suddenly filled with Twilight's purple and pink mane. "Well landsakes, we're happy to see you too, Twi." She said. "But what's got you so happy?" "And more importantly, what made you disappear from Ponyville for nearly a year?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Yeah, it just wasn't the same without you at my parties." Pinkie said. Twilight giggled. "Sorry girls, I'm just so happy. I've done it!" She squealed, hopping up and down so much it was as though she switched bodies with Pinkie Pie. "Done what?" Rarity asked. "Don't keep us in suspense, darling, tell us!" "Better yet, I'll show you!" Twilight squealed. "Follow me." She took off running, with the rest of the gang in hot pursuit, wondering just what it was that Twilight had done that made her so happy. *** The two Altarians had finally left their hiding spot along the side of the road and moved to some high ground overlooking the city itself. Las'ri began to set up their observation equipment, a device which resembled a high-tech telescope, and linked it with a holocomputer, it's display flashing on in a burst of bluish-green light. The computer contained an archive of everything that had been discovered on their surveys of the planet, which would assist them in identifying flora and fauna that they observed. Las'ri pointed it at some ponies shopping in the lower city to test it out. He peered through the scope's sight and watched as the computer identified what he saw; female unicorn-type Equestrians. "Gear's working." He said. "What now, ma'am?" He asked Lt. Kil'karin. "Take a peek at the upper city." She said. "See if you see anything." He turned the scope up the highest tower of the upper city. "Nothing yet." He said. Then,he saw something emerge from the tower. It was an Equestrian, but unlike any of the other types. This one was taller, more horse-like, and had both wings and a unicorn horn. Her coat was midnight blue, and interestingly, her mane appeared to flow in an unseen wind, and was nearly transparent, as though made of the night sky itself. Though he couldn't quite make it out, she was wearing what appeared to be a small crown made of a dark colored material, which matched her collar-like necklace, which itself was emblazoned with a pearl moon. The computer locked on to the pony and quickly had her identified. "Princess Luna." He read, from the display. "Pegacorn type." "And one of two ruling monarchs." Kil'karin said. As she spoke, another pegacorn appeared, this one taller than the other, and colored a brilliant pearl white. Her own flowing mane was colored in a pastel rainbow of pink, blue and what looked like some sort of soft green. Her crown bore a purple gem set in gold, which perfectly matched her own necklace "And that one is her sister, Princess Celestia." "Nice names." He said, as the taller one approached the other and they began to converse. *** "Luna?" Princess Celestia said, approaching her sister, who stood looking out across the lower city, watching her subjects go about their business. She turned she heard her sister speaking to her. "Yes, Tia?" She asked. "Twilight's friends are here." She answered. "It's almost time." Luna began to smile widely at this. "Wonderful!" She said. "All our hard work is about to pay off." Celestia smiled as her sister accompanied her back inside to go greet the Elements. *** The palace staff gawked as a giggling Twilight, doing her best impression of little filly, hopped down the corridors of the sprawling palace complex, her friends in tow. All of them were wondering would could possibly have their friend so excited. Rainbow Dash jokingly suggested that she might have found an awesome new book, but even that couldn't be it. Twilight took reading far too seriously for that to be the cause. Twilight was so excited and cheerful that she failed to notice that anyone was in front of her, and only realized it when her vision was suddenly filled with midnight blue as she crashed right into them. "Oof!" The two mares grunted as they collided, sending them both to the floor with the clanging of metal of some kind. Her friend's gasped and rushed over to help as Twilight pulled herself up, to be greeted by a giggling voice, and a familiar one at that. "Oh my gosh!" She cried. "Princess Celestia!" The sun princess snickered at the sight before her. Luna was shaking her head, trying to get the dizzyness to go away. She picked up her crown and placed it on her head, which would explain the noise. "Ooops." Twilight said nervously. Luna only smiled as she got up. "No harm done." She said. "Is everyone here?" She asked. Twilight, excited once more, nodded. "Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!" She said, bouncing up and down like.... well, Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash laughed. "Are you sure you didn't screw up a spell?" She asked. "Cuz I think you and Pinks switched brains." Pinkie Pie giggled and snorted. The princesses grinned. "Twilight, care to lead the way?" Celestia asked. She squealed. "This way everypony!" She said, taking off like a rocket. Everyone else laughed at her exuberance and followed her. *** "Here it is!" She