Cousins Among the Stars

...Of course, this isn't to say that Gallineigho was without his own academic failings. His realization that Eris wasn't the center of our solar system went against ponies' most ancient beliefs, but he ultimately recanted his explanation when he said he discovered a star that defied his mathematical principles. Gallineigho passed away before showing anypony else the mysterious celestial body which, many speculated, drove him to madness. Ponies were thereafter left in the dark, unable to trust the principles of orbital mechanics that Gallineigho himself claimed false in the end.

Nearly one hundred years passed without astronomical note, until the great Renneighsance mare Tinkers Trade developed a new type of telescopic lens--the same kind, in fact, that astonomers use to date. Tinkers nearly disposed of the design when she observed a distant star moving in an unusual manner. After studying it for some time and independently corroborating the means by which her predecessor Gallineigho calculated celestial movement, she realized that the star was being influenced by a far more massive object. She shared her results, and in light of the intellectual revolution sweeping her country at the time, she was afforded the consideration necessary to find widespread acceptance for her ideas.

Although Tinkers Trade herself could never find an explanation for the movement of the distant sun, her work paved the road for later scholars. Workers broke ground for the Tinkers Laboratory on what would have been her hundredth birthday, and astronomers using the telescope installed there would eventually solve the mystery. Researchers found that Curious, as the star was named in accordance to Tinkers's supposed muttering when first she observed it, was indeed orbiting a planet. The greater mystery that this spawned, however, was the fact that this planet was no bigger than Eris.

Steady Steel shut the book with a sigh and reclined on the park bench where he sat. Turning his gaze skyward, he scanned for Curious and noted its position with a smile. He had no reason to read the book--he'd known almost as much since his foalhood. Granted, the circumstances prompting him to read had changed considerably. He no longer did so out of childish curiosity, but a history lesson so late at night would not help him in any case.

He stood, stepping beyond the light and warmth of the street-light that hung overhead. The cool desert air drew a shiver out of him but he did not rush to his destination. The party can certainly wait, Steel thought to himself. Of course, it had not. The party had started four hours ago and Steel knew it, but he intended to honor his promise of an appearance. And so he cantered steadily toward the bar.

When he reached the dilapidated wooden building on the edge of town, Steel hesitated. He saw no movement within. Glancing behind him, the wide dirt road led through a cluster of smaller, hastily-built wooden homes before abruptly ending at the foot of a larger brick structure. His approach from another direction had obscured his view of the little neighborhood, but now he confirmed that nopony had decided to bring the party outside. If it yet continued, he would find it within the bar.

Typically, no sense of apathy would keep Steady Steel from a party in a bar hosted by somepony else. The devastating fact that no drinks were to be served at this one, however, left Steel regretting his promise to attend. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then, when he pushed the front door open and did not immediately see anypony.

"Hey, Steel!" A familiar voice chirped from a booth in the corner of the room.

Muttering a quiet profanity, Steel turned to the stallion. "Hello, Spanner." Steel mentally berated himself and focused his mental energy on being polite. "What the hay are you still here for?"

Spanner simply laughed. "Waiting for you, of course! You swore you'd come and I wanted to be sure somepony'd be here to keep you company!"

Steady Steel found he could not remain irritated at his well-meaning friend. He slid into the opposite booth, awkwardly expressed his gratitude for the sentiment, and fell silent. Spanner watched as Steel lowered his head slightly and snuck a glance at the liquor counter.

"Steel... You know the regulations," he warned. "We're one day out; don't mess it up now."

The other earth pony narrowed his eyes and met Spanner's own. "I know perfectly well what the rules are and I am perfectly capable of following them. We're in this together, Spanner, but make no mistake about who's in charge."

Spanner raised his hooves defensively, his jaw tensing and lending to his nervous countenance. "Easy... I didn't mean anything by it..."

The pair remained like that for what Spanner judged to be approximately forever, and then Steady Steel sighed deeply and leaned back. "Forget it," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. Spanner gently lowered his hooves to the table and they sat in silence once more.

Seemingly without provocation, Steel returned his gaze to the other pony and asked, "Have you said goodbye to Lily yet?" His voice was one of genuine concern.

Taken aback, Spanner hesitated briefly before answering. "Yeah. I told her I had to run some system-checks after the party and I wouldn't mark it home tomorrow." Steel raised an eyebrow and Spanner continued. "I know, I know... But it just seemed easier that way. You know how it is."

Silence.

"I mean... Well, I just- I think if I waited 'till tomorrow, I might not be able to do it. It's easiest this way." Steady Steel offered a reassuring nod, unwilling to involve himself in actually rendering some form of insight. Spanner glanced at the door and frowned. After another moment's pause, "I suppose I ought to get on those last-minute checks.

Both stallions stood simultaneously. As they walked toward the door, Spanner made one last attempt at breaking the glacier their conversation had become. "Did you see the new emblem?"

"No. It's changed?"

"Yeah," Spanner continued as he stepped outside. "Some higher-up's foal didn't like it, so everypony scrambled to find something new. Nearly delayed the whole project. The launch vehicle's already been fixed with the new decal if you want to go see."

Steady Steel nodded. "I'm headed that way anyway," he divulged. Spanner began to say something, but his companion was already trotting toward the structure towering in the distance.

The two ponies traveled in silence for several minutes before Steel stopped and squinted at the craft. The sleek metal casing near the top bore a fresh coating of black paint. Adorning it, he saw a large golden circle on what was evidently an orbital path around a much smaller white circle. Below it, somepony had boldly emblazoned the name, Curiosity I. Steel smiled at the vessel, stole a final glance upwards at his destination, and turned to Spanner.

"Tomorrow." He mirrored his smile from a moment before and gave a reassuring nod. Then he turned down a different path and walked away.