Twilight's World

by grouchopony

22. Christmas Inspirations

Disclaimer: Apollo-13 (the movie) is owned by Universal Studios. The historic events which occurred are a matter of public record.

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“What should we do for the rest of the evening?”

Mike smiled at Twilight's question. “I was thinking about that earlier. If you’re not adverse to another movie, I have something in mind. It's a true story about mortal danger and overcoming adversity that I think will inspire you with hope concerning your own situation.”

Twilight shuffled her hooves. Yes, A movie! She thought eagerly until Mike's statement sunk in.

“My situation?” She asked, puzzled. How could any movie relate to my situation? “What's the name of this movie?”

“Apollo thirteen.” Mike replied before turning away. “I'll make some popcorn.” he called out as he exited the room.

What's an A-paw-low? She puzzled the word. And what does the number thirteen have to do with it?

The sounds of cabinets being opened and packages rustling soon intruded upon her thoughts, even as she realized that it was too soon after dinner to eat any snacks. She quickly hopped off the sofa and hurried after Mike.

“Mike. Stop.” She called out.

Mike turned to look at her. “Is something wrong? Don't you want any popcorn?” He asked.

“I'd love some,” Twilight flashed him a brief smile, “but not right now. I’m still feeling quite full and I couldn't eat another bite. Why don't we simply relax before starting the movie?”

“Alright, we can simply watch the movie.”

“Without popcorn? Don't be ridiculous.” She rejoined, sparking a bit of mental confusion. I can't believe I said that. That's something Pinkie would say.

Twilight hastened to correct herself. “What I mean is, yes, I would love to see that movie, but what I would like even more, is to relax and have a conversation. You know, like when you were brushing my mane...” Twilight's voice trailed off even as her cheeks began to feel hot.

“Oh, so it's more of the brushing you want?” Mike chuckled.

“No!” She exclaimed. “I mean, yes, it did feel really nice.” Her face felt even hotter now. “But we were also having fun simply enjoying each other's company – and I feel like it ended too soon.” Twilight was looking at the floor in embarrassment, her ears wilting to the sides. I don't know where this is coming from! She thought to herself.

Mike did that funny thing he did, lowering himself onto his haunches, while still keeping himself balanced on his two feet. He put out an arm and stroked her mane. “Well I'm pretty sure I was enjoying your company as well.” Twilight raised her head again.

“But before we go back and get comfortable,” Mike continued, “let's just get ourselves some tea or coffee. Would you like some more of that Red Zinger?”

“Hmm-” Twilight considered his question. If I drink it too often, she thought, it’ll become common and not nearly as good a treat. “It was delicious, but no, I think I'll just have some regular tea and save that one for special occasions.” And when I do, maybe I can convince Mike to brush my mane again.

“Mike?” Twilight asked in response to a passing thought. “Earlier when you were brushing my mane, why did you suddenly stop and then tell me to brush my tail myself?”

Mike froze, as if he had traded glances with a Cockatrice. After a moment he let out a sigh and turned to Twilight. “It's like this. I am a Male and you are a Female. I felt that your tail, pretty as it is, was too close to your, umm – female parts. I didn't want to do anything that would offend you.”

On the surface, Mike's statement seemed straightforward, yet it remained opaque to her understanding. “I don't see how brushing my tail could ever offend me –” She began to assure him, only to stop abruptly.

My 'female parts'? Why would he be concerned about those? She frowned. I always keep myself covered like any proper pony should... Suddenly her eyes shrank and her ears rotated back. “W-Why were you thinking of my female parts.” She could feel a blush forming on her face.

Before Mike could answer, Twilight's embarrassment quickly transformed into indignation. “I'll have you know-” she announced, stamping her hoof for emphasis. “-that I keep myself covered at all times and that I would never expose myself.” Now her ears were fully laid back and she could feel her tail begin to swish in response to her anger.

“Covered?” Mike asked in apparent confusion. “I don't understand.”

Twilight's anger had already peaked and began to subside somewhat. It was plain that Mike did not know what she was talking about. She suddenly realized that she had yet again fallen into trap of thinking that Mike was a pony.

“I'm a civilized pony.” Twilight began to explain. “Of course I cover myself. Every pony covers themselves. Did you think that we walked around like animals, with our – parts – exposed to view?”

Mike said nothing, the furious blush on his face answering her question in the affirmative.

How could he even think that? She felt hurt.

“I never wanted to think that.” Mike cried out. Then in a much more subdued voice, “You're my friend, Twilight. I never allowed myself to think that.”

She opened her mouth to set him straight when she suddenly realized that Mike wore clothes. In fact, he wore clothes all the time. Even to bed. She recalled. He was wearing something to bed that day he saved my life.

He wears clothes in order to cover himself. She deduced. Mike has no coat and no magic either, so he can't cover himself like I do. And − eww, that's just − eww! She winced and averted her face as her imagination caught up to her thoughts, giving her a lurid image of what Mike might look like without any clothing; certain medical textbooks concerning stallion anatomy, which she had found while still a filly, filling in the details. Now it was her turn to blush.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the image, she realized that if she had been thinking of Mike as a pony, he might have been thinking of her as a human. And since I don't wear any clothes then Mike must have assumed that I − eww. No wonder Mike was being so cautious around my tail.

“I’m sorry, Mike.” Twilight began to apologize. “I think I understand now. We ponies have a coat and a form of instinctive magic which allows us to manipulate our hair. I just realized that you don’t have a coat like we do.

“We learn as foals to protect our more delicate parts by merging our coat hairs together into a thick cover.

“So you see, Mike. There was never any risk of your accidentally getting near my – parts.” Twilight concluded her lecture by wheeling about and lifting her tail. “See –“

Caught off guard, Mike’s eyes flew open in surprise.

“Wah! No. Don’t…” Mike cried out in alarm.

“Huh?” He commented wonderingly from between hands. “I didn’t see anything.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Twilight laughed in delight at Mike’s reaction. She hadn’t planned to startle him like that, but his reaction was priceless. He had turned away so fast he wasn’t even aware of what he had seen to cause his reaction.

“If only you could have seen your face.” She noted with a grin.

Mike sighed, and shook his head. “Thanks for explaining things, Twilight. But that last surprise was a little much, don’t you think?” There was a pause. “Can you forgive me for making such unreasonable assumptions?” He asked. His voice sounded softer than normal.

“I forgive you.” She replied. “But only if you forgive me for getting upset with you. I’m just as guilty, assuming humans covered themselves the same way we do.”

“I do.” Mike responded, dropping down onto one of his knees, he gave her a quick hug. It was a bit awkward, considering what had just occurred, but it still felt great.

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“If I remember correctly, the plan was to relax. So, any ideas as to how we are supposed to relax?” Mike asked as they settled down onto the sofa.

“I was thinking that maybe we could talk and that way we would get to know each other better.” As Twilight finished speaking, Mike began to grin. “What's so funny?” She demanded, hoping that he wasn't thinking about how they had recently been the opposite of relaxed.

Mike chuckled. “I was just thinking that females are the same everywhere, always trying to get us males to talk.”

“So,” Twilight seized on his statement, “you're saying that human females are more talkative than human males?”

Mike's smile vanished as his expression turned to one of thoughtfulness. “On the whole, maybe they are, but I've known a number of men who could talk your ears off.

“I was however, referring to how our women always want us to open up and talk about our feelings.

“That's usually the last thing we want to do.” He added with a smirk.

Strangely enough, what Mike had just said agreed with what Princess Celestia had once told her about Stallions. Her exact words had been 'Stallions do not like to talk about their feelings, Twilight, but rather they would prefer to show them through their actions and deeds'. It seemed likely that Mike would also resist talking about anything too personal.

Perhaps I can use that. Twilight thought to herself as she began to hatch a plan. If I can get Mike to talk about the things he has done rather than talking about himself, he might be more open, and then I can get to know him better. It did not take long for Twilight to find a suitable change in subject.

“So Mike, you said that today is a special day. What would you be doing if I wasn't here? How would this day go?” Twilight thought she had been rather clever in asking this question, but the sudden change to Mike's demeanor was quite startling.

Mike's smile vanished, even as his limbs drew inwards to his body, as if he was withering. Unconsciously, he drew in a slow breath and seemed to hold it. In the ensuing silence Twilight became worried for Mike.

“Nothing, Twilight.” Mike spoke in a soft flat voice. “I would be doing nothing. I would have a plain supper. Watch some TV, read a book maybe, and then go to bed; just like I do every night.”

Twilight felt as though she had been hoofed in the face, Mike's statement hit her hard. Suddenly she recalled a memory of sitting in Mike's truck, hearing him sigh and say 'I live alone, Twilight. I don't have any family to share this holiday with. So I don't bother.' A sense of sadness overtook Twilight as she heard, as she never had before, the weight of loneliness expressed in those words.

And when you went to bed, you might even have cried yourself to sleep. Twilight thought, tears welling up in her eyes. “I'm so sorry, Mike. Truly I am for making you think about that. I think I understand now.” But rather than changing the topic, she decided to redirect it. “But if you don't mind, please tell me about your best memories of this day. What was it like? What were the things that first made it so special?”

