Chapter 3: Hoofprints
“Of course we can own the moon, thou art in no position to challenge us for it!”
I sat, staring in silence at the hoofprints. Bringing a hoof up to my helmet, I tapped the camera on the left side and took a photo, then another, and another. I stared at the fresh stills displayed on my helmet’s HUD—no, I wasn’t dreaming, and I wasn’t going insane either, they were still there.
I shook my head, blinking a few times as I contemplated them. I had always been told that Princess Luna had been imprisoned within the essence of the moon, hence her title as the ‘Mare in the Moon’. But this was completely contrary to the tales I had been told as a foal. I had always been told it was a magical, more spiritual imprisonment. Had she really been on the surface for a thousand years?
Now that I'd noticed them, I gazed into the distance, able to trace the prints over the hills and ridges until the distance became too great to discern them any longer. This could be huge, turning everything we had known about Luna’s imprisonment on the moon on its head! What had she done during that time? Where did she go? Did she stay in one place, or nomadically wander across the surface?
Standing up, I pulled a scale out from one of the pockets on my forehooves and set it next to one of the prints before bringing my hoof down, leaving my own impression in the lunar regolith next to the hoofprints for reference. As I snapped a photo, my mind raced. The hoofprints needed to be documented correctly, hell, I could even write a report on them! I paused, contemplating. This was a discovery, my discovery, and far more interesting than Morning Frost’s damned rocks. I would need to keep this myself for a while, at least until I could collect more evidence.
I nearly jumped out of my skin as my racing mind was interrupted by a crackle of static from the radio, followed by Azure’s voice. “…Orion, are you there? …Hello? Can you hear me?”
I fumbled over my thoughts for a moment before replying. “This is Orion Zephyr, I read you quiet and only somewhat clear.” I spun on my hooves and trotted back to the ship, trying to get a better signal as the transmission cut in and out. Figures, the radio’s range would be severely limited if they were behind a ridge or particularly large hill.
Azure’s voice came over the radio again, a hint of annoyance in her tone. “I’d take it based on your transmission quality that you haven’t set up the array yet, we’ve been trying to get in touch with you for the past five minutes.”
I grimaced. I had been so lost in the discovery of the hoofprints that I had completely forgotten to set it up. “My apologies, Captain. The inspection of the ship took a little longer than I anticipated and I just wrapped it up. I’ll get on that immediately.”
There was a momentary pause before Morning Frost’s voice cut in. “Orion, why was your GPS marker reading so far from the ship just a moment ago? Surely you didn’t forget to calibrate it before you put your suit on, if so, then please remember to do it next time. We need to know where you are in case of an emergency.”
Shit. I racked my brain for a response. “I… Uh… J-just wanted to snap a few photos of the ship in good lighting. My folks back home wanted me to take a bunch of photos of the mission. Y’know, they probably want to brag to all their friends about my achievements. Plus, it’s important that your stay is properly documented, just for posterity in the future.”
There was an overbearing silence. Certainly she wasn’t suspicious, I hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary. “Well, I suppose that makes sense for a tourist like yourself. Luna help me, some days I still cannot believe that our tax dollars go towards sending ponies like—“
“Frost, we just talked about this. Keep the snide comments to yourself.” Azure interjected.
Frost sighed. “Fine. Be sure to send a few photos back to mission control once you set up the communication array. We need to send some files anyways to calibrate it and make sure the data stream is operating at peak efficiency.”
I breathed a mental sigh of relief. “Will do, Frost. I’m on my way now to set all that up, should be done before you two get back.”
Azure chimed in. “Oh, of course. Orion, I was trying to get in touch to tell you that, for reasons that I will not share, we are running behind schedule and only have two of our seismometers set up. We’re projecting that we’ll only get three more finished before we need to start heading back to the ship due to running out of daylight. Seems like we’ll be finishing the rest tomorrow.”
A plan started formulating in my head, but I held my tongue. “Understood. Are we still on for the hoofball game tonight? You don’t have to stay up that late if you don’t want to, but I’m going to watch it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You don’t know how badly I want to see Trotpeaka kick Salt Lick City’s—“
Morning Frost interrupted. “Captain, watch out for that—“ There was a large thump over the radio, followed by an annoyed groan. “…rock. Azure, did you seriously just do that again?”
Azure laughed sheepishly. “S-sorry. I promise I didn’t see it that time!”
“Do you need to let me drive? I’d like to get there in one piece and, frankly, your rover handling scares me,” Frost grumbled.
“We’re fine, almost there too! We’ll get there even faster when I shift this puppy into maximum overdrive. Yeehaw!”
“Gods help me, I’m going to be sick…”
I opened my mouth to speak but, as I did so, my helmet’s speakers began to fill with static.They must have driven out of range or behind a particularly large hill. I thought I heard Azure saying something, but her voice was garbled far beyond recognition. With an amused smile I shut off the radio, listening to nothing but the sound of my steady breathing. Some ponies would have found the silence maddening, but I had always found it to be oddly comforting in a way. If anything it helped my thoughts take the forefront without much effort to focus myself.
Glancing back at the hoofprints off in the distance, then at the clock, I noted that it was nearly noon. The communications array still needed to be set up and the day was already half spent. I wouldn’t have time to investigate further until tomorrow, assuming that Azure and Frost would be heading out again to finish their tasks. Shelving the thought of Luna’s millennium-long exile on the moon, I quickly made my way back around to the cargo bay ramp, relieved to feel the embrace of normal gravity again as I pranced up the ramp and into the spacious storage area. What I was not relieved to feel was the weight of the suit pressing on my back, and while my jaunt outside the ship hadn’t been more than two and a half hours, I definitely felt more than a little drained after all the physical activity, even in a low gravity environment.
I made my way to the airlock and, with a click of the keypad, the door shut behind me and the room began to pressurize. I reached over and pulled a magnetic wand out of a cubby in the wall and began to wave it all over myself, all the hitchhiking dust from my excursion onto the surface sticking to it happily. Lunar dust was no joke, essentially a finely ground, jagged glass. Thank Celestia for the ponies in R&D for figuring out how to remove it so efficiently and, while their invention best resembled a high-tech cross between a lint roller and a cricket paddle, its utility was not lost on me.
Once I was satisfied with the cleanliness of my suit I knocked all the dust off the wand into a receptacle before returning it to its alcove in the wall. Then, with another press of the keypad on the opposite wall, the door to the ship slid open. I pulled off my helmet, taking in a deep breath of the pristine air. I squirmed in the suit a little, feeling my moisture-wicking under layers pinch and bind a little as I did so. I needed to get out of this thing already, I was starting to feel constricted and stuffy.
Entering my room the first thing I was met with was a blast of frigid air. I stood in the doorway for a moment in disbelief before I spoke. “Ship, give me a temperature reading for my room and for the hallway.”
“Current ambient temperature in rooms 13A and 13B is 37°F. Main corridor is 69°F.”
