Friendship is Magic.
Never had she been more single-mindedly convinced of that fact than now. The bonds between ponies defended Equestria, but ponies were not alone. There were others, like them, different from ponies and yet like them in their belief in unity. Their friendships were alien to her- alliances born of war, unity against oppression- but despite their conflicts there was love, and caring, kindness and mercy, loyalty and honor. The spark for the magic of friendship was there.
When she had first discovered this ideal, the singular power of friendship, she had her first sight at the infinite glory of creation, all in a single spark. When she had first banded together with her friends to defeat Nightmare Moon and save the soul of Princess Luna, she knew its power. But not fully- not yet. She had fought with the god of chaos himself, Discord, and sealed him back inside his prison. Disaster after disaster assailed Equestria, but with her friends, Twilight prevailed. She had completed her tutelage under Princess Celestia, and became who she realized she was born to be- a Princess.
But a new terror emerged. Three months ago, a monster appeared in the sky- a beast of dark metal and unearthly fire. It fell to ground not far from Ponyville with a roar and a crash that shook the foundations of their world to the core. Ponyville had endured madmare magicians, hydras and ursae, insane gods of chaos, but those scourges, while feared, were understood. This was a nebulous quantity, a variable. It was something truly new- and Equestria had been mostly static for thousands of years.
While everypony else was too terrified to leave their homes, Twilight Sparkle had her friends. They stood forwards. She gathered them, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy, ready to confront a new threat- or befriend a new ally.
The monster had gone south, past Sweet Apple Acres. She had guessed that the explosive retort that had so frightened the citizens of Ponyville was this creature or machine landing, and understood that she had to follow it.
She had known that she had to be brave for her friends. She was stronger, now, stronger than they knew, but terror had still threatened to overwhelm even her. Fear had shown on the faces of all her friends, and she did her best to remain dignified, like Celestia would have been. Quietly, she had measured her breathing and forced herself to confront the situation like an experiment. What was the end goal- Protect Equestria. How do we accomplish this? Discover the beast’s intent, then placate or rebuke it. What if she failed?
She could not answer her own question. They were walking past the orchards, past rolling hills and farms cradled in shallow valleys for several miles, until they came to a wide, open plain. A bloody scar ran through the earth, a trench many hundreds of pony-lengths long of shredded earth in the anomaly’s wake.
It was at least as large as Celestia’s throne room- perhaps fifty feet tall, two hundred long, the object tapered as it grew closer to the earth in every direction. Its shell was hard and unmoving, and the dragonfire trail it left came from a massive aperture at one end, almost conical in shape but with intricacies in design that she could not comprehend. A translucent skin covered much of the front-facing side, which also curved away from the ground as it grew closer to the earth. A multitude of metal struts thrust out from the bottom of the object, supporting its weight. It was of a deepest black stellar metal, here and there decorated with symbols- on the side facing her, there was a massive rectangle with a single diagonal black stripe. In the center was a shape somewhat similar to an arrow symbol, the stem, wide at the bottom, growing thinner as it approached the point. It was certainly foreboding, but as it smoked slightly in the spring sun, she sensed no hostility.
It was clear from first glance that it itself was no animal. Nothing in Equestria looked anything like... whatever the dark object was, and it certainly wasn’t a rogue magician’s magical construct- they had been banned since the Nightmare Heresy, and very few unicorns remembered that they even existed.
A hatch opened in the object’s belly, and more fumes spilled out of the mysterious body - ship, perhaps? If it had sails, it would have looked like a boat, albeit an odd one. Down the hatch came... something, diving out of the fumes. Even from a distance she thought whatever it was might be coughing, retching, in reaction to the smoke.
She half ran, half glided to get a closer, ignoring the startled cries of her friends. Only Rainbow Dash was willing to follow her, and even then only halfway between their starting point and the ‘ship’.
The steam hissed quietly above her, in the... ship. She was now directly beneath it, and it seemed far bigger and menacing from such a close distance, a crushing weight hanging over her neck. The smoke was dissipating now, but it still smelled noxious, like rotten eggs and a tangy metallic smell she could not identify. Wrinkling her nose, she proceeded.