squealed. They had been light into the mountain, into some kind of research laboratory. The setup looked almost like something out of a science fiction novel. Computers and displays lined he entire room, with a few ponies in lab coats working, either checking information or furiously typing on keys, sipping cups of coffee in the process. A large window looked down into what appeared to be a hanger, with a large object covered in tarp sitting in the middle of it. A long metal rail of sorts ran down the length of the hanger, as far as they could see. Rainbow Dash as the first to pick up on it. "Is that a plane of some kind?" She asked. "Is that what you were working on?" "Close!" Twilight squealed. She pressed a button on the intercom system. "You can take the tarp off now!" She said cheerfully. At once the tarp was removed, and they all gazed at the craft that emerged. The craft was triangular in shape, but with rounded edges. It was almost like a flying wing in shape. The only visible fins were the tail fins; the wing shape would serve as both a wing and a vertical stabilizer. They couldn't seen any engines or windows from their vantage point, but they could see panels on the side that appeared to contain something. Twilight beamed at them with stars in her eyes. "Well?" She asked, practically squeeing. "Oh, it's great." Applejack said, though clearly confused. "Wonderful." Rarity said, with her best smile. "It looks like... fun?" Pinkie Pie said, not sure how to comprehend the object in front of her. "It's... nice." Fluttershy said. Twilight looked a little crestfallen. She thought her friends would like seeing what she had been working on. "But... don't you like it?" She asked. The others looked at her with looks of confusion, which only made her feel more disappointed, until Rainbow Dash spoke up. "It's awesome!" She shouted, flying over to the window for a better look. "That's the coolest looking plane I've ever seen. Did you design this?" She asked. Twilight smiled again. "Well actually, no." She said. "But I did add something to it." She hopped over to a computer and pulled up a blue print of the craft, pointing out what looked like two large engine nacelles hidden in the sides "This is what I've been working on. This things are the key to sending this baby past the speed of... light!" She said, pausing for dramatic effect. "Faster than the speed of light?" Applejack asked, astounded. "You mean, you actually figure out how to do it?" Twilight nodded, giddy as a school girl. "But how?" Fluttershy asked. Rarity turned to the princesses. "Beg pardon, your majesties," she said, "but would it be alright if we talked with Twilight in private for just a bit?" She asked. The princesses were confused for a second, but they nodded and left the room for a bit. Rarity turned to Twilight. "Twilight my dear." She said. "Is this all... I mean does it have anything to do with... them?" She asked. Twilight looked at her, confused. "Who?" She asked. Rarity moved in closer. "Them." She said. "The... guests we recently hosted." She said. It now dawned on Twilight. "Yes." She said with a smile. "I was intrigued ever since I saw their ship take off from orbit, so I spent the longest time trying to figure out how it worked." She said. "It took me months of research and brainstorming, until I realized the answer was in front of me the whole time." She said. "Which was?" Rainbow asked. "Warp." She said. "I remember that they called their device a 'warp drive'. Then it hit me. The device literally warps space itself." "What in the hay does that mean?" AJ asked. "It's like this." Twilight said, bringing up something on the computer. "You see, the laws of physics prohibit an object by itself from accelerating to light speed." She explained. A little ship on the monitor began to move. "The closer an object gets to light speed, the more massive it gets." The ship on the screen began to grow. "Until, it becomes infinitely massive." The ship grew to fill the entire screen. "I think I see what you're getting at." Rainbow Dash said. "Physics says an object can't go that fast, but it doesn't say space itself can't go that fast." "Correct." Twilight said, grinning, pleased that her friend was able to figure it out. She punched a few keys on the computer, bringing up another image of a ship. "If you can create a bubble of energy around the ship, and it's strong enough, you can bend space around the ship, which acts like a wave, carrying it through space." She said. "And getting around the laws of physics." Applejack said. "And you made it work?" Rainbow Dash asked. "How?" "Guess." Twilight said, her most comical grin on her face. Pinkie Pie was the first to guess. "Magic!" She squealed, jumping up in the air as if to emphasize her point. Twilight smiled. "Yep!" She said. "Princess Luna and I have been working on a spell that will allow us to bend space." Shes said. She went back to the blueprint of the ship, pointing out the nacelles. "We discovered a crystal that can channel the magic to these nacelles and generate the bubble." She said. "And zam! We're off." She said, her eyes shining with proud in her accomplishment. The others finally got some of the excitement she felt. This was really an amazing accomplishment; not only was their best friend about to do something amazing that would put Equestria on the map... but they might someday be able to visit those who had come to visit them. "Who's gonna fly this crazy contraption?