Operation Final Destiny

Chapters

Valediction
Obstruction
Incarceration
Resolve
Patience

Valediction

~ Chapter 1: Valediction ~

GOOD MORNING, CAPTAIN. 0600 HOURS. EXIT SLEEP MODE AND PROCEED TO BRIDGE FOR SYSTEMS DIAGNOSTIC CHECK.

"...good morning, Jonah. I will be on the bridge in a few minutes."

EVENING STATUS UPDATE - MAGNETIC FIELD REDUCTION IN QUADRANT 2. REQUIRES 15% FIELD POWER MIGRATION FOR OPTIMAL SHIELDING.

"Go ahead and make it happen. What's on the menu today?"

BREAKFAST CONSISTS OF IMITATION CHEESE OMELETTE, ALMOND MILK, IMITATION SAUSAGE LINKS, AND AN ASSORTMENT OF GREENS.

"Time since initial departure?"

TIME SINCE DEPARTURE: 6 MONTHS AND 1 DAY.

"Incredible, isn't it? Already at the edge of the solar system..."

Unbelievably, only ten years ago, it would have taken our race almost 30 years to travel this far. The Intragalactic Space and Aeronautics Coalition was formed in 2015 with the goal to dedicate a good portion of the world's remaining resources to collect candidate systems to colonize. I never thought we would be at this point; only in science fiction novels and doomsday predictions did you hear about the human race depleting most of the essential resources for survival. Our current technologically advanced position cannot be sustained for another couple decades.

I was jettisoned into space for this reason; what is comedic surrounding my position is that I wanted this. The thrill of being sent into the unknown, and being the first to go this far into space from Earth; I never considered how it would affect me. How it would frighten me. How it would end me. What happens if the ship receives critical damage and I cannot fix it? What happens if I fall victim to an incurable 'space disease'? What if aliens attack the ship?

I am stuck out here no matter what happens.

I'll just stop having an existential breakdown and listen to my Beatles while I cruise to my inevitable fate. That sounds like a better alternative. Observing nothing but deep, empty void the past couple months is just getting to me, I concluded. At least Jonah is still around to keep me company, right?

WELCOME TO THE BRIDGE, CAPTAIN. DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETED. MAGNETIC FIELD AT OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE.

"Well done, Jonah. Got anything else for me?"

THE CAPTAIN SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE NEXT STAGE OF TRAVEL.

"You mean- is it really time?"

ARRIVAL AT THE SYSTEM'S KUIPER BELT IS EXPECTED AT APPROXIMATELY 16 HOURS FROM NOW. TO BORROW AN EXPRESSION, 'PREPARE TO BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELT".

"I didn't know you had a sense of humor, Jonah! Well, you only say that because I inserted a subroutine in case we got near the Belt..."

The following 16 hours of hellish travel through an asteroid-infested brick wall will be tough. This is the only part of the journey I feared the most because our automatic piloting algorithm remains physically untested. What makes me doubly concerned is the country who lead development of the algorithm: Japan. I know they are known the world over for their creativity and precision, however, their translations of certain button names and instructions left me in a pickle too many times. Often, I would get odd ones, such as the 'Emergency Life/Death Switch' instead of simply calling it the 'Life Support Toggle' or something far less panic-striking.

Being an astronaut was not a career aspiration of mine, for starters. It was to be a web designer, comfortably living at home, maybe have a family when I became independently wealthy and felt I could support more than just myself. But then, 2015 happened, and the League of Nations gave a disturbing premonition of future human habitation on Earth. It became clear we could not live the way we were living now, and that's not necessarily because we are incapable. It is because humanity has grown increasingly incompetent! Living beyond our means, refusing to make the tough choices in life; for the second principle, I gave up comfort to dedicate my life to I.S.A.C. and its ultimate purpose.

That's how I became an astronaut: I had no idea what a struggle training for space would be, both mentally and physically; they say the armed forces don't receive the brutal blitz of education and physical challenges I'm put through day-to-day. All of that to send me in a tin can millions of miles away from home, now with nobody at my side to keep me from going absolutely bonkers...well, there's Jonah. Sometimes I pretend he's actually getting half the things I say; but being the nutcase I am, I program 'euphemisms' and 'jokes' into his database just to humanize him. Fun stuff, I tell you.

YELLOW ALERT: OUTER KUIPER BELT OBJECTS AVERAGE VELOCITY: 3.6 KILOMETERS PER SECOND.

"Jonah, it almost sounded like you said there were super-massive space rocks traveling at hypersonic speeds outside our ship. I am so glad that's not the case right now."

CONFIRMATION: OBJECTS AVERAGE VELOCITY: 3.6 KILOMETERS PER SECOND.

"No need to repeat! I heard you! Prepare to anticipate object trajectories and evade. Jonah, one thing I am not is a pilot! I'm counting on you!"

CAPTAIN, WE WILL BE OUTSIDE OF THE BELT IN APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES. STAND BY FOR EVASION.

These objects are more menacing than I assumed; the astronomy division sized up some of the kuiper belt objects to be nearly half the size of Jupiter's moons! Should be rather intimidating, consider I would be colliding with objects thousands of times larger than Destiny. However, with Jonah leading the way, my concern for our safety has diminished; computers can turn out to be such accomplished pilots!

EVASION COMPLETE. EXITING KUIPER BELT AND EXITING THE SOLAR SYSTEM. WE HAVE COMPLETED STAGE 2 OF TRAVEL.

"Great work, Jonah! Can you map out potential coordinates for our continued investigation?"

AFFIRMATIVE. POTENTIAL CANDIDATE SYSTEMS INCLUDE ALPHA CENTAURI BETA, 61 CYGNI, AND GLIESE 832. CLOSEST SYSTEM TO CURRENT POSITION IS ALPHA CENTAURI.

"Next destination is the star Alpha Centauri. Calculate distance needed for observation and let's skedaddle!"

AFFIRMATIVE. BEGIN TRAVEL STAGE 3.

"I can't believe it, we're actually doing this! Hahaha! We are actually traveling to Alpha Cen-"

RED ALERT: UNKNOWN DISTURBANCE INTERRUPTING FLIGHT PATH. ATTEMPTING TO DIRECT COURSE AWAY FROM THE ANOMALY.

"Speak up, Jonah! Describe the anomaly!"

ANOMALY DETECTED IS IMPOSSIBLE. CLASS A SCHWARTZCHILD WORMHOLE.

"Jonah, we can't approach that thing, we will dissolve and perish if we get too close!"

WARNING: CANNOT MANEUVER AROUND WORMHOLE. COLLISION IMMINENT.

"JONAAAH..."

"..."

"...Jonah? Where are we? How did we live? Ow..."

Turns out, those astronomers were wrong about that classification of the wormhole. There are still events in the universe that cannot be explained simply by observation alone. I had to experience what was supposed to end in death, in order to confirm that the wormhole we just passed through had legitimately sent us far into space. I took out a guidebook on stellar navigation because Jonah's AI shutdown during that experience. I'm literally alone with a metaphorical compass to guide me. Great.

"Let's see here...okay, so none of these stars I'm seeing match up. So we are literally in another part of the GALAXY?! JONAH, WAKE THE HELL UP! I need you. At least give me a calculator or something!"

Well, after frantically pressing unlit buttons for about an hour, the manual override kicked in, and I gained the ability to find out I was technically still alive. All air pressure is now in the bridge and nowhere else, there is severe damage to all other life-preserving areas on the ship except the medical bay, and the astronomical atlas has no idea where we are located. I can only draw three conclusions from this information: I'm breathing, I'm lost, and if I can't land anywhere soon, I am screwed.

All it took was a look out the side view to see that my prayer had been answered; a planet! I had been fortunate enough to end up in orbit around a planet that resembled my Earth!

I sent out a probe to discover if the atmosphere made it habitable or not; let's just say the good news kept piling up, big time. The hydrogen-oxygen-nitrogen-carbon dioxide ratios were consistent with a habitable atmosphere. I CAN LAND!

"Fantastic! We can land, Jonah...how do I land? I told you, I'm not a pilot! WHY AM I TALKING TO A INANIMATE, MUTE and BUSTED CALCULATOR?! Wha-"

WARNING: CRASH LANDING ONTO PLANET IMMINENT. HULL BREACH IN QUADRANT 2.

"Finally, you WAKE UP! I thought you fixed the issue a day ago! I...woaaaaah-"

"..."

*CRASH*

"What a beautiful night for star-gazing, isn't it Spike? Not a cloud in the sky. I have to thank Rainbow Dash for doing me that huge favor!"

While Twilight Sparkle was busy fidgeting with her telescope, Spike gave a mighty yawn, signaling his body's intention to collapse at any moment from exhaustion.

"Yeah, yeah, Twilight...just don't wake me up, okay? I'm...*yawn*...sleepy, and I...can't..."

