Another World

The Elements of Harmony along with me and a mint green unicorn named Lyra were sprinting back to the crash site. The nuclear reactor in the ship could become a major problem if the coolant leaked out of it and/or if the pump blew out. Should either of these scenarios come true, the reactor would be damaged beyond repair and I would definitely be forced to stay on this planet. Another problem would be if there were ponies inside the ship and messing around with the reactor. God knows what would happen to them.

Finally reaching the camp of scientists positioned just outside of the ship we ran through just about anything in our way. By the end of the sprint my legs were just about to give out and I was out of breath. Kneeling down, I did my best to catch my breath as soon as I could.

“Are you alright sugar cube?” Applejack asked.

“Yah, it’s the crash. I got pretty banged up. I’ll be fine though.” I answered as I stood to my full height.

Off to my right there was a ramp leading up to the airlock that I originally escaped from. After another few moment’s rest I ran up the ramp and into the ship followed by the rest of the ponies. It didn’t take me long to get to the engine room and the reactor looked intact. Another pony in a hazmat suit walked into the room and greeted us.

“Uh hello. You must be the alien that came here in this ship. Might I say it is quite astonishing with all the machines and mechanisms. I do wish that you were able to warn us about the liquid that flowed from this machine over here before somepony was hurt.” The scientist said.

“So I was too late. Did they die?” I asked.

“No but she sustained major injuries and is now in Ponyville Hospital in critical condition.” He answered, his smile disappearing.

“Only one casualty? That’s amazing. I was expecting at least ten were dead by now.” I remarked.

“We have safety measures in place to prevent many injuries from occurring.” He said, standing slightly taller be the last word.

“Alright what happened to the liquid and where is it?” I asked in a more friendly tone.

“Oh that stuff is outside in a couple of metal barrels.” He answered.

“Good, good. Well would you like to join us as we go through the ship? You’ll certainly learn a lot more from first-hand experience than by just looking at the stuff.” I asked already knowing the answer.

“Yes I would love a tour of the ship!” He said with such enthusiasm that rivaled Pinkie Pie.

We went throughout the ship and I explained what things were or how things worked that weren’t too complicated. I purposefully didn’t go to the science lab and the cargo bay as I wanted to save those for the end. When I did finally get to the lab twilight went crazy. She practically zoomed from station to station looking at all of the different instruments. I let her look around while I searched for the mission documents that Brandi was talking about. I eventually came across an electronic tablet that had quite a few files on it. The tablet was old, about 15 years to be exact. It actually looked like the ones that came out back in 2015 but I couldn’t be sure.

As I looked through the different files I finally found what I was looking for. To sum it up the document stated that I was a liability and that I knew too much about our secret projects. The entire reason that I was sent here was because if the mission failed and we didn’t make it back to Earth then I would be dead. However, if the mission succeeded, Dillon was under strict orders to kill me. If he failed at eliminating me, Brandi was the next one up.

After reading through the documents I sat back on one of the counters and just stared at the screen. I trusted Brandi more than anyone outside of my family. I knew what she was telling me was the truth but I couldn’t believe it. Up until I read it on this tablet, I kind of pushed it off and didn’t give it much thought. I guess nothing is as it seems until you know everything about it. This did take some time to process but I came to when Twilight walked up to me.

“Do you mind if I take a few things for further study?” She asked.

I never really gave it much thought but when they ask me something, I can’t exactly say no. They look too darn cute.

“Well that depends on what you want to take.” I answered.

“There’s pictures of a planet in the blue folder and that microscope.” She said as she pointed to each of them.

“Alright Twilight.” I answered to which she replied with a cute squeak as she ran to grab the items.

“Alright let’s move to the cargo bay. There’s something in there that you might find a little more useful than a back pack. You won’t have to carry that stuff on your back to the library.” I said as I made my way to the central stairwell.

Getting to the cargo bay took no time at all as the stairwell almost lead directly to it. When we got there they took a sweeping glance at everything while I walked over to the rover in the back of the cargo bay. The rover was about the size of a large car and had seats for four. It looked like a white, windowless van with a few antennas on the top next to a transmission dish. The wheels were normal sized all-terrain tires made to withstand the harsh, Martian surface.

I took the folder and the microscope and put them into one of the little cargo containers on the rover. Next I opened the door for the elements to climb inside. The scientist insisted on staying in the ship and examining the new-found areas of the craft. Despite seven ponies and a human being in a four person space, there was room to move around, albeit very little. After a basic explanation of how the rover worked I started the engine. Only then did I realize that the cargo bay door wasn’t open. I climbed out and ran over to a console near the door. The large batteries inside the ship had enough juice to keep the ship functional long enough for the ship to return to Earth, should anything happen to it.

Or, at least, that’s what the scientists back on Earth told me. I was relieved to find that the batteries did have enough power to last for about a week and I used a small fraction of it to open the door. Once opened, I returned to the rover and slowly drove out of the room. The scientists outside the ship were amazed to see this machine come out of the ship and would have panicked if the scientist that was with us didn’t tell the others about his experience.

The drive back to Fluttershy’s cottage only took about five minutes and the minutes flew by due to the fact that Twilight kept talking throughout the ride. Once we reached the cottage we exited the vehicle and met in front of the house. All except for Fluttershy decided that they had had enough for today and headed home. After moving inside Fluttershy walked upstairs to her bedroom and I headed into the basement. This day rivals my first day in Equestria for the most interesting day that I have ever had. While looking back on the events of the day, I slowly closed my eyes, not knowing what tomorrow had in store for me.