10… 9… 8...
When I was a little boy I used to look up at the stars. The twinkling gems that littered the night brought me such happiness. The mystery, the wonder. What were they? Who made them, these fiery balls of beauty, so very far away?
7...6...5…
The infinite realm of possibility was open to me. From the confines of this metal can I could feel the heat of discovery. Of answers. This would be my fifth time to that barren rock, floating around the Earth. Most people said there was a face, like a man in the moon. I always saw something else.
4… 3… 2…
It’s the face that keeps me going. That keeps me coming back. Glistening against the pale starlight is my inspiration. Amidst the monotony of the world, the hardships of family, the sting of separation, I would always find meaning there. That barren rock. My home away from home.
1… Ignition!
The spire of exploration lurched, hurtling toward the great unknown. The vast expanse of a universe that we once dared to explore. Not because it was easy, as a good man once said, but because it was hard. The new frontier. Now I stood on the cusp of that frontier, ever hopeful for what is to come. The rumbling of my vessel ceased. From behind I saw the debris, components to the greater machine, return to their place of origin.
The jewels of my childhood emerged from the blackness. Radiant pinholes in the veil of space sharing their light with me. The fifth time I’ve bathed in their light from behind the protective glass of my mechanical housing. Every few months a new mission was planned to gather samples and materials from the moon. There were many cadets and brave men eager to make the plunge into the dark unknown. I always volunteered.
My capsule approached the desolate sphere. The sight of it brought a warm nervousness to my stomach. It was the same every time. Of course I hid these emotions during my routine examinations for fear I would be deemed unfit to fly. There are regulations against unnatural, psychological responses, or so they told me. But up here I could be honest.
“I’m coming…” I whispered with no one to hear. I was sent up alone, with my comrades flying in on two other pods. It was an attempt to cover more ground. Three men, three rockets. We were to establish a forward operating base and had a solar day to regroup. It was plenty of time for me.
Lights and buzzers ignited as my descent onto the lunar surface commenced. I aligned my trajectory and prepared ejection of the excursion module. Upon entering orbit around the white ball of rock I passed over the Sea of Tranquility, an expansive desert. My altimeter was green and I released the section seals. The command capsule was integrated into the lunar module, so there was no trick maneuvering in my suit to prepare for the landing. I looked out my window to check my heading. For a minute I thought I saw her watching.
The descent took an eternity, minute after grueling minute as I watched the altimeter sluggishly make its way to zero. The legs of the module emerged and made contact, kicking up grey dust in artful swirls before finally settling. A light thud could be felt through the floor and protective coating, shielding me from the harsh environment. A final glance through the window revealed a new path of floating dust, curving around the module. I wasn’t scared. How could I be? I secured my helmet to my suit and prepared to emerge from my metal lodgings.
Hissing preceded the clunk of the airlock door as it fell to the ground. Outside stood the most beautiful sight I had seen since I left the moon four months ago. My light in the darkness. My princess.
“You hath returned!” The regal blue creature leaped toward me. With my arms outstretched I caught the jubilous visitor and held her tightly. Through the resin shield of my helmet I could see a warm smile stretch across her face. Her gaze met mine. “Did you enjoy thine journey?”
I never knew how she could hear my through my helmet, but I spoke anyway. “It was agony. But finally seeing you again was worth every second.” Tightness enveloped my abdomen as another embrace was given.
I first met her during my second mission to the moon. My team and I were tasked with surveying a new landmass found just north of the Sea of Tranquility. After taking the river out a few miles I found her sitting in a crater, whistling and singing the time away. I remember being afraid of finding an alien, and was terrified when she spotted my spying on her. After we talked I began to trust her. She seemed so innocent. It wasn’t before long we became friends, our only friends on this rock.
Luna stepped back from our tender moment. “Would you like to play? Or go exploring? I found a most wonderful canyon for us to see. Oh, you brought the wheeled contraption! May we ride in that?!” Her excited eyes were too much for me to resist. The crunch of dust and sediment could be heard in my suit as I neared the rover. Igniting the engine I pulled it out to Luna, who readily seated herself.
The low gravity of the lunar surface was difficult to work with. Back home we were warned that too much force in any direction could send us flying, maybe even out of orbit. It was only a fourth the size of Earth. Luna, however, was worth the risk if it meant pleasing her. We spun and sped across the dust. We almost lifted off a few times, and probably would have if not for Luna and her strange power. She told me about it once, calling it magic. I was hesitant to believe her, but she was breathing fine in a vacuum. Anything seemed possible with her.