Twilight cradled Spike and laid him in his covers, gave a good night kiss, and jogged over to the telescope that was perched on her balcony. This night was a critical night for astronomers and stargazers alike. This was the night, without fail, of the annual Starswirl Meteor Shower. All around Equestria, ponies observe this day with celebration because the anniversary of the night of Starswirl the Bearded's death holds great significance. The legend goes that shortly after sunset, and after Starswirl had passed away, a brilliant meteor shower engulfed the night sky. What is special about this shower is that it happens on the same day each year without fail, and no object ever hits the ground.

The shower is more significant to Twilight because it gives her the chance to observe a phenomena that would otherwise be uncommon to witness. She positioned her eye atop the viewing lens and jumped back suddenly, seeing something impossible happen. Twilight was stunned, as a massive object caught aflame and rapidly approached the ground, far away from Ponyville.

"No way, that's not possible! This is the first time an object ever reached ground! I have to investigate this! SPIKE! SPIIIKE! Ugh..."

Twilight prodded Spike from his slumber. "Twilight...I thought I said- hey, what's wrong?"

"Spike, we have an object to investigate. Tell Princess Celestia about this: it is a rare day in astronomy."

Spike frowned at his caretaker with displeasure. "I knew I couldn't get sleep tonight, it is the same thing every year with this meteor shower..."

"But this is different, Spike! Nothing has ever, EVER touched the ground from that shower! I must know what it is." Twilight frantically assembled a pack of scientific instruments and urged Spike down the stairs.

"Wait, wait, I can't write while walking! Twilight!"

Author's Note

This introduction is short, but on average, the chapters will be much longer than this brief dive into the story. I hope you all like what you see so far, so please comment and give your thoughts. Thank you!

(For those of you who read the other story, which is now gone, the content is going to be different, and I hope to be more proud of this work than my prior attempt.)

Obstruction

~ Chapter 2: Obstruction ~

...I...am I...still here? I smell smoke. Not good. I...

"AH HAAAAAA! NO! My arm! It's broken?! That shouldn't be bent that way! WOW! WAHOW! Ow...there..."

Shock is setting in finally, now I can't move well at all. That hurts like hell! I'm breathing, so...we must be on the surface of the planet. Is the ship functioning?

"Jonah, respond! OW!"

PROCESSING SPEECH PATTERNS. CAPTAIN'S LIFE FORCE DETECTED, IN UNSTABLE CONDITION. REQUIRES IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.

"Of course I need medical attention...Jonah, is the medical bay in decent condition?"

MEDICAL BAY IS 80% OPERATIONAL. ARM REPAIR POSSIBLE IF THE CAPTAIN PROCEEDS DOWN THE APPROPRIATE HALLWAYS.

"Good...Jonah, is our other-"

OUR OTHER SUBJECT IS STABLE. 6 MONTHS AND 2 DAYS SINCE DEPARTURE DATE.

"Light up the way to the medical bay."

AFFIRMATIVE, CAPTAIN.

Outside of my left arm breaking, I was fortunate to only receive a minor concussion near my right ear. The hallways leading to the medical bay were slightly blurred and at an angle. At first, I thought this was a symptom of the concussion and shock of my broken arm; the ship crashed at a crooked angle, probably about 15 degrees off-balanced. Every other step sent a blistering twinge of pain up my arm and into my shoulders.

My philosophy on pain: if you feel it, you know you are alive and that is a fortunate thing. The throbbing pain on my left side, coupled with the concussed skull, gives me oodles of 'fortunate cognizance'. The arm bobbed in place as I approached the final hallway; I watched as it hung useless at my side. I made one final attempt to try and clench my left fist, but the pain engulfed my entire body after that mistake, bringing me to my knees in front of the medical bay doors.

After opening the doors, I stepped into the operating room, where 3D modeling equipment was ready to do a full scan of my arm and shoulder. Thankfully, the computer scientists were able to fix Jonah with a virtual surgical program that enables him to perform operations like the one on my arm.

THE CAPTAIN'S LEFT ARM IS BROKEN IN ONE PLACE. ULNA FRACTURE, CLASSIFICATION: MONTEGGIA. BEGINNING OPEN REDUCTION INTERNAL FIXATION. PREPARE TO BE ANESTHETIZED.

"Jonah, you be...careful...you hear me..."

"Twilight, it's almost midnight, and you want to investigate a ROCK?!"

While Spike was visibly frustrated with Twilight's late night meteor hunt, the unicorn could hardly contain her excitement.

"Spike, don't you see? An event like this has never been recorded as happening for the past 950 years! It's a one-of-a-kind rock, a rock that has never kissed the surface of this world before, it's-"

"The love of your life?" Spike forced a giggle before Twilight, rolling her eyes, swiped her instrument case from his claws.

"It's a huge night for all of Equestria. Besides, better than another catastrophe like Discord, the Changelings, or Sombra. I'm sure Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would appreciate a fresh topic to discuss in my letters!"

Suddenly, a purple wisp slithered down from the starry sky and in front of the two sojourners. A letter with Princess Luna's seal plopped onto Spike's head and fell to the ground in front of them.

Twilight unraveled the letter with her magic and read the contents aloud:

"Twilight Sparkle,

It pleases us that you observed this rare occurrence and informed us in short notice. Please be informed that the object has been observed to have landed near Smokey Mountain inside a secluded nook in the Unicorn Range. We presume you are already making your way there, and are close to the location of the impact site. Once you are there, immediately report what you discover, and we will take further action based on your testimony.

Princess Luna"

"Huh, that's all there is? Nopony else is going to investigate the impact site?"

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe she thought it best for you to be the first one to see something like this? I don't understand why they wouldn't just send a party of Royal Unicorn Guards or something."

Twilight stood still for a moment, considering Spike's words. Then she shrugged it off and kept walking, laughing to herself as she left Spike without a response.

Spike tugged on Twilight's right ear, getting her attention. "Twilight, you don't think that's strange? You aren't a professional on this, you know."

"Spiiike..." Twilight pat Spike's head and continued forward. "I'm the Element of Magic. If this was in any way dangerous or harmful, I know hundreds of spells and wards to defend us against any potential threat. Domestic or stellar."

Spike looked bewildered at his companion. "Is-is that pride I'm hearing, Twilight?! That's not like you."

Twilight stopped and turned her face towards the dragon, giving him a look of amusement. "Am I supposed to just ignore the confidence Princess Luna has given me on this situation? She's learning to trust in my ability to handle these situations, and you say I should doubt myself?"

Spike shook his head. "No, Twilight, don't doubt yourself, but doubt that rock or whatever it is. It could be dangerous to us."

"...it's a rock, Spike. What danger does a ROCK pose to Equestria?"

Spike leapt from Twilight's back in front of her, and held an open palm up. "Hold on. Discord was a rock before he caused all kinds of evil things to happen."

"...he was a stone statue, not a rock. Look, I know you're trying to look out for me, but we will be okay!"

"But Twi-" Twilight paced a hoof over his mouth and smiled. She removed it, and he breathed a deep sigh. "Whatever you want to do, but just don't put yourself in too much risk when we get there."

"I promise to be situationally aware at all times. Cross my heart, hope to fly."

The adventure through the forest north of Ponyville proved to be very simple, with dispersed hollers and squawks of the forest animals as Spike and Twilight passed through. The chirping of crickets accented an unusually beautiful and bright evening, the gibbous moon reflecting light over the entire arboreal expanse. A perfect night for stargazing proved to be an even better night for a walk, as a cool breeze swept across the forest floor. Twilight lifted her head and soaked in the breeze as they meandered around oak after oak, searching for the impact site.

Unusual features started to appear more frequently: charred tree limbs, smaller craters, entire trees uprooted. Spike took note of everything Twilight observed and vocalized to him, knowing that the impact site was at hand. As they began to see more anomalous feature in the forest, Twilight gasped at some of the remains of the fallen object. They appeared to be shards of some kind of metal!

"Spike! Look at this!"

The shard hovered in front of Spike, captured by a field of Twilight's magic. "Twilight, what is that weird inscription?"

Twilight was just as confused as Spike, but far more intrigued. "Copy the symbols down to the best of your ability, Spike. Let's keep moving."

A fog thickened inside of a clearing made by the meteor; Twilight drew forth a brilliant light and fired a blast at the epicenter of the clearing. What materialized in her vision filled her with fascination and trembling.

"Sp-Sp-Spike?! What am I looking at?!"

Spike couldn't blink. "I don't know what that is, but it is huge, and it is not a rock."

"We need to keep a safe distance for now, Spike. Write down everything I say, and don't leave this spot, understand?"

Spike saluted and readied his quill.

Jonah, you don't have a clue how strange this feels for me. What a tragedy this is, having a broken arm, shipwrecked on a foreign world, and likely dozens of light years from home.

After surgery was completed, all I could feel in my arm was a constant, subdued type of pain. I couldn't tell if it was having my whole arm casted and forced in a singular posture, or if it was just the consequence of being cut open. Thankfully, modern medicine has grown past the need for stitching and prolonged recovery of skin molecules. That skin gun thing actually did the trick; stem cell research advancing beyond the need for embryos certainly calmed the thunderous critics, and it saved my arm from bleeding.

