How lucky for the marooned astronaut a graduate of the academy was here before he landed.
Jame Curchen has been stranded in space for almost ten years, what luck that he should crash land on a planet assigned to one of the youngest and most briliant xeno researchers the acadamy ever produced.
How fortunate that he would actually crash on a planet with life on it at all. Let alone a planet with such a gentle people. Being is space such a long time, alone high periods of zero gravity. Any shock to his heart could be fatal.
Its lucky that someone so young and pretty and brilliant of the same species is there on the planet with him....
James didn't care that all instruments said the sun was revolving around the planet he was going down...all that green and blue!
If it was just copper with a patina finish....whatever. At least there would be gravity.
If gravity were four time average standard?Being in space so long would he even notice his gasping?His heavy limbs, imagining his blood pooling and swelling in joints? His lungs like bubbles sagging and collapsiing?James grinned. He would assume he had at last come to the end of his oxygen recycled limit and that he didn't have the strength to open the door. At least he wouldn't be a floating animal covered in filth anymore, one way or the other. Didn't matter. At least he would be on the ground, thanking God!
Secure the computer systems per procedure...bah. Done with rules. Turn them all on! Turn on everything!
Secrets and power/electricity were wealth and he had every secret, personnel file ide and codes and massive amounts of power, not that it was able to get him home or feed him. Turn on the lights, get the beat down! He would surround himself with wealth as he plummeted to the surface. Rich. He would die a wealthy man laughing.
Coming in fast as the Federated Alliance Anthem blared around him, rock that tune, he was too week to even turn his head under the acceleration. He imagined himself a shooting star sparking, a firework glorious as ship screamed with wind making his way down.
"Yeah!" he growled."I always liked that song!
"Huh. Little boys are the same everywhere."
Was he slowing down? Impossible. It was just another of his delusions. He mused: none of this was real.
He was a character in a story. His last chapter: ironically falling into some beautiful star instead that he imagined a planet. Surrounded by the glittering corona of blue. How romantic!
"Indeed. Quite romantic."said a gentle voice coming from the realms of dreams,his dreams."Sleep, dream, relax...breath...just...breath...dream of home."
"Yeah..."he yawned."In church the drums always put me to sleep anyway." he yawned again."The drums everywhere...so...boring!"
Losing consciousness as sweet sleep took him giving up his ten year vidual of maintaining the systems of the decaying space pod.
"Drums boring? Yes. Take me back to our old castle and the organ."
Zap!"Can't.."Zap!Help this!"Zap!"Chicken heart of his!"Zap!
"Stop! We have a beat!" --------------------------------------
All sensations: soft and comfortable.
Warm: he could breath, not chocking on flotsam. The air was clean and smelled not of sewage.
All he wanted to do was sleep.
No!
He had to open his eyes and look around.
The room was blurry, and dimly lit. The door opened, he saw what he thought a candle held a loft.
"You...I know you, your graduate of the academy...you're Tegan Norwalis..."James said weekly.
He could see the eyes in the blurry face blink,"We...we can be introduced better later. "
She sounded exactly as he remembered.
"Go back to sleep..."he felt soothing touch on his face and he fell asleep."....get some rest."
He dreamed of the being the adjunct of academy, his military service, his old life in general. Very peaceful dream, very realistic. But what is real life without having to fill in reems and reem of reports? It was ok, James enjoyed retelling stories through detailed reports.
"I'm so very sorry you have to do this, sir." said a secretary with sparkly blue hair.
"First day? That's all right. They always pile paperwork on the new guy." James said with a smile.
"Show us everything Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna commanded.
"Verywell,"Twilight said hesitantly."but I must warn you, despite all the doors open and the windows smashed out, it really reaks inside." Two royal guards saluted as the two princess climbed into the cramped pod.
"Indeed Twilight," said the princess. "The air herein is truly dank and foul...but I have smelled worse." As she began hoofing through the many pages of data that passed across the cracked screens knowing where to stop at exactly what she was looking.
Twilight felt bad about going through all the data from the * with everything she knew about miss Norwalis, it was hardly something a cultural ambasidor would approve of. Twilight read up on the ambassador, adding to what she knew, just in case. Ready to ask direct questions of the residing alien, in order to have more information about the survivor. -----------------
"Hello." she said coming in to the anxious captain sitting up on the bed propped with pillows. "How are you doing."
