//------------------------------// // What's New is Still Pretty Old // Story: Battlestar: Celestia // by Lunar Soldier //------------------------------// “Good morning, sister,” Luna said to Celestia as she stepped into the pavilion. Celestia had been eating breakfast when her sister entered. “Ah, good morning, Luna,” Celestia said in a hushed tone, setting down her morning tea. “It is late for you to be wandering around the palace, is it not? You are looking weary,” she commented, noticing the circles around Luna’s eyes. “Slightly,” Luna said with a tired smile. “I had hoped to join you on this very special morning.” “You are always welcome to join me, sister.” Celestia brought her teacup to her lip and blew, steam running from the surface. “‘But I must ask what you mean by ‘special’ morning. Have I forgotten a holiday?” “‘Tis not a holiday yet, Tia. Do you remember your suggestion to me as we were coming from Twilight Sparkle’s?” Celestia nodded. “It proved rather...fruitful.” Celetia took a sip of her tea, flavored with ginseng and honey. “In what way?” she asked, bringing it back for another sip. “We have made contact.” Celestia froze, her teacup hanging in mid-air before the golden aura disappeared sending it to the marbled surface before Luna caught it in her magic. “I’m...sorry. Did you say-” “Yes, above us, right now, there is a life form that walks among my stars. And he is just as curious about us as we are of him. He will be meeting us this very morning in an area I have already prepared just outside the city.” Celestia rose from her bed of pillows, unsteady legs making their way to the edge of the railing. On calm, clear days a pony could see a spire or two of the princess’s old castle in the Everfree forest, but the morning haze obscured anything past the still sleeping Ponyville. She turned her vision up, piercing the skies with her magenta eyes and lost in thought. “Guard!” she finally called. A white pegasus that had been standing right inside the doorway answered the summons. “Yes, your majesty?” Celestia turned to face him. “Fetch my steward.” The guard gave a salute before taking flight, leaving Celestia and Luna alone once again. “Are you certain, sister?” “As I am certain that the day follows the night.” She brought an unadorned hoof to her chin. “This... is unprecedented. It has been many a millennium since ponykind has made first contact with another society, let alone another species. How do we proceed?” “With caution.” Luna stepped beside her sister. “‘Twas was not an easy dreamstride to accomplish. This creature’s mind was not readily accepting of an outside influence. However, I managed to acquire a great deal of information. “This new life form calls himself a ‘hue-man,’ a creature that walks on two legs, with a flattened muzzle, arms similar to a dragon’s, but with soft, rounded claws. I was able to ascertain the syntax of his language, knowledge that I will share with you shortly. But-” Luna hesitated as she took a breath. “-in my stride, I felt a great strain and sadness. It is being repressed deeply within his heart, and I fear that it will eventually break free.” Celestia’s steward broke the conversation, a mustachioed unicorn with a wheat-colored coat, graying mane and a cutie mark of a pocket watch, “You summoned me, your highness?” Kibitz brought forward and quill and paper, ready to write. “Yes. The court session is to be cancelled today.” The steward made a quick scribble. “What reason am I to give the delegates?” Celestia looked to Luna, hoping for a helpful answer, and all Luna could give back was an “I don’t know” shrug. “Tell them… it is an issue of Equestrian national security that I must deal with personally.” The steward looked over the paper, giving Celesia an uneasy eye. “It is nothing to be concerned about.” “This will not bode well with Ambassador Benji. He was meaning to discuss the rising political tension in the Griffon Kingdom.” “I know,” Celestia sighed, “and extend to him my most sincere apologies, but something bigger has come to light.” The steward gave the paper another note. “Very well, your majesty.” “Thank you. That will be all for now.” Celestia waited until her steward had left the pavilion before turning back to Luna. “Do you know what is causing this human’s distress?” “He did mention it, yes.” Luna looked to the morning sky, “He is alone, Tia. Alone in the worst way.” “Loneliness does bring sadness into the hearts of ponies, but I don’t understand why this is a cause of alarm.” Celestia had brought herself around to gazing over to