//------------------------------// // From Above // Story: Finding Space // by dancing mop //------------------------------// The sun was high in the sky by the time the royally chartered chariot reached the impact site. Its three passengers leaned over the forward railing, gaping at the large, still-smoking crater, and also the array of ponies, airships, chariots, and building materials that had clustered around it. Already, the guard had begun to erect a chain-link fence around a crude perimeter some distance from the actual crater. Other guardsponies were shooing crowds away from the crater, while others were setting up the beginnings of a force-field dome around the site. As the chariot passed over the perimeter, a pair of pegasus guards flew up to intercept them. One of the guards spoke up, "Unauthorized aircraft are not permit-Princess!" He stumbled, recognizing Twilight. "I-Ahem! Princess Luna awaits your arrival at the crater's edge. Follow us in, please." Twilight acknowledged them, and her chariot-pullers angled downward, following the pair of guards to the ground. From this close, it was clear that whatever had impacted the ground had come in at an angle. One side of the crater was cleanly and clearly cut out from the hillside, while the other side had thrown a pile of dirt and rock in a massive fan shape, obscuring even it's own shape. "Whoah!" Rainbow Dash cried, "It blew off the whole hilltop! That's so awesome!" Pinkie Pie leaned even further over the railing, asking, "Whaddya think did that, huh? It must've been reeeeeally big, if it made that big of a mess!" Twilight butted in for her own view, saying, "I'm guessing that's what we're here to find out, Pinkie. My first guess is an asteroid. A really big asteroid." She added, staring at the crater, which was growing larger in their vision by the second. "Ooh!" Rainbow exclaimed, "Maybe it's space aliens!" "Or maybe it's a giant rock!" Cried Pinkie, "Even better! Ooh, I should've brought my sister here. She would love that!" "Pinkie," Twilight explained, "An asteroid is a rock. I'm just not sure why the princesses summoned us here specifically, if that's all that this is." "Maybe it's got a really weird geological composition!" Pinkie guessed, "I know all kinds of stuff about rocks, so maybe they need help classifying it, or something." Rainbow scoffed, "Yeah, Pinkie, I don't think you could sit still long enough to classify rocks. I bet even Twilight would get bored with that." Twilight whirled on her, "And what is that supposed to mean?" Before she could get an answer, however, the chariot bumped lightly into the ground, and the guards who had been escorting them flew off to perform other duties. The three friends stepped out, onto the rocky soil of the hilltop. On their right, a patch of green grass was neatly cut away by the crater, while on the left, a mountain of debris stretched around the rim. For the first time, they could see a blackened, smoking spot near the center of the left-side wall, even darker than the scorched crater floor. Lines in the rock radiated out from it in nearly all directions, ending in the debris pile that formed the rim of the crater. "Truly incredible, is it not?" Asked a regal voice from behind them. "Princess Luna!" Twilight said with a small bow, her friends following suit. The Princess nodded, "I assume you are wondering why my sister and I sent for the three of you specifically?" She asked knowingly. Twilight shared a glance with her friends. "The thought had crossed our minds, yes." "Indeed." Luna replied, raising a hoof to point at the blackened spot, "The answer lies there, at the center of the blast." She turned, beckoning the three forward, "Come, there is something you must see." With that, she strode over the debris pile, and into the crater, accompanied by two of her personal guards. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie followed close behind. They had gone a short distance into the crater when Rainbow Dash asked, "So, where's Princess Celestia? The message said it was from both of you." "My sister remains in Canterlot, to deal with...public relations." "Huh?" Pinkie chimed in, "Oh, you know, Dashie, when everypony gets all scared and panicky cuz something really big and scary happened? Public Relations is a fancy word for the government cheering them all up!" "Well..." Luna trailed off, considering Pinkie's words, "Yes, I suppose that is an adequate explanation." Just then, Twilight noticed something ahead of them. "Hey, there's something at the center of the blast!" Indeed, there was an object partially buried in the blackened rock, that upon closer examination, appeared to be made of metal. Twilight couldn't help but ask, "What is it?" Luna replied, with a humorless grin, "Something that will change our world." Within a few minutes, they had nearly closed the distance to the object. It revealed itself to be cylindrical, with a series of metal rings embedded in one end, and several small, triangular protrusions around the side. Towards the other end, the general shape became a crumpled mess, completely blackened by soot. The group ascended a pile of dirt and rock that the cylinder had buried itself in, reaching the top, more than four times the height of an average pony. Once atop the cylinder, they could see a gaping diamond-shaped hole in it's skin. Luna led them over to it, and motioned for them to look inside. All three of the future astronauts gasped at the sight. There were a series of glass plates around the edges of the hole, with banks of buttons and levers in front of them. In the middle of the space, a shape recognizable as a bench sat, half burned away, along with a good deal of the floor next to it. The rest of the floor was littered with crystalline fragments, similar to a rim of fragments around the edge of the hole. Twilight stammered, "I-It's a cockpit!". She looked to Luna incredulously. "This is some kind of really advanced airship!" "Spaceship." The Night Princess corrected, "This is a vehicle, beyond the technological capabilities of any race on Earth, that has the capacity to travel through outer space." Rainbow Dash looked up, confused. "It's not from Earth?", She asked, "Then who built it?" Twilight answered, "The only explanation that makes any sense is that it's from another planet." She shook her head disbelievingly, "This ship is proof that there is other life in the universe." Pinkie cheered, "Oh, boy! There's other ponies out in space? I can't wait to meet them!" "Ha! It was space aliens. Totally called it." Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. "You do not understand," Luna said worriedly, "This is potentially dangerous. This ship is far beyond our scope of technology. Wherever it is from, they have created a vessel that can travel through the stars, to other planets. If these creatures do not have peaceful intentions, they could become a grave threat to our very existence." "I...I'm still having trouble comprehending all this." Twilight said, "Sure, I was open to the possibility of other life in the universe, but to have it actually visit our planet...I just never believed we'd meet other intelligent life forms." Luna nodded, "And now we have." She said, glancing down into the hole, "In a way. I suppose it is better that their ship arrived without its crew. Now we have the chance to study them, without having to deal with what could be the most dangerous people we have ever met." "So this is cool and all," Rainbow interrupted, "But where do we come in?" "Yeah!" Pinkie said accusingly, "Why'd you call us, and not our other friends? Huh?" Luna continued, unfazed, "My sister and I have heard of your recent...experiment. The three of you have taken it upon yourselves to travel to outer space. That is precisely the sort of action we must take in response to this." Twilight asked, "Wait, you don't mean-" "You," Luna cut her off, spreading her wings dramatically, "Must continue your quest to reach the stars!" Assuming a more normal posture and tone, she continued, "The crowns will supply you with all the resources you need, of course. It is of utmost importance that we develop spacecraft of our own." Rainbow Dash interrupted once more, "Wait, you want us to build one of these?! How long is that gonna take?!" "Yeah," Pinkie added in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "I thought we were just going up once, for a few hours maybe. We can't make this a full time job; we all have other jobs to do. I can't just leave the bakery, Dashie has to lead the weather patrol, and Twilight has the library to run, plus all that princess-ey stuff she has to do now." "Indeed," Luna said, "You do have important places in your community already. However, the fate of all ponies may be in jeopardy. We must take any steps we can to advance our own technology, and hopefully meet these other beings on an even footing." Shuffling uncomfortably on her hooves, she added, "It will likely take several years." "Several years?! What if they're not bad guys?" Rainbow asked angrily, "What if we throw away years of our lives building you a spaceship, and they turn out to be super-nice, and end up wanting to share all their cool techno-gology-stuff with us?" "What if they are not?" Luna demanded imperiously. Receiving no response, she continued, "As rulers and protectors of this land, we cannot afford to take that chance." She sighed, her tone softening, "I am truly sorry to shoulder you with this burden. You three have already given so much for this country. Why, it seems that every time a crisis emerges, you are there to save the world." She smiled wistfully, "You give freely of yourselves, putting yourselves in danger for the sake of others, and in return, I ask you to do it once more. Nevertheless, You are the most qualified ponies to accomplish this task, so I have no choice but to ask." "What about all those other ponies?" Twilight asked, "The researchers who are camped out on the edge of the crater?" "That is precisely the point." Luna responded, "They are researchers, not astronauts. It has already been decided that they will do the most good here." She continued, softly but firmly, "I understand that what I am asking will be very dangerous, and will take a great deal of sacrifice on your part, but it is something that must be done. Can I count on you to be the heroes Equestria needs?" The three friends paused, mulling the question over privately. Eventually, Rainbow Dash spoke up, "Well, I guess there's a couple of ponies on the weather team who are about due for a promotion. So that'll be taken care of." She stood up taller, proclaiming, "Besides, Equestria needs me. I'll do what I can to help." Pinkie shrugged, "Heck, I don't even do that much at the bakery. The Cakes get along just fine when I'm not there." Cheering up slightly, she added, with a growing sense of confidence, "If I go to space before anypony, I'll probably get to meet these new guys before anypony, and I love meeting new people!" She finished with a grin. All eyes turned to Twilight, who was still lost in thought. She shifted uncomfortably at the attention, and said, finally, "As a princess of Equestria, it's my duty to protect my ponies any way I can. And I understand that my friends and I are the most qualified ponies for the job." She turned to Rainbow and Pinkie, smiling. "Yes, I'll do it. If ponies really can go to the stars, I'll make sure they get to!" Pinkie cheered, "Alright, Twi! I knew you'd say yes!" Rainbow scoffed, "Heh, this was your idea in the first place. Was there any way you wouldn't?" Luna nodded, a slight smile creeping onto her lips. "Good. It is settled. You will begin working on plans for a working spacecraft as soon as possible. Our research crews will keep you informed about everything they learn here. You may recruit any ponies you believe can help you, and contact my sister or myself if additional funding is required. Luck be with you." She added, much quieter, "Thank you." "Well," Twilight said as they began to descend to the ground once more, "I guess we'll go right back to Ponyville, and get to work. Pinkie, we're gonna need your workshop. We've got science to do!" She cried excitedly. "Yaaaay!" Pinkie cheered, "We're goin' to SPAAAAAACE!"