//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Visitations // Story: Treasure Planet: The Equestrian Voyage // by GTthe4th //------------------------------// Dear Twilight, I must say, when you wrote to me about a newly-uncovered map of the universe, I thought for sure that you were pulling my leg. It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve done that to one of the Royal Sisters, after all. Tia has told me of the dastardly pranks you used to pull on her when you were but a foal. Starswirl would be either proud or stunned if he knew, bless his heart. But these notes you’ve sent me...they are beyond astonishing. And quite correct, from what I can decipher from your scribbles. I must see this map with my own eyes to be sure of the veracity of your findings, however. I shall meet you in the Castle of Friendship on the sixth of June, along with the rest of your friends. There are some things I must check with this map that may prove to be troubling in nature. I pray to Mother that I’m wrong... I look forward to seeing you again; it has been far too long. Your friend, Princess Luna Ponyville. Never was there such a place so quaint and yet so unpredictable in all of Equestria. The sky above was almost always clear and sunny, the inhabitants friendly, and the surrounding meadows as picturesque as the rising sun. The sprawling town was home to over a thousand ponies (most of them of the Earth tribe), and its rustic houses give any visiting tourist the distinct impression that life here was idyllic and quiet. That had been the case several years ago, but after Twilight Sparkle moved in, the townsfolk saw a tremendous transformation in their town. Ponyville was situated at the very edge of the Everfree Forest, which often made it a tempting target for many monster attacks and general weirdness. This had been fairly normal for the inhabitants of the town for decades, and over time, they had grown almost indifferent to it. But when Twilight arrived on that fateful Summer Sun Celebration, the quirkiness of the town was said to have risen about twenty-and-a-half levels. It had finally come to a head when four years ago a crystalline tree castle in the shape of a star grew out of a chest in the ground after a centaur demon who could suck magic out of his victims was defeated. From that point on, the townsfolk decided to call it quits in their endless struggle with their world’s insanity and simply accept that their lives were never going to be “quiet” ever again. So when their resident Alicorn Princess was seen galloping through the town square with her dragon assistant flying next to her holding a weird ball thing in her magical grasp, the townsfolk didn’t even bother turning their heads. They simply smiled and waved, and then made mental notes to break out their window and door barricades later in case of an emergency. Twilight weaved in and out of the crowds, dodging wagons and haggling merchants as she made her way to her castle, the large grin never leaving her face as she kept glancing up towards the map sphere caught in her magical grasp. She flapped her wings a few times as she bounced into the air, giving her a slight fluttering in her jump as she squealed in delight. “I still can’t believe it, Spike!” she cried, her eyes shining. “This ball, this map, has not only completely changed how we see the universe, it also proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that we aren’t alone!” Spike, who was straining under the weight of thirty journals (and a pillow, thermos, and toothbrush), gave a grunt of acknowledgement. “That’s...great, Twilight...” he grumbled, hefting the sack of books once more. His poor wings ached. Twilight, heedless of her number one assistant’s troubles, surged forward, breaking through the crowds and making a break for the crystal castle just on the outskirts of town. “Come on, Spike, we’re almost there! Starlight is going to love this!” “I’m sure she will,” Spike groaned. “But can you...ugh...remind me again...why did we bring all this stuff into the forest...huff...if we were just gonna bring it back?” The sack slipped in his claws, and he dove to catch it again before it could spill its cargo. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his brow with his tail. “Come now Spike, you should know me by now,” Twilight reminded him as she skidded to a stop in front of the castle doors. “Initial documentation is one thing, experimentation and thorough observation is another.” A magenta aura surrounded the doors and swung them open, allowing the two of them entry. “Thirty journals?!” Spike cried, dropping the sack on the floor of the castle’s foyer and falling on his back. “Is that what you call initial documentation?!” Twilight rolled her eyes, smirked, and waved a hoof his way. “Pfft, that’s nothing. You should’ve seen my third grade science project, now that took some serious studying, even for me. And besides, it’s your own fault for not