The prognosis that the back-up AI gave me didn't ease my concerns any more than being alive had done. Most of the propulsion and shielding systems were disrupted in the crash, and the hull, without proper maintenance, is beyond repair (I'm just one 'goobernaut' versus a team of expert engineers).

"Jonah, what happened out in space? How did we end up here?"

A SCHWARZSCHILD WORMHOLE WAS DETECTED SOON AFTER EXITING THE KUIPER BELT OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM. DESTINY WAS PULLED INTO THE EVENT HORIZON OF THE WORMHOLE.

"The astronomers-*COUGH*-...ugh, back at Mission Control said that the wormhole should have dissolved the matter entering its radius and killed us. Why are we alive?"

SEARCHING DATABASE FOR ALTERNATIVES. ... ALTERNATIVE FOUND. SCHWARZSCHILD WORMHOLE MISCLASSIFIED. ACTUAL EVENT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A TRAVERSABLE WORMHOLE.

"A traversable wormhole? That was never discussed in our briefing, Jonah. Explain."

A TRAVERSABLE WORMHOLE IS AN EVENT WHERE A BLACK HOLE AND WHITE HOLE FORM SIMULTANEOUSLY. HOWEVER, UNLIKE A SCHWARZSCHILD WORMHOLE, THE TRAVERSABLE HOLE MAINTAINS A CONNECTION BETWEEN ITS TWO ENDS DUE TO AN EXTERNAL FORCE KEEPING THE MATTER BRIDGE OPEN.

"So...we were fortunate enough that 'something' kept the bridge open for us. Question, have you launched scouting equipment since our crash?"

AFFIRMATIVE. EMERGENCY SUBROUTINE #5 IN FULL EFFECT. SCOUTING PROBES WERE DETACHED WHILE DESCENDING FROM ORBIT. CURRENT GLOBAL MAPPING PROGRESS IS 20% COMPLETE.

"What is our current-"

RED ALERT: TWO LIFEFORMS DETECTED APPROACHING DESTINY. RECOMMEND RETRIEVING DETERRENTS.

"...get me to the locker."

The locker is one of the few areas of the ship that is outside of the central computer's domain. The deterrents are two firearms that have provided necessary protection during my time with I.S.A.C.: my onyx-coated Colt M1911 and my M14 rifle. I've only need to use these weapons once in my entire life, and I'm hopeful it isn't necessary again.

Being tasked with essential research and development of the final hope of human longevity gave I.S.A.C. a huge target on its back by radical environmentalist groups. An organization that branched off of Greenpeace, called 'Offspring', claimed that I.S.A.C. was not made for humanity's survival, but Earth's destruction. They claimed that the League of Nations schemed with the intention of depleting Earth's resources to such a degree, that these governments would monopolize what was left and subvert human kind to their will.

Of course, after a decade of R&D, it became clear that these claims were false; there was simply not enough to suggest we could sustain ourselves. Offspring became livid, and started targeting isolated I.S.A.C. research pods with frequent attacks. I am a member of the primary division in charge of the on-board artificial intelligence design team. My knowledge of how to interact with Jonah's systems, coupled with the astronautics training I received, gave me a head-start in taking the reigns of this important mission.

Due to my expertise on the AI of DESTINY, Offspring marked my research team as VIPs and targeted our facility in Titusville, Florida. We had to defend ourselves from their assault, with nominal assistance from the United States Coast Guard. My rifle was used mainly as a deterrent against the Offspring attackers sieging the bunker where our DESTINY ship had been locked away. I never killed anybody (that I know of) with those rounds, but I'd like to think what I did was the key in keep my colleagues safe.

"I can't really use the rifle with the cast...the Colt will have to do. Jonah, secure lock on D-2a locker door, voice recognition constraint set to default. Confirm."

D-2A LOCKER SECURED. LIFEFORMS HAVE STOPPED THEIR APPROACH 20 METERS EAST OF YOUR POSITION.

I have no idea if they are a threat or not, and I cannot risk failure...but this isn't how it was supposed to happen. I can't get this ship off the ground, I can't do that by myself. If only he hadn't-

WARNING: UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE LAUNCHED IN DIRECTION OF CRAFT.

"Open the blast doors, Jonah, we have to defend our DESTINY!"

BLAST DOORS OFFLINE. CIRCUITS MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO CRASH. REQUESTING ALTERNATE ROUTE: MANUAL EXIT THROUGH ROOF CANAL.

"You're killing me, Jonah...you are literally killing me."

"Did you get everything down, Spike? Every word?!"

Spike looked up and displayed his now-swollen writing hand to Twilight. "Do you THINK I wrote it all down? You speak faster than Pinkie Pie can party!"

"Calm down, Spike. Just end the letter and send it immediately. We may need to get closer to know for certain what we're-"

"OWWW! Why are you making me do this, Jonah?!"

Twilight's ears shot up and she promptly ducked down. "SPIKE, GET DOWN."

Spike crouched behind the brush and petitioned his companion frantically. "What's happening? Who's there? Ghosts? Timberwolves? ZOMBIES? We need to get out of-murrrph muaaah, pfffth..."

"Spike, be quiet. I see something climbing out of that metal thing."

"Wuh...wah...what is that thing, Twilight?"

Spike's head gradually rose out of the brush to get a peek of the mystery creature leaving the object, only for Twilight to shove his head down again.

"Spike, we have no idea what is climbing out of that rock, so stay low. If it is hostile, I have my magic to protect us."

The creature stood in the middle of the clearing, in view of Twilight's earlier spell. This foreign creature's appearance elicited a gasp and a notepad, with Twilight jotting notes, detailing its features.

"It's standing on two legs! It has eyes, a nose, ears, a mouth, a-" Spike turned Twilight's face towards him.

"What are you doing?! Is it a threat or not? What is that thing its holding? This isn't some science experiment anymore, Twi-" *BANG*

Something grazed the ground next to Spike and kicked a clod of dirt into the air, the sound frightening both of them.

"I hear you out there! Don't think I don't! There's no way I'm dying today!"

Twilight peered above her spot behind the brush, only to hear another BANG, and something grazing just past her horn. She flattened to the ground, visibly shaken from the experience.

"Twilight, that thing is a threat! What do we do?"

She calmed herself down, and projected a sphere around her body for protection. "Spike, you stay put. I'm going to confront this creature myself."

Spike tried to grab the unicorn, but her shield prevented his attempt. She revealed herself from behind the brush and walked slowly towards the open clearing.

"I hear you out there! Don't think I don't! There's no way I'm dying today!"

What am I doing?! Maybe they are just animals. OH GOD! *BANG*

Nothing. I'm wasting rounds. I'm a mess, a broken arm, and what happens if I need to reload? I can't do this, I-

"I don't mean any harm, don't make those noises again! Please!"

What I saw walking towards me blew my mind: a figure that looked like a horse walking into the thick fog. It continued to issue pleas to quit making noise; how is that animal talking?! Where in the galaxy am I?!

"What are you? How are you talking? ... Where am I?"

That's a horse! A talking horse! Am I in the land of the living? Did I perish during the crash? Is this an illusion from the devil? Am I a ghost? Maybe if I punch my arm-

"OWWW! I'm alive, okay okay! I'm alive!" The horse-figure continued its approach. "You, stop right there."

The unicorn gasped and galloped towards me. I raised my Colt and pointed it towards her, causing her to stop moving. But then she spoke up again.

"Hold on! I don't want to harm you! Please lower that thing and let's talk."

It was then that I acknowledged the glowing purple sphere surrounding her body. Magical shielding? I shot a round at the shield, but it deflected the bullet to the ground.

"Is this real life?! You have a shield around you! That's not...possible..."

The unicorn shouted in protest. "Of course it's possible! Unicorn magic! WHY did you fire that thing at me?!"

The roar I gave forced her backwards a few steps. Then a bright light flashed in the sky above me. The light overtook my vision and knocked me to the floor.

"No, it can't end like this, they...count on..."

As I laid on the ground, before falling into unconsciousness, I heard voices I didn't recognize call out from the sky.

"Twilight, did this creature harm you?!"

"We will handle this from here, Twilight Sparkle. Stand back..."

Author's Note

A monteggia fracture is a forearm fracture that dislocates the ulna from the head of the radius (that ball on your wrist is dislocated from your hand. I've never experienced one, but I've seen people who have. Not fun to have.

Also, the misclassification of the wormhole on the AI's database is based on error of research by human astronomers in this story. It isn't me getting confused about which one is which (I promise?).

Hope you are enjoying the story so far!

Incarceration

~ Chapter 3: Incarceration ~

...why...did it end this way? Did I...not do enough? They all...need me to succeed.

...Jonah. I must get back to the ship. If there is even a small chance I can get it repaired, I need to figure out how. I'm not doing this for my sake, this is for all of humanity. Time to get up-urgh! HMM. What?!