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's the beauty of it." A voice behind them said. They turned to see Princess Luna had re-entered the room. "I will be piloting the ship." Rarity gasped. "B-b-but your majesty." She said. "Isn't that a little... dangerous?" She asked. Luna scoffed. "Nonsense, I'll be perfectly safe." She said. "I have every confidence in this design and it's success. She looked at Twilight, with an expression that looked like a hint of pride to the others. Twilight felt a small measure of pride in herself to know that the princess, indeed both of them, had such high confidence in her. She felt, at that moment, that there was nothing that could possibly go wrong. *** That evening, once Luna had done her duty in raising the moon, Pinkie Pie insisted on throwing a party to celebrate the upcoming launch and test of Twilight's ship. As much as Rainbow and Applejack tried to convince her that she should wait until after the launch and test were successful, lest everyone experience party burnout, she was quite insistent. "It's never too early for a party!" She argued, bouncing up and down like a yo-yo. They finally gave up and allowed her to have her fun, though they did manage to convince her to save the big theatrics for the successful launch. True to form, she prepared one of her trademark crazy Pinkie Pie style parties, though noticeably more low key than previous ones. The music was upbeat dance music by several of her favorite artists, and the spread was, well, typical, featuring cupcakes and key lime pie and candy and all other manner of sweets. To their surprise, the princesses offered to join them, and Twilight was surprised to see how good of a dancer Celestia turned out to be. It wasn't often that she had see Celestia acting like just another pony, and it was comforting to know that she was, her title not withstanding. The party lasted until past midnight, when everyone, stuffed with tasty food and their spirits lifted by the music and dancing, finally shuffled off to bed. Luna had left earlier that evening, since she was due to fly the ship in the morning and needed to be rested and ready to go. Celestia bid Twilight and her friends a fond goodnight and thanked them for a wonderful evening. Slowly, the girls said their goodnights and shuffed tiredly off to bed, with the exception of Pinkie Pie, who seemed to never run out of energy. Twilight brushed her teeth and flossed before turning in for the night, settling into the bed in the guest room she had been provided, and that had been her second home for nearly an entire year. Despite her excitement, she fell asleep almost immediately, thoughts of the big morning ahead lingering in her mind as she drifted off. *** "Ensign, wake up." Kil'karin's voice rang out in Da'ri's ears. He groaned. "What's the rush?" He asked. He regretted that when he felt the lieutenant's boot jab him in the back. "Ow!" "Wake up." She said sternly. "It's your watch now." He sighed and crawled out of his sleeping bag, looking around the small tent that he had set up. He slipped something on to his finger and thumb and flicked them, bringing up a holographic display. His Personal Input Device, or PID, essentially a mini holocomputer, sure enough told him that it was five in the morning, Altarian time, and it was time for his watch. He quickly dressed himself in his excursion uniform, cleaned himself up as best he could, and then shuffled out of the tent. Despite the early hour, the sun was beginning to poke over the horizon. "Sunrise is early on this planet." He said. "Actually, it's almost eight in the morning, local time." Kil'karin said, handing him a cup of ras'jil, a particularly strong Altarian drink similar to coffee. He took it gratefully and took a sip, testing it. Not too hot, just right. He took a big swig and walked back over to the device they had set up the night before. "What have we got?" "I sent some sparrows flying over the city." She said, referring to small, flying devices packed with sensor equipment that were used to explore populated areas without being detected. "They picked up something interesting." "An Equestrian making his breakfast?" He asked, with a joking grin. She rolled her eyes. "Get serious, ensign." She said. "They picked up massive power readings in the mountain itself. And yes, you heard that correctly, in, as in inside. "Like a base?" He asked. "What for?" "That's your job to find out." She said. "Keep an eye on the mountainside, and report anything strange." She said. He nodded and continued to sip his ras'jil as the lieutenant slinked off to sleep. Not that she needed it; he swore she could last a week on only an hour's sleep. He trained the device on the mountain and began his long watch, hoping for some kind of action. *** Twilight, true to her nature, was up bright and