Mike sat in silence, but Twilight could see his blank expression begin to transform. His eyelids fell closed and a tiny smile grew upon his face. She just knew that he was thinking of better and happier times. She sat patiently, looking at her friend.

Eventually Mike’s eyes opened again; he began to speak. “There are none who feel the season of Christmas quite as strongly as children do. There's a feeling in the air, a tension, a certain excitement; Christmas is coming. Cookies and Cakes abound, the snow beckons us to play and school is closed for nearly two weeks.

“People we hardly knew would drop in to visit our parents, bringing with them their children with whom we played and made new friends.

“Our hearts danced to the secret refrain; Christmas is coming.

“And as the day approached, we anticipated the presents we hoped for. I swear to you Twilight the anticipation of those gifts was more memorable than the receiving. A tree would be set up in the living room and we children were eager to assist our parents in decorating it. Shiny ornaments would be hung from its branches and streamers of tinsel adorned it like silvery snow. Best of all would be the colorful lights set amidst the branches. They would glow all colors of the rainbow, red and blue and green and yellow and orange and white.”

Twilight could almost see the tree in her mind. “What kind of tree was it?” She asked to confirm her suspicions.

Mike smiled kindly upon her interruption. “By tradition, it’s an evergreen, something like a spruce or a pine, chosen for its symmetry and evenly spaced branches. Now as I was saying, we decorated the tree with shiny ornaments, but the topmost spire of the tree received a special ornament, a large beautiful star symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem.” Mike chuckled. “I remember that my sister and I would always fight, arguing over which one of us would get to put the star on top of the tree. She always won because she was the younger of us two.” Mike chuckled again.

“Underneath the tree would go the presents, wrapped up in bright colorful paper and tied off with gleaming ribbons and bows. They were placed there several days before Christmas, driving us mad with anticipation. Whenever we thought our parents weren't looking, we would sneak over to the tree and shake our presents, trying to guess what was inside them.”

Twilight couldn't help but give a titter. Mike's description reminded her very much of her own Hearth's Warming Eve's and Spike's eagerness to get his claws onto his own present.

“Now traditionally, among the peoples and culture prevalent on this continent, presents are to be opened on the morning of Christmas day. But our family held to a different tradition; mom and dad were immigrants from a country overseas. In our family we held our celebrations on Christmas Eve.

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Just for your information, today happens to be Christmas Eve, but I don’t have any presents for you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I think I’ll survive.” Twilight answered with a droll voice. “Don’t worry about me, Mike.”

“Right, don’t worry about Twilight.” Mike gave her a grin and strangely enough, a wink, before continuing.

“It's funny now. I remember so clearly my impatience with how slowly the day dragged on. All I wanted was to get to my presents. But after all these years my clearest memories aren't of the presents I received but of all the 'time wasting' ” - Twilight thought she could hear quotes in his voice. - “family activities our parents made us do.

“The greatest gift my parents ever gave us was not something that came wrapped up in a box, but the time they took to spend together with us, as a family.”

This is starting to sound quite a lot like my own Hearth's Warming Eve. Twilight thought wonderingly as Mike paused.

“Please,” Twilight urged gently, “tell me about the things you did with your parents. Those things you once thought were wastes of your time.”

Mike's face softened as he began to recall those events. “I remember that we children would wake up, full of excitement, 'Today's the day' we would say. But after a hearty breakfast of our favorite food, our soaring elation would immediately turn to into lead balloons. Mother insisted that we needed to help her clean the house. She would always set us the task of polishing the furniture while she took care of vacuuming the house and washing the floors.

“Oh how we grumbled and groaned at the injustice of it all, but it really didn't take that long before we were done. Mom usually had things in tip-top shape so very little was required.

“You know,” Mike sat up straighter, “that's one tradition that I still observe. I like to clean up my house before Christmas. I did it the day before you arrived.” He announced proudly.

Inwardly Twilight shuddered. If that's true, he obviously hasn't looked under his bed in a while. She thought, remembering the dust bunnies she had seen there.

Suddenly she recalled writing down a list of cleaning infractions in a little brown notepad. Looking about, she spied it lying on a shelf underneath the tea table. With a sneaky grin she levitated it up, bringing it over to Mike.

“What's this?” He asked in surprise.

“Oh, just think of it as a little something from your mother.” Twilight replied with a grin.

“What?” Mike's face showed confusion, until he opened the notebook and started reading the notes Twilight had written. “Noo. It can't be.” He wailed in dismay.

“Is it really that bad?” He asked, turning to Twilight. Solemnly she nodded her head.

Mike bowed his head and covered his face with the palms of his hands. “I'm sorry mom.” He exclaimed his voice sounding muffled through his hands. “I really let you down. And after I promised you that I would always keep a clean home.”

Suddenly Mike raised his head; a fire glowing in his eyes. “Well a promise is a promise and I mean to keep my word. It's Christmas Eve and I'm going to get this house clean while it's still today.”

Mike stood up and started walking determinedly out of the room, towards the hallway. “Where are you going? Mike?” Twilight called out, unsure of what was happening.

“I'm getting out my vacuum cleaner. There's no way I'm going to let this house stay dirty on Christmas Eve. I promised my mother.”

But- but I wanted to relax. Twilight's thoughts were bewildered. And my perfect plan to get Mike talking; it's all ruined! Why is this happening? Belatedly, she realized that she had set this off by giving him the list.

With a sigh, Twilight left her comfortable position on the couch. I suppose I may as well help and make sure that he does everything on the list.

After a short pause another thought came to her. I wonder if Spike ever feels this annoyed when I announce we are going to clean the Library?

“This is your vacuum cleaner?” Twilight asked looking over the contraption Mike had brought out. “It's so small; and so complicated looking.” She was referring of course to his shiny new Dyson vacuum cleaner. Not being one to appreciate house cleaning chores, Mike privately thought of it as his 'ball and chain' vacuum cleaner.

“It is and it most certainly is.” Mike replied while unwinding the hose and extending the telescoping hand wand, attaching it to the motor head. A series of clicks announced each successful operation as the two pieces eventually became one.

Twilight's eyes were wide with interest, her wings ruffling in unconscious excitement, as Mike's hands reconfigured the machine from its compact storage size into something considerably larger.

“I can understand the long pipe extending downwards from the handle, you're so tall when you're standing up, but what's that device on the end of it?” She asked, her eyes practically glowing with curiosity.

“That's the motor head.” Mike stated as he pulled the power cord out of the body of the main unit. “There's a motorized brush inside it which sweeps the floor, even as the vacuum sucks up the dirt.” After plugging in the power cord, Mike lifted up the motor head to give Twilight a look underneath.

“What a clever idea.” Twilight exclaimed happily as she gave the motor head a good look. “That cylindrical brush should do a good job of beating the dirt right out of a rug. Equestrian vacuums certainly don't have anything like that. I suppose it's all powered by electricity?”

“It is.” Mike confirmed, stepping on the big power button prominently displayed on the main unit. Nothing happened.

What? Mike's mind drew a puzzled blank as his foot depressed the power switch several more times.

His confusion must have shown on his face. “Was something supposed to happen?” Twilight asked.

“There's no power.” He mumbled numbly to himself. Suddenly his own words registered, causing Mike to bop his forehead with a fist. “Well course there isn't any power. How could I forget? We’re still running off of the emergency generator.”

“Why would that make a difference?” Twilight asked.

“The generator is only able to produce a limited amount of power. Only certain appliances and circuits are connected to it. Don't worry, I know what to do. Wait here.” Mike directed as he took off down the stairs.

A quick trip to the basement was sufficient to obtain an extension cord. Upon consideration, Mike chose to sacrifice his coffee-maker in order to obtain the necessary power he needed. Quickly, he strung the power cord from the kitchen appliance's wall socket and up the stairs.

Coming up the stairs, Mike could see Twilight standing over the main body of the Dyson vacuum. She appeared to be totally absorbed with an examination of the intricate details of its construction, her face mere centimeters away from its housing. Yeah, those little vortex thingies are really fascinating. Mike thought to himself. Grinning, he picked up the machine's power cord and plugged it into the extension cord.

- vvvvrrrrrr - The vacuum began operating.

“Eeep!” With a shriek, Twilight pronked upwards into the air and landed again on all four hooves, only now she was a good meter's distance back. Her head was lowered and her ears were folded back even as her wings splayed out by her sides in what Mike could only assume was a threat display. Her eyes which had shrunk to pin pricks now returned to normal as she raised her head and directed a glare at Mike.

“You!” She exclaimed angrily. “You did that on purpose!”

“Mmphf-phf-ha-ha.” Mike held a palm over his mouth to cover a laugh, though it didn't help much. “I'm sorry, Twilight. You were so absorbed, I simply couldn't resist. But I only wanted to surprise you, not make you jump out of your coat.”