We returned to the module, brimming with laughter from our stunt ride. Her head was on my padded shoulder. She always ended up there. We sat and watched the Earth the last time I was here. I told her about our wars, our technology, and who was leading what specks of brown and green at the time. She always looked sad when I talked about that and I couldn’t blame her. Luna told such stories of her kingdom in another world, filled with magic and mystery. Tales of her sister always made me shiver, especially the one about the draconequuis Discord. For now we sat in the rover, unmoving, unspeaking. Until she finally spoke.
“We have missed you terribly, and this has been most joyous. When, next , will you return?” That question cut deeper than any other she could’ve asked. I didn’t know if she had picked up on it, but I felt torn whenever I felt the moon. But now would be different, now would be the worst of all.
“Luna. I… I’m not sure how to say this.” My stammering through the glass of my helmet hurt my very soul. “I won’t… I’m not coming back.”
Her joyous expression faded, replaced only with confusion. “B-but, why? You have ventured back many times before. What has changed? Have I done something wrong?”
“No! No, of course not.” I blurted out. She could never do wrong by me. “But those rockets aren’t mine. I can’t come here whenever I want. The people I work for are grounding me. I’m being replaced.”
The shadow of the module passed over us. The seconds ticked by without a word from either of us. I was aching and I could see she was too. For all I knew I was her only friend, and if I left she would be alone. She deserved better. After all she and I have done together, the times I’ve fought for a seat on the next mission, the things we’ve shared. She wasn’t like people at home. She was stunning, awe inspiring, truly one of a kind. She was already my friend, but I felt that I wanted more.
“Will you…” she tried to suppress her tears. “Will you never visit again?”
A knot had built itself in my stomach. I had to answer, she deserved that much. “No.”
Her resistance failed as streams of glistening sorrow marked her face. My own eyes began to well up as I embraced her tightly. I couldn’t take this. I was a soldier, dammit, why couldn’t I do this? I haven’t known her for long, but why?
“I don’t want to leave you!” My words echoed in my helmet. “I want to stay. Stay with you. But it’s impossible. I don’t...”
The tightening of her front legs around me confirmed my feelings. I wanted her. I needed her. The warmth seeped into my suit and I lost all control. My tears became violent sobs, weeping into her swirling mane, her own tears streaking down my visor. I brought myself up from her shoulder. How was she crying in space? Questions like this only added to the cryptic beauty that had ensnared my heart.
“Do you trust me?”
The words floated from Luna’s mouth so simply, yet stained with sorrow.
“Of course.”
She moved her hooves to the sides of my helmet, grasping the seals. The decreased gravity heightened my speed as I took hold of her front legs. “W-what are you doing?!”
Her eyes were still red from the tears. “I know I will never be welcome in your world. Your stories have taught me that much. Your people is one of fear, suspicion and fear. They would never accept me.” She moved a hoof to my chest. “But beyond what you call the Sea of Tranquility lies the means to enter my home. There you would be accepted and loved. But…”
I could almost guess what was coming. I was so anxious that my teeth were chattering. “But what?” I quizzed.
“You could never return. Your home, and life, here would be gone. I do not wish to bring conflict into your life, but I do not want to lose you. You have…” Her tears began again. “You have brought so much into my life. In the thousands of years I have lived, not once have I met one who could captivate me so. So…” The hoof returned to my helmet. “Do you trust me?”
That was it. Whether I was sucked dry by the vacuum around me, or by some miracle survived, I didn’t care. I didn’t want to live a life apart from her. My gloved hand reached her face. “Yes.”
The hiss of my oxygen exited into the dark void around us. My helmet was lifted from my brow as I braced myself for death. But there was nothing. No cold, no suffocation, nothing that we were warned about. I breathed. My lungs filled and air passed out through my mouth, onto the smiling face of Luna. Her slender horn was glowing and I could feel a tingle around me. She was keeping me alive.
The knot in my stomach disappeared, along with my worries. The gentle glow of starlight fell upon us. She wiped the tears from my face. My god. It was the first time she touched me, and I her. I grabbed her hoof and held it tightly. A jubilous smile adorned her beautiful face, my gloved hand began stroking her mane. My helmet gently floated down onto the rover, our eyes locked together. The oceans of blue filled the empty cracks of my heart, healing me. I leaned closer, as scared as I was excited. Her eyes began to close. We were so close now. I had her, and I never wanted to let her go.
