Close in orbit, a star-baked planet shone dully in the sky. When Milky Way, Twilight, the Sun, and the Moon skidded to a halt, they found themselves alone in orbit.
Anticipating a brighter environment, Twilight had already slipped on her shades. “Sun? I thought you said Mercury would be here by now.” She kept looking around – Don’t tell me I can’t see here with these on! “Where is she?”
“I can’t find her anywhere either,” Milky Way confirmed. She turned to the others. “Anyone else?”
“Perhaps she isn’t back,” the Moon suggested. “What can keep her longer?”
“I dunno, sugar,” the Sun said. “Maybe I was wrong after all.” She crossed her arms. “Darn that Mercury – can’t ever settle for second fastest, can she?”
“Perhaps all we can do is sit and wait – or move along to Venus.” The Moon started to skate away.
“Let’s not be too hasty,” the Sun objected. “Reckon she should be back any moment – I just know it. Besides,” she added to the Moon, who had just turned around, “I don’t know if Venus is back, either.”
“Very well.” The Moon moved into the shade of the planet. “I claim the dark half for myself.”
Milky Way sighed. “What do we do in the meantime?” she asked. “It’s not like we can run out to go get her – and we don’t know where she is, do we?”
The Sun and the Moon both shook their heads.
“Milky Way?” Twilight started.
“And the same with Venus!” Milky Way continued. “Honestly, maybe we should’ve headed out further from the star instead.”
“Milky Way – ”
Milky Way sighed. “Maybe we should just figure out where the next piece went by ourselves. We’ve done it twice already – this next one shouldn’t be too – ”
“Milky Way, look out!”
“Eep!” She quickly skated aside just in time to dodge an object rapidly orbiting around the Sun, at a much faster pace than the planet. “What was that?” she asked.
“I have no idea.” Maybe if you just listened to me sooner. . . .
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” the Sun said. “Reckon it might be a rogue asteroid?”
“Asteroids do not behave like that,” the Moon responded. “It would have collided with the planet sooner.”
“Let’s wait for it to wrap around again,” Twilight suggested. “Worst that can happen, it’ll either hit the planet and we’ll dig it out like last time, or it’ll hit the star and the Sun can have another concert.”
The Sun nodded. “I like the sound of that.”
“I do not.” The Moon looked up to the Sun. “Your singing clouds my thoughts.”
“Ah, c’mon sugar, don’t be such a party pooper.” Then the Sun got an idea. “Actually, now I’m thinking. Moon, how quickly can you describe something in verse?”
“Haikus fit such a purpose,” she replied. “Why?”
The Sun pointed in the direction the object came from. “When that thing comes back around, it’d be great if you could find out if it’s another fragment. How ’bout it?”
“A swell idea,” the Moon agreed.
“And just in time, too,” said Milky Way. “Heads up, girls!” She saw the object coming around again on its orbit. This time she stood well out of its way. “Moon?” she called out. “Your turn!”
The Moon said nothing, hard at work writing down what she saw on a newly-conjured scroll. By the time it had passed, she had a complete haiku. “A fair bit crude,” she commented, “but it will have to do.” She read it aloud:
At a lightning pace,
A piece of foreign gray rock
Speeds forever on.
“‘Foreign gray rock’?” Milky Way asked. Then her eyes widened. “That must be it! The third fragment’s orbiting this star!” Her elation was not long-lasted. “I just wish I knew that sooner – so I wouldn’t have skated away from the star so soon.”
“If you had not,” the Moon interjected behind her own hair, “you would not have my help.” She pointed right at Milky Way – Can she see through her hair? “Remember that.”
“Right, I’m sorry.” Milky Way started pondering what to do next. “Now how are we going to catch it? It’s going by way too fast for any of us.”
Twilight started calculating geometry in her head, furrowing her brow as she concentrated. Okay, she thought, assuming its orbit is perfectly circular, which it probably is, then we can simply skate along a chord that should put us ahead of it at just the right velocity to grab it. She looked out to the star – but I still have that to worry about. Not too close. Failing that. . . .