early the next morning, just as Princess Celestia was raising the sun to bring about the first light of the new day. Even at this early hour, she could hardly contain her giddiness. It was the big day, the day when all her hard work, and the hard work of so many others, would be put to the test. She could hardly contain herself as she walked the corridors, making sure to greet the palace staff and guards as she passed them. When she finally reached her friend's quarters, she rapped on each door, being greeted by a sleepy, bleary-eyed pony. A cheerful smile and the promise of hot coffee and delicious breakfast prevented any of them from feeling too bad at being woken up so early, though Rainbow Dash did grumble about not getting the chance to do her morning exercises. Princess Celestia, fresh from raising the sun, offered to join them, an offer which was readily accepted. "So, what's on the menu." Applejack asked. "I've instructed the chefs to prepare something to suit each of your tastes." She said. "I hope they did alright." Rainbow Dash took a whiff of the air as they approached the kitchen, the smell of food wafting into her nostrils. "Sure smells like it." She said with a grin as they entered the main dining room. Luna was already there, levitating a kettle and several mugs. "Coffee, anyone?" She asked. "Please." Applejack and Twilight said at the same time. "Sure." Dash said. "Been a while since I had a good cup of joe." "With cream and sugar, if you have it." Rarity said. "I'll have the same, please." Fluttershy said. She wasn't much of a coffee drinker, preferring tea, but she would make exceptions. "No thanks, makes me jumpy." Pinkie Pie said. Dash looked at her with an utterly incredulous look. "You mean you're not jumpy now?" She asked. "What would happen if you did drink the stuff?" Pinkie Pie giggled. "I'd bring the house down, literally." She said. Everyone laughed at that, Luna nearly dropping the coffee. Once everyone settled down, she mixed two cups with cream and sugar after pouring them, and then levitated the mugs over to each of them. Twilight took a sip of hers, reveling in the taste. It had been a while, and she had forgotten just how good the fine coffee served in the palace's kitchens could taste. The coffee revitalized the tired ponies, who quickly got to talking about Luna's upcoming mission. The princess' faith in Twilight's design was apparent in her utter lack of nerves. Indeed, the only thing she seemed concerned about was throwing up in the way into space, which everyone assured would not happen provided she didn't eat too much breakfast. Breakfast that morning consisted of pancakes, eggs and french toast, along with a large serving of wheat bread toast and zap apple jam straight from Sweet Apple Acres, which pleased Applejack to no end. Fluttershy, ever the one to enjoy a sweet tasting breakfast, took a good helping of the toast, though being sure to leave plenty for everyone else. Luna elected to eat light, opting for toast with the zap apple jam, which she declared to be the delicious jam she had ever tasted. Rarity helped herself to some eggs, accentuating them with parsley and a dash of salt and pepper. Rainbow and Applejack, suddenly famished, took two rather large stacks of pancakes, much to the princesses' amusement. No sooner was breakfast finished then Luna had to suit up for her mission. The gang joined her in the small preparation room where a pony-shaped spacesuit had been laid out, the various hoses and gear needed to provide her with oxygen during her ascent spread out on a table. Luna herself sat down on a nearby stool, while technicians attached sensors to monitor her vitals while in flight. Twilight was beaming. Not much longer now, and it would be happening, everything she had worked so hard for. "Feeling rested and ready, sister?" Celestia asked. Luna nodded, her starry mane tied up in a bun to fit inside the suit's helmet. "Surprisingly good." She said. "Considering I'm about to be hurtled along a metal track and shot into orbit." She said. She smiled. "It'll be nice to see the stars from space, and the moon." She said with an honest smile. Twilight smiled. "Thank you so much for all you help." She said. "I couldn't have done this without you." Luna smiled at her. "It was nothing, dear Twilight." She said. Some technicians helped Luna into her space suit, zipping zippers and sealing all the airtight seals, and finally attaching her air supply and pressurizing the suit. Luna looked a bit uncomfortable. "Do you need more air, your majesty?" A technician asked. She took a couple of breaths to be sure, and being able to breathe just fine, she shook her head, before smiling at them from behind her helmet. Her communication line was switched on, and escorted by her sister, Twilight and her friends, she was led out to the launch area. Not surprisingly, a large number of reporters from media outlets all over Equestria gathered to film her. It wasn't often that their own leader took the big leap into space like this. Come to think of it, it wasn't very often that anyone made the leap into space, with Equestria's space program being as young as