A Night of History
The party had begun to dwindle, much to Mark’s relief and somewhat to his disappointment. The first order of business had been a meet-and-greet. Ponies lined up to officially greet the newest resident of Ponyville. Although many had been timid, most had warmed to his presence, telling them their names, giving a quick fist-bump. Afterward, he merely mingled among the attendees, many of which asked questions of “Where did you come from?”, “What was your homeworld like?”, “Can we see your ship?”
Mark’s watch read 01:42 when he decided to turn in for the night. The party had begun to dwindle far before then, but many ponies lingered to continue to inquire about Mark. When the last guest departed, Twilight personally showed Mark to the room where he would be staying. “I actually don’t think I’ve ever been in this part of the castle,” she said right outside his room. “I’m still trying to get acclimated to this place.”
“Oh, great,” Mark sarcastically replied. “So what the heck am I supposed to do if I get lost?”
“You’re resourceful, right? I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She gave a short squee in company of an awkward smile.
The door opened to the bedroom. “Wow”, he said as he looked around the residence, “this is way too nice for me.” His first observation was a raised area with stairs leading up to a bed. Mark thought about the last time he had slept in an actual bed instead of the bunk in his quarters.
Twilight gave him a thorough tour, pointing out the vanity, private bathroom, work desk, glass double doors leading to an exterior platform, and closet. “Tomorrow we should take you to Rarity’s boutique shop and get you some clothes. I’m assuming it’s human custom to always remain clothed?”
“A custom I plan on keeping.” Mark gave a chuckle. “There was always a stigma against walking around with no clothing. It was mostly shamed in civilized cultures. About the only times it was ever accepted was during certain festivals, and times of intimacy.”
“Right.” Twilight flushed and quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call someone. I’ve placed a summoning bell here,” she said, pointing to a nightstand. “Simply ring the bell outside the door, and somepony will come and see to your need.”
“Think I’m going to use that right now. I haven’t eaten anything since I left the Caprica, besides the party treats. I’m quite famished.”
Twilight picked the bell up, hovering it outside the open door and gave it a shake. “I don’t know if there will be anything quite to your liking. We aren’t exactly omnivores like humans are.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem so long as I get protein from some other source, like nuts or beans or fish or something of the like.”
After ordering a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich and a tall glass of milk, Twilight began to ask her own questions. “Are you average for a typical human in terms of size?”
“Right on it, in fact.” Mark said after swallowing a bite. “I think the official average was right under two meters. Any taller or I wouldn’t have been allowed to be a pilot.”
“Why not?”
“I wouldn’t have fit in the cockpit.”
“Oh,” Twilight said before taking a sip of her coffee. She brought forward a list of questions to ask, giving one of them a check. “What kind of humans were there? Were they like ponies?”
“In what manner? Like did some of us have wings?” Twilight nodded. “No, unfortunately we weren’t that exciting. Two arms, two legs, eight fingers and two thumbs. That’s how we all were.”
“There must have been something that separated you all.”
“Oh, there was.” Mark took a napkin to the corners of his mouth. “First and foremost would be nationality. Even with the Continental Consolidation in 2186, many people would still claim a country of origin. It gave them a sense of pride and identity. But sometimes that pride got them into trouble.”
“How so?” Twilight asked as she wrote a note in a journal before taking a popcorn kernel from a bowl.
“Centuries before I was born, prideful countries led to what was called ‘World War I.’ There are a million and a half other reasons why this war started, but a deep sense of nationalism didn’t help. It became a case of ‘My country is better than your country.’ ‘No it isn’t.’ ‘Prove it!’ And then the powder keg exploded, leaving millions dead.”
“Oh, dear,” Twilight said as she brought a hoof to her mouth. “What else set people apart?”
“Probably the most problematic was the differences in theological beliefs. It was causing human deaths at the hands of other humans since about the beginning of recorded human history.”
“They were that different?”
“Not at all.” The answer seemed to shock Twilight, as the next popped kernel fell back into the bowl. “Most of them would preach this message of ‘Everyone should get along with everyone,’ but then someone would delve too deep into the words, overthink their meanings, and go on some damned crusade in the name of their god, or gods, or whatever they believed in.”
“Oh… my,” an astounded Twilight muttered.
“And it wasn’t limited to just fighting between groups. Even people who were like-minded couldn’t seem to agree on everything. So, when diplomacy didn’t work, they fought.”