My jaw dropped as I stepped over the threshold into the room, thick clouds of my breath fogging the air. I was rethinking things, maybe I didn’t want to take my suit off after all. With a sigh, I pulled the wing covers off, then the back of the suit from the neck to my flanks split open. I stepped out of the suit and hung it, the helmet, and the wing covers back into the closet where they belonged. I shivered, glad that I was still clad from neck to hooves in the undersuit, a jet-black latex and spandex wicking garment that had blue bands around the hooves, neck, and tail—signifying that it was mine. Guess they would be doubling as pajamas unless I could figure out what the hell was going on with my thermostat.
I grit my teeth and unzipped the back of the bodysuit, practically tearing it off before chunking it into the closet. Darting from the room, I swiped my tablet from the nightstand as I passed, shivering slightly as the door slid shut behind me, leaving me in the comparatively warm hallway. Make no mistake, I was a fairly sizable stallion with, while no snow-pony, an adequately thick coat. But that cold was a little much, even for me. Pegasai had higher internal body temperatures for flying at altitude, but that did me little good when my room was a literal ice box.
First the thermostat, then the hoofprints, now the thermostat again. My to-do list for today was growing rapidly and I needed to address it sooner rather than later before it got further out of control.
* * *
“Have you tried… Hm. No, we tried that already— Have you checked the status of the hatch? Maybe you’re getting a faulty sensor reading and that’s why the array isn’t extending.”
I groaned, smacking my forehead with a hoof as I held the tablet in the other. It had been a fruitless hour as both Circuit Solder and I had been continually stumped by a fault in the communications array. “No, the hatch status is a-ok, Solder. I was just up there and verified that it wasn’t impeded. I’m getting a good reading on it being open, the comms array just won’t extend from its stowed position.”
Solder tapped his hoof against his chin, lost in thought. “Try resetting the breaker. I know that might sound silly, but my many years dealing with tech has taught me that turning that off then back on again sometimes corrects the strangest of issues.”
I facehoofed. He couldn’t be serious. “And that’s going to work… How exactly? I mean I’ll do it, I just see no merit in it.””
“You never know until you try. Like I said, sometimes it works.”
With a scoff I stepped over to the breaker box, flipping it off then back on again with a click. Making my way back across to the array panel, I pressed a large green button and was green by the sound of a mechanical whir somewhere above my head. “Array extension is at 10%, 50%, 90%… Done. Well I’ll be damned, Solder, that worked like a charm!”
As I looked back over at the tablet Solder shot his hooves in the air victoriously, leaning so far back as to nearly fall out of his wheelchair. “Yes, haha! Another phantom issue, quashed and vanquished by the incredible Circuit Solder!”
I couldn’t help but smile, that was the Solder I had been missing, such a ball of positive energy. I reached my hoof forward and tapped the glass, followed by Solder tapping his camera in return. “Nice job, bud. I knew you had it in you, it was just a matter of time until you figured it out.”
Solder blew a raspberry before taking a sip from a water bottle. “Had it in me? No sir, you’re the one who fixed the issue— I’m not even there, I’m just making suggestions. Take some credit for yourself for once, Orion. Your humility is going to cost you one day, mark my words!”
Rolling my eyes I set about closing all the panels and cabinets we had opened to diagnose the issue. Thankfully it hadn’t been too much of a mess, I was half afraid that I’d have to take another trip outside and start tearing apart sensitive electronics looking for something broken or miss wired. Fortunately that had not been the case, this time anyways. “Oh, please. All I did was hold the metaphorical flashlight and screwdriver, but, if you insist, sure. I was the one who fixed the array.”
He leaned back again with a guffaw, having to bring a hoof to his muzzle to stifle his laughs. “You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve been hurting for a laugh lately. By the way, how are you holding up on your end, rookie? Have you done anything fun yet? Oh, oh, please tell me you’ve gotten to tromp around on the surface, it must’ve been an incredible experience.”
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, shifting my wings a little as I looked away from the tablet. “Yeah, I’ve got to go out on the surface, for a couple hours anyways. Just ship inspection duties, though, I did find—“ I caught myself. I trusted Solder like the older brother I never had, but I had no idea how he’d react to the hoofprints, let alone if he’d keep them to himself. “…Some interesting basalt samples near the ship. My apologies, my mind is elsewhere today.”
Circuit Solder smirked, running a hoof through his green mane. “Apology accepted.
I’m glad you’ve gotten to get out and stretch your legs a bit. I’m really sorry that I’m not there, I know my tasks and responsibilities are a little bit of an undue burden on you, but you’re rolling with the punches to the best of your ability.” He ruminated for a few moments, lost in thought himself. “But, if I may ask, where is your mind today? Hopefully on something practical, like mares. You’re a young buck in a prominent job, the world is at your hooftips!”
Ugh. Not this shtick again. “No, not on mares, Solder. The same is true as I told you last time, I’m not really ‘friends’ with any right now, not in that way.”
“Y’know, Azure is pretty cute— and you’re always on each other's tails like lost puppies. Have you thought about asking—“
Nope. Dead stop. “Uh, no. She’s my best friend, Solder. I could never ask her out. What if I ruined everything we already have?” My thoughts momentarily wondered to all that might go wrong. She could say no, she could say yes and we could ruin our friendship, or she could just laugh in my face. That Would be the worst outcome.
He beamed, giving me a proud smile. “Well, I’m glad you know who your friends are and think of them before yourself. That’s mighty mature of you. …On an unrelated note, how are Azure and Frosty holding up?”
I raised an eyebrow. “…Frosty?”
Solder blushed, smiling sheepishly as he avoided my gaze. “Excuse me, Ms. Morning Frost.”
“Oh, Azure and Frost are holding up well. The former is trying to make sure we don’t have shouting matches or otherwise be at each other’s throats. She’s doing her typical administrative duty to the best of her ability given the circumstances. As for the latter, well, I suppose she’s doing well, also doing most of the shouting, but doing the best she can I guess.”
Circuit Solder winced, shifting his position in the wheelchair. “I’m sorry to hear that. Frost and I… Well, we— Erm… It’s complicated. She has a lot on her mind and I’ll tell you when she’ll let me.”
I smirked, sticking my tongue out at him. “What, surely you two aren’t tying the knot, are you?”
Solder looked down at the ground in silence.
My eyes went wide. “No way. B-buddy, I’m incredibly happy for you, this is huge!”
“J-just keep it to yourself. We haven’t made anything official yet, and plan on keeping it that way for a while. I only led you to that conclusion because I trust you almost more than anyone else on Equis. Promise me you’ll keep it to yourself?”
I beamed with pride. “Loose lips sink ships. You have my word, I know nothing. When’s the wedding?”
Solder continued to look away, rubbing his temple with a hoof methodically. “I… Well, we haven’t really decided if we want to have a ceremony or not, or even when that might be. I think our general consensus is within a few months of Frost getting back, and it’ll probably just be a trip down to the courthouse with a few friends— Nothing fancy, we want to stay out of the public eye the best we can.”
I slowly nodded, trying my best to give him a reassuring smile.
He smiled in return. “Thank you, Orion. I know I can count on you to keep it to yourself. You’ll know more in due time, these things can’t be rushed.”