Twilight glared at him for a few moments longer, but then a grin stole its way onto her face, totally ruining her glare. She giggled. “You got me. I guess it's payback for earlier.”

“No, this wasn't retaliation, Twilight. I was simply overcome by a sudden urge to surprise you. Can you forgive me?”

Twilight smiled. “Well, since it wasn't pre-meditated I'll forgive you. But -” There was a pause. “- if ever in future I run across a good opportunity to surprise you...” Her voice trailed off suggestively.

Mike groaned. What have I begun? He lamented to himself.

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Now that the vacuum cleaner was operational, they proceeded to clean house according to the list Twilight had made. The first item on the list was Mike's room.

Mike dragged the vacuum cleaner through his doorway and began struggling to push the power-head underneath his bed. He ended up getting down on his hands and knees, hoping to spot the accumulated dust. Suddenly, the bed and all of the bedroom furniture as well as a passel of shoes, enveloped by the rose glow of Twilight's magic, levitated up towards the ceiling.

“Oh, thank you Twi–” Mike’s voice cut off as he felt the first twinge of what he was sure was his first heart attack.

As the bedroom furniture was raised, air currents induced by their rapid rise caused thick piles of accumulated dust bunnies to swirl and dance about in tiny whirlwinds. Clots of dust bunnies were revealed, clinging to the walls where they had been sheltered behind the furniture. Mike simply stood there in shock, his vacuum droning uselessly.

“Mike! Start cleaning.” Twilight's voice cut through his stunned demeanor. “I can't hold this stuff up all night.”

Spurred into action, Mike began vacuuming the entire floor and the dusty walls of his bedroom. With all the furniture hovering near the ceiling, the work went quickly. All too soon however, the tiny dust canister of his vacuum filled up. Mike shut it off.

“What's wrong?” Twilight queried. “Why are you stopping? So far you haven't even cleaned half of the room.”

“I'm sorry Twilight, this can't be helped. The vacuum is full of dust already.”

“What do you mean your vacuum is full of dust? How can a vacuum get full of dust? Is it broken?” She asked, puzzled.

Mike removed the dust canister from the vacuum and held it up so that Twilight could see the dust filling it. “I don't know how vacuums are supposed to work on your world, but here they get full of dust and need to be emptied.”

“It's easy to do. I just depress this button here,” Mike pointed to a red button affixed to the top of his handle, “the bottom plate unlatches and swings open on this hinge.” Mike explained, indicating the relevant parts. “With the bottom open, the dust simply falls out.”

“I see.” Twilight murmured before concentrating for a moment. With a flash of rose colored light, a smallish trash can appeared between them. “Okay, Mike. Empty your vacuum into this bin.”

“That's a magically created object, isn't it?” He asked, thinking of a certain wrench she had created several days ago. “If I dump this dust in there, there'll be a terrible mess when it vanishes and leaves the dust behind.”

“Normally, you would be right. But I have some different plans for it. Now hurry up and empty your dust into it before it really does vanish.” Prompted by her urgent words, Mike proceeded to do just that.

After several seconds of shaking the vacuum cleaner's dust canister, Mike closed up its bottom plate and pulled back. “Okay Twilight, I'm done.” Immediately the trash can vanished in a flash of light, taking the dust with it. Nothing remained behind but the thin cloud of dust which had risen when he had emptied the canister.

Mike stared in astonishment at the spot where it had been. “Where did the dust go?” Did she just violate Matter-Energy Conservation laws?

“I translated it to the etheric plane.” Suddenly Mike was relieved; the foundations of his universe as he knew it might not have been yanked out from underneath him. If Mike had understood Twilight's brief magic lesson correctly, the etheric and material planes were both integral parts of the universe. No matter had been destroyed, just relocated so to speak.

Twilight continued. “There the dust will sublimate into its constituent particles and atoms which will then diffuse back to this material plane. The trash can, being composed of free magic has already dispersed into that plane's ambient magic.”

In a flash of insight, Mike realized that Twilight had probably done this same thing before. So that's how she disposed of that wad of soggy tissues when we were in the restaurant.

“Well, all I can say is that it's a pretty neat trick.” He said while snapping the dust canister back into the vacuum cleaner.

Wait! The atoms will diffuse back? Where will they reappear? And over how wide an area will they be dispersed? Mike suddenly had visions of silicon foundries all over North America reporting unacceptable levels of contamination in their latest batches of computer chips.

He was about to ask Twilight about it when she redirected his concerns. “Thank you, Mike. Now please get back to work, this furniture is not getting any lighter.”

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Was I blind or something? Mike wondered to himself for the umpteenth time. How could I have looked at these rooms and thought they were clean? He asked himself repeatedly as he took a sponge and vigorously cleaned the accumulated dust and dried soap scum off of the bathroom's fixtures and counter-top. When that was done, he attacked the mirror.

An assorted collection of bottles and bathroom implements hovered in the air, held there by Twilight's magic, while Mike scrubbed diligently on the surfaces below. He had to admit that Twilight's magic had been of tremendous benefit and had helped to cut his cleaning time in half, if not more.

Now, more than an hour later, the end was upon them as Mike finished wiping dry the mirror and counter top. As Mike dropped his sponge into the cleaning bucket, Twilight settled the counter's various accoutrements down upon it again, if somewhat more neatly arranged that they had been originally.

Collecting a handful of shampoo containers, Mike placed them into the cabinet below. A spent can of shaving cream went into the wastebasket while a box of bandages went into one of the drawers. Turning to Twilight, he spoke. “Thank you so much for your help, Twilight. I think we are done.”

Twilight flipped through the pages of the little brown notebook before replying to his statement. “Everything is checked off, so I think so too. Just let me do a triple check...” Her voice trailed off as the pages in the notebook started flipping again while surrounded by her magical glow.

Mike's eyes widened momentarily upon hearing her last statement. I'm beginning to think that she has a thing for checklists.

Confident that a smart girl like Twilight would not have overlooked anything, he began packing up his vacuum cleaner. As he lifted the vacuum cleaner and began to carry it downstairs he could still hear Twilight mumbling to herself while going through the checklist.

After winding up the extension cord, Mike called up the stairs. “Come on, Twilight. You know that list is complete, just let it go already.”

A faint- “What?” could be heard from above as Twilight came to realize she had lost her audience. Immediately there was the sound of hooves clopping their way carefully down the hardwood stairs.

Mike could see that Twilight had grabbed the cleaning bucket with her magic. As she reached the bottom the bucket floated over to where he stood beside the broom closet. “You forgot this.” She told him.

Reaching out a hand he grabbed the bucket out of Twilight's magical aura, no longer thinking any thoughts whatsoever about touching that aura or about the sensations he felt when he did so. He placed the bucket into the closet, alongside the vacuum cleaner. “Was that on your checklist?” Mike asked, tongue in cheek.

“As a matter of fact, it was.” Twilight replied primly.

Huh. I guess the triple-check was worth it.

---------------------

Cleaning is thirsty work and Mike thought some hot drinks were in order to celebrate their successful completion. Evidently Twilight thought so as well, eagerly accepting his offer of a drink. It was just as well, since they hadn't finished their drinks from earlier, allowing them to get cold.

Having gotten themselves some new hot drinks, the two of them settled back down on the sofa again. Mike took a sip of his Hot Mocha. It was prepared just the way he liked it, with extra cream. “Ah.” He breathed. “It's nice to have a treat after all that hard work.”

Pausing from blowing on her Hot Chocolate which was also graced with extra cream but sadly lacking any marshmallows, Twilight looked at Mike. “I believe you were telling me about the things you did with your parents, the things that made this day such a special day.”

Mike looked askance at Twilight. “Aren't you going to let that go? All it got us was over an hour's worth of cleaning. And that sort of killed the mood.”

A quick rueful expression flitted across Twilight's face, but it was soon gone, replaced by something more calculating. “You said that your mother made you help clean the house every Christmas eve. And my guess is that it didn't dampen your spirits too much when you were children, so it shouldn't do so now. Especially so, now that you can truthfully say that you have honored your mother's tradition.”

That I did. Mike mentally patted himself on the back, basking in a glow of self-satisfaction from a job well done. But the truth is I couldn't have done it without Twilight's help. I suppose I do owe her. Mike smiled a mental 'thank-you' towards Twilight.

“So, after you and your sister finished the chores given by your mother - what did you do next?” She asked.

Mike knew Twilight was trying to manipulate him. But even as he wished to avoid it, he couldn't help but think of her question. Surprisingly, the memories he found brought with them a happy nostalgic feeling, pushing back the fatigue of his recent activities. Oh Twilight, you are a clever girl. How is it that you are able to motivate me so easily?

Mike couldn't help himself. As the happy memories flooded back he began to speak. “Well, after helping our mother to clean the house, my sister and I generally had the afternoon to ourselves. We would go outside to play in the snow, and if the weather was not agreeable we would stay inside. Sometimes we played board games and sometimes we watched TV. On Christmas Eve there was usually a movie playing on the TV in the afternoon.