Twilight let out a disappointed sigh. “Has your race always been so prone to violence?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Mark took a drink of the ice cold milk. “When I was studying the history of warfare at the academy, I often wondered if we were genetically programmed to be violent. In the total recorded history of humanity, there were only twelve years of uninterrupted peace.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “Things seemed to change after we discovered the secret to traveling faster than light, though.”
“How so?”
“Two reasons, in my opinion. It finally gave people the option to leave if they disagreed. The human race had been kept up on one planet for a thousand millennia, then along comes the technology that allows them to spread into the stars, find their own little place to carve out a new life with people that think the way they do, and not be questioned about it.” He took a bite of his sandwich. “I’ve heard stories of people’s great-grandparents being part of the first exodus. They described it as being liberating.”
“What’s the other reason?” Twilight asked.
“For the peace following faster than light travel? I think it has to do with everyone’s secret desire to explore space. I think just about everyone had laid on their back at some point in their life, looking toward the heavens in wonder.” Mark smiled, recalling the memory of the time with his siblings. “Too bad the peace didn’t last.”
“What happened?”
Mark took another wash of milk. “The Colonial Insurrection.” His head gave a small shake. “When the nine colonies became officially established in the 2250s, a group of renegades, based on one of the outer colony planets, I think it was, uhhh… Vesta, they began attacking supply caravans that would be going from planet to planet, stealing the ships and their goods. In response, the leaders of the nine colonies formed the beginning of the Solar Space Defense Command, and brought the colonies under one rule. Well, the insurrectionists didn’t like that too much, and decided to test the SSDC. There was a large caravan delivering precious metals from Gaia to Earth, about fifty ships in total, being escorted by the first Battlestar.”
“What was it’s name?” Twilight inquired, pouring herself another round of coffee.
“The first of her kind, the Horus, named after an ancient god whose duties included protection, among other things. Anyway, the caravan was intercepted in deep space and the insurrectionists began their attack. The Horus came between the freighters and the pirates and began launching its own fighters, or what would later be known as the Cobra-class fighter, Mark I. This was before the magnetic cannons were installed on the Battlestars, and before kinetic rounds were standard issue on Cobras.” Twilight’s head gave a tilt of confusion. “Another story for another day.
“All the SSDC force had were guided missiles, but so did the insurrectionists. But the one thing that the SSDC and the convoy had was a plan in case of a pirate attack. So the pirates are here,” Mark extended a balled fist, “and the convoy is sitting here,” another clinched fist came out, a few feet away from the other and slightly lower, “and the Horus is between them. The plan was that the Horus would come about,” he released the fist representing the convoy, making a flat palm facing the pirate’s position, “exposing her top side to the attacking force, while the convoy fell in under her. The idea was to give the freighters a shield while the Cobras engaged the enemy combatants.”
“And how did that go?” she added cream and sugar to her cup.
“Surprisingly well. Not a single freighter or fighter was lost that day. The Horus held well to multiple warhead impacts, just as it was designed to do. Unfortunately for the insurrectionists, they took heavy losses; only a couple of ships escaped when they decided to cut and run. And it was some time before they were ever heard from again. Until then, the success of the Horus had spurred the growth of the SSDC fleet. Forty years after the Horus, in 2295, the Caprica was commissioned into service, and twenty years after that, I was born into the universe. Twenty years after that… I don’t think I need to mention what started.”
“No,” Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder, “No you don’t. You’ve already explained enough about that today.”
“Thanks,” Mark didn’t know what else to say. He finished off the remaining milk before looking to Twilight’s coffee pot. “Got any of that left?”
“Plenty. Want a cup?” He nodded, “How do you take it?”
“Just black,” She gave him a look that said Are you serious? “I know, I know, I’m weird like that.”
“To each his own,” she happily said as she poured another cup. The night continued with questions ranging from “What games did humans play?” to more personal questions of “What kind of hobbies do you have?” and the like.
“So you know about me,” Mark said as the Sun began to crest over the mountains. “What can you tell me about Equestria?”
“Well that’s a tale all on its own, and too long for me to tell in one sitting, but I’m sure I have a history book or two that you’re more than welcome to read.”
“Oh, that reminds me.” Mark stood, walking to the glass doors before opening them and stepping outside, “I can bring down some reading material from the Caprica’s onboard library. Figured they do a better job at teaching Earth’s history than I can. Also can bring back a variety of works of fiction, including the classics.”
