Chapters Close Encounters of the Kerbal Kind
The sunlight nearly blinded Bill as Kerbol crested the horizon and peered through the tiny capsule window. He waited patiently, circling Kerbin every 30 or so minutes, to put his name down in Kerbal history. It had been just over a year since Stephen Kerman first developed his warp theory, and although the logic had been proven over again there was no way of applying it, until now.
“Come in, Explorer 1” A rough voice called, interrupting the absolute silence.
“This is Explorer 1, where are we with this thing? Are we staying or going” Bill called back with a tone of slight impatience.
“Explorer 1, we are ready to begin power up phase of Fusion Reactors 1 and 2.”
Immediately a slight hum rang through the capsule followed by short bursts of intense vibrations. The reactors had powered up and were ready for flight.
“Explorer 1, we read the reactors are operating nominally, and suggest you take a practice run out to Duna before going any farther.”
“Roger that ground.” And with that Bill pressed a small red button, seemingly inconspicuous to the other mass of buttons in the capsule, as the ships internal warp drive began to activate space and time itself began to bend and stretch until the space craft disappeared.
“Explorer 1…” The Call went unanswered; “Explorer 1” repeated the Capsule Communicator, but no answer came.
Initial reports suggested the craft never made it to Duna, and all assumed the worst, Bill was most likely dead somewhere between here and Duna, all due to a broken warp drive. An atmosphere of sorrow permeated the mission control room. Nobody knew or wanted to know the horrible fate Bill may have succumbed to.
At the moment of warp Bill was blinded and tossed about the confined cabin of the pod. He heard a large boom and then another followed by multiple alarms and flashing lights. The ship began to fall into a tumble. Bill was allowed a brief look out his window were he did not see Duna, but what looked to be Kerbin, but something was wrong.
“Ground control this is Explorer 1, we have had major failures Fusion reactors 1 and 2 have been disabled” Bill cried out with shrill desperation. A glance to his left at the radar indicated he was fast approaching the planet; he had no choice, but to perform an emergency landing. With the flick of a single switch a chorus of mechanical noises filled the cabin followed shortly after by a loud “clunk!” and the separation of the capsule. Shortly after he hit the upper atmosphere, red flames began to flicker and dance outside his window. It wasn’t until he reached the real dense atmosphere when the craft began to glow a brilliant red, and then streaked through the air forming contrails. As the activity began to die down slightly Bill reached out a pressed a small green button. The capsule slowed slightly, but violently jerked side to side as the parachute that had been damaged during the failure of the fusion reactors broke roughly half the strings. He was going to fast he surely wouldn’t make it. The radar counted down: 500m…300m…200m…100m. Bill clenched his hands together and uttered a short prayer as the capsule smashed into the ground.
Close Encounters of the Kerbal Kind
Close Encounters of the Kerbal Kind
As soon as Bill saw Fluttershy he was filled with a crippling fear, “What is this creature; What is it going to do to me, and Where am I?” All questions rushed through Bill’s mind as he began to hyperventilate and panic. However he began to feel a calm rush over him as Fluttershy softly said, “It’s okay you don’t need to be scared.” He could not understand what she was staying, but something inside him said she did not incite malicious intent. Fluttershy asked if he was hungry, but all she got was a slightly confused look from the green creature. Realizing the language barrier between them she did her best to imitate eating. Bill gave a quick nod, and Fluttershy dissapered into another room. Moments later she re-emerged holding a bowl with strange looking plants in it. Bill gazed into the bowl, which consisted of various greens, fruits, and vegetables. The variance of color was utterly alien to Bill, all he had ever eaten back on Kerbin was the various grasses native to his homeplanet. He cautiously picked up a red wedge with a whitish interior. Taking a bite the sweet flavor filled his mouth, and he continued to devour the entire assortment in the bowl.
"I guess you were hungry," Fluttershy giggled. "Well now that that's done lets check out your leg, the doctor mentioned it may be injured." She slowly touched Bill's right leg. A sharp pain raced through Bill's entire body and he let out a loud cry.
"Oh my, that is quite the break, We need to wrap it as soon as possible," she said as she trotted into another day. Bill sat there on the couch, many questions raced through his mind, "Where am I?", "What are these strange creatures?","What are they going to do with me?" Before he could think anymore Fluttershy walked back in holding a large kit in her mouth. She set it down next to Bill popped the lock revealing various medical supplies. She pulled out some strange materials, and began wrapping them around Bill's leg. After his leg was wrapped Fluttershy brought in two crutches for Bill to use. Ponies and Kerbals were roughly the same height so he adjusted relatively easily to them.
"Now, all better," Fluttershy stated confidently. "Oh,my I almost forgot, where will you be sleeping? Ummm... I really don't want to make Angel give up his spot on the couch, so I guess you could just sleep in the bed with me." Bill payed no attention to the words utterly alien to him, but to the sweetness of Fluttershy's voice; It had only been a few hours, and he already had a deep sense of trust in her.
That night Bill relaxed and truly rested for the first time in a while. Equestria was very different from Kerbin. The constant sounds of engines tests and launches that persisted nearly everyday were replaced by the silent night save only the chirping of the crickets. As he lay there quietly staring at the ceiling while Fluttershy was fast asleep he wondered. "What is this place like?", "Will the other creatures be as friendly?", and "Will I be able to go home?" and with that he closed his eyes and was soon asleep.
Close Encounters of the Kerbal Kind
We're Coming to Equestira
It was a beautiful day in Ponyville: the sun hung atop the sky looking down upon bustling ponies visiting the market, going to work, or just chatting with friends. All seemed at peace when a large “BOOM!” was heard overhead. Shocked eyes turned skywards as the ponies traced two objects in the sky. The larger of the two objects seemed to be on fire, ablaze with a red glow slowly disintegrated as it reached the ground. The other however stayed together, and as the flames began to die off it shot out a large piece of fabric that nearly tore lose sending the mysterious object crashing into a nearby plain. Within minutes ponies were already crowding to get a glimpse at what had happened.
“Clear a path!” two white ponies called out, “We need to check for injured.”
They were looking for ponies who could have been hit by the debris, but near the center of the crash site they spotted a single green creature dressed in some bulky orange suit and a large helmet. Partially in shock the two white ponies immediately dragged the lifeless green body onto a stretcher. As they exited the crash site shocked gasps followed by a wave of chatter seemed to follow the group. Nopony could believe a creature had fallen from the sky, and that creature wasn’t even a pony.
At the hospital they weren’t able to accomplish much: Bill had been loaded into a bed, his helmet removed, and he began to appear somewhat stable. It was decided by the mayor that Canterlot officials would not be involved in this affair, and that the leadership of Ponyville will be able to handle itself in this situation. To decide on how they should approach the situation Mayor Mare brought together a small council made up of various ponies from around town, including Twilight Sparkle. The meeting was rather brief, and two major decisions were made. The creature would be handed off to Fluttershy to nurse it back to health, and once the creature was deemed healthy interspecies conversation would begin.
Bill was still unconscious when he was delivered to Flutershy’s cottage; the doctors informed her he should be awake within a few hours. Fluttershy scrambled to prepare. She placed Bill on the couch and covered him with a small blanket. After her cottage was spotless she sat in front of the strange creature filled with excitement and fear. The creature began to stir, first one then two eyes, and know Bill was fixated on Fluttershy’s smiling face.