It was a long day for Cygnus. He just finished a long presentation at the Equestrian Space Agency center in Hoofston and toured around. He had a blast after meeting three astronauts and touring the facility with his friends, who helped him present on a project that helped him on the project . The day ended with a bittersweet moment. While he enjoyed the time he spent bonding with friends he met online, he would never see them for a long time in real life. With a long drive on the way to the airport, Cygnus stayed quiet worrying about whether or not he could make it through security.
*Ring! Ring!*
"Hello?" Cygnus asked.
"Hey there hon! How are you?" his mom replied.
"Oh mom, its great. I hope I get home though. You know, with what happened."
"So how did it go?"
"It was awesome! I can't believe I got to spend the day with astronauts and got to see where they train! It was super awesome and I simply couldn't get enough of it. I think that I'd love to work here!"
"Well, I'm sure you will get to do that someday! Are you on your way to the airport?"
"Yeah... We are on our way. I'll call you when I am on the plane. OK?"
"OK hon. See you tonight!"
"See you tonight, ma."
An hour later, Cygnus and a friend who he presented with arrived at the airport. He stepped out and went inside, feeling the hot, humid air. As he got inside the terminal, he saw the departure board.
Oh look. Southwest flight 45 to Manehatten. That's my flight.... And it's delayed. Maybe I should get a chicken burger. I feel hungry for one.
As he went through security, he and one of his friends who were at ESA got some chicken burgers, chatted about school and discussed about their lives. They had a great time, since it had been 2 years since they met in another ESA center. They talked about finding love, making great friends, and their experiences in life. Both of them hard to part ways with their other team mates, but now, they both had to part ways and did so when Cygnus' flight was departing soon.
"Attention, Southwest Airlines flight 45 with service to Manehattan will now be departing from Gate 25. We are sorry for the inconvenience."
Cygnus didn't want to be late to his flight. He rushed as fast as he could after he gave his friend a brohoof and hugged him. He knew that he wanted to get on the plane and get home, so he could finish his studies. It was important that he didn't miss anything. Thankfully, he had just enough time to catch up to his gate. It would be the last time he saw his friend until they would meet up again on another day.
"Mares and Gentlecolts, Southwest Airlines is pleased to announce that we will commence boarding flight 45 continuing service onto Manehattan."
Cygnus got his headphones on as he waited for his time to get on board the small jet. It was the second time he flew alone on a plane alone and felt excited, but wasn't sure how to contain his excitement. He played some music and got his phone out to board the plane. His dilated eyes were ready to see the world at night.
"Welcome aboard Southwest Airlines flight 45 continuing service onto Manehattan. Our flight will be 4 hours long and we will be at a cruising altitude of 41,000 hooves. We apologize for the small delay, but we hope we can use another route to get us to Manehattan faster than usual."
Southwest was a bit chaotic. The sooner one checked in, the sooner they could board the plane. Cygnus was one of the first 60 to board the plane, and managed to get a good seat in the front: 3A, a window seat. He fitted his seat belt and settled down for the long flight.
"Hey ma, it's Cyg. I'm on the plane and I am heading home. Remember to pick me up at Midnight. I'll call you once I land in Manehattan. Love ya."
After the usual safety briefing, the plane quickly got onto the runway and suddenly gained speed. Cygnus was pressed onto his seat has the plane quickly rose, racing down the runway. Right after, the aircraft made a sharp left turn, flying above the airport. The loud engines continued to push the metal body above the Hoofston skyline and above the haze. He could finally see the sun set and the Equestrian Space Agency from the distance.
Slowly, but steady, the plane rose to cruising altitude. The sun was slowly fading as the sky darkened, giving way to a beautiful sunset and view of the horizon. Cygnus decided to take some photos of the sunset and work on some homework on his computer. Although he missed a day of high school, he seriously needed to catch up on late assignments. Finals were coming up, so he also tried his best to study and prepare to do well.