Twilight’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “You have a library??”
“Indeed. Most of it is a collection of non-fiction and scientific articles since the Caprica was a ship of scientific research, after all. But over the years other texts began making their way in. Adventure tales, murder mysteries, fantasy sagas… you name it, we probably have it.”
A unicorn guard knocked on the door before stepping out. “Your highness, Rarity and Fluttershy have arrived to visit.”
“Of course. Send them out here.” A few moments passed before the glass doors opened again, revealing Rarity and Fluttershy. “Good morning, girls. Slept well?”
“Just about as well as I usually do after one of Pinkie’s parties.” Rarity replied. “And what about yourselves?”
“Haven’t slept yet,” the princess said. “Mark has been telling me stories about his people and about himself.”
“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy said with her mane draped over an eye, “you two must be awfully tired.”
“Mark’s stories have been fascinating. He just told me he has a library on his ship!”
“Well, technically, it’s all just stored on the computer’s memory banks, but I’m betting Des will beam me down all of them. If you’ll excuse me.” Mark bowed before making his way to the Hopper on the ground below.
Rarity waited for Mark to exit the room and walk out of earshot. “Spending the night with him already, I see?”
Twilight’s cheeks flushed. “Not in that way.”
Rarity giggled. “I’m sorry! I was merely jesting, darling. But you do seem more comfortable around him now.”
“Yes, I’ve learned a great deal about him and his people just overnight. I can’t wait to read the history texts he’s bringing back.”
Fluttershy’s gaze had followed Mark all the way out the door, and her eyes waited for him to exit the main entrance. “He seems lonely.”
“I have no doubt that he is,” Rarity answered to Fluttershy, “We can only imagine what it would be like to lose your entire species. And as Celestia said, it is quite unfathomable.”
“To lose everyone you have ever known… it breaks my heart just thinking about it,” Twilight added. “Which is why it’s most important that we make him feel welcome here. I have a suspicion that he isn’t fully over his loss.”
Fluttershy’s eyes tracked Mark as he trekked just outside the castle. “If he isn’t, he sure is placing a thick mental block around it,” she heard Rarity say. “How do you even begin to get through it?”
“I don’t know.” Twilight moved to pour another cup of coffee. “But every time I bring up something about the Dridens, he seems to skirt the question or give the barest amount of information.”
“I’m sure he’ll open up when he feels comfortable with it. It’s not everyday that you stumble upon an entirely new species.”
“I bet his favorite color is green,” Fluttershy said, hanging on the balcony railing.
“How do you figure?” Twilight asked.
“He’s been through so much destruction, and green is the color of all things living.” She came down from the railing and turned to the other two ponies. “I get that feeling from him.” She saw Mark enter the Hopper hatch.
“Are you developing your own kind of Pinkie sense?” Twilight said with a small chuckle. “The ‘Flutter Sense’?”
“Maybe,” Fluttershy returned with a smile.
“Hey Des,” Mark said into the headset.
A screen flicked on, tuning to Des’s face. “Hey Mark. Miss me already?”
“You know it.” A grin escaped from the corner of his mouth. “Hey I was wondering if you could send down all the digital copies of all the works of fiction, non-fiction, articles, research notes… basically anything that’s in the library files.”
“Oh, absolutely.” Mark could see the streams of information flow. “Got some readers, do you?”
“Yes I do. You should have seen the eyes on Twilight when I told her the Caprica has her own library. She lit up like a fireworks display on Colonization Day.”
“Hah, I had her figured for a book worm.” A bright strand of data ran past. “Okay, I’ve compiled the works, but they’re all in English. You want me to translate them? Shouldn’t take very long.”
“That would be great.” A moment of silence passed. “So how are things going up there?”
“Not bad. Though it would be nice to have someone to talk to and to fine-tune some of the other equipment that I can’t quite get to.”
Mark gave a hum. “Okay. Send me a report. I’ll be up here in a week or so to give it all a look.”
“Will do.” The console gave a beep. “Package sent.”
“Info received,” he said as he typed in commands to send it to a tablet, “I’ll run through this and talk to you tomorrow.”
Mark had gone through the technical issues with the Caprica over the course of the day. He joined Twilight during dinner. “So most of it is just a bunch of mechanical maintenance that Des can’t do,” he said, “I could probably get most of it done in a day.”
“When did you plan on going back up?” Twilight asked, her focus never breaking as she looked through a stack of notes while eating.