“I think we both have had enough of playing in the snow for today, but if you're trying to re-create my childhood experience, watching that movie I mentioned earlier might be appropriate.”

“Well then, let's do that.” Twilight agreed. “After all that cleaning, I'm certainly ready for some popcorn.”

“Well then, let's do that.” Twilight agreed, relieved that it had not taken too much effort to get Mike back in line with her plan. My plan is working, he doesn't suspect a thing. She thought happily.

“After all that cleaning, I'm certainly ready for some popcorn now.” She added.

Mike got up. “Stay there, Twilight. I got this.” Mike told her.

“Don't you need any help?” She asked.

“Nope.” He replied. “I got everything ready earlier. We already have our drinks, so all I need to do is pop the popcorn.”

“Alright.” Twilight conceded.

Soon, after the requisite amount of beeping, humming, popping and crinkling paper noises had been accomplished, Mike returned to the living room clutching a bowl in either hand. The larger bowl held popcorn, as she was expecting. But it was the smaller bowl which immediately caught her attention.

The smaller bowl was made of a bright silvery metal and it was filled with bright, orange, puffy, elongated – somethings. They looked so unusual, so unnatural, that she was almost afraid to ask. “What are those things?”

“Those are...” Mike stopped abruptly, as if reconsidering his words.

“Those are -” he began again, “- made of puffed corn, much like this popcorn. The bright color comes from a dusting of powdered cheese.”

At the mention of cheese, Twilight gulped. She felt herself shiver.

“I thought you might like them because you told me earlier today that you used to love cheese and they're mostly just puffed corn and what little cheese there is on them just gives them some flavor and, and... I'm sorry, Twilight...” Mike's voice trailed off. His expression was sad.

Although Twilight did at first react negatively to the mention of cheese, she wasn't about to reject Mike's offering immediately. As she gave careful consideration to Mike's description of the food item, she realized the potential it offered. I've overcome my trauma to the point where I can eat and even enjoy cheese if it's hidden in a sandwich. But I still dislike the open sight of cheese. Maybe these things are different. He did say that they're not actually made out of cheese.

Using her magic, Twilight reached out and levitated a single piece from the mound in the bowl, slowly bringing it up in front of her face. She rotated it about within her magic, scrutinizing it carefully from all angles. This went on for nearly a minute. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Mike was sitting on the edge of the sofa, tense and full of anxiety, his eyes shifting equally between her and the puff floating before her face.

Wow, Mike is really anxious, hoping that I'll like it. She thought. I can't disappoint him by refusing to even try one.

Slowly, the puff floated down in front of her muzzle. Twilight opened her jaws but then closed her eyes, hoping that her anxiety would be reduced if she didn't have to look at it. Just as her eyes fell closed, she saw Mike tense up even further. Well, it's now or never.

- crunch! -

The sharp taste of a pleasantly aged Sheddar greeted her tongue. But instead of feeling a pellet of some dense, malleable, greasy, cloying cheese in her mouth, there was only the light abrasive sensation of crispy puffed corn. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. Almost instinctively, she popped the rest of the puff into her mouth, chewing carefully as she reviewed the taste and texture combination.

“It's good!” She announced. Mike suddenly propelled himself backwards to plop down into the sofa, explosively releasing the tension he had been holding in. “What do you call them?” Twilight was already levitating a second one towards her mouth. This time I won't close my eyes. She thought intently.

Whether her eyes remained closed or not, Twilight could hear the relief in Mike voice. “I'm glad you like them. They're called Cheese Sticks or Cheese Puffs. I've even heard them called Cheese Doodles, though that last name sounds kind of rude if you ask me.”

“Well,” Twilight announced mushily, her mouth now fully engaged with several of the cheesy confections, “Given the choice, I think I prefer the name cheese puffs. How are they made?”

“Hey, hold on there already.” Mike reached over and snatched the bowl away, taking the opportunity to pop a puff into his own mouth. You've gone and eaten half the bowl and I haven't even started the movie yet.”

“Oh.” Twilight was astonished to realize that she had very nearly eaten as many as Mike had claimed. I guess I'd better control myself. She thought. “I just got carried away by that wonderful cheesy taste and it didn't seem to trigger my aversion to cheese.”

Twilight quickly moved over to where Mike was sitting and nuzzled his shoulder. She could feel him startle with surprise. “Thank you, Mike. You don't know wonderful it is to be able to enjoy the taste of cheese again without feeling ill. I used to love it so much.”

As soon as she felt Mike start to relax she raised herself up and repositioned herself close beside him. “Now, please get that movie started.”

“I think I'd better do that, before we run out of snacks.” He said, getting up from the couch.

“Do you know how they are made?” Twilight asked him again for the second time.

“It's just cornmeal, heated and compressed to a high temperature and pressure in an extrusion machine.” Mike was loading the silver disk into the DVD machine as he spoke. Twilight stole herself another cheese puff.

“I saw that!” Mike exclaimed, causing her to giggle.

Obviously he wasn't too upset with the purloined puff as he continued his explanation. “As the strand of cornmeal dough gets extruded, the superheated moisture instantly flashes into steam, expanding the strand into these fat puffs and thoroughly cooking them at the same time. It's pretty much the same thing that happens when a popcorn kernel pops.”

That’s so simple. She wondered in amazement, before writing the details down in her notepad. Maybe some enterprising pony back in Equestria can start making them.

As Mike returned to his former position, Twilight noted that he was as close to her as he had been before getting up. Other than noting the fact, she didn't think about it any further. Just as she hadn't thought about her initial action in seating herself so close to him.

---------------------

The movie began, bringing Twilight a familiar sight. Dawn appeared to be breaking, though the horizon seemed to be tilted sharply towards the vertical. The unfamiliar horizon quickly grew, evolving into a globe, much like the one Mike had in his office downstairs.

I suppose that’s correct for this universe. Twilight pondered even as her considerations were quickly disrupted by the flight of golden letters out from behind the globe, forming the word ‘UNIVERSAL’. As the letters positioned themselves in front of the globe, a sad horn began to blow; its tune sending shivers along her spine. It’s such a sad sound. She thought.

“Why is the music so sad?” She asked.

“You’ll see. Just keep watching.”

Within moments the on screen credits ended and the movie proper began. Twilight could see bold writing appear on the screen.

APOLLO 1 PRE-LAUNCH TEST
CAPE KENNEDY, FLORIDA
JANUARY 27, 1967

Twilight watched with fascination as several humans clad in bulky white suits, their heads totally englobed within glass balls, marched past the camera. Oh – I bet those suits are to protect them from the vacuum of space. Princess Celestia told me that at an altitude of fifty miles and higher there was essentially no air worth mentioning.

“… that killed American astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffe…”

The narrator’s comments brought Twilight's scientific speculations to a screeching halt. “They died? That’s horrible! Mike, tell me this isn’t true.”

Mike paused the movie. “It’s true, Twilight. This movie is based on a true story, and what you just heard are known historical facts. But those tragic events are not the subject of this movie. That was the beginning, the first Apollo mission which ended in disaster before it even got underway. This movie is about a mission which came later. Apollo thirteen.”

Twilight swallowed. Her heart beat loudly, underscoring her feelings of both sorrow and dismay she felt. Nodding her head, she indicated that Mike could continue the movie.

She listened in fascination as the announcers detailed a momentous event. A human was about to walk on the moon. As she looked on, she saw the TV within the movie, was displaying a caption.

LIVE FROM THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

What? Her thoughts became focused and extremely attentive, just as if Princess Celestia was showing her a new spell. These images are from the moon?

She listened, utterly captive to the dialog being uttered by some person actually present on an analog of Princess Luna’s own heavenly body.

“…I’m at the foot of the ladder. The lem-”

What’s a lem? She wondered.

“-footpads are only depressed in the surface about one or two inches. It’s almost like a powder.”

The authoritative voice of the narrator echoed the new legend flashing on the TV screen.

ARMSTRONG IS ON THE MOON.

“That’s one small step for man, -” Twilight heard from the screen; presumably from the human in the bulky vacuum protection suit. “- one giant leap for mankind.”

The weight of that speech gave Twilight considerable pause. It implied volumes about Mike and his fellow humans, about their drive and tenacity as a species. At that moment, she nodded to herself, making a resolve to see this moon. I’ll ask him after the movie.

“That was actually a picture of a human walking on the moon?” She turned to Mike and asked. “It wasn’t made up for the movie, was it?” She simply had to know.

“That was the real thing, Twilight, or so I've been told. It actually happened some twelve years before I was born, so I wasn't an eyewitness to those events. They used recorded images of the actual historical TV broadcasts to make those scenes.”

“Oh.” Still feeling a bit confused she attempted to clarify her understanding. “So everypony, uh- sorry, every-body was at the party to watch a film of a human walking on the moon?”

“Oh no.” Mike answered with a broad smile. “You misunderstood that part. Those images were being transmitted right from the moon. The people in that living room were watching those events even as they occurred. We call that a 'live broadcast'.” Suddenly Twilight recalled seeing the caption 'LIVE FROM THE MOON'.