it was. Smile, Luna. She said to herself. Don't let the media attention bother you, just stay focused. She said, taking some deep breaths to help maintain her focus. She smiled at the assembled reporters as flashbulbs went off as pictures were snapped, doing her best to show poise. She was led out into the launch area, where a team of technicians helped her board the spacecraft and then plugged her into the life support system of the ship and strapped her in for launch. "You're majesty, you're all set." An thickly accented technician said, reaching out and shaking her hoof to wish her luck. She smiled at him and mouthed a thank you behind her helmet before he sealed the craft's hatch. The ship was pressurized, and Luna steeled herself for launch. She was determined to see this through, to vindicate every ounce of doubt that Twilight had experienced from others while she worked. She would not let her down. *** Celestia, Twilight and her friends were ushered into the mission control room, where the flight director was running off the list of flight controllers, making sure everything was ready to go for the launch. Twilight, being the one responsible for the whole affair with her design, was given a seat down down the control area itself, along with her friends after some persuading of the flight director. Celestia chose to watch from a box seat above the control room, wanting to allow her student her moment in the spotlight. CAPCOM, EECOM, FIDO, GUIDO, FAO, all the flight directors reported in that they were go. Twilight felt excitement well up inside her. So close, they were so close. She began to hope with all her might that everything would go off smoothly. A monitor in the center of the room flashed on, showing Luna strapped in to the spacecraft's cockpit. Twilight instinctively waved at her, even though the princess could not see her. The flight director, a tall earth pony stallion, walked over and placed something over her ears; a wireless headset. "Huh?" She asked. "Your ship, why should you have to sit on the sidelines?" He said with a grin. Twilight smiled appreciatively and tapped the headset on. "Luna, can you hear me?" She asked. "Loud and clear." Luna answered. "Does this mean you'll be giving me a pep talk?" She asked with a smile. Twilight giggled. "Only if you want one." She said. Luna simply giggled as launch control reported that they were go. Now was the time. The final countdown began as the ship was powered up and fueled. "This is gonna be so awesome!" Rainbow Dash, squealing as though she had been offered to join the Wonderbolts. Pinkie Pie was hopping up and down so much it seemed like she would make a hole in the floor. Applejack was sipping a second cup of coffee with a huge smile on her face. Rarity was already brainstorming ideas for new dresses to wear to the celebration party, and Fluttershy, though worried for the princess' safety, was also sitting there with a smile on her face, eager to watch Twilight's triumph. The countdown clicked down; ten minutes, then five, and then one, and finally clicking down to the seconds. The engines of the ship began to roar to life, putting out thousands of pounds of thrust as they prepared to shoot the ship down the track and out into the wild blue yonder. Everyone began to mouth out the final numbers. "Ten." Twilight said. "Nine." Rainbow Dash added. "Eight." Applejack drawled. "Seven." Pinkie Pie squeaked. "Six." Rarity said, rubbing her hooves together in anticipation. "Five." Fluttershy said, bracing herself for the liftoff. "Four." Celestia said, watching the scene serenely. "Three...two...one!" Luna said, loud enough to be heard over the radio. With a blast, the spacecraft was released from it's docking clamps and shot down the track. Luna was hit with a sudden shock of G forces as the ship accelerated past liftoff speed as it reached a ramp leading up and out of the mountain, the G forces increasing as the craft accelerated to speed enough to escape the planet's gravity. Luna's photographic memory reminded her of each and every step, every procedure, that she needed to perform during ascent, and she followed them to the letter and with a precision that would leave most in awe. After two minutes, the boosters that launched the ship out of the launch bay separated, falling back to the planet, where they would be recovered and reused. At this point, the ship's own engines took over, pushing it the rest of the way into space. Unlike previous manned tests of the ship, it did not orient itself for orbit. It just kept on going, since it wouldn't need to be in orbit for what they were about to do. Luna watched in wonder as the blue sky of Equestria gave way to the black, star studded plane of open space. Though Luna had seen plenty of night skies in her long lifetime, the beauty of the stars in open space, and the great green and blue paradise below her, filled her with an awe she simply could not describe. She smiled widely. "It's so beautiful..." She said in wonder. "I know, I've been there myself your majesty." The voice of the CAPCOM officer came over the radio. "How are you feeling?" Twilight's voice sounded in her