There was a creak in the background followed by a black and white pegasus mare quickly trotting into the room balancing two cups of coffee on her wings. “Sorry I'm late, Mr. Solder, there was a line a mile long at the canteen to use the coffee maker. I’ll be sure to get there before lunch next time.”
Solder levitated one of the cups from her wing and set it on his desk before responding. “Ah, Gear Shift, it’s about time you got back. Don’t worry, I understand the delay. Thanks for the cup of coffee, I appreciate it.”
“Anytime boss.” The mare trotted off and set down her own cup at a smaller desk positioned to the side of the room, littered haphazardly with papers, spare electronics, and tools.
Solder took a sip of his coffee before speaking again. “Gear, have you met my friend Orion?”
The mare tensed up, glancing over at the screen before quickly trotting to Solder’s heels. She eyed up the camera and monitor nervously, trying her best to stand up straight and look as formal as possible. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”
Solder chuckled, gesturing to the mare. “Well, this is Orion Zephyr, pilot on the Luna 4 mission. Orion, this is Gear Shift, my new apprentice. She’s in college for a degree in engineering, and is serving out a paid internship with us for the time being. ”
Gear Shift’s deep magenta eyes widened, her mouth falling open a little. “Y-you mean… He’s actually on the moon? Like, right now?”
I smiled, spreading a wing in greeting. “Hello, Ms. Gear Shift, It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Welcome to ESA! Yes, I am actually calling from the moon— I would take the tablet outside to prove it, but I just got in from an inspection and I’m really not keen on going back out just yet!”
She snickered, nodding her head in understanding. “There’s no need to prove it, I’ve heard all about you from Solder already. It’s nice to meet you too.”
Solder beamed with pride, casually leaning back in his wheelchair. “Gear here has been learning the ropes real quick and I’m having her pour over the ship schematics daily to get acquainted, we’ve even taken a few trips across the base to go examine the training dummy version. My hope is that she can take the night shift and we can provide around the clock technical assistance if need be.”
“Now that’s an idea and a half, buddy. It’ll make my job a whole heck of a lot easier. ” I adjusted my hold on the tablet, my hoof quickly becoming tired holding it.
“See? My ideas are worthwhile at least half the time!” he chuckled, glancing back at Gear Shift. He patted his hooves on his desk lightly, still smiling as he looked back to the camera. “Heh, well, it’s about time we get back to work, I need to drill my apprentice here on the HVAC system if we are going to effect some repairs.”
My eyes widened, of course! I had completely forgotten to mention the busted thermostat. “Before you go, I meant to ask you. Do we have any spare thermostats on board? The control panel in my cabin is non-functional and the ship’s computer cannot seem to override it. I’m living in a bucking ice-box right now!”
“Hmm… That’s an interesting one, I’ll have to check the ship’s manifest and see if there’s a spare. If not, we’ll just send the schematics up to the fabricator and we’ll make a new one in-house for you. Gear and I will work on finding the problem and make a fix for it.“
Gear Shift puffed up her chest. “Damn right we will! It’ll be fixed in—“
There was a click and the door behind me slid open. I turned, the bright light of the corridor forcing my eyes to readjust a little. Morning Frost stood in the doorway with a blank expression for a moment before speaking. “Oh, there you are Orion. Azure has been looking all over for you.”
I groaned. Shaking my head. “Yeah, one minute Frost, I’m trying to sort out a technical issue with Solder right now. If you can just give me a moment to finish, I’ll be right along when I’m done.”
Frost’s eyes lit up. In a flash she snatched the tablet from my hooves with her magic. “Oh, you’re talking to Solder? What’s up, babe? How are your legs feeling today, any better?”
“H-hey! I’m trying to get critical work done” I protested as Morning Frost shoved past me to take a seat on a nearby box.
Frost waved a hoof at me, shooing me from the room. “I’ll take it from here, Orion. Run along now and go talk to Azure, you know she hates to be kept waiting.”
I cursed under my breath as I took one last look over Frost’s shoulder at Solder and Gear waving goodbye before I stepped out into the hallway, the door shutting behind me. I had been told as a foal to “speak softly and carry a big stick”, but some days Frost made me want to scream at the top of my lungs and club everything in sight with a tire iron. Absolutely no sense of personal space, outside her own that is.
I trotted down the hallway, passing the medbay, lab, engineering, and all of the forward storage compartments before making my way up to the cockpit. I pressed the keypad and the door slid open, but the room was dark and completely devoid of life. Turning around, I made my way back down the hall calling for her. “Azure? Where are you at? Frost said you needed me?”
I passed the mare’s quarters and was greeted by a shout from the other side of the door. “I’m in here, Orion. There’s no need to go around causing a ruckus!”
I backpedaled, standing in front of the entryway. “What did you need me for? It sounded important.”
“I’ll tell you in a second, stop loitering around out there and come inside already, doofus!”
I pressed the keypad with my hoof and the door opened with a hiss. I blinked, then rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing straight. There, in the center of the room was Azure, stripping out of her suit without a care in the world. She was glistening with sweat and… I finally realized that I was ogling. As I felt my face flush with heat I covered my eyes with a hoof. Nope, I should not be staring at that! “C-Captain!”
Azure let out a hearty laugh, finishing wriggling free from her spacesuit and letting it drop to the floor with a rustle. “Haha! You’re as red as a sunset! I know I’m no ten, but you still can’t help but stare, hah!”
I looked at the floor, scraping the metallic tile with the edge of my hoof. “I’m sorry Captain. I didn’t mean to stare.”
Her hoofsteps echoed off the walls of the room as she cantered up to me, so close that I could feel her breath on my neck. “You know, you’re the one stallion who I’ll let ogle at me anyplace and anytime~”
I took a confused step back towards the door before Azure stamped her hooves in delight, laughing her heart out. “I-I’m sorry! I just couldn’t help myself. You can open your eyes, Orion.”
I hesitantly took my hoof away from my face, staring down at her. I had always thought of her as a taller mare but, like this, her being a half a head shorter than I really showed. She was still clad in her suit’s under layers, black with teal bands, and she shimmered and glistened with sweat from head to hoof. I averted my gaze, first to the wall, then the ceiling, then the floor before reluctantly returning to her.
Azure stuck her tongue out and batted her eyelids a few times. “So, Private, how do I look?”
My mind went into a frenzy. How in the hell should I even respond to that? None of this was in any training manual I’d ever read. What I wouldn’t give for a translation guide for mare speak! “I… Uh… Pretty.”
Azure snickered, turning in a slow circle. “Does it make my flanks look big? Be honest.”
I bit my tongue. I wanted out, I didn’t like this, I didn’t know what to say or do, let alone what to think. I glanced back at the open doorway and briefly considered turning tail and making for my room as fast as possible. The freezer would be better than this situation. “I-I…” I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I was calm, I was rational, I wasn’t going to be afraid. “I don’t think it makes your flanks look big so much, but it does amplify your… Your… Curves.” I braced myself for a slap, a blunt object, some upwelling of rage, but no reckoning ever came.
Azure smiled, taking a step back and giving me a chance to breathe. “Is that a bad thing or a good thing in your opinion, Orion?”