the Everfree forest again. Weather ponies had begun to stage clouds for the day when a lone black dot broke through them. Celestia paid it no mind until she saw it was moving much too fast for it to be a weather pegasus, careening and turning to fly directly over Twilight’s new castle. Luna’s sight followed Celestia’s. “It will be alarming to you once you hear it. And it looks like you will be able to ask him about it yourself. But before we do,” her horn charged with a blue aura, a sphere forming at its tip, which then slowly flew to Celestia’s, merging with the white alicorn. “That should let us communicate with him before we can give him the language spell.” “I will dispatch a letter to Twilight. She will want to be here for this.” She took her own quill from an inkpot on the table and a scroll in magic. “Guard!” Celestia called again. “Your highness?” Another pegasus approached. “Gather the chariot team and instruct them to meet us here.” Post-Equus arrival, day 0 08:02, Ship time City LZ, Canterlot For the fourth time in his life, Mark felt a wave of fear wash over his body. His legs failed to move with the rest of him the first time he attempted to stand. C’mon, he mentally motivated himself. It’s not like you’re facing an entire fleet of Dridens bearing down on your home planet, or escaping on the Caprica, or meeting your girlfriend’s parents. He managed to stand on the second attempt, erecting himself atop his seat. The ponies that had gathered collectively stepped back as he stood, a hushed murmuring moving through the crowd. The stiff gray flight suit shifted, he looked up through his polarized visor to see his heads-up-display tracking the carriage before sliding down the side of his Cobra, boots making solid contact with the ground. A few pony gasped, while another fainted. “Landfall,” he quietly said to himself. “Literally,” Des said in his ear. The carriage landed a few meters outside the landing circle, its shine radiating and making it glow. Mark could easily recognize Luna from his dream, but she was dwarfed by another that sat beside her, her billowing mane flowing in the absence of the wind. Both stepped down from the gilded chariot, their adornments glaring in the morning light. Mark turned square to the winged unicorns, raising a hand in greeting. “The hell was that?” Des whispered. “I have no idea what else to do. Can’t exactly pop off the helmet.” “So do the next best thing, then!” He brought his hand down, pressing a button near the right temple on his helmet. His HUD switched off and the visor depolarized, revealing the full of his face and letting the light reflect into his eyes. Through the glass, the two crowned ponies did nothing but smile. “Mark, I presume?” Luna finally broke the ice, speaking to Mark in English. “Yes, ma’am.” “Welcome to Equestria,” the white companion spoke next. “This is an exciting day for all of us.” “Indeed, ma’am.” An awkward silence followed. “I’m surprised that you can speak my language.” “During my dreamstride, I managed to extract your knowledge of your words and shared it with my sister,” Luna said, “but the effects are temporary. We have another on their way to permanently embed our language into your mind.” “Very well.” Their answer gave Mark a feeling of violation. He switched to the radio channel to speak to Des, speaking out of the corner of his mouth so the ponies hopefully wouldn’t notice. “Wonder what else they got.” “Knowing you, none of it good.” Des replied. Mark switched back over to the speaker. “I bet you both have about a million questions for me.” “Hopefully not that many, but there is a place and time for that. I am Celestia, ruler of Equestria, and bringer of the Sun.” Mark did a bow. “Honored. I am Captain Marcus Frude.” Celestia gestured toward the carriage. “If you would care to join us, we would like to ask you those questions now.” “Of course.” Mark took a step toward the carriage, the hushed voices through the now larger crowd of ponies audibly louder than before. He glanced over, turning the polarization back on his visor, and changing channels back to Des. “What do you think they’re saying?” “In my experience with alien species, it’s either ‘Kill him now’ or ‘Give us your stuff,’ usually both.” “Always the optimist, Des.” Mark gave a small grunt as he stepped onto the carriage. It was wider than what Mark had expected an old-style chariot to be, capable of somehow still fitting the three of them. A string of unfamiliar words escaped Celestia to the pegasus ponies before the chariot began to move, “You might want to