getting Starlight like I had asked, she could’ve taken a few back with us.” Spike lifted a defeated wing and then let it flop back to the ground. “She was on tour with Trixie at the time and only just got back...” “Excuses, excuses, young dragon. We have dragon-breath scrolls that can go anywhere.” “You were the one who told me those were for world-ending catastrophes only!” Spike argued. “Which, for the record, happen a lot more than they statistically should around Ponyville, I mean, come on!” Twilight giggled and turned her attention to the castle hallways, inhaling a breath before shouting, “Starlight! Prepare the lab, we’ve got work to do!” There was the sound of shattering glass, followed by an annoyed yelp, and then the sound of hoof-falls on the floor as a pink unicorn with a purple mane with a cyan streak running through it stumbled through one of the hallways, looking irate. “Twilight...” she hissed through a fake smile when she got close. “That glass that you just heard breaking was part of a birthday present for one of the students who I have been helping. I had been working on that for weeks. And in a single moment, you’ve ruined it all. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t stuff you into a box full of Poison Joke for a month and hide every antidote in all of Equestria?” Twilight floated the ball over to her. “This is why.” Starlight arched an eyebrow and gave Twilight a flat look. The Alicorn and unicorn stared at each other for a brief moment, Twilight’s gaze occasionally flickering to the ball hovering in the air, her grin never leaving her face. Starlight blinked slowly, her frown deepening. Spike waddled between the two of them and sighed, dragging the journals behind him. “Twilight, I don’t think she accepts your reasoning.” “Ya think?” Twilight snarked through her grin, before sighing. “Okay Starlight, we found this in an archaeological dig in the Everfree. It’s a map, Starlight! A map of the universe!” Starlight’s face morphed into one of curiosity, and she cast a glance at the orb. “A map? Of the universe?” Twilight nodded quickly. “Uh-huh! Come on, let me show you!” Before Starlight could protest, Twilight had grabbed her tail with her telekinesis and dragged her back through the castle’s main hallway, leaving Spike alone with the journals. Spike glared after the retreating pair, mumbling under his breath as he dragged the heavy sack behind him. Only a few hundred meters to go before he reached the stairs, and then...the second level, and from there, the lab. ...His feet ached. “Sooo, what do you guys think it is?” Applejack’s ears flopped downwards as a sigh escaped her lips. “Pinkie, that’s about the fifth time you’ve asked that in the last ten minutes. Simmer down an’ just be patient. We’ll be at the castle soon enough, an’ then Twilight will tell us what it is.” A snort from above made the apple farmer’s eyes roll. “AJ, we’ve known each other for how long now?” asked a slightly raspy voice. “Too long, Rainbow,” Applejack muttered. “And in all those years have you ever known Pinkie to be patient?” the rainbow-maned Pegasus continued, flying down next to Applejack. “Pinkie and patience don’t exactly mix, like hot sauce and cupcakes.” “Now now, Rainbow Dash,” chided Rarity, the white Unicorn trotting up beside her. “It’s not nice to make fun of friends. Isn’t that right, Pinkie darling?” “Yeppers!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing after them with a smile on her face. “Besides, hot sauce on cupcakes tastes totally amazing! You should try it some time!” Rarity coughed into a hoof and smiled politely back. “Eh, heheh, maybe some other time darling.” “I could try some tonight,” said a quiet voice. Everyone turned towards the butter-yellow Pegasus following close behind the group, who immediately blushed at the attention. “I-if that’s okay...that is...” Rarity’s eye twitched. “You poor, unfortunate soul,” she whispered to herself. Pinkie zoomed up next to her friend and squeezed her barrel with a hoof, eliciting a squeak from the Pegasus. “Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy, you’re always welcome to try new things with me, you know that!” “And it was then that Pinkie found herself a new guinea pig for her culinary experiments,” Rainbow Dash narrated sarcastically as she flipped onto her back in the air. “I’ll let the hospital know they should expect a throat burn victim later.” “Rainbow Dash!” Rarity scolded, snorting. “Must I tell you again?” “Okay okay, sorry, yeesh...” Rainbow muttered, flying ahead of the group towards the castle. “I’ll see you guys inside.” “What’s gotten into her?” Applejack wondered aloud as the four friends stopped to watch her leave. Pinkie put a hoof to her chin and hummed. “If I know Rainbow like I know Rainbow, I’d say she’s missing all of the adventures we used to do together and that she feels useless while she’s grading papers for students at the School of Friendship which is something she normally would never even think about doing in a zillion years and so feels like her life is just passing before her eyes in slo-mo while she withers away inside even as she keeps up a brave face for the rest of us so that we don’t have to constantly worry about her and her feelings, which is another thing that she hates, but luckily it shouldn’t last too much longer because deep, deep, deep, deeeeeep down inside, she’s just as excited as the rest of us for what Twilight wants to show us, even if it might just end up being a new book, because it at least means something exciting has happened in her day if only for a few minutes.” Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity stared at Pinkie for several moments even as Pinkie took a deep breath. Rarity coughed again. “Well...that certainly, ahem, took quite a downward spiral into misery.” “Ah’ll say,” Applejack agreed with a slow nod. “Although Ah think Ah’m more surprised that she managed to say all that in one breath an’ one long sentence.” “I’m full of surprises!” Pinkie squealed, standing up on her hind hooves and throwing confetti into the air. Where the confetti came from was anypony’s guess. “And capricious vitality,” Rarity added flatly. “And capricious vitality!” Pinkie echoed. “Whatever that means!” “Poor Rainbow...” said Fluttershy, looking back at the castle. “I hope whatever Twilight has to show us will help her get her adventurous side back again.” “Aw, she’ll be feelin’ better than a rattlesnake in a mice convention in no time, sugarcube,” Applejack reassured her with a small smile. “Just trust me on this one.” “I hope so,” said Fluttershy. She remained silent for a moment before whipping her head towards Applejack with a look of shock on her face. “A what convention?” Applejack laughed. “An’ there it is! Don’t you worry about nothin’, Fluttershy, it’s just an expression.” Rarity tittered. “Don’t scare the poor dear, Applejack. She looks worried enough as it is.” Pinkie bounced ahead of the group, a tray of cupcakes on her back. Nopony dared to question it. “I’ve got the fix for that, riiiiight here,” she said with a grin. The four friends shared a laugh, before Applejack straightened the stetson on her head. “Well now, that’s enough of that. C’mon ponies, we’ve got a castle to get to. No use sittin’ around here.” “Quite true,” Rarity tittered. “Come along, Pinkie, Fluttershy. Mustn’t keep Twilight waiting, she must be dying to tell us what this is about.” In the heart of the Castle of Friendship lay a very special room. Most ponies would assume its importance was based on the six large thrones surrounding a round crystal table in the center of the room (as well as a smaller seventh), or even because of the table itself. Or maybe it was the giant chandelier that hung from above, made from the tree roots of the old Golden Oaks Library, tragically lost to the attack from the centaur Tirek four years prior. Truthfully, the room’s importance was based on all of these and more, but for Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack, it was something even beyond what the normal pony saw. To the six of them, it was a reminder of how far the six of them had come since their first adventure into the Everfree eight years ago. It was a symbol of their bonds of friendship, everlasting and unbreakable. But above all else, it was where they could gather together as one unit, one council, and one family. They had shared so many secrets and hidden emotions in this room, and shared in so many adventures. Each and every one of them had earned their thrones at the table, and had proven themselves as the protectors and heroes of Equestria. And now there was one more secret to reveal, promising a potential new adventure. As the other five ponies settled down in their thrones (or as settled as Pinkie could be, anyway), Twilight planted her forehooves onto the table and announced, “Thank you for coming, everypony. I know you’re probably curious about why I’ve called you all here, and trust me, I’ve been dying to tell you all what this is about.” Applejack glanced slyly at Rarity and the white Unicorn chuckled into a hoof. “But first,” Twilight added, planting one forehoof on the table and raising the other. “I’d like to introduce somepony who I invited to see what I’m about to show you. Princess Luna, you can come out now.” The other five mares in the room gasped as a dark shape emerged from the shadows of the room cast by the light of the chandelier. A tall, dark Alicorn with a flowing blue, starry mane stepped forward, a smile etched onto her face. “Greetings, my little ponies. I trust you all had a pleasant sleep last night?” “Thanks to you, Princess, Ah’m sure,” Applejack said with a tip of her hat. “Mighty thankful for that stunt you pulled a couple nights ago with Applebloom’s nightmare. Poor girl was more scared than a chicken in a locked coop with a fox. You helped her perk right back up.” “’Twas nothing, Lady Applejack,” Luna