Shit. Luna damn it all to Tartarus. “I uh— well you see… Good, it’s a good thing! I mean, some may see it as a bad thing, but to me it’s not… Not err… Bad.”
Azure licked her lips with a smirk. “Interesting, I like your answer. Unfortunately, although I’d love to be easy on your eyes, I’m also cooking alive in this right now and really, really would like to take it off. How about you go snag me a towel from the bathroom while I get undressed?”
I gulped and nodded. “Yes ma’am. Right away ma’am.” Trotting past her I entered the bathroom and shut the door behind me, slumping to the floor with my back against it. She was crazy, absolutely insane-in-the-membrane crazy! She was toying with me, teasing me for a laugh. Odds were she had a camera somewhere filming everything so she could have a laugh at it later. My ears burned, I must have been coming down with something, maybe I inhaled a little too much moon dust. I should just cancel our plans and go to—
There was a knock at the bathroom door. “Orion, is everything okay in there? I didn’t mean anything, I was just teasing you. You can come out now. I don’t bite, not hard anyways…”
I stood up and grabbed a towel off the shelf before opening the door to Astral Azure’s waiting figure. She had undressed herself and was dripping here and there with sweat as a faint steam rose off her pale blue coat. She still had a confident smile plastered across her muzzle, standing up straight and unmoving. Without a word I stared past her, hoofed her the towel, and mademy way to the door.
“Thanks for the— Hey, where do you think you’re going? We haven’t even talked about why I called you here! You aren’t dismissed!”
I muttered a few curses under my breath before spinning on my hooves to face her, trying not to make eye contact as she dried herself off and threw the towel into the nearby laundry receptacle. “What’s the matter with you, Orion. You look like you’re about to jump out of your skin. Is something wrong?”
I looked down, feeling her piercing gaze all the while. “Sorry, Captain. It’s been a really long day and I’m not operating at 100%. I have a lot on my mind right now.”
Azure playful expression died away under a brow furrowed with concern. understanding, She nodded slowly, gesturing to the bottom bunk across the room. “Then sit down and let’s talk about it, buddy. You know I’m in your corner right? You can tell me anything.”
My gaze shot back to the door as a little Orion on my left shoulder told me to run, and one on my right told me to stay and trust her. “I… Suppose it couldn’t hurt, just for a couple of minutes.” With a sigh I clopped over to the bed and sat down, nearly hitting my head on the top bunk as I leaned back.
Azure sat beside me, leaning up against the end of the bunk. “So, what’s on your mind, friend?”
I sat in silence as I racked my brain for thoughts. I didn't want to address the actual elephant in the room, so I searched my brain desperately for something else to talk about. The hoofprints came immediately to mind, but I couldn’t just tell her about them outright, not yet. She would be so overjoyed to know that I found them but… but… something in my gut just didn’t sit well. I needed more information before I could bring it up. Well… There was the possibility that she knew more than I knew and maybe, just maybe, I could ask a few questions under the table to get what I wanted to know. “Being alone all day today, it’s bringing up some memories. In particular, I remembered my mother telling me the tale of the two sisters, and how Luna was banished to the moon at the end of the Nightmare War. was Luna actually imprisoned in the essence of the moon in a spiritual sense, or onto the surface as a physical sense? I ask because you’ve been here before, and wonder if you’ve seen any signs to support one conclusion or another.”
Azure hummed, looked off into the distance as she thought. “I can’t say I know which is true. Luna hasn’t written a memoir about her time on the moon yet, Faust knows why. I’m sure that it would be a bestselling history book overnight.” She sighed, giving me a look of half-hearted intriguie. “It’s quite an interesting question. I can’t say that we’ve seen any evidence that she was sent to the surface. Though, it is entirely possible. We would be talking about the traces of a single pony on an object the entire size of the moon. I know weathering is still a thing up here, what with asteroid impacts and whatnot, but I don’t think it occurs to such a degree in a mere thousand years; at least for the extent it would take to fill in tracks.”
I raised my brow, turning to face her a little better before nudging her with a hoof. “It seems like you’ve given the question quite the thought yourself. Similar first time experiences.”
She smiled, leaning against my shoulder. I felt my body relax as I could feel the slow, rythmic thump of her pulse. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Maybe we might find evidence if we look hard enough. You never know what’s out there, we’re only four missions into our explorations. There’s still plenty we don’t know.”
I forced a smile, trying to think of a way to change the subject. I didn’t want her knowing what I knew, not yet. “Well, that’s about all I had. How was your mare’s day out with our favorite unicorn?”
Azure blew a raspberry. “Pffft, favorite? I don’t know about that. Circuit Solder is a pretty high bar!”
I laughed, feeling my smile widen. “Aww, come on. Frost is your best friend. Don’t do her dirty like that, Azure!”
She snickered, elbowing my side playfully. “Fine, fine. She’s my favorite unicorn. As for how our day was, relatively uneventful which was a nice change of pace. We did however have a long talk about getting along with you, again… Did you notice if her behavior was any better after we got back?”
I brought my hoof to my chin.. “Well, she definitely brushed me off a bit, but at least she didn’t insult me or otherwise make me feel any worse, which is definitely a change for the better in my eyes— albeit a small one.”
“That’s good. I’m glad.” Azure continued to hum, leaning a little harder against me. “Y’know, Orion, this is what I miss most during the downtime between missions.”
I cocked my head to the side, resting it against her own. “Miss what exactly? Me being an absolute menace and breaker of safety regulations?”
She giggled. “No, not that. I miss having these moments with you, my best friend. There’s something comforting and freeing about the isolation of not being on Equis. It allows me to… to…” She waved a hoof, struggling for the words before finally blurting out, “Speak freely! …I think that’s what I’m trying to get at. I’m able to be real and honest about what I think because no one else is here to judge me for what I say, especially around you.”
I felt a pang deep in my chest. That was so sweet of her. I wrapped a wing around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. “Azure, you’re so hopeless, you know that?”
Azure giggled. “I know, completely hopeless. I’m glad you're along for the ride.”
I grinned, sliding off the edge of the bunk and getting to my hooves. “So, don’t we have a hoofball game to enjoy? If you can rearrange the seating in the cockpit real quick I’ll go grab a few snacks from the kitchen. Don’t want to watch on an empty stomach.”
She hopped off the bunk sporting a wide grin. “You know, here I was under the impression that I was the one giving orders, being the captain and all.”
I trotted out into the hallway, Azure following close by my side. “I never said it was an order, just a suggestion.”
“Go get snacks for the game, Orion. Rendezvous back at the cockpit in five minutes, That’s an order.”
I saluted with a wing before heading off down the hallway. “Ma’am yes ma’am. Consider it done.”
Azure smiled, gave a little snort of approval, then headed back up the hall in the opposite direction. I quickly reached the kitchen and was surprised as the door slid open before I even reached it. Morning Frost came prancing out, a protein bar and a glass of water floating in the air behind her. Noticing me she stopped, a wide grin plastered on her muzzle. “Oh, hello there Orion. How was the ship inspection? Have you sent in the report yet? If you haven’t submitted it then I would recommend doing that immediately, mission control needs that information to help determine the ship’s status.”