hang on if you are going to stand,” and with a wave, they took to the skies. Mark hadn’t been a stranger to flying, but to feel so exposed gave him a queasy feeling. The towering spires continued to leave him in awe, as did the view of the city. So...clean, pristine. I’m really out of place here. Much to his relief, the flight lasted no longer than a couple minutes. They landed on a sunlight-filled platform, giving an overlook of the city. He stepped down and offered an arm to the Princesses. “Thank you,” Celestia said, stepping down. “At least we know he is a gentlecolt.” “Brownnoser,” Des said in his ear. As they stepped inside the castle, Mark turned the polarization off again, taking in the sheer magnitude of the great hall he was in. He followed the two alicorns to a set of double doors. They swung open, revealing the throne room. As he walked, Mark took note of the great stained glass windows, each depicting something different. Mark assumed they all had some story behind them that he would ask about another time. Celestia reached her throne, Luna flanked her right side, and another unicorn sat to her left. “We are still waiting for the arrival of another, then we can begin.” As if on cue, another alicorn opened the double door, this one standing shorter than Luna, with a coat of lavender and a still mane, much unlike the others. She spoke in their native tongue, and Celestia gave her a response. “Marcus, this is Twilight Sparkle, one of my students and our newest princess.” Mark gave a bow, and all Twilight did was stare. When he came back up, Twilight gave him an all-around visual inspection, investigating his flight suit, tapping on his helmet, even giving his hands a mobility test. Luna spoke to Twilight, saying something that made the curious pony stop. Luna charged another ball of magic, received by Twilight. “We need a permanent way of communicating with you. I believe Twilight has a solution to this problem. Do you think you could remove your helmet?” “I’m not exactly sure how the microorganisms will react to human physiology, so I’m gonna keep it on, if you don’t mind… as a health precaution.” A muttering of words transpired between Celestia and Twilight. “Very well. Now, hold still, please,” Celestia said. “This is going to feel a little weird.” “Just how weird-” Mark’s question was cut off when a brilliant flash of purple enveloped his vision, swirling energies forming a sphere, then coalescing through his helm. A strange feeling of warmth filled Mark’s head, followed by a tickle, that quickly grew to be an itch. “Gahdegr-whazinthe…” Mark felt like he was drunk, not quite controlling the words coming from his mouth. “Sem, nesnehah… coarlehugh…” He fell to a knee, the intensity of whatever they did finally being too much, before it finally ended. “Mark,” Luna gasped, “are you alright?” He gave his head a thorough shake, trying to rid of the remaining itchy feeling. When it had finally subsided, he stood again. “Yeah, I think I’m okay.” He looked to Twilight, “You could at least warn me next time.” “Sorry,” Twilight apologized, “I didn’t know how much it would take to perform the language spell, and I may have overdone it.” “At least it worked,” Mark said. “Just...ow.” “So sorry.” Twilight blushed, “Hopefully we won’t ever have to do that again.” Celestia and Luna both sat back down after the excitement had passed. “Well, now that the language barrier has been broken, we might be able to get some things accomplished.” “How did you do that, by the way?” Mark asked. “I gave the syntax I took from dreamstriding to Twilight, and she formed a spell that would basically rearrange your language center.” Luna looked to Twilight. “I had not expected the experience to be so intense.” The mobile storage unit in Mark’s leg pocket began to vibrate, meaning Des wanted to get out. He unzipped, and held the unit out. A miniaturized version of Des popped out, much to the sudden surprise of the princesses, “So you basically mind-raped him.” “I beg your pardon?” Celestia said, agast of Des’s words. “Putting things where they shouldn’t be, and mind-stealing while we’re at it, too.” She began to glow green, showing she was about to become hostile. “What else did you get while you were digging around in his mind without him knowing?” “Des,” Mark calmly said, “Chill.” “How do we know they aren’t brainwashing you?” “Test me.” “What’s your favorite food?” “You know I don’t play favorites.” The color in Des returned to its normal blue hue. “And how are you able to talk to them?” “I picked up enough of their