headset. "Wonderful." She said. She continued to watch the scene before her until mission control chimed in that it was go time. Time to test Twilight's engines. She pressed a button on the control panel, after taking off her helmet and watching it float for a bit before stowing it. Two panels on the sides of the ship blew out and revealed the nacelles; long metal cylinders with red rounded edges and flanged ends. There was no going back, no aborting now. It was do or die time. "I'm ready." She said. "Copy that." CAPCOM sounded. "We reading normal. You can begin when you're ready." She took a few deep breaths to focus herself, and then began to concentrate on the spell that would activate the system. Deep in the ship, a purple crystal began glow brighter and brighter, until it began feeding energy into the nacelles. The bubble was formed. Although Luna could not feel it, the ship began to move faster and faster. *** Kil'karin was awoken by the sudden roar of a rocket ship taking off, that she didn't even bother to wait for Da'ri to fill her in. She immediately got on the line to their own ship. "Take cover behind the planet." She said. "They just launched something into orbit." She said. "Copy." Was the reply from her ship. Da'ri was watching the craft take off into the atmosphere and towards space. "What was that?" He asked. "We'll find out soon enough." She said. *** "We're at ten percent speed of light." CAPCOM said. "We're at fifteen... twenty.... thirty.... thirty-five... forty.... fifty percent speed of light." "You're doing great." Twilight said, happiness and excitement present in her voice. "This is faster than we've ever been able to get it to go." The ship began to waver at fifty-five percent speed of light. Come on, you can do this. Luna said to herself. You can make this thing fly. Twilight's depending on you. She kept focusing, kept pushing herself to concentrate, to keep the power flowing. Unseen to anyone, the bubble intensified. It was working, she could feel it! "Seventy percent... eighty... ninety!" CAPCOM's voice was sounding more excited by the moment. With one final groan, Luna willed the bubble to grow stronger. The craft was surrounded by a purple flash, and suddenly the ship shot off, finally breaking the barrier and shooting off at light speed. *** "Light speed!" The CAPCOM officer shouted at the top of his lungs. Immediately, the control room erupted in a thunderous roar of cheering and shouting. Fluttershy uncharacteristically began jumping up and down, unable to contain herself any longer. "Light speed! Light speed!" She cheered at the top of her lungs. "She did it! The princess did it! Whooooo!" Rarity was cheering and hopping around in a circle with an ecstatic Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash were whooping, hugging and high hoofing each other. Engineers on the ground and in launch control were hollering and cheering in a spirit of unbridled joy. Twilight, though, was quiet. Tears began to well up and pour down her face as she smiled and sunk into her chair, so overcome with joy that she couldn't say anything, only return hugs that were offered to her. We did it. She said. We did it. All those long hours of hard work, and we did it. She wiped her eyes. She just couldn't say anything, but what needed to be said? The look of pure joy on her face was all that was needed. *** "Yaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Luna screamed. The stars whizzed by the ship at a seemingly infinite speed, and though she couldn't really feel it, the perception of motion caused her to feel the forces in her stomach, even though they weren't there. She was so caught up in the moment that she almost didn't hear the ping telling her to shut the engine down. She dispelled the bubble and the ship came out of warp. She threw the engines into reverse the bring the ship to a stop, and the computer automatically reoriented it for the return trip, only awaiting Luna's command. Her home planet was now only a small speck in the blackness of space. Luna marveled at how far she had traveled; farther from home than any other pony had been before. It felt so alone, and yet, she felt as though everyone the planet was there with her, marveling at what had been accomplished. She felt a smile come across her face. Mission accomplished. *** "Copy that." Kil'karin said. Da'rin was pacing back and forth. The Observer had taken cover on the other side of the planet, and they had been awaiting word from them as to what was going on orbit. When she came back over, Da'rin ran right up to Kil'karin. "What's the news?" He asked. "The whole ship is buzzing." She said. "They just picked up a warp signature from that craft they launched." Dar'in's eyes widened. "You mean they broke the light barrier?" He asked. "Already?" She nodded. "Almost as fast as the humans did." She said. "I just got a call, we're being told to come back up." She said. "You know the rules. We're initiating the K'intar Protocol." "You mean..." "Yes." She said, looking over at the city of Canterlot. "First contact." *** When Princess Luna returned to the planet and landed safely in Canterlot, she was