I shimmied past her into the kitchen as she stood outside the doorway. Making my way to the cabinets I rummaged around until I found a bag of chips before directing my attention back to her. “It was a good day, very quiet. A change of pace, to be sure. I already sent the report in, not to worry, everything was nominal. What’s got you in such a good mood? You look like a school-filly who just aced a test.”
Frost rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m just glad I got to talk to Circuit Solder. Sorry for interrupting your little chit chat.”
My mind blanked. Had she just apologized for something of her own accord? Like, the Morning Frost actually apologized? “I… Thank you?”
Frost smiled, a motion which made me incredibly uneasy. “You’re welcome.” I cantered out of the kitchen with the chips tucked under a wing as Frost fell in step beside me. There were a few moments of palpable silence before she spoke again. “So, Orion, where are you heading?”
“Oh, Azure and I have that Trotpeaka versus Salt Lick City hoofball game we wanted to watch tonight. She’s actually up in the cockpit now rearranging the command chairs.”
Morning Frost clicked her tongue. “You know, you’re not supposed to change the configuration of command seating unless you are moving from a four seater to a six seater config. I’m pretty sure that’s in the rule book somewhere.”
I sighed. “Well, we are going to put it back in the morning, not to worry. Mission control doesn’t need to know, aye?”
“This is true, I won’t say anything so long as you put everything back to the way you found it first thing tomorrow. I’m not trying to rain on your parade, just citing the safety concern in case we need to get off the moon quickly for whatever reason.” Frost fell out of step and stopped in front of the door to the lab. “Well, this is where I’m heading. Have an enjoyable evening. Don’t break anything.”
I waved a wing back at her before continuing onto the cockpit. That interaction was… strange. I was glad she was in a good mood for once but something about her volume control and lack of insults made me even more worried than if she had been swearing at the top of her lungs. Something was up, I just wasn’t sure what, I just didn’t have time to get to the root of it.
As I entered the cockpit the sight of Azure pushing together two of the command chairs along the slotted rails in the floor greeted me as she took a step back to admire her work. “I got chips! Are we ready to rock and roll?”
Azure looked up, giving a playful wink. “Of course, all ready to go. Just need to flip on the display and find the right channel.”
I trotted around and fell back into one of the chairs, hugging the bag of chips to my chest with my hooves. Azure followed suit beside me, picking up the remote and clicking the power button. With a bright flash the massive glass windshield of the ship lit up and showed a series of menus. She expertly navigated through them before the game, already a few minutes into its first quarter, came up on the screen. “Look at that, heh. Already up seven to nothing. I have the feeling that this is going to be a fun one.”
I nudged her in the shoulder playfully. “Trotpeaka is one of the best in the league. I’d expect nothing less from the city that birthed the greatest spaceflight commander known to ponykind.”
“Oh, stop it you!” Azure leaned over and pulled me into a loose headlock, messing my mane up with her free hoof. I silently bemoaned my poor buzz cut. I’d have to reshape it in the morning now.
With a grunt I pulled myself from the headlock, turning and sticking my tongue out at her. “So, did you grab anything to drink, or should I be heading back to the kitchen during the next commercial break?”
Azure smirked, leaning down to get something from under her seat. With a flourish she produced a large bottle of Wild Pegasus whiskey before hoofing it to me. I sat there, mouth agape as I stared at the bottle in my hooves. “I… How? How in Tartarus did you smuggle this on board? Where in Celestia’s name could you have even stowed this where it wouldn’t break during launch?
Azure leered. “Oh, a mare never gives up her secrets so easily, even to her best friend. Let’s leave it at ‘I have my ways’ and call it a day.”
“I didn’t know you drank, much less drank whiskey. You never crossed me as that sort of type, Azure.” I turned the bottle over and read the label. Vintage from the year 1004, wow. That was a thirty-five year old bottle, it could not have been cheap. “So, do you always drink stuff at this price level? Typically I just get one or two years of age, or make my own cider in a keg at home. Even on an astronaut's salary, stuff like this adds up if you overindulge.”
Azure laughed, leaning back in her chair as she watched Salt Lick City run an offensive play on the monitor. “That’s the thing, I don’t drink. I got it for a special occasion, or just to enjoy when and if we had time to unwind. Figured that now was as good a time as any— why don’t you take the first drink, Orion?”
“Oh, I’d be much obliged, but I’ll just have one swing. This is strong stuff, even for a hard-working stallion with a high tolerance such as myself. Responsible drinking isn’t fun, but it’s necessary to keep from making stupid decisions.” I smiled, pulling the cork from the bottle with my teeth. Lifting the bottle to my lips I took a mouthful of the sweet liquid fire, swirling it in my mouth slowly before swallowing. A river of searing heat ran down my neck and I couldn’t help but cough as I returned the bottle to her. “Ehuh, s-strong stuff!”
Azure held the bottle in her hoof, scrutinizing it for a moment. “Well, as they say, you only live once. Bottoms up!”
* * *
Azure hiccuped, glancing up at me with out of sync eyes as the blush on her face deepened to a deep scarlet. “Orion, are you secretly a snow pony? You’re soooo soft. Ya know; I dated a sno’ pony in college, she weres really pwetty. Not so good in bed but… suuuper soft and— an… pretty. Promise you’ll be better in bed than her?”
My mind tripped for a moment and I tried to gain my bearings on the situation. We’d been steadily working on the bottle throughout the game and my head was feeling more than a little fuzzy. “What did you say?”
She huffed, climbing over the armrest of her own seat and plopping down unceremoniously in my lap. Pressing her forehooves against my chest, she stuck her tongue out before giving me an unsteady lick to my chin. “Be good in bed for me, pwease? That’s an order.”
I could feel my own cheeks start to flush as I tried to push her away. “I’m not sleeping with you, Captain. I think it’s your bedtime, you’re absolutely hammered. Why would you drink that much? To try and one up me and prove a point, or are you just that asinine?”
She puffed out her cheeks and glared a glare which to her must have seemed quite imposing, but only reminded me of the many times I told my younger sisters ‘no’ when out shopping. “I’m. Not. Drinky! You can’t prove eet!”
I grabbed her chin with my hoof, turning her head from side to side. Azure’s eyes lazily rolled back into her head before eventually returning to focus on me. “Uh huh, right. It seems to me that you can’t hold a drop of alcohol to save your life. Azure, it’s time for—“
She bit her lip and moaned, her forehooves trending down past my chest to my stomach. “Yeah, treat me rough like that. Naughty stallion!”
Nope! Nope! Nope! I grasped the smaller earth pony and slung her over my shoulder before getting out of the command chair, readjusting her until she was draped over my own back like a sack of flour. “Okay, none of that. It’s time for you to go to bed, Captain.”
Azure kicked weakly, flailing her hooves at the back of my head. “But I don’t wannaaaaa! I’m in charge, I order you to— Stop! Let me go! Put me down! What about the game?!”