syntax to form a rudimentary vocabulary, but some of that... whatever she did must have made its way into the memory unit.” Celestia stood again, stepping down from her chair and approaching Des and Mark, “And just who is this?” “This… is Desarae, my assistant. I just call her Des.” Luna joined alongside her sister. “Is this who you spoke of last night?” “Yes, the one you could not stride with because she doesn’t really exist.” Mark saw three sets of eyebrows furrow. “Well, it’s tricky. She exists but at the same time she doesn’t. It’s like Schrödinger's paradox.” “What is that?” Twilight inquired. “For all intensive purposes, Des must be considered both alive and not alive. She can’t exactly interact with the world like you and I can, but she thinks, and can show some kind of emotions.” Mark could sense the utter confusion in the room. “But we are not here to argue philosophy. I believe you have some questions.” “Right.” The alicorns retook their respective places. “Our first question, put simply, is how did you manage to find us here?” “That… is an interesting tale,” Mark began. “I came here purely by accident. I was running from my captors, and using the technology on the Caprica, I managed to somehow teleport myself to another universe, or was blown to bits and this is all a dream. I don’t even know.” “You were...running?” Celestia gave a worried eye. “Are you a criminal?” “No, ma’am. I was… well…” “I’ll explain,” Des said in his headset. He placed the memory unit on the floor, where she grew to her full-size. “We were running from a group of aliens called the Dridens. They’re a species of interstellar warriors/conquerors/businessmen who operate under one rule: ‘If I see it, it’s mine,’ and, unfortunately for us, it doesn’t matter who stands in their way. The Dridens discovered the mineral and resource rich worlds of the outer human colonies some four years ago, and began to systematically move from planet to planet.” “What happened to the residents of these planets?” Celestia asked. “They were murdered as part of their bloody conquest.” Des plainly responded. “Ships would try their best to make their way off-planet, only to be shot down by the Driden blockade.” “We tried to fight them,” Mark continued. “The SSDC put together a rag-tag fleet, but it was too little, too late, and the Driden numbers were just too great. We’d lost the outer colonies within a year. A total of five planets, plus their defensive forces. “We then spent the next three grueling years fending off a walking death machine...and failed. Our mother planet, Earth, was the last to fall. All of our ships were recalled to Earth, and we knew it was going to be an all-or-nothing fight. The surviving SSDC fleet from the siege scattered, given coordinates so that we would regroup at a later date.” Celestia sat, jaw agape from the horror story being told. “How many made it?” Mark shook his head, “Our last official count before we were ordered to go radio silent was somewhere in the few thousands.” “Out of?” Twilight asked, having a feeling she would immediately regret the answer. "Ninety-seven billion, on nine planets, spread across one thousand light years." Silence filled the throne room, the quiet chirping of morning birds only partially breaking the quiet. “It’s…” Celestia whispered, her voice barely audible, “unfathomable. An entire race.” Mark hung his head, giving a slight shake before continuing. “The Caprica was one of the only Battlestars that made it out of the fight, along with the Winter’s Bane and the Hellscreamer, my mother’s ship. She gave us the order to go into deep space and find a new Earth while she stayed behind with the Winter’s Bane to gather the civilians.” He looked down at the marbled floor. “It was the last transmission we received from any other allied ship.” “We spent the next year looking for planets that would be capable of supporting human life, but to no avail,” Des continued. “One year, two months, and eleven days after our exodus began, we were intercepted by a Driden carrier fleet. The crew of the Caprica was taken prisoner, and three months passed by before anything note-worthy happened on my end.” Mark picked up again. “As Des said, we were taken prisoner. Three hundred and fifty-some-odd people were thrown into a room about half this size.” He looked about the throne hall. “A pretty tight squeeze for anyone. The Dridens began to question us, asking if we knew any other strongholds of humanity. We kept telling them they destroyed them all, and they kept asking. After the first month, we started