At that moment, my body and vision gradually returned, granting me nominal awareness of my surroundings; I felt some sort of restraint wrapped over my chest and legs. It was a pair of belts keeping me planted on a raised marble slab, coupled with smaller straps preventing my arms from being raised. My cast remained intact, with my arm bent, pointing to the sky; this situation was certainly unfavorable.

This was an incarceration.

I could only conclude that firing my M1911 is what convinced them that restraining me was a prudent plan of action. How they will decide to deal with an alien on their world is a complete unknown; however, I cannot risk failing my mission. This is a habitable world at least, so I can maintain a record of its location and...

what am I saying? These horses...ponies, whatever, wouldn't submit to being occupied by another race so easily. I have to get off of this world somehow...huh?

"Why did you approach it, Twilight? You had no idea what kind of danger you were in!"

"But Princess Celestia, I-"

"I never want you to risk yourself like that unless it is absolutely necessary. Now I have a slew of bureaucrats demanding why I canceled all of my appointments today! This could have caused a major incident had we not reacted to your letter in time. YOU COULD HAVE DIED."

Voices. Someone is coming into the room. "Who is there?!"

"Princess, he's awake!"

The last thing I could remember was being back at the ship, confronted by an impossible talking horse. A brilliant light struck my eyes before collapsing to the ground and going unconscious. My vision has not fully restored yet, but from what I can tell, there were two new presences in the room, one taller than the other. The mumblings I heard weren't clear, but that last voice was similar to the one I heard from that talking-

"HORSE!" After seeing the purple unicorn again, my body wanted to shoot straight up from my resting position, only to be restrained by the same belt that was wrapped around my chest and legs. I was tied down to a platform inside of a bright, marble chamber, likely a holding area for people like me. I incessantly shouted demands for release, all of which were flatly ignored by the equestrian captors standing around me.

"Let me go, now! I need to get out of here!"

One of the horses, an immaculate unicorn (or was it a pegasus?) with wings hovered over my body, searing my eyes with a furious stare.

"You endanger one of my ponies, who offered you peace, and you expect me to release you?! You are mistaken! I have no idea what kind of creature you are, but you will not threaten my little ponies again."

I can't be blamed for this; who does she think she is?! "You have no grounds to detain me, none of you! I was defending myself from a threat on my life!" What a freakish predicament I'm in: talking horses holding me hostage on a world far, far away from my Solar System. This is unreal.

"Then what is this, that you so foolishly used to threaten my subjects with?!" She levitated my M1911 above my body, looking at it with dumb curiosity. Problem: she was pointing it right at me!

"NO NO NO, DON'T FIRE! POINT IT AWAY, PLEASE! PLEEEASE!"

I kept sobbing, praying inside that she couldn't figure out how to use my handgun. Hearing my emotional pleas, the white unicorn-pegasus hybrid quickly moved the Colt away from me and sat it somewhere outside of my field of vision. After my sobbing subsided, she approached me again for interrogation.

"That weapon that you fear so much...you directed toward my student, Twilight. Do you deny it?"

The purple unicorn, is that horse's name 'Twilight'? Her 'student'? What nonsense is this? What else could I say?

"I...do not deny it. But it is for my protection, nothing more, I promise you."

"You say it is for your protection, but what reason would Twilight have to harm you?"

I continued my defense. "I have never met any of you before, and you all have those horns and can generate magical barriers. How do I know you can't use those for offense, too?"

My vision began to improve, and it was then I pieced together a full picture of my 'detention officer'. The flying unicorn's flowing, sparkling mane captured my full attention. She also wore a golden diadem encrusted with a amethyst gemstone, and her neck piece bore a similarly hued gemstone on it. She's a leader in this world. No wonder I'm receiving an unwelcome barrage of questions!

"I assure you, Twilight nor anyone in this room intends to harm you. But you will disclose your purpose for landing your ship in Equestria, immediately."

Thinking about how to respond for a few seconds, I decided to barter for comfort. Being forced to rot on a slab of rock is not pleasant, by any means.

"Your Highness, I won't be answering anymore questions until you remove these restraints and allow me to stand up. My arm isn't in the best shape right now, and it would-"

The royal unicorn slammed her hoof to the floor. "Absolutely not. You will give your answer as you are, or remain in this position until you decide to speak. Regardless, we will learn the truth; either by your words, or inside your vessel."

NO. They can't go into my ship, or they'll find...

"Fine...I will disclose my mission to you. Every word of this is the truth, and it is your choice to believe it or not."

I began to dive into general detail what I have been doing for the past six months, traveling from my home planet, Earth, to the outer edge of our Solar System. The mission was to investigate candidate planets for a new human colony, to both ensure our people's survival, and ease the burden on our planet's resources and make it a viable home again. I described the human species to her, and the diversity of societies that exist in my home. Finally, she learned about my experience traveling into the event horizon of the now-traversable wormhole, and the subsequent crash landing onto the surface of the planet.

Once again, I placed emphasis on the true purpose for my mission, and that was to find a new home for my race to colonize and survive.

"So you see, Your Highness, I cannot fail my people. They all depend on me to find a suitable new home on which to survive beyond the impending death of our current one."

I could see her face in deep thought about my story. She turned to look back at me, her face losing the solemn countenance she had maintained during questioning.

"Though I question the 'how' you arrived in Equestria, I do not question your honesty. I will grant you your request." The leader channeled some sort of energy into her horn, like the purple unicorn did earlier. It was a shimmering golden color that wrapped around the straps holding my entire body down, releasing the restraints.

I rose into a seated position on the platform, getting a full look at the ponies that detained me. The one who questioned me was enormous! Her back probably stood a good 7 feet from the ground, not counting her head. Twilight, the purple unicorn, stood just short of eye-level with me; it wasn't very likely that I intimidated them at all. I slid off the platform and onto my feet, unprepared for the vibration up my body from the drop. My left arm cast shook and sent a shot of pain up my arm. I winced and gripped my cast arm, stopping it from moving.

Twilight looked concerned and approached my left side, examining the cast. "How did you hurt yourself?"

"After the crash, I must have fallen pretty hard on top of it. A bone broke and dislocated from my wrist, and I had to surgically repair it."

She jumped back, wide-eyed with amazement. "Surgery?! By yourself?! That's insane!"

"No no no. You see, there was..." Why am I talking so candidly to her? I have a job to do. "Listen, its more complicated than that. I really need to get back to my ship before-"

As I was walking towards the weapon, my face met a golden barrier erected to keep me from taking it.

"Ow! Hey, that's my handgun, my protection. You can't expect me to leave without it!"

The leader shook her head and addressed me. "You may not leave this room until we are completely certain you are not a threat to our land. That 'handgun' was used, self-defense or not, to target one of my subjects. I-"

The white unicorn suddenly turned her attention to the door, and in walked a midnight blue unicorn with wings, wearing similar regalia as her counterpart ruler. Looking into her mane reminded me of the interminable months spent out in deep space, staring at the galaxies and stars. I finally noticed that all three of the unicorns possessed images on their backsides. The darker blue one wore a crescent moon with a black sky, the white one wore a yellow sun with orange rays, and the purple one wore a six-pointed star with smaller, sparkling stars at each vertex.

"Princess Luna. Thank you for being here on such short notice, sister."

As she marched into the room, I received a look mixed with curiosity and shock that the other two ponies had not given me before. Princess Luna looked at her sister with disbelief.

"Celestia, we did not expect you to call on us to participate in studying a newly discovered species. Did you not say 'this' was an emergency?" She motioned her hoof directly at me.

Princess Celestia, as I learned the white unicorn was called, sunk her head down. "It is an emergency. This creature threatened the life of my student in self-defense, and I wish to know if he is indeed a threat to us. We need you to 'dream walk' and confirm his intent."

Dream walk?! What are they scheming?

"Celestia, to dream walk for the purpose of interrogation? This is not typical of you, sister. What is it that you wish to know?"

Princess Celestia turned away from everyone and approached one of the windows in the room. She stared out into the countryside and sighed. "Luna, I just need you to confirm whether or not he is a threat. The rest you will understand once you enter his mind."

No way, I won't allow them to invade my thoughts! Done with this.

I took the chance when they removed their focus on me to leap for my handgun, and pointed it in the direction of my three captors.

Twilight stared at me and shouted. "Princess, he has his weapon!"

Princess Celestia shot around, Princess Luna turned to face me, and all three channeled their magic.

This isn't good. How can I expect to leave when I'm trapped here against my will by three unicorns ready to blow me to bits? I can't leave by force, can I? But...

My defensive posture quickly faded, and I placed the handgun on the perch it sat on. The magic from the unicorns faded as well, and all three surrounded me, not appearing angry, but concerned.

I decided to just give up. "I don't know what to do. I'm alone, and I need help. I know that now, but-"

The one named Celestia spoke up. "Like I stated earlier, we do not intend to harm you, but we are not above defending ourselves from a threat. If you really want us to trust what you say, submit to Luna's test."

I felt quite the opposite. "I do not want her diving into my deepest, most personal thoughts! That's an invasion of privacy that I cannot tolerate."