I trotted toward the door, trying my best to ignore the pounding headache she was giving me. “You can check the final score in the morning, it’s time for bed. You’ve had your fun, now it’s time to rest.”
Azure pouted, tugging on the back of my mane with her teeth. “You’re takin’ me to bed? How romantic of ya… I knew I’d win!”
I smacked the door keypad in annoyance before cantering into the hall, making my way a few doors down to the mare’s quarters before opening the door and making my way inside. Faust above, I just hoped that Frost wasn’t in bed already or else she’d be in for quite the rude awakening.
Azure’s vain attempts at resistance began to taper off as I gingerly unloaded her onto the bottom bunk, tucking in the sheets and putting a pillow under her head. “Stay here, don’t try to get up, just go to sleep okay?”
She grumbled, eyes glassy and heavy as she tried to look in my general direction. “Why are there six of you…? I’m not complainin’, six dreamy stallion studs all fer meeeeee!”
I rolled my eyes and smiled, giving her a gentle pat on the head. She muttered a few more garbled words before curling up and flitting off to sleep. That was a learning lesson, Azure should not, under any circumstances, be allowed near alcohol again. Especially if I wanted to keep my—
“Ehem.”
Turning, I stared hard at Morning Frost, who was leaning against the doorframe, before trotting over to her. I glanced back at Azure before speaking in a hushed whisper. “Good evening, Frost. Sorry if you overheard all that— Azure had a little too much to drink so I made the executive decision to take her to bed.”
Frost raised an eyebrow curiously, responding in a whisper. “Drink? That draft buffoon smuggled a bottle of liquor onto the ship? This is Luna 2 all over again…”
I raised an eyebrow, leaning in a little closer. “Again? What do you mean by ‘again’?”
Morning Frost sighed. “Oh, nothing more than you think. She managed to sneak a flask onto Luna 2. It led to quite the interesting evening. I wouldn’t call her a drunkard, but she definitely can lean onto alcohol to loosen her own mood and make herself more confident. Heh. She couldn’t stop from hitting on everyone in attendance. I’d take it that she did the same to you?”
“Yeah… I guess you could say that.” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, glancing back over my shoulder at Azure. “She really talks a whole lot of shit when intoxicated, that’s for sure. What do you want me to do about the remaining liquor? Hide it? Take it outside and smash it? Your call.”
Frost hummed, poking me in the chest with a hoof. I took a tentative step back, not quite sure what to say as she spoke, “Well, you look as if you handled it pretty well, so you can have it. Hell, it might become handy to help suffer the arctic temperatures down the hall— Speaking of which, while we weren’t able to fix the thermostat in your room we were able to kneecap the efficiency of the cooling system and get it up into the mid 40’s. You’re welcome.”
I smiled. “Thank you, I’ll probably work with Solder on that issue more tomorrow while you and Azure are out and about.”
Frost turned her head to the side slightly. “What, you aren’t coming with us? We could probably use an extra hoof, even if you are a little clumsy at times.”
My heart leapt with excitement at the prospect of helping out our real mission, but it quickly plummeted as I realized that it would mean I couldn't work on my own discovery. Those hoofprints beckoned to me like a siren’s song, and I definitely still wanted to follow them... I had to satisfy my own curiosity first and foremost, then I could dive into the tasks at hoof. I didn’t need those prints eating at the back of my mind forever. “No, no. I have some things I want to square away here at the ship, inventory and reading a few technical manuals and whatnot. It’s more responsible for me to stay behind so we have somepony close by…” I brought my hoof to my chin, thinking for a moment. “Besides, I also want to stretch my legs and take some samples. I promised mom and pops that I’d bring them back a rock!”
Frost’s eyebrow raised, but she quickly shrugged, apparently uncaring. “So be it, I offered. Well, thank you for putting her to bed Orion but it is getting rather late into the evening. I’ll take it from here, you go get some sleep. We need to have a conversation one of these days, not now, but soon. Azure thinks it's important that we see eye to eye, so we should at least try for her sake.” She gingerly stepped past me, her long braided tail gently brushing against the floor as she made her way over to the bunk.
“I suppose we should, eventually. Goodnight, Frost.” I turned tail and cantered back to the cockpit, locating the bottle of Wild Pegasus and tucking it under a wing. Azure had done a number on it but there was plenty left, so long as I just had sips in moderation. Trotting down the hall my mind returned to Azure, what she had said— I shook my head trying to remove the thoughts from it. No, Azure did not have a thing for me. That was just the liquor talking. Besides, she had always told me that she liked mares, and I was definitely not one of those. I sighed. Still, we would have to clear the air in the morning, I didn’t want an awkward cloud hanging between us.
Reaching my room I took out the bottle of whiskey and slugged back a gulp of fire before ruffling my wings and opening the door. There was an icy blast of air, but I paid it no heed and stepped inside unafraid of the cold. The biting cold lashed my coat but was quickly lost in the back of my mind as I stuffed the whiskey into the drawer of my bedside table. I flopped with a grunt of satisfaction onto the bed and happily cozied up underneath the blankets as the lights shut off, leaving the room shrouding in a comforting darkness. I shut my eyes and every so slowly drifted off to sleep, ready to greet the next day with grit and resolve.
* * *
The incessant beeping filled my ears again. Faust above, why was my sleep always lacking in rest? Was I cursed to forever lack the lasting respite which I so desperately wanted? I grumbled, trying to ignore the alarm clock as it only seemed to grow louder with each passing minute. I snorted, a cloud of vapor hanging in the air from the cold. Fine, fine! I’d get up!
“Hnnnrg… Ship, give me the time and please, for the love of Celestia, turn off the alarm clock. I’m up, there’s no need to assault my eardrums…”
“Time is: 0617 hours. Alarm set for… 0545 hours. Solar weather is low to mild. No further precautions are needed. Please, have a productive and efficient day on the lunar surface!”
I tumbled out of bed, landing on the cold composite floor as I struggled to get to my hooves. Late! I was so incredibly late! I slipped, took a tumble and met the floor again, then finally got to my hooves with some degree of stability before sprinting for the bathroom. Smacking the keypad the door opened twenty times slower than I would have wished and I slipped through before it was even finished.
“You have… one. unread message from Morning Frost at 0550 hours. Would you like to read it?”
“Yes!” I shouted, slightly annoyed. Grabbing a tube of toothpaste I squirted it directly into my open maw before scrubbing for all I was worth with my toothbrush, quickly spitting in the sink. I stuck my head under the faucet and got a mouthful of water to rinse before taking a brush to my mane.
“Orion, Azure and I decided to get on the road early to ensure we would have time to finish our tasks. We will not be back till this afternoon. Azure is instructing you to take the morning off, if you so desire.”
I tore out of the bathroom and sat down hard at the computer, typing furiously on the keyboard and waiting with great impatience for the messenger application to pull up. After a few moments it finally opened and I selected Morning Frost’s contact and began to type.
Morning Frost,
Sorry for my delay, I overslept a little. Instructions are understood, but there are also plenty of tasks all over the ship that could be attended to in your and Azure’s absence. I will keep myself as busy and productive as possible while still ‘taking it easy’, as per instruction.