noticing some people weren’t coming back.” The alicorns’ jaws dropped in disbelief. Twilight began to slowly shake her head, eyes never leaving Mark. “Please tell me they weren’t doing what I think they were doing…” “Out the airlocks,” Des said. “I could pick them up on the sensors.” The princesses’ horrified looks didn’t relent. “When there were only twenty-five of us left, we made a pact that if any of us could get away, we were to take the chance and not hesitate,” Mark started. “Four of them thought they saw an opening, and they all were met by gunfire.” He began to feel his eyes tear, but threw his head back, quickly batting his eyelids to dam his eyes. “By the end, it was just my commander, his first officer, and myself.” “It wasn’t just enough for the Dridens to eliminate humanity,” Des interjected. “They made leaders see their compatriots go first.” Mark stood taller. “When they finally came for the rest of us, planning on taking us out in one stroke, I had spent the previous night preparing for the inevitable; making peace with my demons and gods. Oddly, they sent only one Driden per prisoner to escort us to their interrogation room, a mistake for which I made mine pay. “Common Driden soldiers kept a blade behind their back--” he turned and pointed right above where buttock met back “--and my guard’s blade happened to not be all the way in its sheath. The three of us were separated, and when I felt the time was right, I took it, and to spare you the graphic detail, I forcefully removed myself from his custody. I could see the Caprica was still docked with the carrier, and I managed to throw a few distractions around, yanking out wires and the such, going so far as setting an electrical fire. In the confusion of their on-board emergency, I slipped past and made it back onto the Caprica.” Mark turned to Des’s holographic form. “I could tell something was amiss on the carrier when the support cruisers began moving away. Pretty standard operating procedure if there’s a ship fire, no matter what fleet you happen to be serving. A few minutes later, I detected someone trying to get into the armory. Thing about the armory door is it’s magnetically sealed with a passcode that only the command staff and the master-at-arms knows. I knew something was really wrong when they got the passcode right. I brought the security camera footage up and saw Mark raiding the stockpile of arms and ammunition.” A corner on Mark’s mouth came up in a grin. “When Des told me on the comm that she could see me, I about jumped out of my skin. She instructed me to shut the hatch and standby. When I asked what she had in mind, she ever so politely told me to shut up and do what I was told to do, and so I complied. The hatch shut, I heard the magnetic seals engage, and I then heard a ‘whoof’ sound coming from outside the door, along with a few thuds.” “What did you do?” Celestia asked Des, seemingly now enthralled in the story. “I repaid them the kindness they were showing the remaining crew,” Des shifted yellow, an indicator of plotting and planning. “They had placed a skeleton crew on the Caprica to oversee its systems and learn how the ship worked. When Mark sealed himself in the armory, I jettisoned them all into the cold vacuum of space.” She shifted from yellow to green, “A kindness they did not deserve.” Des returned to her normal blue hue. “I repressurized the interior using the emergency atmosphere reserves and unlocked the armory door.” “When I heard the locks disengage, Des shouted ‘Get your ass to the bridge, now!’ I don’t think I’ve ever ran so fast in my life. A short chase and one intentionally miscalculated lightspeed jump later… I think you’re familiar with the rest of the story.” Luna gave a small grin of her own. “And you still accredit all of what happened to luck?” “Well, luck times instinct plus opportunity, yes.” Luna was about to refute, but Celestia beat her on the draw. “Well, that was...quite the tale.” “A tale worthy of drink and song, don’t you think?” Twilight’s mind was ablaze with questions, but one in particular was brought forward. “You’re surprisingly okay with losing your entire race.” Another awkward silence was brought to the hall. “Too okay with what you have described.” “I don’t follow.” Mark replied. “You've just told us a story on how you lost your entire species, and yet you can stand here, acting like nothing has happened.” Twilight looked to Celestia, “If all of the Equestrian race were to disappear except for me, I would be so devastated I doubt I could function.” “I put my focus into