"I'm just fine." He replied."I'm a little worried not being able to see, everything is so blurry. But I'm sure its nothing Tegan Norwalis, the flower of the academy can't help me solve."
She looked at him expressionless, Tegan figuratively bit her lip.
"Ok. That would be macular degeneration, one of many problem of being in zero gravity for such a long time....before I bring the medical staff I'm going to have to lessen some shocks."
She slowly sat down on the bed besibe him.
"I want you to put on these special glasses, they will help you see. You will look at your hand and compare the blurring." She slowly set the glasses on his nose."When you see your hands clearly I want you to look at some pictures I've brough, I will ask you questions about each one."
"These damb fine things!" as his eyes began to focus on the ridges of his finger tips.
"Are you seeing well?"
"Yes Maam!"
"Alright." she said placing the book in front of him.
"The dominate lifeform of this planet are sentian equine type, similar to tri- baccus...they call themselves, 'Ponies'."
"This is nurse Red Heart, she will be supervising your recovery here. I talked to the ruling monarchs here called princess."she turned the page showing him the four alicorns of Equestria."They agreed it was best for your recovery that you be here, your recovery will be a long term process because of your time in space. We have the time. Even after alliance ships are contacted, it will be months before they can pick you up. We are having trouble getting out a signal."
"Where am I?"
"You are on the greater continent."she again turned a page."mostly inhabited by a majority, ponies, it is also called Equestria, it is ruled by two princess of exceeding power, that we will go into later because mankind in general is not familiar with the thurmatic manipulations of fields certain ponies use, we will at present call in the short term, magic." She smiled at James who only blinked back.
"How is it I can only see the book and not you?"
"Patience," she said sweetly." let me finish this presentation."
James smiled remembering Tegan giving a lecture at the academy, this was Tegan all over.
"You are in the home of Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship,a castle in the town called Poniyville which is just an hours ride from the capital."She turned several pages, showing the castle the town and finally naming the capital,"Canterlot." she said."Home of the diaarche of Celestia and Luna."
She then held a loft what looked like a wand, its tip glowed. She brought his attention back to the book as she turned the page."And here is the princess of friendship herself, Twilight Sparkle." James looked back from the picture to the one holding it.
"So Tegan. You've shone me unicorns and pegasis and ponies, what kind of pony is she with horn and wing. Is she a pegicorn?"
He looked right at her. She swallowed her face frozen and unreadable. She swallowed.
"Uh, uh no.....She is a princess and they are called alicorns.."she said quickly gently closing the book.
"Does she have this "magic power" as well."
"Yes she does."
"Can I meet the princess?"
"uh..eventually...uh...ya..."
"Are you alright Miss Norwalice?"
She swallowed,"Oh I'm fine. I'm just worried about your recovery, that's all. Week heart due to prolong space exposure. You know, any sudden shocks to the system....um, let me take those glasses, this is just a temporary fitting,for the optometrist. The princess thought it best if I help you through with these. I'll bring him in and you pair tomorrow. Right know I need to bring in the medical staff."
"Can't I see them in the flesh?"
"Oh, Oh sure." she then turned to him with an expression resembling guile waving close to his eyes moving away."You know, it not wise to have left all the databases open for any equine to see!" He bit his lower lip. "But it's alright I was able to put up password protected firewalls before any pony in the media could see."her blurry image came close to him till he could see the dark strand of her head and smell lavander. "We need to discuss you're lately lax attitude toward security!"she smiled knowingly.
The staff came in.
"Hello James. How are you? I'm nurse Red Heart." She began setting up equipment after introducing other staff. So," she said."How has our guest Tw..."
"Twiggy!" cried the ambassador."How many times have I told you not to call me that nickname! The Princess herself told you not to call me that! I am Tegan Norwalas, cultural ambassador! Call me Ambassador, Tegan or Miss Norwalis...but NOT..."she looked at james then at red heart.
"Of course....I forgot!"she licked her lips"You're just such a willowy thing...."the nurse laughed nervously.
"That will be enough..."Tegan as she hurriedly left the room.
"Yes Tegan."
"Oh that Tegan!" said the nurse"Always in a hurry.Isn't that right?"
"Yes ma'am."said the staff stiffly and professionally. "Ambassador Tegan Norwalis is always in a hurry!"
"I guess it's just a society thing."shrugged James as he prepared to follow the medical staffs instructions.