replied with a slight incline of her head as she trotted over to Twilight’s side of the table. “Nightmares should never trouble one so young, after all.” “Soooo Princess Luna,” said Pinkie, sliding up next to the Princess of the Night. “What can we do for ya, huh? Any parties that need planning? Oh, is it a secret birthday party? Is it Princess Celestia’s?! Oh please, please, please tell me you’ll let me throw it for her!” “Pinkie darling, please have some manners,” Rarity chided, grabbing Pinkie with her telekinesis and setting her back down in her own throne. “Let the Princess speak.” Luna raised a hoof. “It’s no trouble, Lady Rarity. No, it’s not a party that I’m here for, although I must admit, the thought of setting up a surprise party for Tia is terribly amusing. Put one down for Thursday evening.” Pinkie let out a long, loud gasp and jumped ten feet into the air above her throne. Rarity’s horn lit up and a light blue aura surrounded Pinkie, bringing her back down. Rarity didn’t even blink. “No, the reason why I came is because Princess Twilight invited me here to see something that she has found in the Everfree,” Luna continued, motioning towards Twilight with a hoof. “Twilight, the map, if you please?” At this, Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and leaned forward in her throne. “A map?” Fluttershy peeked out of the long pink locks of her mane to look at Twilight. Twilight rolled her eyes. “I was getting to that, Princess...right then, this is the reason why I invited you all here. Spike, put the map on the table please.” Spike, who was sitting quietly on his smaller throne next to Twilight’s, nodded and reached into a bag, pulling out a metal ball. He hopped up onto the table and placed it in its center, making sure it wouldn’t roll off before hopping back onto his throne. Twilight flared out her wings dramatically, lifting her head up proudly. “Behold, the Orb of the Universe!” “Name pending approval,” Spike said flatly. “And I have reason to believe that it’s not of Equus origin!” Twilight continued, ignoring the jab. Gasps of surprise and intrigue came from each of the mares present, although Luna merely raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t look like much,” she noted. “Not now,” Twilight admitted. “But, if you apply a little pressure...” She raised the orb into the air with her magic, pressing the pressure points on its sides until a resounding click filled the air, making Twilight smirk. “You may be surprised to see what happens. Brace yourselves.” As soon as the words left her mouth, the rest of the room became encompassed in a spherical red grid pattern, startling the mares into silence. Soon planets, nubulae, and other objects began to populate the empty space within the grid, as well as dotted lines, routes, and labels for everything in a strange language. A stunning array of galaxies and stars revealed themselves next, followed by finer details such as ring-shaped objects occasionally floating in empty spaces between the galaxies. Sometimes small specks of what the mares had thought were dust particles would float towards the rings, only to disappear in an instant upon entering them. Luna took several steps back, her eyes wide with awe and...fear. “It can’t be...” she whispered. Nopony heard her, or if they did, they weren’t paying attention to her words. “Look, that’s us!” Rainbow Dash cried, pointing a hoof at a planet at the far edge of the map. A small star and moon orbited it, and the tell-tale continent of Equestria could be seen on one side of the planet. “It’s Equus!” “My word...” Rarity breathed, fanning herself with a hoof. Fluttershy fainted, with Spike rushing to catch her. “Oh. My. Celestia!” Pinkie squealed, bouncing up and pointing at a cube in the air. “Is that a cube-shaped planet?!” Twilight shrugged. “It might be, I’m honestly not sure.” Pinkie’s grin widened. “Best. Planet. EVER!!!” Then she paused mid-air and added, “Besides Equus, that is, heehee!” “No, this is...this is impossible...” Luna said, louder this time, causing everypony to turn towards her. “I...I must go. Celestia and I must prepare.” “Prepare?” Twilight repeated, glancing at her friends. “Prepare for what, Princess?” Luna grasped the orb in her magic and closed it, causing the map to disappear back into it. She floated it towards Spike and deposited it into his claws. “Twilight, it is imperative that you keep this map a secret. Do not reveal it to anypony outside this room, am I understood?” “Um, I kinda showed Starlight already?” said Twilight. Luna sighed. “That is fine, she is trustworthy enough. For now, I must ask you show nopony else. For the sake of Equestria’s future, you must hide that...that thing.” “Whatever is the matter, Princess Luna?” Rarity asked, stepping off her throne and trotting towards the Alicorn. “If it’s anything we can help with...” “No!” Luna declared, more forcefully than she intended. Her features softened and she looked