“Okay, I have an idea,” Twilight said. Better pick the girl with the most heat resistance. “Sun, how fast are you on your skates?”
“Fast enough, sugar,” she replied. Ugh, great – vague terms. “Why, what are you planning?”
“I’m considering going along a straight path cutting through its orbit – though not through your star,” she quickly added – “which would let us outpace it just enough to intercept it on the other end of the path.”
“Okay, um – woah!” Twilight was startled by the fragment coming back around. Close call. She quickly got back on track. “Moon, could I borrow some parchment for a moment? And your pen?”
“Certainly.”
Once Twilight had these in her telekinetic grasp, she hopped down from Milky Way’s shoulder and started making a few crude sketches for the Sun, describing them as she went along. “We’re here. . . here’s the star, keep your distance. . . this is the orbit the fragment’s on – and this is the path we’ll take to get. . . there!” She stopped and looked up at the Sun. “With me so far?”
“Sure.”
She returned to the parchment. “If you’re ‘fast enough,’ as you say, we should be able to get just further ahead of it, allowing me to grab it.”
The Sun raised her eyebrow. “Sure you don’t want me to grab it alone?” she asked. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re great with numbers, but I reckon I can catch it myself.”
Twilight shook her head. “Not likely. The velocity would almost certainly hurt your hand and set the fragment on another orbit. But with my horn – ” she gingerly tapped it with her hoof – “and with my magic, I can easily, not to mention safely, snatch it out of its orbit.” She climbed onto the Sun’s shoulder. Huh, she’s really warm – but then, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. “That’s why I’m coming with you.” With her magic, she gave the scroll and quill back to the Moon. “Thanks.”
She smiled faintly. “But of course.”
“Hold on tight, little pony, ’cause here it comes again!” And as though on cue, the fragment made another orbit around the star. “And we’re off!”
The Sun’s warning, Twilight found, was not unfounded. Apparently “fast enough” meant “zipping around even faster than Milky Way.” Twilight thought maybe she wanted to be sure to get from point A to point B soon enough. Or maybe she’s trying to impress me, in which case, well done.
As she kept her eye on the fragment as best as she could, she felt the star’s brutal nuclear heat beating down on her hide. Stay focused, Twilight. We’re almost there – and it looks like the Sun’s in time. She lit up her horn in advance, though the usual heat it produced was, for lack of a better term, overshadowed by the star’s.
Finally at the end of Twilight’s plotted chord, the Sun skidded to a halt. Twilight, not one for sports but still keeping the eye on the metaphorical ball, sized up her target, and tried grabbing it in her magic.
And slipped.
The fragment kept on its orbital journey around the star, unperturbed, as though Twilight’s magic had never acted upon it at all.
To say she was frustrated would be quite the understatement. “Ugh,” she grumbled. “What is wrong with me?”
“Could be just that it’s too fast for a little magical unicorn like you,” the Sun replied. “But hey, good try. Now, how ’bout we skate on back to Milky Way and – ”
“Not. Yet.” Twilight furrowed her brow again, thinking of an impromptu plan B. Then her eyes widened. “Of course. It’s so obvious.” She turned to the Sun. “We’re going to follow its orbit, but backwards. This should give me several opportunities to intercept it.” She looked up at her horn. “And this time, I’ll know to use more force.”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous for you, little pony?” the Sun asked.
“Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”
“Alright, if that’s what you want. . . .” And with that, the Sun took off again – in the other direction, looping around the star, with Twilight and her horn at the ready.
In a few moments, they were about to run into Milky Way, the Moon – and, incidentally, the fragment. Showtime! Twilight lit her horn and started focusing her magic with laser-like intensity onto the fragment. Quickly, she seized one edge in her magical grasp – then applied some pressure against it, more than the time before. She could feel it barely slow down – but the Sun, apparently lost in the moment, didn’t slow down, and Twilight lost her grip once again.