Princess Luna placed a hoof on my shoulder, at first causing me to jerk away, but her next statement eased my distress. "...I will only require the memories of your travel to this world. I intend to look at nothing else while in your dream world. Please trust me, so that we can trust you."

I need to continue my mission. If...earning their trust is the only way to leave, then...

"Okay. I will submit to your test." Princess Celestia and Twilight breathed sighs of relief as I lay down on the platform again. My cast stayed in its awkward and angled position next to me, pointed to the sky.

Princess Luna enveloped me with a dark blue aura, as I fell into a very deep slumber.

"The Intragalactic Space and Astronautics Coalition is pleased to announce our representative for humanity's last hope. The name of the astronaut being sent to investigate the stars beyond our Solar System: our Lead AI Systems Developer and astronaut, Tom! Please sound out your applause, ladies and gentlemen."

I was peering into a memory, from my point of view. "This is Director Kent at the project completion ceremony, the last day I spent on Earth before being launched into space. Why am I-"

"Because you are in control of what you see, not I." The memory faded out, and Princess Luna faded in from beyond the white void of my consciousness.

"Princess, you are saying I can choose what to show you?"

Princess Luna nodded. "Yes...Tom, was it? Now I know what to call you. Progress is being made."

How much should I even show her? So far, I can be considered nothing but threatening to these...ponies. What if they-

"I can feel your anxiety and I hear your thoughts. You are not one I would consider a threat. However, please understand that our society has experienced great trials for over two years, threats that make you ignorant of the circumstances surrounding your detention."

The princess stood beside me, gazing into the dreamscape, speaking again. "During my return as a co-ruler of Equestria, I have been privy to the nature of dreams once again. In the past, I have lived and breathed the nightmarish terrors of those with malice in their hearts, those who wished nothing but harm on other citizens of my domain. Even I was one such being..."

She looked away from the void and shut her eyes, the expanse around us set ablaze. We were inside of a throne room that once glimmered with crystals, gems, and marble; it had been transformed into a derelict seat of sovereign power, the ashes of its glory being constantly reproduced by the flames. A battle was taking place between who I recognized as Princess Celestia, and a darker, sinister equal. Celestia fought the evil, fighting back a flood of tears as the nightmare viciously assaulted her mark.

Princess Luna clenched her eyelids shut, shuddering as her next words were spoken. "Nightmare Moon, that vile creature you see fighting my sister...was my creation. My nightmarish terror. My dreams. I was imprisoned for one thousands years for my role in destroying the lives of countless ponies across the domain I swore to defend and nurture. I..."

The terrifying scene quickly wiped away into the familiar blankness from a minute ago. After she opened her eyes, I placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the princess to turn her head in surprise and face me.

"You trust me with this much of your heart, and for that, I must apologize to you. The urgency of my task is...well, pretty urgent. But I will give you the best opportunity possible to trust me, I owe that to you now."

A faint smile escaped Princess Luna's mouth as we both walked forward, moving toward another memory locked safely in my mind. This time, it was about 2 months into the trip, and we had just passed beyond the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. I was sitting on the bridge of the Destiny, humming and singing another classic as I consumed my lunch rations for the day.

Oh no...Princess Luna, this memory, we can't...we need to move on to another one.

Luna's thoughts echoed in my mind. Once you select a memory, your brain must pursue it to a logical conclusion. Whatever the context is, you must remain in it until it is over; or else your mind may suffer irreversible injury.

Crap. I can't do this...

" ♪ No where maaan, please listen. You don't knooow, what you're missin'! No where maaan, the world is at your command- ♪ "

RED ALERT. STRAY ASTEROID BELT OBJECTS APPROACHING AT HYPERSONIC SPEEDS. BRACE FOR IMPACT.

"CRAP. Computer, initiate emergency subroutine #3, evade! Confirm."

EVASION CONFIRMED. CHANCE OF SUCCESS 15%.

"Take it, we have to protect the ship! Call him up to the brid-" *CRASH*

I saw my body launched forward as my face smacked the steel floor, eliciting a cry of pain. The bridge lighting darkened, and dozens of indicators were flashing a combination of red and yellow.

"Computer, status report, now!"

HULL SUFFERED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE IN QUADRANT 2. MAGNETIC SHIELDING DISRUPTION HAS OCCURRED. CONTAMINATION CONTAINED IN SAME.

"Computer, where is Jonah currently located? Where IS he?!"

FUSION ENGINE CONTROL, QUADRANT 2. JONAH IS IN CONTAMINATED AREA, IMMEDIATE EXTRACTION NECESSARY.

"Lead the way!"

I watched as my past self rushed down numerous corridors in a frenzy, searching for his injured companion. Jonah was this man's co-pilot through a good portion of the journey through the Solar System. However, neither thought the possibility of something like a rogue asteroid colliding with the craft would ever occur. The computer should anticipate most, if not, all potential threats way before they happen.

Tom found himself standing in front of the Fusion Reactor doors with a 'hazmat' suit, ready to rush in, grab his buddy, and take him out. What he saw next...

"JONAH! Where are you?" He turned to his right, only to see Jonah collapsed on the floor, struggling for breath.

"...*gasp*...T...Tom." Jonah wheezed heavily and spat out blood that collected in the back of his throat.

"Get up, we need you in the medical bay immediately."

I carried him out of the Fusion Reactor chamber and, walking towards a separate room on the same level, took an elevator directly to the medical bay. As I lay him on the operating table, the computer performed a full digital scan of his body, internal organs, and radiation levels on the surface as well as inside of him.

PATIENT BOMBARDED WITH RADIATION DUE TO BRIEF HULL EXPOSURE. TRAUMA TO CRANIUM ALSO DETECTED. RADIATION POISONING UNTREATABLE ON-SITE. MISSION ABOR-

"No...computer..." Jonah hardly had the energy, but rebuked the computer. "This mission...continues..."

"Jonah, I can't let you die out here, we-"

Jonah immediately grabbed my arm, squeezing it tighter and tighter. "Listen to me. Lung capsule, place me in sus-*cough*-pended animation cell. Finish our mission...I won't even notice it."

"But...oh, is there another way?!" I knew there was no other way. If I waited too long, the cancerous cells would reproduce fast enough to destroy him. Suspended animation would extend his lifespan considerably, giving us just enough time to collect sufficient data.

I placed him in the chamber, placed his oxygen mask on, and secured all the harnesses before shutting the cell door. Just before I activated the suspension, he said one last thing to me.

"I'm scared, Tom...but it doesn't matter. No matter what happens to me, keep going! We have no choice but to succeed. Find those worlds, then bring us home. Promise me."

Through tears, I gave him a smile and entered the command in the keypad, placing him in suspended animation. His heart rate slowed, and his lungs began to clear. His life was left completely in my hands.

I promise, Jonah. I promise. Princess Luna, please get us out of here...

Resolve

Chapter 4: Resolve

The deep dive into my memories left me with a rush of swirling emotions, some of which I recognized right away. The joy of receiving my first computer for Christmas, or becoming a member of the exploration project with I.S.A.C.; but fear also entered the chilling depths of my subconscious mind. My life being threatened by Offspring during a crucial testing phase of Final Destiny, nearly losing my best friend in the void of space...

Princess Luna had the power to bring the most powerful moments of my life to the forefront of my mind. I felt the most at peace in my whole life, and I was captured in what felt like an endless nightmare, all at once. I didn't want to believe my friend was trapped in a vacuum tube while I journeyed on, with only a broken bone. It doesn't change reality. It doesn't change where I am currently standing.

I got so caught up in what was happening to me when I got captured, I let go of everything other responsibility I bore, even for a brief time. The feelings of unwavering resolve to continue forward, despite my friend's condition, suddenly returned. In all honesty, I only have Princess Luna to thank for that.

So what if ponies can talk? So what if I'm stranded here? I have a duty to Jonah, and a duty to humanity, and I must see it through to the end, no matter what it costs me. Let's just try to be cordial with them for now, okay, Myself?

I could feel a soft tug from outside of my mind, then a sharp 'yank', like a rope tied around my waist lifting me from my slumber. My eyes slowly opened, revealing my surroundings; my body rose to its familiar, seated position on the marble slab. Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle glanced over at me, then back to Princess Luna, expectant of her assessment.

"It is our assessment that this creature poses no immediate danger to Equestria. In addition, we believe it is best that we render aid to this individual."

"What do you mean, Luna?" Princess Celestia turned an inquisitive look towards me.

Luna walked over to my side of the room, turning to her sister. "Tom has made a promise to his friend, to ensure his safe return to their world. We in Equestria, erm...value 'friendship' above all other things, and deem it necessary to assist him in his efforts." Luna looked to her sister with great expectation, and Celestia gave her a warm smile.

"As such, it is our duty as rulers of Equestria to aid our friends in need, no matter what the dangers might be." Celestia approached Luna and gave her a hoof pat on the shoulder. "You've matured greatly since your return, my dear sister. I value our friendship, as do I value the friendships of others."