Twilight thanked Mike for his explanation and returned her attention back to the move again. If anything, it had gotten even more complicated.

. . .

“How are you enjoying the movie so far, Twilight?” Mike asked a few minutes later.

“It’s – a little hard to follow.” She admitted, Feeling a little overwhelmed by the rapid scene changes, complicated equipment and the dialog she had no reference for. At this point she still wasn’t sure she could even recognize who the main characters were.

“Could you maybe explain what’s going on? Please.”

“Yeah.” Mike admitted. “I can see that this might be going a little too fast for you.” Mike paused the movie again. “Okay, so here’s a quick synopsis of what’s going down.

“Jim Lovell, that guy there with the short dark hair, is, or rather was, slated to be the commander for the Apollo fourteen mission to the moon. Disturbingly, there are rumors that his mission may never happen on account of forces within the government looking to save some money by canceling future missions.

“Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the designated commander for the Apollo thirteen mission became ill and would not be able to continue. To keep everything on schedule, Jim Lovell and his crewmates are advanced to take over the Apollo thirteen mission. He is quite elated, as you just saw, when he announced the news to wife.”

“So what is this we are watching now?”

“They are in a simulator, practicing how to handle their spacecraft and other details of flying the mission.”

“It looked incredibly complicated.” She commented.

“It is. To counter that, the simulator is designed to allow them to experience virtually any type of equipment malfunction imaginable. They spend months learning how to recognize and deal with such problems.”

Twilight was astonished. “Months? Surely they could cover everything with a set of well written lists. A few days should be all they need for practice.”

Mike gave her a shocked expression. “Lists? You can’t use a written list when your problem is ten seconds away from killing you. Your responses need to be ingrained to the point that they are an automatic reflex. I learned that while doing my pilot training.”

“But –” Twilight’s voice stopped abruptly. Ten seconds might be too short a time to find the correct list, read it and apply it. She conceded.

“Fine, I can accept for now that that’s how you humans do it. But I’m positive I can think of a better way. Maybe flash cards…” Twilight’s voice faded into a mutter as she considered the problem. While she considered the matter, Mike restarted the movie.

. . .

Twilight’s organizational thoughts were pulled back to the movie as a raucous beeping began to sound. Rumbling noises grew louder in the background, like the ominous approach of thunder. She could see the humans. What were they called? ‘Astro-noughts?’ Dressed up in their bubble helmeted suits reacting to the alarms.

Within seconds, pandemonium had broken loose. Instruments burst, raining fragments of glass down upon the Astro-noughts. Hoses broke, sparks flew and soon after, a door burst outwards. The rumble swelled into a deafening roar as what seemed to be a mighty wind blew one of the Astro-noughts out through the door. He barely managed to save himself by catching hold of a bar with one of his hands.

Terror seized Twilight as a chair broke free only to knock the struggling Astro-nought out into the black void. The orchestral background came to a screeching crescendo, only to stop abruptly as the scene switched to that of an enormous eyeball.

“Eee!” Twilight, already terrified, shrieked and jumped up to clutch Mike. After a second or two her composure began to return allowing her to realize that she was clinging to her friend. Another second passed before she was able to let go. “Sorry Mike.” She had the grace to blush. And then, “What was that!” She asked heatedly.

Twilight could see that Mike was amused by her reaction, though thankfully he did not laugh at her. “Sorry, Twilight. I forgot about that scene being in the movie. My best guess is that the movie’s producers are trying to stir up some suspense. What we just saw was a foreboding dream that Lovell's wife was having. But I don’t think such a dream ever occurred.”

“Do humans have portentous dreams? Like that we just saw?”

“Maybe we do and maybe we don’t. As far as I know, it’s never been scientifically documented, so it remains little more than superstition. And speaking of superstition, this movie is full of it.”

“How do you mean?” She asked.

“Well, in our western culture, there is a superstitious belief that thirteen is an unlucky number. And this mission was identified as Apollo thirteen. You might not have noticed it, but there have already been verbal suggestions in the movie about the mission having bad luck.”

“Thirteen is considered to be an unlucky number?” She asked incredulously. Better not tell Pinkie that. She thought. She always tells us that the thirteenth cupcake in a 'baker's dozen’ is extra lucky.

Mike nodded his head solemnly. “A lot of people believe that. It is an irrational fear after all.”

Mike gestured towards his TV. “We are getting distracted from the movie. For now, for the fun of it, try to identify any other references to the number thirteen.”

Twilight settled back again to do just that. It didn’t take her long to find several such examples.

. . .

“Me-suls?” She prompted.

“It's an infectious disease. He explained. “Somehow Mr. Mattingly there has been exposed to it just two days before their mission. The flight surgeon, uh – the doctor,” he amended, “is ruling that Mattingly must stay behind, since there is a good chance he might fall ill during the mission.”

“Well that stinks.” she commented. “Months of preparation and then somepony tells you that you can’t go?” She muttered, while imagining how she would react to such news. This really is turning into an unlucky mission.

. . .

Twilight watched as the Astro-noughts went through their final preparations and marched toward their vehicle. They were accompanied by squads of assistants. Soon she saw entire roomfuls of humans sitting at complicated consoles.

“Why are there so many humans involved? I would think that they would just fly off and get going.”

“Well, it’s a very complicated machine, flying a very complicated mission. I don’t know how you feel about checklists, Twilight. But this is how you manage a checklist with hundreds of thousands of steps.”

Twilight suddenly felt giddy. A checklist with hundreds of thousands of items? Eee! She fairly screamed her delight at the very thought of it.

. . .

“… twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight …”

Oh wow! Twilight marveled. They are even counting down the seconds. I love that checklist.

As the count reached zero, Twilight became more astonished than she could ever have imagined. Red flames bloomed and gushed prodigiously outwards. Gantries swung back in synchronized dance and the leviathan began to move upwards through a blizzard of what looked like ice. The rocket’s roar, matched only by the swelling orchestral accompaniment, consumed her to the point her mouth was hanging open.

“Wow.” She had no words to describe what she was seeing, nor the sound pounding through her chest.

“That– that’s so amazing!” She shouted to Mike over the roar of the rocket’s engines before her jaw dropped downwards again.

“I can’t believe it! They’re already outside the atmosphere already.”

“What was that?!” Twilight exclaimed a few seconds later. “Did a piece of their rocket just fall off?”

“That’s normal. I’ll tell you about it later.”

My notebook! Twilight exclaimed to herself. I’ve been forgetting to write down my questions. Frantically she began scribbling notes while simultaneously trying to watch the movie, anxious that she not miss anything.

. . .

Twilight jerked, kicking her hind legs in sudden spasm as the space-craft's panel blew out. She knew beyond a doubt that this was the disaster the whole movie had been leading up to. This event was no dream.

She watched in horrified fascination as Jim Lovell and his crew struggled to comprehend what was happening as rumbles and ominous banging noises abounded. The control personnel back in Hue-stun began speaking rapidly over top each other, confused and disbelieving as to what their displays showed them.

“Houston, we are venting something out into space.” Jim Lowell announced the news which Twilight dreaded to hear. No. No. No. No. This can't be happening. She thought frantically. If her ears had not been pinned back already, they most certainly were now. Without oxygen, they’ll die! Without any conscious thought she moved closer to Mike, instinctively seeking comfort from a friend.

Twilight started breathing again as the white chief in Hue-stun took control – “Let’s work the problem, people.” He called out. “Let’s not make things worse by guessing.”

Something about the white chief’s words calmed her while at the same time inspiring her. She wrote the words down in her notepad, for future consideration.

Twilight could feel her hope growing as a plan was made to salvage whatever remained of their oxygen. Her hopes were cruelly dashed when the plan failed. She pressed tighter to Mike, not noticing when he put his arm around her. His action however, did help to calm her down by a considerable amount.

Unaware, for the moment, of her position nestled up against Mike's side and under his arm, Twilight's attention remained riveted to the movie. The crisis was unabated and indeed had probably been made worse by the failure of the first plan.

She watched anxiously as a measure of order slowly developed out of the renewed chaos; the Astro-noughts and Hue-stun both developing the same alternate plan. Fervently, the Astro-noughts bent their efforts towards its implementation.

As Twilight understood the situation, there were two spacecraft that were linked together. She was not sure why there were two spacecraft in the first place, one should have been enough, but in any case the arrangement proved fortuitous as the Astro-noughts began relocating themselves to the second craft.

The problem they now had was that the other craft was not ready to assume the duties of the first. Apparently it took three hours, using the checklists, to get it ready. Twilight shivered. They're being forced to abandon a perfectly good checklist. She thought, feeling a touch of nausea. It's like forgetting to study for a test – unthinkable.

They did it! Twilight cheered as the immediate crisis ended. She could feel the tension begin to leave her body. Her wings began to ache as they slowly relaxed from being clamped so tight.

