Beneath Distant Stars

by PeppyJoe

Archive Three

//ALERT 133
TAMPER WARNING TRIPPED - CHECK TIMESTAMP

Mission Log:
Day 1 - 18:30

Just to clear up any confusion, it's been about four hours since my last log entry. I talked to Stem, and he helped me rejigger the console to mark the logs according to the approximate local time. We're going to need to acclimate ourselves to this solar cycle, given how long we'll be here, and I expect that this will help at least a bit. I think 'day one' is an appropriate name, too. It's not only ponykind's first day as a true interplanetary species, but for philosophical purposes it's really this planet's first day as well.

Anyway, nothing else to report yet. Eager as everypony was to jump outside and frolic in the grass, I said we should wait for tomorrow. There's still several hours of daylight left, but if we don't get to sleep early today, we're all going to be out of sync.

In regards to more general concerns, though, everything is looking good. Stem says the internal components of all our hardware are still looking good. The ship is stable, despite it looking like we've landed on something of an incline. I did catch something of a design flaw, though. For all the amazing work our engineers did, some idiot decided that it'd be fine to mount the energy-collection array to the main hull of the ship. It's able to fold away and be safe when entering the atmosphere, which is great, but do you know what it's not able to do? It's not able to charge the mission-critical gemstones that are still in orbit with the jump-drive.

...Yeah. So, it's not a major problem, but it does mean that we'll be sitting on our hooves for an extra year or so once we'd otherwise be ready to leave. Thanks for that, Nameless Engineer Pony. When I get home, you (or more likely your children) are going to be buying me a whole library of books to make up for what I won't be able to read during that year.

Mission Log:
Day 2 - 06:00

Good morning, NPSA! We're all bright-eyed and bushy tailed on this fine morning, and ready to start the day!

Since these are all eventually going to be shared with the public, I figured I ought to maintain the facade, but I'm sure you can omit this paragraph when I say... wow. We've just landed on this alien planet, and the first thing we introduce to the ecosystem are Mondays and all the soul-crushing apathy that accompany them. Noise literally asked for "five more minutes."

Anyway, all that aside, we're getting started. Thankfully there was no big fuss over who gets to go outside first, since you all decided that back home. Once I'm suited up, I'm going to get in the airlock and cycle it open. I start by getting a sample of the air and one of the soil and grass, and then returning inside with them. I'll have to wear protective hoof-covers over the suit too, in case there's anything corrosive in the grass or dirt that I come in contact with.

Mission Log:
Day 2 - 06:45

The sun came up over the forest while I was outside. It was beautiful. Until I came back inside, I had completely forgotten that the sun literally was rising over the horizon. It's even more bizarre to see than it seemed on the way here.

Crystal's already analyzed the air sample, and says it's extremely similar to Eris. It's a bit more oxygen rich, but not harmfully so, and says it should be perfectly fine to breathe. Lime's looking at the dirt I brought in, and Patch at the grass. If they both say their samples are safe too, then we'll be free to head outside without the environmental suits. We'll still start off with just one pony at a time, though, in case we've missed anything.

Personal Log:
Crystal Clear
Day 2 - 06:50

I understand that precautions are a necessary part of landing on an alien planet, but it is maddening to be stuck in this tin can while there's grass right outside. I asked Thatch if I could be the first one outside without the suit, since I am supposed to be the second one out, but he said he's just going to go again. I know he's not trying to hog the glory, and that's not what I'm interested in anyway, but it's still getting on my nerves.

Mission Log:
Day 2 - 17:30

This is absurd. Neither of them are done yet. I told them to be painstakingly thorough, because we can't afford any mistakes, but this is brutal. Patch assures me he'll be finished within the hour, but even if Lime is too, I think we're still going to have to wait another night before we do anything further.

Mission Log:
Day 3 - 08:25

A bit of a late start today because there was a rainstorm. Patch and Lime both said there's nothing to worry about, so I went outside and trotted around for a half-hour or so. Just breathing in the air, admiring the view. Patch had even said the grass was benign enough to be edible, but we're not going to go snacking until we can do a more thorough inspection and make sure there's no micro-organisms living on it that are less harmless than the grass. It's a shame, though, given how rare a delicacy it is back home.

Despite how incredible the discovery is in its own right, I have to admit that with all this plant life around, I wasn't terribly surprised to see what looked like a couple of birds while I was outside. It was really, really far away, but there were definitely a few of the things circling over the forest to the south-east. I'm going to need to make sure the team is clear about not straying far from the ship. We have the rover, and we'll probably still get it out and assemble it, but I don't think we should be getting anywhere near those tree-lines.

Now that we've verified the surface is safe without a suit, I'm giving the go-ahead for the crew to get out and enjoy the fresh air. I'm going to ask Crystal to take a sample of the water too, before it dries up.

Mission Log:
Day 3 - 14:30

I swear, it's like these ponies were raised in a barn... Someone left the airlock open. Both sides of it. Just because the air's not going to kill us doesn't mean we need to let the wind blow dirt inside. I made it clear that this can't happen again, and said that everyone's going to be scrubbing air-filters for a week if it does, but I didn't specifically ask who was responsible for it. I trust it won't be an issue anymore.