Twilight jerked her head to me, then to Celestia. "So your friend is in trouble? Then we should return to the ship right away!"

I hesitated at the thought. "Wait, so...does this mean I am free? I can go back and- Ahh!" An itchy feeling suddenly shot up my broken arm.

"Here, let me look at that." Twilight examined my cast, releasing some magic from her horn to lift it gently into mid-air. "Princess Celestia, is there anyway we could have somepony take a look at his...uhhh, what did you call it?"

"That is my arm."

"His...arm, Your Highness?" Twilight gave an awkward smile, before Celestia waved her hoof to the side.

"I'm afraid his arm will have to be examined by us, my dear student. If we reveal this creature to anyone outside of the three of us, word of an alien presence in Equestria would cause a major incident. I don't believe my little ponies are ready for such a revelation about our world. No..." Celestia approached me and cast her magic aura around my cast. "I will see to his arm's health."

Wait, what is she going to...whoa! What is that?

The golden sheen of Celestia's magic intensified as I felt a tingling sensation inside my arm. A sharp bolt of pain cracked as I hollered, part from surprise, but part because I detected my bones shifting inside the cast.

"AHH! Oh my God, what are you doing! I...what the- MY ARM! It's..."

Celestia's magic tore open the cast, exposing an arm that was slightly bruised; bending it was still slightly painful, but the bones inside were completely repaired. A miracle.

"I could not reduce the bruising or swelling, but studying medical journals and pony anatomy during my spare time affords me a particularly useful gift. Medical magic isn't something most ponies are capable of, because that variety of magic requires massive energy reserves. As you can see-"

I could hardly contain myself. "My arm! It's...no way, wow! Thank you! I...I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry I threatened your student, I..."

Twilight stopped me mid-sentence. "It's fine, I understand why you did what you did. A foggy evening, crashing onto a foreign world without any friends...that must be tough for anypony to handle."

Ha, 'anypony', they've been saying that for a while now. So strange, how eerily similar things feel here.

I gave my once-broken arm a full self-examination before the topic of discussion returned to what transpired inside of the Dreamscape. This time, I was able to stand up and walk around the chamber without fearing for my life. All three of them watched me with glowing interest as I paced around the room, speaking of the specific memories I shared with Princess Luna. Soon after telling of the tragic events of 4 months ago, I exhaled a deep breath I had been keeping inside for a long time.

Honesty is the best policy here, Tom. Basic relationship builder's tip: don't lie. Don't lie.

"Truthfully, your highnesses...my friend, Jonah, is in bad shape."

Twilight objected. "Are you sure he was with you? I only saw you leave your vessel. There was nopony else-"

"Twilight Sparkle. He speaks the truth." Luna walked past me and stood before her subordinate. "In the memory we observed together, his friend traveled as his companion aboard the craft. However..."

That's my cue. "However, Jonah is in unstable condition. I would request that he be examined as well, but I fear losing him if I remove him from isolation. It's all a mess..."

Princess Celestia waved a hoof. "It is not difficult at all to ensure the safety of your friend. I will personally see to it that Jonah and the vessel remain undisturbed while we determine the best course of action."

What is this? "But, Your Highness, you were interrogating me a few minutes ago, and now you want to-"

Celestia chuckled to herself and replied. "My sister, Princess Luna, has the ability to access almost anypony's memories via the Dreamscape. Had I requested it, with reluctance, she would have forcibly extracted what information we needed. Thankfully, it became unnecessary the moment you were transparent with us. In addition, it appears both of you had a little 'heart-to-heart' inside your mind...if she trust you, I trust you."

I gave a slight bow of respect to her, able to finally keep both arms at my sides. "Thank you, Your Highnesses. I would like to make the trip back to my vessel as soon as possible."

Princess Luna took her turn to speak. "In order to avoid any further incident, we believe it would be best to provide you with a 'disguise'. It would appear suspicious if two Princesses constantly left the castle in a short period of time for unknown reasons."

A disguise? "What is the disguise? A black cloak? Invisibility? A cape with a mask?"

"Actually..." Celestia's horn suddenly radiated magical energy that wrapped around my body. I was hoisted into the air, surrounded by the sphere of magic until only a white void materialized around me. From the distance, Celestia appeared again with a serious look in her eyes.

"This magic will protect your identity during your stay in Equestria. It is designed to make you look like one of us in every respect. You will keep your consciousness and I've adapted your motor skills so that you have the basics, but everything else about you will change."

"Change? I-HOLY GOD, what is THAT?"

I looked down. Why did I look down? Hooves. A horse's mouth. I can whinny. Why can I do that?! Is this the disguise?

All of a sudden, a flat, shimmering plane floated in front of me, displaying my reflection. I saw a crimson red pony with blonde locks for a mane and tail, and a tattoo. It was unique, like the tattoos the other ponies had on their rumps. It was a sword pointed upward, with six stars, three equidistant on either side of the sword, and a six-pointed sparkle in the background of it all.

"Princess, what is that?" Very confused, I pointed my hand-turned-hoof at the tattoo.

"Every pony in Equestria, when they discover their special talent, receives a cutie mark. That mark not only tells others what your talent is, it represents the type of character you possess."

"But, what does mine mean? A sword? Stars?"

Celestia examine the mark briefly before turning back to me. I could have sworn her eyebrows shot up the moment she saw it. "That mark has power in it. The sword must have something to do with you having great strength. The stars dictate the reach of that strength. Tom, you may not be from this world, but what potential you have here is of great consequence. What you do here might impact everypony's future."

Flabbergasted, I shook my head and looked up to her again. "Wait, what is this now? What could I possibly do here that will impact your society to such a degree? I didn't come here to satisfy some destiny, hell, I had no choice to come here!"

"That may be true, I might be looking into this too deeply. But listen well; I do not believe you crashing into this world is a mistake. You've already shown Twilight that there is more to our world than the raising and setting of the moon and sun. Nopony would have drawn any other conclusion had you not appeared today."

Her stature felt mightier and mightier throughout the entire exchange. Being disguised as a pony while being here would at least keep people from getting on my case about being an alien. But I don't even know how to be 'normal' in Equestria, hell, I don't even know what normal truly is anymore! Normal should have been omitted from the dictionary when I entered the event horizon of that wormhole.

Then, I felt sudden urge to gallop as my legs launched me forward at a brisk pace. It was the most incredible feeling I've had for a long time. Ignoring my conversation with Celestia, I quickened my pace, only to contort my front legs and plant my face into the white emptiness. Humiliating.

"Ow. I think this will take some time getting used to, definitely..." I forced myself up onto my front two legs, then my hind legs followed suit, leading me in front of the Princess once again.

Celestia just smiled. One of those plain smiles you see when a mother watches her child play with his toys.

"Why are you giving me that look?" I couldn't help but grin at her expression.

"Eventually, Tom, you'll learn how to be like us. It will be a test of your endurance and your patience. It won't be like anything I believe you'd faced in your life thus far."

"Tom, it is my responsibility to see that Equestria is safe from danger. But there have been times where I alone cannot bear the burden of its protection. Twilight Sparkle, my dear student, possesses incredible magic unrivaled by anypony past, present, and perhaps the future. She is one of the six Elements of Harmony, the Element of Magic. They bring a form of unrivaled protection against the dark forces of this world."

"Elements of Harmony?" Why is she even telling me these things? I'm still confused as to why I have a sudden craving for asparagus! I need to eat soon...

"Yes, the Elements are but one countermeasure against the evils of this world. The other is the Crystal Heart; Twilight's brother, Prince Shining Armor-"

"Ha ha ha! Shining Armor, that's fantastic! Ha-" I saw Celestia produce a frown, halting my assault of laughter immediately. "I'm...sorry, Your Highness, the name-"

"I know." Breathing a deep sigh, she continued. "Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence cultivated a deep and lasting love, both from within themselves and their citizens in the Crystal Empire to power the heart's core. It produces a shield that protects the empire for external dangers."

"Why are you telling me about these things?"

Celestia closed her eyes in deep thought. After a few seconds, she gave me a determined expression. "Because I believe that you are the pony I've been seeking for the past two years."

"...say what now? I've just arrived here, and you've been looking for me?!" Oh come on! This is like one of those really bad 'fate handing you the stacked deck' stories, except I'm living it!

"Tom, the deck is stacked in your favor, you can trust that."

Mind reader, huh? Greaaat.

The Princess smirked. "I'm technically in your mind, so the both of us can hear your thoughts. I assure you, in the physical world, your thoughts are heard by yourself alone."

That's a relief...

"Something major is about to happen to our world, but exactly where it will occur I cannot say...say, that mark of yours reminds me of the cutie mark of a heroic stallion I know. One that I trust to this day with my life: Shining Armor."

"So my cutie mark is like his?"

"That's right! However, unlike your mark, his is a shield. His special talent is defensive magic; his power thrives when put into situations where he protects those he loves. It is why his ability is perfect for serving the Crystal Empire, and it complements his love for Princess Cadence so well. Your mark, however, is of a sword, and being an earth pony, you do not possess unicorn magic. There must be a fight for you to win, however, the nature of that fight is yet unknown."