Suddenly she became aware of where she was, pressed tight up against Mike, underneath his arm. How did I end up here? She wondered. Tilting her head upwards, she looked into Mike’s face. From her new perspective, his chin dominated his features. “I’m sorry, Mike. I don’t know how this happened or what I was doing.” She made an effort to move away.

Mike’s arms tightened around her as he spoke softly. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I don’t mind.” Then his arm loosened up again, emphasizing the point that the choice was hers.

Perhaps, she thought, I should stay here. Just in case the movie gets too intense again.

. . .

Twilight watched in silent wonder the Apollo spacecraft drifted around the moon. It’s so strange, so different from, yet at the same time similar to, Luna's moon. She thought contemplatively. And what pony, even Luna, could ever have imagined such a concept as, night time on the Moon. Yet I have seen it, in a universe where the moon does not shine with its own light, but merely reflects the light of the sun.

She continued to watch as the spacecraft flew into the sunrise, allowing the Astro-noughts to look down upon the now brightly lit features of the moon. She listened intently as they brought up unfamiliar names to reference the features they saw. Lovell, she saw was acting strange, staring fixedly at something far off.

Suddenly the scene faded to one of a lone Astro-nought climbing down the side of the ugly looking spacecraft onto the surface of the moon. That spacecraft must have the sole purpose of landing on the moon. Twilight realized. As the Astro-nought adjusted his visor, she could see that it was Jim Lovell, who began to run and cavort about upon the moon. She could see his boots digging into the lunar soil, which was kicked about by his antics. He reminded her very much of a young foal kicking their hoofs up in excitement on the first day after Winter Wrap Up.

Yet as she watched, the same sad horn which had bothered her at the beginning of the movie was playing again. As the music came to a crescendo, the lunar scene faded, revealing Lovell staring out the window of his stricken spaceship. I think I understand. Twilight thought sadly. He mourns for his lost dream of walking on the moon; of making history.

But it's better to be alive, than to walk on the moon. Isn't it?

“…Gentlemen, what are your intentions? I’d like to go home." Lovell echoed her exact thoughts. Twilight was so proud of his decision.

. . .

As the movie progressed, Twilight became quite accustomed to snuggling under Mike’s arm. It became necessary as the Astro-noughts’ problems continued to mount in rapid succession.

First there was a crisis of having enough power to even return home. From that point on, the temperature inexorably began to drop.

As the temperature dropped, one of the astronauts was revealed to have become ill. Their situation was becoming miserable if not yet unendurable.

Next, they faced critical buildup of deadly Carbon Dioxide gas; a silent crisis that threatened their lives. The solution that the Hue-stun humans came up with was nothing short of improvisational genius. But she nearly cried when they needed to destroy their books and manuals in order to make the required apparatus.

The next hoof-biter was their course correcting burn, to be made without assistance from their machines. Needless to say, they were not Rainbow Dash and it was a wild ride that narrowly skirted disaster. When it was over, Twilight found herself quite grateful for Mike's solid presence.

. . .

Twilight was worried. Despite the trials the Astro-noughts had already overcome, a final crisis loomed. Apparently, for some reason, they needed to return to their abandoned spaceship and there was no known procedure for restarting it. She watched as Mattingly, the former crew mate, cast so unceremoniously out of their crew, labored unceasingly to devise as solution.

Even as Mattingly's repeated failures to find a solution ratcheted up the tension levels, she couldn't help but see something else, something apparent only to her eyes. She saw him embodying the attitudes of both Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Rarity, in that he labored to help is former crew mates despite the hurt they had done him. Rainbow was found in his unwavering loyalty and fierce determination to succeed.

When he finally came through with the essential restart procedure, Earth was looming quite large in the spacecraft's windows. Twilight wished her aching wings would unclench.

. . .

Time passed. “No.” Twilight moaned softly, fearing the worst as the time of the Astro-noughts expected return came and went. “No.” She whimpered, turning her head to bury her face in Mike's shirt.

And then –

“Hello, Hue-stun, this Odyssey. Good to see you again.” Lovell's voice was heard.

“YES!”

Twilight's shout reverberated throughout the house.

Turning her body around, she latched onto Mike and hugged him fiercely, shaking him like a rag doll.

Tom Hanks' voice drifted haunting and bittersweet, narrating over the ending scenes of the movie.

“… And as for me, the seven extraordinary days of Apollo 13, were my last in space. I've watched other men walk on the moon and return safely, all from the confines of mission control and our house in Houston.

“I sometimes catch myself looking up at the moon, remembering the changes in fortune in our long voyage, thinking of the thousands of people who worked to bring the three of us home.

“I look up at the moon and wonder, when will we be going back? And who will that be?”

When the credits began to roll Mike let out a sigh, dropping his head back against the couch, relaxing as the movie ended. That part always gets me. He thought. It's such a sad yet fitting end to the movie.

Twilight too, seemed to be in a meditative mood as she lay there, having nestled under his arm again; lending him a cozy warmth. A fading twinge from his ribs reminded him of how surprisingly active a movie companion she had been, at times almost crushing him. That victory hug as she celebrated the Astronauts survival was something else. But I don't think I mind all that much. He smirked to himself, accepting the fact that he had enjoyed her intimate company.

Twilight began to stir, letting go of whatever musings she had had at the end of the movie. She turned her head about in order to look up at him from her position near his shoulder. He could see tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Mike. I found that to be a very moving story.” She turned her head away, facing forward again. “It certainly gave me a great deal to think about.”

Twilight rested there against his side for several moments. She stirred again, turning her head and looking up, beseeching him with her huge eyes. “But I have some questions.”

Mike couldn't help but snort a laugh. “Of course you do.” He teased with a broad smile. Twilight's response was to throw him a moue. Attempting to placate her, he curled his arm back to stroke her hair where it hung down along the side of her neck and shoulders. “I'll do my best to answer them.”

“Well then, here's my first question. You told me that this was a true story. But then some things you said, like about that dream, indicated that it was fictional. How much of that movie can I even believe?”

“That's–” Easy... Mike had started to say until it struck him how complicated things were. “Um. Give me a moment. I have to think about this.” Mike began to think furiously about Hollywood actors, CGI and the actual historical events.

As he thought on his answer, Twilight moved away from his side and resettled herself on the couch. She probably needs to relieve her wings. He thought, momentarily distracted as he watched her folding and shifting the members in question like some kind of giant bird. At least she didn't waggle her tail.

“The movie we just saw was a recreation.” Mike began. “With actors playing their parts to create a movie whose image and sound quality meet studio standards. What we just saw was whole orders better than the actual historic footage and sound recordings.”

Twilight nodded her head. Obviously she understood the concept of a historical drama.

“The movie faithfully portrays the decisions that led up to the mission as well as those which took place during it. Everything the Astronauts said and did is a matter of record, and that's what we saw in the movie. Every technical detail and piece of equipment was reproduced or modeled with exquisite attention to detail. Even the scenes with the actors on the spacecraft were actually filmed on board a special aircraft which reproduced weightlessness.”

Twilight pounced on that statement. “Wait a minute. You told me yesterday that gravity was an effect of space and time being warped, that you humans could not affect it. How is it that they filmed those scenes in weightlessness?”

“I said they used a special aircraft. Basically, it flies up to a high altitude and then dives down towards the ground in a precise trajectory designed to mimic the acceleration due to gravity. In essence, the plane is falling and everything inside it experiences weightlessness.”

“The aircraft is diving towards the ground?” She asked incredulously.

“Yes, and they don't have much time before they have to pull up out of their dive. I imagine they can only get half a minute or so of weightlessness per dive. It must have taken them hundreds of flights to complete the movie.”

“Hm.” Twilight considered the facts. “From my own flying experiences, I think I can believe that.”

Mike smirked. “The aircraft has a nickname that is both poetic yet descriptive. It's called the Vomit Comet, because many a lunch has been lost.”

“Ugh.” Twilight exclaimed with distaste. “Don't remind me. So that's why they showed that disgusting scene in the movie.”

“Okay.” Twilight returned to her original question. “So the movie depicted actual historical events. I still don't know what parts of the movie were non-historical.”

“Basically,” Mike began, “anything of a personal nature outside of the actual mission is suspect. The wife's dream? Very dramatic but it probably never happened. Their family interactions? Imaginative but unverifiable. Small talk at the party? Probably scripted to help move the story along. Lovell's daydream where he walked on the moon? A bit of whimsy with great emotional impact.”

“I see.” She said.

“And that Hue-stun place. That was real, right?”

“Yes it was.” Mike replied. “From beginning to end there were literally dozens, maybe hundreds, of people helping out by continuously monitoring everything that happened on their spacecraft. Everyone an expert pertaining to the systems they were monitoring.”

“Well, I was certainly impressed by all of that. And I especially liked that white chief guy.”

“White chief? Who –” For a moment Mike was confused until he remembered that Gene Kranz, the flight director, had been wearing a white vest.

Twilight's next question surprised him. “Why was he blowing smoke all the time? Was he related to dragons somehow?”

