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// Prologue: Meditation on the Spaceplone's Mantra 
// Story: Friendship Drive Charging: Not a Variant 
// by Connie Spaceplone 
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There are approximately 400 billion lights affixed on the firmament
They tell us of the coming of the seasons, when to sow our fields
And when to prepare for the long, cold winter
They inspire poets to write epics of legendary heroes
Of brave ponies who rode across the sky, battling monsters and demons
Their stories told and retold, from generation to generation
The stars have always been a source of wonder and inspiration


There are approximately 400 billion bodies of light in the heavens
Each one a shining symbol of the magic that surrounds us
The closest to us is guided by our immortal alicorn ruler, Princess Celestia
She who raises the sun each day, bringing warmth and light to all of us
But the lesser light holds a darker history, one of tragedy and despair
For it was there that her sister, Princess Luna, was imprisoned for a thousand years
Trapped within the moon, she lost her way, consumed by jealousy and rage
But with the power of friendship, she was eventually freed, and her heart was saved


There are approximately 400 billion luminary beacons in the aethereal realm
Each one a celestial orb, a symbol of the vastness of the universe, and the mysteries that lie beyond
In the age of steam and industry, we gazed upon the stars with wonder and reverence
They represented the limitless potential of science and technology, and the power of our own intellectual prowess
A reminder of the grandeur of the cosmos, and the boundless possibilities that await us
We dreamed of reaching out to the stars, of building machines that could transport us there
To explore the unknown, and unlock the secrets that lay hidden in the endless void of space.
The stars would have to wait  for us just one more century


There are approximately 400 billion suns in Luna's night sky
We ventured out and made some of them our home
More ships, more convoys, stretching ponykind ever thinner
We let pilots brave the void alone, for the colonies need supplies.
we thought that they could handle the isolation. we were very wrong.
But the brilliant minds of ponykind again came up with a solution
They created artificial consciousness for our spaceships, companions for the lonely pilots
And in doing so, they unlocked a revolutionary discovery, the Friendship Drive
A salvation for the weary pilots, and a new era of expansion and prosperity


There are approximately 400 billion stars in our galaxy
Each one a treasure trove of knowledge and resources, waiting to be explored and exploited.
Our celestial neighbors hold secrets that could advance our understanding of the universe
Teaching us the secrets of how planets are formed, the mysteries of black holes and quasars.
Their luminous bodies a testament to the boundless wealth that lies within.
We never yield to the unknown, we know that the stars hold the secrets to our prosperity
We reach out to the stars with curiosity and determination, driven by the desire to know
To unlock their secrets, and claim their riches as our own.


There are approximately 400 billion star systems in our galaxy
Not a single one of them is worth visiting if you aren't bringing a friend