On the ground, somepony- no, something, lay, explosive coughing issuing forth like artillery barrages. It was like nothing she had ever seen. The closest comparison would be a minotaur, but they were thicker around the chest, horned, hoofed, with spindly legs, and whatever this was seemed somehow... more. Even in its prostrate position Twilight could tell that the creature would be taller than all but the most gigantic of minotaurs, like Iron Will, and very nearly the height of Celestia. On what she assumed to be its head- for it was proportionally larger compared to the rest of its body- there was a close-cropped, night-black mane. It had no fur, with pale tan-pink skin on what was exposed of its body.
She could not tell about the rest of its body, for it seemed to be mostly covered in some sort of clothing. If she could extrapolate from her own society, perhaps it was a social elite for having the money and inclination to wear them? She didn’t know. Whatever material it was seemed very fine, and she doubted that they were alien animal furs, which comforted her marginally. The clothes were blood-crimson, with black and gold trim. Momentarily forgetting the gravity of the situation, she made a note to keep it away from Rarity, who could never resist a stallion in uniform. If it was a stallion. Or a uniform. But it did seem military to her, or the alien had meticulous attention to detail to keep it perfectly folded and pressed. Ruefully, she hoped that at least some of her on-the-spot guesses were even remotely close to the mark.
Around this point in her train of thought and examination of the creature, it seemed to regain enough strength to stand. Uneasily, it stood up on its hooves, strangely only using its forelegs to balance rather than support weight, as that odd Lyra pony sometimes did. Only now did it take notice of her, and she, almost without noticing, took a half step back. She did not know this creature’s disposition, and it was drawn up to its full- and formidable- height.
“\/\/-|__ (- |\_ |= |_.0._|?”
Its maw opened, speaking in some strange tongue completely alien to her. The creature seemed to realize that communication, at least for now, was impossible, and began plunging the... thing, on the tip of its foreleg, into holes of its clothing as if searching for something buried there. Twilight had a wild idea- she had no guarantee she would be successful, but she had to know if these outsiders were friend or foe.
She held up a hoof, motioning- hopefully- for the alien to stop what it was doing. Thankfully, it seemed to understand, and even better, bent its hind legs to assume a ‘kneeling’ position, locking his gold-brown eyes with hers of royal purple. It was astonishing, she marvelled, at how similar they were. Here it was, an alien from so far away she knew she could barely comprehend the distances involved, with eyes, skin, hair, not too different from her own features.
Her hoof, still raised, slowly and cautiously extended towards the creature’s head. It did not flinch away, so she continued until she made contact with its temple. She channeled a gentle energy from her horn through her hoof. It gasped as if it was doused in cold water, but to her relief, it did not attempt to move away. Her vision faded to black, and she tuned out all sounds, senses, and did the same for her contact, so they could concentrate. She had no idea if these outsiders had any experience with magic, so she wanted there to be no distractions to disturb them.
Can you understand me?
Waves of confusion, along with a hint of fear, echoed through their telepathic bond. It was as if the bipedal was trying to formulate a response but could not figure out how to- she guessed that, where it came from, they had no experience with magic.
Just think your responses. We cannot understand each other’s language, but we may be able to communicate through thought.
I- I understand you.
[ She was ecstatic. A real, sapient extra-celestial! In truth, she had already guessed at its sapience- how could it be otherwise, for it to travel here?- but they were similar enough to understand each other on the most primal level possible! And it still was not hostile towards her! A million questions exploded from within- how many of its kind are there? How can they traverse the vastness of space? Were ponies the first other life-forms they had discovered, as the reverse was true for her? She wanted to know its culture. She needed to know their history. But above all, she wanted to be able to speak.
She thought, perhaps, that the alien could sense her excitement. She staunched the flow of queries, calming herself down. Calm. Like Celestia. Just then, she realized she was representing her entire race- no, not just ponies, all the living beings under Celestia’s sun, to contact from beyond the stars.
How are you doing this?