“He was smoking cigarettes. It was a common practice back then.” What most surprised Mike however, was how little attention he himself had paid to the director's smoking.

“What are cigarettes?” Of course she asked the natural question.

I guess ponies don't have that vice. Mike thought. “It's a small paper cylinder filled with shredded leaves from the tobacco plant. You light one end on fire and inhale the smoke through the other end.”

Twilight's eyes grew larger as Mike attempted to describe the process of smoking. “Humans actually inhale smoke?” She asked, her voice rising with a note of incredulity.

“Yes, it's bad for us and it leads to all sorts of health problems. The reason smokers continue their habit is because Tobacco contains nicotine, a toxic yet highly addictive chemical.

“Smokers are addicts?” Twilight appeared shocked. “The white chief was displaying his addiction in public?”

“In a word. Yes.” Mike explained. Well Twilight, I guess you ponies are familiar with the concept of substance abuse. “Back then, probably fifty percent of the population smoked. It was deeply entrenched as part of the social norm.”

“But,” Twilight appeared thoughtful, “I don't remember seeing any smoking during our trip to that shopping place yesterday. Does that mean humans don't smoke anymore?”

“Forty years ago, smoking was thought to be a harmless activity. Eventually though, we found out that smoking and even breathing someone else's secondhand smoke was harmful. For the last decade or so, society has been making a strong push to discourage and even eliminate smoking.

“I'd say that fewer than twenty percent of people still smoke. And laws have been passed which prohibit one from smoking indoors in public places. That's probably why you didn't happen to see anybody smoking.”

“Any more questions?” He asked.

“A few, but only one that's really bothering me. When the Astro-noughts returned to earth, they experienced something called a blackout, a period of time when nopony knew what was happening. It was a real hoof-biter and had me deeply worried. I have to wonder, was that something the writers added to the movie to add drama and suspense.”

“No, that too was real.”

“Really?” She queried. “I don't know anything about how your communications – your radio – works, but why would they lose communications like that?”

“You saw how their capsule heated up and began to glow during re-entry?” Twilight nodded.

“Well, the heat of re-entry is much hotter than any simple flame. It's violent enough to strip the electrons off of the air molecules, forming ionized plasma. During re-entry, that plasma envelops the spacecraft like an electrically conductive shell, blocking all radio signals.”

“Thanks Mike. That helps.” Twilight got busy writing the details down in her notes.

After a moment she put away her notebook and looked up. “There’s just one more thing. After seeing that movie, I really want to see your moon with my own eyes.” She dropped her eyes. “I know it's cold outside, but could we maybe go outside and look at your moon? It would mean a lot to me.”

Twilights request caught Mike off guard. She wants to look at the moon? He wondered.

A smile stole over his features. Well why not? I was planning on doing some stargazing during my vacation. Tonight's good.

“I think that's an excellent idea, Twilight. If the weather remained clear like it was earlier this afternoon, we should have no problems. And if I remember correctly, the moon should be entering its last quarter tonight.”

What time is it? Mike thought, giving his wristwatch a quick glance. “Wow, it's eleven-forty already. The moon should be rising soon. I'd better hurry if I'm going to set up my telescope.”

Twilight's reply was to approach him rapidly. Rising up, she put both of her fore hooves on his shoulders. “You have a telescope?” She asked with intensity, looking him directly in the face.

She was so close that Mike went a little cross eyed observing her muzzle, parked as it was barely a centimeter in front of his own nose. “Didn't I tell you earlier about my scope?” He asked ingenuously.

“Nooo.” Twilight drawled out. “I'm pretty sure you didn't because I would have remembered that.” As she spoke she relaxed her eyes, giving them a more pronounced almond shape.

Mike found himself enjoying Twilight's intrusion into his face-space. Sloe-eyes. He thought, mesmerized by her two dark violet orbs. She's got the most amazing sloe-eyes. Both Mike and Twilight held their pose for several moments. Mike felt as though he was gazing into her soul, and he liked what he saw.

“Well–” Twilight's voice broke their tableau, allowing them to look away from each other. Mike could feel his cheeks heating up. If he hadn't been examining the floor, off to his right side, he might have noticed the heat in Twilight's cheeks as well.

“Where is this telescope of yours?” She asked as she took a step back, dropping her fore hooves back down onto the floor.

“I keep it in the basement.” Mike answered, glad for the distraction. “Just give me a minute to fetch it.”

“Do you need any help carrying anything?” Twilight offered eagerly, all hints of what had just occurred smothered under her obvious delight in things astronomical.

'Not really.' Mike was about to say, but one look at Twilight's face was all it took to change his mind. Her enthusiasm was infectious, causing him to smile in return. “Now that you mention it, I could use a little help.”

Twilight felt like prancing, but that of course would not do at all. She was levitating part of Mike's precious telescope, together with something called a 'power tank' in her magic, so she was being extra careful with everything.

They paused in the kitchen while Mike acquired the heavy clothing he needed for venturing outside. While he did so, she moved what was obviously the business end of Mike's telescope closer, giving it an in-depth examination.

The short, fat, orange cylinder with the glass plate in one end was obviously the telescope itself. It looks so odd. She thought, mentally comparing it to her own telescope. It's too short. How can something this short be a proper telescope? Does it use mirrors like Mike mentioned the other day?

In Twilight’s experience, telescopes were ungainly long tubes, and quite heavy. My own telescope is twelve hooves long and it’s only a toy compared to the ones at the Canterlot Royal observatory. This thing of Mike's is only three hooves long. By all rights, it should be a toy.

Could it be that Mike's telescope really is a toy? She wondered. Three hooves was about the length of certain cheap toy telescopes made for six year old foals. They were sold in their thousands by Filthy Rich's company, Barnyard Bargains.

No. She quickly discarded that thought. This thing is too heavy and finely crafted to be a toy.

And what’s up with this telescope's mount? She wondered next. I recognize it as being a two axis mount like the one on my own telescope – but half of the yoke is missing. And the half that’s still there has been blown up to a monstrous size. I swear that it's as big as Celestia's hoof!

And why is the outside of the yoke arm covered in buttons? Buttons whose purpose she could not discern, though she considered herself a veteran star-watcher.

It was all so exciting.

“Alright, I'm ready.” Mike announced, interrupting her scrutiny of the telescope.

Eager to get going, Twilight used her magic to open the door, holding it open for Mike. She followed immediately after and closed the door behind them.

I can't believe how cold it is. Twilight shivered. It's gotten a lot colder than it was this afternoon. I wouldn't mind having that nice scarf Rarity made me right about now.

Mike stopped abruptly and began setting up the tripod he had been carrying. It was on a salt rotted patch of ice which comprised part of his driveway. While I'm at it, I should also wish for those matching winter boots Rarity made. Twilight wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought of getting salt in her hooves.

Twilight looked up and was amazed to see how dark the sky was. Unlike Luna's night sky, which always carried a deep violet tint, a faint glow even - this sky was black. The most perfect and absolute pitch black she had ever seen. And strewn about like sand blown onto a beach towel was a glorious multitude of stars, like, yet unlike anything she had ever seen before. As if that were not enough, she could see a faint milky white band painting a luminous slash across the sky. She didn’t know what it was.

It quite took Twilight's breath away to see these alien stars shining so brightly in this alien sky; a treasure beyond compare. If ever a race of beings, she thought solemnly, had an incentive to watch the stars, then surely these humans did. It's so beautiful.

She lost herself in the wonders above.

---------------------

“Twilight.” Mike's voice called her back to the world. “It's set up.”

She grinned sheepishly, not wanting to admit that she had lost all sense of time while gazing at the stars. Looking at Mike, she saw the telescope she had been carrying was now assembled on top of the tripod which stood beside him. When did he...? Twilight could only shake her head at how inattentive she had been, allowing Mike to take objects right out of her magical grasp like that.

Get your head together, Twilight. She took herself to task. The stars may be beautiful. But I came out here to see the moon. Suddenly she gasped, realizing how dark it was. “Where's the moon?” she asked, looking about wildly in sudden alarm. For as long as she had lived, the daily rhythm of the sun and moon had always been a constant in her life. That it was missing now was something of a shock.

“Look over there, to the east.” Mike replied. “See that bright glow behind the trees on that rise? That's the moon.”

Even as Mike directed her attention, a sliver of silvery brightness began to edge its way above the rise, gleaming through the fringe of distant trees.

“There it is.” Mike commented with satisfaction.

“I don't understand.” She voiced her confusion. “Shouldn't the moon have risen hours ago? It should have been raised just as the sun went down.”

“I'm not sure what you’re asking,” Mike replied, “Tonight is the start of the last quarter, so it's quite normal for the moon to rise at about midnight.”

“It's supposed to rise at midnight?” Twilight repeated, not understanding but peaking both of her ears forward in curiosity.

“It's just geometry. The moon revolves around the earth, taking some twenty eight days to make one full orbit around the earth. If we begin our consideration at that moment in time when the moon is directly behind the earth with respect to the sun, then we see the full moon rise in the east just as the sun is setting in the west.”