greeted by a city that was exploding with excitement. When she got out of her ship, she was immediately engulfed by a crowd of cheering ponies and carried all the way back to mission control. Twilight, tears still in her eyes, was the first to rush over and embrace her, followed by her friends and finally, her sister, who was beaming with pride as she nuzzled her. News reporters immediately hounded her, trying to score an interview, but she was whisked away too fast. The interviews could wait until later. Now, it was time to celebrate. Despite the lack of an interview, the news media broadcasted the news of the triumph to every city and household across the country, and to a few others that got Equestrian television. Across the country, ponies greeted the news with ecstatic joy, and impromptu parties were held across the country. This was especially true in Ponyville, Twilight's hometown, and Canterlot, were the streets were filled with so many celebrating ponies that the city's police force was practically overwhelmed. Thankfully, there was no rioting, only celebrating. Ticker tape fell freely from the sky, tossed out of windows by joyous ponies, and loud music and dancing in the streets heralded the beginning of a block party that Pinkie Pie could only dream of. Speaking of Pinkie Pie, Princess Celestia had once again given the pink mare the use of the palace's ballroom later in the evening, and she wasted no time throwing the biggest party she could throw together. Ponies from across the city, having gotten warmed up by the celebration outside, quickly joined in. The palace kitchen staff provided the spread, and both Pinkie herself and Rainbow Dash provided the music. A mix of hip hop, dance music and rock and roll, played courtesy of Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ P0N-3, threatened to bring the stained glass down, but luckily that didn't happen. The only sound was the music and the stomping of hooves as ponies danced. Celestia and Luna mingled about, greeting the party goers, and Pinkie Pie serves as MC, introducing the songs and exhorting her guests to dance the night away. Applejack jazzed up the party with some zap apple products from her home, purchased from a local bakery. Not as fresh as home-made, but still delicious. Twilight and the others danced along to the music. Twilight's dorky dancing from her birthday returned, but it didn't matter. They were all having too much fun to care much about that. Indeed, the entire city and country was. However, events that were about to unfold would soon eclipse the "party of the century" as the news media was already calling it. *** Luna sat on the throne of the palace, flanked by two guards from her personal regiment, dressed in full armor. She was still beaming, despite it being nearly three in the morning. Though the city had quieted down some, the celebratory mood was still there, and she could still hear music and singing outside. "You know, sometimes I do wish my little ponies would sleep more at night." She said, though smiling. "I dare say this one will last until the sun comes up." One of her guards said. She laughed. "Probably." She said. "I would be tempted to go tell everyone to go home, but, what right do I have to spoil the fun, especially after something like this." She said. She then snickered. "Though, the sanitation workers and cleaning staff are going to absolutely hate me for allowing such a mess to be made of the streets and the ballroom." Her guards shared at laugh at this. She sat there, enjoying the sound of the celebrations outside. It was night court, and normally some last minute requests by dignitaries and other functions would be occurring. Tonight? Nothing, there was simply too much to celebrate to worry about formalities. For Luna, it was rather welcome. She had taken care of enough courts to welcome a break from the routine. She began to sing along to one of the songs, when another of her guards came into view. "Your majesty." He said, bowing. "The night chamberlain is here to see you." She was confused. She figured that the chamberlain would be out for the evening, enjoying the celebration, or be trying to get some sleep. What could she want? "Please, send her in." Luna said. The guard bowed and gestured for the chamberlain to enter. To Luna's surprise, the chamberlain, a young unicorn mare, appeared to be frightened. Even at distance, she could see that she was shaking. "Is there something wrong, Star Shine?" She asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost." "Y-your maj-jesty?" She said. "Th-there's s-s-someone here t-t-to see y-y-y-y-ou." She said, her speech distorted by her shivering. Luna was doubly confused now. What was going on here? "Send them in." She said. The chamberlain motioned for someone behind her to come inside. The guard stood out of the way, and to Luna's surprise, his eyes went wide as footsteps approached. And when her visitors finally came into view, it was her turn for her eyes to go wide. She gasped loudly, clutching her hoof to her chest as she got the shock of her life at the sight of her visitors. This was going to be an interesting evening.