An hour later, He noticed it was dark and wanted to take another peak outside. It was hard to tell what was going on, but he took a look and saw the stars. It was hard for him to see them, but somehow, they were there, shining as brightly as possible. Oddly enough, he just stared at the window and didn't stop. His favorite song was playing by Coltplay, "A Sky Full Of Stars" which came out a few weeks ago.
"'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars, I think I saw you..."
As he heard the lead singer's voice play through his headphones and the beautiful instrumental part, the plane banked towards the right, heading east. Cygnus' eyes started to water and dilate. Today, it somehow felt like the sky has some sort of meaning that he couldn't figure out. He dropped everything that he was doing and turned off his computer as he continued to stare through the window.
Little did he know that his blank flank started to become blank no more...
Author's Note
Cygnus X is an OC based off of me with this story based off a real life event. This will be built into a large story based off of the life of Cygnus. I plan to write chapter 2 on the aftermath.
Also, keep in mind, my grammar sucks! It's awful. Not gonna lie.
It was a month after his trip to the Equestrian Space Agency's Astroneight Center in Hoofston.. Cygnus finished school for the year and was in summer break. Manehatten was just getting hotter and hotter by the minute and it started to seem unbearable. While Cygnus had a few friends, he spent most of his time at home.
Cygnus lived in the outskirts of Manehatten. His parents were not as fortunate and were living in a poor area outside of the city. His dad worked on roofs for ponies all over the city while his mom helped take care of his sick grandparents. Throughout all this, Cygnus always tried to maintain a positive outlook and his parents tried his best to be there whenever they could.
While they could not be with the colt in Hoofston, he did bring back some great memories.
“Hey Cygnus!” his mom shouted
“Yea mom?” Cygnus replied.
“I got this for you. It came in the mail today”
The address read:
Equestrian Space Agency – Equestrian Astroneight Center
Hoofston, Equestria
In excitement, Cygnus opened the envelope to discover something interesting.
“Would it be some letter of recommendation to boost his chances to get into a major university? Maybe, it’s a certificate,” He wondered in excitement. At first, he saw what a piece of cardboard. Cygnus was confused and started looking even deeper. After removing the cardboard, he found a large piece of photo paper. In shock, he removed it to see what it was.
“No bucking way…”
This was just no ordinary photo. This photo had pictures of him with many other important ponies. There were the three astroneights he got to meet with back in Hoofston, the friends he made there, and all the scientists and professors from a nearby university. The three astroneights even left their signatures on the photo.
“Mom! Take a look at this!”
Quickly, Cygnus’ mom rushed to see the item he received.
“Oh hun, you look so happy! Just look at that smile! I’m gonna get you a photo frame so you can hang it up!”
*buzz!*
Cygnus picks up his phone to see there is an email from an email. He opens it and discovers a message.
Dear Cygnus,
It was a great pleasure getting your email back. I greatly impressed by your presentation back in June. Even though you were really nervous, you still managed to do very well. Keep working hard and remember to have fun as well. I wish you all the best in your studies and beyond. I have no doubt that you will do great things with your life.
Solar Sky
Astroneight
Equestrian Space Agency
“Hey hon, I got you a frame! I tell ya, you are going to be one of them one day,” His mom insisted.
“I don’t know, it’s so hard! They only take a handful every few years…” Cygnus looked a bit sad and hesitant.
Ever since he was little, Cygnus always was scared of being an astroneight. He thought space was dangerous and was scared that he wouldn’t make it back to earth. He was not too sure what he wanted to do.
“Just do you. You never know what will happen though,” His mom told him as she hung the photo on the wall, "I have the perfect spot for this photo."
The photo hung at the center of one of the walls. It was high up for him to see as he went to bed. It was a perfect spot. It meant so much to Cygnus as it was part of one of his biggest accomplishments.
"Oh! I just forgot something," Cygnus remembered about a special object he had. He found a special object that he found at ESA. He decided to take it with him. It looked a bit like a dead bird but he was not so sure what to do with it. He laid it on a desk that was below the photo. It would serve as an important memory about his fun adventures roaming space city.
Author's Note
After a long time, I finally got Chapter 2 up! I hope I can pick up the pace soon.