Mike's words painted a picture in her mind of some decidedly odd celestial mechanics.

“Each day that passes sees the moon advancing one twenty-eighth of the way along the path of its orbit, the position of the moon having advanced sufficiently to delay moon-rise by about fifty minutes. Correspondingly, since the moon rises late, it will also set late, sharing the sky with the sun for about fifty minutes during dawn.

“Continue this cycle, advancing the delays by another fifty minutes each day. After seven days you will arrive at the pattern we see tonight. Moon-rise has been delayed by six hours, causing it to rise at midnight. Tomorrow, we can expect to see the moon in the sky all morning long, until it sets at noon.”

That only adds up to three hundred and fifty minutes. Twilight’s mind immediately seized upon the computational discrepancy. But no, Mike was probably only using the nearest round figure.

Suddenly, Twilight gasped. “According to your explanation, in another seven days, there will be a night with no moon whatsoever.”

“That's right.” Mike affirmed her deduction. “It happens every month. We call it a 'new moon'.”

“That is so incredible.” Twilight took a moment to write everything down in her notebook, using her horn to provide the necessary illumination. When she was done, she looked back up at Mike. “Thanks Mike. I guess your world seems so similar to mine at times, that it's easy for me to forget just how different it is.”

Silence ensued as they waited for the moon to rise above the trees.

Several minutes passed. The stars were shining. The wind which had been sighing through the branches of nearby trees died down for a minute and an eerie stillness settled about them.

Mike spoke softly into the silence. “This reminds me of a song we sang on Christmas Eve.”

Before Twilight could reply, Mike's voice pierced the night, breaking its stillness.

Silent night, holy night!

Twilight was stunned by the rich tenor sounds which issued from Mike's throat, but she soon collected her wits sufficiently to listen to the song.

All is calm, all is bright.

It was a lovely piece, the way Mike sang it, A Capella, made it almost a lullaby in its gentleness.

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Mike's song ended. But he wasn't finished. “I remember how we would gather after dinner, in front of the Christmas tree, mom, dad, my sister and I. We turned off the lights, except for the lights of the Christmas tree and we sang. Of all my memories of my family and this day, this one is by far my most precious. I can still hear their voices.

Mike cleared his throat. “Sorry Twilight. I guess I got caught up in a bit of nostalgia, what with the darkness surrounding us, the stars shining up above and the wind falling down into stillness for a moment.”

“Please don't apologize. That was beautiful!” She enthused, stomping her hoovesin brief applause. “I had no idea you could sing like that. But please don't stop, I want to hear more.”

“Um, I can't remember the other verses.” Mike admitted. Though she couldn't see his face, she could hear the sheepishness in his voice.

“Mike! How could you not remember the words to such a lovely song?” Twilight chastised him gently.

“Sorry.” Mike hung his head in embarrassment. “Pretty much all the songs I know are like that. I might remember the first verse and the chorus but for anything more I'd always have the printed words in front of me.”

“You might remember the first verse?” Twilight asked incredulously. “Mike, if your memory is so deficient, then how is it you remembered the song you just sang?”

“It's one of my favorites.” Mike admitted proudly. At which admission Twilight could only clap a frozen hoof over her face. It's 'one of his favorites' yet he doesn't make an effort to remember all the verses? Well maybe it's a really long song and hard to remember. She though hopefully.

“Well, how many verses are there in that song?” She asked, hoping that Mike would redeem his shattered image.

“Three verses, I think”

“Argh!” Twilight buried her face under both hooves. Having just been on the icy ground, they were quite cold, causing her to abort her dramatic gesture. “You have such a wonderful singing voice and its just being wasted with that attitude. You couldn't even remember three short verses?”

“I am sorry,” Mike offered contritely, “but I've never really needed to memorize them. It's not like I just wander around, ready to burst into song at a moment’s notice. Wouldn't that be ridiculous.”

That's exactly what happens among us ponies. Twilight thought with some exasperation. But maybe it's not the same for humans. I should know by now not to assume anything.

But – he does have a very nice singing voice. The thought was intriguing. “Do you know any other songs?” She asked, hoping to hear more.

Mike nodded and began a new song.

O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Twilight stamped her hooves in approval again. “More!” She enthused.

Mike smiled and nodded before taking in a breath for starting another song. The instant he did so, a fit of coughing took him.

Twilight's delight turned to concern. “Are you alright?” She asked.

Mike gave a quick nod before rasping out “I think so. But I think I should stop singing. This cold air is not doing me any favors. Have you noticed how much colder it's gotten tonight?”

“Yes I have.” She acknowledged. “I really want to thank you for sharing your special day with me through your memories, and those songs were really wonderful. Those memories of your family, I can see that they meant a lot to you.”

“They did, and they still do.” Mike replied, his voice sounding much better.

“I think we've waited long enough.” Mike changed the subject abruptly. “The moon's cleared those trees now. Would you like to see it through the scope?” Mike, having now become visible in the moonlight, waved a hand towards the instrument.

“Thank you, Mike.” Quivering with excitement and hiding it under a false calm, Twilight marched herself to the back end of the telescope. I'm an expert. She reminded herself. I know better than to make sudden moves around a delicate instrument.

Immediately a problem presented itself. “Where's the eyepiece?” She asked in puzzlement.

“It's that short tube sticking off perpendicular to the side.” He answered. “The eyepiece can be mounted directly into the bottom of the telescope but that can make looking through it awkward or even impossible, depending on how the telescope is oriented. A simple diagonal mirror allows us to view from the side at a more convenient angle.”

“I see.” She commented as she repositioned herself off to the right side of the telescope. Bringing her eye near, she saw a large white blur. “How do I focus it?”

“Just rotate the knob on the main telescope tube.” Mike instructed.

“Okay.” She replied. Nervously she began using her magic, applying a bit of torque to the knob. I've got to be careful to limit the amount of magic I use. She cautioned herself. I don't want to break anything.

Suddenly, the image sprang into clarity, revealing the moon she had sought to see. And it was breathtaking.

---------------------

Dear Princess Celestia.

Twilight was lying upon her bed, reflecting upon the events of the day and updating her notes, when she suddenly realized she had something personal to write to her teacher about.

You might think that I would be distraught to find myself lost in this strange universe. And you would be right. I have suffered several bouts of depression and despair.

Fortunately Mike has been right here beside me, always finding ways to lift my spirits and restore my optimism. He's been a wonderful friend. And through Mike's help, I learned an important lesson today.

Tonight, Mike showed me a movie. It was a film dramatization of a certain historical event. In this story, the humans built a spaceship, a ship for traveling in airless space, and undertook a journey to their moon.

It wasn't the first such journey these humans had undertaken; others had already made the journey and walked on the moon twice before them. What made this journey notable however was that it nearly ended in disaster. A few days into their journey, a part of their spaceship exploded, causing them to lose all of their oxygen.

The technical details of how they survived are unimportant, but I will say this about those three Astro-noughts; those humans traveling the depths of space. They persevered and they persisted. Crisis upon crisis fell upon them, each one a literal turning point between life and death. Yet they survived, meeting each challenge in turn.

My first lesson was that I too should be persistent. I might feel frustrated as my research hits a dead end, and I might feel homesick to the point of tears as I consider how close I can get to my friends yet how inexorable our separation. Despite those things, I need to keep trying. I must not fall to despair. I must not give up.

The second lesson I learned was that those poor Astro-noughts had help. They were in constant contact with a team of hundreds of supporters back home. And that support-team worked very hard indeed to support those Astro-noughts by giving the very best, the most sound, advice that it was possible to give. It saved the Astro-noughts' lives.

I too have such help. I have a marvelous group of friends who support me. And not just the Elements and Spike, but you too Celestia, and Luna as well. I count you all as my dear friends, my support team.

Oh, and as for those Astro-noughts? They made it home again, safe and sound. I take that too, as a lesson to myself. I will get home. I will see all of my friends again.

Your faithful student, and friend.

Twilight Sparkle.

P.S. I think I will attempt to send this letter to you directly.

I don't want to relay it through Spike because he might, accidentally, read it and I don't want him to know how distraught and upset I have been feeling. That would only add to the burden of separation he is undoubtedly feeling right now.

P.P.S. I do hope that this letter gets through to you. I tried sending a report (on my observations) to you earlier today, but it failed. Strangely, a note which I had sent to Spike just a few moments before that succeeded.

We really need to work on determining the parameters by which a letter can be successfully sent. I need to establish reliable contact with my support team.

After rolling up the letter and affixing her seal, Twilight invoked the Dragon-Letter spell which Princess Celestia had taught her.

She watched avidly as the packet of smoke began to circle about the room. Soon it shot off, exiting the room through the open door.

“Yes!” She exclaimed softly, not wanting to disturb Mike who was probably asleep by now. It's going to reach the Princess. She thought happily. Now if I only knew why.

Yawning widely, Twilight climbed under the covers on her bed. Soon she was fast asleep.

In her dreams, she was watching movies while comfortably cuddled up against Mike's side.