Our lips connected, the twinkling stars witnesses to our act. I was willing to give her everything; my heart, my life, my home. Anything to keep this moment alive forever. An eternity later our kiss broke, the Earth hovering overhead. I took one last look at the place of my birth, knowing I would never see it again. Luna floated over me, her tail brushing my face, and walked away from the rover. She was waiting at the steps to the module, desire in her eyes. I joined her at the foot of the ladder as we both floated inside, the airlock sealing behind us.
I awoke in a daze, visions of passion filling my mind. A moment later my mind cleared and I could feel the warm embrace of the magical mare beside me, both of us intertwined on the floor or the module. It was a tight fit but we made it work. My insides lifted with joy. We were finally together. Our silent moment of elation was broken by the crackling voices coming from the radio. I stood, naked as I was, and looked to the speaker.
“Freedom! Do you read? This is Houston. Please respond.”
My back turned to the voices, my sight on the radiant princess at my feet. I descended to her.
“Major Ripley! This is Houston! You have failed to establish contact. Respond!”
My hand caressed her face, gently bringing her out of her sleep. The blue of her eyes was revealed as she smiled. “Hello,” she giggled. She rose from her slumber, bringing her lips to mine.
“Kurt! Kurt respond!”
Luna turned to the boisterous speaker box in the wall. Ribbond of swirling blue passed my face. “Will you miss them?” Her words made me think. Was I doing the right thing? I would be leaving my home, my family, everything. I couldn’t leave them in the dark.
“Yeah. But I can’t leave without saying goodbye.” I rose from my perch over my love. I grabbed the microphone. “Houston this is Freedom. Do you copy?”
Luna stepped up to her hooves. She watched intently as voices came from the speaker.
“What happened, Freedom? You’ve been in radio silence for three hours. Report.”
“I can’t do that right now, Houston. The mission has changed.” If I weren’t a million miles away I bet I could feel the confusion behind the speaker.
“What’s happened Freedom? What’s changed?”
“I’ve found something out here, Houston. Something worth giving up my life for. I can’t give you details, so you’ll just have to trust me.”
The voices were silent for a while. “Freedom. Independence and Liberty are ETA 15 minutes from your position. Don’t do anything rash.”
“I’ll be gone before they get here, Houston. I’m leaving.”
“Leaving? What do you mean, leaving where? What’s happening, Ripley?” I looked to Luna. She looked nervous, almost doubtful. I placed a hand on her head and stroked her mane.
“You sent us out here to explore. To learn. To see what the great unknown had in store for us. You named this vessel ‘freedom’, and that’s exactly what I’ve found out here. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back. In fact I probably won’t.” I smiled to Luna, holding her head to my chest. “But I want you all to know that you were right. This place is worth exploring. This and the worlds beyond it. Keep pushing across this new frontier, because the answers are out there.”
“Kurt! Kurt don’t break contact! What do you mean?! What did you find?!”
“Good luck, gentlemen. It’s been a pleasure.”
Desperate calls and futile demands came from the speaker as I donned my spacesuit once more. Bags were filled with tools and rations and slung onto my back. The flight recorder, snuggly resting beneath its secure floor plate, was removed. With my helmet attached we exited the module. The black box on my hand soon soared across the black sky, flying deeper into space.
With the rover packed up and ready to go I turned to the planet lingering over me. White streaks and green patches stirred emotions in me that I felt every time I landed on this rock. They were the same emotions I felt when I looked to the mare sitting in the passenger seat. I didn’t know if it was love, or freedom, or loyalty. It didn’t matter at this point. She was here, and as a brilliant light shone from the Sea of Tranquility, I knew I was ready.
The rover pushed off at full speed, in hot pursuit of a better place. From behind I could see the other two rovers following. The light drowned them out as they shrunk into the distance. Streaks of color sped past my face, but I was unphased. For at the end of the path I saw it; the utopia Luna spoke of. I could feel the speed of the rover heighten as if fueled by my own determination before we passed through the light. The rover came to a screeching halt.
I stepped onto the vibrant ground, taking in the sight. My helmet was placed at my side as I breathed a lungful of the fresh air of this new world. Luna walked to my left, leaning on me. My hand rested upon her head, holding her close to my heart.
“Welcome home."