Frustrated for only a moment, Twilight remembered that they were ‘orbiting’ in the other direction – she’ll get another chance, and much sooner in fact. “Don’t stop!” she told the Sun. “We’ll catch that fragment eventually.”
“You got this, honey!” The Sun pressed on, back around the star. I hope you’re right, Sun, Twilight thought. Let’s get this done.
In another few moments, they came across the fragment again. This time, the Sun slowed her pace to afford Twilight a little more time to catch the fragment. Twilight lit her horn again, and as before, grabbed an edge and pressed hard against it. She had a better grip, but it too slipped away eventually.
“Third time’s the charm?” the Sun asked.
Wait a second. . . by Celestia, Twilight, why didn’t you think of this before!? “Actually,” Twilight said, “this time, let’s turn around and skate with the orbit – see if our relative speed should buy me enough time to capture it.”
After thinking about what Twilight meant by “relative speed,” the Sun turned about-face and started skating, slowly building up speed.
Twilight kept her head pointed behind them, anticipating the fragment to come back around eventually. After some time – a bit longer than before, considering their velocity – the fragment came barreling down on them. Twilight flared her horn, grabbed onto the fragment with her telekinetic grip, then applied as much resistance against it as she could. No holding back this time! she thought. And with her luck, or her might, or even both, the fragment finally started slowing down. This could be it!
Perhaps against her better judgment, or seeing her success thus far, the Sun actually turned around and shifted her trajectory into the orbital path, hands outstretched to brake it even further. Twilight was concerned, but curious as to whether this tactic would work.
Evidently it did not. As soon as the Sun had a hand on it and started skidding to a halt, she realized a split-second too late that she had vastly misjudged its velocity, and she and Twilight both tumbled to the ‘ground’ – the latter also losing her telekinetic grip. Twilight was at first mad at the Sun for interfering, but then looked back up and was shocked to find that, not only did she not stop the fragment’s orbit, it somehow regained its orbital velocity. By all accounts, she thought, it should be tumbling into the star, but it’s still going. What’s possessing it?
“Guess I shoulda listened to you earlier, sugar,” the Sun said. “I’m real sorry.”
Twilight shook herself, then got back onto her hooves. “Let’s just go back and wait for Mercury,” she said. “No sense trying things we have no business trying.”
“I guess so.” The Sun grabbed onto Twilight and, instead of placing her on her shoulder, carried her back to the planet, where Milky Way and the Moon were waiting for them – and Mercury, still.
The Moon looked up at the arriving duo. “I saw the fragment knocked you back,” she commented. “Are you alright?”
“We’re fine,” said Twilight. “I did figure out that we’re going to need Mercury to catch that fragment. Something about it seems. . . cursed. As if I can’t slow it down and catch it myself – it just reäccelerates itself.” She sighed. “Which shouldn’t be possible at all, I just – I don’t get it!” She hopped down from the Sun’s arms. “Thanks for trying, anyway.”
The Sun shrugged. “Hey, it was worth a shot.”
Then they heard a light rumbling sound coming up from behind them – characteristic of roller skates, but these were faster than theirs. Much, much faster.
Milky Way was the first to look up. “Is that who I think it is?” she asked.
The Sun turned around to look. “Oh yeah, it is – and about time, too.”
This girl skidded to a halt – though it took a lot longer than they did, probably because of her abnormally high velocity. When she finally did stop, she simply said “’Sup?”
“Mercury!” The Moon looked up from the shadow of the planet. “Where have you been?”
“Shoot, you’ve all been waiting for me?” said Mercury. “Sorry, I got caught up with someone on the tracks trying to outdo me – good try, but no dice; I’m still the reigning champ!”
There are racetracks in outer space? Twilight pondered. And these. . . planets know about other solar systems? So much to unravel here!
