"T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. We have passage through the wormhole, ladies and gentleman! We have successful passage!" boomed a voice from the loudspeakers. The room full of physicists, engineers, an rocket scientists exploded with applause and cheer.
A couple of day earlier, the Voyager 3 spacecraft was launched towards the WORMCAST ( or Wormhole Creation Station), and today it had successfully passed through the wormhole. If all went well, it would arrive at the planet Kepler 50-31b, and transmit signals through the wormhole over the next week. However, scientists were unsure if the wormhole could remain open, and if the prove could operate on its own. To ensure the mission would be a success no matter what, the craft carried with it a Golden Record, with many more images and sounds than the original. Hopefully, any intelligent life on that planet would discover it.
Kepler 50-31b was chosen for the high concentration of organic compounds it had. This indicated life, possibly intelligent life. That was all the humans knew of it, really, besides the fact it was covered by an unusually thick dust cloud.
How did they know this? Simple, they analysed the sunlight passing through the the atmosphere of the planet (from that planets own star, of course) and used a chemical telescope for molecular analysis. However, this planet was roughly 16000 light years away, so whatever life did exist at the time the sunlight the humans saw shone on it's surface, well, that life could very well be long gone.
But the humans hoped. If Voyager 3 did find something, then a human crew would be sent to begin a colony.
Let's hope the ponies are on board with that idea, shall we?
XXXX
Twilight Sparkle woke on a pleasant morning in Ponyville. No monsters attacking, no emergency friendship problem or major (minor, really, considering how much ponies overreact) political dispute, nope, everything was perfect.
You've probably noticed that her life is quite hectic if 'no monster' equals 'good day'.
"Spike! Wake up! Time to get to work!" Twilight got out of bed and shook the sleeping dragon with her magic.
"Huh?! What?!" Spike said, surprised at his rude awakening, "What work do we have today, Twi?"
"I gotta read Starswirl's The Alicorn Empire and Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorn's new treatise on the possibility of creating alicorns through the magic of friendship!" she said, quite annoyingly.
Spike paused and rubbed his head. "And why must you do that, Twi?"
"If you can just willy-nilly create alicorns out of thin air, then the whole idea of an Alicorn Empire breaks down!" she said, again quite annoyingly.
"Wouldn't be outta thin air, it would be outta friendship!" argued Spike, "Think of it like the Elements granting you princess-hood; you would've earned it!"
Twilight pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Fine, Mr. Grumpy Dragon, maybe we'll have breakfast first and then talk about the fall of Equestria." she said (quite annoyingly).
Spike sighed, relieved. Twilight was a really good friend, but when something trivial like this came up, she was just consumed by insanity. Not really insanity, but it seemed that way to Spike when he just woke up.
"Let's go to Sugarcube Corner, then," he said.
Twilight and Spike walked out of the treebrary and into the peaceful atmosphere of Ponyville. The pegasi had made the weather partly cloudy with slight breezes periodically blowing in. Perfect for a walk through town.
Twilight began to take in her surroundings and calm down a bit, while Spike began to wake up from the refreshing morning air. The pair greeted the flower ponies, were always up early, and Spike stopped for a spell to smell the sweetness of the roses they were watering. He began to whistle a catchy tune, and Twilight smiled at her friend's charming demeanour. Sure, they might be real grumpy in the morning, but just walking through pony paradise lifted her spirits right up.
Until a black hole randomly appeared in the sky.
Twilight was appreciating the beauty of the sunrise when the whole sky was thrown out of balance by the appearance of the black hole. At least, that's what Twilight initially thought it was, until a craft emerged from the it. A large, strange craft, seeming to be in distress, as it swerved chaotically through the sky and attempted to eject a parachute, but was left with a torn piece of rabid attached to some rope. Twilight and Spike, and indeed the whole of Ponyville, were frozen in shock as up the craft continued through the sky, narrowly missing buildings until it crashed, horribly, on the edge of the Everfree Forest.
Spike gulped. "Um, Twi? What was that?"
Twilight's eyes had grown huge. Her mouth was moving but she wasn't saying anything.
"Twilight!" yelled Spike.
"I-it was a craft. And it came from-" Twilight gulped, eyes still very wide, "a Starswirl-Clover Bridge." She looked her assistant in the eye and said, very seriously, "That thing is alien."
A short time later, they had gathered the other Elements to go see what it was. Seeing the six walking towards the wreckage really calmed the other townsfolk down. After all, they stopped an almighty spirit of chaos, why not some alien?
That's what Twilight was hoping it was, anyway. Just some small little alien.
The thing had crashed near Fluttershy's cottage (thankfully she was at the spa with Rarity when it did crash), and all the animals she usually took care of we're frightened off by it.
"I hope none of my sweet animals was hurt," said Fluttershy.
"Don't worry, Flutters, I'll kick any alien's flank I see coming from that thing!" replied Rainbow Dash.
The group of friends continued talking in this manner, wondering what the craft was, exactly. Twilight did not engage in the discussion, being far too consumed in her own speculation of its origin. From what they could see of it (part of it was in a hole), it had a large and advanced radio dish (those are usually used only in Manehatten), and strange landing gear. But as Twilight looked carefully along the craft, she spotted something else, something golden.
"A record?!" she exclaimed.