Mission Log:
Day 3 - 21:00

First day with everyone outside wasn't groundbreaking, but it was a big deal in other ways. Also, we assembled the rover. It's probably not going to be ready tomorrow because the solar cells didn't have long to charge before sundown, but it'll be good to have. In the morning, we'll get the drill set up.

Mission Log:
Day 4 - 11:15

Just saw more of those flying things. At least a dozen of them this time, and in roughly the same area. I'd speculate that these are scavengers, and that something big died over there, but... These ones had an almost metallic shine when they caught the sun just right. I'm not really sure what that could mean, but I can come up with a couple of theories. The first is that they have particularly oily feathers, or even that they have scales instead of feathers. That being said, I have to imagine that their wings would have been larger if they were scaled. The other possibility I came up with is that they were wearing some sort of armor. That's a scary thought.

We really should have brought somepony with a thorough knowledge of animals. Patch is the closest we've got, but he's just a doctor and his knowledge of non-ponies is pretty limited. I guess nopony thought it was worthwhile to send one, given how unlikely this scenario was, but... Well, hindsight is twenty-twenty.

Mission Log:
Day 4 - 11:20

I forgot to say, we finished setting the drill up. We've started it on the first cycle, which is likely going to be useless since we're just clearing dirt away.

Personal Log:
Crystal Clear
Day 4 - 13:00

I started sifting through the dirt the drill was spitting out, and I've realized there's a ton of tiny crystal fragments in it. I got Lime to stop the drill so I could get a better look in the hole. Evidently, these fragments are pretty evenly dispersed through the layer of dirt just below the surface. I've already collected a large sample of the dirt; now I just need to rig up something to sift it with. I don't think we packed one.

Mission Log:
Day 4 - 16:30

This is getting unnerving. Since my eleven-fifteen entry, there has not been one moment when there weren't at least two of those things in the air over that same spot, in direct line of sight from here. If I was right about them wearing armor, then I don't think it's crazy for me to say I suspect they're watching us.

Personal Log:
White Noise
Day 4 - 18:45

The captain gave us a pretty stern warning over dinner. He says he's noticed some creatures that might be watching us, and that we're to remain within the line of sight of a crewmate at all times when outside. Those giant alien spiders aren't sounding quite so laughable anymore.

Mission Log:
Day 5 - 07:30

I didn't get much sleep last night. I've been trying to figure out how to handle these observers. If they are just animals that've taken a passing interest, that'd be one thing, but I'm increasingly confident that they're watching us in shifts. None of them have approached yet, and they're too far to see distinctly. I can't believe we left the telescope in orbit.

For now, I think the best course of action is to let them keep watching us. We're not doing anything to harm them or their environment, so until I come up with a plan or they get tired of flying around up there, things can remain as they are.

I've also been considering the wider implications of this discovery on the nature of our mission. If Discord did leave Eris for this place, did he do so because he preferred these creatures to us? Did he create them? There are no stories of him possessing such powers, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility if indeed he can freely move stars. I suppose for now, though, it's all pointless speculation.

Mission Log:
Day 5 - 17:00

Good progress today. We set up the base of the transmitter. Once it's done, we'll be able to cover most of the continent with a signal strong enough to cut through the ambient interference. If Discord is in range, his concentrated magical energy should work as a de-facto receiver and let him hear the signal.

Personal Log:
Lime Cliff
Day 6 - 10:30

The drill's finally cleared away all the dirt and sparsely-rocky bits and finally hit relatively solid stone. The first solid sample should be finished in a couple days.

Mission Log:
Day 7 - 13:00

Finally finished hauling all the pieces and assembling that ridiculous transmitter. I turned it on a couple minutes ago, and drained our power fast. Once it cycled two full times, I shut it down. We'll run it again tomorrow, once everything's had a chance to recharge.

Mission Log:
Day 7 - 13:15

It looks like the natives are freaked out. A whole bunch of them flew off a bit ago, and now they've got four of them in the air instead of two. I'd be surprised if they could hear the transmitter, but this definitely started right around the time it switched on. I think time for pondering how to make contact is rapidly running out; I need to do something.

Mission Log:
Day 7 - 16:00

They're pegasi like us! One of them flew over, and I got a good luck, and they're PEGASI!

I don't even know what to think anymore. This is beyond surreal. But, let me back up first. We were out working like normal when this pegasus flew out of the forest and bolted for us. The observers already in the sky started to follow her for a moment, but fell back. I ordered everypony else back into the ship, but stood my ground. She got close enough for us to get a good look at each other, and there's no doubt. She had a blue coat and a multicolored rainbow mane like none I've seen before; she wore no armor, and looked pretty young. Definitely an adult, but younger than any pony initiating first contact has a right to be.

She yelled something at me and hovered there at a distance. I told her I couldn't understand, if only to demonstrate that we could speak too. When I answered, she looked frustrated and yelled a string of nonsense at me before flying away.