my mission, which my mother’s words read: ‘Find a new Earth. Settle. Disappear.’” “Even then… you carry yourself well.” Mark brought his hand up to run it through his scalp, forgetting for a moment he was wearing his helmet. “I really had no ties left on Earth, and I've had a year to fight my feelings. There was a shrink on the Caprica after all.” “A what?” Celestia asked. “Sorry. A shrink is a slang word for a psychiatrist, specifically trained for soldiers returning from the warfront.” He folded his arms. “I’ve made my peace, and am ready to move on.” Celestia rose, Luna and Twilight following. “Marcus Frude, I’m sure you are aware of the terms that my sister brought to you on the previous night.” “I am. Do no harm and no harm will be done to me.” “And do you swear to abide by these terms?” Celestia spoke with regality. "On my honor as a member of the Fighter Corps, yes." “Very well.” She stepped down from her throne and approached Mark. “You are hereby permitted free access to Equestria, so long as you continue to follow the terms. If you were intending to immigrate, I do not grant you citizenship at this time. We require time to study you, and if the princess agrees, I can think of none better than Twilight Sparkle for this assignment.” “I will accept this burden, princess.” Twilight said. “Will you allow yourself to be studied, Marcus Frude, so that we may learn more about you?” “I will,” Mark responded, “under one condition.” “And what condition is that?” “The Battlestar: Caprica is to remain under my personal possession, along with all technologies and items that are human in origin. The Caprica will be accessed by your people - I mean ponies - only after gaining my permission.” Celestia looked to the other two alicorns, both giving a nod. “It will be so.” “Then I accept your terms.” Upon returning with samples to the Caprica, Mark discovered the pathogens on the planet did not know how to respond to human DNA, thereby making him immune to any Equish diseases. The same could be said about any pony visiting the Caprica. Leftover viruses and bacteria simply could not harm the ponies. He was more than happy to return to the surface and not have to wear his stiff flight suit or helmet. It was suggested to Mark that he take up residence in Twilight’s castle for her to better understand human mannerisms and behavior. Des had taken over the duty of keeping the Caprica in orbit. “I’ll be taking a Hopper down, so if you ever need to talk, just call,” Mark reassured her before he left. “I imagine I’ll be talking to you frequently. Even I can get lonely, ya know.” Upon moving in, Mark was greeted by Twilight’s personal circle of friends, who were part of her personal council. Mark later learned they were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the most powerful magical force on the planet. “It was DESTINY that brought us together!” Rarity overdramatically exclaimed. “And we as ponies and all of Equestria have felt the benefit.” "Hey!" Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted. “You know what this calls for?” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Here we go…” “A PARTY!” A cannon somehow appeared in the hall where they were standing, firing confetti and streamers throughout. That night, all of Ponyville was invited to the “132nd Welcome to Ponyville” and “1st Welcome to Equis” party, and most of the townsponies attended. Many came just to see the new sapient being who came from space. The part lasted from early evening to the wee hours of the morning. At one point, Mark stepped out onto the outdoor platform housing Twilight’s astronomy equipment. The air itself was cool, with a gentle breeze running across his face and arms as he took in a draw of the night air. He looked back to the party goers still inside through the glass door. Primitive, yet… strangely entertaining. Mark turned back to the telescope. So this is where they found me. He then gazed to the field of stars, wondering where the Caprica would be in its orbit. His attention turned to the door when he heard it open. “Um… excuse me,” A meek voice said. “Oh, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” “Of course not,” Mark said to Fluttershy. “I was just stepping out for some fresh air.” “M-me, too,” her nervous voice stammered out. “Pinkie’s parties can be a little overpowering sometimes, especially when she gets excited.” “I was just thinking about the party. I don’t think I’ve ever received such a warm reception before.” He looked to her teal eyes. “I’m glad you’re all taking a chance on me.”