Mercury sighed – apparently even speed champions like her can get tired. “So yeah, that’s what’s been keeping me. Did you need someth – woah!” With lightning-quick reflexes, she narrowly avoided the oncoming fragment. She kept staring at it, noting how fast it was orbiting. “So that’s what’s brought you here?” she asked. “Never seen that before.” Then she noticed Milky Way and Twilight. “Haven’t seen either of you before either,” she noted. “What’s up?”
“My name’s Milky Way,” she said, “and this is Twilight. We’ve been looking for fragments of a planetoid that I accidentally broke earlier.”
“Oh, and you brought you pet with you, did you?” Mercury tried to pet Twilight.
She gently swatted away Mercury’s hand. “I can speak for myself, you know!” Twilight shot back. She then sighed. “And I’m not Milky Way’s pet – I’m just a bit lost. I’m not supposed to be here. And really, the only reason I’m helping her is so she could find me a way back to where I came from.” I’d better spare her the details, she thought. I have a feeling I’m going to be doing this a lot.
“I would know about what she is doing,” the Moon opined. “She by accident had freed the nemesis named Black Hole – who, may I add, is attempting to compact the cosmos into nothing as we speak. We need to stop him, now.”
“Alright, alright, I get you.” Mercury stretched herself out, noting the fragment orbiting around again. “I take it you’ve been trying to get it yourselves?”
“We had,” the Sun replied. “Twilight here is actually pretty smart – she showed me a shortcut to intercept it. Of course it didn’t work, but I’m gonna have to remember that.”
“Shortcuts, schmortcuts, of course they don’t really work!” Mercury told them. “What you need is speed – catch up to it, grab it, and slow it down gradually.” She scoffed. “I may be the fastest thing in the universe, but even I know when to take things a little slow.” She noted the fragment orbiting past again. “Like this!” She took off in hot pursuit. Neither Twilight nor Milky Way had ever seen someone as swift as her – in a flash, she had disappeared behind the star.
“I wasn’t about to tag along,” the unicorn said. “I’d just be asking for trouble.”
“I don’t blame you one bit, sugar,” the Sun told her. “Ain’t none of us can keep up with her.”
“She is coming ’round again!” the Moon pointed out. “Look out!”
The girls gave Mercury a considerable berth as she zipped past. She gave a quick “I’ve got it!” before disappearing out of earshot.
“I hope she’s right,” said Milky Way. “That one was really tricky – wasn’t it, Twilight?”
“You have no idea.” Twilight’s horn still hurt from the magical exertion. I hope Mercury has better luck than we had.
Mercury came back around a moment later – “Workin’ on it!” she shot out before their momentum pulled her away.
After that, the girls were merely content to stand there – or in the Moon’s case, sit in the shade – while Mercury more or less did all the work. Mercury let them know of her progress with each orbit.
“Still going fast!”
“This one’s real tricky!”
“Slowing down now!”
“Almost there. . . .”
And finally, on her seventh orbit, she finally was able to skid to a halt – and this time, unlike the Sun, stay stationary. She extended her hand to Milky Way, with a newly-captured fragment. “This what you wanted?” she asked her. “Didn’t find anything else on that orbit.”
“Yes!” Milky Way nodded. “That’s exactly it!” She held it close to her chest. “Finally. That took a while.”
“Yes indeed,” said the Moon. “But what comes next now? I cannot endure this brightness for much longer.”
“Say Mercury,” the Sun asked, “did you see Venus on your way back here?”
“Yeah, I saw her leave sooner than me,” she replied. “Definitely back by now.”
“Any objections?”
Nobody objected – certainly not the Moon.
“Then let’s go meet Venus,” the Sun proposed.
“I’ll race you there!” Mercury dug her skates into the pathway. “One-two-three-go!” With that, she was gone.
The Sun shook her head. “Typical Mercury.”
Twilight climbed back onto Milky Way’s shoulder, and the three girls and unicorn took off away from the star, to meet the next girl.