I'm really lost about what to do now. There's ponies here. Ponies with metalworking capabilities if their armor is any indication. The mare that approached me seemed angry, but they've not done anything collectively hostile yet. The way the observers started to pursue her when she left... I get the impression she wasn't meant to.

If one of them comes back tomorrow, I'll walk a ways away from the ship and meet them. I'm not sending everyone back into the ship again unless they start approaching en masse. I am going to tell Noise to leave the transmitter off tomorrow, though; all that commotion started when we turned it on, and I don't want to provoke them.

Mission Log:
Day 8 - 11:50

I, uh... They came back today. Not the same mare, but a different one. It wasn't a pegasus, though. Not entirely.

It had a horn.

I've never seen anything like it; it was disgusting. She looked like a normal pegasus in every other way, albeit maybe a bit taller, but she had a giant horn sticking out of the middle of her head. My first thought was that the wings were advanced prosthetics like the unicorns back home were working on, but these were absolutely real. I know the horn was too, because she used telekinesis to give me the package she'd brought.

She flew up while we were outside, but moved much less quickly than the mare yesterday and was accompanied by two of the armored pegasi. She seemed very deliberate about it, and flew like she wanted us to see. Once we did, I went out and met her halfway. I didn't notice the horn until we were up close, and then it was impossible to notice anything else. I think she saw how distracted I was, because she didn't stay long. She just floated the box off her back and onto the ground, bowed, and took off.

Looking back on the encounter, a few things have occurred to me. First, that she bowed. It's weird that the same gesture would develop on two different planets meaning apparently the same thing. I get the impression that it was meant as a show of respect, though, and not of deference. Second, the fact that she was accompanied by guards seems to suggest she held a position of authority. Also, she didn't fly particularly well. She certainly wanted us to be aware of her presence, but beyond that, there seemed to be a degree of inability in her movements. I wonder whether having developed both wings and a horn has resulted in a lack of efficacy with both.

If I assume that these ponies physiology is the same or similar to our own, then the only explanation about her I've been able to come up with is dark magic. Maybe our similarities are only superficial, and their genes are different enough to accommodate this, but otherwise... That unicorn found a way to give herself actual wings. Plenty of geneticists have tried, and long since established that pegasus-unicorn crossbreeding is not possible. A pegasus offspring might carry some recessive unicorn genes, but only one trait can manifest. If her horn and wings are both real, and these are actually ponies like us, then dark magic is the only answer I can think of.

So, assuming those inferences are true, these pegasi are commanded by a dark mage. It's important that I don't let historical biases influence our communications, though... It could be that dark magic is simply seen as a means to an end on this world. I can't be sure she's malevolent based on a single encounter and half an hour of guesswork; besides, she hardly seemed evil. For now, I guess the only course is further caution. I'm going to ask Crystal to accompany me on any further exchanges; she'll at least be able to tell if the mare is trying to use a spell to manipulate me.

Mission Log:
Day 8 - 13:10

I nearly forgot about the package she gave me. I've gone through it with the others, and it's fascinating. Included is a sample of basic arithmetic, and it looks like they use the same base-four system that we do. It's also got some more complex stuff that we're still identifying; some of their symbols resemble what we use, but there are some that nopony recognizes. There's a rough diagram of our ship, and attached, one of the jump-drive in orbit. I think they're showing us they understand we came from space, and that that is part of our ship.

Next up, there was a smaller container with a collection of plant parts that are presumably intended as food, but Patch is still going to take a closer look before anyone eats some. The only other things the box contained were a map of the continent with several sites marked and labeled in a foreign language, and a collection of hoof-sized sheets of rectangular parchment with large images covering a single side of each. They appear to be pictures of cities and landmarks, and I've confirmed that some of the alien writing on these cards match sites marked on the map. From the scale of some of these structures and the amount of land these ponies control according to the map, this is evidently no small civilization.

I'm going to talk with Crystal about what we should send in return. Building a rapport is going to be crucial for further interaction with these ponies, so we should definitely make an effort to demonstrate our good will.

Comments

[garfan]

great chapter. Can't wait for them to find out Discord is a mildly tolerated former tyrant

[PeppyJoe]

6245985
I love that game to death, but I wasn't specifically thinking of it when I wrote that. Alien spiders have been a trope in a few different things I've read and watched, and it seemed fitting.

[garfan]

6234737 he had wings and horns, but not pegasi wings or a unicorn horn

[Kevin Lee]

Excellent story so far.

I fully expect that Discord will get severely interrogated for all those OTHER projects he did in the past, once the story about the Eris ponies' origin gets revealed

[Midknight Defender]

It seems Eris is tidally locked with its star? Given their consternation at the sun transiting the horizon, that must not be normal for them.

Which means...half the planet is a sun-blasted desert, and half is in eternal night and probably fairly frigid. And ponies live in the twilight zone in a ring perpendicular to where the sun and planet face eachother.

[Stainless Steel Fox]

9226263 No, Eris has a day night cycle. They were just talking about how here it isn't because the planet is spinning, it's because the sun is actually moving around it.