"So you don't know what type of battle I must face?"

Celestia shook her head as the empty void began to dissolve, returning us to the physical world.

Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle got an eyeful of my new look as we returned from the magic sphere. Twilight was the first to comment.

"I had no idea the Princess could do this! Is this a doppelganger spell, Princess Celestia?"

Celestia hummed at her guess. "No, this is much more than that; his appearance is totally unique. The magic generates his appearance based on who he is and what his original appearance happened to be. You would be asserting that he was a Changeling, which would be rather...'insulting' to his character, wouldn't you say, Twilight?"

The unicorn blushed, embarrassed at what her question implied. "I apologize, I didn't mean-"

"No harm done, my student. Now, Tom..." Celestia knelt in front of me, reaching eye level. "The battle I was discussing earlier may or may not be a physical one. It could be mental, emotional, spiritual; what I am saying is you must prepare for it."

I shrugged and looked to the side, but her hoof directed my eyes to hers again. "Tom, I know you weren't intending for all of this to happen, but Equestria needs you. Can you lend us your aid this one time?"

My sight shifted side to side, indecision plaguing my mind. Finally, I just shut my eyes for a moment, and opened them again, removing all doubt. "Princess, if it gets me closer to home, I will. There's no time to waste, however; I must repair my ship as soon as possible."

"Good. I will have Twilight Sparkle pair up with you as you examine your craft."

Twilight choked on her own spit at that declaration. "I-what, Princess? You want-HAAACK-me to go into the ship?! I can't believe it, are you serious?"

After Celestia gave her a firm nod, Twilight started bouncing around the room, giddy from excitement.

She rushed over to me with a feather quill and pad of paper. "Isn't this great, Tom, now I have about a dozen times a dozen questions to ask you about your ship. How does it fly? What powers the propulsion systems? How did you get to our world? What controls the piloting system? What is 'artificial intelligence'? Does it have air conditioning? Where is the primary circuit boards? Do the doors really open automatic-"

"GAH, STOP." I shook my han-hooves in front of her face as she stood back, ceasing her incessant questioning. She blushed really hard this time, knowing what kind of irritation the plethora of inquiries must have created.

Princess Luna stood between us, facing me. "Tom, there is one matter I believe is important if you intend to interact with ponykind. Your name."

My name? What is wrong with my name? Aah...

"It would attract unwanted attention. Typically, ponies have names that relate to their special talent or something in the physical or spiritual world. Your name will be 'Starsword', as your cutie mark clearly demonstrates both of those objects."

Celestia gave a shocked expression to her sister, who then gave her a curt nod before turning back to me.

"Starsword is a name that will draw attention, but not because it is of 'alien origin'. It is-"

Twilight's gaze rose until it reached mine. "Because it carries with it a legacy. Princess Luna, is it right to name him after Starswirl the Bearded?"

Starswirl the Bearded? Who is that?

Twilight could see I was very confused. "Starswirl is one of Equestria's most gifted unicorn magicians. His creativity and raw talent allowed him to invent hundreds of incantations and spells that are still in use by the monarchs and unicorns of today. Carrying the name of 'Starsword' as an earth pony is probably what she meant when she said you would draw attention."

"An earth pony?" So that's what I am now?

"That's right." Twilight gave a friendly smile, and nearly continued her rant before Celestia interjected.

"I think he's had enough of this for today. Twilight, I would like you to take him to the guest quarters in the west wing of the castle, the room next to the pathway before you reach the Royal Guard Assembly. I would like him to meet your brother tomorrow morning so he knows of his arrival to Equestria. You may tell him he isn't an Equestrian citizen, but nothing about what we learned today. Understood?"

Twilight looked rebellious at the idea of keeping secrets, but was submissive, giving Celestia a firm nod.

On the way to my guest quarters, Twilight talked about her brother in as much detail as she could. I wanted to know what kind of person...pony I would have to deal with tomorrow, and thankfully, he sounds truly honorable. A dependable and loving sibling, a devoted husband and prince, and a strong willpower; if there was one thing I knew I had to have more than him of was willpower.

Today, however, was a major exception. I had no will to continue after seeing the state of the Destiny, the hull blown to shreds, the computer systems moderately damaged. The one thing that keeps me going is knowing that at least the medical bay and Jonah's suspension chamber is intact and fully functional. That means the power core of the ship must also be in great shape. But there cannot possibly be anybody on this planet that can repair the Destiny to flying condition.

I find myself marooned on a world I know is far away. Far away from all that I know.

Patience

Chapter 5: Patience

The vibrant Equestrian sun crawled over the horizon as a new day was born.

Yet the significance of this day, not the sunlight, drew me out of my slumber.

More than twenty-four hours since I crashed onto this world, and I had already been incarcerated (and released) by the diarchy that rules the land. Along with them stood a highly decorated unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle, touted as Princess Celestia's most gifted unicorn student. Princess Celestia has dominion over the day, while Princess Luna rules the night; that's what I've learned so far about this kingdom.

My mind was rather stuck on figuring out an exit strategy, and in my current state, it's foolish to take ten steps forward when the first few could be off a cliff. Forced to maintain this disguise has quite literally changed me inside and out; my feelings, my senses and even my natural instincts are changing. Last night's meal was a blend of vegetables that, on any other day, would prove unsuccessful at arousing my senses. The transformation of my body caused my nose and tongue to become enraptured by that veggie salad. Adapting to an entirely new lifestyle may not be so difficult in the area that matters most to me, but still...

I cannot waste my time here. Less than 8 months until my exit window closes forever, and that means he won't....

"Twilight, I'm ready to go."

She opened the door to my quarters, and smiled as she directed me to our meeting place with Prince Shining Armor: the Castle's East Wing. On the way there, Twilight started to educate me on basic Equestrian customs and rituals. Equestrian citizens are generally good-natured and peaceful, not having experienced pan-continental conflict in almost eight centuries.

"So you mean to tell me that Equestria's last major military conflict was almost 800 years ago?" How unreal! I wish home could be like that...

Twilight took in a relaxed breath. "It's incredible, isn't it? And all while underneath a monarchy to guide everypony through adversity."

"Yeah, it certainly is...in my world, there are always nations at war, often times crossing multiple continents. Disagreements leading to violence. There is never an absence of bloodshed."

Twilight threw me a worried look. "I'm...sorry to hear that. Perhaps when we find a solution to your shipwreck we can help find a way to help resolve your people's issues!"

I sighed and gave her a faint smile. "I'm sure some of my race would greatly appreciate that, but my people are beyond negotiation."

She looked ready to rebuke my last statement, but instead turned to face forward as we approached our final destination.

An eerie calm set in as we were permitted entry by the guards posted at the doors. The lounge in the East Wing was well-lit by chandeliers and lampposts distributed evenly about the ceiling and walls. There were a multitude of chairs, sofas and tables for diplomats and royal guests to relax and discuss the issues of the day. However, the room was vacated specifically for this meeting with Prince Shining Armor. Twilight plopped herself on a beanbag near the entrance we used.

"My brother is coming to propose potential living arrangement for you during your stay here in Equestria."

I still need to take up residence somewhere, but... "You mentioned that we are in the capital city of Canterlot, correct?"

She gave a slight chuckle. "Yes, like I said before, this is Canterlot. What's wrong?"

"Where is Canterlot in relation to where the crash took place?"

Twilight's ears perked up. "Well, the crash site is nested deep in a forest on the south side of the Unicorn Range. It would normally take all day to reach Canterlot from there, but the Princess opted for teleportaton the other night...you know, to avoid the detection of the citizenry."

Teleportation, holy cow! Just imagine if I could get these ponyfolk to develop some way to send me clear across the galaxy! Such a pipe dream. I suppose I'll have to allow things to run their course if I ever plan to-

"Are you okay? You spaced out for a moment." I jerked my head towards Twilight as she gave me an awkward grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Twilight. Just thinking about how I'm getting home. I shouldn't get so bent out of shape..."

It's true, I'm still getting acquainted with my new parts. Sue me.

That trek to the lounge was like a slow crawl for Twilight, but for me it was a brand new experience. Princess Celestia may have gifted me with the basic motor functions that even young colts possess, but adapting to them was a new level of awkward. Twilight graciously coached me while we were crossing every tile in those castle halls. But what would happen if I needed to flee from harm? There's no question I would be as good as dead at this point!

"Don't worry at all! Princess Celestia trusted me to assist with anything you need in adjusting to Equestrian society."

"Thank you, I'd be lost here without somebody to-"

"Somepony, you mean?" Caught again.

I rubbed the back of my head in embarassment. "Heheh, sorry, Twilight. Still adapting to the-"

"Twiley! How's my little sister!"

