//------------------------------// // 1 - Prologue // Story: Harmony Among The Stars // by tom117z //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle gazed up at the stars twinkling gently in the sky. She spotted the various constellations she had studied throughout her life and could even make out the orientation of their galaxy based off the concentration of stars across one particular part of the expansive sky. Luna’s moon shined down onto her, and it lit up the surrounding landscape in its soft glow. Where once she had spent hours as a filly doing this by herself, that was no longer the case for the young alicorn. “Oh oh oh! That one looks like a balloon!” Pinkie squeed, laying in the grass one side of Twilight. “And there is a filly holding the balloon,” Fluttershy also noted, on Twilight’s other side. These three, along with Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity were formed in a circle, laying in the grass looking up into the sky. “You’re right Fluttershy! You have really good eyes!” Pinkie complimented, causing the timid Pegasus to blush. “The joyful filly, that one is called,” Twilight said. Spotted first about three hundred years ago by-“ “Egghead,” Rainbow said amidst a painfully fake cough. Twilight simply sighed and rolled her eyes. “Never mind her, Twilight darling,” Rarity said. “This outing was just a marvellous suggestion of yours, and the ideas I’m getting for my next line! Magnificent!” “Well, I’m glad at least some of you appreciate it.” “Jus’ Rainbow who don’t,” Applejack said. “I never said that!” Rainbow protested with a pout. Applejack chuckled. “Jus’ teasing you sugarcube. But wow, these here stars make me feel as small as an ant in a forest of apple trees.” “I can get why you feel like that,” Twilight responded. “Really?” Pinkie questioned. “All they make me feel like is a cameo in the prologue of a science-fiction story.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I’m not even going to pretend to understand that comment.” “Okie dokie loki!” “Do you think they are friendly?” Fluttershy asked. “Hmm?” Twilight glanced towards the Pegasus. “Other ponies. Or rather, anything out there,” she pointed towards the sky. Twilight looked up towards the vastness of space, smiling. “If I have learnt anything about the magic of friendship, it is that it is universal. I will not deny space is dangerous. But the possibilities… the sheer amount of stars and-" Snoring echoed throughout the hill on which the six were located near Ponyville. “What is that?” Twilight asked. “Ah think Dash fell asleep,” Applejack responded. Twilight rolled her eyes… again. “Typical.” Twilight stayed looking up at the stars a while longer, drowning out Rainbow’s snoring and just enjoying the company of all her friends. “Twilight?” A voice echoed. Hearing the voice, Twilight took one last look at her friends before looking up at the stars once more. She then closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her vision was once again filled with the stars which she loved to observe so much. Only now there were two very crucial differences. Firstly, her friends were nowhere to be found. And secondly, she was viewing the stars through a thick pane of reinforced glass. “Twilight?” Princess Celestia addressed again, coming to a stop next to her fellow princess. Twilight glanced towards Celestia, who looked as pristine as she always had. Twilight, however, had changed. She stood eye-to-eye with the Sun Princess, on her body she wore silver and lavender regalia and a crown on her head along with a wondrous ethereal mane blowing in the non-existent breeze aboard the station on which they stood. She was a little two thousand years old. And Equestria had changed with her. Their magic and technology had grown too. Along with their understanding of the universe as a whole. The advent of the thaumatic drive had allowed space stations to be constructed in orbit and starships to be built. The ships initially moved throughout the solar system away from Equus. Luna had led the colonisation of her moon, the planet Mares had been magically terraformed and cities built on its surface. While the world’s governments and nations were still separate, peace reigned as the prospect of further travel across the stars trumped everything else, with Equestria at the forefront. The alliance had allowed quick progress to be made. And even nearby star systems had begun to be colonised thanks to sleeper ships. The thaumatic drive itself was a feat made possible by one of Twilight’s former students. It was largely magic in nature, though technology was added into the mix and contained the power the engines contained, allowing it to run smoothly. Twilight wasn’t shy to admit she had always been a bit envious of her student’s discovering of the drive. However, Twilight was glad to say she had now made her own contribution. “Celestia,” Twilight greeted. “You are well?” Celestia smiled. “I am. How about you, nervous?” “Oh yes,” Twilight grinned. Celestia chuckled lightly, examining the stars with her former student. “How are things here?” Celestia motioned a hoof across the starbase on which they sat, the first starbase to be constructed and one of two in Equus’s orbit; another was under construction above Mares. “Well. Eleven of our ships are in service, the other two are currently in for maintenance.” “Thirteen ships, soon to be fourteen. We have certainly come a long way since I took the throne all those centuries ago,” Celestia commented, some pride showing in her eyes. “Well…” Twilight twirled a hoof. “It’s lucky you had such an amazing student who herself trained equally amazing students.” Celestia mirthfully swished her tail at Twilight. “Oh hush you.” Twilight laughed, before turning to Celestia. “I think it’s time, don’t you?” “Hmm,” Celestia hummed in contemplation. “I wonder what the launch will mean in the long run.” “It means our current fleet will be obsolete,” Twilight responded. “True,” the Sun Princess conceded. The two walked away from the window and down a long stretch of corridor, passing ponies going by doing their duties. Only those without a job to do bowed as the royals passed by. As they got further within the station, Twilight finally spoke again. “You could come with us you know. I know you want to.” “I will admit it is tempting,” Celestia said. “But this is your time, my faithful student.” Twilight glanced over at Celestia. “You haven’t called me that in a very long time.” “I know. But… it feels like it does it not? Like when you were a filly having completed some project I had set? Or when you learnt a new spell and couldn’t wait to show it off?” Twilight smiled. “You’re right, it feels exactly like that. I suppose the filly in me never truly went away.” “And for that, I am truly glad,” Celestia gave her daughter figure a small nuzzle as they came to a stop outside a door with two guards outside. Twilight looked up upon the door, and then to the control panel. “OK. Let’s do this,” she said as she activated the doorway. The two doors slid open, revealing a large observation platform. On the platform was a variety of ponies and other races, all leader of their nations. The emperor of the Griffon Empire was there, the chancellor of Zebrica and a great many others. The two they approached, however, were none other than Princesses Cadance and Luna. “Sister, Twilight,” Luna turned to greet the two. “Luna,” Twilight greeted back. “What do you think?” “She’s amazing,” Cadance said. “I look forward to seeing her in action.” “You and me both,” Twilight sat down by the glass window. Celestia approached the window too, but she had yet to look out of it. “I have seen the blueprints, but not the ship. It’s time to change that.” Celestia took her place next to the other three Princesses of Equestria, viewing the large structure outside within the dock. It had a large saucer at the very front which had three large spheres embedded within on both the left-hoof and right-hoof sides, the life support systems and habitation modules. On the very centre top of the saucer, a dome was present. A dome containing the bridge among other command-based rooms. At the very back of the saucer on the top and bottom were two respective stubby pylons which on each sat one large engine, both currently powered down. Lights decorated the vast ship, some came from the windows of the ship as the new crew could be spotted within, and others on top of the hull lighting up the ship's name written out just a little in front of the bridge. Twilight looked upon her creation with glee. “Princess Celestia, may I introduce our first faster-than-light capable starship. The E.S. Harmony.” Tom117z Presents... Harmony Among The Stars