Why Ponies Aren't in Space

by Raptor

Episode 1: Denials; Chapter 2: The Prototype

Episode I: Denials
Chapter II: The Prototype

---

How many are there?
Two.
…I see. And what of the Great Weapon?
We only have three left to confirm.
Good.
…
What?
They aren’t doing anything. They’re peaceful.
Nothing is completely peaceful. *sigh*, look, we’ve established that the best way to go about-
‘-to go about the situation is suppression,’ yes, I know.
You’ve seen them. Until they’ve become developed, we will deny them.
They seem developed to me.
In technology. In everything else… they’re primitive.

---

There was a loud CLANG racketing in the workshop as a large, curved plate of metal flung towards a tall pillar-like structure in the center of the room. It landed perfectly in line with the cylindrical shape, until it started to fall backward. Star Gazer ran up to it and slammed it back into place. He gritted his teeth as he pulled down the welding mask and took out the welder from his greasy work apron pocket. He turned it on, and started welding the hull plate into place.

When he was done, he dropped the welder, pulled off his mask and ran to the other side of the construct. He leaped up to a scaffold and jumped up to a cross beam, which he grabbed with his front hooves. He swung his back hooves forward and used them to grab an oven-sized machine. He swung his hooves back, tossing the machine into the construct. He let go of the cross beam and dropped to the scaffold as the machine landed in the cylinder with an even louder CLANG. He spun around and jumped into the construct. He grabbed the machine and grunted as he shifted it into place. He reached deep down into the construct and pulled up a bundle of wires, which he hooked up to the machine in the correct places. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and leaped out of the construct. He landed firmly on the floor and closed his eyes, referring to his mental checklist.

“Let’s see, I've done… engine… battery… outer hull… converter…” He paused. “Thrusters, I did thrusters…” He bit his lip as he continued to think. “Oh, yes, I did auxiliary fuel cells… okay, I need to work on interior hull. WAIT- no, I need to do the wiring first. Which means I have to install the spell modifier, the air compressors, the lights, the computer, the sensors, the comms- all that stuff, and that means I need to finish the base structure before anything.” He facehoofed. “Ugh. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Gazer. You’re getting too excited.” He sighed. “Alright. Now, where are those titanium beams…?”

\v/\V/\v/

Crystal Sky was walking home from lunch. She thought about yesterday. About how poor Star Gazer’s dream got crushed. She decided to pay him a visit, to see if he needed any cheering up. She flew up to Canterlot towers and made her way down the halls to Gazer’s laboratory. She knocked on the door and called out to him. No one answered. His door was locked. That means he was either asleep, or wasn't home. He always left his door unlocked. He was crazy like that. At this time of day, Sky knew he couldn't be asleep, so she figured he was in the workshop.

She knocked on the steel-plated door twice. “Gazer?” she called. “You in there?”

“Yeah, I’m-” There was a loud clatter. “…in here! Come in.” When she entered, the first thing that caught her eye was Star Gazer hanging upside down from a crossbeam. He had a blank expression, like everything was normal. She smirked and giggled.

“That’s a new one,” she said.

“Heh, yeah it is,” Gazer said with a smile. “I was trying to get something particularly heavy up onto my construct. Had to do a lot of leverage.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow. “Why didn't you just use your horn…?” she asked.

Gazer looked up (or down, rather) at his horn. “Oh. Yeah. Forgot I had that.” He dropped down, hooves first. “But, you know how I am with levitation. I can’t quite get it to work. I like to use physics. With levitation, I’m always trying to get it in one spot, and it goes too far, or not far enough, oh, you know how it is.”

“No, actually, I don’t,” Crystal said matter-of-factly. “I-I really… wouldn’t know.” She fluttered her wings.

“Um, right, anyways, what can I do for you?” Gazer started walking towards the central construct.

“Well, I just thought I’d stop by, and… y’know, see how you’re doing.” Crystal walked forward a bit and looked at all the crossbeams and scaffolds and planks, pipes, precariously placed machines… and the large familiar structure in the center of the room. “Um, what’re you working on…?”

Gazer started climbing a group of scaffolds coiling around the construct. “Um, weeeell, you know, a… new idea I’ve had… recently…” He continued climbing with a concerned expression on his face.

Crystal’s eyes widened. “This is the space craft, isn't it?!” she cried. “I thought Princess Celestia disapproved of the project.”

Gazer popped up over the top of the ship to look at her. “Well… yeah, technically, she did, but… I mean-”

“What’re you doing, you crazy colt?!” Crystal yelled with a stamp of her hoof. “First you jeopardize Canterlot towers with your crazy furnace contraption, now you’re leading an illegal undercover space program?!”

“Hey, the furnace would’ve worked fine, I wasn’t even there when that one guy-”

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!”

Gazer sighed. “Look, I’m not gonna launch the thing. These are my parts, and I can do whatever the hay I want with them. I’m just making a model prototype. I just… can’t get it out of my head.”