down at Rarity. “No Lady Rarity, you cannot help me or my sister with this. We must prepare for this alone.” “Prepare for what, Princess?” Twilight repeated. “What aren’t you telling us?” Luna bit her lower lip and backed up a step. “I...I’m sorry, Twilight. I promise I will tell you everything in time. But first, I must speak to my sister. Farewell, everypony. Please, forgive me for my rudeness.” Before anypony could say anything else, Luna disappeared in a flash of white, leaving only a sparkling residue of blue magic as evidence of her ever being there. Applejack huffed. “Well, that’s a mite strange. What coulda made her so tense?” Rainbow Dash eyed the orb suspiciously. “Something in that map upset her. Wonder what it was?” Twilight sighed, stepping off her throne. “Well, in any case, we--” A loud belch interrupted her, and she whirled around to face Spike, who was scratching the back of his head sheepishly with one claw while holding a scroll with Luna’s seal in the other. “Eh, heheh, sorry. Message for you, Twilight.” Twilight took the scroll in her telekinesis and read aloud, “’By the way, you have another visitor.’ It’s from Luna.” She looked up from the scroll and raised an eyebrow. “Another visitor?” DING-DONG. “We have a doorbell?” Spike wondered aloud, hopping off his throne and racing outside the room. “I’ll go get it!” The mares all looked at each other and shrugged. “We might as well go see,” said Twilight, jumping into the air and flying out of the room. Rarity lifted a still unconscious Fluttershy onto her back and trotted out of the room, followed by Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, leaving the room empty. A few moments after they had left, another door on the opposite end of the room opened, and Starlight trotted in, holding a tray of cookies and tea in her magical aura. “Ooookay everypony, I’ve got chocolate chip, oatmeal-raisin, peanut butter, and...” she froze, seeing nopony in the room. “Oh. You’re...all gone.” She sighed, setting the tray down on the table. “I guess I’ll just wait here then. Alone. Yahoo...” Silence greeted her ears, so she grabbed a cookie and began munching. Grumpily. The dark maroon Unicorn at the door shuffled back and forth on her hooves nervously. It had been a long time since she had seen Princess Twilight and her friends, after all, and she had no idea what to expect. For example, the large school built into the cliff to the right of the castle was clearly new, and took her by surprise. Then again, a lot of things had probably changed since her last visit. The last time she had visited Ponyville, the circumstances were...very different. Namely, the town was under the control of the Storm King’s forces, and the inhabitants enslaved. The Unicorn grimaced at the old memory and slapped a hoof onto her forehead, where a broken, sparking horn was displayed for all to see. She was not that cruel pony anymore. The Storm King was dead and gone, and she no longer followed his commands. She was an Equestrian citizen again. A normal pony. A friend. That is what she told herself every night. Sometimes she even believed it, much to her shame. No, she may not be Tempest Shadow, the dark commander of an evil conqueror, but in the eyes of Equestria, she was no friend of theirs. Even now she could feel the hate-filled glares being shot her way from the townsponies behind her. Nopony dared step near her out of fear or distrust. She was still Tempest Shadow, the traitor. Tempest may have been pardoned by Princess Celestia for her part in destroying the hated Storm King, but she knew in her heart that she was never truly forgiven, and especially not forgotten by those she brought harm to. Which is why she had decided to visit the only true friends she had left in Equestria, ironically the very same ponies she once labelled her enemies: Princess Twilight and her friends. She raised her hoof to ring the doorbell once more (which was also new), only for a small slit to be opened in the door. A set of reptilian eyes peered through, eyeing her with interest. “Who goes there?” said a voice that was attempting to sound menacing. Cute. “It’s...Tempest Shadow, Spike,” Tempest replied with a small smile. “I know it’s sudden, but can I come--” The doors flew open, sending Spike flying to the side and Tempest tumbling backwards onto her rump just as Pinkie galloped through the opening and embraced her. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my goooosh, it’s Fizzy!!” Pinkie shrieked for joy, bouncing up and down even as she squeezed the air out of Tempest’s lungs. “Ack, Pinkie!” Tempest squeaked, pointing a hoof towards her neck. “Air. Dying. Please.” “Oh, sorry,” Pinkie said, letting go and dropping back down to all fours. Tempest gasped and put a hoof to her chest, giving Pinkie a weak but friendly smirk. “At least you haven’t changed.” “Good heavens, is that who I think it is?” came Rarity’s voice from inside the castle, just as the remaining five mares came to the door. “Tempest!” Twilight exclaimed, fluttering down to the ground next to her and draping a wing over the Unicorn. “It’s so good to see you again. Or is it Fizzlepop Berrytwist now?” She winked. Tempest felt her face flush and she shook her head. “I’d prefer Tempest, thanks.” “So what brings you ‘round these parts?” asked Applejack. “Last we heard, you were goin’ around the Storm King’s old stompin’ grounds to spread the magic of friendship.” Rainbow nodded in agreement. “Yeah, how’s that going, by the way?” Tempest’s smile turned upside down, and her head drooped low. “It’s...not. It’s a long story.” “Well, why don’t you come inside, then?” Fluttershy offered warmly, holding out a hoof. “You can tell us all about it over some tea.” Spike, who had finished dusting himself off at this point, raised a claw. “I think Starlight was making some tea and snacks for us already.” Twilight slapped a hoof to her face and sighed. “Oh, dang it, I totally forgot about her. I hope she’s not upset.” Tempest arched an eyebrow at the mares. “Who’s this ‘Starlight’?” “Oh, that’s right, you never met her when you were here before,” said Pinkie. Then she froze, and her eyes widened. “And that means you can make a new friend! C’mon Fizzy, you’ve gotta meet this mare! She’s like you in that you were both villains who tried to destroy us through many different ways but she’s really nice now and makes an AMAZING tray of cookies! You’ll be besties in no time!” Before Tempest could respond, Pinkie had wrapped a hoof around hers and had dragged her into the castle, while the other mares merely watched with bemusement. “Help, I’ve been foalnapped!” Tempest pleaded before she disappeared down a hall, Pinkie rambling all the way. “Come on,” said Twilight with a giggle, spreading out her wings. “We better make sure that Pinkie doesn’t overwhelm Tempest.” “Ah think she already did,” Applejack noted as they departed. Far up in the heavens, beyond the sun and moon of Equus, a ship lay motionless, its solar sails having been secured mere minutes ago. The crew stood on the main deck, looking over the railing with wonder in their eyes. The planet was indeed a paradise, just like their orders had said. There were no ships coming from it, no mining colonies causing pollution in the atmosphere, no large-scale metropolises that covered entire countries. There weren’t even any artificial satellites in orbit. Such a beautiful sight was rare in the universe. “Upon my word...” whispered Delbert from one of the Legacy’s observation balconies as he pulled out a notebook and began writing. “A geocentric planetary system! There hasn’t been a recorded sighting of one of these in centuries.” He stopped writing and gazed at the planet in awe. “I could win the Varkellian Prize for Scientific Discovery!” “It’s truly astounding,” Amelia said as she stood near BEN and the ship’s wheel. “Amel--er, captain!” Delbert called, stumbling away from the balcony in a joy-enhanced daze. “You simply must allow me to join the expedition team to the surface. I must see it!” “Doctor, you know the regulations,” Amelia replied with a smirk towards her husband. “No civilians are to set foot on an unknown world until properly cleared by a first-contact team.” “But captain!” Delbert cried, motioning wildly with both of his hands towards the planet below. “It’s a geocentric paradise planet! Two of the rarest sights in the universe combined into one! The odds of that are astronomical!” “Doctor...” Amelia warned, pointing to her tricorn hat. Delbert sighed, crestfallen. “Yes captain...” Amelia smiled. “Don’t worry, love, once Mister Hawkins returns from his mission, you’re free to come and go as you wish. Speaking of which...” She leaned over the quarterdeck railing and called out, “Mister Hawkins, front and center!” Jim ran up towards the main mast and saluted the captain. “Ma’am!” “Gather your team and prepare a longboat for departure. Remember to keep a low profile until you can determine that the planet’s inhabitants, if any, pose no threat to us.” “Aye, captain!” Jim answered, dropping his salute. “You heard her, boys! Hendricks, Tucker, Spanner, with me!” As Jim and his team went below to prepare their longboat, Captain Amelia spared one more glance at the beautiful planet below, a smile forming on her face. This mission was promising to be very interesting. Three star systems away, near the Machtor Nebula, a much smaller ship glided across the Etherium, its singular black solar sail waving gently in the breeze. Its lone occupant stared at the navigational computer, noting with interest the tiny energy reading it was picking up coming from a planet many parsecs out. The Guardian chuckled, a deep mechanical sound that barely resembled amusement, before spinning the ship’s wheel to correct his bearing. The Six would never be found. The Guardian would find the planet, and then the secret would be buried once more, no matter the cost. Soon.