Have a safe and pleasant day, don’t be afraid to call if you need something. I’ll see you after lunch.
I pressed the enter key and leaned back in my chair with a relieved sigh. Crisis averted, I would no longer look like a lazy featherbrain! Suddenly something caught the corner of my eye and I turned to the window. The sun was coming up and out to the southwest, there was the faintest glint of something reflecting the sun. I watched silently as it glowed brighter and brighter until it suddenly vanished to nothing as the sun rose high enough.
I squinted hard, trying to judge the distance to whatever it was. Maybe two or three miles? I couldn’t be sure. It was in the same direction of the—the hoof prints! My brain stumbled. Of course, I had completely forgotten about writing a report about those prints, I'd have to get after that ASAP. An idea popped into my mind. A wonderfully brilliant idea.
I did have the morning off, so why not go out and collect some better photos of the prints? See how far they extend to the south and west and see if I could find that crystalline rock in the distance. Two birds with one stone, then I could skedaddle back to the ship and get some work done. Three hours, tops. I could even get a camera from the equipment lockers to take some high fidelity photos while I was at it.
Standing up from the desk, I stretched my wings out slowly. Well, why not? Worst case I didn’t find the rock and I still collected all the evidence for my report. I could have it done and forwarded to mission control before lunchtime! The adrenaline of the speedy wake-up waned and I could feel the cold coming in again to nip at the tips of my ears. I should get dressed anyways, why not suit up and take a couple hour walk on the surface?
Trotting over to the closet I picked up the under layers off the floor and slipped into them, somewhat glad to feel their tight and warm embrace. At least I wouldn’t freeze anymore! Next I pulled the suit out of the closet and stepped into it, the back magically sealing up as I got comfortable. These suits were a lifesaver, I could still remember my first few missions where we had hard-torso spacesuits with individual legs you had to attach. Now that was a pain, especially in microgravity. The difference between taking twenty minutes and twenty seconds to get suited up could not be over stressed, truly they were an appreciated change. One of the better quality of life things that had come out of R&D in the past few years.
These suits were also much sleeker and lighter in weight, plus came equipped with a number of handy incantations loaded onto their spell matrix. Self-cleaning, automatic repairs for any cuts in the skin or cracks in the glass and the like. They definitely put my mind more at ease, a fear of the ever-crushing, icy vacuum on the other side was one I had once had, but, over my many missions, had gradually pushed to the back of my mind.
I stretched my wings one final time before slipping their covers on and adjusting them a little for maximum comfort. It would be better if we had actual articulated wings, but that would just be too many joints and failure points to be viable. I did feel sorry for some of the other pegasi in the program who were a little more claustrophobic when it came to having their wings bound but, alas, it was just a price you paid to be an astronaut.
Picking up my helmet, I set it on my back and trotted out of my room making my way to one of the equipment supply rooms a few doors down. The lights kicked on as I stepped inside and I quickly perused the lockers and drawers until I came across one labeled “CAMERAS” in obtusely bold letters. I pulled one of the cameras out and stuck it to the left side of my helmet. It magnetized to the side with a click and after I tugged on it a few times to confirm it had adhered properly, I lifted the helmet up to put it on. The helmets required a quarter turn to the left to slot into place, then an equal turn to the right to lock them down.
As I did so I felt the cool rush of purified air brush against my muzzle. The lights on my suit glowed and the HUD on the helmet burst to life showing its standard range of information. Remaining oxygen supply, vitals signs, notes, navigation markers, et cetera. Satisfied everything was in order, I trotted out of the supply room and down the hall to the airlock, ducking inside and waiting patiently for it to cycle.
This was going to be my discovery, my moment to shine, and I was not going to lose heart now. There was work to do. After a couple of seconds a red warning beacon came alive and the doors opposite me slid open. With a deep breath and a confident smile, I set off across the cargo bay and down the ramp, stumbling just a little as the gravity decreased. In another moment I had rounded the ramp and set off on a leisurely bounce across the lunar surface, reaching the trail of hoof prints in no time.
Crouching down on my forelegs I tapped the left side of my helmet, snapping a high-quality photo of the prints with the camera. The still showed in the corner of my HUD for a moment before being whisked away to the helmet’s storage drive. Satisfied I stood up, turned back for one last glance at the ship, then set off across the surface about ten feet abreast of the prints, keen on not disturbing them just yet.
My mind began to wander as I navigated past small craters and rocks, making my way up a small rise overlooking the landing site. What would Azure and Frost think of all this? I mean, Azure would be absolutely elated at the find, probably want to give me a hug too, or multiple. Frost on the other hoof, yeesh. She’d probably be a little upset that she wasn’t the one who discovered them, but that would pass. I’m sure that, soon enough, she’d probably be writing a replacement report for my own with much better detail. She’d always been good at report writing…
I topped the rise and started down the other side as my mind wandered. Hopefully Morning Frost wouldn’t try to claim it as her own discovery, that would suck. I felt a resistance against one of my forehooves and, in an instant, the world spun around me as I tumbled in slow motion down the hill. Coming to a stop sitting upright in a daze at the bottom I looked down at my suit, absolutely coated from head to hoof in regolith.
“Well, shit. That wasn’t fun at all,” I muttered to myself, standing up and looking back at the mess of impact and slide marks behind me. Still, the hoof prints continued in perfect intervals, both down the hill and up the next one in front of me. These must have been from later in Luna’s tenure on the moon. If I had so much trouble learning to walk properly with the help of gripped boots I couldn’t even imagine what bare hooves were like. Not to even mention the fact that regolith was, essentially, a fine glass. It couldn’t have been painless to walk on.
I snapped another photo, shook myself off the best I could, and continued on up the next hill with greater caution. I’d definitely need to run myself over with the dust removal wand when I got back, I was a mess.
And so, I walked, and walked, and walked. Up hills, down others, avoided steep crater walls and small patches of rubble here and there. With no clear way markers, no trees or buildings, no mountains, and no signs, it was hard to stay in a straight line for long. I found myself making quick glances to the compass on my HUD to make sure I was holding a heading. The hoofprints didn’t care, they maintained a perfectly straight course, until they didn’t.
I stopped, getting the lay of the land around me. The hoofprints made a wide arc before climbing a steep incline, maybe more than fifty or sixty degrees. How the princess had scaled it so effortlessly was anyone’s guess. I turned back to look at the ship, but it was obscured by the many hills I had crossed. Gritting my teeth in annoyance I started up the grade, constantly slipping and losing ground, then gaining, and losing it once more as I struggled. The ground here was more rubbly and rocky as the finer regolith turned into scarp, then rocky outcrops of exposed basaltic rock.
I would have to take note of this place, these were some pretty varied samples. Might even be able to take my rock hammer and break some off to take with me. Tiring as I approached the top I mentally decided that this would be the last hill I climbed, then I was going to try and find that crystalline rock. It couldn’t have been far from here based on what I had seen earlier. I might even be able to see it directly from this newfound vantage point.