In surprise, she noted that unlike his first ‘words’ that he ‘spoke’, which were faltering and uncertain, it- no, he, for when she was privy to its emotions he seemed to be the male of its- his- species, he was now confident. For something- somepony- someone- that obviously did not understand magic, it-he was learning how to communicate quickly.
I gather your race has no experience with magic, she thought, with a mental sigh.
Not in the current age, but the concept of non-Newtonian forces are part of our collective history. You can use magic?
Most ponies, even unicorns, could barely form coherent thoughts in telepathic conversation, and only one in a hundred unicorns could initiate one. Once more astonished by how quickly he learned the basics of telepathic communication, she almost forgot to ask him, Newtonian?
Named for Newton, a human who discovered many of the rules of how the universe operates, as well as create a new branch of mathematics to work with these laws. In particular, gravitational pull and the laws of motion.
Gravity? Action at a distance? The fact that two bodies attract each other at a rate that is proportional to the product of their combined masses and inversely proportional to the distance between them? Also, what is a human? Is that what your race is called?
He veiled his thoughts from her, briefly, considering.
You’re clearly very intelligent. Ah, would this magic be powerful to evacuate six thousand cubic feet of air of its methane?
Probably. Does your species have an aversion to methane gas?
Yes, but as an asphyxiant. It’s only harmful if it displaces too much oxygen for us to breathe. Or if introduced to an open flame.
Fascinating. You inhale oxygen as well?
Twilight was getting all the more excited about the situation, Obviously the alien was just as curious about her as she was about him, and neither were hostile. It was almost like a science fiction novel, tailored to have, for once, a peaceful resolution.
Just give me a moment.
She drew on her formidable reserves of magical power, and her horn glowed a deep amethyst. He looked on, fascinated, as her horn lit up and she drew the colorless gas from his transport like poison from a wound. She called a breeze to help dissipate the cloud as quickly as possible, and ceased. A few weeks ago this still would have been manageable, but difficult and draining. She was beginning to grow used to it, but the titanic magical energy she had always possessed had been magnified in the past week, since the coronation.
I need to check on my crew. Hold on a moment, I’ll be back.
Wait!
What is it?
She bit her lip in anxiety. Was she too bold? No, this would be fine, she was safe. She had to know more. She had to know everything.
Would you mind if I took a look? That is, if that's all right.
For a second, neither of them spoke- er, thought.
I’m an alien creature from outer space. You have no idea why I’m here, if I’m hostile. You don’t know our culture- maybe you’ll see us as monsters? Don’t you fear me?
Yes, she admitted to him. I do fear you. But I don’t think I have any reason to hate you. I believe there can be harmony between us. Call it my religion.
Fair enough. Come along, then.
“You know, looking back, that was a fairly stupid decision.”
The night’s candles were burning low, and she sat together with her companion before a fire. Luna’s moon shone through a window high above, so they had ample light to read the book set in front of them. She had gotten used to her suite at the castle by now, and they no longer felt cold and unwelcoming to her. It was beautifully furnished, with tapestries and carpets of every color and design. There were comfortable sofas and chairs, a small desk and workspace over in the corner(unfortunately, this was the only unsightly part of the room- it had been so buried by papers, books and scrolls that the poor desk looked ready to roll over and die at any minute). Spike lay, snoring, in her bedroom on his own, smaller nest. He was growing- slowly, but noticeably- and his old bed was no longer suitable.
“I mean,” she continued, practicing this strange, alien tongue, “Knowing what I know now, I probably never would have stepped aboard that ship.”
“I don’t know,” her friend said. He was staring at the fire. Humans, far more so than ponies, had an innate connection to that particular element. “I think it turned out fairly well for both of us. By the way, I’ve never seen anyone learn English faster than you.”
She closed the book. She knew everything in it, anyway, and she had it open more to admire the quality paper and books these humans produced. “Yeah, but we cheated, didn’t we? Magic is overpowered.”
Third Marshal Evan Harvin never seemed to change, even as the physical and mental gap between herself and her past widened. She had grown taller, stronger, in the last few months. She became more like them, these strange outsiders. She learned their history, their culture. Acts that would have astounded her when she first made contact with these magical creatures from beyond the stars now made perfect sense.