Sky stared at him for a while. Finally she sighed and said, “Alright, Star. I understand. Just… promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

Gazer looked at her with a soft smile. “I promise.” Crystal nodded, turned around, and left the messy workshop, closing the door behind her. Gazer got a glum look on his face. He sighed, hopped down...
and slowly locked the door.

\v/\V/\v/

Hours passed.
He never left the workshop. Noon turned to dusk, dusk turned to night.
There was no word. Nothing.
Night turned to dawn. Dawn turned to noon. Noon once again turned to dusk.
Not a word.

\v/\V/\v/

Gazer gasped as he awoke in a cold sweat. His eyes bulged, his pupils dilated, his hearing muffled. Gazer could only hear his steady deep breathing. His vision was blurred. He blinked, slowly and exaggeratedly. He could see a blurry bright light. He continued to breathe heavily. He blinked again, as he attempted to move. His vision was less blurry, and he realized he was lying on his side. He huffed as he attempted to roll over onto his hooves. The sudden change in gravity caused him to cough violently, and his vision blacked out for a moment. He collapsed on his belly, and struggled to get up again. He had almost regained his vision by now, but he could only hear a high-pitched ringing sound.

He looked around, slowly and sluggish. He was in his workshop. “Right,” Gazer croaked, shutting his eyes and putting a hoof to his face. “I was working. Did… did I finish…?” He shook his head and looked at the center of the room. There, standing tall and proud, was the very first space craft, 100% complete. Gazer smiled, then laughed. “Heh, well, I guess working 24 hours paid off after all…” Gazer groaned and held his head. “Must’ve passed out.” He looked at his masterpiece once more. “Welp, I sure as hay am not ready to fly it now.” He turned and headed for the door. “I’ll get a good rest… then I’ll work out the details.” He opened the door, and stopped once again to look at his spacecraft. He smiled. Then he closed and locked the door behind him.

\v/\V/\v/

The next time Gazer entered the workshop was with a saddlebag on his back, a giant smile on his face and determination in his eyes. He had had a good night’s sleep, a good breakfast, and lots of planning time. He was ready. He worked quickly and cleanly. First he cleared the workshop- pushed all the junk and metal away from the center of the room, giving him and his shuttle some space. Next, he checked and double-checked that everything was in place and that all the systems were functional. He had to make some adjustments yesterday, since the original design required two pilots. Gazer couldn’t ask Crystal to be part of his black ops expedition. He couldn’t do that to her.

After he confirmed that all systems were functional, he started fueling the takeoff thrusters and auxiliary fuel. He triple-checked everything from the outside, then quadruple-checked everything from the inside. He took a deep exhale, then powered up the main computer. The lights came on, the screens lit up, and the computer made several affirmative beeps. Gazer smiled and hopped out of the vehicle. He ran to a lever, which he pulled. The roof parted and slowly opened. He then pulled another lever and hopped up next to his spacecraft. The floor in the center of the room started to raise, up through the roof, lifting Gazer and his prototype.

His workshop was at the edge of Canterlot, outside the wall, near the cliff face of the giant mountain. When the lift stopped, Gazer climbed back into the shuttle and settled into the vertical pilot seat. He took another deep breath and exhaled. He started the pre-launch diagnostics.

>:status air_compression
-100% COMPLETE

>:status engine
-100% POWER
-FULLY FUNCTIONAL
-62% HEAT

>:status fule
-ERROR: UNKNOWN COMMAND

>:status fuel
-STAGE 1 THRUSTERS: 100%
-PRIMARY THRUSTERS: 100%
-AUX FUEL: 100%

>:status battery
-100% CHARGE

>:status levitation_coils
-FULLY FUNCTIONAL
-4/4 COILS ACTIVE

>:status
-FULLY FUNCTIONAL
-READY FOR LAUNCH

>:/engage horn_clamp|
-ENGAGING. PLEASE REMAIN STILL…

Gazer sat motionless while a robotic arm with two hollow clamps extended from the bulkhead. It moved to the center of his head, and the two clamps closed in on his horn, fitting it cleanly and comfortably.

-…ENGAGED. READY TO RECEIVE MAGICKA

>:/engage shipmode iatm
-ENGAGING IN-ATMOSPHERE FLIGHT MODE…
-ENGAGED. LEVITATION COILS ACTIVE. READY TO RECEIVE MAGICAL COMMANDS.

The shuttle jumped up a bit, then started tilting downward, parallel to the ground. Gazer placed his hooves on the two control handles in front of him. When it was done, he took one last deep breath, and said-

“That old railing in my lab window is looking pretty safe right about now.”

On that note, he thrusted the handles forward, and the shuttle took off straight ahead. He focused his magic on keeping the shuttle’s trajectory and altitude with the levitation coils. He zoomed left and right, across Equestria’s valley, cheering the whole way.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the short chapter. Better, longer chapters are on the way!

Comments

[Alex12]

This is an interesting idea. You have my attention.

[Kirb]

Yay, update!
Wonder what Celestia will think about him going against her orders.

[iloveportalz0r]

Needs more Linux