Heaving myself over the apex of the slope, I yawned and rustled my wings in their covers. Now that was a workout, even in low gravity. Turning myself to the vista I expected to be in front of me, I froze in bewildered silence. At the end of the hoofprints was a large black and blue blob powdered with a gentle dusting of regolith.
Sirens blared in my mind and my chest tightened in response. But contrary to the voices in my head telling me to turn tail and run I instead took a step forward. It perplexed me, what was it? As I drew within a few feet of it I could better discern its shape. It must have been a statue of Luna, It had similar proportions and colorations, not to mention the fact it never moved.
I stepped forward cautiously, bringing myself only a few paces before I could not stomach going any further.. I blinked hard. Maybe I was hallucinating, perhaps running low on oxygen from over exerting myself? A quick peek at my suit’s O2 levels dispelled that notion—I still had just over four hours of oxygen remaining. Raising my left hoof up to the side of my helmet I tapped the camera and it gave off a brilliant flash as it took the photo. Glancing over to the corner of my helmet, I waited patiently for the image to show up. No, I wasn’t hallucinating. Whatever it was was still there, even in the photo.
I chuckled to myself, shaking my head a little. What was wrong with me, why did this have me so unnerved? It was clearly an object. Sure, it was unexpected and strange, but harmless. Unexpected was good, that meant a new and valuable contribution to our understanding of the—
As I looked up from the HUD my mind blanked. My heart raced and every beat thumped like an artillery piece in my eardrums. There, mere paces in front of me, stood a towering figure. Jet-black coat, glittering hoof guards that caught the light of the sun and reflected it with an eerie glow and, upon its chest, was a pearlescent blue peytral emblazoned with the likeness of the moon.
There was movement. My haunches trembled as its vast wings unfurled. I could do nothing as my gaze slowly rose to meet its own. The… thing’s eyes were a vibrant green, slitted and menacing. It wore an armored helmet matching its other attire and from it protruded the longest horn I had ever seen, etched with a spiral pattern and slightly curving backwards. Behind it trailed a vibrant blue-purple mane and tail speckled with stars and constellations that wafted and fluttered on some unseen wind.
It snorted, releasing a cloud of frost which shimmered and glinted as it hung in the air. But what terrified me most was when the corners of its mouth pulled back to reveal a sharp, carnivorous smile. It had large, pearly white fangs and my thoughts quickly jumped to how easily it could crush my neck.
It regarded me for a moment that stretched into infinity and, after that had passed, the monstrous alicorn before me spoke.
Stats
Page generated in 0.045 seconds
Total duration
1,017 users online
255,942 hits today, 1,872,792 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
You know, Celly, you could've at least mentioned to the crew that you had some relatives up there.
Fly me to the moon
Let me play up there with those stars
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars
Well congratulations me bucko, the discovery of a lifetime!
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Also is it supposed to say “before me spoke” in the last paragraph?
11541518
Very much so. “…The monstrous alicorn before me spoke”
As in, the Alicorn in front of me spoke. I guess I could probably reword it to read better though…
Glad you’re enjoying the story!
You know, i never noticed this until I looked more closely.... Nightmare has a ring on her horn.... Not sure what significance that will have but I'm intrigued all the same!
11541523
Rereading it again, now I get it. My brain did a dumb when I first saw it.
11541535
This. You may be onto something, but I’ll never tell! You must wait for the next chapter.
...an "Unwelcome Surprise"? Blasphemy
11541585
Oh, I’m sure a certain somepony on the crew will be incredibly displeased.
And this, children is why you never follow mysterious hoofprints if you can help it
I believe this is what they call, in Technical Mission Specific Terms, 'A Problem'... and 'A Very Bad Day In Progress'
Usually when I see a fic that catches my eye, I give it the usual three chapters to win me over for the long haul. Here though, I was sold by the end of the first chapter and read through the rest in a single sitting.
The characters have strong and distinct personalities, and I feel that the more isolated lunar setting is used very well to emphasize the roles that each crewpony plays. It gives a sense of purpose to the relationships between the cast as they move towards working better as a team, and I am interested to see how those relationships are developed further.
I am excited to see how Nightmare Moon is used in the story, and with the quotes used at the beginning of each chapter I can see a lot of great comedy coming from the interactions with the astronauts.
Overall, a very strong start and I look forwards to more.
But I didn't hear it because sound doesn't travel in a vacuum.
11541382
She may mot know. It seems this in far future of the show.
Which means Moony has been there over 1000 years. She is going to be even more insane
11541996
Now, this would be the case unless, say, said creature were to use magic to project it into your mind instead. (Probably giving you the headache of the century in the process)
11541991
I’m flattered! Glad you enjoy, more to come soon!
That was a a good chapter goodluck with the next one.
Hm...
So I know it’s probably just intended as a figure of speech, but the first question that jumped to my mind here was “wait a minute, what air?”. It’s the moon, isn’t there supposed to be basically vacuum all around and that’s why our fearless explorers are wearing their suits when outside their ship in the first place?
(And of course that also kind of raises the question of how Nightmare Moon is planning to talk to Orion. With magic there of course are ways, it’s just that plain old sound alone isn’t going to travel so well through the void.)
11542346
Most definitely a figure of speech, I couldn’t think of anything else at the time! If it continues to be a nuisance I will reword it.
11542354
The moon does actually have a atmosphere it's not one that a person can breathe and it's so thin that sound wouldn't necessarily travel through it but there is an atmosphere thanks to its gravitational pull so "in the air" is actually something that would work just to not many people know that the moon has a minor atmosphere
Now that is a cliffhanger! Consider me hooked.
Also:
11481401
11482330
I just imagine that it's like in Changeling Space Program, with the changelings being absolute professionals and Equestria just making it up as they go along. (Well, at a certain point in the story anyway.)
"Let's bang ok?"
See, that's how we build suspense and anticipation the right way and not by introducing all of this in a 3k word chapter. As someone else said, the introduction quotes in the beginning of each chapter hints at a fun time! I can already imagine them bring her back to Equestria...
"DEMON FILTH! HOW DARE YOU SET HOOVES UPON MY DOMAIN!"
"FILTH? WE LIVED WITH THEE FOR AN ENTERITY, AND KNOW THOU VERY WELL..."
"OH my, this is exciting! I can't believe I'm getting it all on camera!"
"I know right? Its like the fun as been doubled!"
"AH! Oh Shoot! I dropped the camera, and its expensive!"
"I'm really sorry about that Mr. Space Pony. Let me make up to you!"
"Is that a cupcake? Where did you get that?"
"Silly Space Pony! I was baking it this morning when I got this feeling I should bring it with me!"
Wow Orion, I thought you were smarter than this. Not telling anyone about something weird, then going off alone to investigate the weird stuff without telling anyone. Classic horror mistakes. And to top it off you're doing so in one of the most dangerous environments imaginable.
I have impression that Azure was pretending to be drunk.. that much.
Friend is too good at horse words. Also side note 11k words. Friend is not making my job as a VA and project manager any easier. But your words are great and the dialogue is amazing so I'll let it slide this time!
From love to humor to horror to loyalty to friendship to magic, you capture it all well-written manners.