“Sometime tomorrow morning. Should probably get some actual sleep first.” Mark ran a hand over his short hair. “I, uh… was curious if you and your friends would want to join me.”
Twilight had been changing papers when the comment made her stop. When she turned, her eyes became as wide as the dinner plates that had been set before them, “Us… go… space?”
“Something along those lines, yes.”
Twilight jumped with joy, a small spark escaping her horn. “Are you kidding!? That’s only been my dream since I was a filly!”
“I couldn’t tell,” he said with a grin.
She squinted her face at the sarcastic comment. “Oh! I need to write the other princesses and tell them I’m going to space! No, wait, I need to write the girls first and tell them. But I need to make a packing list. Do I need to bring much? What does one bring to space?”
“Hey, don’t forget to breathe.” Twilight’s ramble ceased as she took a breath. “‘Kay. First, you don’t need to bring anything. Second, we should probably ask the others if they want to go, though I highly suspect they will. Third, I suggest you hold off on that letter. That way you can include the trip as a surprise in your grand report about me.”
“A most excellent idea!” She turned to a nearby server. “Excuse me, if it’s not too much trouble, do you think you could summon a messenger for me?”
“At once, your majesty. ‘Tis no trouble at all.” The server trotted off.
Mark brought a napkin across his lips. “Sure can tell you’re brand new in your new role. Asking people to do things instead of ordering them.”
“I was never the bossy type,” she admitted. “I think I would feel like a huge donkey if I started commanding ponies to do things for me.”
“You summoned me, your highness?” A light blue pegasus with the cutie mark of a letter with wings entered the dining area.
“Yes, I need you to deliver a personal message to the other Elements.”
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UPDATE
WHO NEEDS SLEEP!!!
This is what I was expecting Twilight to say:
"You... want us... To sleep with you?!"
Luckily Twilight didn't misinterpret, instead she says
Equestria's newest Princess everyone!
I must agree wholeheartedly... this chapter really helps the story progress and develop as opposed to 'Three months later'
You rock!
Great chapter I'm glad you decided to build more on the story instead of the "Three months later", now this is just my own personal opinion but if you do intend to have Mark give his ship to the princess in order to give it a crew mite I suggest that first the princess tells the other nations about it first and make the crew consist of all races instead of just ponies. that way there can be some sort of treaty that the Caprica be used only for planetary defense instead of national wars.
I can just see how just Equestria having a spaceship all to itself can escalate out of control VERY quickly
4728490 Sleep is for the weak!
Oh no she didn't!
Twilight, as the Princess of Friendship you should know better than to be ignorantly racist!
To space we go! Im sure Twilight is excited to be the second pony in space ever, thats quite the title.
4729602 This is a brilliant idea! Changelings, gryphons, diamond dogs, and ponies all working together with no stupid hidden motives or anything! Just friends!
Glad that 3 month skip was edited out. I really like it better this way. Great chapter
Dying waiting for the next!
4731321 don't forget the dragons I'm sure one of them could fit in there very easily
Overall, I really like the story. Two huge things though.
-You played the "humans are evil" card. Way overdone and kind of a cliche at this point.
-The math doesn't add up. You pretty much stated that the human race is at least a billion years old. Right now, humanity is only estimated 200,000 years old. So unless humanity nuked itself into an ice age and started again several dozen times, you might want to edit that.
4731626 ... Really? A full grown dragon can fit in her? Highly doubt it. Unless, the ship is about 10-100 KM long then there might be rooms for a few full grown dragons.
4732138 World War III/IV? Mwuhahahahaha!
4732829 ah the beauty of the inability to transmit sarcasm threw text
4733378 That sentence didn't feel sarcastic.
4732138
Huh, I started researching humanity's age when I read that, and somehow I still didn't notice that extreme overestimation. But lit's not as extreme as you make it out to be. This would be millions, not billions.
4733381 ha no I was saying that storm fronts comment was sarcastic about all the races, then I responded with my own sarcastic remark about the dragon race, and now we are here
What are your plans for this story?
4733791 His plan are crush, kill, destroy, swag!
4733666 Of course...But there will still be epic space battle, that is for sure.
4733666 Actually I was being serious.....
4733881 oh I hope so, what would be the point of a ship in a story if we didnt get a little bit of action
4734459 Yep...and usually battlestar have the best space battle scenes....the other movies are.....imaginary and physic defying a bit much...
I do like the change. I hi0e to see kore eventually.