As for him, he always even seemed to wear the same clothes. His crimson uniform, with its fancy gold trim and black epaulettes seemed as much a part of him as his eyes or nose, and as constant as a mountain. Just as the clothes were part of him, what it symbolized was part of human nature.
War. The combined casualties from the greatest wars in Equestrian history- the Nightmare Heresy, the Starswirl Rebellion, Unification Wars and Fall of the Crystal Empire would amount to acceptable losses in a human border skirmish. They were unstoppable warrior machines, bred in blood, raised on vengeance. They had been fighting wars and butchering each other for longer than Princess Celestia had been raising the sun.
But like clothes, it was only a small part of their personality- their nature. They wrote fantastic works of literature, imagined the means to travel to the furthest limits of the universe, flaunting the laws of physics, all so they could discover more! Equestria was not the first alien homeworld they had discovered, and ponykind was not the first race they had extended their hand to in friendship. They invented technology beyond her wildest dreams, and most importantly, beyond their skin, they were one and the same. Humans, perhaps not in quite as tangible a sense as ponies, believed in the ideal of harmony. They went about accomplishing harmony differently- their idea that harmony flowed from strength intrigued her, but they had friendship. They could learn from her, and she could learn from them in kind.
“Twilight.”
Her ears perked up at the sound. They had been quiet for several minutes, staring peacefully at the fire together.
“We’ve been thinking... it’s time for us to get going.”
She wasn’t surprised. While both captain and crew of the Courier denied that they had finished engine repairs, she knew that they were waiting for something to happen, and she had been fairly certain the entire time of what it was.
“I see,” she responded simply, and waited for the question she had been expecting for a long time.
He began as if it was a speech committed to memory- in fact, that was not unlikely. “We believe that it would be most conducive to the long-term friendship of our species for a member of the Equestrian nobility to visit Earth and learn more about us as a species. There is much that cannot be learned about us by observing a group of military officers as they represent a small portion of the population, and experience teaches better than computers. You’re likely the best suited to act as representative, as you don’t control the orbital mechanics of your sun or moon. Will you come with me?”
“Of course,” she replied after a moment.
He seemed surprised at her instant acceptance. “Aren’t you... well, going to consider? At all? Isn’t this even a little bit out of left field?”
Recently, Twilight had been practicing more and more Celestia’s stoic demeanor, but occasionally her hyperactive self broke through. Generally, bystanders would try to head her off as quickly as possible before she got too excited, so most already knew what to do. “I’ve been expecting this. I’m already packed! And just from your database I’ve seen so much- the videos and pictures are so detailed! I can’t imagine what it would be like to be there in person! Also, there’s-”
“Shh, you’re doing it again.” He smiled, to let her know he meant no offense. The humans were often somewhat unnerved by her maniacal urge to experiment.
“Sorry. Anyway, if it really is alright for me to go...”
“Of course.”
“I think I will. Like I said, I’ve seen this coming. I asked my friends...”
Gently, Twilight pushed open the door of the Carousel Boutique. The bell rung overhead, announcing her arrival. A singsong voice called from the other room, “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where all- Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed as she came into view. “How are you doing, darling! You’ve been spending too much time cooped up with those humans up at Canterlot! How have you been? You simply must tell me all about it!”
“Sorry,” she began. “There’s just so much to learn. I’ve been fine, Spike’s growing- slowly, but you can definitely notice it. It’s amazing, all the things these humans know! I’m sorry I haven’t been able to spend time with you girls, but-”
“Dear, you know you don’t need to apologize! There’s nothing to forgive. We all know how important this is. Could you imagine,” she said, her face darkening for a moment, “If they were less friendly than they turned out to be? What do you think would happen then?”
Twilight was silent. She knew full well what would have happened if they had come for war.
“Anyway, don’t be sorry! We understand. That’s what we’re here for.” She smiled, and patted Twilight on the back.
“I’m pretty sure Evan is going to go soon. When he does, he’ll ask me to go with him. I’m going to go. But I’ll be so far away from all of you, and for so long. It might be years before I come back! And I just wanted to ask... will you wait for me? Will we still be friends after so long?