The doors swung wide open, and I turn around to the sight of a white-coated stallion rushing to give Twilight a huge bear hug. His appearance gave him away as being Prince Shining Armor, Twilight's older brother, Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard (sans uniform), and Royal Prince Consort of the Crystal Empire (sans ridiculous looking crown). The blue streaks in his mane and tail, coupled with the shield, stars and family crest on his cutie mark, completed the simple puzzle of his identity. After their embrace ran its course, he turned, studying me back to front, and extended a friendly hoof.

I immediately presented one of mine and shook hooves. I can't help but cringe when I don't mentally say 'hands'.

"You must be Starsword! Princess Celestia informed me of your housing debacle, and I promise to do my best to accommodate you."

He suddenly jerked his hoof away, appearing to look for the right question to ask until... "If I can be completely frank with you, Starsword, I'm skeptical about this whole arrangement. It isn't like the Princess to offer refuge to a foreigner without a good reason. Is there anything you need to tell me that I should know before we continue?"

Her brother's suspicion left both Twilight and I in an awkward shuffling of our hooves. Then he approached her, placing a hoof on his sister's shoulder in reassurance.

Twilight gave a pleading look to her brother. "Shining, I promised Princess Celestia that I wouldn't discuss the nature of his arrival to Equestria...please just trust that it is for the absolute best, okay, brother?"

Shining Armor gave a heavy sigh. "Twilight, you know better than anypony that I care for you and trust your judgment, but calling me here on short notice is odd, don't you think little sis'?" Twilight gave her brother a mixed bag of looks only a little sister could give, communicating her desire to keep things under wraps.

He relented, giving his sister a sharp russle of her mane before turning back to me. "Okay, so from what I understand, we need to relocate you near Smokey Mountain in the Unicorn Range, is that correct?"

What is Smokey Mountain? "I...I guess so?" I turned to Twilight, who gave me a firm nod, stopping just as Shining Armor turned to her.

Shining looked a bit unconvinced, but shrugged it off anyway. "O-o-okay, well there are a few dormitories and houses in Tall Tale, or we can have you stay in Vanhoover. Though you may have a difficult time with their accents..."

Vanhoover? Sounds a lot like Vancouver, I wonder... "If I stayed there, I'm sure it would be no problem with me wandering aboot, eh?"

Shining suppressed a chuckle at the comment. Awesome, the stereotype matched. Canadians are officially the friendliest people in the galaxy!

Shining Armor quickly took out a scroll, writing down a few notes, and wrapped it with what appeared to be a crystalline knotted bow. A spritz of lavender magic from his horn turned the scroll into smoke. Having no idea what just happened, I inquired.

"So...what just happened with that scroll?"

"I sent a note to a lieutenant of mine to request living accommodations for you in Vanhoover. You will be transported there today. During your trip, Twilight will educate you on how we do things here in Equestria. I'm sure my sister will take good care of you in that regard. She IS the smartest mare in Equestria, after all..."

Twilight blushed real hard, jabbing her brother's side as he swatted away her assault of pokes. "Oh, stop it Shiny! I'm not the smartest in the entire country...well, maybe."

After laughing a bit at her false modesty, I turned back to the stallion. "I am so grateful for the time you've given up to be here, Your Highness. It means a great deal to me."

Shining waved a hoof away from himself. "Spare the formalities, Starsword. Shining or Shining Armor is fine. Besides, anything to help a friend of my sister!"

"Friend?" As I spoke, he gave Twilight a noogie on the head before cantering off into the castle.

The sun was well above the clouds as we made our way back to the throne chambers together. Above a tall spire outside the hallway's windows, Princess Celestia could be seen flying high into the sky, channeling her magic as she 'rose the sun'. Knowing how planetary and stellar orbits worked, what she was currently doing was, by every scientific definition, impossible. It might be best to not stress the word impossible; I was quickly becoming aware just how many impossible feats these ponies could accomplish.

Learn to respect this particular area of the universe and how it operates, that'll keep my sanity in check.

Twilight escorted me to a wing of the castle made for guests to lounge before engaging in official meetings with the royalty. After we picked ourselves a spot to rest, she began to inquire about my arrival to Equestria.

"So...you said that you were an explorer from beyond our world. What is it like out in space?"

I released a chuckle at this. "Well, space itself is fairly empty, an expansive void with gigantic pockets without matter. But being out there is incredible, evening knowing how deadly it is. If you don't have a self-contained atmosphere on your ship, you'll get sucked into the expanse and die. Traveling out there, however, was worth the risk; hundreds of times, I witnessed something beautiful out there that no other man has ever seen!"

I was being very 'verbal' with my hooves, animating my excitement and interest in space travel. Twilight sat there fixed on every word; hearing about the dangerous beauty of outer space would captivate anybody, I wager!

"Tom-I mean...Starsword. You mentioned that there was a very important reason why you were traveling out there, but Princess Luna never spoke about it. I hope you don't mind if I ask..."

"Oh, I will definitely talk with you about it, but not here. Too many guardsponies and servants milling about, you know?" She grinned as we were motioned by one of the guards to make our way to the throne chamber.

Princess Celestia met our arrival with cautious optimism, since it would be the first time I would be exposed to Equestrian society. We discussed the plans Shining Armor set into motion for my lodging in Vanhoover, only figuring out now how far from Canterlot that trek took me. I would be a full twenty-two hour train ride from the capital, and it would also take me most of the afternoon to arrive by train from Vanhoover to Ponyville, Twilight's hometown.

Fortunately, the Princess prepared a chariot piloted by two pegasus guards for our trip.

"Starsword, Twilight, I have arranged for these guards to take you into Ponyville. Their assistance should expedite your arrival into Vanhoover a great deal. You are to take the train from Ponyville to the city and seek out Lieutenant Maplewood upon your arrival. There will be a private cabin for the both of you where you won't be disturbed."

Twilight looked nervous as we approached the chariot seat. Princess Celestia stopped to kneel down, meeting Twilight's eyes and giving her a sad smile. "Twilight, I know this task appears daunting, but I have every confidence that you can help get him home again. I believe in you, my faithful student."

Student and teacher embraced each other tightly before we made our way into the cockpit. I turned to Princess Celestia and gave her a short bow with my head.

"Your Highness, I'm beyond honored that you are helping me. I promise to keep you well-informed on what we discover."

Celestia gave a confident grin. "I believe you, Starsword. And if you don't, I give my student permission to lambaste you with question after question about your species and technological capability."

Twilight shot Celestia an incredulous look. "Hey, I do NOT smother ponies with questio-WOAH!" The Princess whistled, signaling for the chariot to take off.

As we coasted across the Equestrian skies, I looked back at the fading city of Canterlot. Even a couple miles out, the city took up a huge portion of the landscape behind us. How can a city look so small from so far away and be this massive? Optical illusions aside, the chariot continued at a brisk pace; our target town Ponyville was about a two hour flight away from Canterlot, giving my unicorn companion ample opportunity to blitz me with questions about myself and my home.

However, she remained quiet, appearing to have other thoughts on her mind.

"Hey, Twilight..."

She perked up at the sound of her name. "Hmm? What's up?"

I turned my body, completely facing her with a worried stare. "You've been pretty silent for the past half-hour. Is there something bothering you?"

Twilight rubbed her hooves together, appearing a bit anxious. "Something about what happened the night of your crash doesn't add up to me. I was doing some calculations while everyone retired for the evening, and I discovered something abnormal."

I audibly gulped. "Wha-what was abnormal?"

"Well, after studying the flight path of the meteor cluster and the time the fragments took to reach the ground, your craft should have landed in the mountains of the Frozen North. You would not have survived the crash."

Wow, that's... "Why is that?"

Twilight rubbed a hoof on her opposite shoulder and looked away. "Because the valleys in those mountains are constantly fraught with extreme winds and ice storms. Without proper magical armaments, nopony has ever survived an expedition in those conditions."

Suddenly, a thought surfaced in my mind. "Wait, so that means the meteor shower actually landed..."

Twilight turned back to me and nodded solemnly. "In the Crystal Mountains, far north of here. But here's the strange part. Nothing from the shower has ever touched ground before you came along."

Perplexed, I pressed further. "If I wasn't a part of the meteor shower, then...I'm so confused, what's your point?"

"Well, I did a little research..." Sounds about right. "...and as far as any astronomer has seen, every Starswirl Shower ever recorded always approaches the same area of land each year..."

She hesitated before finishing. "...the Crystal Mountains."

No way...

"But that means something landed from the shower. Wait, what did you observe that night, Twilight? You said you only saw my ship land."

Twilight gave a sheepish grin. "Actually, I didn't disclose everything to you. I really saw two bright objects touchdown. I just focused on the one closest to me to get a better read on the landing site. Something definitely touched down in the Crystal Mountains, that's for certain. But it would be foolish to search for that meteorite in those conditions."

That bright light that hit my ship...where did that even come from, and from what source? This all seems rather peculiar...

Author's Note

Finally back to updating this story. I don't really have a set schedule for this, so I'll make up for it by providing a tiny spoiler in the coming chapters.

The 'Human' tag remains because there will be a actual human being in a human body in this story. You'll just have to wait to see what form it takes.