Exploration

After Curiosity's resounding success (though it could have survived a while longer...), we got to work on figuring out how exactly the TK worked. As best we could figure out, the TK lowered the radiation capability of the plutonium in the small power generator. Therefore we would have to use solar panels or batteries for the probes before we could get to an understanding. The probe Friendship was launched 2 weeks after, using a similar format as Curiosity. However, it had more batteries and solar panels. It also had a small plutonium generator, that, upon discovery of a TK field, would turn off, which would allow the "chat" panel to be enabled.

Another day, another telescope session. As she looked around, she hoped for another ship. Then, she saw it. It had already entered the atmosphere. Thankfully, it was nearly sunset. She strolled out to it and saw it was fairly different from the other. It had the word Friendship written on it in large white letters. It was likely its name, but how could it be written in Equestrian Standard? She picked it up with her magic, and a small screen moved slightly and a projector displayed a typewriter-like keyboard on the ground. A small stick popped out, presumably for pressing on the keyboard keys. She brought it home and saw that the screen displayed, "awaiting query..."

She typed in the word "hello" and letters began to appear...

COMMUNITY SHIP S.E.S FRIENDSHIP

CHAT LOG

user: Hello?

GC: Hello! Glad to see you can type English as well as speak it.

user: English?

GC: Should have expected you didn't call it the same thing. What do you call it?

user: Equestrian Standard. What's your name, where did you come from, and how the heck did you get this thing here?

GC: That's certainly an interesting alternative to the word... My specific name is Andrew Starmburg. I come from another planet, and honestly we don't know for sure. Essentially, a hole appeared in the sky and it turned out we could send things through it. We used rockets and-

user: Rockets?

GC: Propulsion devices that move things by burning 2 things together which expel flame and create thrust.

user: I think I've heard of one of those. Not very often used though, burns too hot. I'll answer my own questions: I'm Starlight Shine and I live in Pranceton City, Equestria.

GC: I believe the command for changing the name there is /us-nm: [your name].

EXECUTING COMMAND...

Starlight Shine: Much better! Now, let's see: Which other planet do you come from?

GC: We call it Mars, but my race hails from its sister planet, named Earth. We orbit a star fairly similar to yours. Also: Can you point the camera on this out the window? We'd like to see your night sky.

Starlight Shine: Okay. Just telling you: Princess Luna changes the stars every night, so they change very often. I'm one of those in charge of writing them down.

GC: Wait, what?

IMAGE SENT

WARNING: LOW BATTERY POWER, SHUTTING DOWN