Rarity pulled her into a tight embrace. “Of course we will, Twilight. No matter how long we have to wait.”
“...and without exception...”
“Yeah! Twilight Sparkle, Princess and AmBADASSador to humankind! Be sure to tell us what flying in that thing feels like!”
“You don’t worry about a thing, Twilight. We won’t stop being your friends just because you’re far away, now will we?”
“Yipee! I bet those guys really know how to party! Go get’em, girl!”
“Oh... well, it’ll be sad that you’re far away, but you’ll come back, and we’ll be together again.”
“..they were all ready to support my decision, and they encouraged me in my choice.”
“Good. I’ve asked the Princess-”
Twilight cut him off. “Hold up- you asked Celestia something? Since when did you know Equestrian?”
He grinned. “What do you think I’ve done with my spare time?”
“I thought you were still busy fixing your spatial displacement drive! How long has it been working?!”
“Ah... well, um... two and a half months?”
Playfully, she kicked him. “And when were you going to let me know?”
“Ouch. Well, now. Anyway,” he said, getting back to the subject at hand. “I’m nowhere near as good at learning new languages as you are-”
“You certainly mastered how to communicate via telepathy quickly enough-”
“But,” he finished, “I was able to communicate with her reasonably well, enough to ask how she felt about my plan.”
“And?” Twilight asked, curious.
“Something to the effect of that it was your decision and whatever you chose would do fine.” He stood, towering over her, and began to turn towards the door, only to remember something and look back at her. “Oh, right. I was planning to leave within a few days. Two, perhaps?”
“Two?” Twilight responded, appalled. She too stood up, walking with him towards the door. Lucky for him, the castle was built to an Alicorn’s proportions, so he could easily clear even the lowest of doorways and halls in the castle. In other places, he was less lucky.
“It doesn’t have to be,” he quickly replied, trying to calm her. “But... we’ve been away for a long time. It’s time to go home.”
“It’s fine,” she reassured him. “Just a bit... soon, you know? But that’s alright. I’m ready.”
“Very well. Good night, Princess.” Quietly he opened the door, and almost without a sound, closed it behind him and walked towards his own rooms. She found it unsettling that, when they wished it, humans could move almost without a single sound. Then again, as a predatory species that would be advantageous. As for her, daisy sandwiches didn’t run very fast, so she hardly-
“Yo.”
Damn.
She had hoped to talk about this with Spike tomorrow.
“I thought you were asleep,” she said, turning to face the dragon.
He tilted his head to one side, confused. “You’re doing it again,” he stated.
Damn damn.
Since she had begun learning English, she had a bad habit of forgetting that nopony could understand what she said in the language. When she alternated between talking with Evan and his crew and her friends, she often made the mistake.
“Sorry,” she replied, switching back to her native tongue. “I thought you were asleep.”
“I was, but then you did the excitedness thing. Woke me up. Are you really leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Without me?” his eyes began to mist over, and he blinked angrily, trying to act like he wasn’t crying.
Damn damn damn!
She sat down next to him, hugging him close. “No, no, it’s all right. Shh. There, there.”
He was sobbing quietly. Belatedly, she remembered her conversation at the door of Sombra’s castle. “Hey, remember? I said I’d never leave you. I meant it. I mean it. You’re my number one assistant, remember? I need you with me.”
She lamented that there was no other way to calm him down. She could hardly stay here, but if she left him he would be distraught. She guessed that the humans wouldn’t mind, but it hurt her sense of courtesy to do this without asking. Stupid. She had known this was going to happen, but chose not to let him know along with her other friends. What had she been thinking?
“R-really?” He sat up, wiping his eyes, and took a deep, shuddering breath to fortify himself. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m a wreck.”
“No, no,” she quickly assured him. “This was my fault. It’s all right.”
He was composed again, somehow. He was growing, like her. Stronger. Calmer. “So, two days, huh?”
“Yeah.”
He looked up, meeting her amaranth eyes with his green. “Let’s do this,” he whispered.